Drawn Cities

Paris (France)
Bookshop Shakespeare and Company
(Sent by Fabienne)

Ashford, Kent (the UK)
By Diane and Frank Setek
(Sent by Laura)

Toruń* (Poland)
(Sent by Anna)

*City where the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus was born in 1473. also famous for its delicious piernik ('gingerbread').

I added this post to Maria's link Postcards for the Weekend. Be sure to go there to see more beautiful postcards!

With Just a Fruit Label

This letter sent by Heleen (the Netherlands) arrived in Morocco, and rather soon, without the name of the country write on it: just on that little fruit label (You can compare to what happened to that letter...).

The matching stamp (at least, matching with the label of the orange), belongs to the to the 6-stamps sheet Grenzeloos Nederland ('Borderless Netherlands'), issued by Dutch post on 15 August 2016, and dedicated to Australia.

Heleen had sent me more stamps from the same series...

More information about the stamp and the issue here.

Send Flowers

Drawn envelope sent to Heleen (the Netherlands). Inspiration from this postcard.

She Is Not

The Last of England, 1860
Ford Maddox Brown (1821-1893)
The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, UK

Two postcards received from Laura (the UK) last November. She is not, of course... But in both cases, when I saw them, I thought of Little Red Riding Hood, don't you?

Strangely enough, they exist two versions of The Last of England. This one, reproduced on the postcard above. And other one, exhibited in the Birmingham Museums Art and Gallery, with quite different colurs...

The Potato Digger, 1912-15
Paul Henry (1876-1958)
Collection Ulster Museum, Belfast, UK

Women on Stamps | Bechdel-Wallace Test

In 1986, the American cartoonist Alison Bechdel and Liz Wallace unwittingly invented the Bechdel-Wallace Test. It appeared first in the comic strip Dykes To Watch Out For., and now is used as an indicator for the active presence of women in films and other fiction, and to call attention to gender inequality in fiction.

It has three rules:

1. The movie has to have at least two women in it.
2. Who talk to each other.
3. About something besides a man.

It doesn't seem like such a hard test... but it is kind of shocking to realize how few movies can actually pass this test. 

Secrets & Lies is a 1996 British film that passes the Bechdel Test, with a ton of room to spare. The actresses that appeared on this stamp are Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Brenda Blethyn. The stamp was issued in 13 May 2014 and belongs to the series Great British Film Special Stamp (More information about the issue.)

I have received two more stamps, but I am afraid that the films depicted on them don't pass the Bechdel test:

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For the new edition of Sunday Stamps-II A to Z, I have decided to show some of the stamps I have got on letters and postcards, related to one topic: women. This is the post for the letter B.

More women on stamps.

Classical Architecture Inspiration

Parliament Building of Northern Ireland
Stormont, Belfast, the UK

The Fitzwilliam Museum
Cambridge, the UK

Saatchi Gallery
London, the UK

Postcards sent by Laura (the UK). Very different buildings, but it seems that the architects found their inspiration in the same place.

Today's theme in Maria's Postcards for the Weekend is Serenity/Peace/Calm. I guess most people find their calm and peace in nature. But sometimes, straight lines also provide a sort of serenity, don't they?

Postcrossing Addiction

I received this great postcard from Bryon and the Seattle Postcrossing Group. They were having a group therapy meeting for their addiction to postcards. But I guess they don't wish really to get over that postcard problem...

Because they wrote not one but two postcards. The second not exactly a postcard, but a big (24 x 24 cm) part of a pizza box. Of "the best pizza is the Seatte area (and probably the world)", they say. All I know is that the Sasquatch makes the box one of the best pizza packaging I have seen!

As you know, I usually don't upload the messages. But maybe you need to read this interesting discussion about pineapple on pizzas...

Fountain

On this envelope for Laura (the UK), I tried to paint one of the traditional fountains that you can find in the narrow streets of the old medina of the city I live in, made of tiles. I used watercolours pencils.

This sending belongs to a personal project, Morocco A-Z. During some months, I sent to my friend one (or more) postcards for every letter. This one is T for Tetouan.

HitM | Amalgamated Colourful

Tall, small and colourful houses in Manarola, the oldest town of the famous Cinque Terre towns, all part of the Cinque Terre National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The sender lives in an small but sunny apartment. But her dream house is a semi-detached one with a garden, 2 bathrooms and 2 or 3 bedrooms, a room to read and do craft projects, and a big bay-window.

I think it is the tiny house she drew on the back... :)

Postcard sent by Eva (Italy).

La Grande Poste

I made this envelope of a baker's bag for Eric's mail call about mail art made with reused paper bags. You can translate La Grande Poste or البريد الكبير as 'The Main Post Office'. I have bought bread from that baker's (close to the post office, that is) before, but I had never realised what was written on their bags.

Women on Stamps | All American

Issued on 2 June 1960, it pays tribute to the American Women and to their accomplishments in different areas: Education, Civic Affairs, and Arts & Industry.

Now I wonder if is there any stamp dedicated to "the American man"...

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Since I wrote this and this, complaining about the general lack of women on stamps (around the world and, especially, in my country), a lot of stamps depicting women have landed in my mailbox. So, for the new edition of Sunday Stamps-II A to Z, I have decided to keep to this topic, and show some of the stamps I have got on letters and postcards. This is the post for Sunday Stamps II - A.

More women on stamps.

Delicious Postcards

This weekend's theme in Maria's link is Happiness/Joy. It is easy to associate joy with your beloved ones around a table, don't you think so?

This postcard arrived from India through the Postcrossing site (another source of joy!). The sender didn't write a lot, but there is a very nice explanation on the back about the dishes on the picture. It starts with: Every region in India has a wonderful tale to tell... So much to learn here!

Borsch recipe sent by Elena (Russia). It seems really tasty!

Another Postcrossing postcard, sent by Barbara (France). An Eiffel Tower made of macarons... That would be the dream of some people!

And something more frugal, just in case you are not a sweet-toothed. Postcard sent by Bettina (Germany).

Postal Pics from the North of France

Mailbox in Amiens, near the cathedral
(Some of my postcards were posted here!)

Postal bike spotted in Boulogne-sur-mer

On a particular house, in Dunkerque

Le Tri postal was built in the 50s,
as a postal classification equipment.
In 2004, it became an art exhibitions centre

HitM | Captain Upton's

Captain Upton's House (1927) is an oil painting by one of my favourite painters: Edward Hopper (1882-1967). And a sort of dream house. The sender of the postcard grew in a similar one. Alas, without the lighthouse. He wonders what looks it like today. I wonder who Captain Upton's was. (See Bryon's comment!)

On the back of the postcard, very nice stamps with homes of all types:

Postcard sent by Bryon (the USA).

Happy Valentine's Day