Fruits from the Ancient World

Two nice additions to my Ancient Rome and the Greece albums:

Postcard sent by Laura (the UK). This is a detail of the famous Dionysos mosaic (c.AD 220-230), that she had the chance to see in the Römisch-Germanisches Museum of Cologne (Germany).

Postcard sent by Gian Luca (Italy), with a quotation of the Ancient Greek poet Pindar (Πίνδαρος, c. 522 – c. 443 BC). Two translations that I found (although they don't mention the fruits on the picture):

Do not yearn, O my soul, for immortal life! Use to the utmost the skill that is yours.

Seek not, my soul, immortal life, but make the most of the resources that are within your reach.

This week theme in Maria's link Postcards for the Weekend is handicraft / artwork. I think that the first postcard fits in. 

HitM | In Amsterdam

Traditional houses in Amsterdam (the Netherlands), that I received by Linda, through Postcrossing. The same day, another postcard arrived with this matching stamp:

And even another version of the same style houses arrived later from Micu (Hungary)!

Have an Ice Day

Envelope sent to Micu (Hungary). Obviously, I drew this on on a cold (spring!) day...

New Mail Labels

Official

Finland

Finland

Hungary

Non-official

Germany

Germany

Japan

Russia

South Korea

United Kingdom

United Kingdom

United Kingdom

United Kingdom

United States

HitM | Cube Houses

Another original contribution to the Houses in the Mail project, sent by Marina (the Netherlands)! The houses make think of trees, and there is a special feeling if you look at them when standing in their inner yard, the sender says. I can't resist to add this picture, taken from the Wikipedia:

The Cube houses (Kubuswoningen, in Dutch) of Rotterdam were designed by architect Piet Blom and based on the concept of "living as an urban roof": high density housing with sufficient space on the ground level. His design represents a village within a city, where each house represents a tree, and all the houses together, a forest. The central idea of the cube houses around the world is mainly optimizing the space, as a house, to a better distribution of the rooms inside. They are bigger that they seem: 100 square metres each (although not all of them usable, because of the walls that are under the angled ceilings).

Women on Stamps | Literary Works

Some stamps dedicated to literary works of women...

Northanger Abbey was the first of English novelist Jane Austen's novels to be completed for publication, in 1803. However, it was not published, until after her death in 1817.

This stamp belongs to a 2013 6-set of six that commemorate the 200th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice. Each stamp is dedicated to one of her six published novels, depicting key scenes in specially commissioned artwork by illustrator Angela Barrett. See here the whole issue.

Mary Anne Evans (1819 – 1880) was another English writer that used the male pen name of George Eliot.

The Mill on the Floss (1860) was the novel chosen to be depicted on this 1980 stamp. It belongs to the 4-stamps set Victorian novelists, that includes also Charlotte Bronte, Emily Brontë and 

Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell.

Ellen Ombre is a Dutch writer born in Surinam.

This 2001 Dutch set of stamps bears the title Het land van herkomst: schrijven tussen twee culturen ( 'The country of origin: writing between two cultures'). It combines quotations and pictures of Dutch of different origines.

Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was a well-known American writer and civil rights activist. The stamp was issued in 2015 and much celebrated, even if... the quote on the stamp wasn't hers!

---------------

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 L.

More women on stamps.

That Feeling

Yeah, it's a card.
A PAPER one.

Card sent by Phillip (the USA).

How Would You Define 'Letter'?

Drawing by Heleen

(Please, write your answer as a comment.)

Update: What makes a letter? Not necessarily paper, by Grace Aldridge Foster

E-V-A

No doubt this wonderful hand-painted envelope sent by Philippe (France) was addressed to me...

But, just in case you had doubts, he sent two more:

What a fantastic work! Plus, the envelopes arrived in the right order to put three big smiles on my face.

HitM | A Little House & a Big Garden

This is the contribution by Geneviève (Canada) to the Houses in the Mail project. She lives in this cosy red brick house, in the middle of the city but surrounded by trees and animals. Doesn't it sound fantastic? 

Geneviève's design is pretty, don't you think so? She explained me how the house is, and the advantages of having a not-so-big house. I agree!

Along with the drawing and a nice letter, she send a postcard and a mail art envelope that is a garden in itself. Many thanks!

Blue Bird

This envelope sent to John (the UK), was actually the first one I painted in 2018, back in January. It seems I have painted a lot of birds since then. I wonder why.

Women on Stamps | Doutzen Kroes

On 12 September 2016, PostNL brought out a 10-stamp sheetlet featuring ten photographs of the Netherlands’ most famous model, Doutzen Kroes. Top photographer Anton Corbijn provided the photography especially for the "Doutzen, mode and muse" stamps.

I think there aren't a lot of stamps dedicated to models.

---------------

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 K.

More women on stamps.

Lighthouses from a Big Trip

Mukho Lighthouse in Donghae (South Korea). Not a country I receive a lot of mail from! The stamp, or label, also caught my attention:

Tokarevsky (Токаревского) Lighthouse, in Vladivostok. Despite its modest size, this is one of Russia's best known lighthouses. It is named for Capt. M.J. Tokarev, whose ship surveyed the area in 1862-63. 

On the back of the postcard (How nice it is!), a matching stamp from 1984, showing the same lighthouse:

Postcards sent by Ania (South Korea & Russia).

HitM | Out - 3

Have you ever sent a 2-storey letter? I sent this to Fabienne (France):

HitM | Out - 2

Letter sent to John (the UK). I tried to match the city with the stamp...