Keeping up-to-date

1832 – Postcrosser Ari in Kilpisjärvi sent me this card - one of a number of caricatures by Terho Peltoniemi.  Kilpisjärvi is a village in Lapland, Finland. It is located in Finland's northern "arm" near the very northwestern-most point of Finland.

KILPISJÄRVI IN A NUTSHELL

- Europe's cleanest air

- 40 over 1000 meter high peaks

- Only 50 kilometres to the shore of Arctic Ocean

- Sun is above horizon from May to August

- Rare plants and birds

- Three Border Points

- Paradise for a photographer

- Favourite activities: skiing, hiking, snowmobiling, photography, fishing, husky rides, plane rides, paragliding, heli-skiing, trips to Norway and Sweden

- The longest winter and thickest snow in Finland

- The longest ski-season: from September 'till Midsummer Day

- More Northern Lights than anywhere else in Finland

- Average temperature: in January -13,6°C, in July +10,9°C

- Average temperature all year round -2,3°C

｡◕‿◕｡

1833 – From postcrosser Liza from Dnipropetrovsk in Ukraine where my friend Katya lives. 

  

1834 – Another postcrossing card – this time from Vilija in Lithuania.  It shows the old town of Vilnius, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

1835 – A Molly Brett picture from Heleen in the Netherlands.  Molly Brett (1902–1990) was an English illustrator and children's author, best known for her anthropomorphic artwork like these two rabbits with letters in their hands.  When she saw this card Heleen immediately thought of me.  I’m not sure what that says about me? :-)

The stamps on this card – 

1836 – A 1923 GWR Castle Class engine from Monica in Sweden.

Appropriate stamps!

1838 – From Anastasia in Belarus.  

1839 – A slutsk sash design from Anastasia.

1840 -  Ira, a Ukrainian postcrosser sent me this card of her hometown, Chernivtsi.

What super stamps.

1841 – Fidel, a Bulgarian ppstcrosser, generously sent me three cards.  This is a UNESCO WHS.

1842 – Another UNESCO WHS.

 1843  -  Fidel’s third card.

1846 - From Katya in Ukraine, a map of her country.

And a fridge magnet map for me.  How kind.

One of the stamps on the envelope shows the gold Scythian pectoral, or neckpiece, from a royal kurgan in Tolstaya Mogila, Ordzhonikidze, Ukraine, dated to the second half of the 4th century BC.

1847 – Another card from Katya, showing Eruslan, a beautiful young boy in Russian fairy tales who slays the dragon.

1845 – A postcard by Inga Poltser from Katya.  Is this cute or what?

Some cards from June 2014

Although I have said in my Rambles Blog that I am off-line for a while I felt like doing some blogging about recent postcards.  And since I am cutting myself more slack at the moment and allowing myself to do what I want, not what is expected of me, here is a post about some lovely cards that have helped to cheer me up.  Although I only show the front and treat the message as private – as it often deserves to be – I must mention how important the messages are.  And recently they have been so supportive.  Thank you. 

1831 – There was a caring message from Karen in Canada on the back of this Penguin card.

I wonder which the potato turned out to be?

And three super pet stamps from the ‘Adopt a pet’ series.

1830 – From Canadian Chickadee in Washington State, another compassionate missive.

 

With three wonderful Forever stamps –

I would love to get all ten from this series on cards some time.

1829 – Susanne in Germany not only sent me a sympathetic card but also another one to Partner-who-drinks–tea (Her cup was full!!)

1826 – A postcrossing card from Annelies in the Netherlands.  What a brilliant collection of reading women pictures on one card.    

     

And more wildlife stamps.     

                                                                                                                                                                                      

1825 – From Monica in Sweden came a Pippi Longstocking illustration from ‘Pippi in the South Seas’ (1948).  I like book illustrations, especially from well-known children's books.

This card had five Swedish stamps cancelled rather nicely.

1823 - The mosque in Medan known as Masjid Raya - from Agung in Indonesia.

 

Isn't this stamp of an Elegant Sunbird really beautiful.

1822 – A UNESCO WHS - a postcrossing card from Anu in Finland.

1821 – From Danielle in the USA comes another reading woman (I can’t get too many of them).  This one is so relaxed, a perfect card for summer.  The card doesn’t say who the artist is – if anyone knows can they let me know please?  (The signature appears to read Paul C M....)

1820 – From my friend Dai Li in China.

As always she uses beautiful stamps.  Chinese stamps are among my favourites – they are such super miniature works of art.

1819 – Georges Crogaert (Belgian 1848-1923) 'La Liseuse'.  The epitome of ‘Languid’ from Danielle in Nebraska.

1798 & 1803 -  Two illustrations by E Bern from Katya in Ukraine. 

 

The stamps include clocks from the museum in Lviv.

 1799 - From Helen and Ian.

1818 – And, in the light of recent events, a really appropriate illustration from my good friend Monica in Sweden.  The painting is by Elsa Beskow and illustrates the lullaby ‘Sleep little willow’.

Sov, du lilla vide ung,

än så är det vinter,

än så sova björk och ljung,

ros och hyacinter.

Än så är det långt till vår,

innan rönn i blomma står,

sov, du lilla vide,

än så är det vinter.

Sleep, little willow,

it is still winter,

birch and heather,

roses and hyacinths still sleep.

It's a long way to spring,

before rowan in flower stands,

sleep little willow,

it is still winter.