Belgium

February 28, 2014

Belgium is a country that I haven't received many cards from, but the stamps and postcards are great so far.


Raquel writes," I found this card among your favourites so I hope you like to receive it!? :-)  I love cinema too, but nowadays I go less.  [not sure] is not enough for every - [not sure]. :-(

The Artist

I loved this film.  It was so much fun.

I also love these stamps.  They are great.  The birds are gorgeous, and the ladybird is cute. Enjoy!

Russia

February 25, 2014

I received this great card from Alex a few days ago.  His message is short and sweet,

Hello!  Greetings from Russia!    

Alexander     

Moscow  

Photochrom print of an elderly Irish woman at a spinning wheel.
(1890-1900)

I haven't seen the stamp on the right before.  It looks quite cute and Christmassy.

New Zealand

February 25, 2014

For some reason, New Zealand isn't a common Postcrossing Country.  I've only sent one card there, and this is the one card I have received from that country so far.  It's rather cute!

The back of this card reads, "Meow, I'm a cat, I am forced to share my life with a FAT DOG who wants TO EAT ME!  RUN!

Veronica Lloyd
 Seven Extremely Happy Sneezing Women
 2008

I love the bees on the stamp.  New Zealand is quite famous for honey so it makes sense.

Thanks for visiting!  See you tomorrow.

Malaysia

February 24, 2014

This large and very decorated (on the back) card arrived from Malaysia recently.  It was sent by Ni-San, who is a huge fan of Japanese anime and manga.  They said they read their first manga before they learned to read alphabets.  Their first drawing was a Japanese ninja.  It was a simple drawing of a person wearing a black hood (something-can't read it) over the face except the eyes.  And the ninja was holding a samurai sword in a striking pose.  They have no idea where did this samurai/ninja imagination come from.  They still keep the notebook where they drew this in a storeroom.

If you like watching romantic Japanese drama series, they recommend "Soratobu (something) (Public Affairs Office in the Sky) As for animated film, "Hotarubi no Mori e" is a good choice.  It is sweet, gentle and very touching.  T_T  They like "bishie" a lot (bishie=beautiful/handsome male character) but not "gay" (and similar kind).  They prefer normal or straight male characters.

Around the edge of the card is a listing of music that the writer is listening to while they write the card to me.

Wow!  Honestly, I'm not an anime fan, so I don't know any of the things that they talk about.  I could be too old, or, it might not be my thing!

There are some interesting stamps on this card too.  Have a look. The cancellation stamps are quite big and cover a lot of the writing and the stamps. 

Thank you for the great and friendly, chatty card!

Belarus Times Two

February 22, 2014

A couple of cards from Belarus for you today.  Have a look!

The first card says,"Greetings from Belarus!  We are twins - Lena and Aya.  Hope you'll enjoy our card!  Wish you all the best and have a nice day!  Best wishes...."

They also used a very interesting stamp on their card.  I wouldn't use it as a guide to eat wild mushrooms, but it's a neat stamp.

*****

If you think this card looks familiar, give yourself 10 points!  I received the same one a few days earlier.  However, there wouldn't have been time for the sender of the second card to know that I received the first card before it was sent, so it really couldn't be helped.  The back of the card is quite different though.  

"Hello Helen!  Sorry that I couldn't make you happy with b/w card of actor but I hope this food picture is also nice :) Here you can see very simple, tasty and that's why popular food in Belarus (and, I suppose in Ukraine and Russia too). To cook it you need:

250 gr of cottage cheese, 1 egg, 1 spoon of flour, 2 spoons of sugar, and some sour cream for serving a meal.  You should just mix all the ingredients and fry this mass in a form of disk(like on photo) for 10-15 minutes.  Hug, Anja!"

"P.S.  Bon appetit!"

Honestly, I am so thrilled that Anja sent along the recipe's translation for me too.  I don't know if I'll make it, but I am thinking about it!

The stamp looks like it has been embroidered, so it is quite interesting.  I haven't seen this one before.

Two great cards!  Fun :-)

Belarus

February 21, 2014

I've had a spate of lovely cards from Belarus lately.  Here's another one to add to them.  This is a long card, much longer than most postcards.  It's a bit like a postcard and a half a postcard.  It's cool!

Lara sent this to me and writes,"My native town H. has a lot of trees around the Sozh river, and my town is really awesome with population 515,3thousands of people and people know it for 1142. (Sorry, I don't know exactly what she means here.)

It's pleasure for me to send this postcard.

I have two children, daughter and son, they are students.

I like to make photos, knit and embroider.

Wish you best!

From Belarus with love, Lara

She also writes Sayonara in Japanese, plus tells me the weather in her town is +2℃ now in H.  She also wishes me a Happy Postcrossing and sends her best regards.

It's lovely when people write about themselves.  I so enjoy hearing about other people's lives.

Gomel Palace and park ensemble

Only the middle and right stamp are actual stamps, the left is a sticker I think.

The right side is quite an interesting stamp. It is quite beautiful.

Belarus

February 18, 2014

Anna sent this yummy looking postcard and wrote, "I live in G-beautiful city in West Belarus.  I love travelling.  My dream is to visit all countries on Earth.  Oh, and it's so great to visit Japan some day.  Very different country :)

Best wishes!  Anna"

Are these blini?  I can't tell, and the recipe on the back isn't in English.

Germany - Books

February 18, 2014

Stefan sent this great card from Germany.  It ticks two of my boxes, it is in black and white AND it features a person reading.

He writes, "Hi, greetings from Germany.  I live in a small village with my partner, our two dogs and a cat.  I love reading and I'm a vegan.  I hope you like the card.

Take care,
               Stefan

bookworm

These stamps are beautiful, and the hedgehog stamp is so incredibly cute!

Malaysia

February 15, 2014

This lovely multi-card was sent by Jessica.  She tells me a little bit about her country.

She says," Nice to meet you!  I came from a small city located in East Malaysia, called Sibu.  Sibu has a population of 250,000 and over 40 churches.  We are truly grateful to enjoy religious freedom in Malaysia and hope it continues on for centuries to come.  May God bless you!"

Er...thanks.  Lovely card though.  I just heard that a friend of mine  is moving to Malaysia, so I'm excited for her!

A lovely hydrangea stamp.  I really like hydrangeas.

Taiwan Threesome

February 14, 2014

Three very different cards coming to you from Taiwanese members of Postcrossing.  They are all interesting in their way.

First up, a post card from Shien.  Unfortunately, I discovered that he has sent this card to many people. I don't appreciate postcrossers who do that, since it obviously means they haven't bothered to look at my profile.

The message on the back was printed out on paper and stuck to the card, so I'll just skip over the personal information.

"Hi, I'm Shien.  I live in Taiwan. I work in [redacted].  I love postcrossing. I have a son and a daughter. If you come to Taiwan, maybe you can contact me.  [redacted]: you can add me and we can be good friends.  Hope you have a happy 2014 year :)

There are a lot of good places to visit in Taiwan.  Please take a trip to this postcard's back when you retired. It's my pleasure to be your tour guide. "

This bug stamp is rather cute.  It is too bad that it was covered by the stamp.

*****

Although the card shows Arizona, and has a US stamp on it, it was sent by a Taiwanese Postcrosser!

It says,"Hello.  I am Daniel, I am from Taiwan, I love to play soccer and read The Hunger Games and all Rick Riordan novels. "

When I thanked him, I let him know that I have read the Hunger Games and my niece and nephew have both read Rick Riordan novels.  They love them!

Red Rock Mesa

The postcard had been quite damaged on its way to me.

 *****

This beautiful card was sent by Mei-Ching.  She writes," Hello!  Many greetings from Taiwan. I live and work in Taipei City now.  I like reading and cross stitch.  I have a cat named Li-Bai.  Best wishes."

I love this card.  It has a sort of pearl luster about it and it just seems quite personal.  

The Allure of Taiwanese Ladies
Accordion, 1935, Chen Chin, Taipei Fine Arts Museum Collection

                      

Again with a gorgeous stamp! The stamps from Taiwan are lovely.

Three from the United States!

February 13, 2014

I've been having bumper days of receiving cards lately, and
February 13th was no exception.  These three cards are all from the United States.

Which one(s) do you like?

Monika sent this card with her greetings from Wisconsin.  She writes that she is from Poland but now lives in the US.  She's 22 and a volunteer at a Retreat Center.  She was in Chicago once and she really liked the huge buildings.  She thinks that Michigan Ave. is amazing a lot of shops, restaurants and nice views on Lake Michigan :-)

Michigan Avenue

 *****

Nancy sends her greetings from a place near Denver Colorado.  She hopes I enjoy this postcard of James Dean.

Her favourite movies: The Sound of Music, Fried Green Tomatoes, Love Actually, Sophie's Choice.

-She's not a big fan of the wizard of Oz.  

She hopes I am happy and Well! Peace!

I do like this card. I haven't seen this particular portrait of James Dean before.

James Dean (American, 1931-1955)
Photograph by Roy Schatt

Interesting stamps!  I quite like the Kwanza one, and the lighthouse one would appeal to a lot of people.

*****

Dana says, "Hello from Oceanside, California!" She got the cards because she remembers Puffin books as a kid, but the set had quite a few she had never seen growing up. This was one of her favourite covers, but she doesn't think she read it.  She sends her best wishes.

I took ballet classes as a child so I loved this postcard :-)

An interesting group of stamps.  There is no relationship between any of them, but I do like them!

Japan & China

 February 13, 2014

Yu from Japan sent me a greeting card.  She writes about her ages and her two children.

She told me that she had flu on my birthday, with a 40℃ temperature and she was very cold and tired.  She got the flu from her husband, but her children stayed at her mother's house when she was ill.

This stamp was released as part of the Philately celebration in Japan in 2011.  To me, it shows Astroboy, but to a Japanese person it is more likely to be called Atom boy.  I've sent a few of these stamps out in my time.  I loved them.

*****

Gao sent this card from China with his greetings.  He says that he's never been to my country, so he'd would like to visit it one day.  

The Tomb of Confucius

I really like this stamp.  Of course, the one on the right is pre-printed on the card, but the left one is rather beautiful.  It shows a Toki, or crested ibis.

Anyone for Art Cards? United States & Finland

February 12, 2014
Art Cards

My first card is from the United States.  Kii sent it and writes that she likes Japana so much.  She watched a lot of Japanese comics and animations, so she can speak a little Japanese.  She wonders how I can keep my life going on without Japanese in Japan?

She also wishes me a happy new year!  She might be meaning the Chinese New Year.

Alphonse Mucha. Ivy. Paris, 1901

I like Mucha's work and this is a nice example.  It's simple, much nicer than some of his very decorative examples.  

*****

Meri from Finland sent this card and wrote about her favourite movies.  She said that she loves Finnish movies and her favourite one is "Skavabolen Pojat". [Unfortunately I don't know anything about it. H]

She then lists the foreign movies that she likes, her favourites being The Narnia movies (she thinks that makes her a little childish when she comes to her taste in movies) and Mary Poppins. She'd also like to say The Hobbit, but she can't really stand much violence, so thinks it could have been better.  

Sirkku Rahunen-Ahtila

I couldn't find much information about the artist in English.  She seems to be quite famous in Finland, but I'm not sure if she is recognized outside that country.

I rather like this stamp as it has a dreamy quality about it.  I think I may have received it before, but wanted to show it off!

Two from the Ukraine

February 12, 2014

Recently, I have received cards from the country on the same day, so I am posting them together.  I have received a lot of cards in the last few weeks so am very behind.  When there's a theme or a common country I may do more of these "Two" posts.  It may even become "Three" sometime!  Enjoy them!


Yana sent this card from Kiev and writes that she hopes I will like this card because she thinks it is some kind of writing process, especially she thinks it is about Postcrossing :)  She wishes me all the best and a happy Postcrossing.

I disagree about the writing process, but I do like the card.  It looks like cinnamon and roses to me, plus a telegram?  It is interesting to think about.

 The stamp on the card seems to be in the same vein as some of the earlier plant stamps that I have posted from the Ukraine before.

Maryna from the Ukraine sent this yummy card.  She writes that she is a post-graduate student and teaches English sometimes.  She likes movies too, especially fantasy, detectives and romantic comedies.  Her most favourite films are Father of the Bride, The Bodyguard, The Reader, etc.  She apologized for not having postcards with film heroes, but she has some with food.  This one she likes very much because she adores chocolate.  She asks if I do too.  

I love chocolate, and I love hazelnuts.  I love the two together as well, so it was a great choice of a card for me!  Thanks so much for it.  Yum.

Maryna's stamp is quite beautiful too.  It looks like a lilac to me, and I really like them. 

Thank you both ladies!

Taiwan

February 12, 2014

Nina sent this card from Taiwan.  She writes about herself by saying she's a student.  On weekends she volunteers at a museum commemorating the 921 Earthquake of Taiwan.   She says that she is also celebrating the Chinese New Year.

A Tug of War of Catfishes

There's a story on the back of the card that I'll write out for you.  I've heard riffs of this story, but I like this version about the cause of earthquakes.

"The two catfishes that caused the 1847 Zenkoji Earthquake and the Ansei Edo Earthquake tied up their barbels and wind them around each other's necks for a strength competition; the female catfish was trying to persuade them to stop, however the males said 'we have no fear of belly-cutting(seppuku), not to mention severing our barbels.'"     <Collected by Shigehiro Katoh>


The stamp she used was interesting too, and rather large.  I like the windmill on it...we have those in this area of Japan too.  

Thanks for a cool card Nina!

Two Movie Cards from the Netherlands

February 10, 2014

Carina sent this card and wrote about her top 3 movies.  They are
-Lost in Translation
-Chocolat
-de Poolse bruid (re-filmed as Unfinished Sky)

She hopes I can see all of them.  She closes by asking me what I like most about Japan?  She's never been here and is curious.

Chocolat - One Taste is all it takes

Carina also put an cow stamp on the card.  It's a blue cow...I somehow don't think it is a real cow!

***

Mia sent a great card to me too.  She said,"James Bond is one of my favourites and I like Sean Connery the most.  The last movie I saw was The Hobbit II in 3-D.  Fabulous! Lovely greetings and happy postcrossing.  

She was also nice enough to compliment this blog (thank you!) and tell me about a stamp on another entry and the back of her card.  Thank you so much :-)  I really appreciate your help and kind words.

007 - US poster for Moonraker (1979)

Spain & Germany

February 10, 2014

Carnog sent this card from Spain.  She writes that in this card you can see one of the most famous squares of Madrid, "La Puerta del Sol." She hopes I like it and sends greetings from Spain!

Puerta del Sol

Manuela sent the card below from Germany.  She writes that she has two Golden Retrievers named Cooper and Louis.  She wishes me Happy Postcrossing!

The Ladybird Book of Handwriting. 1968. (Series 684 - Handwriting) By Tom Gourdie.

Two from the Netherlands

February 10, 2014

Two interesting cards from the Netherlands arrived in my mailbox on the tenth.  Let me tell you about them.

Sandra writes that she is sending me a picture of one of her favourite places on earth: walking through the dunes to the beach.  She prefers the Dutch beaches when the weather is fine and there aren't so many people around.

I don't believe I've seen these interesting stamps before.  The one on the left especially. If you click on it, you can see it quite large and can notice the strange things on it, like the dog on a pole!

The next card comes from Hetty and she writes that she chose the embroidery especially for me.  She says that she also used crochet on it.  (Crochet is rare on postcards...knitting is slightly more common, so I appreciate it)

She also asks if I don't find it difficult that I don't speak a lot of Japanese in Japan.  It's a good question, and I do sometimes have difficulty, but in a normal day, it's not really a problem.  I speak enough everyday Japanese to get by.  When something is abnormal, it can be difficult.

Thanks for the great cards ladies!