Inaccessible Island Rail

There are literally millions of stamps in this world to collect, one is bound to choose favourite topics to narrow down the search - one of my topics are the animals, especially the endemic and/or endangered species (these two often overlap). The Inaccessible Island Rail (Atlantisia Rogersi) is a small bird of the rail family, the only species in its genus; endemic to Innaccessible Island (an extinct volcano not even 13 square km in size) in the Tristan Archipelago in the isolated South Atlantic, notable for being the smallest extant flightless bird in the world. Its conservation status is Vulnerable.

This is my somewhat belated entry for Sunday Stamps - letter I. There are some amazing entries that you can find following this link.

Fong Soi Mini-Sheet, Macau

Here a mini-sheet issued in 1997 while Macau was still a Portuguese territory, from a series of commemorative stamps dedicated to Chinese Geomancy, more commonly known as Feng Shui. As wikipedia would tell you Feng Shui is a pseudoscience originating from China, though I am sure many other descriptions can be used, depending on the converser. It is based on using energy forces to harmonise individuals with their surrounding environment.

In my attempt to better my German I am currently translating a Feng Shui book from German to Croatian, as it has long been my wish to learn more about this ancient practice (earliest mention is around 4000 B.C.). I would be curious to know if anyone here has any experience, or is equally intrigued by it? Perhaps someone else might know what the symbols on the sheet mean...

This is my entry for F-letter Sunday Stamps, you can explore more entries here.

Charles Darwin

I know that I've lost a sense of time when I prepare myself for posting D-letter stamps when in fact this sunday we're already on letter E lol. Despite this not being Darwin's day then, he is still considered to be the Father of the Evolution, and the stamp is issued by Correos del Ecuador :) The year is 2009, marking the bicentenary of Darwin's birth. This stamp also compelled me to read more about this guy, and it is really an interesting read! I wasn't aware that he was so young (only 22!) when he set off on the HMS Beagle survey voyage. 

I have bought this stamp in a PO in Ecuador amazed by its size - here you can see it against a standard size envelope. Alas a trip to the Galapagos Islands remains an unfulfilled wish...

You can find more of the E-stamps posts here.

The Night Sky Over The Gilbert Islands

Night sky and constellations is one of my favourite topics (collection-wise and in general) which makes me happy to present this cover for this week's Sunday Stamps - letter 'N'. First of all, something I didn't know before attaining this cover: Gilbert Islands form the main part of Kiribati. 

'The Gilbert and Ellice Islands became autonomous in 1971. From 1976 to 1978, the Ellice Islands were separated, and the Gilberts became the Gilbert Islands colony, which issued stamps under that name. In 1979, the Gilberts opted for independence, becoming the independent nation of Kiribati. The Ellice Islands became the independent nation of Tuvalu.'

The constellations on these stamps are some of the most recognisable in the Night Sky - the V-shape of the Taurus' head, the brightest star Sirius being part of Canis Major, Scorpio's Antares with the mystical reddish glow, and of course the Orion's belt. I live in a relatively 'unspoilt' area and the stars are bright and plenty on a clear night. Anyone else enjoys exploring the constellations? :)

Letter Writing Day In Japan

The Letter Writing Day can be a bit confusing...as I found on numerous sites that this 'holiday' falls on 7th of December, then again on the official World Letter Writing Day page the date is 1st of September, and Japan issues LWD stamps each year (for over two decades now) on 23rd of July. In any case, its a nice way of reminding people of the (still) existence of letters. I am hoping to pick it up again as well, just a few pen-pals to keep it going. As usual the Japan Post issue (from 2003) is very cute, plus a Hello Kitty postmark.

This is my latest post for the Sunday Stamps - via the link you can see more entries i.e. stamps for the letter 'L'. In case you want to see my 'L' postcard you can click my blog here.

Tropical Flowers, USA

This colourful First-Day cover was attained during my visit to the Smithsonian National Postal Museum in Washington D.C. 

Brasilian Jaguarundi

Today for Sunday Stamps - letter 'J' turned out to be a bigger challenge than I thought...considering I'd skip countries beginning with that letter. But then I've realised this kitty on a Brasilian stamp is called Jaguarundi (or eyra) - a small wild cat native to southern North America and South America.

The jaguarundi is closely related to the much larger and heavier cougar, having a similar genetic structure and chromosome count. While both species have been traditionally placed the genus Puma, the jaguarundi is now sometimes classified under the genus Herpailurus (to be honest, animal classifications sometimes downright confuse me). Despite the usual feline solitary lifestyle, they seem to be somewhat more gregarious than many other cats; they make an unusually wide range of vocalisations, including purrs, whistles, yaps, chattering sounds, and even a bird-like chirp (this made me chuckle :D).

More J-entries on this Sunday Stamps link.

60th Anniversary Of The Smurfs

An awesome surprise by dear Gerda, thank you so much :) Grouchy Smurf on the left is my soulmate heh

EUROPA 2014 - Monaco

I don't think I have swapped for too many Europa 2014 stamps/covers, but this one sure is a gem. The theme was the national musical instruments. The birds are also especially memorable :)

Moldova Various

Different aspects of the country of Moldova, plus the matching cute hedgehog :) Since this was sent the postal prices in Moldova have gone up and have made swaps that more difficult...a real shame.