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.

Reptiles

For Sunday Stamps #185 one of 'my' themes! Decided to post two covers at the same time, both countries were featured previously but to post about reptiles is a special treat for me. Not really sure how and when my love for reptiles began, i just find them...fascinating. And cool heh.

 

So I acquired these FDCs for my collection last year - one as colourful as the rainforest of New Guinea and the other as monochrome as the Namibian desert. I'll make a bit of a longer post that you are of course not obliged to read, but I am interested in all of these species and I love learning about them as I do research for the blog!

 

Papua New Guinea

1.Anglehead (Gonocephalus godeffroyi)  - first one and proves to be a tough one...not much to learn, the species not even listed on wikipedia under Gonochepalus genus...I like mysteries but this is too much..!

2.Pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta), also known as the pitted-shelled turtle or Fly River turtle, is native to northern Australia and southern New Guinea - its freshwater streams, lagoons and rivers. Little is known about general behaviour, as there have been few studies in the wild. Their known extreme aggression in captivity suggests the species is markedly more territorial than most other turtles and tortoises. They are still available through the exotic pet trade and rate as vulnerable.

3.Green tree python (Morelia viridis) is found in New Guinea, islands in Indonesia, and Cape York Peninsula in Australia. Especially large specimens up to 2,200 g (4.9 lb) are females, which like most snakes are slightly larger and heavier than males. Primarily arboreal, these snakes have a particular way of resting in the branches of trees; they loop a coil or two over the branches in a saddle position and place their head in the middle. The caging for these animals is a bit more specific than the average python, but as long as these requirements are met, the animal becomes very low maintenance. (to be honest i pictured having this one at home...I wonder how much the snakes suffer in captivity? Of course feeding it would be a problem for me...)

4.Salvadori's monitor lizard (Varanus salvadorii) is found in New Guinea only, and is believed to be one of the longest lizards in the world, verified at up to 244 cm (8.01 ft), and in rare cases it may rival or exceed the length of the world's largest lizard, the Komodo dragon. V. salvadorii is threatened by deforestation and poaching, and is protected by the CITES agreement. The lizard is hunted and skinned alive by tribesmen to make drums, who describe the monitor as an evil spirit that "climbs trees, walks upright, breathes fire, and kills men"; yet the tribesmen maintain that the monitor gives warnings if there are crocodiles nearby.

 

This post is getting too long! Let me just name the creatures on the 2nd FDC: venomous viper Peringuey's desert adder, Web-footed gecko (they don't possess eyelids so they must lick their eyeballs clean in order to keep them moist!) and Namaqua chameleon (they use their ability to change colour to aid in controlling temperature - becoming black in the cooler morning to absorb heat more efficiently, then a lighter grey color to reflect light during the heat of the day). Now we have a furry impostor to the top right: a golden sand mole. Cute!

 

                                                                    P H E W!

 

I hope there are many more reptiles here:                            

Huangmei Opera, China

Time to post again after a whole month...starting with this gorgeous set of recent stamps with additional ones and great postmarks, thank you aeronest as always ;)

I had an additional thought to share this cover for the anything you wish theme on Viridian's Sunday Stamps. Let me find out some more info...
Huangmei opera is a type of local opera and an intangible cultural heritage. It originates from the early Tang dynasty and has 1400 years of history. It is one of the five biggest operas in China, along with Peking opera, Yueju opera, Pingju opera, and Yuju opera.
The stamps are released in Anhui Province which is the home of Huangmei Opera -  they feature opera artists from the old generation, and the painting makes sure the costume and gestures are all from original works of the plays.

Illustrations, Mexico

This week's Sunday Stamps topic is Artists and Illustrators - last month I've received this fantastic cover from Marco who was visiting Mexico - very much appreciated! The airmail envelope with the colours of the mexican flag is a nice touch :)

Beside the familiar definitives showing folk art (2011) there are also three of five stamps issued in 2013 under the title Philatelic Promotion, showing paintings of the renowned Mexican artist Francisco Eppens Helguera: Cacti (1988); Eagle Warrior And Tiger Warrior (1980); Calla Lilies (1988). Whats more, Eppens  achieved international fame for his award winning modern designs for Mexican postage and revenue stamps (1935–1953). I find his images striking, very happy to have learned about this artist via posting for Sunday Stamps xD

Croatian National Parks

Actually this FDC was issued in 1994 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Croatian tourism, and is one of 3 FDCs as there were 7 stamps in a set. This one shows the national parks in my region: Plitvice Lakes (UNESCO), Kornati Islands (my workplace!) and Krka waterfalls.

I have posted an entry on Sunday Stamps' landscapes theme on my postcard blog before remembering that I have this FDC, I hope noone will mind me having two entries xD

 

 

 

Goran Ivanišević, Wimbledon Winner 2001

I wasn't to post but one entry for Sunday Stamps, but then reading Ana's blog reminded me of this FDC which is apt for today as the Wimbledon finals Djokovic vs Federer is being played as we speak.

The whole nation was in front of their TVs in 2001 during Wimbledon finals, holding their breath dozens of times during the tense Ivanisevic vs Rafter match - the win came after five sets and tie-break in the last one, you can imagine the nerves! Esp for Ivanisevic who was known not only for his fast serve but also for swearing a lot and breaking his rackets heh. He was already nearing the end of his professional carreer and entered the tournament unseeded - he became the first wildcard, the first Croatian and the lowest ranked player in history (world No. 125) to claim the Wimbledon title :))

 

Winter Olympic Games Calgary '88, Guinea-Bissau

Sunday stamps theme for this week is sports, and the first idea I had for posting is this recently acquired souvenir sheet - bobsleigh has always been one of my favourite winter sports, maybe I was even watching it back in 1988 during Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, I definitely remember watching the games. Not sure which team this is, but the Golden Medal was taken by the former Soviet Union.

More sporty stamps here:

Australia's Ocean Gardens

I got these last week as a surprise, you know when someone knows you collect stamps and remembers to take it off the envelope for you...Amazing colours (as I suspect they are in real life) of the underwater life in two of Australia's UNESCO sites Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo Coast. These were issued in august of 2013, with two more stamps showing an aerial view of the both sites.

 

Am a tiny bit early but this will be the post for anything you wish theme on Sunday Stamps.

 

 

 

The Little Prince

It took me a while to post this because in my research I got immersed in the life story of  a French aristocrat, writer, poet, and pioneering aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, whose death/disappearance haven't been fully explained to this day. This FDC showing his most famous literary hero The Little Prince was issued in 1994 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the tragic event when Saint-Exupéry went on his ninth reconnaissance mission (being a war pilot) only to disappear without a trace. In May 2000 the partial remains of a Lockheed P-38 Lightning were found, spread over thousands of square metres of the seabed off the coast of Marseille, near to where the bracelet with his name was previously found.

“All men have stars, but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travelers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems... But all these stars are silent. You-You alone will have stars as no one else has them... In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars will be laughing when you look at the sky at night..You, only you, will have stars that can laugh! And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me... You will always be my friend. You will want to laugh with me. And you will sometimes open your window, so, for that pleasure... It will be as if, in place of the stars, I had given you a great number of little bells that knew how to laugh”

All of the novella's simple but elegant watercolour illustrations, which were integral to the story, were painted by Saint-Exupéry. What a mind, what a talent...

Discover more historical lessons clicking on this link:

 

Yugoslavian Stamps

As the theme for this week's Sunday Stamps #169 is  stamps from Russia or other former communist countries, reaching into my former homeland's stamp collection seemed a logical choice. And to start with, a set that immediately associates with the theme with its burning red stars: issued in 1964 for a communist congress.

Two examples of stamps issued for the children's week (dečja nedelja) each year, would have been apt for last week's theme as well :)

I have acquired some Yugoslavian stamps on my own but I was also lucky to inherit an album with lots of wonderful sets of mostly used stamps - here is a collection of national costumes, they are actually parts of different sets issued over the years. I have singled out a Croatian example for the set issued in 1961, which I believe is showing the national costumes of Jamnica in the capital region. I just love those 'head covers'! (in search of a better word)

More stamps on the theme can be found via this link:

Mozambique

Sunday Stamps #168 theme: of children and for children. Lucky chance I have acquired this International Year Of The Child FDC from 1979 last month at a market in Lisbon, with colourful children's drawings. There were many covers from Portugal and its former colonies, and I really had to exercise some serious abstinence!

UNESCO proclaimed 1979 as the International Year of the Child. The proclamation was signed on January 1, 1979 by United Nations Secretary General Kurt Waldheim. A follow-up to the 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child, the proclamation was intended to draw attention to problems that affected children throughout the world, including malnutrition and lack of access to education. Many of these efforts resulted in the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989.

USA Various

This was not meant as a cover but the sender still used a really nice set of stamps, including three beautiful flower stamps - showing zinnias, pinks and calendula. These are from a set of 10 issued in 2013 as Vintage Seed Packets Stamps. 
Edit: I was supposed to post one more flower cover, but was interrupted and missed posting on Sunday Stamps :/
 

Roses From Algeria

One of the last covers I've received fits today's theme on Sunday Stamps flowers. These two yellow rose beauties were issued in a set of four in 2004. Yellow roses are supposed to mean...jealousy?

Peruvian Cultures

For today's #156 Sunday Stamps theme folk art I am showing a set of two stamps from Peru, issued in 2010, representing ceramics and textile of two (of the many) pre-Columbian cultures Chincha and Chancay (11-14th centuries). The richness of cultures that preceeded the most famous Incas is just staggering...and their art seemingly simple but really very imaginative, which I was only too happy to discover in some of the museums. For other entries, follow the link!
My other post (one down) can also fit into this theme, i think :)

 

Folklore Dancers, Papua New Guinea

For me Papua New Guinea is one of the most mysterious and hence attractive countries...These folklore dancers in their flamboyant costumes look impressive don't they! Must be quite an experience to witness it with your own eyes...Issued in 1971, showing Siaa, Urasena and Siassi Tubuan dancers.

Namibian Desert, SWA

 

A few months ago I treated myself with a (reasonably small) package of FDCs bought online, wanting to enlarge my still modest collection...this one because a) it was issued in 1977, b) I love panoramic stamps, c) it is a country that no longer exists under the given name, and d) great envelope with the skull! hihi :))

I was inspired to post it here for #155 Sunday Stamps because the theme is geology or landscapes, and these views of the grand, desolate Namibian desert seem to fit the theme :) SWA or South-West Africa is Namibia's former name, used during the German and later South-African (1915-1990) rule.

(Sorry its a bit dark, alas no way to make it brighter in Paint...I'll get the Photoshop...one fine day...)

More great entries below!