Georgetown, Guyana

Hello guys and gals!! Someone has finally decided to write down a few words here! Yup, as most of you know, Im back from my holidays *sniff* =/. It's been like 10 days already...and I had prepared the cards last week..but I just couldnt get down to posting...I dont know why..something always came up...or i just felt tired in general...or i was dealing with the latest touchnote addiction...khm khm khm...a rather cool thing I must admit...gives you endless opportunities...though on the long run, i wont really like it...but for the time being, it's been fun...give it a try if you want, while it is still free...just that you'd need to use it through a FB account...even if you dont have one, a temp. account can always see the light of the day :)

Anyways, while I was away (and once I came back), some great mail has arrived....just that my mum sort of mixed some things up, that is, old and new cards, so it took me some time to figure it all out and put things in the right place.
And let's see where do we start off today...well, a brand new country of course!! All the way from Guyana! No, not French Guyana...this is just Guyana...though they are not far from each other...all you need to do is cross Suriname and voila...you are in the other Guyana :)

this awesome surprise comes thanks to dear Despina in Greece, who applied for the good-fairy role to help me out with my collections!! <3

The card shows two important places in Georgetown, Guyana's capital. At the top, you can see St.George's cathedral which is one of the tallest wooden church structures in the world and the second tallest wooden house of worship after the Todaiji Temple in Japan. It is an Anglican cathedral and has been designated as a national monument.

The bottom picture shows Georgetown;s National Library, which is actually very close to St.George's Cathedral (both are situated on Church street). The library celebrated its centenary in 2009 and is said to offer lending services to prisoners. Hmm, I guess that makes it special...I dont know..Ive never really researched the issue of libraries and prisoners..I know prisons should have their own entertaining areas (TV, radio, books, cards...), so I guess here things work differently...cool!

the stamp comes from a set of 9 definitive butterfly stamps issued in 2003.

Σας ευχαριστώ πολύ και πάλι Δέσποινα!!
And thanks a lot to Karline too, who was kind to send me a card!

Castle Hill, New Zealand

one more card for today, coming from the far away New Zealand

the card shows the Castle Hill, which is a location and a high country station in New Zealand's South Island.
The hill was so named because of the imposing array of limestone boulders in the area reminiscent of an old, run-down stone castle and in 2002 it was named a "Spiritual Center of the Universe" by the Dalai Lama. Hmmm...
The back of the card says: "Looking across the plains of Castle Hill Station in the Canterbury high country. The hills and mountains rise steeply above the farmland. The outcrops of rock shapes are a famous feature of this area. So, many people stop here, for a quick photo or a walk in the hills. It is on the way between Christchurch and Arthur's Pass.

well, does look like an enchanting place!

I wonder if this is how post offices save on their air-mail labels, by splitting them into two :D
As for the stamp, it is from a set of 5 Native Trees' stamps issued this year, with this one showing the Kowhai...which I have no idea what it is, so Ill have to look it up once I finish this last post :)

thanks for reading and see you soon :)

Turnersee, Austria

Dear Earney often sends me nice surprises when she travels around and this time was no exception :)

the card shows a lovely view of the Turner Lake under the Alps.
Originally the lake was called Sablatnigsee, but in the 20th century, after the Austrian “Turnerbund” had erected their youth camps near the lake, it was named Turnersee. It is the vestige of a large, after Ice Age lake that besides the Turnersee also included the Sablatnig Meadows.

such a lovely peaceful place..Im sure id enjoy a holiday here

the stamp was issued this year, under the name "Bavarian-Upper Austrian Provincial Exhibition".

thank you Earney!!!

Indiana, USA

well, to my total dismay, some days ago I realized that my blog is actually missing cards from a few US states..yup, that's right! I dont know how I had managed that, but well, I have...just totally neglecting not one, not two, but 5 of them!! Can you believe it!! So once realized, I dug up into my collections, desperate to find something from these 5 US states forgotten by me....and the first one to cross of that list is Indiana...

well, corn seems to be one of the popular crops in Indiana, so this card does feel representative....I just wonder if it is GMO or non-GMO corn...really, you can never be sure nowadays, and corn and soybeans are on the top of the GMO list...either way, it does look nice on the card

btw, Bryon nicely told me on this card that I have no Indiana card on my blog, but I just didnt listen....just didnt listen...not surprised by myself must admit :)

if corn is of no interest to you, maybe stamps are :)
here you have a nice selection of older and newer ones...the orange eagle one did give me some trouble...and it should be a definitive issued in 1978, showing the bald eagle on an orange background, used as A postage. The stamp next to it is from a set of 4 Wildlife Conservation stamps issued in 1972. This stamps shows the cardinal, which is also Indiana's state bird.
The other two stamps show cars...the top right one comes from a set of 5 Automobiles' stamps issued in 2008, with this one showing a 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk, while the one below it is the Indianapolis stamp issued in 2011 (and btw, Indianapolis is also in Indiana....so nice matching in general :)))

thanks so much again Bryon!!

Travel by train in Alderney

Ill always be grateful to extended weekends! maybe national holidays do not bring mail..but boy, a 4 day weekend! wohoo!!
and hopefully by then this melting temperatures will drop down as those forecast guys keep saying..they have been proven wrong more than once, but I hope they will be right on this one :)

well, until those better times come, here are some nice cards to show :)

and first one comes from Alderney, the most northernly Channel Island...and on tops of that, it is a card with a train!

this awesome surprise comes from Chris and Julie who have visited this lovely place recently and dropped me a card! Thank you guys!!
The back of the card says: "Alderney trains run regularly in summer. This scenic journey shows the train passing Château L'Etoc, left, and Fort Corblets, right.

The island itself is 4.8 km long and 2.4 km wide, with an area of 7.8 km², so it makes it pretty easy to travel around, whether by train, car, bike or simply on foot :)
The island has a population of only 2,400 people and they are traditionally nicknamed vaques after the cows, or else lapins after the many rabbits seen in the island.

well, apart from being an interesting place, it is also a cool Island for collectors, since not every day you see a card with Alderney stamps...yup, Alderney DOES have its own stamps, he he he :D
The top right 50c stamp comes from an issue of 4 Corals and Anemones stamps, issued in 2007. The other three stamps are from a series of 12 definitives issued in 2006, again representing Corals and Anemones....seems Alderney has fixed on that subject.

and with that said, this means i can actually add a new country to my list! Wohoo!! Thank you again Chris and Julie!!

Moszna, Poland

last card for today comes from Poland, showing the beautiful Moszna castle.

I dont know if some photoshop has interfered here but however, the card is just lovely, and i absolutely love the colours!
Moszna is a small village in south-west Poland. The castle was built in the 17th century and it's reminiscent of the English castles from the Elizabethan period. The castle has as many chambers as there are days in the calendar.
The castle has a chapel which is also used as a concert hall. Since 1998 the building houses a gallery, in which works of various artists are presented at regular exhibitions.
It is one of the best known monuments in the western part of Upper Silesia.

Another one, fairy-tale like card :)

the stamp is from the 2011 EUROPA series, representing forests .

thanks for reading and dropping by...and...see you again, sooner or later 

St. Kilda, Sctoland

here is one awesome card from my favourites! Actually, I think that all Scottish cards are just awesome! I dont know how they manage it, but I think that even out of the simplest thing, they can make a fantastic card!
 

St. Kilda is an isolated archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean, containing the westernmost islands of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
The card here shows the Village Bay...probably the most famous place on St. Kilda. It is considered as the most complete and least altered site of its type in Scotland and in this respect is an excellent example of a settlement associated with what is now a rapidly declining crofting way of life - a rural tradition of great significance.
These houses are just soo cool, esp. that one with the light coming from the inside...even feels surreal...for a moment I thought it may be the sun coming through the backside window..but there is a mountain on that side, so sun cant possibly be lurking here...just like one of those fairy tale stories when two kids go astray in the woods, and just there in the distance, notice a glimmering light...but the situation is veiled in mystery and uneasiness...well, you are familiar with those tales :)
Now, St Kilda is also on the UNESCO whs list, so I guess this part of it is also included ...

well, here you have three queen stamps, and one from a set of 4 stamps, dedicated to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London of this year.