Monday, July 6, 2015

The Second July Update

Well, I'm back relatively soon after the last time. Things must be looking up. I have a few cards again for this time. They come from Denmark, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Lithuania, and 2 from Russia. Let's get right to it.

Denmark is first. The card shows some scenes of Horsens , a city of just over 55,000 located in the east Jutland area of Denmark. Horsens lies at the end of Horsens Fjord and is approximately 200 km from Copenhagen. Hans Jorgen's card shows the Marina, the Abbey Church, and a few other structures around the city.



As always cards sent by Hans Jorgan's arrive with a nice selection of stamps , perfectly placed and with a great socked on the nose postmark. The way all cards should arrive, but sadly they don't. On the left is a stamp showing a Longjohn, a carrier cycle invented in 1929,  where the load is very low, located midway between the front wheel and the driver. The stamp is 1 of 4 in a Danish Inventions set issued in 2014. The other stamps are from the long running Wavy Lines definitives that started in 1905. There have been changes over the years but basically they are the same set and going strong for well over 100 years.



On this next card we see a tram operating on Johnston Street , Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The two decked trams in Hong Kong are among the oldest two deckers in the world.



Sandy used a couple of the 2006 Bird definitives. The Kingfisher is one of 16 in the set. The larger stamp on the right is the more interesting one to me. It was issued this year  and is 1 of 6 in the Astronomical Phenomena set, a really nice set of stamps .  Also as part of this issue are 2 souvenir sheets of 1 stamp each. One is a regular stamp with a value of  $10 HK Dollars and the other is a Hologram stamp with a value of $20 HK Dollars. I'd love to have this Hologram stamp in my collection. I have a fairly good Hologram collection, starting with the world's first hologram stamp , issued by Austria in 1988. Just last month I was lucky enough to be given a copy of the latest so called bible on hologram stamps, Holography and Philately by Hans I. Bjelkhagen. It's a great source for Hologram Stamps.





The world's largest flower. That's the subject of my next card , from Indonesia. The flower is called Rafflesia Arnoldii and it is noted for producing the largest individual flower on Earth. It has a very strong and horrible odor of decaying flesh, earning it the nickname  "corpse flower ". It grows to a diameter of around one meter and weighs up to 11 kilograms. If you are lucky enough to see one of these, you will be in either Borneo or Sumatra.



Anggi used a 2013 stamp from a set of 6 in a Postal Services set.



A seascape is next, the Baltic Sea. Ramume describes it as cold, dark and very secret. Sounds a little ominous to me. The Baltic Sea is a brackish inland sea, the largest body of brackish water in the world. It's deepest part is at 459 metres , with the average being 50 metres.



 Ramume used a new stamp issued on March 11, 2015. It marked the 25th Anniversary of Lithuanian Independence.



This first card from Russia is just a little beach scene. A young lady out for a day of sun and sea. But, it's a great way to introduce you all to the 2015 Canadian Open Sand Sculpting Competition to be held right here in Parksville July 10 - August 16. The Community Park on Parksville Beach is the place to be during this time.  Sand sculpting in Parksville dates back to 1982. In just the last 15 years over 1,000,000 visitors have attended the competition here. Competitors this year are from all over Canada, the U.S , the Netherlands and Italy. Parksville's competition is the only Canadian competition to qualify for the World Championship of Sand Sculpting. Remember - It's the most fun you can have with sand in your pants.

Now back to Maria's card.



Maria used a nice selection of stamps on this one. Top left stamp is from 2006. It is 1 of 3 in a souvenir sheet showcasing Tzarskoe Selo Palace. The large stamp, top right is from 2013 and shows a Locomotive. The bottom row of stamps - 1 of 15 in an Animal set of definitives. Then a stamp from 2006 showing Basilius Cathedral. Then it's a Beetle stamp from a set of 5 issued in 2003.

 

The last card for today arrived from Novosibirsk, the capital of Siberia. It's a kind of special card , one in a limited set commemorating the 200 Years of Diplomatic Relations between Russia and Switzerland. On the card we see Domenico Trezzini, a Swiss architect who gained much fame in Russia, putting the tower on Peter and Paul Cathedral, his most celebrated work. The cathedral was built between 1712 and 1733 and houses the remains of Peter the Great, Nicholas II , and Catherine the Great among many others.

 

A wonderful stamp on this one. A great topical stamp. It's from a 2014 set of 3 Wild Cats.



That's it folks. All for today. Thanks to everyone for the cards.  Thanks for reading and do drop by again.

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