A Package From India

This lovely selection of cards comes from Som in India and depict some really lovely scenes of his country. First, my favourite, you can see Mirjan Fort in the district of Uttara Kannada which dates back to the sixteenth century and was renowned for its strategic importance. Its grounds spread over ten acres, encompassed by a large moat. Over the centuries it has survived many battles and been ruled by several dynasties. Next is a beautiful bright card showing my favourite flower – the sunflower – which are grown a lot in India for their importance as an oilseed crop. Next, the Red Fort in Delhi, a 17th century fort also encompassed by a water-filled moat. Its design is extremely extravagant and ornamental. Every year on Indian Independence Day (15 August), the national flag is hoisted up at the Red Fort by the Prime Minister who then broadcasts a speech from its ramparts. Next you can see an absolutely delicious looking card! Just look at it makes me hungry! Here you can see Panipuri – a popular street snack of fried crisps filled with tamarind water and masala, traditionally served one at a time in leaf-cups by venders. Finally, you can see an ornamental bronze Nataraja, or Lord of Dance, dating back to the Chola Dynasty. This is considered to be a depiction of the god Shiva, doing the cosmic dance of creation to prepare an old, tired universe for rebirth. A beautiful selection of cards, thank you so much Som! I have learned so much from researching them!

Virginia

It’s been a while since I last posted – my posts seem to be coming like buses at the moment! But here is a lovely envelope-full of cards I received from Brook in Virginia, USA. I am particularly in love with the I ❤ Zombies card! For those of you who don’t know, I am currently writing an action-adventure zombie novel, which you can read in its first draft here. So for me, that is super cool. As for the others, they are probably more likely Virginian sites! Situated in the east of the USA, Virginia is the 12th most populous but 15th smallest state! It was named Virginia after Queen Elizabeth the First – England’s famous Virgin Queen in the late 1500s. Famous for the Blue Ridge mountains and stunning nature, it is definitely a place I would like to visit one day! Thanks Brook for these amazing cards!

Oregon!

These beautiful cards come from Vanessa in the USA and show three stunning views of Oregon. First is Portland, not the state’s capital (that’s Salem), but its most populous city, known as the City of Roses for its ideal rose-growing climate! Then there’s a lovely sea-viw of Face Rock, one of the most scenic places in the state. There is a sad native American legend of this place that after a feast, the evil sea spirit stole away a princess and although her dog and kittens tried to save her, by the time her father found her, they were all turned to stone, unable to turn away from the moon. Finally, there is a card showing some of Oregon’s stunning mountains. Stunning selection, thanks Vanessa!

Ohio!

These wonderful cards come from Laura in the USA’s 10th most densely populated state: Ohio. Situated in the mid-west, its name comes from the Iroquois meaning “Great River”. The history of the Americas interests me a lot so it’s fascinating to know that Ohio was inhabited as early as 15,000 years ago by nomadic peoples who existed there for thousands of years before a more sedentary lifestyle took hold. The top card is really cool, I think, as it shows Chateau Laroche Historic Museum. Now, you may think ‘wait, surely there aren’t original castles like this in America’ and that’s because… there aren’t! This faux-Norman castle was built by Harry Andrews from 1929 and took his entire life to complete. He named it after a French military hospital in the area he was stationed in France during WW1 and left it to his scout group on his death. Amazing!

Christmas Maxicards

In my backlog of updates are still quite a few Christmas cards, so I apologise for their unseasonal appearance on here. That being said, some, like these from Silvia in Italy, are really beautiful! These are two maxicards unique to Christmas 2013, one showing a traditional religious motif of Jesus taken from Guido Reni’s San Giuseppe col Bambino and the other created especially for penpals and postcard lovers like us! Wonderful! Thanks Silvia!

Chicago

Here are two lovely cards from Glen in the USA and my first postcards from Illinois. At the top is a beautiful Christmas card, a picture called ‘a spill out on the snow’ and perhaps my favourite (or in my top 3 at least) Christmas postcard of 2013. It really tells a story. Below is Chicago, the third most densely populated city of the USA. Glen tells me that the water is Lake Michigan, the very tall building the John Hancock centre and in the distance the Willis Tower. Fantastic cards!

Spectacular Finland

 These fantastic cards came as a wonderful surprise from Sini in Finland and wow, they are beautiful. And such a cute envelope carrying them all to me too! So cute that I just had to post an image of it! Here you can see some of the rural scenes of Finland and of course the Aurora Borealis – the Northern Lights. Amazing!

Awesome Hand-Mades!

 

These awesome cards come from my good friend Dan in England. I am lucky enough to be the first ever recipient of these cards (apart from the one showing his hometown of Steyning) which he designed himself using his Nintendo DS and has had printed as proper cards. What a great idea and fun channel for creativity! Although I am a bit coulrophobic (phobia of clowns) I do find the clown card really awesome and I love the level of detail he’s achieved! Impressive! What a lovely surprise for me as well! Thanks Dan!

Side note: anyone interested in viewing Dan’s fun artwork can visit his facebook page here.

My Little Sister Finishes School

These two cards come from my sister Peaches in England who tells me she has finally finished her A Levels and is done with school! The first card shows my hometown of Ware in Hertfordshire and the second is from London Zoo where she went with a friend to celebrate the end of their lives at school! The penguin is London Zoo’s only rockhopper and is called Ricky. I love how grumpy he looks! Peaches also tells me that they saw the Deadly Birds display there but that they didn’t seem so ‘deadly’ when they learned their names – Cyril and Stan! Haha! The Ware postcard shows some typical views of the town – the statue of a ‘Bluecoat Boy’ from when there used to be a historic boys’ school in the house I used to live in, alongside a High Street view and the canal with its gazebos. Awesome cards!

Bulguksa – A Postcard Pack

 In the summer of 2010, my friend Minjae went home to South Korea for a few months, during which time she visited Bulguksa Buddhist Temple. Knowing my love of postcards, she bought me a pack of 15, writing that it was her “favourite place in Korea”. Although 14 of these aren’t written on, on the fifteenth, Minjae reminds me of many of our great university memories together. This was a wonderful gift with some outstandingly pretty pictures!