Cyprus Bunny

Received some stamps form Cyprus in the official mail today.

Don't you love a philately department that issues Bunny rabbits on their stamps?

Christmas

Started receiving the christmas greetings ( for the office) and don't you get a kick when the stams match the content of the mail?

Have a good season & the year ahead!

Norwegian stamps

Got some stamps in the office mail from Norway that I snitched! The poor bird seems to have taken a pot shot taken at it.

Unless the shot was actually taken at that bald chap and hit the bird instead.

Hope you all are well.

France - History of Bicycles

Its been a year since I came here and I received my first philatelic mail. This was sent by Eric, who has a great blog that your really must visit.

I had sent him some stamps on frog some time back and he was kind enough to send a spectacular sheet across. I'll put that up in the next post.

In the meanwhile lets focus on the beautiful stamps that Eric put on the cover itself. These bicycles are part of a series of french stamps called "2011 - The bicycle from its origins to today".  The link is in french so you may have to translate it. The stamps themselves are beautiful and love them.

Another point of interest is that the back of the envelope had this stamp that is probably the creation of Eric himself as he is nuts about all thins froggy!

Thanks for the cover Eric. Great Fun receiving it. Will send you across the cover you included inside soon.

Joint issue - Bridges

Another short one today - An joint issue for between Singapore and Phillipines and Singapore. Bridges are an favourite subject of mine because I used to go over and under them often enough, but don't you think that bridges are a very apt subject for to countries to send across an joint issue over?

The Australian dollar coins

People who collect stamps will agree that the stories behind stamps are as interesting as the stamps themselves. As I was emptying my pockets after the recent Australian trip, I wanted to check what the story behind the coins might be.

The coin on right is the standard 1 dollar coin. It has the distinction of being the only coin in Australia to replace a circulating note. The design on the coin is called the 5 "mob of roos' and was designed by Stuart Devlin, who by all accounts is a rock star among coin designers and is as big as an gold and silversmith can get. 

The coin on the left is the 2 dollar coin and has a whole lot more interesting storyline. The Aboriginal  on the coin is supposed to be based on a painting  by Ainslie Roberts, of a man called "one pound Jimmy". Apparently he was called one pound Jimmy because any time someone asked how much it would cost to buy something made by him, his answer would be "one pound boss".

In line with our topic of Philately, one pound Jimmy also featured on two stamps of 1950 & 1952 for about 8 pence. Judging by the rate of inflation, I think One pound Jimmy has pretty much maintained his prices over an amazingly long period. 

Hong Kong - Lighthouses

A miniature of lighthouses today from Hong Kong. Even though I did make a trip down to Hong kong last month, this sheet was picked up in Sing post as part of the foreign postal series.

Its always fun to pick up stamps of light houses and the fact that the positions are plotted could even help some loser go on google earth and actually plot these lighthouses.

Anyway, it is sort of cool to imagine the sight from these lighthouses. Check out the tug dragging around a sand barge if front of the first light house.

Singapore - Monuments

Just a quick one today. For some reason, I'm not connecting with the stamps in Singapore. The stamps are a bit expensive and they cost too much. And on top of it some of them are pricey too.

But some of these are pretty. I like this stamp because of the Sepia and mossy look to it, which is rather apt for a stamp based on monuments.

Australia - Year of the Rabbit

Here's another set released by Australia. I love it because it adds to my Chinese years collection & also because it is so beautiful. Would I actually preferred it to be a miniature sheet, but since they only released the stamp set, got an FDC for it.

Don't you think the Tiger in the sheet is cool? :)

Down under - Kate - William Wedding

Went to Australia for three days to attend a vessel. Sadly though the trip happened over the long weekend and though down under they decided to have a winter in June, I report with regret that postal employees in the southern hemisphere also take holidays on the weekend.

As such managed to only get my hands on a few stamps. One of which is the above sheet of the recent royal wedding. Such fun.

Frogs

Frogs always remind my of Eric Bruth. Anyone with an interest in either stamps or frogs should visit his blog.

So when I read that Sing post had released a series based on pond life which also featured frogs, I decided to pick them up on his behalf. As it turns out Sing post has come out with a really pretty collectors sheet for the pond life, but it cost's 28 SGD. A sum for which I could have probably bought the whole of the Giripeth post office with the well thrown in as compliments of the India postal service.

I decided to shortchange Eric and instead just bought the above first day cover with the two frogs. The lady behind the counter, a jolly person who thinks of the most apt thing to say at all times, saw the completed FDC and commented, "Looks like the two frogs just broke up."

I also took along the above sheet of paper where she had tried out the cancellation mark. After all we can never have too many jumping frogs in our life.

welcome To Singapore

It has been a long time since I posted and though there are a lot of things I can blame it on, I guess its basically me that the needle firmly points on.

As it turns out, I have exchanged the environs of a ship with the cubicles of an office and relocated to Singapore.

Naturally my stamps may now focus more on this part of the world, but I will sorely miss the India Post that I have so much grown to love and admire.

Hope all the readers of this blog have done well over the last so many days and wish you all the very best.

In case I can send you something from this part of the world, please do let me know.

PS : Please do take note of my new address in case you want to send something my way ( Top right)

Cheers,

Velu