Duckling

 

To jump, or not to jump..? After all, it's just a bucket...

I have sent this postcard to the Central PO in Zagreb to be sent back with a special postmark - I wanted to see if it still works! Well why wouldn't it...some might say. But in this country anything is possible. I have jumped into a new job (again it had to be only for the season) and into the forum tags and swaps - as a result already received some great mail 💓 I am curious about the official postcards though, still haven't received any. I am also trying to scan all my collections - was successful with olives, Sagittarius and Absolut Vodka, as they are only (half) a dozen each; but donkeys await..!

Have a nice sunday all 😊

Touchnote

Does anyone remember the Touchnote craze? Anyone doing postcrossing (back in...2012 was it?) must do, as Touchnote page did a promotion that lasted for weeks, enabling us to send each other any image on a postcard for free...of course they are not regarded (by many) as 'true' postcards, but it was fun :)

As I am trying to sort out my collections these days (with emphasis on 'trying') I am going through all of my shoe boxes, often not knowing what's in them lol. So, for example, I totally forgot that I have received a postcard from Eswahili/Swaziland some years ago, so it is still on my list of missing countries 😅. Some postcrossers I remember fondly from the 'busy' postcrossing era about a decade ago...I have joined the forum again, have seen some familiar 'faces' but missing some others...There seems to be a lesser variety of countries too, and some RRs that I used to participate in are now gone. Still, excited to send and receive again :) And here are some Touchnote examples: my favourite band (though I'm definitely breaking some law by using this image, gulp!), a donkey photographed during my trip in Jordan, and of course my kitties 💓

A New Surge

 

I have suddenly gotten a new urge to check the postcrossing forum (after many years) and have immediately joined a Round Robin group, tagged a few times, and sent a few official postcards :) Not the best timing, as I am between jobs (again!) and the prices of everything and anything have gone up, BUT...let's see what happens :)

The postcard is a new one of my home town - I love the colour of the sea. However overall the choice of postcards has simply deteriorated over the years. I look at some that I have sent a decade ago and I feel sad that most of those postcards are not available anymore...I should look into printing some of my own designs; any tips on good printing sites are most welcome..!

Tea Postcard

 

Every now and then I like to send myself/my family a bit of a different postcard, be it in shape, size, material or content. As I was visiting a museum in Hamburg last month I stumbled upon this tea postcard - there is actual tea inside. It says: There is much Love in here! And the typical blue-on-white design of the German (and Dutch) north, especially for tea sets. There is always extra contentment when such postcards arrive as they also cost extra to send.

Grüß von Amrum

My first Tausendschön postcard - sent from Amrum, but with a Briefzentrum cancellation.

Föhr, North Frisia

I have worked on the North Frisian island of Föhr for six months, and only towards the end have I realised that I haven´t sent but a few postcards from there - and when I came home, that I haven´t sent a single view card..! Oh how silly, honestly.

Föhr is the second largest of the North Frisian Islands on the German coast of the North Sea - which are all popular tourist destinations for Germans. Being settled already in neolithic times, Föhr had been a part of mainland North Frisia until 1362, when the coastline got destroyed by a heavy storm flood known as Saint Marcellus´s flood, and several islands were formed. The northern part of the island consists mainly of marshes, and the southern part of sandy geest (gravelly soil with heathland vegetation).

A dialect of the North Frisian language called Fering is still spoken there; there are still many Uthland-Frisian type of farmhouses to be seen or even visited; and the traditional costumes can still be seen worn for special occasions - like confirmation, which I rushed to see because of it. It is really an enjoyable and surprisingly unique corner of the earth. However it takes getting used to being dependant on the hourly ferries, which then dock in a minor harbour and you need to take a further train, and usually yet another train to get to a place of interest. On some days off I spent more time on the public transport than at the visiting point 😅 still managed a postcard or two, as will be seen in my future posts.

Cat Astronaut

A great kitty card coming from the USA, thank you Arnold :) 

In addition I could post photos of all the different cats I have encountered this season - but would it be too much..? One thing I'm sure of - they've always brought a smile to my face, even if I only spotted them running away from me lol

Hamburg Map

 

Hamburg was my starting point - I wanted to see the city for a few days before moving further north. And it is an amazing city! I could totally see myself living there - if only it wasn't so far away from home...it wouldn't have mattered years ago, but now as my parents are rather old I prefer staying somewhere closer, at least that is the plan...

My favourite thing about Hamburg must be the great coffee culture; as a major European harbour it is the entry point for coffee beans from around the world, and specialist roasters and shops are ample throughout the city. Also the UNESCO Speicherstadt is a splendid site, with its powerful red-brick architecture and numerous canals and bridges - it is the world's largest complex of warehouses (I thought I have posted about it some years back upon receiving a Speicherstadt postcard, but no...it must be in one of the old folders still waiting, sniff). While checking my received cards I was surprised that I have sent only one Hamburg postcard 🤷