Postcard from Wales

This is postcard from Wales, United Kingdom. This postcard is inspired by famous Welsh folk song Sospan Fach.  It is one of the best-known and most often sung songs in the Welsh language. The song is based on a verse written by Mynyddog in 1873 as part of his song Rheolau yr Aelwyd (Rules of the home).

English (literal translation)

Mary-Ann has hurt her finger,

And David the servant is not well.

The baby in the cradle is crying,

And the cat has scratched little Johnny.

A little saucepan is boiling on the fire,

A big saucepan is boiling on the floor,

And the cat has scratched little Johnny.

Little Dai the soldier,

Little Dai the soldier,

Little Dai the soldier,

And his shirt tail is hanging out.

Mary-Ann's finger has got better,

And David the servant is in his grave;

The baby in the cradle has grown up,

And the cat is "asleep in peace".

A little saucepan is boiling on the fire,

A big saucepan is boiling on the floor,

And the cat is "asleep in peace".

Little Dai the soldier,

Little Dai the soldier,

Little Dai the soldier,

And his shirt tail is hanging out.

Old Mary Jones went to the fair in Caerau,

To buy a tea set;

But Mary and her teacups ended up in a ditch,

By drinking rather too much "tea".

A little saucepan is boiling on the fire,

A big saucepan is boiling on the floor,

And the cat is "asleep in peace".

 

 

Stamps:

Queen Elizabeth II - Security Machin MPIL M15L, issued on 14.05.2015.
Queen Elizabeth II - Security Machin M16L, issued on 22.03.2016.

Thank you Kirsty! 

Serbia: Museum exhibits 2017

This years Museum exhibits edition bring us four paintings from the House of Jevrem Grujić. The house was built in 1896 by a renowned Serbian statesman and diplomat, leader of modern Serbia – Jevrem Grujić, for his family.

During the 19th and the 20th centuries, metropolitan balls were organized in the vast salons of the building, which entertained the social elite of Serbia, as well as diplomatic events during which the political and intellectual pioneers of the time made decisions regarding the future of the young Serbian state. A secret agreement between Serbia and Bulgaria about the freeing of South Slavs was signed here in 1912, based on which the Balkan League was later formed.

Half a century later, in 1967, the first nightclub in Belgrade was opened in the building’s basement, marking the beginning of a sociological boom in the contemporary history of the city. The House of Jevrem Grujić is a cultural monument of high importance and the only member of the European Historic Houses Association.

Today’s living hiers of Jevrem Grujić strain, are the ones that came up with an idea to establish The Museum of Jevrem Grujić, so colorful Serbian history and rich family tradition were out of oblivion and presented to the public.

Nagorno-Karabakh: Mammals 2009

My second cover from Nagorno-Karabakh is Mammals 2009. This stamps set is issued on 10.09.2009.Animals on stamps are Caucasian Brown Bear, Eurasian Lynxand Red Fox.

Caucasian Brown Bear (Ursus arctos caucasicus) is a large bear with the widest distribution of any living ursid. The species is distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It is one of the two largest terrestrial carnivorans alive today, rivaled in body size only by its close cousin, the polar bear, which is much less variable in size and averages larger due to this.

Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx) is a medium-sized cat native to Siberia, Central, East, and Southern Asia, North, Central and Eastern Europe. It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2008 as it is widely distributed, and most populations are considered stable. Eurasian lynx have been re-introduced to several forested mountainous areas in Central and Southeastern Europe; these re-introduced subpopulations are small, less than 200 animals.

Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), largest of the true foxes, has the greatest geographic range of all members of the Carnivora order, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, North America and Eurasia. It is listed as least concern by the IUCN. Its range has increased alongside human expansion, having been introduced to Australia, where it is considered harmful to native mammals and bird populations. Due to its presence in Australia, it is included among the list of the "world's 100 worst invasive species".


Thank you Sergey!

Nagorno-Karabakh: Europa 2011 Forests

Several week a go i received my first two covers from Nagorno Karabakh, with very nice and clear two colored postmark. This cover is sent from Stepanakert, capital of this disputed territory between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Stamps on cover are Europa 2011 Forests, but they are issued next year, on 16.05.2012.

Thank you Sergey!

Cover from Serbia: 25th Anniversary of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation

I have received a registered cover from Serbia with stamp 25th Anniversary of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation. The Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) came into existence as  a unique and promising model of multilateral political and economic initiative with the signing of the Istanbul Summit Declaration and the Bosphorus Statement by the Heads of State and Government of the countries in the region, on 25 June 1992.

Today BSEC serves as a forum for cooperation in a wide range of areas for its 12 Member States: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine. Stamp is issued on 14.03.2017.


Thank you Miki!

Nikola Tesla on cover from Brazil!

I received Nikola Tesla on cover from Brazil! Nikola Tesla  was a Serbian inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist, and futurist who is best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system. Born and raised in the Austrian Empire, Tesla received an advanced education in engineering and physics in the 1870s and gained practical experience in the early 1880s working in telephony and at Continental Edison in the new electric power industry. He immigrated to the United States in 1884, and was naturalized as American citizen in 1891.

Tesla obtained around 300 patents worldwide for his inventions.Some of Tesla's patents are not accounted for, and various sources have discovered some that have lain hidden in patent archives. There are a minimum of 278 known patents issued to Tesla in 26 countries. Many of Tesla's patents were in the United States, Britain, and Canada, but many other patents were approved in countries around the globe. Many inventions developed by Tesla were not put into patent protection.


Thank you very much Sidney!

Serbia: Europa 2017 - Castles

Serbian Europa 2017 Castles stamps are issued yesterday!Two stamps shows Maglič and Smederevo Fortress.

Maglič is a 13th-century castle about 20 km south of Kraljevo, Serbia. The castle is located atop a hill around which the Ibar river makes a curve, about 100 m above the river. The fortress protected the only road that connected the Great Morava Valley and Kosovo polje. Its name means The Foggy One from the Serbian word "Magla" (Магла), meaning fog.Maglič was included on the list of Cultural Monuments of Exceptional Importance in 1979.

The Smederevo Fortress is a medieval fortified city in Smederevo, Serbia, which was temporary capital of Serbia in the Middle Ages. It was built between 1427 and 1430 on the order of Despot Đurađ Branković, the ruler of the Serbian Despotate. It was further fortified by the Ottoman Empire, which had taken the city, in the end of the century. The fortress withstood several sieges by Ottomans and Serbs, surviving relatively unscathed. During World War II it was heavily damaged, by explosions and bombing. Smederevo Fortress was declared a national Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1979. In 2010, the fortress was placed on the tentative list for possible nomination as a World Heritage Site (UNESCO).

Myanmar: Thatbyinnyu Temple

Thatbyinnyu Temple -Sabbannu or "the Omniscient", is a famous temple located in Bagan (formerly Pagan), built in the mid-12th century during the reign of King Alaungsithu.It is adjacent to Ananda Temple. Thatbyinnyu Temple is shaped like a cross, but is not symmetrical. The temple has two primary storeys, with the seated Buddha image located on the second storey.

Stamp is from set Government Buildings, issued on 16.06.2016.

Thank you Hlwann!

Serbia: 125th Anniversary of the Serbian Literary Cooperative

Srpska književna zadruga or the Serbian Literary Cooperative is the oldest publishing house and one of the few cultural establishments of the Serbs continuously operating since the 19th century despite all difficulties and trials. At the time of its founding, the Zadruga was the first and truly modern
publishing house among the Serbs. Today, far from being just a token name of Serbian culture and literature, it remains a publisher with a special place and mission in the cultural area of its people.

Srpska književna zadruga was founded on 29 April 1892 on the premises of the Royal Serbian Academy, 15 Brankova Street, in Belgrade. All of its sixteen founding members were prominent figures in the cultural, scientific and political life of late 19th-century Serbia. Elected as its first president was Stojan Novaković, a historian, philologist and diplomat, and as its vice-president, Jovan Jovanović Zmaj, a physician, one of the greatest lyric poets of Serbian Romanticism, and designer of the recognizable SKZ logo featured on all Zadruga’s editions ever since. Subsequently, too, the Zadruga has been run and overseen by some of the foremost among Serbian authors and scholars.

Myanmar: Shwe Tha Lyaung

The Shwe Tha Lyaung Buddha is a reclining Buddha in the west side of Bago (Pegu), Myanmar. The Buddha, which has a length of 55 meters and a height of 16 meters, is believed to have been built in 994, during the reign of Mon King Migadepa. It was lost in 1757 when Pegu was pillaged. During British colonial rule, in 1880, the Shwethalyaung Buddha was rediscovered under a cover of jungle growth. Restoration began in 1881, and Buddha's mosaic pillows (on its left side) were added in 1930.

Stamp is from set Government Buildings, issued on 16.06.2016.

Thank you Hlwann!

Serbia: Flora 2017

Serbian Post issued new set of Flora stamps. This year we have four types of Serbian fruit: European pear (Pyrus communis), plums (Prunus domestica), European crab apple (Malus sylvestris) and common walnut (Juglans regia).

Here you can see whole sheet of stamps with vignette in the middle.

As always, Serbian Post has issued two First Day Covers.