A PostcardA Day - Friday 7 August 2026 - Friday Smiles and Friday Face Off

 

Hello lovely peeps! Happy Friday!

I'm going to show you what made me smile this week. Those of you who read my blog regularly will know that I always start with a postcard. Postcrossing (see here for more info on that) is one of my hobbies so I receive several postcards a week (depending on how many I send myself). 

So my postcard today is a really fun one:

It was sent to me by Marian from Michigan. She is new to Postcrossing. 

And it's a Maxi-card!

Wikipedia says: A maxi card is a postcard with a postage stamp placed on the picture side of the card where the stamp and card match or are in maximum concordance (similarity).

Not every country issues maximum cards (e.g. US did very few) and some which do (e.g. Germany) have only a limited number of releases every year whereas others issue maximum cards for every stamp (e.g. Australia).

On the back of my card it reads: " Did you know? More than 85 million postcards have been mailed around the world through the Postcrossing website."

There are many American postcrossers but the US doesn't do many maxi cards. So I am chuffed to bits (British colloquial for very very pleased). Thank you Marian.

The card I received is actually part of  a series. Read about them here.

Although there is a stamp on the front, because the card was going abroad, it has a stamp on the back too:

Now, what has been going on in my village here in southern Spain...

Because it's so hot, life evolves at night when it is a bit cooler. All the bars have tables and chairs outside and there is a lovely atmosphere around. 

On Saturday night I organise an 'in-person' chat group to practice our language skills. We call it Intercambio.

The local council have given us the use of the youth centre and we are half and half Spanish and English speaking. It's always fun and we do it for an hour and then afterwards we go for a drink somewhere.

Last Saturday we went to Angela's Patio again (see here). You saw the inside, and this is what it looks like from the outside:

This week is Feria week in our village. There are performances every night, the fair rides have arrived and set up at the designated space and people that have moved away from the village, all come home again. The population has tripled and the whole village is in fiesta mode.

There are performances of local dancers and musicians, but also hired bands for the young folk.

People party all night long. I don't usually. I might go for a drink with friends but it is all very busy and very noisy. (Dare I say I'm too old for this lark).

I like to stay home with my cat. His name is Ronnie and in these photos he was cuddling my sandals

and sniffing them.

Silly boy!

Isn't that a cute little face for Friday Face Off?

That is all I have to share today. Of course there will be some funnies at the end in case my cat hasn't made you smile.

Enjoy your weekend and don't forget:

Keep smiling!

Lisca

A Postard A Day - Tuesday 4 August 2026 - T for Stars & Stripes, a walk and Ronnie

 Hello folks,

I have a postcard that might help you cool down in this hot weather. Even if it is only an imaginary 'cool down'. Then I will also show you something to do with a drink for Elizabeth and Bluebeard's T-Party, and tell you what I've been up to.

But first off is my postcard. It comes from Alaska:

It was sent to me by Linda who took a cruise in May with three ports of call: Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan. All three are on the card in the lower right hand corner. I have visions of 'cold' when I think of Alaska. I have been to Minnesota in the summer and on a different occasion to Vancouver and surroundings. On both occasions I was cold! And that was summer! So Alaska must be super cold!  Has anyone been to Alaska? What was it like? I have seen documentaries and they say it is beautiful.

The stamps are pretty:

The yellow school bus is iconic and the stars and stripes flag of the USA is to remember the 250th birthday of the US. As is the large stamp on the right with 1776 on it.

USPS writes: The Declaration of Independence Forever stamp, issued in panes of 20, features a vertical design in red, white and blue set against a deep navy background. The year “1776” runs down the center, with each number rendered in the shape of a white feather quill pen to represent the writing utensils used at the time to draft and sign the founding document.

The design was created by typographer Juan Carlos Pagan under the art direction of longtime USPS designer Greg Breeding.

The US flag stamp in the middle is part of a series of 13 stamps designed by Ralph Lauren called 'American Idols'

USPS writes: American Icons, an inspiring and visually exciting pane of 13 stamps curated by Ralph Lauren himself, speaks to diverse but essential aspects of the American experience.

Selected from his own unparalleled archive and from visuals that have inspired him, the images Ralph Lauren chose for the stamps embody our shared values and reflect the unique fabric of our nation: freedom, independence, equality, opportunity, and the pursuit of happiness.

Many of the stamps include the American flag shown in different settings or seen from varying perspectives: sometimes on a grand scale, sometimes as a smaller design element paired with another icon or enhancing a larger scene. The flag is perhaps the most recognizable American icon in the world, and Ralph Lauren has said that it holds special meaning for him as someone who has worked hands-on with fabrics.

In 1998, he took the lead in the fundraising needed to help the Smithsonian Institution save the original Star-Spangled Banner. The 1813 flag that inspired our national anthem required extensive preservation work before it could return to public display.

The above stamp features a knit 13-star flag, a detail from an iconic sweater introduced by Polo Ralph Lauren in 1989. The flag design itself is intarsia-knit, created using a technique that allows for smooth color transitions during production.

What have I been up to in rural southern Spain? In summer there is always lots going on in spite of the heat. All activities just moves to night time. There was a charity walk on Thursday night which my friend and I (and half the village) went on:

It was organised to support a cancer charity and here are the ladies collecting the money. It was 21:30, so it was still light. On the right are two water bottles. My 'ticket' to the T-Party.

We are waiting for the walk to start.

And below are my friend and I during the walk when it was dark:

When I got home at midnight the temperature had gone down to 31 degrees C (88F). Still quite warm though.

What else can I tell you: 

I bought two bags. 

I love turtles and I love my cat. So I bought both (online). They look like they are embroidered or stitched, but in fact it is a photo on plastic. So It was a bit of a scam, but I decided to keep them as I actually like them (I just paid way too much for them. Oh well....)

And here is Ronnie, looking at his image on the bag.

I've just realised there is a cork screw on the table. Another drink related object for Elizabeth and Bluebeard.

That is all from me this Tuesday. More on Friday.

Happy T-Day all!

Lisca

 

A Postcard A Day - Friday 31 July 2026 - Friday Smiles (and a little cat face for Friday Face-off)

 Hello lovely peeps, I'm going to show you what made me smile this weeK. Well, a lot of things have made me smile, but I haven't taken photos of everything.

I did get a postcard from Japan with ice cream on it.

It was sent by Hisane, who was also a palliative care nurse (like me) and said she used to give her patients ice cream.

She has used many stamps, all with an animal on it.

I'm going to write something about each stamp. If you are not interested, please just scroll down. I have some funnies at the end.

Top left, the orange stamp features a dog, and celebrated the Year of the Dog. 

 1969 First Day Cover YEAR OF THE DOG:

The stamp next to it  shows a tiger:

1998: Year of the Tiger: January 28, 1998 – February 15, 1999 (Earth Tiger)

Then underneath is another tiger.

1986:Another Year of the Tiger: February 9, 1986 – January 28, 1987 (Fire Tiger)

Here is the pretty First Day Cover:

Japan Post Co. announced on Jan. 28 that it will issue limited-edition 1-yen stamps based on a design using the company's "cute" character "Posukuma" from April 14, 2021.

Posukuma is the cuddly bear mascot of Japan Post — the post office for Japan.  This is a Japanese children's picture book highlighting the day-to-day of Posukuma, who loves honey toast and delivering handwritten letters! 

Below is a definitive 2 yen stamp released on February 2, 2015. 

It features an Ezo snow rabbit designed by  Kaifuchi Junko.

Below an lovely First Day Cover:

Phew, that were a lot of stamps. 

Let's go to something else. I was looking through the photos of my recent visit to Istanbul and I found this photo of a girl's bag. It made me smile.

She was waiting at the pedestrian crossing in front of me and I saw her bag.

Another thing that makes me smile is my cleaner. She comes once a week and cleans my little flat in a couple of hours. She does a really good job:

My cat Ronnie is an older cat and not really into toys. I have a drawer with cat toys and every now and then I will get something out to see if I can tempt him with something to play with:

Like this tunnel. He was very cautiously exploring and then popped in.

I think he was a little surprised when he found a 'window':

It's Thursday evening and I am going to get ready for the annual charity walk through the village. Of course it happens at night as during the day it will be too hot to walk. I'll be home around midnight, so photos Tuesday or next Friday.

That is all from me today. 

I will leave you with some funnies at the end. 

For now I will say: Keep smiling!

Lisca