Tuesday 17 March 2020

A Postcard A Day - Tuesday 17 March 2020 - T for house arrest, cream cakes and scrapbooking


Hello lovely ladies! 

Here we are again gathering for the T-Party. In some countries this is the only way to gather and have a party. Let's join Elizabeth and Bleubeard with a beverage. This coffee is my contribution:
I have been at home for the last fortnight with a bad cold and have kept away from everyone so as not to pass it on. Now I am better, I still have to stay indoors because of the Corona virus. That is a whole different matter of course. And more about that later.

I would like to start by showing you some cards that have arrived this past week. The first one comes from Hongkong:
 It features a part of the parade during the festivities for the 10th anniversary of Hongkong's return to China. You can see the lion dancers leaving the Star Ferry on their way to Canon Road in Kowloon.
 The stamps are gorgeous. The stamps on the left feature Tai Long Wan, Hongkong's beautiful beach. Here is a Wikipedia image:


Tai Long Wan translates to "Big Wave Bay" in Cantonese, which indicates its strong currents. It is also not a gazetted public beach, which means it has no lifeguard and is not managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. It is not recommended for swimming.
Hong Kong Underwater Archaeological Association vice chairman and diving instructor Johny Lee said it was a wide beach with a narrow opening to the open sea, causing strong currents especially during September. He remarked that it was good for diving as the water was clear and one could observe the marine life of the area. However, he also noted that the strong current made it dangerous and people should be very careful if they decide to swim there.
The stamp on the right shows a cartoon character  called Old Master Q.

Old Master Q is a popular Hong Kong manhua (cartoon) created by Alfonso WongThe series' cast is led by Old Master Q, an elderly, lanky man dressed in a distinctive traditional Chinese attire. Supporting characters include Big Potato (Old Master Q's identically-dressed contemporary with a stumpy, big-headed build), Mr. Chin ('ordinary Joe' character, good friends with Old Master Q and Potato)The cartoon first appeared in the newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong in 1962, and later serialised in 1964. The comic is still in publication today
The stamp in the middle is a semi lunar shaped stamp (difficult to see). It is one of a series representing Spring. This one is called Corn Rain.
Hongkong Post takes pride in presenting the first special stamp issue themed on the “24 Solar Terms — Spring”.  Introducing six solar terms for spring, the stamps feature “Spring Commences”, “Spring Showers”, “Insects Waken”, “Vernal Equinox”, “Bright and Clear” and “Corn Rain”.  It is also first-ever to have stamps that are semicircular in design (issued 4 Feb 2020).

My next card comes from Portugal. My mouth waters just looking at it. I know what these taste like and they are delish! They are called 'pastéis de nata'. Custard cream cakes. Yumm!


 The stamps is really beautiful. It is a beautiful image of a (imho) not so beautiful animal: the sea slug.

What have I been up to? Well, Spain (like Italy) is now in total shut-down. Nobody is allowed outside.Most businesses are closed, all public life is cancelled. Borders are semi-closed. We have to stay at home and can only go out to buy food or for medical reasons. Schools are closed, shops (apart from food shops) are closed, And people are encouraged to work from home wherever possible. I think that factories are still operating. I don't know really as I live in an agricultural area.

No, we are not drinking a lot of wine. I'm only joking. As we live in a village, life goes on more or less as usual. The men still go and work their plot of land, and I still go to the local baker to buy my bread. I have a pantry full of food, a lot of fire wood and some spare gas bottles (we still use bottled gas here), and a freezer full of food, so I'm not worried. But my birthday trip next week has had to be postponed, because the hotels and restaurants have had to close too.  Better safe than sorry.

I have done some scrapbooking these days. Here is my desk and a work in progress.
Here is one I finished.  I will show you the other finished lay outs on Friday. I have now finished 2016.

 I also did a wash and lo and behold it rained. That is a rare occurrence in this arid climate. So I quickly got my wash in and it is now drying nicely indoors.

That is it from me here in Spain. I hope, wherever you are in the world, that this Corona virus is not affecting you or your work too much.

Stay safe (and healthy),
Happy T-Day,
Hugs,
Lisca

13 comments:

  1. Hi Lisca, glad to hear you are on the mends from your bad cold. here to staying at home. I don't have as much food on hand as I used to, and we brought only one freezer to the lake house-but it will be ok.
    Lovely postcards and stamps this week-pretty flowers-stay safe and healthy too-hugs Kathy

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  2. We are closing down here in my part of the US. Some places more than here, some less. Luckily I live in the country so I can at least get out for a walk and not run across people. Right now school is closed, for who knows how long. I am glad to hear you are feeling better and I hope you stay healthy. Happy T day Lisca. Hugs-Erika

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  3. So many things closing here in PA too! Thankfully, we do have our internet to stay in touch from afar:) I really love that Hong Kong lunar spring stamp- so beautiful! Wonderful scrapbook page! Continued get well wishes. Happy T day!

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  4. Glad ou have recovered from your cold, stay well now! Beautiful postcards and stamps. Here it is the same, everything is on lock down. I can go for walks or to get shopping, but that's it. Good to keep yourself occupied with scrapbooking. Happy T Day, hugs, Valerie

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  5. OH! A lovely card! We were in Perth when they celebrated Chinese New Year too.
    One of those dragons/lions leaped at me in fun and I nearly dropped my camera!!! LOL! It was such a fun event with music and all.
    Thank you for bringing back memories!

    Crazy. Life here still goes on normally. I don´t like wine, but I´d love to have a cat!
    Yes, better stay (!) safe and have another birthday (and many more)!
    A happy T-day to you! Hugs, Iris

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  6. Hi Lisca, pleased you have recovered from your cold, just your luck to be housebound now you are well enough to go out, we are missing our morning walks but just chilling, not much else to do but craft, craft, craft, oh a little cleaning if I must!!!
    lovely postcards and those custard tarts are delicious, we buy them in a Chinese bakery where our son lives near SF and now a little bakery on the seafront here makes them.
    Have a Happy T Day and keep safe
    Jan x

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  7. I love your postcards and postage excerpts ~ it's like a mini travel and exploration. We didn't stock up very well but I'm staying hopeful they will replenish the shelves this week. Good to hear your feeling better and I'm sorry your trip was canceled but better to stay safe. Your scrapbook looks pretty and your desk looks like mine at the moment! Blessings and keep crafting ~

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  8. Schools, restaurants, businesses, churches are all closed in my state. The governor forbade gatherings of 25 or more though the Federal government is saying 10. People have been panic buying things like hand sanitizer and toilet paper at the grocery store. I just did my grocery shopping online through the store's online service. Delivery is 3/18 instead of 2 hours from placing the order. No worries, plenty in the house including a couple of rolls of toilet paper to get us through.

    One thing that has been so helpful is turning off the news or trying not to listen too much and get swept up in the panic. I'm so grateful to be able to visit you through the magic of electronics. I enjoyed seeing your desk with your wonderful scrapbook pages and even your laundry. As you say, life still goes on. Happy T Day and take care.

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  9. Wow, what amazing postcards and postage stamps! So glad you made feeling better after your cold and your pages are beautiful, it looks like you've been having fun crafting 😀. Happy birthday wishes, it's a shame to cancel your travels but as you say better safe than sorry. Take care and sending happy T Day wishes! Hugs, Jo x

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  10. I love reading the info you give us on whatever is on the postcard and stamps. I never heard of that beach. The picture is gorgeous. I don't like to swim in the ocean, but I love to walk on wide white sandy beaches like that.

    The semicircular stamps are very eye-catching for the art, the spring theme and the unique shape. Beautiful.

    Lovely journal page.

    I'm glad you're stocked up and still able to go on important errands. Stay safe and well, dear friend.

    Happy T-day! Eileen xx

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  11. The post cards all look lovely and so do the stamps, the custard cream cakes look really delicious,. I was pleased to read you are getting over your cold, look after yourself and stay safe. It is a shame your Birthday trip had to be postponed but i'm sure it was the safer option for you.
    Everywhere is effected and changes are being announced daily here in the UK. Its good that you managed to stock up, our supermarket shelves are bare for some products,
    Look after your self and I hope you and your family will be safe.
    Yvonne xx

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  12. Your postcards and stamps are lovely. Hearing what the lock down entails is good to know. NYC might implement one, so it might be a short time later it happens where I am, because I'm in the county east of there, to which it spread from that initial outbreak in Westchester county. It's very stressful. Stay healthy and safe.

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  13. After AT&T ran a new line and new connectors, I was finally back online. Just when I thought things were stable, I was once again offline for over nine hours. At least this time, I was able to get back on. Sorry I’m such a bad T Tuesday host this week.

    Sorry to read you were sick. I'm so glad you are better now. Those are lovely postcards you shared and the stamps are great, too. I'm not fond of the slug, though (grin).

    Lovely scrapbook page, too. Bet you're glad you are through with 2016.

    Thanks so much for sharing your lovely scrapbook page and your desk, too. Thanks for sharing your postcards, too. But most of all, thanks for joining us for T this past Tuesday, dear Lisca. Please stay safe and well.

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