WOYWW 319 - sad, hot, excited and horrified

Good morning deskers,

Like most of you I was so sad to hear that dear Eliza Harms had passed away... I never knew her in person, but I felt like I knew her and was genuinely upset when I heard the news. I loved reading about her professional life doing outside broadcasts, and following the stories about Yoda. Not forgetting Flat Susan who has spent quite a long time visiting Eliza and has had many adventures there. My heart goes out to her daughter Myrene and especially to her dad as Eliza's brother died recently. It must be so devastating for her father to lose two children in a short time. Horrendous!

So, what's happening here in Spain... Well, it's hot hot hot! This thermometer is in the shade, under the vine. I don't know how much 40 degrees is in Fahrenheit, but believe me, it's hot!

We use my husband's scooter quite a bit in stead of the car (car airco not working), but on the scooter it's like travelling in front of a giant hairdryer! Hot wind blowing in your face that takes your breath away. (BTW I don't ride myself but ride pillion.)

I've never been so excited about my mail as yesterday! Look what arrived in the post! The most gorgeous envelope, sent by Bibi in Norway, with all sorts of post related stamps on it. Yes. they are the stamps I ordered. A set called 'Only dull people send dull envelopes' from www.rubberdance.com . I really love these! 

I also ordered a cling cushion as the stamps are unmounted. It comes without instructions but I'll find out on Youtube how to do it. Quite a tedious job I gather....

Those of you who can't stand bugs:look away now!
I found this on the floor yesterday. It was very dead, but nonetheless very beautiful. I have no idea what it is/was..... (are you suitably horrified that I picked it up?)

The battery is there for size. It was too big for a fly and it doesn't look like a beetle. So I have no idea. Does anyone know?

That's it for today. Have a good week and CU all next Wednesday.

Lisca Olddutch

A Postcard a day - 14 July 2015

Good morning everyone!,

Today we 'travel' to China, as I'm showing you a postcard I received this week all the way from China. It was sent to me by Zihu.

It depicts a beautiful tea set that is used for the famous tea ceremony. 

Now for the stamp:

It looks like a ship connected to an off-shore drilling station.

If you'd like to know more about the tea ceremony,

I have found some info on the internet about it (what would we do without internet I say...)

I will post that at the bottom of this post.

That's it from me.

Have a good day and CU tomorrow,

Lisca

The Chinese practice a form of tea ceremony called Gong Fu, which has some similarities and many more differences to the possibly more well-known Japanese tea ceremony. 

In a Gong Fu style tea ceremony, the tea master preparing the tea for the group is considered an artist in his or her own right. 

Styles for pouring the water and tea vary individually, and many devote a lot of time practicing difficult and artistic maneuvers. Usually the equipage for this tea ceremony would be a clay Yi-Xing pot and several small teacups, a tea sink or shallow bowl for draining water into, and a few bamboo tools for handling the hot objects. 

The tea master will arrange the teapot and cups in a circular fashion over the tea sink or in the bowl, and pour hot water into each to rinse the objects and to warm them so that the temperature of the tea is more consistent. This rinse water is discarded, and then a generous helping of tea leaves, usually oolong, is measured into the pot. More hot water is then poured into the pot and the tea leaves will begin steeping. 

Every infusion in Gong Fu ceremony is very quick, about 30 seconds, though the method for timing is never exactly precise. In one tradition hot water is poured over the outside of the teapot, and when the water is seen to be fully evaporated, the tea is ready to be poured. In another, the tea master must count a full 4 deep breaths before beginning to pour. Either of these methods is roughly a 30 second steep, and remains consistent throughout the multiple following infusions. 

Then the tea master will begin pouring in a continuous flow around to each of the teacups, a little at a time, resulting in each person having the equal amount and strength of tea in his or her cup. After enjoying this first round of tea, the leaves may be re-steeped for many more infusions.

A Postcard a Day - Books and Belarusian cartoons-13 July 2015

Hello peeps,
Happy Monday!

Today another card with books on it. (Postcards with books on them are on my wish list in my profile on Postcrossing.) So it was really nice of Lena to send me this card. Lena lives in Belarus in the city of Minsk.
The artist of the painting is  printed on the back but it is in Russian letters so I can't read it.

To me the books look a bit like old Reader's Digest collections of abridged books that people used to buy or got sent. Don't you think so?

The stamp is especially gorgeous. 

It is a stamp from 2013 and is from a series of cartoons. This one is from an animated cartoon called Pilipka, which won several international awards. It's based on a fairy tale about a little boy Pilipka and a big bad witch Baba Yaga.

Lena wishes me a life full of miracles and happiness! Well with the Lord Jesus Christ in  my life I certainly have that!

Have a good day and CU tomorrow,

Lisca

A Postcard a Day - 12 July 2015, Zeeland National costumes

Good morning,

Today I want to show you a typical Dutch card with national costumes. I received it last month from Berlin (short for Berlinda). She lives in the south west part of the Netherlands called Zeeland. (Here in the dark blue colour).

(I’m pretty sure New Zealand was named after this province).

Zeeland has a large variety of national costumes as the province was made up out of islands. 

(The above card I got off the internet to show you what Zeeland looks like.)

Nowadays there are dykes everywhere connecting all the islands. The dyke project (called Delta plan) was started after Zeeland flooded in 1953. It is now complete and is a feat of engineering.

This is Berlin's card. I hope you can see the pictures of the costumes as the pictures are tiny. They are numbered from left to right: 1 and 2 are Arnemuiden, 3. Axel, 4. Cadzand, 5. Nieuw en St Joostland, 6 & 7 Walcheren, 8 & 9.Protestant Zuid Beveland.

The headdress is made of ‘broderie anglaise' and is starched and folded and then pinned over a little cap. The front of the hair get combed over to finish it off.

Here is a short video of a woman (from Arnemuiden I believe) folding her headdress. It is in Dutch but the pictures are self explanatory. The ‘rag’ on the table is a headdress as it comes out of the wash, unstarched. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYQwqWTQWOM

The stamp shows young king Willem Alexander. (Don't know what happened to his mouth...)

That is my contribution for today,

CU tomorrow,

Lisca

A Postcard a Day 11 July'15 Child and turtle

Hello everyone.,

Isn't it nice when people (I.e. fellow postcrossers) read my profile and make an effort to find a card that I like! 

This week I received a card from Sheli in Germany. 

She must have read that I like black and white cards, and that I like turtles, because this is the card she sent me. A little boy in large wellies, trying to wash an even larger turtle.

I also saw on the back, that it is a card from Nouvelles Images. Another thing I had put on my list of 'likes'. Thank you Sheli.

The stamp is beautiful and features Schloss Ludwigslust  (Ludwigslust Palace). I looked it up and it is a stately home (or schloss) in the town of Ludwigslust, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, northern Germany.

And now, just for fun, another turtle/tortoise card I received from Germany a while ago:

The little German rhyme translates (roughly):

Where do you rush to , why the hurry?

It is much nicer just to dwell ,

And above all to think about,

Giving yourself a parcel of time. 

So, lovely people, don't stress yourselves too much, tomorrow is another day.

And that is when you will see me again,

Saludos,

Lisca

A Postcard a day - 10 July '15 - Anne Geddes

Hi peeps,

I have a preference for black and white postcards. Black and white to me means that the photography is excellent. I myself am not a very good photographer so I love to see a really good photo. Not just technically but in its subject matter too.

In Italy I came across a female photographer who specializes in photographing babies: Anne Geddes. Some photos are funny like babies hanging in cans on a washing line or dressed up as flowers. 

But others are serious and beautiful, like this one:

The Anne Geddes postcard I have sent this week to Domenica in Germany is the one below:

It is my favorite. It tugs several of my strings. First of all it touches on my mother instincts. Such a gorgeous tiny, helpless baby!

But it also touches on my spiritual side. What a beautiful miracle of creation! I’m a Christian and I believe we were created by God. Every new baby is another little miracle. Look at those large hands gently holding and protecting the tiny baby...I imagine the love of the Lord being like this.... loving me and giving me shelter and protection. It really moves me.

I bought several of these and this is my last one. I hope Domenica likes it.

I hope you like it too and I’d like to know if it stirs something in you. And if so, which/what emotion...

Bye for now,

CU tomorrow,

Lisca

A Postcard a Day PCAD Windows from Finland

Hi everyone,

I love windows and doors on postcards. (Don’t ask me why.... this is food for psychologists I suppose).

This week I received two postcards with windows, and they were both from Finland!

1.   The first window was sent by Janina from Kristiinankaupunki.  Which is the Finnish name for Kristinestad.  (Kristinestad is a town and a municipality in Finland. It is located in the western part of Finland on the shore of the Bothnian Sea. Wikipedia)

She put a unusually shaped stamp on it of the Finnish flag.

This one is from Mervi in Finland.

It has that beautiful stamp on it that Bridget showed some time ago.

The sentiment on the card reads in Finnish: Iloa ja valoa paivaasi. I went straight to an online translator and it came up with: ‘Joy and light to your day’. 

That is a lovely wish. I wish that also to you: Joy and Light to your Day!

And with that I will leave you.

CU tomorrow,

Lisca