Sunday, July 13, 2014

A Postcrossing Adventure: Weeks 33, 34 & 35

Week 33
 
// outgoing: 
 
TWO cards this week: A Sydney scene-scape was sent to Indonesia (AU-362185), together with the Bunya Pine to the UK (AU-362186).
 
 
 
// incoming: 
 
I received THREE lovely cards during Week 33, one each from Finland (FI-2122505), Lithuania (LT-377077), and China (CN-1327298).
 
 
 
Week 34
 
// outgoing: 
 
Cards haven't been taking too long to arrive at their destinations of late, so I've been able to keep up with my aim to send at least TWO cards each week.
 
In week 34 I sent the last of my "Australian Game" maxicards to Poland (AU-363744), and the Alice illustration went to Germany (AU-363745).

 
 
// incoming:
 
Just TWO cards came in during week 34, both themed on books: The Wizard of Oz came in from the USA (US-2838285), and the Franz Kafka card arrived from Russia (RU-2754217).
 
 
 
 
Week 35
 
// outgoing: 
 
I've mentioned before how much I love Burra, and this week I got to share its beauty with a card I sent to Switzerland (AU-365221).
 
The second card I sent to the USA (AU-365222); it's one of the many great designs from geekery.ca, and I've been waiting such a long time for Postcrossing to give me the perfect recipient.


 
 
// incoming:
 
One solitary card came in from the USA this week (US-2850379), but I don't mind one bit: Waterhouse is my favourite of the pre-Raphaelite artists, and it was so great to get this card in the mail (of his painting "Echo and Narcissus").
 


Postcrossing postcards sent to date: 73
All time: 129
 
 
Postcrossing postcards received to date: 71
All time: 128
 
 
Expired postcards to date: 3

Monday, June 23, 2014

A Postcrossing Adventure: Weeks 30, 31 & 32

Week 30
 
// outgoing: 
 
TWO cards went out in week 30 of my Postcrossing challenge: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George (AU-358520) went to the Ukraine, and a viewcard of the Painted Desert (near Coober Pedy here in South Australia) was sent to Finland (AU-358521).
 
 
 
Week 31
 
// outgoing: 
 
Another TWO cards went out in week 31: The last of my Leichhardt First Day of Issue postcards to Germany (AU-360025), and a wonderful shot of Memory Cove on the Eyre Peninsula was sent to the USA (AU-360026).

 
 
 
Weeks 30 & 31
 
// incoming: 
 
Over the course of the fortnight I received a total of EIGHT cards: Two came in from the Netherlands (NL-2503004 and NL-2503003), and another pair from Germany - postcards of the same lighthouse, no less (DE-3191018 and DE-3220361)!
 
I also received one a piece from Taiwan (TW-1270571), Romania (RO-85123), Russia (RU-2306779), and China (CN-1313987).

 
 
 
Week 32
 
// outgoing: 
 
We were away vacationing on Kangaroo Island this week, so I wasn't able to scan in the postcards prior to sending them. Tacky photos don't quite cut it, do they?
 
A postcard of Remarkable Rocks I sent to Belarus (AU-360679), and the Penneshaw sunset postcard sent to the Netherlands (AU-360680) - posted from the island itself.

 
 
// incoming: 
 
Just the one card came in this week, from Belarus (BY-1298534).



Postcrossing postcards sent to date: 67
All time: 123
 
 
Postcrossing postcards received to date: 65
All time: 122
 
 
Expired postcards to date: 2

Friday, June 20, 2014

K.I.


 
South Australia is a pretty stunning place, generally, but after a short vacation on Kangaroo Island, I think I've discovered the jewel in SA's crown.
 
We stayed here, in a 100-year-old light-keeper's cottage, maintained and prepared by Parks SA. There was no television, but there was Jenga, Mahjong, and numerous visitor's books to keep oneself occupied during the cold, windy evenings.
 
In four days we managed to traverse 800km of an island that, at its longest point, is barely 200km across. We saw the lighthouses (of which there are a few!), Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch, Flinders Chase National Park, as well as West, Stokes, Emu and Vivonne Bays.
 
We got up close and personal with Australian sea-lions, New Zealand fur seals, KI kangaroos, Tammar wallabies, and a couple echidnas - all in the wild. (We were not lucky enough this trip to see koalas or platypus, but that will keep for another time).
 
K.I. is a truly awe-inspiring place, a bucket-list kind of place to visit. Nothing disappoints, not even the wintery weather (which is, on average, ten degrees warmer overnight than the Flinders Ranges, and a couple degrees warmer during the day - even with the "roaring 40s" raging in!).
 
 

 
1) Cape Willoughby. 2) Snuggling Australian sea-lions at Seal Bay. 3) Seal Bay.
4) Cape du Couedic. 5) New Zealand fur seal (scratches an itch). 6) Cape Borda coastline.
7) West Bay as dusk. 8) Stokes Bay. 9) Silhouettes at Vivonne Bay. 10) Remarkable Rocks.
11) Sunbathing K.I. kangaroos. 12) The only platypus we saw! 13) Karatta Cottage, Flinders Chase NP.
14) Inside Karatta Cottage (entrance hall). 15) Inside Karatta Cottage (bedroom).
16) One of the many visitor's books. 17) Weir's Cove. 18) Admirals Arch.

Sunday, June 1, 2014

A Postcrossing Adventure: Weeks 28 & 29

Week 28
 
// outgoing: 
 
To make up for not sending any postcards out in week 27, I sent out THREE cards during Week 28: Journey of the Coastal Koori went to Russia (AU-355829), a Waterhouse art card to Germany (AU-355830), and some yellow orchids to the USA (AU-355831).
 
 
 
 
// incoming:
 
I received my first Postcrossing themed postcard this week, and it came from Ukraine (UA-1026994). 

 
 
 
 
Week 29
 
// outgoing: 
 
Another THREE cards sent out this week: A view of Wilpena Pound to China (AU-357181), Maggie Beer to the Netherlands (AU-357182), and an Australian dinosaur to Taiwan (AU-357187).

 
I did not receive any cards this week.
 
 
Postcrossing postcards sent to date: 61
All time: 116
 
 
Postcrossing postcards received to date: 56
All time: 113
 
 
Expired postcards to date: 2

Sunday, May 18, 2014

A Postcrossing Adventure: Weeks 25, 26 & 27

Week 25
 
// outgoing: 
 
I sent another TWO cards during Week 25 of my challenge: An Australasian Antarctic Expedition 1911-14 First Day of Issue postcard was sent to Lithuania (AU-351761), and a First Day of Issue postcard celebrating the christening of Prince George of Cambridge went to Belarus (AU-351762).
 
 
 
 
// incoming:
 
Four colourful, bright and happy cards came in during Week 25: Two from the Netherlands (NL-2428376 & NL-2428375), one from Germany (DE-3089291), and my first card from New Zealand (NZ-102612).

 
 
Week 26
 
// outgoing: 
 
More bad luck in Week 26, with card AU-342311 sent to Russia in Week 18 having expired.
 
I sent TWO more cards: A carnivorous plant to the Ukraine (AU-352840), and a view of the Flinders Ranges (Arkaroola) to the Netherlands (AU-352842).
 
 
 
// incoming:
 
Just the one card this week, from Portugal (PT-357338).

 
 
Week 27
 
A busy week this week, so I did not have the opportunity to send any cards, nor did I receive any.
 
 
Postcrossing postcards sent to date: 55
All time: 112
 
 
Postcrossing postcards received to date: 50
All time: 112
 
 
 
Expired postcards to date: 2