125 Jahre Schmalspurbahnen im Harz

Because today Viridian´s theme is means of transportation, I couldn ´t stop myself of presenting a railway stamp. This time from Germany.

The Harz Narrow Gauge Railways (German: Harzer Schmalspurbahnen) or HSB is a network of 1,000 mm gauge railways in the Harz mountains, in central Germany. It connects the principal towns of Wernigerode, Nordhausen and Quedlinburg and several smaller towns in the area with about 140 kilometres of track, much of which is steeply graded and picturesque. The most popular destination on the network is the Brocken, an old Soviet listening post on top of the tallest peak in the Harz mountains, accessed by a spiral railway line, the Brocken Railway. The railway is notable for running a significant number of its trains with steam haulage, mostly employing 1950s vintage 2-10-2 tank locomotives, hauling traditional open-platform bogie carriages. The network is currently operated by the Harzer Schmalspurbahnen GmbH, whose members are chiefly the various local authorities whose territories it serves.
Particularly precious are the historic steam locomotives. So today two Mallets made ​​before 1897 are in use. During the course they pass over almost 400 bridges, water culverts and a tunnel.
Find out more about this anniversary here: 
http://www.hsb-wr.de/hsb_barrierefrei/hsb/hsb_e.htm 

Title: 125 Jahre Schmalspurbahnen im Harz
Date of Issue: 9 Februar 2012
Country: Germany
Denominations: 0,45 euro
Source: https://philatelie.deutschepost.de

My most unusual stamp

Lunar New Year - embroidered Year of the Dragon stamp issued by Micronesia.



I never knew a stamp can look like this too. It´s more a self adhesive piece of cloth. Quite weird. What do you think, is this really a stamp?

I have won it by joining the Facebook page of Cyberstamps.

Please visit Viridian´s Suday Stamps for more interesting stories on stamps.

Dog stamps from Germany

Good morning to you all stamp collectors. Today at Viridian´s Sunday Stamps I have chosen to display my dogs. I don´t really have much on this theme. So here it is:



This fine set of five welfare stamps was issued on 8th February 1996, and is devoted to pedigree dogs. A pedigree is a dog's family tree. It lists the registered names of the dog's parents, grandparents, great-grandparents (etc.) of the dog - most printed pedigrees go to 4 or 5 generations. Other information may or may not be included, such as date of birth, color, registration number, call name, or titles earned. Titles earned are almost always included - Championship, Sire or Dam of Merit, Obedience or Agility titles.

Represented here are 

- the Collie (http://www.canismajor.com/dog/collie.html), 

- Great St Bernard (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Bernard_(dog)), 

- Chow-Chow (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chow_Chow), 

- Borzoi (http://www.borzoi.org/about.php),

- and Briard (http://www.briardworldnet.info/)

Love stamps for Valentine´s day

Today´s theme proposed by Viridian is LOVE stamps. I had to search a little bit, but I found these ones:

Slovenia (28.01.2011) - Love entry in a Journal

Slovenia (30.01.2009) - Kiss

Finland (1999) - Valentine (it´s a set of 2 values, I only have one of them)

Romania (2002) - Valentine´s day (2 stamps, only one I have)

 I think the Finland stamps are the most unusual illustration for Love. What do you think?

Flora of Romania (II)

The postage stamps issue “Flora of Romania II” completes the project achieved by Romfilatelia on an innovative illustrative thematic. The originality of this project consists in joining the image of the flower with the one of the being, from whose appearance the plant receives its popular name.

The eye of a snake

The Alpine Forget-me-not (Eritrichium nanum (L.) Schrad. ex Gaudin Boraginaceae family) is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of 0.50 lei. It is a herbaceous plant with small leaves up to 4.5 mm wide, covered with silky white hairs. Its flowers are blue, rarely white, and have a pleasant smell.

Turkey´s bow

The Love-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus L. – Amaranthaceae family), an annual plant that can reach a height of 2 m is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of 0.60 lei. The plant blossoms from July to October. At the beginning, its inflorescences are long and thin and, as the summer passes, they become thick and red. The species originates in South America and, inRomania it is cultivated for ornamental purposes.

the lamb´s tongue

The Starflower (Borago officinalis L. – Boraginaceae family), an annual plant having a high, thick, arborescent stalk, covered by hairs, is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of 1.60 lei. It can reach heights of 30-60 cm. Its leaves have round or little denticulate edges. First, the corolla is star-shaped red, then turning blue. The starflower is a melliferous plant, originating from the Mediterranean area, cultivated and turned wild inRomania. The plant is used in human and veterinary medicine.

Crab´s tail

The Silverweed (Potentilla anserina L. – Rosaceae family), a herbaceous plant, 15-50 cm high, is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of 2.00 lei. Its flowers are yellow. It can be found in plain areas and at altitudes up to 1,300-1,500 m, in moist, often ruderalised meadows, but also on the banks of lakes and rivers. It blossoms from May through August. The plant is used in human and veterinary medicine.

Title: Flora of Romania (II)
Date of Issue: 19 January 2012
Country: Romania
Denominations: 50B, 60B, 1L60, 2L
Source: http://www.romfilatelia.ro

FOR TRADE

Here are some stamps for trade:

Flora of Romania (I)

Flora, a subject highly appreciated by the philately lovers, is approached by Romfilatelia in the postage stamps issue Flora of Romania (I), released in a new illustrative manner, joining the image of the flower and the name of the beings from which their popular name derives.

"the bear´s honey"

The Common Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis L. – Boraginaceae family) is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of 1.00 lei. It is a perennial plant, spread in our country in deciduous forests, in grasslands and at the border sides of the forests. The strain is 10-30 cm high and the middle stalk leaves are oval-elongated through elliptical. First, the flowers are red and then turn into purple-bluish. The plant blossoms in March through May.

"the rooster´s foot"

The Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens L. – Ranunculaceae family), a perennial plant, very common in the moist areas of mountain meadows and in the marshy areas or on the river banks, is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of 1.20 lei. Its root is ramified and thick and it looks like a cock spur. The plant is 30-60 cm high and blossoms in May through August and its flowers are yellow. It is also known as a“curing flower”, being used in human and veterinary medicine.

"Lion´s mouth"

The Common Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus L. – Scrophulariaceae family), a plant with flowers in different colours (white, pink, yellow, orange, red or purple), is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of 3.30 lei. The name of this perennial plant derives from the resemblance of the flower with a dragon muzzle, which snaps open when pressing on its sides. It originates from the Mediterranean area and blossoms in June through August. The species is cultivated in Romania.

"rabbit´s watercress"

The Common Wood-Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella L. – Oxalidaceae family) is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of 3.60 lei. The plant covers the ground in deciduous and coniferous forests, as a light green carpet islanded with white flowers. This plant has curative capacities and is used in the pharmaceutical field (to stimulate digestion and to refortify the body).

"ox-eye"

The China Aster (Callistephus chinensis (L.) Nees – Asteraceae family) is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of 4.70 lei. The name of the plant derives from the Greek words “kalós” (beautiful) and “stéphos” (crown). It originates from Eastern India,China and Japan and is very popular inRomania, being cultivated for ornamental purposes.

"swallow´s dress"

The Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis L. – Convolvulaceae family), a cosmopolite plant, is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of 7.60 lei. Whether climbing or creeping, its length can reach up to two meters. The leaves have a petiole and the lamina is cordate or hastate. The trumpet-shaped flowers have a 1-2.5 cm diameter and are white or light pink.

Since there is no possibility of ordering stamps directly from Romfilatelia, for those who are living outside Romania, if there is anybody interested in these stamps please let me know. I can help you in getting them at face value + postal charges.

Title: Flora of Romania (I)
Date of Issue: 17 January 2012
Country: Romania
Denominations: 1L, 1,20L, 3,30L, 3,60L, 4,70L , 7,60L
Source: http://www.romfilatelia.ro

Korean Food Series

I am back today with a post for Viridian´s Blog (to see other posts plaese click on the link you find left Sunday Stamps), with food on stamps. I kind of love this theme, it has became one of my favorites. It´s a different way of learning about a country´s culture. As they say: you are what you eat, isn´t it?

So we have in our menu for today Korean food, as follows: neobiani (broiled beef), bindaetteok (pan-fried ground mung bean), jeongol (casserole), and hwajeon (pan-fried rice cake with flower petals). These traditional food plates demonstrate the cooking skills and unique flavors of Korean ancestors.

Neobiani a favorite dish of royal families in Korea, is the boiled lean meat of short ribs or sirloin, which is considered one of the most delicious and tender cuts of beef. The thinly sliced meat is marinated in a mixture of soybean sauce, powdered sesame, salt, sesame oil, Welsh onion, garlic and other seasonings. The name neobiani is derived from the word neobut, which describes how the beef is sliced into large, thin pieces. Maejeok is a similar food that records reveal existed in ancient times.

Bindaetteok first appeared as bin jatteok in Eumsikdimibang (a cooking encyclopedia) written in the 1670s by Mrs.Jang, the wife of a public officer. The dish was originally prepared by frying a mixture of water-soaked and ground mung bean, pork, bracken, mung bean sprouts, and cabbage kimchi on a cauldron lid. Bindaetteok is among the foods usually served during traditional holidays and on other special occasions.

Jeongol is prepared by pouring beef stock into a casserole pan and arranging vegetables and meat in it. It is boiled in a casserole on top of a burner in the middle of the table, and eaten by those sitting around it. Similar to sinseollo, jeongol is easy to cook and is favored by common people. Jeongol is made in a pot resembling a helmet because the dish dates back to ancient times when soldiers supposedly boiled fish or meat in their own helms during combat because they didn`t have any cookware.

Hwajeon is prepared by kneading glutinous rice flour with hot water, then mixing in flowers or arranging them on top before they are pan-fried. Azaleas are used in spring, on the third day of the third lunar month, yellow roses in summer, and chrysanthemums in autumn, on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. Since flowers are rare during the winter, other ingredients such as jujube are used instead, incorporating different flavors for the different seasonings.

Title: Korean Food Series (5th)
Date of Issue: 15 June 2005
Country: Korea
Denominations: 4 x 220 won
Source: http://www.koreastamp.go.kr/

Germany 2012 New Issues

Happy New year to everyone!

In this post I will insert images of recent stamp issues from Germany. By clicking on the link below the picture you will be redirected to a short description of the items, similar to what I have done before on this blog. Enjoy!

January 2, 2012 Nationalpark Jasmund

http://douspeakgerman.blogspot.com/2012/01/serie-post-winterferien-in-deutschland.html

http://douspeakgerman.blogspot.com/2012/01/350-geburtstag-matthaus-poppelmann.html

Happy New Year

I wish all my stamp collecting friends a Happy New Year. 

May all your wishes come true and your collections become great!