Finland - Cat's-Foot (Antennaria Dioica, Gaertn.) 25.1.2010

The Cat's Foot is found at the present day in the North Temperate and Arctic Zones in Arctic Europe, N. and W. Asia, East and West North America, and so far this is all our knowledge of its age and dispersal. With it one may find Furze, Ling, Penny Royal, Creeping Willow, Small Bent Grass, etc. The aerial stems are flowering stems, and erect and simple, the shoots are prostrate or procumbent, with inversely egg-shaped, spoon shaped, radical leaves which are dark-green, and smooth above, cottony below. The stem is woody, and the leaves are in dense tufts.

Finland Decided to commemorate this sturdy plant by issuing this beautiful First Day Cover and the striking stamp. The stamp is particularly interesting as it is broader at the base than at the top. Ella very kindly sent this FDC to me.

Åland Islands - SS Viking 1.6.2009

Viking Line is a Finnish shipping company that operates a fleet of ferries and cruiseferries between Finland, the Åland Islands, Sweden and Estonia. Viking Line shares are quoted on the Helsinki Stock Exchange. Viking Line is operated from the Åland Islands.
Viking Line's history can be traced back to 1959, when a group of sea- and businessmen from the Åland Islands province in Finland formed Rederi Ab Vikinglinjen, purchased a steam-powered car-ferry SS Dinard from the UK, renamed her SS Viking and began service on the route Korpo (Finland) — Mariehamn (Åland) — Gräddö (Sweden). In the same year the Gotland-based Rederi AB Slite began a service between Simpnäs (Sweden) and Mariehamn.

Happy Valentine's Day 9.2.2010

Finland is celebrating this year's Valentine's Day or "Ystävänpäivä" or Friendship Day as they like to call it by issueing these delightfully beautiful maxim cards, miniature sheet of five stamps and a First Day Cover. The postmarks are equally stunning. You just can't help but, have a wonderful day after be-holding these beauties. 

These lovely gems were sent to me by My Dear Friend Ella.

Finland - Music

These are a thematic collection of Finnish stamps on Music. Ella sent these to me from Helsinki

North East Passage - Baron Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld 20.10.2008

Further to my post on 30 January 2010, I present here a First Day Cover with a minisheet of the stamps commemorating Baron Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld and his famous ship the barque Vela during the epic discovery of the Northern Sea Route.

Pawla Jasienicy

Paweł Jasienica was the pen-name of Leon Lech Beynar (November 10, 1909 - August 19, 1970), a Polish amateur historian. He was born in the same place as Lenin, in Simbirsk to Russian Poles Mikołaj and Helena Maliszewski. His father was a Russian official and he and his family lived in Russia and the Ukraine until the Russian Revolution of 1917, after which the family returned to Poland (1920). He a was soldier in the Polish army during World War II. After the fall of Poland, he was a soldier of the Polish underground Armia Krajowa (AK) and fought against the Germans. Following the war he was a member of Wolnosc i Niepodleglosc (WiN, Freedom and Independence) and fought against the Soviets and Polish communists in the unit of Maj. Zygmunt Szendzielarz ("Łupaszka"), where he suffered injuries. He took his pseudonym from the name of the place where he had received treatment. As a civilian, he worked as a journalist and writer. He was famous for condemning nationalism and for his courage. There are numerous anecdotes about how he was congratulated for his courage by even the censors. These acts led to his being labelled a political dissident, for which he suffered government persecution, and eventually death.

He is famous for his popular historical books. Among them are :-

Piast Poland
Jagiellonian Poland
The Commonwealth of Both Nations : The Silver Age translated by Alexander Jordan
A Tale of Agony : The Commonwealth of Both Nations III translated by Alexander Jordan (May 1992)
Calamity of the Realm : The Commonwealth of Both Nations II translated by Alexander Jordan (May 1992)
Thought on Civil War - theoretically about Civil War in France, Bretony
Diary - started soon before his death, not finished.
My home is not my castle. I am not master of my own drawer

Year of the Tiger 2010

The Year of the Tiger was commemorated by Australia with the issue of these two pretty stamps. Shown, is the Miniature sheet of these stamps with the information card. This minisheet was, thanks to Shivangi. But, I musn't forget Bapu and Kamalini Sathe for actually bringing these Australian and New Zealand gems to me. Thank you.

Year of the Tiger 6.1.2010

The Year of the Tiger was commemorated by New Zealand with these superb items. On the left is a First Day Cover with the Miniature Sheet of the 4 commemorative stamps. On the right is pictured the First Day Cover with the stamps only. Madhavi has sent these to me from Auckland.

Malaysian Araknid

For more details click on either the First Day Cover or the info sheet. Or, else, revert to me by e-mail. Thank you.

Malaysia - Currency

For more details click on either the First Day Cover or the info sheet. Or, else, revert to me by e-mail. Thank you.