My 1500th postcard sent - A Doll's House to America

On World Postcard Day, which takes place on 1 October annually, I dropped on to Postcrossing.com to get a random address to send a postcard to mark this special day. 

I got an address for a lady in Dallas, Texas in the United States of America. The profile of the recipient had an interesting hobby, miniature doll houses and other models. So I was able to send them a most appropriate postcard featuring a wooden model Georgian House. 

The postcard features a 1:20 wooden model made from scratch by Lionel Currie, 1992. It was generously donated to the Building of Bath Museum in Bath by Flower and Hayes Joinery. 

At the time of writing this post (2 November 2022), the Building of Bath Museum is temporarily closed for critical repairs and maintenance. You can find out more about the Building of Bath Museum at https://museumofbatharchitecture.org.uk 

This postcard was sent on 1 October 2022 and travelled 4,628 miles, arriving in Dallas on 20 October 2022. This postcard was the 1500th one that I sent officially via Postcrossing.com

Butterflies of Belarus!

I enjoy many things in life...fine wine, watching American Football, eating good Italian food, travelling to wonderful places around the UK with my partner Mark in our VW Campervan, exchanging postcards via Postcrossing.com. I also enjoy watching butterflies flap around in a meadow on a sunny day. So, getting this card from palinakr in Belarus was awesome! I received it on 7 August 2017, after it had spent 9 days travelling 1144 kms.

BY-2157315

The six butterflies and moths on this postcard are:

• Scarce Fritillary
• Small Emperor Moth
• Southern Festoon
• Willowherb Hawkmoth
• Hebe Tiger Moth
• Green-Underside Blue

Arizona State Map Card!

I love collecting map postcards and I particularly enjoy getting maps of American states in the mail! Today I got this one, US-4773950, from tilly30318, in the United States of America of her home state of Arizona.

US-4773950

So, three facts about Arizona:

• Their symbols of the state are Cactus Wren (bird), Palo Verde (tree) and Saguaro Cactus Blossom (flower).
• The capital is Phoenix, home to near 1.5 million people. 
• Their American Football team are the Arizona Cardinals and are the oldest continuously run professional football team in the United States of America. 

View of Road Harbour, British Virgin Islands!

It is not often now that you are surprised by getting an official Postcrossing postcard whose registration number is in the hundreds. However, today, I was the one who was surprised by receiving one such postcard in the mail! VG-228 was sent by Sharsharo on 31 December 2015 from Tortola in the British Virgin Islands and travelled for 11 days, reaching the United Kingdom on 11 January 2016.

VG-228 - a view of Road Harbour, Road Town in the British Virgin Islands.

3 facts about the British Virgin Islands:

• The capital is Road Town and home to about 10,000 of the total population of the Islands of 30,000. 
• The official currency in the US dollar.
• Their national symbols include the White Cedar tree and flower, the Turtle Dove bird and Fungi music.     

'Farbtafel' by Paul Klee!

I adore getting art cards in the mail! Today, I received DE-4612706 from melon_tropic in Germany, following 22 days of travel. It is 'Farbtafel' by Paul Klee. I had seen the pattern and colours before but knew nothing of the artist...now I do! 

DE-4612706 - 'Farbtafel' by Paul Klee

Paul Klee (18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was born in Munchenbuchsee, Switzerland and is considered both a German and a Swiss painter. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. He was also a student of orientalism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented with and eventually mastered colour theory and wrote extensively about it. 10,000 paintings are attributed to him.

Sydney Harbour Bridge!

Today, I received a wonderful official Postcrossing postcard, AU-453336. It is an amazing view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge! Sent by Tigerblues in Australia on 12 October 2015, it took 7 days to get to me in the United Kingdom.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries trains, vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians between the Sydney Central Business District (CBD) and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic image of Sydney. The bridge is nicknamed "The Coathanger" because of its arch-based design or is simply called "the Bridge" by Sydney residents.

It is 1149 metres in length (3770 ft) with the summit standing at 134 metres high (440 ft) above mean sea level. The bridge was designed and built by British firm Dorman Long and Co Ltd of Middlesbrough Under the direction of Dr J.J.C. Bradfield of the NSW Department of Public Works,. Taking 9 years to build, it was opened on 19 March 1932 by Jack Lang, the Labor Premier of New South Wales. It was also the world's widest long-span bridge, at 48.8 metres (160 ft) wide, with 8 road lanes, 2 railway tracks along with a people and cycle crossing, until construction of the new Port Mann Bridge in Vancouver was completed in 2012.

Wanggoolba Creek, Fraser Island!

Today I received a postcard from the Official Postcrossing.com site. AU-391005, my 961st official Postcrossing postcard. It was sent by Sharkz on 20 November 2014 and travelled 10867 miles in 6 days. It is a view of Wanggoolba Creek, Fraser Island in Australia, a UNESCO WHS. It was inscribed onto the list in 1992, reference #630.

Wanggoolba Creek, Fraser Island 

Fraser Island lies just off the east coast of Australia. At 122 kilometres long, it is the largest sand island in the world. Majestic remnants of tall rainforest growing on sand and half the world’s perched freshwater dune lakes are found inland from the beach. The combination of shifting sand-dunes, tropical rainforests and lakes makes it an exceptional site.

The flag of Canada!

I love collecting postcards which feature flags of countries, regions, counties, cities and towns. Today I received a flag of Canada card, CA-451304, my 915th official postcrossing postcard. It was sent by mrcanada on 9th July 2014 and travelled 6175 kilometres in 12 days.

CA-451304 - Flag of Canada.

The National Flag of Canada, also known as the Maple Leaf and l'Unifolié (French for "the one-leafed"), is a flag consisting of a red field with a white square at its centre, in the middle of which is featured a stylized, 11-pointed, red maple leaf

Erasmusbrug Panoramic!

Today I received a great panoramic view card of the Erasmusburg in Rotterdam. NL-2585852 was sent by shidan in the Netherlands on 17 July 2014 and took 4 days to travel 534 kilometres to get to me. It is my 914th received cards. It is a great new addition to my bridges collection.

NL-2585852 - Erasmusburg, Rotterdam

Erasmus Bridge (Dutch: Erasmusbrug) is a cable-stayed bridge across the Nieuwe Maas, linking the northern and southern regions of Rotterdam, Netherlands.

The Erasmus Bridge was designed by Ben van Berkel and completed in 1996. The 802-metre-long (2,631 ft) bridge has a 139-metre-high (456 ft) asymmetrical pylon, earning the bridge its nickname of "The Swan".

The southern span of the bridge has an 89-metre-long (292 ft) bascule bridge for ships that cannot pass under the bridge. The bascule bridge is the largest and heaviest in West Europe and has the largest panel of its type in the world.

After costing more than 163 million euros to construct, the bridge was officially opened by Queen Beatrix on September 6, 1996. Shortly after the bridge opened to traffic in October 1996, it was discovered the bridge would swing under particularly strong wind conditions. To reduce the trembling, stronger shock dampers were installed.

The World in Words postcard

Today I got another world in words card...this time from Russia. Jackie_Opps sent this card to me on 5 July 2014 and it has travelled 5852 kilometres in 16 days to reach me. It is my 913th received official Postcrossing postcard.

RU-2840747 - The World In Words

First Day of Issue maxi card from Australia!

This card is from Australia. It is a first day of issue card issued by the Australian Post Office on 23 July 2013 of Headline News featuring the Cyclone Tracy devastation of Darwin in 1974. It was sent to me by DennyP in Australia on 10 July 2014 and has travelled 17199 kilometres in 11 days. It is the 912th official Postcrossing postcard that I have received.

AU-366027 - First Day of Issue by Australia Post Office

Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day, 1974. Tracy killed 71 people, caused A$837 million in damage (1974 dollars), or approximatelyA$4.45 billion (2014 dollars). It destroyed more than 70 percent of Darwin's buildings, including 80 percent of houses. Tracy left more than 41,000 out of the 47,000 inhabitants of the city homeless prior to landfall and required the evacuation of over 30,000 people. Most of Darwin's population was evacuated to Adelaide, Whyalla, Alice Springs and Sydney, and many never returned to the city. After the storm passed, the city was rebuilt using more modern materials and updated building techniques.

1st Official Postcard from Indonesia!

Today I received my first official Postcrossing postcard from Indonesia. ID-70167 was sent by agung on 16 September 2013 and travelled 32 days to reach me. It is my 806th official Postcrossing postcard.

ID-70167 - Prambanan Temple Compounds

Prambanan Temple Compounds is the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia and one of the largest Hindu temples in south-east Asia. It is characterised by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu temple architecture, and by the 47 metres high central building inside a large complex of individual temples. The temple complex dates from the 10th century, and is dedicated to Shiva. It was inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage Site listing, reference 642, in 1991. 

Thank agung for a great postcard to add to my UNESCO collection!