Wild Postcards

I had read about the Bendy Friends products out of Australia (“more than just a card, more than just a letter”) and was thrilled when Thea sent one from Queensland.  Unfortunately, some of the “postcard” didn’t make it all the way; compare my card to the silhouette on the right.  My culprit is the United States Postal Service; while the card was canceled by hand in Australia, the back of the card appears to have been mangled somewhat by a sorting machine.

Also in yesterday’s mail, another victim of the Postal Service:

The letter at the top arrived inside the envelope at the bottom, apologizing for the mishap in the handling of this piece of mail.  If, by “mishap”, you mean someone spilling their beverage on this piece of mail while it’s in the mail stream, then I guess it’s an accurate portrayal of what happened.  Fail x 2.

I had read about the Bendy Friends products out of Australia (“more than just a card, more than just a letter”) and was thrilled when Thea sent one from Queensland.  Unfortunately, some of the “postcard” didn’t make it all the way; compare my card to the silhouette on the right.  My culprit is the United [...]

“Elaine Russell / Born Australia 1941, Kamilaroi people, Untitled (from the Mission series) 2006 (detail), synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 80 x 100 x 8 cm, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, purchased 2006.”  This is probably the first example of Australian Aboriginal art I’ve examined up close, with the exception of a very decorative didgeridoo in my living room.

It comes to me from Thea in Queensland, who writes: “We have just had a new series of stamps showcasing Aboriginal art…. The colours are amazing, and many paintings are done on a huge scale with very intricate dots and stripes. This one is more unusual, being figurative, but shows her life, I think.”  If nothing else, the artist’s perspective on her surroundings is absolutely fascinating.

“Elaine Russell / Born Australia 1941, Kamilaroi people, Untitled (from the Mission series) 2006 (detail), synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 80 x 100 x 8 cm, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, purchased 2006.”  This is probably the first example of Australian Aboriginal art I’ve examined up close, with the exception of a very decorative didgeridoo [...]

This card is a gift from Thea in Australia, who visited this website and noted my fondness for history.  I have never seen a contemporary First Day of Issue postcard, nor have I seen a modern card that is stamped on the “wrong” side.  It is not only fascinating, but fitting, given the subject matter.

Pictured is the Nimrod, a then-40-year-old Norwegian sealer which Ernest Shackleton bought in 1907 as part of an expedition to Antarctica, in search of the South Pole.  Shackleton had previously been Third Officer on board the Discovery as part of Robert Scott’s 1901-1904 expedition, but was sent home in 1903 after contracting scurvy.  Shackleton thought of nothing else but returning to Antartica, however, and of driving even farther south than Scott — after promising Scott that he would use a different base and route to the Pole. He successfully reached the magnetic pole, but the expedition had to turn around just 97 miles short of the geographic pole.

(more…)

This card is a gift from Thea in Australia, who visited this website and noted my fondness for history.  I have never seen a contemporary First Day of Issue postcard, nor have I seen a modern card that is stamped on the “wrong” side.  It is not only fascinating, but fitting, given the subject matter. [...]

Although this is an apt description of Johnny Depp, it specifically refers to the Hughes Brothers film From Hell. Published by AvantCard Australia for foxmovies.com.au.

Although this is an apt description of Johnny Depp, it specifically refers to the Hughes Brothers film From Hell. Published by AvantCard Australia for foxmovies.com.au.