Finland

So I briefly mentioned that I spent this Christmas in Finland. My mum turned 60 on Christmas Day and Matt reckoned we could go over and surprise her. It took a lot of planning, starting from around late August, but was very much worth it as mum was so happy to see us (after the initial shock... :p) and told me us going over was the best present she's ever had. So yes, Christmas 2015 was pretty special, even if not very conventional. It was also a little odd to be in Finland at Christmas and there to be no snow at all in Helsinki or Lappeenranta.

...nothing like this postcard, then! Haha. This is from a swap with Lilla in Finland last year. She was kind enough to send me a postcard with the Year of the Sheep stamp sheet issued in Åland.

I have no idea of the name or location of this lighthouse, all I know is that it's located somewhere in Finland. There isn't even any room for writing on the postcard (apart from address) as the stamp sheets takes up all the space. :D

Penang, Malaysia

I received this postcard from Matthew in Malaysia through the SouthEast Asia RR on the Postcrossing forum. I was honestly quite surprised to receive this - the value of the stamp is way above the rate of sending a postcard in Malaysia. It is lovely, though, thank you a million again, Matthew!

George Town (also less commonly spelt as Georgetown) is the capital and largest city of the state of Penang in Malaysia.

George Town is known as the city of condos and apartments in Malaysia like Singapore and Hong Kong. Trishaws and foreigners are also seen in Penang like in Malacca. The Hip Hop Open Air and Rapid Penang buses are the public transports for Penang. George Town is also the district capital of North East Penang Island.

Named after Britain's King George III, George Town is located on the north-east corner of Penang Island. The inner city has a population of 510,996 and the metropolitan area known as George Town Conurbation which consists of Jelutong, Sungai Pinang, Sungai Nibong, Glugor, Air Itam, Tanjung Bungah and Tanjung Tokong have a combined population of 2,251,792, making it the second largest metropolitan area in Malaysia.

The settlement was declared a city in 1957 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In 2015, Penang island, on which George Town is located, was also awarded city status.

The inner city of George Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  

Khoo Kongsi is a large Chinese clanhouse with elaborate and highly ornamented architecture. It is located in Cannon Square in the heart of the oldest part of the city of George Town, hidden amidst the crowded gridiron of terrace houses and shophouses.

Novo Mesto, Slovenia

This is from a swap from earlier this year. I was so happy when Mateja offered to send me the Slovenian Year of the Sheep/Goat stamp. :) I do still miss quite a few countries in my Year of the Sheep stamp collection, but it's pretty decent anyway.

Novo Mesto is the city on a bend of the Krka River in the City Municipality of Novo Mesto in southeastern Slovenia, close to the border with Croatia. The town is traditionally considered the economic and cultural centre of the historical Lower Carniola region.

Today, tourism is increasing in Slovenia, and Novo Mesto is feeling some of the effects. The Krka Valley is becoming a place for wine enthusiasts who take tours throughout the Lower Carniola region, tasting locally produced Cviček wine, which is produced by blending several different varieties of local wine.

sheep on the road, Tekapo, New Zealand

More Year of the Sheep stamps, this time with a matching postcard. :) New Zealand has such amazing views and this one is no exception. I'd LOVE to visit New Zealand one day. ...and not just because of the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit films... :P

Lake Tekapo is the second-largest of three roughly parallel lakes running north–south along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island of New Zealand (the others are Lake Pukaki and Lake Ohau). It covers an area of 83 square kilometres, and is at an altitude of 700 metres above sea level.

The lake is fed at its northern end by the braided Godley River, which has its source in the Southern Alps to the north. The lake is a popular tourist destination, and several resort hotels are located at the township of Lake Tekapo at the lake's southern end. The Lake Tekapo Regional Park, administered by Environment Canterbury, is located on the southern shore of the lake.

Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama

A lovely Unesco card from Japan. ...and with a Year of the Sheep stamp and a special cancellation! :)

This is Ainokura Village, one of the Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama in Japan. Located in a mountainous region that was cut off from the rest of the world for a long period of time, these villages with their Gassho-style houses subsisted on the cultivation of mulberry trees and the rearing of silkworms. The large houses with their steeply pitched thatched roofs are the only examples of their kind in Japan. Despite economic upheavals, the villages of Ogimachi, Ainokura and Suganuma are outstanding examples of a traditional way of life perfectly adapted to the environment and people's social and economic circumstances.

South Korea

I finally got a postcard from South Korea with a Year of the Sheep stamp! :) This is one of the few Instagram swaps I've done this year.

I have no idea what this place is called or where in South Korea it's located, there's no information at all on the back of the card. I assume it's some sort of temple - is that a Buddhist swastika on it? I wouldn't have thought it would be a place for Nazi supporters anyway :S

Year of the Sheep, Estonia

An unofficial Year of the Sheep maxicard from Estonia :) I wish you could make your own maxicards here in England, too, but I have no idea how you could get the special cancellations.

The cancellation is so cute, and I really like Estonian lunar year stamps. It's a little scary how expensive stamps are over there, though - it's more expensive than in Finland, and I bet wages aren't as high in Estonia. Stamp prices seem to be going up everywhere, though. Over here it now costs £1 to send a postcard, something I'm definitely NOT happy about. I'm pretty sure that when I moved here in 2008, international stamps were just over 50p. It's ridiculous how much the price has increased in seven years!

Year of the Goat, Australia

A lovely Year of the Goat postcard from dear Heather! She was nice enough to use Australian Year of the Goat stamps on this postcard, too, even though it was already pre-paid.

It does still confuse me a bit that this year has a different name in different countries. I'm still not quite sure how I should label it - I've gone with 'sheep' as that's how it seems to be called over here and in Finland as well.

Year of the Sheep, UK

Just a small update for this evening, starting with a couple of sheep postcards from the UK that I sent to myself as I wanted some Year of the Sheep stamps on postcards. Surprisingly both even got cancelled the first time!

This postcard series by Tim Grevatt is absolutely gorgeous. I have no idea where these are sold, though, as I've never seen them sold anywhere. I do have a couple that I've received through Postcrossing.

This one is from Cymric Cards, also a very nice series and stunning photos of Wales and photos and cute animals as well. :)

Chinese New Year, France

A wonderful postcard I received from Veronique in France earlier this year, showing French Lunar Year stamps. Veronique says she couldn't find Chinese New Year/Year of the Sheep/Goat postcards in France so she tried to make on, so I'm not sure if this is her own design. If it is, well done! :)

Not much to say about this one... Except that I really like it - I love stamp collages like this!

Year of the Goat, Indonesia

It's Year of the Sheep/Goat this year. I'm trying to collect these stamps from different countries again and have a pretty reasonable collection already. This one is from dear Shinta in Indonesia.

It seems like this year is the Year of Goat rather than Sheep in a lot of countries. I seem to remember someone saying this is because a goat is a higher status animal...??

I love the special cancellations! I wish you could get them in England, too, when sending regular postcards/letters, but it seems like you have to do some special arrangements to get them..?

Singapore public housing

I received this postcard earlier this year through the South East Asia RR on the Postcrossing. There was a special group open for Year of the Sheep/Goat stamps and I just couldn't resist joining. I know the postcard isn't sheep-related, but that wasn't a requirement and I really don't mind (although I did feel bad when sending out my cards as I only had a few sheep postcards available; I do realise many people prefer the postcard to match). This card had actually been in my favourites for a while, so I was really pleased to receive it.

I wonder if all public housing in Singapore is this colourful...? ...and whether these blocks of flats are a little nicer than some council block of flats over here... :P Having said that, though, I do wish it was easier to get a council flat here - it's pretty much impossible unless you're in a priority group with special needs. :(

Year of the Goat, Vietnam

One more card for today, a gorgeous Lunar New Year postcard from Vietnam. I find it interesting that in some countries Year of the Sheep is called Year of the Goat instead. I wonder why?

I have no idea what the Unesco cancellation is all about but it is very nice indeed!