It was probably predictable that the washing machine "engineer" wouldn't show up yesterday, and indeed he did not. I spent the whole morning sitting around the house, not even walking the dog or going to the cleaners, only to have him call me at 2 p.m. and tell me that British Gas booked the wrong sort of plumber for the job -- I needed Dyno Rod, not Dyno Plumbing. (My landlords have a home care policy with British Gas that includes drain service, and apparently Dyno Rod specializes in blockages.) He insisted I would have to ask British Gas to re-book with the correct service. So I did -- fuming -- and although the British Gas guy promised someone would still arrive yesterday, I got a call about 4 p.m. from Dyno Rod saying they didn't have an engineer available and I would have to wait until today.
Of course this is nothing but a minor annoyance in the grand scheme of things, as I was reminded when I finally caught up on reading blogs and saw that many of my fellow bloggers are dealing with major renovations, or have renovated multiple houses, or have sick pets or emotionally demanding jobs or family addiction and dysfunction. My blocked washing machine drain is really not worth two paragraphs.
The good thing is, I finally got to work on sorting a bag of stamps I bought when I visited Stanley Gibbons a few months ago. I don't do much with my stamp collection these days, but I thought it might be fun to dabble in it again, so I picked up this mixed assortment. The stamp shown above depicts the Russian icebreaker "Krasin."
Some of the stamps are pretty cool -- the ones I've used to illustrate this post are some of my favorites. But I'm not thrilled with the mix overall. There seems to be a lot of duplication. I think someone just grabbed clumps of stamps from a stock book and threw them in the bag, because I got lots of copies of some fairly obscure stamps. I also got some that are damaged, with tears or thin spots.
Again, this is not really a problem in the grand scheme of things.
On the plus side, some of the stamps seem fairly old -- and some very old -- and there are plenty that I don't have. So that's good.
These fish are commonly known as neon tetras. I know that only because we used to have them in our aquarium when I was a kid -- until they died in short order, as they invariably did. Although the stamp is from Cambodia, the fish is native to South America. Go figure!
I remember studying Le Corbusier's Chapelle de Notre-Dame du Haut in my college humanities class.
Is this woman drying tobacco? Is tobacco growing a thing in Greece?
Anyway, this kept me busy for a couple of hours. I forgot how relaxing and absorbing it can be to organize stamps. (Or organize anything, I suppose.)
Great art. And, yes, tobacco has been a big industry in Greece. I, too, had neon tetras. They even laid eggs that produced more neon tetras. They were the only color in my black & white tank (with Zebra and Angel fish).
ReplyDeleteApparently others have had success with neon tetras where we did not. Maybe it was something to do with our water? (Yeah, let's blame the water!)
DeleteI had quite a Stamp Collection growing up and had Family and Friends in several Countries who looked for different Stamps to send to me, both on their Mail and in the Mail. I still have a bunch of Stamps in a large container, but I don't know what ever happened to the Old Stamp Albums, probably lost in transit during my Nomad Days? Some are so Beautiful, aren't they? I do have some Modern American Stamps, mostly of Celebrities they profiled on them like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Elvis and such. My Uncle in Wales used to say that any Popular American Stamps would always be Stolen off his Envelopes on my Mail to him... so, he had to get most of his Stamps from me inside the Mail in order to assure he actually received it!
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to imagine someone stealing stamps off an envelope that's still en route! Were they ever in that much demand?!
DeleteNeon tetras! We had some in our tropical tank years ago when we lived in Sydney, they not only lived well, but had babies too.
ReplyDeleteI like the icebreaker ship stamp the best. My brother and I had stamp albums when we were young, we loved getting little packets of brightly coloured stamps from places like Hungary. We lost interest after a couple of years.
Mitchell said the same thing (above)! Why did we have such lousy luck with tetras? All our other fish prospered. I think it's pretty common for kids who collect stamps to lose interest when they get older.
DeleteI remember neon tetras from years ago. As a kid I collected stamps and foreign stamps fascinated me but in my memory they don't seem as interesting as what you have displayed today.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a paper on that chapel by Le Corbusier for an architecture class when I was in college!
ReplyDeleteInteresting! Have you ever seen it? I'd love to visit someday, though I'm not sure I LIKE it.
DeleteI thought they might be wild caper leaves - used in Greek cooking - but I think they are probably too big for that.
ReplyDeleteThose leaves are bugging me now. The fact that the woman is patiently sliding them onto a stick suggests that she is preparing them for drying and so I am voting for tobacco leaves too. I recall a fellow in my home village growing tobacco in his garden and then drying the leaves in an airy outhouse on racks.
DeleteThey are indeed tobacco leaves. I looked up the Greek word for tobacco on Google translate and that's it there, on the stamp. Mystery solved!
DeleteI am still amazed at the amount of artwork that goes into, or perhaps USED to go into, things we take for granted, like stamps,
ReplyDeleteThey are little pieces of art, it's true. I think my childhood enthusiasm for stamps helped me appreciate graphic design -- or maybe vice versa?
DeleteMy late husband had a stamp collection, some organized, mostly bags of miscellany, and first day covers galore. I had to deal with them after his death, so a number of collectors became very happy, including one who had been a refugee, had lost his entire collection, and was given a whole new supply to enjoy. I noticed it was all men who were interested, doesn't seem to be a women's thing, maybe. I hadn't thought about that before.
ReplyDeleteHow great that you were able to give a boost to a refugee philatelist! I am not a fan of first-day covers or plate blocks or any stamps that don't fit easily into an album.
DeleteWonderful stamps! I wish people would still write letters and stick stamps on the envelopes.
ReplyDeleteI do feel like we've lost something, not sending letters anymore. I still have letters from my parents and friends sent to me decades ago.
DeleteI can see how stamp collecting would be a very soothing hobby. And it sure takes up a lot less space than restoring old cars!
ReplyDeleteI have a large box full of stamps, wish you could come and get them. Some are quite valuable I suppose. Collected from 1900's , some earlier. I saved the box from a dead person's house. So, when you are ready, come over and collect the box. It is in the back closet.
ReplyDeleteI will gladly collect your box of stamps when I next come to the PNW! Seriously, don't throw them out. Maybe you could sell them to a stamp shop, if such a thing still exists in your corner of the world.
DeleteWaiting Around Is Beyond Frustrating And Then A Horse Sh*T Excuse Fires Me Up - Plus, It Is Just Amazing When "They" Went Around That It Might Have Even Been My Fault - I Would Love A Free Day Of Hanging Out With Sleepy Girl Olga And Catching Up On Other Hobbies - Hang In There And Enjoy The Week - As For Stamp Collecting - One That Left An Impression - During The Winter Games Of 2002 In Salt Lake City - One Of The Many Government Buildings - Hosted One Medal From Every Past Olympic And Across From That Area Was The Stamp Display - The Colors, The Age, All Of It Was Mesmerizing To Say The Least
ReplyDeleteCheers
At least I was able to put the time to good use. The Olympics is always a popular subject for stamps!
DeleteThat is quite a collection of stamps. Reminds me that one of my brothers when I was young was collecting stamps. An interesting hobby with a nice long history.
ReplyDeleteIt was a very mid-century thing for kids to do. I'm sure kids today don't bother with stamps at all.
DeleteI am thinking that my Dad used to collect stamps when he was young and we used to look at those stamp albums that he put together when we were little. I think my sister must have them maybe. I will have to check with her.
ReplyDeleteI used to love looking at the beautiful colors - like a miniature art gallery!
They ARE like an art gallery, I agree. I learned so much about geography and culture from stamps.
DeleteWhat an interesting and very pretty group of stamps. My grandfather got me interested in stamp collecting when I was very young but after he was gone, I lost interest. I wonder where that old book of stamps is today?
ReplyDeleteIt almost seems totally predictable that you would be having all this trouble with the repairs. It seems getting things fixed gets more complicated every year. Which actually makes no sense. Shouldn't we be making things easier as the years progress?
You'd think so, wouldn't you?! I wonder if the labor shortage is helping make it more difficult.
DeletePretty stamps - almost as good as sparklies! Good luck with the drain!
ReplyDeleteSparklies of their own kind, I suppose!
DeleteEllenika Kapka (text immediately under the picture) means Greek (Hellenic) Tobacco.
ReplyDeleteAha! Thanks for the translation! I actually looked up tobacco in Greek on Google translate so I knew I was on the right track.
DeleteI've never had an interest in stamps but I sure like buttons and have a collection that would probably bore 99% of people to tears :D To each his/her own, eh? You did the wise thing with your day - got immersed in something time-consuming and interesting to pass the time while you waited. It IS aggravating to be promised a repair visit only to have it not happen and then have the responsibility shifted back to you. Aargh.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely -- to each his (or her!) own. It's amazing what people find interesting.
DeleteI've had several of those major stresses in the past 6 months or so, but would still be terribly frustrated by waiting around for someone who didn't come, then having to deal with new people, more rescheduling, more waiting, calling, etc. I would definitely be ranting!
ReplyDeleteIt's all much harder than it should be.
DeleteI collected coins as a kid and I had a great time. My uncle bought me a penny book. I started with pennies and worked my way up to nickels and dimes and finally quarters. I know who stole my collection. It is a family member and it broke my heart that she stole them and lied to my face about it.
ReplyDeleteI came across the books and she tried to tell me that they were hers and I reached for one of the books and pulled out a piece of paper that was a small note from my uncle that I had stuck between the penny pages. I had one for every book and I shoved it in her face and said... "If you had to steal these from me then you must need them more than I do." I had my reward doing this with Uncle Tee. It has been years since I have spoken to my sister. I don't take kindly to thief's.
Some of my coins were worth a bit of money. Not enough to make me rich, but it was the joy I had with doing something just with my Uncle and I.
The first spell I ever cast was that those coins would never amount to more than face value as long as she has them.
So I understand the organizing and relaxing that your stamp collection brings to you.
So sorry to hear of the plumbing (Engineer) issues. I would not have been happy either. I detest having to deal with any kind of repair men. Especially ones that do not show up to fix the issues.
Have a great day. xx
What a shame about your coins! It must be hard to have someone close to you betray you like that.
DeleteGotta tell you, I'd be more than a little impatient to take time of work for an appointment that does not happen.
ReplyDeleteWell, fortunately it was a Saturday so I was home anyway, but yeah -- frustrating!
DeleteThese are so beautiful! I love organizing and piddling around --
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to focus the mind on a simple task.
DeleteMy mother was a great stamp collector and would have loved these. She had many duplicates in her collection, and entered them faithfully side by side in her albums. Toward the end of her life, she merely collected the stamps in envelopes, hundreds of them, and my husband put them in albums for her when we found them in a drawer while clearing out her house of some decades. Stamps a pieces of art, and a portal to other places, too. You've brought back memories.
ReplyDeleteSeeing this is fascinating and a reminder that I have my dad's stamp collection that I have barely opened since he died in 1993. I should sell it -- I always hate parting with those collections and don't have the first notion of its value or how to find a reputable person to value it, and yet it makes a good deal of sense. I doubt it would fund my trip to England but you never know!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was working I hated being home for people who didn't come -- and then having to take yet another day for the reschedule. I hope next time is the charm!