I am thinking about becoming active in Postcrossing again. My mailbox is lonely and I want to promote my city around the world some more. For it is a beautiful city, even if it is broken.

Of course, I also need to find some more beautiful postcards! My favourite place to buy them - the Visitor's Centre in town, is closed down now :(

Calling it Quits

After several months of fun on Postcrossing, I have decided to call it quits. My postcard box is filled to the brim, and I have received 65 delightful official postcards and a vast number of personal trades. But alas, I have not had a pay rise in two years and it appears I will not receive another this year. The cost of postage has increased, as has the cost of postcards. Postcrossing is no longer a viable hobby for me. In personalised trades, too many of my cards have gone AWOL, or recepients have failed to inform me of their reciept.

I am pleased to retire from Postcrossing with no expired "Officials"

I thank all of you for following my blog, especially those of you that have sent me postcards or been willing and communicative recepients. I have many beautiful postcards from a variety of interesting countries.

I shall bid you "Adieu" now with my last Official, which arrived yesterday, and which I think is a fitting final card:

I will still be organising the occasional personal trade with people from obscure countries, in my "Conquer the World with Art" project. Alas for most of you - Europe is fully conquered (except for Albania, Bosnia and Montenegro and maybe a few of those really tiny countries); South America is mostly conquered (still seeking Peru and Ecuador and a few very small countries); Africa is still mainly unconquered (but only seems to have a 50% arrival rate, so sod it) and there are only a few patches of Asia left. I've a few US and Canadian states unconquered, but I've conquered over 80 countries, I think that is an admirable number to attain. Of course, I'd LIKE to make it to 100... So if you know anyone from the Middle East, any little islands or the aforementioned countries that would appreciate a completely random piece of original art from DownUnder, drop me a line. You can continue to follow my artistic endeavours over on my (almost) Daily Art Blog - http://lemurkat.blogspot.com

Otherwise, this is LemurKat, signing off!

Beautiful Otago

Sisson range postcards ROCK. Pity they're only available from the Visitors Centre in town.

These are both of Otago - which lies further south than my home base of Canterbury. We haven't been here in years, but with any luck we'll head there next year.

Our feathered friends

I seem to have accumulated a vast number of bird postcards recently. Most of these are available for trade. So let me know if you'd like one.

Kereru - - - Kea and chicks

Kakapo (traded) --- Kaka (flown the coop)

Kotuku --- Weka (traded)

Tawaki (traded)

14 Faves within the hour!

This postcard of Lake Pukaki (another of the wonderful Sisson range) arrived in the Netherlands earlier today. Within an hour of it being Registered on Postcrossing, it had 14 faves, making it my 2nd most popular card. I wish my handdrawn cards would do so well but one cannot argue, this is a beautiful view of Mount Cook.

This view is from the eastern side, and makes a nice contrast to all the postcards featuring the mountain from the western side - over Lake Matheson. I visited Lake Matheson last week and it is indeed truly magnificant.

Here's my photo of it, postcard perfect!

I have about a dozen more photos of various lakes around the West Coast reflecting nicely. They're glacial lakes, so calm and still they're like a mirror. Beautiful!

Here's another (postcard that is, I'm not going to bore you with my snapshots):

Something special Made in China

These two pieces come from a Chinese teenager who approached me wanting some stamps. He was a few days late for me to easily acquire them, but I managed to track them down for him. He sent me these in return.

Firstly, he drew me up his own Shanghai Expo postcard. Lovely, isn't it?

And he included this gorgeous silk stamps - they're so soft! And not cheap either - so I am VERY grateful to him indeed.

Thanks Zhan! Hope your postage stamps arrive in China soon ^^

Table of Mail!

Okay, I've been away exploring the West Coast for the last few days and left my husband to mind the fort and the mailbox.

Well, needless to say, I came home to find the table covered in mail!


An Official Art Postcard from the Netherlands

A Willow Tit from Finland (also an official)


A lovely print of a building in Belarus (Official)

A wild landscape from Poland.

Petronas Twin Towers from Malaysia

A historic house from Brasil.


And a postcard from Australia - the city of Brisbane, in fact (Official).