Needed round of Postcrossing cheer and optimism

When Everything Is Awful, it's a good time, perhaps, to try to look to some things that will bring us some moments of good cheer. Like what Samwise said in The Lord of the Rings. So here, as the tiniest respite, is a roundup of some Postcrossing comings and goings here at Essex Manor.

First up is this unique postcard, shown at right, from a young man in embattled Hong Kong. He writes: "I bought this postcard from Taiwan. This is the postcard issued by Taiwan Post and I suppose it's cute. And the stamp is one of the famous place for tourist to take photo with, it's the platform surrounded by the buildings. Have a nice day!"

The stamp he's referring to shows a view labeled "Hong Kong By Night II" and was taken at the Yik Cheong Building, also known as the Monster Building. According to Asia Trend, it is "a housing complex in Quarry Bay comprised of five conjoined old buildings. These composite buildings, commonly found in the olden days, house both shops and residential flats. After nightfall, household lights dot the buildings to paint a deeply nostalgic picture of old Hong Kong."

Next up is this gorgeous postcard from Anastasia in Russia, who writes: "You said you love autumn. So I decided to send you a postcard with a picture of late autumn in a Russian village. It was painted by contemporary artist Andrei Alyokhin [Алехин Андрей]. I hope you'll like it. Have a nice day!"

Another recent postcard came from the schoolchildren in Novocherkassk, Russia, I've been corresponding with for the past year. (We were originally connected by Postcrossing.) Their message, on a postcard featuring the Novocherkassk Museum of Don Cossacks History, was written by one of the students and states: "Hello Chris, We are 5 years students. We like your postcards. We send to you a photo of our city. Please, write about school life in the USA. Hope to hear from you soon."

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Thanks from abroad

And here's another batch of emailed thank-you messages from fellow Postcrossing enthusiasts across the globe. Pictured alongside them is some artwork I received from Arkadii, a 13-year-old Postcrosser from Russia who likes reading, drawing, video games and sweets, and is very proud of the Muscle-Flexing Demon Guy that he drew for me.

张明娜 from China wrote: "Hi. Thank you for the Halloween illustration card and nice stamps. Although Chinese people know about Halloween, we hardly celebrate it. But the mall will be decorated as if we were celebrating Halloween. There are jack-o'-lanterns and black capes verywhere. Best wishes for you."

Li Ming from China wrote: "Hi Chris, nice to receive your card, I have the same feeling as you to bring happiness to people I do not know, also to get happiness from my own mailbox. Last Halloween there were kids come to my apartment to ask for candy, so we stocked some candy for the day, wish kids like them."

Kathinka from Belgium wrote: "Thank you for the beautiful postcard!! I bookmarked your blog, that's fun reading! What a story, the old half house! Must be fun digging in to it to find out more about it!"

Paresh from India wrote: "Hello! The postcard that left your country arrived in my mailbox today. I owe you a big thank you for your lovely postcard and beautiful stamps. Wishing you the best of luck in life."

Meg from the United Kingdom wrote: "I agree with all you said about the politics of our two countries. Here’s to working together for better future for our kids and their kids."

Prema from Czechia wrote: "Hi Chris, thank you for your card and nice stamps. I like also autumn and spring. I have St. Bernard dog, 8 years old, his name is Bobes. I wish all the best for you and your Mr. Bill."