Russia

 16/9/14
Vasilisa sent me this lovely portrait photo of a Borzoi, or a Russian Hunting Hound. In days gone by, every wealthy landowner had a pack of these dogs and they were used for hunting. There are many pieces of art that also show this.

Many thanks for the postcard!

*****

15/9/14
Yulia sent me this postcard from China as part of the Not Your Country tag. I like joining these tags as you have no idea where your next card will come from! This style of art seems to be very popular amongst postcards, and I can certainly see the appeal.

Thanks for the postcard!

*****

 13/9/14
Anastasia lives in a small town on the Volga river. She has a similar problem to me as it is difficult to find local postcards in her town so she buys many off the internet or when she goes travelling. This Raccoon is saying "Hello!" in Russian (yay, my first Russian word!)

Thanks for the postcard!

*****

13/9/14
Julia sent me this lovely postcard of an Eagle Owl. She lives in Ekaterinburg with her pet Guinea Pig. She also likes travelling, which I think is why many of us take part in postcrossing.

Thanks for the postcard.

*****

27/8/14
Natalia sent me this cute postcard showing two squirrels whispering secrets to one another. She says that they live in all the parks and will sometimes demand food from walkers. It's exactly the same here with Grey Squirrels - they can get too fat to run up trees to escape predators.

Thanks for the postcard.

*****

22/8/14
Andrey sent me this lovely postcard of a cartoon dog. This is very cute.

Thanks for the postcard.

*****

19/8/14
Lida sent me this postcard of a Blue Tit balancing on a snow covered fence post. Looks like the bird is trying to keep one foot warm in its feathers while the other allows it to perch.

Thanks for the postcard.

*****

2/8/14
Natalia sent me this gorgeous postcard of an American Robin, but told me all about Bullfinches, which appear to be fairly common around Lake Baikal, near where she lives. Apparently they are rarely seen in the summer as they breed in the taiga, but return to the urban areas in the winter where people feed it. We have a similar behaviour in the UK, and I would assume elsewhere around the world, as more people put out food for birds in their urban gardens. If I was a bird, it's exactly what I'd be doing as it's a very easy meal!

Thanks so much for the card and the info. I'd love to visit the region someday, but definitely not in the winter!

*****

19/4/14
Olga sent me lovely postcard of a Black Kite. According to the information, they live in "diverse landscapes" from the mountains and taiga in the north, to valleys with rivers and lakes and is often found near cities too. It is a migrant and and feeds of carrion, frequently found around dumps, although has been seen catching frogs, small birds and rodents.

Thanks Olga for the postcard - my first from the Birds of Baikal series. Maybe I will get some more in the future.

*****

17/4/14
Anna sent me this delightful postcard of a Red Squirrel, posing next to an old camera! She is an Ecologist, so knows a lot about Russian wildlife! She says that many people think that Polar Bears walk down the streets in Russia, but that this isn't true because they live in the far north. Red Squirrels are very common though.

Thanks so much for the postcard - I love Red Squirrels and photography, so this is perfect for me!

*****

15/4/14
I love this postcard sent to me by Alla! It shows a Tree Sparrow on what looks like a cold morning. Alla lives in a big city, so there aren't that many birds to look at. Sparrows, Pigeons and "Titmouses" are the most common in the city, but just outside she often sees Crows, Magpies, Kites and Owls.

Thanks for the postcard and the info on the birds you can see.

*****

7/4/14
Svetlana sent me a second postcard featuring the Winter Olympics, interesting that they were mailed on the same day but arrived separately. She posted from St Petersburg, which she claims to be "one of the most beautiful cities in the world" but was "the most overcast city in Russia" on the day of writing.
Thanks for the postcards and I hope I get the chance to visit this city soon.

*****

 5/4/14
Being Welsh, and growing up in Scotland, I have a bit of a thing for sheep! Varvara sent me this postcard showing some Russian sheep. She told me that she has a cat and a dog at home which get along quite well, despite the interchangeable names! She also likes cows and sheep, which is how we met on the Sheep Tag!

Thanks for the postcard! I hope to introduce my puppy to sheep when she is a little older.

*****

5/4/14
I didn't watch much of the Winter Olympics, but enjoyed the Curling (I used to play when I was in school!). Svetlana sent me this gorgeous postcard showing the Gorki Media Centre, which I'm sure was very busy during the Games.

Thanks so much for the postcard, and I hope your husband has a good time at the festival.

*****

2/4/14
Olga sent me this photo-postcard that she took at a Tank Museum in Kubinka, near Moskow. She visited last summer with her son, who enjoyed the day out.

Thanks for the postcard!

*****

1/4/14
This stunning postcard was sent by Erna, who responded to my "list" tag. I wanted to know 5 natural spectacles that she had seen, and wow!
The Northern Lights in her hometown
Deserts in UAE
Corals and fish in Egypt
Views of the Caucasus
Star shower in Crimea
I'm very jealous!

Thanks for the amazing postcard and list!

*****

28/3/14
I know that Russia has a Space Program, but don't know much about it. Natasha sent me this card showing one of the shuttles at the docking station. She lives in Kaluga, which is often called the birthplace of astronautics. When these rockets fly close to the city, they are very hard to miss!

Thanks for the postcard and the information about the Russian Space Program.

*****

28/3/14
Natalia sent me this postcard from Moskow. She works in a Kindergarten and loves skating in her spare time - not sure if you mean on ice or rollers! She tried to visit London last year but didn't make it, so I really hope you do manage to visit the UK sometime soon.

Thanks for the postcard.

*****

20/3/14
Ekaterina sent me this postcard showing the Trinity Chapel and Mosque in St Petersburg. She loves calling this beautiful city her home, and I'm not surprised. This is another official postcrossing postcard and I love finding out about everyone involved with this amazing hobby!

Thanks so much for the card, and maybe one day I will visit St Petersburg and see it all for myself!

*****

17/3/14
Eugenie sent me this postcard showing the Kremlin. This is a building I have heard so much about but have never actually seen it before! It looks like a very impressive fortress and I'm sure it's well worth a visit, if I ever get to Moskow.

Thanks for the postcard and showing me the Kremlin.

*****

15/3/14
Gelena tagged me in the Within Europe thread and sent me this lovely postcard from St Petersburg showing St Michael's Castle. It looks like a great place for events, and I can imagine lots of ballroom dancing going on inside.

Thanks for the postcard; it shows why you love this city so much!

*****

18/2/14
I received my first Russian postcard today from Sveta. She lives in a small town called Kotlas in the north of the country. This is a beautiful photo of the Embankment lit up at night. Apparently, not too far away from where she lives is the birthplace of the Russian Santa Clause, so I can imagine that there is plenty of snow there at the moment!

Thanks for the postcard, Sveta!