Year of the Dragon stamps

I wanted special stamps for sending out my Month of Letters during February.  Having heard the Post Office had Year of the Dragon stamps, I bought two pages (twelve to a page) of these ornate dragons, rather than use stamps I already had.  Then Jan's card-letter arrived — the first I have received — and, lo and behold, it has the dragon stamp on it!

How do you like the finesse with which I took this photo?  It shows Jan's first name (but not her last name or address or town), my last name (without address), and the point of the photo — the dragon stamp in the corner.

This is a close-up of the dragon stamp.  Except for the colors, it is strikingly similar to the dragon I posted on the first day of the Chinese New Year, found here.  From the back of the sheet of stamps:

Millions of people around the world will celebrate the Year of the Dragon beginning January 23, 2012.  The dragon, a respected creature traditionally considered magical or divine, is the fifth of twelve animals associated with the Chinese lunar calendar.  People born in the Year of the Dragon are said to be flamboyant and powerful innovators.  The Year of the Dragon ends on February 9, 2013.

I was born in the Year of the Dragon, in 1940.  And now, some inspiration for all of us who are writing letters this month.


This 1921 handwritten letter was from Virginia Woolf to Katherine Mansfield.  She said, “It seems to me very important that women should learn to write.”