Out With The Old , In With The New

 BLOG # 1677

- Day 1411 ( That's One Thousand Four Hundred and Eleven Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .                                                                     

                                                                            

                                                                   GLORY TO UKRAINE 

 Hello to one and all. Happy New year. This is my first 2026 blog. Hence the title above ---  Out with the old, in with the new. What I have for you today is the last card I received in 2025 and the first card received in 2026. 

From 2025 --- It arrived from Kanda, an area in northeastern Tokyo. It's a great night view of Tokyo. 

Selene used a stamp from a Winter Greeting souvenir sheet of 10.

From 2026 --- This card arrived from France and provides a view of Honfleur, a city in northern France's Normandy region. Here we can see the Old Basin and The Lieutenancy, a former fortification at the port which is the oldest building in Honfleur. 

Dominique used a stamp issued in 2012  here. It showcases Co-Prince Henri IV, a Joint Issue Stamp with Andorra. 

That's all for this time. Thanks to Dominique and Selene. 

See you all next time. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026

 Blog 1676

Happy New Year 2026. I just want to wish everybody a Happy New Year. That is for everyone who reads this blog, everyone who sends postcards my way and anyone who may just stumble their way here. Of course there are a number of people who have helped out over the years. So special thanks go out to :

Srekna Nova Godina Ana

Bonne Annee Jean Pierre

Athbhlian Faoi Mhaise Duit David

Suba Aluth Avuruddak Wewa Ravindra

Gelukkig Nieuwjaar Gerda

Felic any Nou Josep and Assumpta

Head uut aastat Meelis

Gelukkig Nieuwjaar Barbara

Frohes Neues Jahr Isa

Stastny Novy Rok Alena

Feliz Ano Nuevo Francesca

Prosit Neujahr Yvonne

and Happy New Year to My Lovely Teena

So there you have it, 2025 is now in the mirror and slowly fading away. Looking forward to Good Things this year. Good times, good health, good friends .

Now before I sign off , I hope I didn't mess up my greeting to you . If I did , just leave a comment and educate me on the correct way to wish you a Happy New Year. 

Take care.

Christmas Postcards for Christmas 2025

Blog # 1675                                      MERRY CHRISTMAS 2025

                        

It's still Christmas Day and I have a few moments of down time , so it's blog time.  While it's still Christmas time I have 3 Christmas themed cards that arrived a couple of days ago.  One is from Belgium, one is from Germany and one is from Canada. So here goes. 

From Gerda in Belgium :

  Gerda used 2 Christmas stamps, one from 2025 and one from 2024. 

From Isa in Germany :

Isa used 3 stamps including one Christmas stamp from 2014. 

From Marilyn & Gerry in Canada ;

M & G used a stamp from the 2024 Far and Away series.

That's it for Christmas cards this time . Thanks to Gerda , Isa and Marilyn & Gerry. 

Now once again as always I want to add my message to you all and to the whole world.

Once again as Christmas Day is upon us, I want to take this opportunity to wish all my fellow postcard collectors , cover and stamp collectors and bloggers , along with all my readers a very Merry Christmas. My Christmas wishes for all of you are again summed up in the 3 Christmas stamps issued by Canada Post in 2007. Hope , Joy, and Peace.

JAL B747 and Neuschwanstein Castle

 Blog # 1674 --- Day 1394 ( That's One Thousand Three Hundred and Ninety Four Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .                                                                     

                                                                            

                                                                   GLORY TO UKRAINE 

It`s definitely time for an update, so here it is. 

My first card arrived from Shibuya, Japan.  AS an airplane card collector there is no better card to collect than one with a B747 landing or taking off.  That`s as good as it gets. This Japan Airlines B747 is quite old, 37.9 years. It was registered as JA8186 and flew for Jal from Feb 1988 until Oct 2008. Then it saw service with Orient Thai Airlines and finally Max Air from 2009 until 2015. It has been stored at Kan , Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Nigeria since Sept 2015.The picture was taken at Haneda in Dec 1995.

Jean Pierre used a White Dove stamp.

This next card is from Germany and is a great view of Neuschwanstein Castle.  The palace is a 19th-century palace on a rugged hill of the foothills of the Alps in the very south of Germany, near the border with Austria. It was constructed between 1869 and 1886. It was added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site this year.

David used 2 definitive stamps on this card. The left stamp is from 2024, a Peacock definitive and the right one is from 2022, a nice aviation themed Biplane definitive. 

There you have it for this time. A short update, but that happens sometimes.

Thanks to Jean Pierre and David for the cards highlighted today.   

Zagreb, Royal Jordanian Cargo, and A Muuga Windmill

  Blog # 1673 --- Day 1383 ( That's One Thousand Three Hundred and Eighty Three Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .                                                                     

                                                                            

                                                                   GLORY TO UKRAINE 

Howdy everyone. I believe a week or more has passed since my last update. So here I am with another one.  My first card for this time arrived from Germany and is of my favourite postcard genre -- an airline and aircraft card. This one shows a Royal Jordanian Cargo A310 landing at London in September of 2008. The registration of this A310 is JY-AGQ. This aircraft has been around for quite a while. It was delivered to Royal Jordanian in March of 1990. Since then it has seen service with four other airlines - Malaysia Airlines, Sudan Airlines, Lloyd Aereo and Tunisair, all while leased from Royal Jordanian. It re-entered with Royal Jordanian in March of 2003 and continued until July of 2023, when it was withdrawn from use and stored at AMM-Queen Alia International Airport in Zizya, south of Amman. 

Isa used a couple of stamps on her card. The top stamp showcases the Jewish Center in Munich. The bottom stamp commemorates the 250th Anniversary of the Mining Academy in Freiburg, making it the world's oldest continuously operating university of mining science and technology. 

 

My second card is from Zagreb , Croatia. 

Zagreb, Croatia’s northwestern capital, is distinguished by its 18th- and 19th-century Austro-Hungarian architecture. At its center, Upper Town is the site of the Gothic, twin-spired Zagreb Cathedral and 13th-century St. Mark’s Church, with a colorfully tiled roof.

Ana used 2 stamps here. The left stamp, a nice airplane stamp was issued in 1991, as an airmail definitive. The right stamp is from a 2024 set of 2 issued for Tourism.

Here is the last card for this time. It is from Estonia and shows a Muuga Windmill. 

The "Muuga windmill" is a historical windmill located at the Mugga manor in Vinni Parish, Laane-Viru County, Estonia. It dates to the end of the 19th century and is an example of a historic Estonian windmill, which typically had four blades. 

Meelis used 7 different stamps , even if some look alike. They were issued in 2007, 2013, 2016, 2021 and 2023.

Well so ends another update. Thanks go out to Isa, Ana and Meelis. 

Next update will be soon. 

North Cyprus, Empress Elizabeth, Du Fu Tower and Les Antiques

 Blog # 1672 --- Day 1373 ( That's One Thousand Three Hundred and Seventy Three Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .                                                                     

       

                                                                   GLORY TO UKRAINE 

Hello once again. I have a few more cards for you to peruse. First up today is a card from Chang Sha City , China. It's a look at the Du Fu Riverside Tower. This pavilion is located in Chang Sha's Hedong District, near the West Lake Bridge at the intersection of Central Xiangjiang Road and Xihu Road. This antique architecture along the riverside was built to commemorate Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu. It is 18 metres high and was opened in September 2005. It houses a Souvenir shop, the Du Fu Memorial Hall, an exhibition hall and a reception hall.

A Postcrosser named He Jun sent this card along and used 3 stamps. I don't have much luck identifying Chinese stamps for some reason. I did find the top right stamp with the red symbols. It was issued in 2006 , a Happy New Year stamp. The other two, no luck with those.

My next card is from St Remy de Provence, France. Dominique's card shows the historic site and monument Les Antiques. It's a great view of the Triumphal Arch and Mausoleum. The Roman ruins include two monuments: the mausoleum (or cenotaph), dating from 30 to 20 BC, which has an unusual structure, and the triumphal arch, dating from 20 CE, which is decorated with bas-reliefs depicting Caesar's conquest of Gaul.

Dominique used a current 2025 stamp. It celebrates the French philosopher, economist and military officer Claude Henryi de Rauvroy. The stamp was issued on the 265th Anniversary of his birth.

Here's another card from Northern Cyprus. On this one we see Kyrenia Harbour which is under the de facto control of Northern Cyprus.

David's stamp is from this year and is 1 of 2 in a Europa set celebrating Archeology.

Now here's my last card for today. it's from Austria. Here we see Empress Elizabeth, the most beloved and famous empress of Austria. Elisabeth (Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie; German: 24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898),^] was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Franz Joseph I on 24 April 1854 until her assassination 1898. While travelling in Geneva in 1898, Elisabeth was fatally stabbed in the heart by an Italian anarchist named Luigi Lucheni. 

Chris used a recent definitive Hat stamp on his card.

The End for this time. Thanks today go out to He Jun, Dominique, David, and Chris.

Take care till next time. 

Northern Cyprus, Singapore Tower and Alsace

  Blog # 1671 --- Day 1363 ( That's One Thousand Three Hundred and Sixty Three Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .  

    

Hello once again. Just here with a few more of the cards that arrived in my mailbox. Thanks to all you folks that read this. First up is this card from Alsace, a historical region in northeastern France on the Rhine River plain. Bordering Germany and Switzerland, it has alternated between German and French control over the centuries and reflects a mix of those cultures. It shows the Hotel-Restaurant Le Brochet, a traditional Alsatian restaurant located in Barr, France.  Take note of the fountain with the young boy holding a shell to his ear. Could he be listening to all the gossip coming from the restaurant ? 

Dominique used a stamp issued in 2006. It was issued as a Europa stamp that year showing Integration through the eyes of young people.

My second card is a look at Singapore's Changi Airport control tower. It is 81 meters tall above sea level and was opened in 1981. The tower and staff handle approximately 1000 movements a day. 

 Jean Pierre used a 2008 stamp , 1 of 2 in a set showing Fruits . It was a Joint Issue with Vietnam.

Here's the last card for today. It arrived from North Cyprus. David wrote it from Famagusta, a city located on the eastern coast of Cyprus currently controlled by the de facto republic of Northern Cyprus. It is located east of the capital, Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour of the island. The city is also called  Gazi Magusa as shown on the postmark. 

Northern Cyprus , officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a de facto state comprising the northern third of the island of Cyprus. It is recognised only by Turkey, with the international community considering it territory of the Republic of Cyprus under Turkish military occupation.

David's card shows a few of the city's historic sights.

David used 2 stamps from a set of 4 showing Insects and Birds issued in 2024. 

There you have it. So ends Blog #1671

Thanks for the cards this time go out to Dominique, Jean Pierre and David.