Couple of Postcards, a Cover and a set of Stamps

Hello there, before getting to the postcards and stuff, I just want to welcome a new follower of this blog, An Africanist. Hope you can visit many times , leave a comment if you choose.
Today's first card is from The Netherlands. It is an aerial view of a section of Utrecht. This city is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands.The card is from Naomi, a Postcrosser and student in Utrecht. She used 3 stamps from a booklet of 10, issued in 2007 featuring Dutch products.
The next card is from Finland. It shows a beautiful looking bridge and sunset, in Viitasaari. This is a small town in northern Central Finland. The 2009 census gives it a population of 7,288. This card, also sent by a Postcrosser, has a great stamp on it, showing the planet Saturn and its rings. It is from a 2 stamp set of Europa stamps , issued in 2009 .
The next 2 cards are the last of my series from Norfolk Island. They show various sences on the island. These cards and the others that I showed earlier are just a beautiful set of postcards.
The cover that I am showing is from Doha, Qatar. It has a couple of really great stamps on it , but the good stuff was inside. It contained a set of 4 stamps , issued in 2008 and entitled Souq Waqif. They are supposed to show streetlife and they certainly do. This cover and the set of stamps is from Trevor, a Canadian living in Qatar. He reads this blog and sent a postcard earlier. Thanks very much Trevor for this wonderful set of stamps They will be a great addition to my stamp collection.
I have one more item to mention today. As I write this on the 13th, July 14th is the 4 year anniversary of Postcrossing. If you like postcards, give it a try. You will receive postcards from all over the world. Check it out at www.postcrossing.com .

Take care.

Cards From Istanbul, Herm Island, Long Island and Norfolk Island

My cards today are from Istanbul, Turkey and from a number of islands, as noted in the title of today's update. First up is the card from Istanbul. It shows a part of the skyline of the city. On the left is Yeni Mosque, built in the early to mid 1600's and on the right is Suleymaniye Mosque , built in the 1550's. Quite an impressive view. This card is from Leslie, who has a blog entitled ' the postcard blog' at www.ctrekoza.blogspot.com . Leslie used 2 stamps. The smaller one underneath the larger one was issued in 2008 and is 1 of a set of 8 definitives. Unfortunately , I couldn't find any info on the larger stamp. Thanks Leslie , I appreciate this swap.

The next two cards are from Herm Island. Herm is the smallest of the Channel Islands open to the public. It is not part of the U.K. but is in the Baliwick of Guernsey. In 2002 its population was 60.Both cards were sent by Jannick who lives in Guernsey, but was visiting Herm. The first card shows Shell Beach. Jannick used a 2009 Alderney stamp, one of a set of six featuring Honey Bees. Alderney is the most northerly of the Channel Islands and a part of the Baliwick of Guernsey.
Jannick's second card shows a number of views of Herm Island Puffins. On this card he used just a wonderful stamp from Guernsey , issued this current year, 2009. It is 1 of a set of 6 issued for Astronomy. My stamp celebrates the 400th anniversary of the telescope. The 6 stamps in this set are just great and are a set that I wouldn't mind adding to my collection. Thanks Jannick for these cards and these great stamps. Perhaps we can swap or trade again.

Now for a card from America. Karen, a Postcrosser sent this card from Long Island , New York. It is a card showing Montauk Point Lighthouse. Located at the most easterly tip of Long Island, the tower stands 108 feet and overlooks the Atlantic. The Montauk Lighthouse was authorized to be constructed in 1795 by President George Washington. It was completed in 1797 at a cost of $22,300. Thanks Karen.

And now one more of my Norfolk Island cards. This one has a number of views of the Island. On top is Gallows gate and Anson Bay. On bottom is Salthouse and sunset at Poppys Point with the great Norfolk Pine. The stamp is another in the Mosaics series issued in 2009.

All in all , a pretty nice bunch of cards. Thanks to all who sent them.

Four Postcards

Well I've been away for close to a week, but Í haven't really been away at all. Just away from the computer due to a very busy number of days. Things should slow down a little now . So I hopefully will get a couple of updates in during the rest of the week. At least that's the plan. I have four really nice postcards for today . First is a card from Timor Leste. This is now my second card from Timor Leste. It always seems to happen, first you have no card from a country, then you finally get one , and then you get another. This one is courtesy of Eco Discovery, a land and water tours company in Dili. The card shows a traditional house in Timor Leste. The stamp used is from a set of 4 issued in 2005 celebrating Timor Leste's Independence.
The next card is from Taiwan, R.O.C.It was sent by Andrea, a Postcrosser from over there. The card shows The Queen's Head. This is a naturally formed rock outside Taipei on the coast of Taiwan. Even though in photos, it looks majestic and large, in fact it is only about a meter tall. I guess photos can deceive. Andrea used a stamp from 1991, issued to showcase lighthouses and safety at sea. One more note about The Queen's Head- Taiwan issued a great vertical stamp depicting this rock formation in 2006.
My third card is from Paris, France and depicts The great Eiffel Tower. I don't think I need elaborate on this, as it is quite well known and very famous. The card was sent by Elsa, who writes cards for her U.S. penpal, John. Elsa writes that she likes and reads this blog. Thanks Elsa. She used a large 2009 stamp featuring Albi Cathedral.
My final card is another of my Norfolk Island series. Just another beautiful card. The stamp is another of the Mosaics issue of 2009.ch have just one more item for today. Even though I am a little late, I want to file my monthly postcard report for June . During the month I received 48 postcards of which 28 were from Postcrossers. I mailed out 22 cards and 19 went to Postcrossers. Finally, I received cards from 6 new countries during June.
Take care and drop back soon.

Canada Day 2009 , Canada's 142nd Birthday,

HAPPY CANADA DAY ************ BONNE FETE DU CANADA

Well it's Canada Day here and I thought that I would show a few postcards , indicative of Canada. Normally the postcards that I send of to people are regional in type , either of Calgary or Alberta. so without further ado , let's have a look at Canada .First up is the Canadian flag card. Here in Canada, we refer to our flag as simply , The Maple Leaf. It was raised for the first time on February 15, 1965. Our flag is the symbol of the nation's unity, for it, beyond any doubt, represents all the citizens of Canada without distinction of race, language, belief or opinion.
Next card shows the Parliament Building of Canada, in Ottawa.The current building was completed in 1922 , while the Peace Tower was completed in 1927.
The next card shows The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride. The first ride took place in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1887, while the first public display of the ride took place in 1901.
The Polar Bear card is a great card , reflecting our great northern territories. If you want to see polar bears in Canada, your best bet would be a visit to Churchill, Manitoba.
My last card for this Canada Day is one with a red maple leaf , shown against a blue sky and between two red strips as on our flag. The Maple Leaf has been a symbol of Canada since 1867 or possibly even earlier. The Maple Leaf is one of the most widely recognized National Symbols of Canada. It was added to the Canadian Coat of Arms in 1921.

That's my history lesson for this day, other than to mention a few of the things that make me proud to be a Canadian. These would include Hockey, Our Democracy, The Maple Leaf, Peace Keeping, Lester Pearson, Tim Horton's, and The Montreal Expos (sadly they are no more) .
Before signing off today, I want to wish all Canadians here at home and all Canadians abroad, a Very Happy Canada Day.
Take care.

# 225 In My Collection

I received just two postcards in Friday's mail, but one was from a place that is new to my collection. The card in question is from American Samoa, which makes # 225 in my collection. The other card is from Belgium . First , let's look at the American Samoa card.
American Samoa is a group of Polynesian islands in the South Pacific. Fourteen degrees below the equator, it is the United States' southern-most territory. it became an unorganized U.S. territory in 1900. It is located west of the Cook Islands, north of Tonga and 500 km south of Tokelau. To the west is Wallis and Futuna Islands, a place I would love to receive a card from. I have tried and tried but still nothing.
The card from American Samoa shows a couple of Breadfruit, which is a staple of the Samoan diet. American Samoa uses U.S. postage , but in this case a postage label was used indicating postage paid at Pago Pago, the capital. The card was sent by a park ranger at the National Park of American Samoa. Notice the hand stamp, lower left .
As mentioned the second card is from Belgium. It shows some building and its reflection, but, of which I know not. It is from Thomas of My Stamps and Covers blog , located at www.veedeestamps.blogspot.com . Thomas used 2 new aviation related stamps , from a set of 5 issued this year. The one on the left celebrates the first flight of Concorde 40 years ago in 1969.
The stamp on the right celebrates The Bleriot , which first flew January 25, 1909, 100 years ago.
These are great stamps and will be welcome additions to my aircraft on stamps collection. But of course, they will stay on the card. Thomas was able to get a special postmark for these stamps , on June 20, 2009, which just happened to be my birthday. I can see that the postmark contains a drawing of The Bleriot, itself. I just wish I knew a little about the postmark, but perhaps someone will leave a comment as to its significance. Also Thomas , your comment on the card is a little too cryptic for me. Tell me more.
Now to clue things up for today, we have another Norfolk Island card , # 3 of 7. It is another view of Kingston, Norfolk Island. The stamp is from 2002 and is 1 of a set of 7 definitives featuring flowers.

Take care and enjoy the weekend or what's left of it.

Norfolk Island , South Pacific # 2

Well , as I mentioned in yesterday's blog, I will continue with another of the Norfolk Island postcards. And since today's mail brought no new postcards, let's get right to it. This card shows Slaughter Bay, Kingston, Norfolk Island. The stamp is from 2008 , 1 of a set of 4 featuring animals.

That's all for today. Cheers.

Mayotte, New Country # 224 and a Whole Lot More

Even though this blog is a postcard blog, today's update will be a mixed bag, including postcards, covers, and stamps. When you get good stuff, even if it's not a postcard, it's hard to just ignore it , hence the mixed bag. First , of course, is new country #224, Mayotte.
Mayotte, or the Departmental Collectivity of Mayotte is an overseas collectivity of France consisting of Grand-Terre, Petite-Terre and a few islets around these two islands. Mayotte is located in the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean, betwen northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique. The territory is geographically part of the Comoro Islands , but has been politically separate since the 1970s. It's capital and largest city is Mamoudzou. The card shows an underwater scene off Mayotte, with tropical fish, coral and underwater plants.The stamps on the cards are from 2009 and show the tamarind tree and its fruit. The card is from Elhem who works at Hotel Sakouli on the island of Mayotte. I have been trying for a card from Mayotte for well over two years and have finally succeeded. And, let me tell you it feels really good to get a card from one of those so called hard to get countries.
Next is a card , my second, from Republika Srpska. This is one of the two main political-territorial divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The card shows the view of Prijedor, the 3rd largest city in Republika Srpska. It is located in the northern part. This card came from Maja and is the result of a private swap. Maja sent a prestamped postcard to which she added extra postage. The extra stamp is from 2008 and is 1 of a set of 6 definitives featuring flowers. Thanks to Maja for this card.
Now for a part of the mixed bag I mentioned earlier. I received a beautiful cover , a first day cover in fact, from Edna of Vienna. The cover has a beautiful aircraft stamp celebrating the 100 years of the Wiener Neustadt Airfield. Note the great first day of issue postmark. A wonderful addition to my aircraft on stamp collection. And if that wasn't enough, there were 2 more aviation related covers inside.They include a first day cover from May 31, 1968 and a 1987 cover with a 1983 Austrian Airlines stamp. Just a great package , thanks to Edna.
And another cover now. It is from Norfolk Island. One doesn't see a lot of mail from there, so I think whenever one comes along, it deserves to be seen. In the top right corner are 2 of a set of 4 stamps issued in 2009 featuring mosaics. The other stamp is from 2008, one of 4 featuring animals. This cover contained a set 7 beautiful postcards of Norfolk, 5 of which are stamped.This cover and postcards are all courtesy of Norfolk Tourism and the thanks go to Jacqui. Because the cards are so nice, I will feature one of them here today and one in each of my next 6 blog updates. Today's card shows Kingston from QE Lookout. It has a 2008 Christmas stamp on it.
And finally to close out today I just want to show a stamp that my son Parker dropped off for me tonight. It is a mint, Scott #3 from Liechtenstein. Another great addition to my aircraft on stamps collection. Thanks Parker, I appreciate it.
Wow, this is a big update. And in my opinion a good one.
More tomorrow.