Dassault Mercure, a Digital Stamp and Minerve

 BLOG # 1515  -- In The Time Of Covid

Hey folks, today I have three cards to show. Two from France and one from Germany.

 I'll start with a card from France. It's an Airlines / Aircraft card so that's a great way to start. Here we have an Air Inter Dassault Mercure 100, registered as F-BTTJ.  Air Inter was a French domestic airline. It was founded in Nov 1954 and merged with Air France in Apr 1997. Air Inter was the launch customer for the Dassault Mercure. The aircraft entered airline service with Air Inter on June 4, 1974. The Mercure was a twin engined narrow body jet airliner. It had its first flight on 28 May 1971 and its last on 29 April 1995. Only 12 of these aircraft were built. 

F-BTTJ was preserved at the Musee Delta in Athis-Mons, near Paris-Orly Airport. It was cut up during 2018, the forward fuselage is now at Piet Smedts in Baarlo, the Netherlands, while a major portion of the  upper fuselage is in use as a tunnel at a paintball center near Uden, the Netherlands. 

Here she is in her heyday.

 Now here she is as is today.

and here as a tunnel

Such a sad ending to a once glorious machine !

Jean Pierre used a Marianne definitive along with a stamp from last year. It is 1 of 12 in a booklet labelled My Spectacular Stamps.

Next up is the German card. A lovely stamp themed card. It's like a veritable stamp collection on one card. I see stamps from the Netherlands, Indonesia, Egypt, Russia, Canada, U.S.A. ,Germany, Poland, Great Britain, Australia , Hong Kong and Uruguay. Who needs a big heavy album.

Isa used two stamps on her card. On the left an often seen Flower definitive. The other stamp, on the right , is an interesting stamp. It was issued in Feb to showcase a Digital change in German stamps. It has a QR style tracking code which will allow the sender to track the card or letter as it travels to its destination. Not sure if it will work internationally, probably not.  These codes will be featured on all German stamps in 2022. 

Time now for the final card for this time. It's a look at Minerve, a commune in southern France. As of Jan 2018 , its population was 112. The history of the village goes back a long way. In 1210 it was the site of a ten week siege by Simon de Montfort during the Cathar Crusades. The surrender after led to 180 Cathars getting burned at the stake. 

The village is now the capital of the Minervois wine region and has been known as one of the Most Beautiful Villages in France. 

  

Dominique used a semi-postal stamp from 1972. It was 1 of 2 issued to support the Red Cross. 

With that, I'm done for today. Thanks for today's card go to Jean Pierre , Isa and Dominique.  

Take care all and stay safe.

Wash your hands, wear a mask and keep your distance. 

Ghana and Air Inter

 BLOG # 1514

Well it's April, it's Easter Sunday , so Happy Easter to all that celebrate and if you don't, have a great day anyway. Who would have thought last Easter  that this Easter we'd still be in the midst of the pandemic ? Not me, I kind of thought we'd be free and clear by now. A lot of life is passing us by it seems. 

I only have two cards for this time. The last mail here in Canada was back on Thursday and the next mail won't be until Tuesday. So two cards it is. They arrived from France and Ghana. I'll do the France card first. It is the latest addition to my Airlines / Aircraft postcard collection. Jean Pierre's card shows an Air Inter Airbus A321. A321s first flew in Feb of 1993 and entered service with Lufthansa in Jan of 1994. The one on the card, F-GMZA is 26.8 years old. It  flew with Air Inter from Jun 1994 until Sep 1997. It then saw service with Air France from Sep 1997 until Oct 2020. It has been stored since then. 

Jean Pierre used two stamps on his card. On the left, from 2020, a stamp issued to highlight Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, a commune in Manche department. On the right, a Marianne definitive from 2018.

 Now for the card from Ghana.  Josep & Assumpta from Catalonia in Spain  arranged this through Prince and Princess Academy in Ghana.  Damba Festival is celebrated by the tribal groups of Muslim origin in Northern Ghana. It's celebrated by the chiefs and people of Dagbon, Gonjas, Mamprusi, Nanumbas and the Walas. It is a festival to remember the birthday of the Holy Prophet Mohammed. There is a lot of singing, dancing, drumming and merry making on the day. 

The Academy staff used 2 different stamps on this card. The left stamp was issued in 2010. It's part of a set of 4 issued for the National U-20 Football Team - the Black Satellites. The smaller stamps are part of a set of 10 issued in 2012 showing Fruits and Vegetables. 

That's all she wrote for today. Thank you to Jean Pierre and Josep & Assumpta for their cards. 

It'll be a couple of days before I'm back here again as these were the last two cards on my desk. I'll see you again in a couple of days.  

Be sure and take part in my postcard challenge. Read about it in my Blog # 1509 back on March 23rd. I took part, Sara and Gerda are taking part and My Lovely Teena took part. You can too, it only takes a postcard and a stamp. It you take part, leave a comment and let me know. 

You know what's next --- wear a mask, wash you hands and keep your distance.  

 

A Wooden Postcard, Lake Minnewanka and a I Miss You Card

 BLOG # 1513

Yes it's me, getting one last update in before March fades away. I have three cards to start, all sent to me by My Lovely Teena. The first one is one of those wooden cards and it's made responsibly with sustainable birch. It's a look at Chateau Lake Louise as seen from out on Lake Louise. I haven't yet canoed Lake Louise but I have skated on it in winter. 

Teena used 1 of 12 stamps issued Jan 15 of this year for the Lunar New Year Cycle. 

The second card is a look at Lake Minnewanka , in the Rockies , dated around the late 1880s. Lake Minnewanka is a glacial lake located about 5 km northeast of Banff. The lake is the largest body of water in Banff National Park. It is 21 km long and 142m deep. Minnewanka means " Water of the Spirits " in the Nakoda language of the First Nations. Boat tours of the lake are available and I had that pleasure a number of years ago. 

Teena used a beautiful stamp from the recent Snow Mammals set. It shows a Peary Caribou. 

Teena's third card is one of those free cards I mentioned in Blog # 1511. Every postal address in Canada received at least one free postpaid postcard to keep in contact with someone during this pandemic. Teena decided to send hers to me. 

Here's the prepaid postage.

That's all for today and for March. Thank you Teena for all 3 cards. 

Take care all and wash your hands, wear a mask and keep your distance.

Card # 6000

 BLOG # 1512

Hello again. I have just one card for this time. And, as you can see by the above title , it's a special one. It is card # 6000 of my collection. 6000 cards - I would never have believed that , back in 2006 when I first started this gig. 6000 cards in 15 years, that works out to 400 cards per year. Unbelievable. 2966 cards are from participation in Postcrossing and 3044 from other sources - many of them from you readers. 

Now if you find that unbelievable , you're going to find the sender of this card unbelievable too. It is from My Lovely Teena. It really is true. I know, I know what you're thinking , but all I can say is think again. Teena mailed this card to me on March 19th and it arrived today, March 30th. 

This is a beautiful 3D card of a majestic bison in the snow in the Canadian Rockies. Bison have recently been reintroduced in Banff Park after an absence of over a century. Best of all, they seem to be thriving. 

  As I mentioned Teena posted this card on the 19th of this month at the East Airdrie RPO. It received a great postmark / cancellation. She used the Arctic Fox stamp from the new Snow Mammals set of 5 issued on February 16th of this year. 

  Wow, that was fast, one card and I'm done. 

Thank you Teena for this card, I'm sure you didn't know when you sent it , that it was going to be # 6000 .

Take care everyone, before I go though, just wanted to remind my readers of the Postcard Challenge that I issued in my blog on March 23rd. I just wonder how many decided to take part. I know I have and I know Sara has, she left a comment for me. Go back and check it out , it's for a good cause. You'll be helping out a bunch of 6th grade students learn about the world. 

Don't forget now - wear a mask, wash your hands, and keep your distance.  W will get over this - when is the only question. 

  

Will's Hugs , Sarlat and Marilyn

 BLOG 1511

Hey there, I'm back with another few cards. Three this time, from France, Finland and Canada. The first card from France shows a couple of the wonderful hotels of old Sarlat, the most famous town in The Dordogne region. The town square  has a beautiful old marketplace and as you can see at the bottom of the card, a small bronze statue of three geese. The area is famous for Foie gras, a luxury food product made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened. Little did those geese know ! .

Dominique used a nice looking semi-postal stamp from 1972. It was issued for Stamp Day and features a Rural Mailman from 1894. 

Today's second card arrived from Kuopio, in eastern Finland. Here we see a beautiful Marilyn Monroe posing as usual. I don't really need to say anything about Marilyn, much has already been written. 

 

Paula used a couple of stamps here. On the left is 1 of 4 Bird stamps in a Mini-sheet from 2017. On the right is 1 of 3 stamps issued in 2006 showing Paintings by A. Gallen-Kallela.

Paula also decorated the card with a sticker of Marilyn blowing a bubble .

My last card for today arrived from Calgary, just down the road. It is from my grandson Will. 

Will's postcard is a Sending Hugs card . It is 1 of 6 different designed  cards that Canada Post has sent to all postal addresses in the country. In all 13.5 million cards were sent freely to Canadians to fill out and send to whoever they want. The 6 designs are From Me to You, I Miss You, Wishing I Were There, Sending Smiles, I've Been Meaning to Write and of course Sending Hugs. 

All the cards were free and post paid for mailing anywhere in Canada.    While we keep our distance to fight the spread of COVID-19, staying connected with friends and loved ones is harder than ever. There are six versions of the postcard, each one offering a simple message of love, appreciation or thanks. Every household will receive one randomly selected postcard. Recipients can send their postcard to anyone they want, anywhere in Canada, for free. No stamps are needed. “Meaningful connection is vital for our emotional health, sense of community and overall well-being,” says Doug Ettinger, President and CEO of Canada Post. “Canada Post wants everyone to stay safe, but also stay in touch with the people who matter to them.” 

It's an effort to encourage Canadians to keep in touch during the pandemic.  "I think that everyone has missed weddings and funerals and birthday celebrations, and we've all missed people and loved ones across the country," said Sylvie Lapointe, a spokesperson with Canada Post in Ottawa. A postcard is one way to tell people they're on your mind, she said.

My Lovely Teena and I were overjoyed to find Will's card in our mailbox. His card is quite apropos as we miss his hugs and those of all our grandkids. Hopefully we will be hugging soon. We were fortunate to receive our Covid immunization yesterday. 

Here's Will's card. 

 The prepaid stamp on these cards is the often seen Canadian Flag .

That's today's update. I want to thank Dominique , Paula and especially Will for his kind gesture. We love you Will. Stay safe.

For quite some time now , my updates have ended the same way and today is no exception . Wash your hands, wear a mask and keep your distance. 

Cards from Russia, Russia and Russia

BLOG # 1510

Hello again. Today I have three cards to highlight and they all arrived from Russia. This first one gives us a look at the interior of a large library , perhaps in Moscow. Unfortunately the card doesn't identify the city where these stacks of books are located. 

Sveta used 2 stamps on her card, both of which are definitives. On the left, from 2019 is 1 of 12 Eagle definitives. On the right , from 2020  is 1 of 2 Coat of Arms definitives. I know they look quite alike, I don't see the eagle on the left stamp, both look like the coat of arms. Maybe my catalogue has mislabelled one. 

Here's my second card and it's from Katy in Moscow. Her card is a look at 3 different views of Marilyn Monroe, reading. There are many , many pictures of Marilyn reading or posing in front of books . She owned and had in her personal library at least 430 books . She loved reading James Joyce, Walt Whitman and Carl Sandburg. Her books included American and French Literature, Anthologies and Biographies, Books about Art, Gardening & Pets, Freud, Politics and quite a few other topics. 

Sveta used 3 of the 2019 definitives. 

Time now for the last card for today. Here we see Emperor Nicholas I . The card shows the likeness of a portrait by Georg von Bothmann. Nicholas I reigned from Dec 1825 until Mar 1855. He held the titles of Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland. Many historians have frequently concluded that " the reign of Nicholas I was a catastrophic failure in both domestic and foreign policy." 

  

Ksenia used 2 of the 2019 definities on her card. 

Well that's the cards for today. Thanks go out to Sveta, Katy and Ksenia. 

This is my 7th blog in March, I did 6 in February and 5 in January. Guess I'll have to shoot for 8 in April. I'm pretty sure I'll still get another one or two in this month though. 

Wear a Mask, wash your Hands and Keep your Distance. 

Take care everyone. 

A Postcard Challenge - A Newfoundland Town Postmark and More

BLOG # 1509  --- In The Time Of Covid

Welcome back. It's been not long. I have four cards for our time today. They are from France, Canada, Germany and Korea. 

The French card shows an evening view of the main beach of Saint-Cast, a commune in Brittany in northwestern France. It is a port city on the English Channel, with a population of just over 3,300. There are a number of great beaches in the area including the one shown on the card. 

  Dominique used a semi-postal  stamp from 1972 on this card. It features French Physician Francois Broussais. It is 1 of 2 stamps issued with the extra cost going to the Red Cross. 1972 was the 200th Anniversary of Broussais's Birth. 

My second card is from my home province of Newfoundland, Canada. It's the latest addition to my Collection of cards with Newfoundland Town Postmarks. This new one is from New Harbour, Trinity Bay. This small community on the East shore of Trinity Bay has a population of around 500. New Harbour was a major shipbuilding center going back as far as 1800. 

The card shows a picture from 1929. A major tidal wave struck Newfoundland's south coast that year ,  resulting in extensive property damage and the loss of more than twenty lives. Many of the lost houses ended up getting towed by schooner to a new and dry location.

This card from Deb & Bill was posted at New Harbour, even though the on the scan it may be difficult to see it. Deb used a 2020 stamp showing Carcajou Falls in the North West Territories.

 

Card # 3 is from Germany even though it originated at the Postal Museum in Tampere, Finland. I guess that's one way for the museum to receive it displays of postcards and letters - boxes of airmail floating down from an overhead plane. 

Isa used a stamp from this year on her card. It celebrates the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Friedrich Ebert, German politician and first President of Germany.

Now here's the last card for today. It arrived from South Korea, but shows a map of Kent, England. Is this a new trend - cards arriving from one place but showing another ? Kent is a county in southeast England. Leeds Castle, Dover Castle and Canterbury Cathedral are all located in Kent county.

A new reader of my blog in Sejong City sent this card. Saf Juan found my blog and thought to send a postcard. How good is that ?  From the card I take it that Saf Juan is a Brit located in Korea for a brief amount of time. I can't make out the post date on the card, but it came with a Happy New Year wish. I wonder if it's been on the go that long. Hope you stay a reader of my blog. 

The Korea Flag stamps were issued in 2019. 

That about does it for this time. Thanks for today's cards go out to Dominique, Deb & Bill, Isa and Saf Juan. I appreciate all your cards.  

But before I go I have just another little piece of business that requires your ( my readers ) attention. 

 I recently received a card from Amy, a 6th grade teacher in Hartland, Wisconsin, USA. She says the class is learning about culture, geography, history and economics of each region of the world. Their mission is to be empathetic critical thinkers who are exposed to all different cultures in the world and appreciate the beauty and importance of diversity of culture and people. Amy says they love hearing about local stories, traditions and interesting facts . They love hearing what everyday life is like all around the world. 

So I thought what an opportunity to help these students. I have two cards filled out and ready to send. 

I would like to challenge all readers of my blog, all my postcard buddies around the world to help Amy's class by sending a postcard to them. 

The address is " 

Ms Forecki's 6th Graders

NSMS

800 E. North Shore Drive

Hartland, WI

53029

USA

So come on you guys and gals in Germany, Spain, Belgium, Albania, Italy, Netherlands, Philippines, Macedonia, Sri Lanka , Ireland , France , Canada and South Africa. Help out this class of 6th graders. Let's fill the school's mailbox with postcards. Feel free to copy and pass this challenge along anywhere you want, like Facebook. I am not a Facebook member so I can't. I'm counting on you all to participate , so let's get it going. 

Thanks for reading.

One more time - wear a mask, wash your hands and keep your distance.