No Man Is An Island

    Blog # 1621--- Day 875 of the Current  ( Second ) Russian Invasion of Ukraine 

                                                                 GLORY TO UKRAINE               

If you remember from my last blog, I mentioned that the next update would be on the theme of Islands. 

Well here it is. 

I'll start with the famous words of John Donne. " No Man Is An Island. "  It means that  " no one is self-sufficient ; everyone relies on others ."

And what does that have to do with postcards ? Not a heck of a lot I'm afraid. But today's theme is islands so I thought I'd just throw it out there. 

I was born on the island of Newfoundland, so I may have some affinity for islands. So far in life I have been to 56 islands around the world. I hope to get to a few more. 

My first card shows a few of the blue roofs of Santorini Island,  Greece. Truly a beautiful spot. 

Ana used a 2022 stamp showing some of the blue roofed building , much like what is on the card.

Island # 2 -- Martinique, located south in the Caribbean. Jean Pierre's card is a fine look at a Flamboyant tree in Le Diament , Martinique. 

Since Martinique is a Department of France, Jean Pierre used a 2024 French stamp, showing Bougainvillea. Flowers. 

Next is a card from the island of Malta, however the card itself shows a view of the island of Filfla. It is a barren, uninhabited islet south of Malta. In the past it was used as a practice area for bombing runs by British and U.S. forces. Unexploded bombs still litter its waters. 

Jean Pierre used 2 of 4 stamps in a set of Autobuses, issued in 2022. 

Now here's another Caribbean island. I'm not sure what the name of the island is or if it even has a name. This is where Sint Maarten and Saint Martin are located. Sint Maarten, part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is a country on the southern part of a Caribbean island shared with Saint Martin, a French overseas collectivity. The capital of Sint Maarten is Philipsburg and that's where the cruise ship terminal is located. That is the focus of David's card. 

 

David's stamp is 1 of 6 issued in a 2023 mini-sheet featuring Butterflies. 

Bonaire is up next. It lies off Venezuela’s coast in the southern Caribbean. Bonaire is a Caribbean island in the Leeward Antilles. Officially it is termed a special Dutch municipality. 

David used 1 of 6 stamps in a 2023 mini-sheet of Butterflies. 

It time for the last island  for this update. Reunion. La Réunion, officially Department of La Réunion, is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. Réunion Island located in the Indian Ocean, is known for its volcanic, rainforested interior, coral reefs and beaches. Its most iconic landmark is Piton de la Fournaise, a climbable active volcano standing 2,632m (8,635 ft.).

This card from Jean Pierre shows another Flamboyant tree.. 

Again since Reunion is a French Department a French stamp was used. It was issued in 2024 and shows a Bird of Paradise flower. 

That is the end of my island update. Thanks for the cards go out to Jean Pierre, David, and Ana. Of the 6 islands featured I have been to 3 of them, I am going to 1 of them in Nov and Reunion is on my bucket-list. 

 

Newfoundland Towns, Concorde , a Tu154 and a Cathedral in Marseille

   Blog # 1620--- Day 862 of the Current  ( Second ) Russian Invasion of Ukraine 

                                                     GLORY TO UKRAINE            

            Hey there, how are things going today. I`m back with a few more cards to show .    I want to start with a couple of cards from my home province of Newfoundland and Labrador, These are the latest additions to my Postcards with Postmarks of Newfoundland and Labrador Towns Collection. 

First up is this card showing The Cable Station Museum in Heart`s Content, a town in Trinity Bay on the Bay de Verde Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador, The population on a good day is around 350 people. Heart's Content was given its place in the history of international communications by Cyrus West Field who chose it as the terminus of his Transatlantic telegraph cable, leading to establishment of the Heart`s Content Cable Station. On July 24, 1877 a transatlantic cable was landed at Heart`s Content by the SS Great Eastern.  This little Newfoundland town leaped into the history books and remained a global communications hub for over a century. And the station is now a museum.

There is a great Heart cancelation on the Total Solar Eclipse stamp that was issued in March of this year. 

So Heart`s Content is number 47 of my Newfoundland Towns collection. Now if I could only get Heart`s Delight, Heart`s Desire and Little Heart`s Ease. Lots of Hearts to come from Newfoundland. 

My second Newfoundland town for today is Gander. Gander is a town located in the northeastern part of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Gander was built around its airport . The airport was started in 1935 , with an air force base started in 1936. The airport saw its first landing in January of 1938. During the second world war fighter planes and bombers in the thousands stopped enroute to Europe. After the war, Gander ( YQX) became a major refuelling stop and earned its name `Cross-roads of the World `. 

When the U.S. closed its airspace after the September 11 attacks , Gander International Airport took in 38 commercial aircraft and four military aircraft, and accommodated nearly 6,700 evacuees from Olympic Airways, Air France, Lufthansa, British Airways, Alitalia and more. Many of those aircraft are pictured on my first Gander card. 

Most of the streets in Gander are named after famous aviators, including Alcock and Brown, Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, Eddie Rickenbacker, Marc Garneau and Chuck Yeager.

That`s a Gander in the top right corner by the way. 

The Gander RPO staff cancelled this card and with a round Canada Post Gander circular postmark. The stamp is an endangered Frog from the April 2024 issue. 

 Thus Gander is town number 48 of my Newfoundland Towns collection. 

I have one other Gander card to show here. It`s a great picture of Concorde F-WTSA in British Airways livery on the ramp in Gander . This Concorde had its maiden flight on January 10, 1973. On June 17th, 1974    F-WTSA took off from Boston’s Logan Airport at the same time as an Air France 747 took off from Paris. The Concorde flew to Paris, spent over an hour on the ground and got back to Boston before the 747 arrived. 

Here are some numbers for F-WTSA  :

Hours Flown - 657

 

Total Flights - 314

 

Landings – 314

 

Supersonic Flights – 189

 

Total Supersonic hours - 280 hrs 49mins

F-WTSA was the  fourth Concorde aircraft to be manufactured and her final flight was between Toulouse and Paris Orly was on May 20th1976. This Concorde has now been preserved and is on display at Musee Delta, Orly Airport, Paris. 

Morgan used a 2024 Canada Post Community Foundation stamp on this card.

 

This next card arrived from France and shows the Cathedral of Marseille , a Roman Catholic cathedral and a national monument in the city. The cathedral open in November 1893 and is 146 m long, the main dome is 70 m high and 18m in diameter.

Dominique used a stamp from 1963 on this card. It shows an Archimede Class Submarine. 

It`s time now for the last card for today. It arrived from Uzbekistan and just happened to be an aircraft airline  card. Here we see an Uzbekistan Airways Tu154-B2, registered as UK 85600 , on the ramp at Tashkent in May of 1994.UK 85600 first saw service with Aeroflot Soviet Airlines back in 1984. Then in 1989 it flew with Abakan-Avia , Ariana Afghan Airlines in 1989, and finally Uzbekistan Airlines from 1992 to 1994. Then it was stored and finally scrapped in 2015.  

Jean Pierre and Rafal sent this card and used 2 stamps. On the left is a stamp from a souvenir sheet of 4 issued 2022, even though dated 2021. .The sheet showcased History items. The right stamp , from 2020, showed Bukhara, Cultural Capital of the Islamic world. 

 As I mentioned earlier , that`s all for today. Thanks for cards go out to Dominique, Heart`s Content Post Office, Gander Post Office,  and Jean Pierre & Rafal. 

My next update will profile Islands. . So if you have any interest in Islands, drop by and see if your favourite island is mentioned. 

CANADA DAY * Nbr 157

 Well folks , it`s   CANADA DAY  and I`m celebrating , since I`m a proud Canadian.  I want to wish all Canadians , home and away a wonderful Canada Day.  Locally, today`s events included a pancake breakfast at city hall, a Canada Day Parade, a multicultural festival and later this evening we have Canada Day Fireworks.  

Let me just highlight some of the things that make me proud to be a Canadian. We have Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Choice, Free Medical Care, Northern Lights, Cultural Diversity, Maple Syrup, The Canada Pension Plan, Lacrosse, Hockey, Our Flag - The Maple Leaf, Terry Fox, The World's Longest Undefended Border , Free Public Restrooms, Tim Hortons, Ketchup Chips, The Canadian Passport - it lets me travel to 172 countries without a visa, I'm proud of Gander - re 9/11, Stompin Tom Connors. We ban most guns not Kinder Surprises, unlike our neighbours to the south. And finally, just let me say, in my humble opinion, My Canada is one of the Best places to live on this Earth. 

Here`s two good views of Canadian symbols. 

How about this one :

I think you get my drift here .  Canada Day 2024 --  another great day to be a Canadian. 

Sao Miguel, Valence, Turkey Map, La Cap d` Agde, The Baths, and A Beer Coaster Postcard

   Blog # 1618--- Day 857 of the Current  ( Second ) Russian Invasion of Ukraine 

                                                                      GLORY TO UKRAINE

Well here I am back on the blog. It`s been quite a while. I had an impromtu  trip to Newfoundland, a death of a family member, my oldest grand-son graduated from high-school  and I had technical  problems here. I started a blog about a week ago, had difficulties and lost it all. So this is a restart of that. 

Let`s start with this unique card , at least unique to me and my collection. It`s a card from Mid Island, New York. The card is actually a beer coaster from the Broome Street Bar , located in the heart of SOHO, N.Y.  Beer coaster postcards, that`s a great idea. If anyone has a beer postcard and doesn`t know what to do with it, now you do - send it my way. 

Matthew sent this card, at least I hope I got his name right, since the U.S. Postal Service saw fit to put a barcode right over his name. He wrote that he is a fan of my blog. A fact, I didn`t know. Matthew also sends and collects postcards. Mastthew if you send your name and address , I`ll sent a card your way. 

My email - glennemoores(at)gmail.con ---- My at symbol is not working at the moment. 

Here is the stamp used on this card. It`s a Global Forever Flower stamp from 2020. 

 

Card nbr 2 for today arrived from Ponta Delgada, in the Azores. Ponta Delgada , on Sao Miguel island is the capital of the Azores archipelago of Portugal. David`s card shows us a partial view of the village of Caloura . The card gives a fantastic location for a pool , built into the ocean. 

 

2 stamps arrived on this card. On the left, from 2023 is a Europa Peace Stamp. The right stamp, also from 2023, is stamp showcasing Etnobotanica in Portugal . Both stamps are Azores issues. 

Now here`s a card from Valence, France. Valence is the gateway to the south of France. It is home to St. Apollinaire Cathedral which dates from the 11th century. 

Meelis used a small selection of Marianne stamps along with a 2023 stamp celebrating the Council of Europe  United For Ukraine. 

My next card arrived from Istanbul, Turkey. It`s a nice map card of the country. 

                                  

Ravindra used 2 stamps on his card, one of which is shaped like an open book. The book shaped stamp was is
sued in 2023 under the theme Ecological Literature. The other stamp was issued in 2024, with the theme of Tea Culture.

.

Next up is this card from Cap d`Agde, a seaside resort on the Mediterranean coast of France.  In 1973 one of the beaches in the area was officially designated as a naturist beach. The naturist beach (where nudity is technically mandatory) has a length of about 2 kilometres (1 mile) and is about 30 metres (100 feet) wide. Sand and water are of good quality, varying from 16 to 22 °C (61 to 72 °F). The Naturist Village continued to prove a popular resort and it developed a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. There were so many German visitors that the Post Office even had a designated postbox for letters and postcards being sent to Germany.

Jobbo used a large stamp from last year. It is dedicated to French Impressionist Painter Eva Gonzales. 

I finally made it, here`s the last card for today. It arrived from Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Jean Pierre`s card shows The Baths in Virgin Gorda, B.V.I.  The Baths at Virgin Gorda is a natural wonder, featuring boulders and caverns that make up a maze that leads to secret rock pools and the famous Cathedral Room, a natural pool inside a small cave.

Two stamps arrived on Jean Pierre`s card. On the left , from 2008, is 1 of 4 in a set issued for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games . The right stamp, from 1998, is also 1 of 4 celebrating 80 years of the Royal Air Force.

Well that`s the update for this time. Thanks for dropping in. Thanks for today`s cards go out to David, Meelis, Ravindra, Jobbo, Jean Pierre and Matthew.

A Mixed Bag

    Blog # 1617--- Day 823 of the Current  ( Second ) Russian Invasion of Ukraine 

                                                                      GLORY TO UKRAINE

Hey it's Friday --  time for another update of The Blog. The first card for today is from Taiwan. It shows Yinshan Temple. It is the only fully preserved Hakka temple in Taiwan. The temple opened in 1922 on Denggong Rd , one of the first streets in New Taipei City. 

Yun Ting sent this card and used a stamp of which I couldn't find any info. 

Next up is a card from Switzerland. Deicing at Zurich Airport. Deicing of aircraft is the process of removing surface frost, ice or frozen contaminants on aircraft surfaces before an aircraft takes off.

Meelis used 3 copies of a 2022 River definitive. It is 1 of a set of 5. 

Today's 3rd card arrived from Spain. It's a hillside look at the small village of Aristot, located in Catalonia, Spain. It has about 30 inhabitants and is found at 1,223 metres above sea level. 

 Josep and Assumpta used a stamp from 2023 on this card. The large stamp celebrated Mediterranian Festivals. 

Now it's over to Poland to have a look at Dobczyce, a town of just over 6300 people in Southern Poland. The town is quite old, it obtained its town charter in 1310. The town has a partially rebuilt castle and ruins of a defensive wall, both dating to the 14th century. 

 Ana used a couple of stamps on her card. The left stamp is from 2021 and celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the reactivation of Caritas Poland. The right stamp, from last year, celebrates the Polish town of Garwolin.

Bosnia & Herzegovina is the subject of this next card. Alena's card shows a depiction of the Koski Mehmed Pasa Mosque in the city of Mostar, from where this card was posted. The Ottoman architecture styled mosque was opened in 1618.

Alena's stamp was issued in 2016 and shows Panonska Lake.

Well I haven't profiled an aircraft / airline card in quite some time, so it's time for this one. It's a Condor  Boeing 767, registered as D-ABUY. It was delivered new to Condor, a German airline on 30 July 1991. After leaving Condoe in 1993, this B767 saw service with Air Europe Italy, Air Afrique, Volare Airlines, Sobelair, Dutch Caribbean Airlines and finally El Al Israel Airlines from  March of 2004 until Feb 2019 when it was stored. Then in September 2020 it met its fate, the scrape heap. 

Ravindra used these stamps on his card. The top stamp was issued in 2023. It celebrates Diplomatic Relations between Sri Lanka and Egypt.  The other two stamps ,from 2020 , are 2 in a set of 3 showing Ancient Maps.

This is a good spot to end off this update. Thanks for dropping in. Thanks for cards go out to Yun Ting, Meelis, Josep and Assumpta, Ana, Alena, and Ravindra. 

Cheers !