Canal du Midi, Cairo Mosques and the Trump Shuttle

BLOG   1495 ---  Year 2 of Covid

Hello again. I don`t have many cards for this update, just 2 . It`s just that I want to get this update in before ``you know who`` leaves office tomorrow. I haven`t had much political content on this blog at all, so I`ll just be making a small comment at the end. I think it will suffice. 

My first card is from France. It`s a look at Canal du Midi, a 240 km long canal in southern France. The canal was at one time considered one of the greatest construction works of the 17th century. It connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea. The canal was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996. 

Dominique used a large stamp from 2015 on this card. It is 1 of 2 stamps issued in a Joint Issue with Mexico. The stamps celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Death of Gilberto Bosques Saldvar, Mexican diplomate and former militant in the Mexican Revolution. Gilberto is credited with saving thousands of lives in World War II. As I mentioned the stamps celebrate the 20th anniversary of death, but I prefer to think of it as the 123rd Anniversary of Gilberto`s Birth. But that`s just me !

My second card arrived from Cairo, Egypt. It`s a look at two mosques in the city. The Muhammad Ali Mosque, located in the Citadel of Cairo was completed in 1848. The Al Hussein Masque was originally built in 1154. It was later reconstructed in 1874. It is located on one of the holiest Islamic sites in Egypt. 

 Jean Pierre used a small definitive from 2017 along with 2 stamps issued in 2020. They were issued for the Combat Corona Campaign - A Tribute to the White Army.  

I know many countries have issued stamps to bring attention to Covid-19 but this is the first I have received. 

Now before I end off today, I want to show an old picture I recently came across. The picture doesn`t need much comment as you can see. It wasn`t a great way for a flight to end and when I looked at it, the only thing that came to mind was the way his presidency is ending tomorrow. The Trump Shuttle crashed on landing and his presidency just about crashed and burned. A little history repeating itself ! 

Well that`s all I have for this time. Thanks to Dominique and Jean Pierre for the cards. Be sure to tune in again soon for my next installment. 

We`re still all in it so, wear a mask, wash your hands and keep your distance. Get your vaccine when you can. 

Pals, Seville and Bonnieux

BLOG # 1494

Hey there. I'm back with a few more cards that arrived the past few days. This time I have one from France and two from Spain. Let's start with this one from Seville , Spain. It's a look at The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See, commonly called Seville Cathedral and La Giralda tower. This Roman Catholic cathedral was built between 1401 and 1528. It is the 4th largest church in the world. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987. The bell tower, perhaps the city's most well known symbol, is 104.5 m high. The Giralda is the former minaret of the mosque that stood on the site under Muslim rule. 

  

Jean Pierre used a 2020 stamp highlighting International LGBTQ Pride Day. The card received a wonderful postmark on 3 November showing the Giralda. 

My second card is a look at an old fountain in Bonnieux, a commune in southeastern France. This fountain in the square of Bonnieux is one of several located among the 19th century houses, ancient stone walls and medieval fortifications of the town. 

Dominique used a fairly old stamp on this card. It was issued in 1974 and I remember that year well. My Lovely Teena and I were married in 1974. The stamp was issued for the opening of Charles de Gaulle Airport. This stamp with the Concorde flying over the airport will be a nice addition to my Aviation stamp collection. 

Here now is the last card for today. It's a small look at Pals, a beautiful Medieval village in northern Spain in Catalonia region. The tower on the postcard was built between the 11th and 13th centuries. Known as the Tower of the Hours , it is a 15 metre high clock tower. 

This card was sent by Josep & Assumpta and it arrived with two stamps from 2020.

 The left stamp is 1 of 2 issued to celebrate the 6th DiSello Competition, a National Stamp Design Competition.The larger right stamp is 1 of 3 showcasing Museums. Shown is the Museum of Human Evolution , located in Burgos, Spain. 

Josep & Assumpta have a great postcard blog and you can check it out right here. 

Well that's my blog for today. Thanks for today's postcards go out to Jean Pierre, Dominique and Josep & Assumpta. 

I have exhausted my cards now and will have to wait for a few to arrive. Good luck to me on that. 

See you soon, but before I go --- wear a mask, wash your hands and keep your distance. That way, it's not only yourself you are keeping safe, but others too. Remember we're all in this together. 

The First Cards of 2021 Happy New Year

BLOG  1493 

Well it`s that time - time to showcase the first cards of the new year , 2021. I received two cards yesterday and one card today. But before I get to them, let me take this opportunity to wish you all Happy New Year. It can only be better than 2020 turned out. 

I don`t have fireworks to celebrate but here goes  --   Happy New Year, Bonne Annee, Feliz Ano Nuevo, Buon Anno, Frohes Neues Jahr, Gelukkig Nieuwjaar, Gezuar Vitin E Ri, and Bon Any Nou . 

Languages are not my strong point , so hopefully I have those right, if not leave a comment and let me know. If I left your language out, let me know that too. 

Now on to the cards. First up is this Merry Christmas - Happy New Year card from Belgium. 

Gerda posted this card on Dec 10 and it arrived on Jan 5. It arrived with the 2 Christmas stamps that were issued on Oct 26th. 

Gerda has a wonderful postcard blog called My Postcard-Page and you can find it right here .

My second card arrived from Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. Posted on Dec 17, it arrived on Jan 5th. It`s a look at a Santa and Christmas themed manhole cover. If you can make the scan out, it looks like a Santa and a Reindeer. The manhole cover is located at Awone Shirakami Jyuniko Resort, which used to be Santa Land Iwasaki in Aomori Prefecture , Japan. The resort, with its Finnish style cottages , is located at the foot of Mt. Shirakami in the beautiful Tsugaru Quasi-National Park. 

 Barbara used an assortment of stamps on her card and I`ll just talk about the three on the top. The left stamp is 1 of 10 , issued in 2007 , to celebrate December. The middle stamp , from 2004 , is also from a set of 10 self adhesive Christmas stamps, The right stamp, again 1 of 10, is a 2020 Christmas stamp. 

 It is important to note that Barbara took the picture of the manhole in 2019 and also designed the card . Good job indeed. 

This next card, the final one for today, is another photographed and designed by Barbara. This one took a little longer to reach me. Posted on Nov 14, it arrived today Jan 6th. 

This card shows the former Amsterdam Main Post Office, built in 1895-99. It is now the home of Magna Plaza shopping mall. The slots in the wall that you see, served as mailboxes for `domestic `, `city `, and `international ` mail. 

Barbara used a 2020 Europa stamp - Ancient Postal Routes. It is from a set of 2. 

Well there it is, my first update for 2021. Thanks to Gerda and Barbara for the cards today. 

Look for me to be live here again soon.  Take care, stay safe.

The year has changed but my message is still the same . Wear a mask, wash your hands and keep your distance and you won`t go wrong. 

The Last Cards of 2020 - Goodbye, So Long , Farewell

BLOG # 1492 -- Still In The Time of Covid

Well we made it to the end of the year , I can't say I'm sad to see 2020 end. I only hope for better things in 2021. When I wrote yesterday's blog, I had 3 cards left for today. Well one card arrived today, so now I have four for this time. Of course the one that arrived today, is the last card for 2020. 

My first two cards are from Berlin, Germany. Both are Aviation themed cards and welcome additions to my Aircraft & Airlines card collection. The first one shows a Lufthansa Regional Bombardier CRJ900. Registered as D-ACKB this aircraft is 14.6 years old and was built in Montreal. It's last flight was on 12 Nov of this year and it's present status is  " parked " . Not sure if this is due to lack of flights due covid or if it is parked permanently. 

I received this card from Jean Pierre via Rafal in Berlin. Rafal used an ATM stamp along with a stamp from 2015. It commemorates the 175th  Anniversary of the world's first stamp, the Penny Black.

My second card shows a Germanwings Airbus A319. This aircraft D-AKNH had its first flight with Eurowings in 1998. It flew with Germanwings from 2002 until 2009. It saw service with a number of airlines since 2009 before ending up again with Eurowings in 2017. D-AKNH has been stored now since 2019. 

 Again this one is from Jean Pierre via Rafal. It has another ATM stamp along with 2 others. The left stamp was issued in 2017 and commemorates the 1000th Anniversary of the city of Neunburg worm Wald. The right stamp shows Naumburg Cathedral and was issued in 2017.

Time now for the third card, from France. It's a look at the old stone bridge in the commune of Lagrasse in the Southern part of the country. In 2016 Lagrasse had a population of 560 and has been labelled as one of the most beautiful villages in France. The Lagrasse Bridge crosses the Orbieu River and was built in the 13th century. The abbey in the background is much older dating from the 7th century. 

Dominique used a stamp from 2015, celebrating French military officer Jacques II de Chabannes. 

Here it is -- the last card for today, and the last of the week, the month, and the year. Some may even say the last of the decade. I know, some say the decade is already one year old, others say a new decade starts tomorrow. I believe one has to remember that there was no year zero . If you believe that , then decades start with a 1 and the new decade starts tomorrow. What do you think , leave me a comment and let me know. 

Fittingly this last card is also an addition to my Aircraft & Airlines collection.  It`s a HOP! Embraer 170. HOP! is an Air France regional airline with its headquarters in Nantes Airport. Aircraft F-HBXN is 16.6 years old and saw service with 2 other airlines previous to HOP!. 

  This last card is from Jean Pierre and he used a semi-postal stamp from 1992. The surcharge was for the Red Cross. 

That`s it, blog number 53 for 2020. Thanks for today`s card go to Jean Pierre, along with Rafal and Dominique. 

Along with Jean Pierre and Dominique I need to thank Ana, Johan, Gerda, Indrit, Josep & Assumpta, Bruce, Meelis, Jobbo, Barbara, Isa and Mike & Ashley for all the cards they have sent along this past year. Oh and I can`t forget My Lovely Teena, she has sent along a few to me as well. Without people like these I most likely wouldn`t have a blog. So Thank You one and all. 

So , so long 2020 , it really hasn`t been a pleasure, but I`m hoping for Big things in 2021. 

Until then- wear your mask, wash your hands and keep your distance.  

All Belgium Cards

BLOG # 1491  -   In The Year of Covid

How's it going today, the year is finally winding down, thankfully. I know of course that the early part of 2021 won't look much different than what we have now. But we got to have hope. 

Well my blog production is down somewhat for this past year. Actually it is the lowest it has been since the first year , but I only blogged 2 months in 2007. I definitely have to  and intend to do better in 2021. I guess I will make that a resolution. 

I have three cards for today, all are from Belgium, all the stamps received a First Day of Issue cancellation and all are from Johan. So thank you so much Johan. 

First let's have a look at this card showing a 1956 illustration by Roger Wilkerson, called Winter Fun. I see skating, skiing, tobogganing and hockey. Something for everyone. 

Johan used 1 of 2 Christmas stamps issued on Oct 26th.

Johan's second card shows a 1947 photo of Saint Nicolas riding along on a motorbike. Everyone knows the story of Saint Nick, or some version of it, depending on where you live.   Also , on the  back of the motorbike is Pere Fouettard, not a character that I'm going to talk about here . 

Belgium also issued 2 other Christmas stamps showing Spiced or Ginger Biscuits. Here is 1 of those 2 .

Here is the last card for today. It's a look at a large collection of mushrooms. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. 

And the stamp also shows a mushroom, it is 1 of 5 stamps in the set. 

 
 Very nice cancellations on all stamps. 

There you have it, a small update today. Thanks again Johan for all 3 cards. I hope to make it back here again tomorrow to show the final cards of 2020. Hope to see you then. Take care now, stay safe. 

Wear your mask, wash your hands and keep your distance. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2020

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL

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.














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Christmas Stamps, Air France and Postage Due

BLOG # 1489 -  In the Time of Covid

Hello again, here I am with three cards this time and they arrived from Ottawa, Canada along with France and Hong Kong.

My first card was received from Canada Post. The card shows a 1960s painting by Maud Lewis called Family and Sled. It can be found in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. This painting is the subject of Canada's international rate Christmas stamp. Two other of Lewis' works are also the subject of two other of Canada's Christmas stamps - Winter Sleigh Ride for the domestic Canada rate and Team of Oxen in Winter for the transborder U.S. rate. Here's a look at the card. 

  This is a postage paid card with the International Christmas stamp inscribed on it. 

Now here's a look at the three Christmas stamp showing Maud Lewis' work.

Canada also issued , as it always does, a single religious themed Christmas stamp, featuring a Nativity scene. . Have a look at it . 

That's the story of Canada's Christmas stamps for 2020. 

Here's a fun fact - Canada issued the first Christmas stamp in the world. It was way back in 1898, Canada issued the two cent Mercator Map stamp, with the words XMAS 1898. Here have a look --

 

I think that's your history lesson for today, now on to postcards. 

My second card is from France and it shows an Air France poster from 1964. It says that Air France was the world's largest airline at that time. I think American Airlines might have that title now, at least before Covid. 

Jean Pierre used a semi-postal stamp from 1989. It highlights a Quimper or Brittany Ware plate .The surcharge benefitted the Red Cross. 

The last card for today is from Hong Kong. It's a look at Endless Summer, - not exactly what I see looking out my window now. I see East Lake frozen solid, Kids sliding down hill and more kids playing ice hockey on an outdoor rink. Not to mention winter starts in two days. 

Kristie used a  , sorry no she didn't , this card arrived without a stamp ,  funny how that happens. The marking on the card shows what I think might indicate that postage was due. Well no one collected it, I didn't pay . I guess Hong Kong Post is out a little. 

That ends today's update Three cards , two stamps. Thanks for cards go to Canada Post, Jean Pierre and Kristie. 

Things are looking up a little, vaccines are rolling out but we still have to wear a mask, stay home, wash your hands and keep your distance.