The Fogo Island Inn, Lake Norman, A Real Beauty, Another Beauty The Maldives, Ladies and Their Umbrellas, and More

    Blog # 1596 --- Day  578 of the Current  ( Second ) Russian Invasion of Ukraine

                                                                      GLORY TO UKRAINE       

Hello once again. Here's a few more cards to peruse. I'll start with four cards and if time permits, maybe I'll add another one or two. First up is the latest addition to my Postmarks of Towns of Newfoundland postcard collect. Here is item number 46 of that collection. Joe Batt's Arm --- a town located on Fogo Island, which is situated off the coast of Newfoundland Island. The town was named after a crewmember of Captain James Cook who jumped ship in 1763 in order to stay in the area. Joe Batt's Arm currently has a population of around a thousand. 

My card shows the Fogo Island Inn as it  sits on an island, off an island, at one of the four corners of the Earth. The 29 room Inn is a community asset, and 100% of operating surpluses are reinvested into the community to help secure a sustainable and resilient future for Fogo Island, Newfoundland. The 43,000 square-foot Inn is perched on stilts and hugs the North Atlantic coastline, affording all 29 rooms with floor-to-ceiling views of sea and sky. Two floors of guest rooms sit atop the Inn’s stilts, a distinct nod to traditional outport fishing stages. 

Charmaine and Cory were two guests at the Inn recently and they sent this card out to me. The postage used is a Canadian personal postage stamp showing a night view of the Fogo Island Inn. Note the clear Joe Batt's Arm cancellation. 

This second card is from Sherri who hails from the Lake Norman area of  North Carolina. She actually lives in Mooresville. I had asked her if she could send me a card from Mooresville and have it postmarked Mooresville. I figured that might be the closest I could receive a card from that had some significance to my name Moores. It didn't quite work out. Sherri sent a map card with Mooresville shown on it but I guess the town is too small to have its own cancellation. It ended up getting cancelled in Charlotte, N.C. At least she tried and I'm grateful for that. 

Sherri used the 2022 African Daisy Round Forever stamp.

Next up is this card showing a picture of Louise Brooks, legendary American actress, dancer and author. This beauty was an icon of the flapper culture, no doubt in part to her bob hairstyle. 

Lisa used a 2016 Charity stamp featuring Little Red Riding Hood. 

The Maldives --- who wouldn't want to be there at least once. I know I would, even if it is the lowest lying country in the world, with its highest point at 5.1 metres . I'm used to the Canadian Rockies , with heights up to 3,954 m. Big difference. The picture on the card sure looks great , come February or March.

Nanni sent this card and used a stamp featuring a Giant Trevally. 

Well that's the four I mentioned but I have time for another one from Estonia. 

Melis sent this card showing the first hydroelectric plant in the Baltics. Kunda hydroelectric power plant was build in 1893 on the rapids of the river of Kunda to supply electricity to the cement factory and is the first hydroelectric power plant in the Baltics with a 240-horsepower turbine.

Meelis used a nice selection of stamps on this card. The left stamp was issued in 2015 to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Tartu University Observatory. The middle stamp, from 2019, celebrates the 150th Anniversary of St. Peter's Congregation in Tartu. The stamp on the right celebrates the children's book Sipsik by Eno Raud. It was issued in 2023. 

I'm watching the clock here and still have time for another. This one arrived from the Netherlands. It sort of reminds me of a card I received from Viet Nam a couple of years ago. Franciska's card shows 3 ladies beach-walking wearing just their umbrellas , so as not to get too much sun. 

  

The Viet Nam card I mentioned had 5 ladies walking in Ben Tranh Market square, albeit fully clothed. 

Franciska used 4 stamps on her card. The stamps on the left are from a set of 5 issued in 2009 ,celebrating Talented Netherlands Athletes and their Mentors. . The 2 on the right are from a minisheet of 5 Locomotive stamps issued in 2005. 

Dare me to do one more. Go ahead , dare me. All right already. Here it is.

From France, it's a look at the vines in the early morning, in Aude,  a French department in the Occitanie region , located in the South of the country. 

Dominique used a relativity new stamp here. It celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Death of Pierre Loti, or as I like to say, the 173rd Anniversary of the Birth of Pierre Loti. Loti was a French navel office, a novelist and a travel writer. 

Well that's all folks, that's all I have for this time. Big thanks going out to Dominique, Franciska, Meelis, Nanni, Lisa, Sherri and Charmaine & Cory.

Thanks for dropping in  , see you next time. 

A Hong Kong Junk, Air Europa, Bruges, Sibenik, Notre Dame , Rathlin Island Puffins and a Public Warning

                              Blog # 1595 --- Day  566 of the Current  ( Second ) Russian Invasion of Ukraine

                                                                      GLORY TO UKRAINE       

 Yes I have been away from my blog for quite some time now. I have had some technical problems and as my wife knows , I am not a technical person. I managed to cobble things back in a somewhat working order and hopefully I can get through and put up something to read and look at. It's not 100 percent yet but I hope to get there soon. 

I have received many cards since my last entry here. They arrived from from many countries, sent by many wonderful people, including Ana, Dominique, Barbara, Jean Pierre, Robert, Josep & Assumpta, Michi, David, Meelis, and Henning, along with a large group of Postcrossers.  Don't worry, I will post your cards on The Blog eventually. 

Now on to postcards. First is this night view of Sibenik, Croatia showing St. Michael's Fortress high atop the hill and Sibenik Cathedral over on the far right. The cathedral , known as St. Jacob's Cathedral was inducted to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 2000. The city of around 35,000 is located on the Adriatic coat of the country. Three episodes of the fifth season of Game of Thrones were filmed in the city. Another interesting fact about Sibenik  -- On August 28, 1895 the city became the world's first city with alternating current-powered street lights.  

Ana used a 2020 stamp from a set of 3 showing Natural Wonders of Croatia. 

My next card is from France and shows Notre Dame Cathedral on a good day before the fire of 2019. Work appears to be progressing well and it is scheduled to start welcoming visitors again in December  2024. Let's hope so. 

 Dminique used a stamp from this year. It features Madam de la Fayette, French writer. She authored La Princesse de Cleves, France's first historical novel and on of the earliest novels in all literature. 

My next card is from Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The island is Northern Ireland's northernmost point and had a population of 141 in 2021. David's card  shows the island's puffins. Between April and August Rathlin Island is home to Northern Ireland's largest colony of Atlantic Puffins. 

David used 2 stamps from the 2023 set of 10 showcasing River Wildlife. 

A likeness of a 1915 British poster with a public warning is the subject of Barbara's card.  It compares British and German aircraft and gives advise on what to do if you spot any of them. I guess that was a good way to communicate during the first war. 

Barbara used 2 stamps from a 2023 minisheet of 9 , called The Journey to the Moon. 

It's time for an Airline/Aircraft card. Here we have an Air Europa Airbus A340, registered as EC-JGU, on the tarmac in Madrid in 2006. This aircraft was originally delivered to Air France in Oct 1993. Then it saw service with Ait Tahiti Nui in Nov 1998, Air Bourbon in May 2003, Air Europa in Apr 2005 and finally ConViasa in Mar of 2007. Since then EC-GGU has been stored a number of times in 2013, 2014, 2015-2020  and finally 2022 to the present. 

Jean Pierre used a Spanish stamp from 2006. It was issued for the Sanlucar de Barrameda Horse Race. 

The wonderful city of Bruges is showcased on this next card. Actually it's the Rosary Quay - perhaps the most photographed place in the city. Located on a sharp bend of the Dijver Canal it offers the best view in Bruges. 

    Josep and Assumpta used King Philippe World stamp on their card.

Here's the last card for today. It arrived from Hong Kong. It's a great view of a Junk, the traditional three-masted  wooden boat with red sails. 

 Henning used 2 stamps , both issued in 2022. The smaller, shorter one is 1 of 6 showcasing Local Snacks of Kong Kong. The longer stamp is 1 of 6 in a unique minisheet issued for The Hong Kong Palace Museum. I think the minisheet is one I want to add to my collection. 

 

That's all for today. Thanks to Josep and Assumpta, Ana, Dominique, Barbara, Jean Pierre and Henning for the great cards and great stamps. 

FYI - my next update will definitely be sooner than later.  Take care.

Urquhart Castle, Baiona, Nancy, Baden-Baden, The Dongsha Atoll, Arrowtown, Gibraltar Cable Car and a couple of Aircraft/Airlines

   Blog # 1594 --- Day  525 of the Current  ( Second ) Russian Invasion of Ukraine 

                      

                                                                  GLORY TO UKRAINE         

Welcome back to The Blog. I have a bunch of cards from Dominique and a bunch from Jean Pierre along with a couple others to have a look at this time around. 

First up is this card showing Urquhart Castle . Urquhart Castle is a ruined castle that sits beside Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland. The castle is 21 kilometres south-west of Inverness and 2 kilometres east of the village of Drumnadrochit. The present ruins date from the 13th to the 16th centuries, though built on the site of an early medieval fortification. Founded in the 13th century, Urquhart played a role in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century. Loch Ness is a large freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately 37 kilometres southwest of Inverness. It takes its name from the River Ness, which flows from the northern end.  Loch Ness is best known for claimed sightings of the Loch Ness Monster. 

Dominique used a United Kingdom Universal Mail International Postcard stamp showing The Heavy Horse. It was issued in 2009. 

This next card arrived from Baiona. Baiona is a town and municipality in the province of Pontevedra, autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It's a tourist town with a medieval historical center situated by the outlet of the Vigo Bay. Its population of just over 11,000 rises to around 45,000 in summer, if one includes the tourists. Dominique`s card shows a replica of La Pinta in Baiona. 

A nice large stamp from this year was used on this card. It was issued and marked the 160th Anniversary of the Birth of Spanish portrait and landscape painter.

 

Here`s another card from Nancy, in France. It`s a nice view of the Saint Epvre basilica. It was built between 1864 and 1871 in the neo-Gothic style. 

Dominique used a 2023 stamp showing a bike. 

The 4th card from Dominique shows a portion pf Baden-Baden. This is a spa town in southwestern Germany`s Black Forest near the border with France. The steeple atop the buildings on the card is part of the Church of Our Dear Lady. 

The stamp used on this one was issued in 2022 to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Otto Braun, a long time Prime Minister of Prussia. 

My next card is from Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. Here we have a bird's eye view of Dongsha Atoll, a circular atoll 25 kilometres in diameter with a tropical monsoon climate. It has a reef table of about 46km long and 2km wide, which emerges at low tide. Dongsha Atoll (also known as the Pratas Islands), is the northernmost atoll in the South China Sea. 

Yun Ting used one half of a 2018 minisheet. The sheet contained 2 different stamps, the Shark stamp and a Green Sea Turtle stamp. 

Now it's a few cards from Jean Pierre. It shows a Fokker 28 in Air Namibia colors. The picture shows it on the ground at Lanseria International Airport, northwest of Johannesburg. Registered as ZS-JAV, this aircraft saw service with 10 different airlines between July 1982 and August 2005. It was part of the Air Namibia fleet from December 2002 until May 2003. The aircraft has been stored since August 2005. 

 

Jean Pierre used 2 Bird stamps on this one. Both are from sets of 5 . The left stamp was issued in 2013 and is a Bird definitive. The right stamp, from 2017, is from a set - Rollers of Namibia. 

Next up is a card from Gibraltar, showing the Gibraltar Cable Car. It's the most exciting way to reach the top of The Rock and you do it in only 6 minutes. From the terraces of the Top Station you can gaze down over the town below, look North towards Sierra Nevada over the Costa del Sol, look East over the blue Mediterranean Sea and South across the Strait of Gibraltar to the Rif Mountains of North Africa. In short you will view 2 continents, 3 countries and the meeting point of 2 great bodies of water. Impressive is not the word!

Jean Pierre used a nice Aviation themed stamp from 2014. It is 1 of 4 in a set showcasing RAF Squadrons.

Terrific cancel on that one. 

Here is another Aircraft / Airline card. It's a Virgin Atlantic Airways B747 photographed at LHR in 1995. The aircraft registration is G-VOYG and it flew for 27.2 years from 1971 until 1999. It had a varied flying history with SAS Scandinavian, Nigeria Airways, British Airways, Caledonian Airways, and finally Virgin Atlantic , where the aircraft was called Shady Lady. 

Shady Lady was stored at GBA in 1998 and later scrapped in 1999. GBA is Cotswold Airport, formally RAF Kemble and once home of the Red Arrows. 

Two stamps on this one. On the left, from 2023, 1 of 10 showing River Wildlife. On the right, from 2017, again 1 of 10 , showing Landmark Buildings - Visionary British Architecture. 

Dink up now, it's the final call , sorry card. It arrived from Greymouth, New Zealand. Ravindra's card shows us a view of Arrowtown , a historic gold mining town in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. Arrowtown is located on the banks of the Arrow River approximately 7.5 km from State Highway 6. Arrowtown is located 19.5 kilometres to the east of Queenstown.

Ravindra used a definitive from 2007 on this card. It is 1 of 7 in a set of Scenic definitives. 

Well I'm done for today. A bit of a long blog here on The Blog. Thanks today go out to Dominique, Yun Ting, Jean Pierre and Ravindra for these cards. See you again soon. 

St. Vincent's - A Newfoundland Town, Grand Turk Beach and One More.

   Blog # 1593 --- Day  521 of the Current  ( Second ) Russian Invasion of Ukraine 

                      

                                                                  GLORY TO UKRAINE         

Welcome back to The Blog. I'll get right to the cards. First up is a card from Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands. It shows the lovely beach right on Front Street, Grand Turk. This is a card My Lovely Teena sent back for me from a cruise we were on in January. We were in Grand Turk on 27 January. 

Teena used 3 stamps on this card. The left stamp , from 1973, is 1 of 15 in a set showing Birds. The other 2 stamps , from a set of 4 WWF stamps,  all showed the Red Tailed Hawk. They were issued in 2007. 

A card posted on January 27, postmarked July 07 and arrived in my mail box yesterday, 28July. Where have you been for the past 6 months ? I guess I should be happy it arrived and I truly am. Well readers cross your fingers because I mailed 12 cards that day in Grand Turk. Now that one has seen the light of day, I just hope the others make it to their destinations around the world. Good luck to you all. 

I'm sure none of you remember that I also collect postcards with Newfoundland town postmarks. I still have many , many  to collect but every now and then one will show up in the mailbox. Just yesterday this one arrived from the town of St. Vincent's. With a population of 340, St. Vincent's history goes back to the early 16th century when French and Portuguese fishermen visited Newfoundland and Labrador. The town is located on a section of highway called the Irish Loop and is famous for humpback whale watching from the 5 km long beach in the area.

The card shows a dory , a popular small boat in Newfoundland. 

  

Orla sent this card, she is the Postmaster in St. Vincent's and she designed the whale cancel that you see . The stamp is a Canada Post Community Foundation semi-postal stamp issued in May of this year. 

My next card is from Japan. It arrived from Yanagawa, a city of just over 71 thousand people. It is popular with tourists because of its 470 km of wide canals. Riverboats take tourists around the city using the canals.  

I'm not sure of the theme of the card but it looks to me  like the puppet is controlling the master. 

Jobbo used this stamp, of which I wasn't able to find any info on. 

And on that note The Blog ends for today. Thanks to My Lovely Teena, Orla and Jobbo for their cards and stamps. 

See you next time.