Eswatini, U.N. Geneva, Nudes in the Mist and Notre Dame des Doms

  BLOG # 1682

- Day 1491 ( That's One Thousand Four Hundred and Ninety One Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second )   Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .   

                                                                              GLORY TO UKRAINE 

Well hello once again. The Hiatus is over. I was away for 23 days ,  jet-lagged for a couple on the return and then it took a week or so to catch up and get back in the normal flow of things. Of course postcards continued to arrive during that period. There were 25 in my mailbox on my return. So here we go.

First up is this card from Ewatini.  Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where it shares a border with Mozambique. On 19 April 2018, Mswati III announced that the Kingdom of Swaziland had been renamed as the Kingdom of Eswatini, reflecting the extant Swazi name for the state eSwatini, to mark the 50th anniversary of Swazi independence. The name Eswatini means "land of the Swazis" in the Swazi language . Pictured on the card are lodgings in Shewulamountain Camp.

David used 2 stamps from 2018. They are from a set of 4 marking Independence. 

 

Now here is the question of the day. Do I call this a new country in my collection or not. I think not , even though this is my first card with Eswatini stamps on it. I am very glad to have it though. My first card from a renamed country. 

My next card is again  from a new place for me but not a new country. It is from the United Nations Post Office in Geneva. I have cards from the Un in New York but this is a first for me from Geneva. There is lots of information about the United Nation n the front of the card. 

Olga sent this card along. She used 2 stamps. The left stamp is from 1982 and issued to show the Un is against apartheid. The right stam was issued in 2010 as a definitive. 

 

This 3rd card arrived from Japan. It is a reproduction of a photo in a book called Love Doll by Kishin Shinoyama. 

It is a rather strange picture , eleven young women standing or sitting , drinking tea, all nude, in the mist. Someone wrote this about the book :  Love dolls, photographed by Kishin Shinoyama, are lifelike which is actually unnerving. They also resemble stuffed animals. They are humanlike, but are not humans. They look alive, but they are not. We doubt our eyes as we are almost deceived. What is more, photographs can depict something fake as real, and depict something real as fake. Photographic truth is not the same as reality. This mysterious property of photography is what Kishin Shinoyama continues to explore. And he is amazed, thrilled and moved each time he does so. Through the lens of his camera, we are taken on an extraordinary journey. From bewilderment to enchantment,  from life to non-life, we are taken on a roller coaster ride . Ok, back to the card. 

Satoe used a 2024 stamp issued for International Letter Writing Week and 1 other which I have not identified.

Here is my last card for this time. It is from France and arrived yesterday. It is a look at the Metropole Notre-Dame des Dome. Notre-Dame-des-Doms Cathedral, located near the Palace of the Popes and the Rocher des Doms, is a Catholic church in Provençal Romanesque style, erected in the 12th century and a minor basilica since 1854. It houses the mausoleum of Pope John XXII and is famous for the golden statue of the Virgin Mary at the top of its bell tower. The bell tower collapsed in 1405 and was rebuilt in 1425. 

Dominique used a stamp issued in 2010 to honor Abbe Pierre. He was a French Catholic priest. He was a member of the Resistance during World War II and deputy of the Popular Republican Movement. In 1949, he founded the Emmaus movement, with the goal of helping poor and homeless people. For several decades, he was one of the most popular public figures in France.

That is all for this time. If you are reading this, Big Thanks for returning to The Blog.

Thanks today go out to Dominique, David, Olga and Satoe. Take care All.

GemsWorldPostcards is on Hiatus

 Hello all your blog readers out there. 

This is to advise that this blog, GemsWorldPostcards is going on a

hiatus. Do not expect any updates until at least March 17th or 18th.

Take care

A Puzzle Postcard, Ile Maurice and Winter Holly Fae.

  BLOG # 1681

- Day 1441 ( That's One Thousand Four Hundred and Forty One Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .   

                                                                              GLORY TO UKRAINE 

Howdy folks, here  I am back here with a few cards to have a look at. I am starting with a couple of late arriving cards with Christmas wishes and New Year wishes. Certainly late due to postal operations. 

The first one is from the Netherlands. It is a pencil drawing by Barbara entitled Winter Holly Fae. Holly is a symbol of protection against evil and a bringer of love, hope and peace. It also brought Christmas and New Year wishes. 

Barbara used 2 Christmas stamps from a set of 10 issued last year. The stamps are part of a collaboration with the Dutch theme park Efteling. 

 

This second card , from France, also brought New Year wishes. Interesting thing about this card is that it is a puzzle. Cool idea. I am not sure if there are other puzzle postcards, but they would make a cool little collection. 

I have included two scans  so you can see the puzzle with a piece missing at the bottom.  

Dominique used a 2025 stamp featuring Alexandre Grothendieck  a German-born French mathematician who became the leading figure in the creation of modern algebraic geometry.

 Card 3 shows a few of the fine beaches on Mauritius Island, the main island of the Republic of Mauritius. Located in the Indian Ocean,  the island was home to the dodo , an endemic species that became extinct less than a century after its discovery, mainly a victim of man. They disappeared around the end of the 17th century.

Jean Pierre used 3 stamps on this card. On the left is a stamp issued in 2025 for World Expo 2025 in Osaka. The middle stamp, from 2017, shows a map of the Chagos Archipelago. The right stamp, from 2018, is 1 of 2 in an Art & Science set. This one highlights Joseph Nicephore Niepce, the Inventor of Photography. 

 Well that is the update for this time. Thanks go to Barbara, Dominique and Jean Pierre. 

Drop in again soon.  Take care.

Metz, Luxembourg, Air Saint Pierre, a Japanese Castle and Torre del Oro

   BLOG # 1680

- Day 1433 ( That's One Thousand Four Hundred and Thirty Three Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .   

                                                                              GLORY TO UKRAINE 

Here we go again , with a few cards to showcase. 

My first card shows the Place de la Republique in Metz, a city in the northeast of France at the  confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is pretty old with a 3,000 year history. This card , sent by Dominique , shows a paved square with fountains , a place for a Christmas market and a winter ice skating rink -- all making up the Place de la Republique.  

 

The stamp on the right was issued in 1970 to mark the European Athletic Games. 

This next card shows an Air Saint Pierre ATR-42 landing at Toulouse in Dec of 2020. The aircraft registration is  F-WWLZ. It was delivered to the airline in 2020 and is still operating there. Air Saint-Pierre is based at Saint-Pierre Airport in the French overseas collectivity of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. It flies up to four round trips a day to the other airport in the collectivity, Miquelon. It makes scheduled services to five airports in Canada, typically operating one to two weekly services to Montreal, three weekly services to St. John's, three to four weekly services to Halifax and two weekly summer services to the Magdalen Islands.

Jean Pierre used 3 stamps on this card. The left stamp was issued in 2025 to mark an overflight of the St Pierre & Miquelon islands by Concorde on 14 July 1975. The middle stamp is 1 of 6 definitives issued in 2016. The right stamp , from 2024, shows Art by Olivier Desvaux. 

Card # 3 is from Nikko, Japan, a 2 hour drive from Tokyo.  It provides a great look at Himeji Castle. Himeji Castle dates to 1333 , and is the largest and most visited castle in Japan, and it was registered in 1993 as one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the country.

Alena sent this card along and wrote that Japan was amazing. She used a number of stamps. As I have mentioned before, I never have much luck with Japan stamps , so I just show them without comment. But of course I do have a little comment to add here. The large item on the right , I think might be a label and not a stamp. It shows The Great Wave off Kanagawa. The Great Wave off Kanagawa is a woodblock print by the Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai, created in late 1831 during the Edo period of Japanese history. The Great Wave off Kanagawa has been described as "possibly the most reproduced image in the history of all art" and  a contender for the "most famous artwork in Japanese history".  Final comment , if it is not yet a stamp , it would make a great one.

Now a card from Seville, Spain. Here we see Torre del Oro, a dodecagonal Military watchtower in Seville, southern Spain. It was erected in order to control access to Seville via the Guadalquivir river. It was constructed during the first third of the 13th century.

Josep and Assumpta used a 2025 stamp showing Domingo del Bonechea, a Spanish Navy officer and explorer. He is known for having tried to incorporate Tahiti into the Spanish Empire.

It has come to that time now, time for the last card of the day. It is one from Luxembourg and the card shows a number of sights and buildings. At center stage is the Monument of Remembrance on Place de la Constitution. It is known as Gelle Fra or the Golden Lady. It is a war memorial in Luxembourg City. It is dedicated to the thousands of Luxembourgers who volunteered for service in the armed forces of the Allied Powers during both World Wars and the Korean War as well as the Luxembourgers who volunteered in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War.

David used 2 stamps from 2025. They commemorated the 25 year reign of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg. Also shown on the stamp is Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. Henri abdicated his throne in October 2025. 

  Well that is a wrap for this time. Thanks for cards go to Dominique, Jean Pierre, Alena, Josep and Assumpta and lastly David. 

Be sure to drop in again soon. Take care. 

An Air France A380, Lac Genin, The Eiffel Tower and The Wild Pacific Trail

   BLOG # 1679

- Day 1421 ( That's One Thousand Four Hundred and Twenty One Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .      

                                                                           GLORY TO UKRAINE 

Hello once again. Time for another blog update, and what better way to start than with an Airline / Aircraft card. My collection just keeps on growing. Here we have an Air France A380 with registration F-HPJI, in a special 80th Anniversary Livery. . It was delivered to Air France in September of 2013. It was withdrawn from service on March 21, 2020. On May 28, 2020 it was stored at LDE , Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees Airport, where it remains.   

Jean Pierre used a 1991 semi-postal stamp featuring Jacques Prevert. It is 1 of 6 in a mini-sheet. Prevert was a French Poet and Screenwriter.

This second card also arrived from France. It is quite a famous sight - The Eiffel Tower. I don't think I really need to write anything about the tower, but I will anyway. It is 330 metres high and was constructed between 1887 and 1889, as the centrepiece of the 1889 World's Fair. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list 18 1991. 

David used 1 of 2 stamp in a Joint Issue with Japan. I was issue last year, 2025. You can see that the card was mailed from The Eiffel Tower itself.

 What do you know ? It's another card from France. This one shows Lac Genin, a lake in the Ain department. THe lake is at an elevation of 850 m and is fed by underground sources. Lake Genin is often referred to as “Little Canada”. The reason for this is its location in a clearing surrounded by pine forest and the harsh weather in the winter season.  

  

Dominique used a 2025 stamp showcasing French actor, writer and humorist.

I have one more card for today. No , it's not from France, it's from Canada, It shows part of the shoreline  on the Wild Pacific Trail, near Ucluelet on Vancouver Island. The area shown is near the Wild Pacific Trail Lighthouse walking loop  where you will see outstanding views of the wild pacific. 

My Lovely Teena sent this card back home to me from our last visit to Vancouver Island. She used a 2025 stamp featuring Bruce Starlight, a First Nations Elder and Knowledge Keeper.

So ends another update of The Blog. Thanks for today's cards go out to Jean Pierre, David , Dominique and My Lovely Teena. 

A Castle, Ballina, Air France, A Waterfalls and a Spiffy Car

  BLOG # 1678

- Day 1418 ( That's One Thousand Four Hundred and Eighteen Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .                                                                     

                                                                            

Now that Christmas and the New Year are all put away, it's time to put some time in on this blog. So here we go again with a few more cards and stamps to peruse. First up is a card from Belgium.  It shows an impressive view of Walzin Castle, in the city of Dinant , Belgium. It was built in the 11th century. The castle stands on a steep rock above the river Lesse. Unfortunately it is not open to the public.  

Gerda used 2 stamps on her card. The left stamp is from a 2001 multi-sheet of 20. It was issued for 20th Century Human Sciences. THe right stamp was issued in 2025 to Commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the First Flight between Brussels and Kinshasa, Congo.

My next card is from Longford, Ireland. Dwain's card shows a view from Ballina , County Mayo. Located at the mouth of the River Moy, this town is known as the "Salmon Capital of Ireland" due to its excellent fishing, particularly at the famous Ridge Pool. The town has a population of over 10,500 people and is part of the Wild Atlantic Way tourist route. 

Dwain used a An Post postage label showcasing Diana Coperwhite. 

Next up is this Air France themed card from France. It shows an old Air France travel poster

 from 1948 and symbolizes the airline's service to North America. 

  

Jean Pierre used a 1997 semi-postal stamp issued for the Red Cross.

Here's another card from France. On it we see one of the waterfalls that make up the

 Herisson Waterfalls. There are a total of 31 falls over a distance of 3.7 km . 

Dominique used a rather large stamp from 1963. It shows a painting by French Romantic 

artist Eugene Delacroix. 

Here's my last card for today. Again it's from France.

This one depicts art by Andre Ferrand. He produced many paintings of cars and animals. 

The card doesn't say, but I think maybe it's a Jaguar, but I'm no expert , I drive a Ford. 

  

This time Dominique used a stamp from 2013 that features Bernard of Clairvaux. 

He was a monk, and a Doctor of the Catholic Church, along with being made a Saint. 

  That's the end of this blog update. Thanks for reading. Comments are always welcome. 

Thanks for today's cards go to Dominique, Jean Pierre, Dwaine and Gerda.

Out With The Old , In With The New

 BLOG # 1677

- Day 1411 ( That's One Thousand Four Hundred and Eleven Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .                                                                     

                                                                            

                                                                   GLORY TO UKRAINE 

 Hello to one and all. Happy New year. This is my first 2026 blog. Hence the title above ---  Out with the old, in with the new. What I have for you today is the last card I received in 2025 and the first card received in 2026. 

From 2025 --- It arrived from Kanda, an area in northeastern Tokyo. It's a great night view of Tokyo. 

Selene used a stamp from a Winter Greeting souvenir sheet of 10.

From 2026 --- This card arrived from France and provides a view of Honfleur, a city in northern France's Normandy region. Here we can see the Old Basin and The Lieutenancy, a former fortification at the port which is the oldest building in Honfleur. 

Dominique used a stamp issued in 2012  here. It showcases Co-Prince Henri IV, a Joint Issue Stamp with Andorra. 

That's all for this time. Thanks to Dominique and Selene. 

See you all next time.