V A C A T I O N

I'm out of here. It's like the song says, It's V. A. C. A. T. I. O. N. , I 'm on vacation, in the summertime.
I should be back here on the blog around August 6th or 7th.
Hope all my regular readers will tune in then.
See you .
Glenn

Cards From Ana

I have had no mail since last Wednesday. There is a valid reason for this, but I won't go into it at this time. Hopefully I should start receiving mail again tomorrow or at least on Thursday. But all is not lost , I have two great cards for today. They are both from Ana of Macedonia. She was on vacation and dropped a couple of cards in the mail for me. Thanks Ana. You are the best postcard trader that I have come across in my three years of collecting. You have sent me quite a number of cards and also stamps over those three years.First up is a card from Montenegro. Posted in Budva, the card is a multi view of different Montenegrin places. Ana used a definitive stamp from a set of 4 issued in 2007 on this card. Her second card is from Bosnia and Herzegovina . It shows the famous Mostar bridge over the Neretva River. A very nice picture, indeed. A great stamp was used , also. It is one of two issued in 2008 for the Beijing Olympics.
A short but sweet update tonight. And all thanks to Ana.

Mozambique, New Country # 226

Finally a new country. My first and only so far for July. Mozambique, it is my 226 country of my collection. It is in southeastern Africa, bordered by the Indian Ocean, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and South Africa. The country of over 21 million people became an independent country in 1975. The card was sent from Vilankulo, a rural fishing village with a population around 40 thousand, located on the Mozambican coast 750 km north of the capital Maputo. The card shows five very happy faces in Mozambique. Whenever my wife sees a card with people on it, she tells me , that type of card is her favorite. Sarah, a PCV in Vilankulo sent this card. Sarah has a blog called My Personal Legend at www.sarahspersonallegend.blogspot.com . Thanks Sarah for this great card. The stamp on the card is from 2006 and is a Europa stamp issued for the 50th anniversary of Europa.
My next card is a card sent from the United Sates. It was sent by Postcrosser Alfie. She sent this card after receiving it from her pen pal in Madagascar. It is a multi view of Madagascar. Sent from Boston, it has a 2008 Black Cinema , Josephine Baker stamp, along with a Zazzle.com personal stamp featuring Ella who is 2 . Ella is Alfie's daughter. I believe this is just my first Zazzle stamp. Alfie says this is a one of a kind stamp , so I'm quite honored to receive it. Thanks Alfie.
The final card today is from Japan. It is a maximum card and quite nice. The stamp on the right is from 2008 and is 1 of 10 featuring flowers and plants. Another Postcrosser named Michiko sent this card . The postcard shows the Earth and is entitled Protection of the Natural Environment. The stamp on the front is the same as the postcard picture.

That's all for tonight. Hopefully the rest of the week will see a more regular update. I have just been so very busy.Today is the first date I have relaxed at all for about a week or more.
Take care.

Couple of Postcards, a Cover and a set of Stamps

Hello there, before getting to the postcards and stuff, I just want to welcome a new follower of this blog, An Africanist. Hope you can visit many times , leave a comment if you choose.
Today's first card is from The Netherlands. It is an aerial view of a section of Utrecht. This city is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands.The card is from Naomi, a Postcrosser and student in Utrecht. She used 3 stamps from a booklet of 10, issued in 2007 featuring Dutch products.
The next card is from Finland. It shows a beautiful looking bridge and sunset, in Viitasaari. This is a small town in northern Central Finland. The 2009 census gives it a population of 7,288. This card, also sent by a Postcrosser, has a great stamp on it, showing the planet Saturn and its rings. It is from a 2 stamp set of Europa stamps , issued in 2009 .
The next 2 cards are the last of my series from Norfolk Island. They show various sences on the island. These cards and the others that I showed earlier are just a beautiful set of postcards.
The cover that I am showing is from Doha, Qatar. It has a couple of really great stamps on it , but the good stuff was inside. It contained a set of 4 stamps , issued in 2008 and entitled Souq Waqif. They are supposed to show streetlife and they certainly do. This cover and the set of stamps is from Trevor, a Canadian living in Qatar. He reads this blog and sent a postcard earlier. Thanks very much Trevor for this wonderful set of stamps They will be a great addition to my stamp collection.
I have one more item to mention today. As I write this on the 13th, July 14th is the 4 year anniversary of Postcrossing. If you like postcards, give it a try. You will receive postcards from all over the world. Check it out at www.postcrossing.com .

Take care.

Cards From Istanbul, Herm Island, Long Island and Norfolk Island

My cards today are from Istanbul, Turkey and from a number of islands, as noted in the title of today's update. First up is the card from Istanbul. It shows a part of the skyline of the city. On the left is Yeni Mosque, built in the early to mid 1600's and on the right is Suleymaniye Mosque , built in the 1550's. Quite an impressive view. This card is from Leslie, who has a blog entitled ' the postcard blog' at www.ctrekoza.blogspot.com . Leslie used 2 stamps. The smaller one underneath the larger one was issued in 2008 and is 1 of a set of 8 definitives. Unfortunately , I couldn't find any info on the larger stamp. Thanks Leslie , I appreciate this swap.

The next two cards are from Herm Island. Herm is the smallest of the Channel Islands open to the public. It is not part of the U.K. but is in the Baliwick of Guernsey. In 2002 its population was 60.Both cards were sent by Jannick who lives in Guernsey, but was visiting Herm. The first card shows Shell Beach. Jannick used a 2009 Alderney stamp, one of a set of six featuring Honey Bees. Alderney is the most northerly of the Channel Islands and a part of the Baliwick of Guernsey.
Jannick's second card shows a number of views of Herm Island Puffins. On this card he used just a wonderful stamp from Guernsey , issued this current year, 2009. It is 1 of a set of 6 issued for Astronomy. My stamp celebrates the 400th anniversary of the telescope. The 6 stamps in this set are just great and are a set that I wouldn't mind adding to my collection. Thanks Jannick for these cards and these great stamps. Perhaps we can swap or trade again.

Now for a card from America. Karen, a Postcrosser sent this card from Long Island , New York. It is a card showing Montauk Point Lighthouse. Located at the most easterly tip of Long Island, the tower stands 108 feet and overlooks the Atlantic. The Montauk Lighthouse was authorized to be constructed in 1795 by President George Washington. It was completed in 1797 at a cost of $22,300. Thanks Karen.

And now one more of my Norfolk Island cards. This one has a number of views of the Island. On top is Gallows gate and Anson Bay. On bottom is Salthouse and sunset at Poppys Point with the great Norfolk Pine. The stamp is another in the Mosaics series issued in 2009.

All in all , a pretty nice bunch of cards. Thanks to all who sent them.

Four Postcards

Well I've been away for close to a week, but Í haven't really been away at all. Just away from the computer due to a very busy number of days. Things should slow down a little now . So I hopefully will get a couple of updates in during the rest of the week. At least that's the plan. I have four really nice postcards for today . First is a card from Timor Leste. This is now my second card from Timor Leste. It always seems to happen, first you have no card from a country, then you finally get one , and then you get another. This one is courtesy of Eco Discovery, a land and water tours company in Dili. The card shows a traditional house in Timor Leste. The stamp used is from a set of 4 issued in 2005 celebrating Timor Leste's Independence.
The next card is from Taiwan, R.O.C.It was sent by Andrea, a Postcrosser from over there. The card shows The Queen's Head. This is a naturally formed rock outside Taipei on the coast of Taiwan. Even though in photos, it looks majestic and large, in fact it is only about a meter tall. I guess photos can deceive. Andrea used a stamp from 1991, issued to showcase lighthouses and safety at sea. One more note about The Queen's Head- Taiwan issued a great vertical stamp depicting this rock formation in 2006.
My third card is from Paris, France and depicts The great Eiffel Tower. I don't think I need elaborate on this, as it is quite well known and very famous. The card was sent by Elsa, who writes cards for her U.S. penpal, John. Elsa writes that she likes and reads this blog. Thanks Elsa. She used a large 2009 stamp featuring Albi Cathedral.
My final card is another of my Norfolk Island series. Just another beautiful card. The stamp is another of the Mosaics issue of 2009.ch have just one more item for today. Even though I am a little late, I want to file my monthly postcard report for June . During the month I received 48 postcards of which 28 were from Postcrossers. I mailed out 22 cards and 19 went to Postcrossers. Finally, I received cards from 6 new countries during June.
Take care and drop back soon.

Canada Day 2009 , Canada's 142nd Birthday,

HAPPY CANADA DAY ************ BONNE FETE DU CANADA

Well it's Canada Day here and I thought that I would show a few postcards , indicative of Canada. Normally the postcards that I send of to people are regional in type , either of Calgary or Alberta. so without further ado , let's have a look at Canada .First up is the Canadian flag card. Here in Canada, we refer to our flag as simply , The Maple Leaf. It was raised for the first time on February 15, 1965. Our flag is the symbol of the nation's unity, for it, beyond any doubt, represents all the citizens of Canada without distinction of race, language, belief or opinion.
Next card shows the Parliament Building of Canada, in Ottawa.The current building was completed in 1922 , while the Peace Tower was completed in 1927.
The next card shows The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride. The first ride took place in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1887, while the first public display of the ride took place in 1901.
The Polar Bear card is a great card , reflecting our great northern territories. If you want to see polar bears in Canada, your best bet would be a visit to Churchill, Manitoba.
My last card for this Canada Day is one with a red maple leaf , shown against a blue sky and between two red strips as on our flag. The Maple Leaf has been a symbol of Canada since 1867 or possibly even earlier. The Maple Leaf is one of the most widely recognized National Symbols of Canada. It was added to the Canadian Coat of Arms in 1921.

That's my history lesson for this day, other than to mention a few of the things that make me proud to be a Canadian. These would include Hockey, Our Democracy, The Maple Leaf, Peace Keeping, Lester Pearson, Tim Horton's, and The Montreal Expos (sadly they are no more) .
Before signing off today, I want to wish all Canadians here at home and all Canadians abroad, a Very Happy Canada Day.
Take care.