A Long Lost Card , A Holographic Card, and A Few Others

Hello again. A bit of a mishmash for today. A long lost card, a card from one country sent from another country, a card with a hologram and a few others.
First up is a card from Gibraltar. It is the long lost card. It is a multiview card with The Rock in the center. The card was sent by Velu , who blogged on www.stampsofvelu.blogspot.com. The card was written on 13 July 2008, but was postmarked 3 Nov 2009 and received by me on 18 Nov 2009. Quite a long journey from Gibraltar. Velu is a ship's captain and mentioned in his blog of 15 July 2008 that he was sending this card to me. One can only wonder where it was from July 2008 to Nov 2009. A bit of a mystery , to be sure. Velu used a beautiful definitive stamp from a 2008 set of 13 , featuring owls and birds of prey.

Now a card of Uganda sent from Rwanda. It shows a beautiful sunset in Uganda. The card is from Rebecca , a Canadian living and working in Gitarama, Rwanda. She was recently in Kampala and picked this card up. Rebecca has a blog called Rebecca in Rwanda at http://rebeccajyoung.blogspot.com . I wasn't able to locate any information on the stamps that Rebecca used. Sorry about that.

The next card is a wonderful card indeed. It commemorates the 50th anniversary of the invention of the Laser, 1960-2010. Even though my scan doesn't show it, the card contains an absolutely beautiful hologram of King Tut. It is simply amazing. I'm not sure who sent this card but I'm glad to receive it and I thank you . The stamp is a 2008 Edward Trudeau stamp.

Hong Kong is up next. Just a beautiful view of the skyline of Hong Kong. The card is the result of a private swap with a Postcrosser named Alexias. The stamps used are 3 of a set of 16 values from a definitive issue of birds. The whole set is simply outstanding and would add greatly to any collection.

Now a card from Germany. It celebrates the 2010 IIHF World Championship to he held from May 7 till May 23 , 2010. Three venues are hosting games , Cologne, Mannheim and Gelsenkirchen. The card is from Theresa, a Postcrosser. Theresa used a 2008 commemorative stamp issued for the 1100th anniversary of the city of Eichstaett.

That is it for today. My thanks to Velu, Rebecca, Alexias, Theresa and the sender of the hologram postcard.

As always, comments welcomed.

Gem's World Postcards is 2 years old

Yesterday , November 13th was the second anniversary of Gem's World Postcards. This blog started back on Nov 13 , 2007. Including today's update , there have been 228 posts. Last year, 2008 I posted 125 updates. So far this year, there have been 84. I don't think I will match last year. But I'll have fun trying.
I have a couple of postcards and a cover to show today. First up is an official Postcrossing card from The Netherlands. It was sent by Christina and shows a section of the Deltaworks. The Delta Works are a series of constructions built between 1950 and 1997 in The Netherlands to protect land from the sea. The works consist of dams, sluices, locks, dikes and storm surge barriers. The American Society of Civil Engineers have named the works One of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.
Christina used 3 different stamps on her card, including 1 from 1986 , featuring the delta works project. The other stamps from 1989 and 2000 commemorate the 150th anniversary of railways and the 500th birth anniversary of Carl V.
Thanks Christina for this very interesting card.

Next is a card showing some rough waters on Lake Baikal, located in South of Siberia, Russia. Lake Baikal is often called the Pearl of Siberia. It is the world's second most voluminous lake and the most voluminous freshwater lake in the world, containing roughly 20 percent of the world's surface fresh water. At 1642 meters , Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world. It is more than 25 million years old and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. A number of definitives from 2002 and 2003 were used on this card.

Today's 3rd card comes from a Postcrosser in Hungary. It shows an interior view of Esterhazy Palace. This palace , located in Eisenstadt, Austria was constructed in the late 13th century . it came under ownership of the Hungarian Esterhazy's in 1622. Unfortunately the stamps used are very common and uninspiring.

Now I have to offer up thanks to Michael of cddstamps. Michael sent me a couple of aircraft on postcards along with a flown cover from the Temora Airshow , held June 7th , 2009. Michael has a great blog entitled ''cddstamps on aircraft & aerophilately" at www.cddstamps.wordpress.com . Give it a look and see what he's about. Here is one of the postcards that Michael sent. It shows a Cessna 02A. The cover was flown on the Cessna02 and is signed by the pilot of the flight. Great stuff. Thanks Michael.

That's it for this time. As always, your comments are welcome.

Remembrance Day 2009

November 11, 2009 Remembrance Day

Today , November 11th is Remembrance Day in Canada . It is a national holiday, so no mail service means no postcards today. Today is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of Canada's Armed Forces in times of war. It is observed on November 11 to recall the end of World War I on this date in 1918. Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.

Lest We Forget.

Every year on this date we share a moment of silence to honour the memory of the men and women of Canada's Armed Forces who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country. This year in Canada the spirit of remembrance is captured on a commemorative stamp . The stamp features a close-up photograph of Canada's National War Memorial in Ottawa. Red poppies are given prominence on the stamp. Thanks to Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae and his well-known poem, '' In Flanders Fields" the poppy and Remembrance Day are deeply linked in the minds of Canadians.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks , still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amidst the guns below...

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae,
'' In Flanders Fields" (1915)

Here is the stamp issued by Canada Post , to honour the courage of our soldiers and
and to remember all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Zimbabwe, New Country # 229

Here I am again. It's been a while. I really hope that I can blog more regularly from here on . It is still related to my move to a new house. It takes quite a while to get everything set up and in place. So the blog gets put on the back burner. But, I'm just about there now , so I should be here more often.

I have four cards for today. Two from my latest new country, Zimbabwe, country # 229 on my country list. The other two are from Singapore and Moldova. Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Mozambique. Its capital is Harare and the country's population is around 12.5 million. I have been trying for a Zimbabwe postcard for quite some time now and low and behold, I get two the same day. The first one is from Wendy Scott who lives in Harare. She is a junior high school teacher there. Her postcard shows a Zimbabwe sunset. Wendy used a Standard postage definitive from a 2005 set of 10 featuring birds. Mine shows a Crested Barbet. Thanks Wendy for helping me cross off another country off my list.

The second Zimbabwe card comes courtesy of Mrs Scott's Grade 7N class at St. John's School.
It shows a sunset on Kariba Gorge. The gorge is on the Zambesi river between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It also shows elephants drinking along the shore. Thanks to The Boys of 7N.

The next card is from Moldova. Elise, a Postcrosser from Chisinau, the capital and largest city in The Republic of Moldova , sent the card. It shows the Ministry of Agriculture Building for Moldova. Elise used a very nice cat stamp from a set of 4 issued in 2007. Thanks Elise.

My final card for today comes from Singapore. It shows Sri Mariamman Temple. It is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore. Due to its architectural and historical significance , the temple is a National Monument . It was built in 1827. This card comes from Michael of cddstamps . Michael has two wonderful blogs on the go. They are cddstamps on stamps at cddstamps.blogspot.com and cddstamps on aircraft & aerophilately at cddstamps.wordpress.com . Give him a look see at either blog and you'll find lots of useful information about stamps and stamp values, condition , etc. Michael used a beautiful stamp from a 2007 set of 4 definitives, featuring monkeys and animals. On my card is the Large Indian Civet. The set of 4 would make a great addition to any collection. Thanks Michael.

That is today's update. As I mentioned above , I hope to be here a little more often from now on.
Don't forget, I love to receive your comments about my blog. Feel free to comment. That's how I gauge my blog. Cheers.