Air Inter A300

BLOG # 1555  ---  Day 661 of the Pandemic

Well I'm back with the last card I have on hand. As one might expect, it's an Airline / Aircraft card. It's my look at this Air Inter A300, registered as F-GBEB. The picture shows Air Inter on final at Toulouse - Blagnac Airport. The 18 year history of F-GBEB included service with Air France, Air Inter, Holiday Air, Ratioflug and Avtn Systems, with whom it was scrapped in September 1998 at Opa Locka, Florida. 

 

Jean Pierre used a current year stamp on this card. It commemorates the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of French singer-songwriter Georges Bassens. 

That's all I have for today. and maybe for the year, if no cards arrive in tomorrow's mail. Thank you Jean Pierre for this card. We are still stuck in a big deep freeze. I guess the good thing about it is that more people are staying inside and not mixing, so less chance of covid catching. If there is any upside to this cold, it must be that. . 

Take care all. 

Topless Soccer, Lufthansa, Air Lib and Zvartnots Airport

BLOG # 1554   ---   Day 659 of the Pandemic

Here's a few more cards to get in before the end of the year. Three are Aircraft cards and two are not. First up is this Lufthansa A321, registered as D-AIRX. The 23.3 year old aircraft was delivered to Lufthansa in October of 1998. It is currently stored at Budapest as of December 8 of this year. That's a Lufthansa livery that I haven't seen before. 

 Rafal and Jean Pierre sent this card and used a stamp from this year. It commemorates the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of teacher, politician and women's rights activist Hildegard Wegscheider. 

 

Well at my age I thought I had seen just about everything out there, but women's topless night soccer- that's a new one for me. With the temperatures here in Alberta the last couple of days, I pretty sure I won't be seeing it very soon. The last four days we have experienced highs of between -16 and -28, with lows between -18 and -33. The windchill has been between -28 and -42. So topless soccer , I don't think so. An interesting concept none the less. 

Nikita used 2 stamps on this card. The left card is 1 of 3 , issued in 2001, for the Introduction of Euro Coins and Banknotes. The right stamp , from 2008, is 1 of 5 issued to show Dutch Leprechauns. Another new one on me.

Today's 3rd card shows an Air Lib McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30. Registered as F-GPVC it was delivered to Finnair in July 1981. Then it saw service with Garuda, Air Lib and Omni Air. It was stored in July 2011 and later scrapped. 

 Jean Pierre used a 2021 stamp showing a Citroen Mehari. It was issued for Stamp Day.

Nice cancellation on this one. 

Time now for an Airport card. Zvartnots International Airport ( EVN ) .  It is located 15km west of Yerevan, Armenia - one of the oldest cities in the world, (782 BC ) . The airport opened in 1961. 

Jean Pierre used a stamp from this current year. It showcases the cartoon Lazy Huri. 

Well that's all for today. I have one card left for tomorrow. Today I have to thank Jean Pierre & Rafal, and Nikita. I'll try and get back here tomorrow, so be sure and drop by. 

Take care, stay safe. 

 

Boxing Day 2021

BLOG # 1553   ---   Day 657 of the Pandemic

Happy Boxing Day. This day originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, but is now primarily a shopping day. So there are long lineups and long waits at the mall. It is bitter cold here so all in all , it's a good day to work on the blog. 

I have a number of cards on hand that I want to show before the end of the year. I don't know how many I'll get to today, but I'll just take one card at a time. First up today is this Siberia Airlines IL-86. Siberia Airlines was founded in 1992. It is headquartered in Ob, Russia. It was rebranded in 2005 as S7 Airlines. As of 2008 S7 was Russia's largest domestic airline. It currently operates 94 aircraft consisting of A319s, A320s, A321s, B737s and Embraer 170s.

The aircraft on the card is an old IL-86 Soviet built airplane. It flew for Aeroflot Airlines from 1989 to 1993. Then it entered service with Siberia Airlines , flying until November 2008 when it was scrapped. 

 

This card arrived from Armenia and Jean Pierre used a really nice Aircraft themed stamp from 2019. It highlighted Civil Aviation. 

My next card is from Netherlands. It shows the annual family celebration of Sinterklaas walking his horse along rooftops while his helper, Zwarte Piet , throws presents down the chimney.  

Silvija used 2 stamps from this year. They were issued for Stamp Day. 

Who knew but it's another aircraft postcard. This time it's an Armenian Airlines TU-154, registered as EK-85536. The picture was taken at Charles de Gaulle Airport in 1996. This aircraft first flew with Aeroflot Airlines, then Armenian Airlines in September 1994. Then it was with South Airlines in March 2005, and finally Kallat Elskar Airlines in September 2005. Ek-85536 was stored in 2007 and scrapped  in March 2010.

The same stamp was used on this card as on the Siberia Airlines card above. The card was from Jean Pierre.

This next card arrived from the Netherlands but shows a manhole cover from Nagoya City, Japan. The card shows a manhole cover with the Naya-bashi bridge or barn bridge over the Hori-kawa river. The manhole cover was designed for 100th anniversary of the sewage service of Nagoya in 2012. The picture was taken by the sender , Barbara, in 2016. 

Barbara used a stamp from a sheet of 6 called Borderless Netherlands - Australia. It shows the S.S. Zuiderkruis passing the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia. 

I think that's it for this time. Thanks for the cards go out to Barbara, Jean Pierre and Silvija.

This pandemic has been around just about 2 years now. I have to say I never thought we'd be looking at a 3rd year of this but it looks that way. Stay safe. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2021

 BLOG # 1552  ---  Day 656 of the Pandemic

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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Nicholas and Alexandra, an AN-225 -Not

BLOG / 1551  ---  Day 651 of the Pamdemic

Hey there again. Today`s blog update will be a short one with just two cards, as that`s all I have on hand at this time. Maybe today`s mail will bring a card or two . 

My first card is from Russia. It`s a look at the wedding of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodrovna . They were married for 24 years until July 1918 when they and their family were murdered by Bolsheviks in Yekaterinburg.   

Sonya used a couple of stamps on this card. On the left is is a 2019 stamp showing the Tolbukhin Lighthouse in Saint Petersburg. It was built in 1719 on orders from Peter the Great. 

The right stamp was issued in 2015 and celebrates the 175th Anniversary of the World`s First Postage Stamp - the Penny Black. 

Today`s second card arrived from Ukraine. It`s the latest addition to my aircraft on postcards collection. The card says it is an AN-225 - Mriya , but I beg to differ. The AN-225 has 6 engines but the plane shown on the card has only 4 . Something is wrong, to say the least.  An interesting fact about the AN-225   - the distance traveled by the Wright brothers`plane during the first airplane flight is less that the size of the cargo compartment on the AN-225 . So under optimum conditions the Wright brothers` Kitty Hawk Flyer could have flown the first airplane flight of 36 meters in the belly of the AN-225.  

Tania also used two stamps on her card. On the left is a current year stamp celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Monument of Independence. The right stamp was issued in 2015 and celebrates Postcrossing, the great postcard exchange club. 

Well, that`s all for today. Short and sweet. Thanks for cards today go out to Sonya and Tania. 

What can I say today - Covid and Omicron are on the rise again, severe restrictions are starting to appear here in Canada and other places.  I hope everyone knows that only vaccinations - 1 shot, 2 shot and the booster , are what will get us through this nightmare. If I may , let me interject a little humor : if you think Omicron is bad, let`s hope Megatron and Optimus Prime never show up. I know, if your kids never had transformers , you have no idea what I`m talking about. 

Take care.  

Merry Christmas , Crozet, LePhare des Baleines and Air Baltic`s A220

BLOG # 1550  -----   Day 649 of the Pandemic !

Hello once again. Today I have 4 cards from 4 wonderful contributors to this blog, Gerda, Jean Pierre, Dominique and Ravindra. It's all of you and a number of others that keep me going. Thank you all.

My first card is from Belgium and is the second Christmas postcard I have received this season. Looks like Santa and Rudolph are having a good time. 

Gerda used 2 of the Belgian Christmas stamps that were issued in October showing Timeless Decorations. I guess the two stamps, one local and one Europe rate, made up the international rate to Canada. 

The second card for this time is from Alfred Faure station, Crozet, T.A.A.F. This is a permanent French scientific station on Ile de la Possession , of the Sub-Antarctic Crozet Archipelago in the South Indian Ocean. T.A.A.F.   French Southern and Antarctic Lands , T.A.A.F., is an Overseas Territory of France. It consists of Adelie Land, the French claim on the Antarctic continent, along with Crozet Islands in the southern Indian Ocean, Kerguelen Islands -  equidistant between Africa, Antarctica and Australia and lastly Saint Paul and Amsterdam Islands north of the Kerguelen Islands. This year 2021 marks 60 years since Alfred Faure station was first established and the metal building on the card is certainly showing its age. 

There are some nice stamps on this card with great postmarks and hand stamps indicative of where it came from. The left stamp is 1 of 2 in a lovely minisheet issued in 2019 for Tuna Fishing. The small stamp in the middle is 1 of 3 from 2017 showing Penguins. The large stamp on the right , from 2019 show Yves Valette, explorer.

 Dominique's card from France shows Le Phare des Baleines or the Lighthouse of the Whales on Ile de Re. This light was built between 1849 and 1854. It measures 57 metres high and is one of the highest in France. 

The stamp is a semi-postal from 1965. It highlights the Death of Charles d'Orleans in 1465. Charles spent 25 years as a prisoner of war in England. While a prisoner Charles became an accomplished medieval poet.

Now here's today's last card. And what better way to end than with an aircraft card. It's AirBaltic       YL-AAU an Airbus A220-300.  The airline celebrated 25 years in the sky in 2020. This aircraft is relatively  new, it was delivered to AirBaltic in December of 2020.  

Ravindra use 3 stamps on his card. On the left from 2008, 1of 4 in a minisheet showing Paintings for Vesak. The 2 stamps on the right are from a sheet of 20 showcasing Threatened Wild Species. 

There you have it folks.  Another update completed. Thanks go out to Ravindra, Gerda, Jean Pierre and Dominique. Let's do it again soon. Take care.

Looks like Omicron is running unchecked. Cases are up everywhere - restrictions are once again happening, lockdowns are taking place. the whole world seems to be going bananas . Doesn't look like 2022 will be all that happy. Just remember -- Be Safe. 

Cards From Johan

BLOG # 1549   ----   Day 643 of the Pandemic

Hey there . I'm back again with three cards and all three were sent by Johan from Belgium. Since it is getting to be that time, I'll start with this Christmas postcard featuring Saint Nicholas, or Santa Claus or Sinterklaas. Maybe you know him by some other name. No matter, he's still the same old guy with a long white beard, bag of toys on his back and fancy coat, sometimes red, sometimes not. 

 

 Johan used the 2021 Christmas stamp . It was issued in October. Nice matching postmark cancellation. 

Next is a map card offering greetings from Flemish Brabant. It tells the history, language, population and much more of the region. 

 

This is another of Johan's cards with a great Day of Issue cancellation. The stamp is 1 of 5  in a minisheet commemorating the 175th Anniversary of the Paris - Brussels Rail Connection.

Johan's third card is a look at the Atomium, which was constructed for the 1958 Brussels World Fair. Spheres of the building now contain a museum, a restaurant and exhibit halls.

Another fine cancellation, this one showing bunches of grapes. The stamp is 1 of 5 in a minisheet highlighting Vinculture in Belgium.

That's my update for this time. Thanks to Johan for these cards. 

Dominique's Cards

BLOG # 1548   ---  Day 639 of the Pandemic 

Hello once again. I have three cards for this time and all of them were sent by Dominique, two from Italy and one from France. 

This first one gives us a look at The Palazzo Vecchio which is the town hall of Florence. It overlooks the Piazza delia Signoria, which holds a copy of Michelangelo's David statue. The Palazzo was founded in 1299 and completed in 1302. It stands 94 m high.  

The stamp on this one commemorates the 200th Anniversary of the Death of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1821. 

 

Dominique's second card is a look at Piazzale Michelango, a square with a panoramic view of Florence. It was created in 1869 and is a favourite spot to watch the sun go down. 

  

Here Dominique used a stamp from 2019. It commemorates the 30th Anniversary of the Death of Sergio Leone in 1989, the creator of the Spaghetti Western. Three of his films are A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Loved all of them.

 

Here is today's third card and the last for this time. A worker is working the salt marshes of Ile de Re, an island of the west coast of France.  

This card is adorned with a stamp from this current year. It highlights Pavillon France at Expo 2020 in Dubai, UAE. 

Well that was quick and easy, three cards and all sent by Dominique. Thank you so much Dominique. 

Covid-19 :   As I write this Covid has claimed 5,293,903  lives  worldwide -  how sad is that ? Guess we aren't the stronger species after all. 

Kisses and More and Win a Postcard

 BLOG # 1547  ----   Day 636 of the Pandemic

Hello again and Happy December. I know we're already 5 days into the new month, but it's just that December has started off so very busy. I have so much going on , I'm not sure how many updates I will put up before the end of the year. Enough talk, it's on to update 1547. Today I will show cards dealing with kissing, a picnic, and making music in Siberia. 

Today's first card arrived from Switzerland and it shows the First Kiss between two young ones on a bench. It looks like they wanted to remember it so enter the guy on the right with the big camera. Do you remember your first kiss ?  I surely do, her name was Karen  and we were in grade four. I kind of remember Karen but I have no idea what became of her . She must have moved away, I just don't remember her after grade four. 

Here's a little challenge to start December . Let's have a little fun with First Kisses. Leave a comment telling all you can remember about your first kiss. If I get any replies I'll pick the one I like best and send that person a really nice postcard with really nice stamps. What do you have to lose ? You might even receive that nice postcard. 

Tabea used a number of stamps on her card.  I love when that happens. These first two are from 2018 and 2021 respectively. The left one is 1 of 4 in a set showing Swiss Railway Stations. The right stamp commemorates the 150th Anniversary of the Rigi Mountain Railways. Here's the other three stamps. The top and bottom stamps are from 2014 are are 2 of a set of 4 showings Mushrooms. The middle stamp is another from the Swiss Railway Stations set. 

Here's more kissing- this time Kiss me safe  - pandemic style. I'm sure this picture wasn't taken during our current pandemic, but it is a commentary on the times. Judging by the clothes and hairstyle I'd say it is the 1950s or so. 

 

Sabrina used a 2020 stamp highlighting U-Bahn Stations - this one the Marienplatz in Munich. 

Card 3 is also from Germany. It shows Edouard Manet's 1863 painting " Luncheon in the Grass " . Since we were on the topic of kissing, I'm sure there is more than a little kissing going on here in this scene. Maybe even more than lunch was served . 

 

Anna used a 2020 stamp commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Weimar Constitution. 

Now here's a card from Russia. It's a picture taken by Georgy Shishkin  called " Adventures of Red Riding Hood in Russia" ,

Not sure I see the significance, but what do I know ?

Nataliya used 2 stamps from 2016. They are a Joint Issue with Argentina.

Well that's it for this time. Thanks for cards go out to Tabea, Nataliya, Anna and Sabrina.

 Don't forget to leave a comment re first kisses.

If you still don't have your covid shots, do all of us a big favour and go get done. There is a pandemic on you know.