Victoria Day 2021, The Eyes and More

BLOG # 1524 and Still in the Time of Covid - will it never end ?

Hey there, welcome to GemsWorldPostcards. Glad you have the time to drop in. This is a long holiday weekend here in Canada. It's the Victoria Day Weekend. Today is actually Victoria Day .What with covid and the not so great weather, it's raining, it doesn't have the great holiday excitement it normally does. There's always next year !

I've just got a few cards for this time. Cards have been arriving a little less frequently than normal. I'm sure there's many reasons for that, so I take what I get and feel quite happy about it. 

Today's first card is from Vladivostok, Russia. Ogla's card is a look at Tokarevsky Light in Vladivostok.  It's from artwork by Natalia Silyutina . It is perched on a narrow rocky spit of land. Often called "the end of the world " it is a point at which the land ends and the Pacific Ocean  begins. It was built in 1876 and is one of the oldest operating lighthouse in the Russian Far East. 

  Olga used a couple of the Eagles definitives from 2019. 

 

I'm sure you have most likely heard the old expression " the eyes have it " . Well this next card most likely proves it. What else can I say about eyes. Another expression says " the eyes are the mirror of the soul " . 

Here are are few quotes by others about eyes:

Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living? Bob Marley

Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes. Jim Carrey

I shut my eyes in order to see. Paul Gauguin

Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn't mean he lacks vision. Stevie Wonder

If you haven't cried, your eyes can't be beautiful. Sophia Loren

What the eyes see and the ears hear, the mind believes. Harry Houdini

When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land. Desmond Tutu

Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical. Sophia Loren

Sometimes you can't see yourself clearly until you see yourself through the eyes of others. Ellen DeGeneres

I think my favourites are by Desmond Tutu and the second one by Sofia Loren.  What about you, do you have a favourite eyes quote ? 

This is another card from Rob in Czechia, we've swapped a number of cards and I always await his next one, as they always arrive with great stamps , and this card was no exception. The far left stamp was issued in 2020 and is 1 of 2 in a Stamp on Stamp series. Moving right - next is a large stamp , 1 of 2 in a set showcasing Czech Actresses and Actors. It was issued in 2019 and shows Dana Medricka.  Then we have a stamp from 1998, 1 of 3 in a set of Personalities. Shown is composer Frantisek Kmoch. The last stamp, the far right one is from 2019 and is 1 of 2 in a minisheet. It celebrated Hanzelka and Zikmund, Czech adventurers who travelled around Africa, Asia, South America and Oceania, mostly in a Tantra 87, like the most of which you can see on the stamp.

 

The last card for today arrived from Greenville , Texas. It shows a view of Lake Powell, located in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. It is a man made reservoir on the Colorado River in Utah and Arizona. 

 Doug used a definitive from 2017, the Pear stamp, and 2 Forever stamps from last year. At the top it's the Mayflower Forever and lower down, the Drug Free USA Forever stamp,

That`s it for this time, thanks to Olga, Rob and Doug for the cards and stamps. They were all great. 

Now to get in the mood for Victoria Day, be sure to check out this blog for Monday May 23, 2011. It`s just a little fun ditty to celebrate the beginning of summer, or at least that`s the idea when the weather cooperates. You can find the The Gravel Pits video right here .  Guess I don`t know how to do this correctly - after clicking on the link, you`ll have to scroll down to May 23, 2011. Sorry but Enjoy.

One more thing - let`s not forget - wash your hands, wear a mask , keep your distance and get vaccinated.

Cosplay, Ridin' the rails, Lagrasse, and a lot more.

BLOG # 1523 --- Still in the Time of Covid

Good day to you all. Well it has been a few days , nine in fact, since we last met here. So it's certainly time. I have a number of  cards to have a look at . Here they are but in no particular order. 

First is a card from  Jakarta, Indonesia. It shows a photo of the sender, Hime. She is dressed up as a video game character from Final Fantasy XV. The character's name is Cindy Aurum and she is the head mechanic of the Hammerhead Garage in Final Fantasy XV. What Hime is doing here is called Cosplay, an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes to represent a specific character.  

Cindy used , sorry,  Hime used a stamp from 2018. It is 1 of 3 issued to celebrate Golden Indonesia 2045, marking the 100th year of the country's independence. 

Next is a pin-up card from Italy. Not much to say, other than the sun appears to be quite bright that day. 

Valentina used a stamp from 2019. It celebrates the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Anzio. 

A pair of railway tracks is the focus of this next card. The set on the left look well used and in excellent condition. The set on the right, not quite so. Rusty and with a little greenery growing up. Presumably not used too often lately. The card arrived from the Netherlands so I will go ahead and assume the tracks are located in that country. 

 Valeriia used an assortment of stamps here, 4 in fact. The top left and middle stamps are from 2008 issued to celebrate The Seventies. The far right stamp, from 2005, is a semi-postal self adhesive Christmas stamp. It is 1 of 10 different stamps in a sheet. The remaining stamp was issued in 2001 and is 1 of 10 in a minisheet showcasing Children and Computers. 

Now it's a card from France. It's a look at the Abbey of St. Mary of Lagrasse, in southern France. Lagrasse is a commune with about 560 people, give or take. It is a part of the Most Beautiful Villages of France association. The abbey was founded by the Benedictines before the 9th century. 

Dominique used a 49 year old stamp. Issued in 1972 it commemorated the 200th Anniversary of the Discovery of Crozet Islands and Kerguelen. 

Next is a rather large card from Ireland. This is a postage paid card issued by An Post , for sending anywhere in Ireland. The wording on the front says " Come together, Write now. "  I'm not sure but maybe it is a program to encourage communication during the pandemic. We had a similar program of free postcards from Canada Post.  

I received this card from John, who lives in Co. Kildare.  Since the postcard was prepaid for in country posting, it required extra postage. John used some sort of ATM stamp. But it's a great one - it celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the First Transatlantic Flight in June of 1919 by Alcock and Brown.  A great Aviation stamp. 

 

Now for today's last card. And what better way to end than with an aviation theme card. A Swiss  Air MD-11.  The registration is HB-IWC. The first flight for this aircraft was in Feb of 1991. It flew for Swiss Air until March of 2002. From 2002 to 2004 it flew as a freighter for FedEx. It's final service was with Martinair from 2004 to 2015. It is now stored and most likely will never fly again. 

Jean Pierre used 2 stamps here. The left stamp dates from 1968 and highlights Geneva Airport. THe right stamp is 1 of 4 Christmas stamps issued in 2019. 

Well that's it for today. A fine update for sure. Thanks for the cards today go out to Hime, Valentina, Valeriia, Dominique, John and Jean Pierre. Drop back again soon, hopefully I'll be back before another 8 or 9 days. 

Covid is still among us so ...... wash your hands, wear a mask, keep your distance and get vaccinated just as soon as you can. As someone said " we're not out of this pandemic until everyone is out of it ". 

Star Wars Day - May the Fourth Be With You.

 BLOG # 1522 --- In the Time of Covid

Hello again. Here I am  , back with a couple of cards. Two in fact. 

First though, a little addition or catch-up with my last update. I mentioned that most days in May are a special day for someone or something. I mentioned just a few. Apparently I left out an important one. And it is today. *Anonymous* reminded me , via a comment,  that I forgot about Star Wars Day, today May 4th. So Happy Star Wars Day - may the fourth be with you.  

Now, here are the two cards I have for this time. First up is a card from New York City - The Big Apple. You can see the city skyline and the Statue of Liberty. Lady Liberty is 46 meters from base to top of torch, she weighs 225 tons and her waistline is 10.5 meters. And here is the kicker - she looks the same as when I saw her in 1963. It must be time for me to go back again, while I still can. 

Shaye used the 2020 Global Forever stamp showing a Chrysanthemum. 

Another nice Earth Day cancel there.

Card # 2 is from Belarus.  It shows artwork by Andrew Schukin of Photoart. I guess we are looking at Half Man - Half Bird. 

 

 A Postcrosser named Kseniya used a stamp from this current year on her card . It is 1 of 8 Wild Baby Animals in s sheet.

There you have it -- short and sweet for today. Thanks to Shaye and Kseniya for the cards today. 

As always -- wash your hands, wear a mask and keep your distance. 

Take care until next time. 

May - - Man In Space, Concorde and More

BLOG # 1521  Still Deep in the Time of Covid

Welcome to the first blog update for May.  May is named after the Greek goddess Maia. It is also  the month that signals spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. By one account every day in May is a special day. Here are a couple to keep in mind - World Press Freedom Day on May 3rd, Cinco de Mayo on May 5th, National Limerick Day on May 12th and National Grape Popsicle Day on May 27th . Oh yes , we celebrate our Moms on May 9th , and yes everybody has or had a Mom. 

My cards today come from France, Russia , the USA , and Belarus . First up is this look at Chateau de Puilaurens. It is one of the so-called Cathar castles in the commune of Laprudelle-Puilaurens in Southern France. This medieval fortress , built mainly in the middle of the 13th century is located at 697 metres. 

Dominique used a stamp from 1972. It shows Francois Paul de Grasse, commander of the French fleet at the Battle of the Chesapeake in 1781, the last year of the American Revolutionary War. 

The second card for today is from Russia. It shows Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space . He flew one orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961 aboard Vostok 1. 

Ted used 2 stamps on his card. The small one on the left is from 2011 and shows a National Symbol - The Coat of Arms of Irkutsk. The larger stamp was issued  this year and gives us a look at Persian Leopards. 

Now I have 3 cards from France and all were sent by Jean Pierre. This first one shows the Dome , Gardens and Crypt of the Tomb of  Napoleon. 

Jean Pierre used a beautiful stamp from this current year. It is 1 of 2 different stamps in a minisheet issued to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the Death of Napoleon Bonaparte. 

This card arrived with a wonderful First Day of Issue cancel. 

This next card is a rather special one. It is a little old but but none the less only came to me last week. It shows an Air France Concorde . Registered as F-BVFA , this aircraft was delivered to Air France on Dec 19, 1975. On Jan 21, 1976 it flew its first commercial passenger flight for Air France. Its last passenger flight was on May 30, 2003 from New York to Paris. F-BVFA flew for the last time on June 1/2, 2003 from Paris to Washington Dulles. Here is the story of F-BVFA in a nutshell -- 17,824 hrs flown, 6,770 landings and 5,504 Supersonic flights. It is now retired from service at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport, Washington , DC, USA. Final note about this Concorde - it is in super condition and in as delivered condition. 

There is a stamp from 1989 on this card. It is 1 of 6 in a set commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the French Revolution.  The card received a special Concorde Mach 1 cancellation that marked  20 years of Concorde flight on Oct 1st , 1989.

 

 One more from France and Jean Pierre. Another aircraft card. This time it is an Air Martinique DC10-30, F-GDJK pictured over Paris, Orly in May of 1991. Air Martinique was an airline based in the island of Martinique in the Caribbean. It had its head office at Fort-de-France Airport. The airline operated between 1974 and 2000. It was in 1993 that Air Martinique operated DC10-30 transatlantic service between the Caribbean and Paris Orly Airport. This aircraft F-GDJK was delivered new to Air New Zealand in 1975. It then saw service with LAM, Air Martinique, AOM French Airlines, and finally Air Lib in 2001. It was scrapped in 2004. 

Jean Pierre used a new stamp from this year on this card. It commemorates the 75th Anniversary of the Little Prince. The stamp received a First Day of Issue cancel. 

I think that is enough for this time. I will keep the USA and Belarus cards for another time. 

Thanks go out to Dominique, Ted and Jean Pierre  for the cards and stamps today. 

Thanks for reading and do drop in again soon.

Now my final words for today ...... wash your hands, wear a mask , keep your distance and get a vaccination when it is your turn.