Marion Dufresne, Carcassonne, and Air St Pierre

BLOG # 1561   ---   Day 691 of the Pandemic

Hello postcard people. I'm back again with a few postcards to enlighten your day . My first card is from Port Aux Francais, Kerguelen Islands, French Southern and Antarctic Lands , in the south Indian Ocean. The card shows The Marion Dufresne II , a research and supply vessel launched in 1995. It is a replacement for the slightly smaller Marion Dufresne I that served the TAAF from 1973-1995. 

Jean Pierre used a number of stamps on this card. The small Bird stamp , issued in 2018 shows a Penguin. The stamp underneath was issued in 2017  and is 1 of 2 in a minisheet showcasing Tuna Fishing. The large stamp on the right, also from 2018, shows a Refuge in the Canyon of the Black-Browed Albatross. 

My next card shows Carcassonne, a city in southern France. It is famous for its medieval citadel La Cite. It has many watchtowers and double-walled fortifications. The first walls were built in Gallo-Roman times ( 260-274 ) with additions in the 13th and 14th centuries. The city has been on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list since 1997. 

Dominique used a nice stamp from 2021 here. It was issued to showcase Caving. It brought back memories of the caves I have been in , in Bermuda, Barbados and Viet Nam. 

Here it is , final card for this time. From St Pierre & Miquelon. An Air St Pierre ATR42-600  , registered as F-WWLZ. The card shows it landing at Toulouse in December 2020. The airline is a French airline based in St Pierre and Miquelon, a French overseas collectivity. 

This time Jean Pierre used 2 stamps. On the left , from 2019, a stamp featuring Langlade  -- Land of Shipwrecks. On the right, from 2021, 1 of 2 in a set showing SPM Ferries. 

On a personal note - the last time I visited St Pierre was in 1974. Guess a lot has changed since then. Back then one couldn't take a car over to the island, cars were left in Newfoundland, Canada. A new ferry, perhaps the one pictured on the stamp, allows visitors to take a car when visiting. 

That's all for today. Thanks to Jean Pierre and Dominique for todays' cards. 

Cards From France and Croatia.

 BLOG # 1560   ---   Day 686 of the Pandemic

Hey, how's it going today ?  I have 3 cards for this time, 2 are from France and 1 is from Croatia.

Here's the first card - it's a look at the Basilica of Saint-Sernin, located in Toulouse , France. Thought to be constructed between 1080 and 1120, it is the largest remaining Romanesque building in Europe. It was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 1998. 

Dominique used a stamp from last year on this card. It commemorated the 100th Anniversary of the Death of Madelaine Bres, or as I like to say, the 179th  Anniversary of the Birth of Ms Bres. She was the first French woman to obtain a medical degree. 

My second card for this time arrived from Bjelovar, Croatia. This is a city of around 40,000 inhabitants in the central part of the country. The city dates from 1413 , with a fort built there in 1756 to protect against Ottoman invasions. 

The statue on the bottom of the card shows Saint George. He is immortalized in the myth of Saint George and the Dragon. 

 

Vesna sent this card and used a Bird stamp .  It is 1 of 2 Bird Stamps in the 2019 Europa issue. 

Now here's the final card for today. Here we see the Abbey of St. Mary of Lagrasse, located in Southern France. Both the Abbey and Lagrasse date from the 8th century. 

 

Dominique used a 54 year old stamp. It honours Pierre Larousse, a French lexicographer. 

Well folks, that's all for today. Thanks for cards go out to Dominique and Vesna. 

Pandemic news for today: covid has reached my inner circle. Someone very close and dear to me has tested positive , even after a 3rd dose of vaccine. I can only hope for a quick recovery and a not severe case. 

For those out there still not vaccinated -- get your shots, wear a mask and wash your hands.  Do it !

 

The Cat in the Tree and a Cross of Lorraine.

 BLOG # 1559   ---   Day 680 of the Pandemic

Hello again. I'm back with a couple of cards , 2 in fact, to showcase on the blog today. They arrived from The Netherlands and France.

 The card from Netherlands is a Christmas themed postcard so I guess I should show that one first. Titled " Rockin ' around the Christmas tree " I guess it shows that cats and Christmas trees don't always go together well. I do believe this is a self designed card by Barbara. And a very nice one it is ! 

Barbara used 2 stamps on her card. The left stamp is 1 of a set of 21 issued in December 2016 to celebrate December. The other stamp was issued in 2021 and is 1 of a block of 10 Christmas stamps. 

Now here's the second card. It's a look at the 44.3m high Cross of Lorraine at the Charles de Gaulle Monument located in the commune of Colombey Les Deus Eglises in North-eastern France. 

Dominique used a 1972 stamp on this card. It is one from a set of Famous Frenchmen. It was issued on the 100th anniversary of the death of French poet, novelist and journalist Theophile Gautier. 

That's today's two cards, as I mention last time, cards are quite scarce. Thanks to Barbara and Dominique for these fine cards that we see here today.  

On the pandemic front - let's hope the Pfizer pill to treat covid-19 is effective as the company says. Doctors seem to welcome it as a game changer. But of course , even after 680 days  , we should know the best defence is a good offence , like vaccination and masks.

Take care , stay safe. 

Horton Plains National Park and MEGA ARK

BLOG # 1558   ---   Day 675 of the Pandemic

Hey there. It's been a while since my last update. Cards are in short supply and I have just 2 for today.  Card 1 arrived from Sri Lanka. It celebrates Horton Plains National Park. The park was formed in 1968 and is located in the central highlands of the country. It is rich in biodiversity and many species found here are endemic to the region. The park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 1988. The star attraction of this park is the World's End, where the plateau of the park comes to a sudden end and has a deep plunge of over 800 meters. 

Ravindra used a number of stamps on his card, all from different years. The top stamp is from 2013 and commemorated the 125th Anniversary of Christ Church Girl's College in Baddegama. The lower left stamp is from a set of 6 issued in 2021 showing Endemic Birds of Sri Lanka. The lower right stamp, from 2007, shows Muthiah Muralidaran, a cricket coach and former player. 

 

Today's second card is another favourite for me -  an Aircraft/Airline card. A B747 no less. It is registered as 9V-SFE , a B747 freighter in Singapore Airlines Cargo colors. The picture on the card shows it at Sharjah in December 1996. The aircraft is 25.2 years old and has seen service with Singapore Airlines, Great Wall Airlines, China Cargo Airlines, Air Atlanta Icelandic and Saudi Arabian Airlines. It was stored from March 2020 to July 2020 but is active again. I certainly like the nickname MEGA ARK , on the front of the fuselage. To me that implies great size, as Noah's Ark carried quite a lot also. 

Jean Pierre used 2 stamps on this one. On the left is 1 of 2 issue in 2020 for the Chinese New Year - Year of the Rat. The other stamp is from 2019 and commemorates the 50th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Israel and Singapore. There were 2 stamps in the set and it was a Joint Issue with Israel. 

Well that's it for this time, a short update of just 2 cards. Thanks for these cards go to Ravindra and Jean Pierre. 

Take care , see you soon. 

Gems First card for 2022

BLOG # 1557   ---   Day 668 of the Pandemic

Well I have received my first cards for this year - one yesterday and one today. So that's what we have on the agenda today. The first one arrived from Estonia.  It's actually a Christmas themed card and was sent by Meelis. It shows a wintery scene of Tallinn with a large Christmas tree. Meelis wrote that when he sent the card Tallinn was much like the picture depicted  - snowy.

 A lovely Aviation themed stamp arrived on this card. It commemorates the 100th Anniversary of Estonian Civil Aviation . It was issued in 2021. 

My second card of 2022 arrived from Germany. 

The card doesn't say where or what town is depicted on it, but Dominique mentioned it might be a village in the Black Forest. I wonder , can any reader identify this little village ?

If so, leave a comment and I'll share it the next time I write. 

  

Dominique used a lovely Flower definitive. 

That's all I have for this time . Thanks go out to Meelis and Dominique for their cards. 

And now the pandemic. The pandemic continues to take its toll. Italy now making vaccination mandatory for 50 years and over, countries starting to give 4th shots, French President Macron wanting to piss off the unvaccinated and over one million new cases in the U.S. on Tuesday. There's just no end in sight. Through all this time the best advise has been to get Vaccinated. .

HELLO 2022 -- HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

BLOG 1556   ---   Day 663 of the Pandemic

HAPPY NEW YEAR              ------           HAPPY 2022

I want to wish Best Wishes for this New Year to all readers of this blog.    I wish nothing but the Best to you all, and especially during these trying times  -- Good Heath , no make that  Great Health. 

I also want to say thanks to one and all for every postcard sent to me and featured on GemsWorldPostcard. I can't do it without all of you. There are some special people and they deserve Special Thanks. 

In no particular order they are :

Josep & Assumpta

Johan

Barbara

Bruce

Rob

Gerda

Ana

Jean Pierre

Ravindra

Meelis

My Lovely Teena

Jobbo

David

Dominique

and last but by no means least , Isa .

If you see your name above just know that I am very appreciative of your contribution to my blog.  Thank you to all of you.