Oslo, Sare, Butgenbach, Oleron, The Blue Angels, A UNESCO WH Site, and Good Fun From Teena

BLOG # 1574 --- Day 964 of the Pandemic --- Day 249 of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine 

                                                                    GLORY TO UKRAINE

Hello once again. I have a few cards to show today, in no particular order. I have received so many lately that I'm just picking them from the top of the pile. First up is a card from Oslo, Norway. Here we see Holmenkollen, a mountain and neighbourhood in Oslo. The Holmenkollen , at 500 metres above sea level, is a well known landmark and has hosted ski competitions since 1892. <

  David used a Post Horn definitive along with a 2019 stamp. It is 1 of 2 highlighting The Frozen Land of Antarctica.

My second cards shows a few houses in Sare, a village of about 2,600 people. It is located in the Basque Country in the western Pyrenees between Spain and France. 

Dominique used a stamp from 2021. It commemorates  the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of French poet Charles Baudelaire. 

Now here`s a card from Belgium. Here we see some areas of Butgenbach, a German speaking village of Belgium with about 5,606 people. The lake you see on the card is a man made lake, from 1932 when the Warache River was damned. 

Gerda used a quite large stamp from 2018 on this card. It is 1 of 5 stamps in a sheet showing Belgium Beer Culture. 

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is the focus of this next card. It`s the Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley, a glacial valley in Andorra. The valley is a haven for rare and endangered wildlife and is truly an ancient pastoral landscape in an undeveloped corner of one of Europe`s smallest countries. It became Andorra`s first and only UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.

Josep and Assumpta sent this card and used two stamps. The left stamp was issued in 2005 and marks the 25th Anniversary of Caritas Andorra. The stamp on the right, from 2021, marks the 100th Anniversary of the Coronation of Mary of God of Meritxell.

  

Here`s a card from Olenon, the largest of the four islands across from La Rochelle, France. La Rochelle is a city on the west coast of the country and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay. Oleron has just over 22,000 people.

Jean Pierre used a quite recent aviation themed

stamp honoring aviator Amelia Earhart. 

Time now for the last card for this time. It arrived from Germany and shows the U.S.Navy`s  Blue Angel Demonstration Team. On this card they are shown flying over the Imperial Valley`s Naval Air Facility. The Blue Angels are the second oldest aerobatic team in the world. 

Isa used a stamp from this current year honoring German football player Sepp Herberger.

I know I said that was the last card for today, but why stop now when we`re having so much fun. Here`s a card My Lovely Teena sent me a few weeks ago. I`m sure she is trying to tell me something about myself from reading what is on the front of the card. 

She used a stamp that was issued on the 9th of June. It is 1 of 5 issued showing Vintage Travel Posters. 

Now that is really the end for today. Thanks for these cards go out to David, Dominique, Gerda, Josep and Assumpta, Jean Pierre, Isa and My Lovely Teena. Thanks to one and all. 

A Clock Tower, a Pin-up, Postcrossing , Bali and a Postcrossing Stamp

BLOG # 1573 --- Day 958 of the Pandemic and Day 243 of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

                                                                GLORY TO UKRAINE   

Again it's been a while. I've been away. I spent 10 days or so down east in Newfoundland, 4 days in Calgary and 2 in Banff. It seemed that whenever I unpacked , I had to pack again in a day or so. Well I'm home now until at least the 10th of November.  So I should be able to update this blog often. God knows I have no shortage of cards. 

Today I want to start with a card from Amsterdam. It's a nice view of the Montelbaanstoren Clock Tower . It stands on the busy Muntplein square where the Amstel River and the Singel canal meet. It was built in 1606 and stands 48 m tall.

Josep & Assumpta used a King Willem-Alexander definitive from this current year. 

Now here's another card from the Netherlands. It's a pin-up lady controlling her puppet. 

 

Gerda, not the usual Gerda who contributes here , used a 2022 Chinese New Year Tiger stamp . 

Luxembourg is next. This is a Luxembourg Postcrossing meet-up card celebrating the new Luxembourg Postcrossing stamp. The card is from Isa but was also signed by 15 or so others who attended the meet-up. 

Isa used 2 stamps on her card. On the left, from 2015, is 1 of 3 stamps issued featuring Vegetables of Yesteryear. The stamp on the right is the Postcrossing stamp, issued this year. It is , in my opinion, one of the better designed stamps celebrating Postcrossing. 

It's time for the last card for today. It arrived from Indonesia, and it's front design is a great advertisement for Bali. Bali is somewhere I've always wanted to go, but haven't made it yet. Someday though. 

As a stamp collector this is the card you hope to receive every day, loaded with stamps. Irene used 9 different stamps, a veritable goldmine of Philately. I'll highlight the 3 on the left first. Top to bottom : 1 0f 4 issued in 2001 for Stamp Day, 1 of 2 from 1987 for The 4th Five Year Plan , and from 2007, 1 of 3 in a minisheet showing Chinese Zodiac Signs. 

Now the 4 in the middle. 4 0f 5 issued in 1997 marking the 50th Anniversary of the Co-operative Movement. 

Now the 2 on the right : from 1999, 1 of 2 marking the New Millennium and lastly a minisheet of 1 showing Ducks. 

There you have it. Thanks for today's cards and stamps go out to Isa, Gerda, Josep and Assumpta and Irene.