St. Vincent's - A Newfoundland Town, Grand Turk Beach and One More.

   Blog # 1593 --- Day  521 of the Current  ( Second ) Russian Invasion of Ukraine 

                      

                                                                  GLORY TO UKRAINE         

Welcome back to The Blog. I'll get right to the cards. First up is a card from Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands. It shows the lovely beach right on Front Street, Grand Turk. This is a card My Lovely Teena sent back for me from a cruise we were on in January. We were in Grand Turk on 27 January. 

Teena used 3 stamps on this card. The left stamp , from 1973, is 1 of 15 in a set showing Birds. The other 2 stamps , from a set of 4 WWF stamps,  all showed the Red Tailed Hawk. They were issued in 2007. 

A card posted on January 27, postmarked July 07 and arrived in my mail box yesterday, 28July. Where have you been for the past 6 months ? I guess I should be happy it arrived and I truly am. Well readers cross your fingers because I mailed 12 cards that day in Grand Turk. Now that one has seen the light of day, I just hope the others make it to their destinations around the world. Good luck to you all. 

I'm sure none of you remember that I also collect postcards with Newfoundland town postmarks. I still have many , many  to collect but every now and then one will show up in the mailbox. Just yesterday this one arrived from the town of St. Vincent's. With a population of 340, St. Vincent's history goes back to the early 16th century when French and Portuguese fishermen visited Newfoundland and Labrador. The town is located on a section of highway called the Irish Loop and is famous for humpback whale watching from the 5 km long beach in the area.

The card shows a dory , a popular small boat in Newfoundland. 

  

Orla sent this card, she is the Postmaster in St. Vincent's and she designed the whale cancel that you see . The stamp is a Canada Post Community Foundation semi-postal stamp issued in May of this year. 

My next card is from Japan. It arrived from Yanagawa, a city of just over 71 thousand people. It is popular with tourists because of its 470 km of wide canals. Riverboats take tourists around the city using the canals.  

I'm not sure of the theme of the card but it looks to me  like the puppet is controlling the master. 

Jobbo used this stamp, of which I wasn't able to find any info on. 

And on that note The Blog ends for today. Thanks to My Lovely Teena, Orla and Jobbo for their cards and stamps. 

See you next time. 

Albanian Costumes, Moshi, Nancy, Cathedral Cove and Biking.

  Blog # 1592 --- Day  517 of the Current  ( Second ) Russian Invasion of Ukraine 

                      

                                                                  GLORY TO UKRAINE         

                                  

 

Here we go again with a few more cards. Let's start the day with a card from New Zealand. Te Whanganui-A-Hei (Cathedral Cove) Marine Reserve is in the southern part of Mercury Bay on the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand covering an area of 840 hectares. On the coast of the mainland, it stretches from Cook Bluff in the north-west to the northern end of Hahei Beach in the south-east. This naturally formed archway is the most popular tourist destination on the Coromandel Peninsula, and rightfully so. In fact, Cathedral Cove is so beautiful and special that it has been chosen as one of the filming locations for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspain

Ravindra used a stamp from 2007 on this card. It is 1 of 7 in a set of Scenic definitives.

Next is a card from Austria, A young couple enjoying a bike ride through a field of flowers. Alena sent this from the small town of Bad Radkersburg near the Slovenian border. Bad Radkersburg is a spa town featuring a thermal spa with a temperature of 80 °C (176 °F). This and the longest sunshine duration in Austria make it an attractive site for tourism with over 100,000 stays per year.

Alena used a recent stamp, 1of 3 in a set, titled Sports in Motion.

Nancy, France is the focus of this next card. Nancy, a riverfront city in the northeastern French region of Grand Est, is known for its late baroque and art nouveau landmarks, some dating to its days as the former capital of the Duchy of Lorraine. Its focal point is the 18th-century Place Stanislas. This grand square, decorated with gilded wrought-iron gates and rococo fountains, rests by the ornate palaces and churches filling the city’s medieval old town. 

Dominique used a stamp from this year. It was issued for Day of the Stamp and showed an electric bike. 

It's off to Tanzania now. The card shows a view of the city of Moshi, a municipality and the capital of Kilimanjaro region in the north eastern part of the country. In the last official census of 2022, the municipality had a population of 221,733^] The municipality is situated on the lower slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano that is the highest mountain in Africa. The name Moshi has been reported to refer to the smoke that emanates from the nearby mountain.

Jean Pierre used a pair of a stamp in a set of 11 , Wild Animals of Africa , issued in 2023. The pair show Water Bucks. 

Now it's back across the pond again to Albania. Indrit's card shows local traditional costumes of Albania.  

Indrit used a stamp from a set of 2 Tourism issue showing Gjipe Canyon. 

So ends another edition of The Blog. Thanks for today's cards go to Indrit, Jean Pierre, Dominique, Alena and Ravindra.

Next Time. 

Constellation F-BAZB, Mt. Cook and King of the Belgians

 Blog # 1591 --- Day  516 of the Current  ( Second ) Russian Invasion of Ukraine 

                                                                  GLORY TO UKRAINE           

 

Hello once again. I am starting today with a beautiful postcard showing a beautiful classic aircraft, at least that's how I feel about it. It's an Air France Lockheed Constellation. Registered as F-BAZB, it was the second Constellation in the Air France fleet, The airline took possession of F-BAZB on 12 June 1946. The aircraft was later sold to Trans World Airlines on 26 January 1950. It met its fate in June of 1964 when it was scrapped and broke up. 

Between 1943 and 1958 , 856 Constellations were built. The last scheduled passenger  flight in North America of a Constellation was by Western Airlines on 26 June 1968 from Anchorage to Yakutat in Alaska. 

Jean Pierre used a stamp from this year on this card. It showcases The Church of our Lady of the Assumption. 

I think that if I could go back in time, I'm sure a flight on a Constellation would be a priority for me. That would be so cool. Where's the time machine when you want one ?

From France , we head down to New Zealand. Here's a nice view of Mt Cook.  Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. Its height, as of 2014, is listed as 3,724 metres. It sits in the Southern Alps, the mountain range that runs the length of the South Island. 

Ravindra used 3 stamps on this card, all of which came from minisheets. The left stamp was issued in 2013, 1 of 5 celebrating Margaret Mahy. The middle stamp, from 1985 is a Health issue. The 6 stamps in the sheet all were designs of Lord Snowden. The right stamp, 1 of 7 in the sheet, shows the late Queen Elizabeth II , the longest reigning monarch in British history. 

The final card for this time is from Belgium. It's the King of the Belgians, Philippe. He became King on 21 July 2013.

Johan sent this card and he used a 2023 stamp issued on the 10th Anniversary of the Kingship of His Majesty King Philippe. Nice Crown cancel 

Well that's it for today. A little smaller than my usual blog, but small can be good. 

Thanks for today's cards go out to Jean Pierre, Ravindra and Johan. 

See you again soon.

A Lovely Wahine, Nuuk, Bornholm, Fagre Stryn and A Ayutthaya Temple

Blog # 1590 --- Day  514 of the Current  ( Second ) Russian Invasion of Ukraine 

                                                                  GLORY TO UKRAINE            

     

Hi again. I have a few more cards to show you today. I'll start with a few from some Nordic countries. Denmark is up first. David's card shows a number of scenes from Bornholm. This is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea off the south coast of Sweden. Population was 39,607 as of this past January.

David used a stamp from a set of 5 , issued this year, showing Neddlework.

From Denmark we move on to Norway. This next card arrived from the small town of Orkanger. It has a population of around 8,200 and sits at the end of the Orkdal Fjord. It was established as a town in 2014.

Lena used a stamp from this year. It is 1 of 6 in a set showing Memories of Norway. 

Here's one more Nordic. This time we see Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. It's latitude of 64 degrees, 11 minutes North makes it the world's northernmost capital city in the world. Nuuk's population was 19,604 in January of this year. Nuuk has the highest population of aboriginal people of any city. It may well be the most indigenous city in the world. 

This is another card send by David and this time he used a stamp from 2023. It is 1 of 2 in a set highlighting Ghost Stories of Greenland. 

I just want to go on the record here and say that Nuuk has been on my bucket list of places to visit for many years. Some day I'll get there, I know it. 

This next card arrived from Wellington, New Zealand. Ravindra's card shows a wahine or Maori woman wearing a piupiu with its colorful bodice and headband, both crafted from local flax. Maori people call New Zealand Aotearoa or land of the long white smoke. 

Ravindra used 2 stamps on this card. The top one is from 2004 and is 1 of 5 in a set, showing Extreme Sports - Life on the Edge. The bottom stamp , from 2005 is 1 of 6 showing International Organizations  - Rotary in this case. 

It's on to Thailand now. Jobbo's card shows Wat Yai Chai Mongkol , a Buddhist temple in Ayutthaya, Thailand. It was built in 1357. The historic city of Ayutthaya was founded in 1350 but was destroyed by the Burmese army in 1767. It remains today as an extensive archaeological site. 

                Jobbo used a small collection of Thailand stamps on this card. Let me start with the top row, left to right. First, from 2019, celebrating the coronation of Rama X. Next , 1 of 4 in a minisheet, celebrating the Thai Heritage Conservation Day. The 3rd stamp was issued in 1986, 1 of 4 showcasing the 6th ASEAN Orchid Congress. Last stamp on top is from 2019 , issued for National Day. 

Now the bottom three, from left to right. From 2021 , 1 of 4 celebrating Traditional Desserts. Next is 1 of 10 in a minisheet , titled Amazing Thailand. The last one - from 2018, 1 of 4 , commemorating the 135th Anniversary of the Thai Postal Service. 

                                                                                                                                                                                      Note to Jobbo - yes I like watches and have a considerable number of them. I am saving for a Citizen Promaster. 

And on that note , it's time to close this blog for this time. We are of this evening to a retirement party for a friend of ours. Should be a great time. As Spiderman once said " Eventually everyone gets to retire " . That was the gist of a poster on my work locker for the last 8 months of  my employment. 

Thanks for today's cards go out to David, Lena, Ravindra and Jobbo.     

Take care all.