Nosy Be, a Bali Babe, Cristiano Ronaldo Airport and a Royal Castle

   Blog # 1697

Day 1657 ( That's One Thousand Six Hundred and Fifty Seven Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second )   Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .   

                                                            GLORY TO UKRAINE

Hi there, sorry about the big orange thing on my last update. This is the second time that has happened. I hope it is the last. Even though yesterday was Labor Day I hope everyone enjoyed a great day . All the workers and retired workers out there deserve that. 

My first card for today arrival from Funchal, Portugal. I guess the card shows the view a bird might have if flying over Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport . The Madeira Airport was renamed after Ronaldo on March 29th, 2017. 

Jean Pierre used a Cristiano Ronaldo stamp from 2017.

1. My next card is from Germany and is a great look at Schloss Herrenchiemsee , a Royal Palace. It was built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria.  

  Dominique used a 2026 stamp featuring Queen Elizabeth II. It celebrated the occasion of Her birth 100 years ago in 1926.

Now here is a card from Nosy Be, Madagascar. Nosy Be is an island off Madagascar’s northwestern coast. In the southeast, the forests of Lokobe Reserve shelter chameleons, geckos and frogs. The capital, known as Hell-Ville, has French colonial buildings and a covered market. Lemuria Land is home to a variety of lemurs, plus reptiles. Also in the park is a 19th-century distillery still used to extract essential oils from the native ylang-ylang tree.

David used a 2014 stamp showcasing a Lemur.

Time now for a card from Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Hans sent this card showing a February 1936 Vanity Fair cover showing a Bali beauty. 

The stamp on this card is a Postcrossing stamp issued for 20 Years of Postcrossing. 

So ends another update. Thanks for these cards go out to Dominique, David Hans and Jean Pierre. 

See you all next time. 

Minneriya National Park

   Blog # 1696

Day 1655 ( That's One Thousand Six Hundred and Fifty Five Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second )   Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .   

                                                            GLORY TO UKRAINE   

Well hello once again. Everyone present and accounted for , so we can begin another update . 

My first card today is a beautiful bird themed card from Sri Lanka. It`s a great look at an Asian Openbill in Minneriya National Park. Located in North Central Province , the park was designated a national park in August of 1997. It is comprised of 88.89 sq km.   From around July through October, when the surrounding forests dry out and water becomes scarce, hundreds of Asian elephants converge on the receding shoreline to graze on the fresh grass that emerges as water levels fall. At the peak of the season, it is not unusual to count three or four hundred elephants in a single field of view .This annual event is know as The Gathering. The bird on the card, the Asian Openbill is a large wading bird in the stork family. 

Ravindra use 2 stamps on this card. The small Butterfly stamp was issued in 2022. It shows a Pale Ceylon 6 Lineblue . The larger stamp, from 2025, shows the Asian Openbill. A really beautiful stamp.

Looks like I am having a little problem with font and colour. I will end here and try again. Thanks to Ravindra for his card.