Total Solar Eclipse , Cherbourg 1900 and Russia

Here we go again , with update # 2 for December.
First up is a card from Finland, showing a total solar eclipse, that was observed on July 22, 1990. The card is from Simo, a Postcrosser in Turku, who was not quite 9 years old at the time. The stamp on the card shows the Aurora Borealis and was issued in 2009, as part of a beautiful set of 3.

Now for a card from France. It shows a scene of Cherbourg in 1900. Another card from another Postcrosser . The stamp is of Nice, from a 2009 Tourism set of 8. A very nice set indeed.

The final card for today is from Russia. It shows the State Historical Museum of Russia. What can I say, but another Postcrossing card. I seem to have received a number of cards from Russia lately. An interesting assortment of stamps from 2002 and 2009 along with a B rate preprint on the card. The 2009 stamp on the left is quite attractive .

Thant's all for today. Take care.

Starting Anew in December

Hi readers. Well, I'm hoping to do much better in December than I have the last couple of months. I really can't do much worse. I have a number of great excuses for the low number of blog updates, but after the fact , they all seem quite trivial. So onward and upward for December.
First things first- the monthly report for November. During November I received a total of 28 postcards, of which 21 were official Postcrossing cards. I mailed off 31 cards and 24 of them were official Postcrossing cards. I added 1 new country to my collection, and that was Zimbabwe. Of course with that amount of activity, my blog should have had more than 4 updates. Excuses, Excuses.

The first postcard today is from Russia. It is from a Postcrosser named Lena. The card shows Ivankovskoe reservoir. The reservoir is 113 km long with a maximum depth of 19 meters. Lena used a total of 3 stamps, 2 from 2003 and 1 from 2009.

The next card is from Las Vegas , U.S.A. It shows a number of hotel casinos on the famous strip. Some day I'm going to make it there, at least for a weekend. The card is from Pauline, a Postcrosser who lives in Vegas. Pauline used 2 of the Simpson stamps, Bart and Marj. I have no more comment on these stamps.

Now for another aircraft on postcard card. It is from Kris of the postcardkris.blogspot blog fame from Fairbanks , Alaska. Kris has sent me a number of aircraft on postcards cards. He knows how much I enjoy them. This one shows a Fokker FVII, a popular aircraft from the 1920s. It is from an original painting by John Batchelor. Kris used a 2007 Harriet Beecher Stowe stamp , one of 2 famous women stamps issued in 2007.

The last card today is from Turkey. It shows a number of views of Istanbul and Turkey. The card says that Istanbul is the largest and most beautiful city in Turkey. I can't argue with that. The stamp is from a set of 10 definitives issued in 2009.

That's it for cards today. More tomorrow for sure. Have to get December off to a great start.

Just a note to say that I have made a few wonderful contacts in Burundi , Sao Tome and Principe and also The Gambia. I am expecting cards from these wonderful countries in the next couple of weeks. Good things to look forward to. Cheers. As always, your comments are quite welcome.

A Long Lost Card , A Holographic Card, and A Few Others

Hello again. A bit of a mishmash for today. A long lost card, a card from one country sent from another country, a card with a hologram and a few others.
First up is a card from Gibraltar. It is the long lost card. It is a multiview card with The Rock in the center. The card was sent by Velu , who blogged on www.stampsofvelu.blogspot.com. The card was written on 13 July 2008, but was postmarked 3 Nov 2009 and received by me on 18 Nov 2009. Quite a long journey from Gibraltar. Velu is a ship's captain and mentioned in his blog of 15 July 2008 that he was sending this card to me. One can only wonder where it was from July 2008 to Nov 2009. A bit of a mystery , to be sure. Velu used a beautiful definitive stamp from a 2008 set of 13 , featuring owls and birds of prey.

Now a card of Uganda sent from Rwanda. It shows a beautiful sunset in Uganda. The card is from Rebecca , a Canadian living and working in Gitarama, Rwanda. She was recently in Kampala and picked this card up. Rebecca has a blog called Rebecca in Rwanda at http://rebeccajyoung.blogspot.com . I wasn't able to locate any information on the stamps that Rebecca used. Sorry about that.

The next card is a wonderful card indeed. It commemorates the 50th anniversary of the invention of the Laser, 1960-2010. Even though my scan doesn't show it, the card contains an absolutely beautiful hologram of King Tut. It is simply amazing. I'm not sure who sent this card but I'm glad to receive it and I thank you . The stamp is a 2008 Edward Trudeau stamp.

Hong Kong is up next. Just a beautiful view of the skyline of Hong Kong. The card is the result of a private swap with a Postcrosser named Alexias. The stamps used are 3 of a set of 16 values from a definitive issue of birds. The whole set is simply outstanding and would add greatly to any collection.

Now a card from Germany. It celebrates the 2010 IIHF World Championship to he held from May 7 till May 23 , 2010. Three venues are hosting games , Cologne, Mannheim and Gelsenkirchen. The card is from Theresa, a Postcrosser. Theresa used a 2008 commemorative stamp issued for the 1100th anniversary of the city of Eichstaett.

That is it for today. My thanks to Velu, Rebecca, Alexias, Theresa and the sender of the hologram postcard.

As always, comments welcomed.

Gem's World Postcards is 2 years old

Yesterday , November 13th was the second anniversary of Gem's World Postcards. This blog started back on Nov 13 , 2007. Including today's update , there have been 228 posts. Last year, 2008 I posted 125 updates. So far this year, there have been 84. I don't think I will match last year. But I'll have fun trying.
I have a couple of postcards and a cover to show today. First up is an official Postcrossing card from The Netherlands. It was sent by Christina and shows a section of the Deltaworks. The Delta Works are a series of constructions built between 1950 and 1997 in The Netherlands to protect land from the sea. The works consist of dams, sluices, locks, dikes and storm surge barriers. The American Society of Civil Engineers have named the works One of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.
Christina used 3 different stamps on her card, including 1 from 1986 , featuring the delta works project. The other stamps from 1989 and 2000 commemorate the 150th anniversary of railways and the 500th birth anniversary of Carl V.
Thanks Christina for this very interesting card.

Next is a card showing some rough waters on Lake Baikal, located in South of Siberia, Russia. Lake Baikal is often called the Pearl of Siberia. It is the world's second most voluminous lake and the most voluminous freshwater lake in the world, containing roughly 20 percent of the world's surface fresh water. At 1642 meters , Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world. It is more than 25 million years old and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. A number of definitives from 2002 and 2003 were used on this card.

Today's 3rd card comes from a Postcrosser in Hungary. It shows an interior view of Esterhazy Palace. This palace , located in Eisenstadt, Austria was constructed in the late 13th century . it came under ownership of the Hungarian Esterhazy's in 1622. Unfortunately the stamps used are very common and uninspiring.

Now I have to offer up thanks to Michael of cddstamps. Michael sent me a couple of aircraft on postcards along with a flown cover from the Temora Airshow , held June 7th , 2009. Michael has a great blog entitled ''cddstamps on aircraft & aerophilately" at www.cddstamps.wordpress.com . Give it a look and see what he's about. Here is one of the postcards that Michael sent. It shows a Cessna 02A. The cover was flown on the Cessna02 and is signed by the pilot of the flight. Great stuff. Thanks Michael.

That's it for this time. As always, your comments are welcome.

Remembrance Day 2009

November 11, 2009 Remembrance Day

Today , November 11th is Remembrance Day in Canada . It is a national holiday, so no mail service means no postcards today. Today is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of Canada's Armed Forces in times of war. It is observed on November 11 to recall the end of World War I on this date in 1918. Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.

Lest We Forget.

Every year on this date we share a moment of silence to honour the memory of the men and women of Canada's Armed Forces who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country. This year in Canada the spirit of remembrance is captured on a commemorative stamp . The stamp features a close-up photograph of Canada's National War Memorial in Ottawa. Red poppies are given prominence on the stamp. Thanks to Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae and his well-known poem, '' In Flanders Fields" the poppy and Remembrance Day are deeply linked in the minds of Canadians.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks , still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amidst the guns below...

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae,
'' In Flanders Fields" (1915)

Here is the stamp issued by Canada Post , to honour the courage of our soldiers and
and to remember all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Zimbabwe, New Country # 229

Here I am again. It's been a while. I really hope that I can blog more regularly from here on . It is still related to my move to a new house. It takes quite a while to get everything set up and in place. So the blog gets put on the back burner. But, I'm just about there now , so I should be here more often.

I have four cards for today. Two from my latest new country, Zimbabwe, country # 229 on my country list. The other two are from Singapore and Moldova. Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Mozambique. Its capital is Harare and the country's population is around 12.5 million. I have been trying for a Zimbabwe postcard for quite some time now and low and behold, I get two the same day. The first one is from Wendy Scott who lives in Harare. She is a junior high school teacher there. Her postcard shows a Zimbabwe sunset. Wendy used a Standard postage definitive from a 2005 set of 10 featuring birds. Mine shows a Crested Barbet. Thanks Wendy for helping me cross off another country off my list.

The second Zimbabwe card comes courtesy of Mrs Scott's Grade 7N class at St. John's School.
It shows a sunset on Kariba Gorge. The gorge is on the Zambesi river between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It also shows elephants drinking along the shore. Thanks to The Boys of 7N.

The next card is from Moldova. Elise, a Postcrosser from Chisinau, the capital and largest city in The Republic of Moldova , sent the card. It shows the Ministry of Agriculture Building for Moldova. Elise used a very nice cat stamp from a set of 4 issued in 2007. Thanks Elise.

My final card for today comes from Singapore. It shows Sri Mariamman Temple. It is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore. Due to its architectural and historical significance , the temple is a National Monument . It was built in 1827. This card comes from Michael of cddstamps . Michael has two wonderful blogs on the go. They are cddstamps on stamps at cddstamps.blogspot.com and cddstamps on aircraft & aerophilately at cddstamps.wordpress.com . Give him a look see at either blog and you'll find lots of useful information about stamps and stamp values, condition , etc. Michael used a beautiful stamp from a 2007 set of 4 definitives, featuring monkeys and animals. On my card is the Large Indian Civet. The set of 4 would make a great addition to any collection. Thanks Michael.

That is today's update. As I mentioned above , I hope to be here a little more often from now on.
Don't forget, I love to receive your comments about my blog. Feel free to comment. That's how I gauge my blog. Cheers.

Back On The Blog, Finally

Well I am finally back to the blog after some 20 days. Where have I been all this time, one may ask? Really nowhere. I had a new home built and have finally moved in. With all the packing, moving in and unpacking , the blog was a low priority. Also, not having the Internet for a week or so and mail redirection, the blog was pretty much on the back burner. My new address is just to the left side of this blog and for anyone who needs or wants to contact me , I also have a new email address as follows : gemsworldpostcards@shaw.ca .

In the time I was absent from the blog, I did receive 22 postcards from Germany, U.S.A, Poland, Finland, China PRC, Norway, Netherlands, Portugal, China ROC, Italy, Lithuania, Russia and Israel. I have selected 5 to show off in this update. My first card today is from Finland. I have to say , it could possibly be my most favorite card that I have yet received. I find it an outstanding card.
It was sent by Merja , a Postcrosser in Tuusula, Finland. Merja is the little girl in the middle on the card. This is a picture that her father took in 1953. Merja turned it into a most beautiful postcard. Then to top it off she went and had the same picture turned into a stamp at Finland Post. She said on her postcard that she wanted to send something unique, and she sure did send a unique item. Thanks Merja for this one in a lifetime item. It's going to be hard to top this .

My second card is from The Netherlands. It is from Ioni , another Postcrosser. Ioni's card shows a very stately church. I have no other info about this building but is it quite impressive . Ioni used 3 wonderful stamps from 2009. Two show helicopters and the third shows an impressive KLM Boeing 747. A great addition to my aircraft and airline name s on stamps collection. Thanks Ioni.

The next card , from The U.S. shows The American Philatelic Center in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. A former match factory, it is now the headquarters of the association. Martha from State College, PA. sent this wonderful card along. Martha used The Phil Silvers Show stamp , from a set of 20 issued in August and a James Michener , author stamp from 2008. Phil Silvers brings back a lot of memories , there was never a dull moment watching that show.

Now a card from China. It shows Tibetan villages at the Raóg Lake in Nyingchi area. I'm not going to get into any political talk about Tibet, other than to say that from this postcard it certainly seems like a peaceful place. One more note , His Holiness The Dalai Lama just finished a visit to the city of Calgary, where he was white hatted, a western tradition where prominent visitors to Calgary are presented with a white stetson cowboy hat. His Holiness looked quite dashing in his red robe wearing a white cowboy hat.

Today's final card is from Israel. It shows The Western Wall in Jerusalem. Rita , another Postcrosser sent the card and used a couple of quite nice stamps from 2009. The smaller one on the left is from a beautiful set of 3 set issued for astronomy. The larger stamp on the right commemorates The Dead sea. Thanks Rita for this card and those great stamps.

That's it for postcards this time around. Now I want to show a stamp that Canada issued on Oct. 19th. It is a stamp saluting Canada's war dead. It was issued in a booklet of 10 and also in a souvenir sheet of 2. The stamp has a signature V for Victory in the background. This stamp honours the courage of our soldiers and remembers all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. I intend to use this stamp almost exclusively as long as I can buy it.

Sorry to ramble on there , but I have been waiting for this stamp, all summer and fall.