COVER N. 688 - CZECH REPUBLIC

Postmark: Svaty Valentyin Milostin 12.02.2026

Posted on the 12th February;  Received on the 18th February 2026

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A special Valentine's day cancellation coming from the Czech Republic. Děkuji mnohokrát, Ivan.

I have to confess: nothing against love nor against celebrating it in whatever way people might want to do it, be it through a letter, even if ridiculous, as Fernando Pessoa claimed that all love letters are, or through a Valentine's gift, or through whatever one might think fit for the occasion. After all, Love is the most important and encompassing emotion that a human may feel (since it syncretically absorbs all the catalogue of human emotions) so nothing bad can come out of the simple fact of celebrating it.

BUT

Traditions are part of one's culture and as such are bound by a reference framework that is specific to a given group, country, society. 

I also have nothing against welcoming traditions from other cultures into our own space. As I said they are manifestations of culture and there can't be anything wrong in that (provided such traditions do not conflict with the set of values that define humanity at large... do not expect me to accept genital mutilation just because it is a tradition somewhere....)

What really annoys me is pushing traditions into other cultures, by way of sheer mercantilism. I have seen it happen in my lifetime more than once and I really find it ... well...annoying.

Valentine's day is one such case, as is, for instance, my biggest pet hate: Halloween.

Back in my courting days time, we wrote ridiculous letters, we gave ridiculous gifts, we did all sorts of ridiculous things as befits lovers all year round... we needed no Saint or specific date for that...

Although I'm not a religious person, I think I can say that Saint Valentine was never one of the most revered  saints in Portugal, as I am absolutely positive that no one had ever heard of Valentine's day around here say 40 years ago.

Now go to a supermarket in my country around the first weeks of February and you'll find all sorts of things that make celebrating love an obligation, be it chocolates, flowers, parfumes, lingerie, you name it....

Commerce has put the celebration of love into the yearly obligations calendar in Portugal but celebrating Love as an obligation is a contradiction in terms....

Anyway,  the same has happened in quite a number of non-Anglo-Saxon ancestry countries like the cancellation on the cover so clearly proves..... a sign of times..... 

Maková panenka a Motýl Emanuel, or Poppy Doll and Emanuel the Butterfly are the central characters of an animation series of 13 episodes produced in 1972 that was very popular in what was then Czechoslovakia.

The two characters are the subject of the B tariff self-adhesive stamp, issued on 06SEP2023.

The theme for the EUROPA/CEPT common issue of 2008 was "Writing Letters". The Czech issue comprised one single stamp with a face value of 17 Krone, issued on 07MAY2008.

According to Google, the handwriting on the stamp is that of  Marina Richterová, the stamp's designer.

The Commemorative Postmark features no place of issue.

COVER N. 687 - PORTUGAL

Postmark: 100 Anos Nascimento Querubim Lapa -  Exposição Filatélica AFAL -  CTT Portimão 14.02.2026

Posted on the 14th February;  Received on the 18th February 2026

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It is very seldom that I post here Portuguese covers. There is no particular reason for this, other than the primary goal of the blog being to organise and show up the beautiful correspondence I get from fellow collectors all over the globe, and the fact that all Portuguese covers that I get are self-sent, what makes them a bit off mark for the blog's intentions.

But every once in a while, there comes a stamp or an event, or the conjugation of both, that I find more meaningful to my own self and then I don't let the occasion go by without me trying to get a more personalised cover to add to my collection.

Such was the case, for instance, with the stamp celebrating my French literature teacher, Urbano Tavares Rodrigues, or the one celebrating poet Alexandre O'Neill (although I haven't posted his cover... will do it one of these days).

These were people I knew. Not that I was intimate with them, but at some point in my life I met them, and giants they were already, one cannot but be proud of having been able to enrich one's own intellectual heritage, by hearing, reading, or just observing the way they related to the universe around them.

I never met Querubim Lapa (1925-2016) in person. But I have met his works... in several places throughout my life, and they have to have told me something, like O'Neill (his poems  did tell me a lot more than the reproach I got from him, once) or Urbano did, for I never forgot them.

There was the  ceramic  panel at "Mexicana", where I would go to accompanying my sister, to meet her friends, or the panel at the Foyer of  the Aula Magna of Lisbon University, or other occasional acquaintances for no particular reason, like the panel at the Palace of Justice... and then there was Querubim's last work... which dropped a ray of light into a bleak suburban corner, not  different from any other bleak suburban corner, were it not for the surprise of an immensely  joyful drop of colour on a startling architected temple of culture... about ten minutes from where I live... a humble public library, which is such an exercise of pure good taste, that I went there on several occasions just to take a look at the ceramic panels, photograph them, enjoy them.

Postage was completed with a 0,04€ from the 28APR2022 Portuguese numismatics definitive set 
 Day mark of the main Post Office at Portimão

Querubim Lapa would be 100 years this year. He was one of the notable Portuguese that featured in a set of 8 x 0,69 € issued on 21APR2025 dedicated to Portuguese figures of history and culture.

In his native Portimão, in the Algarve, our southernmost region,  the local Museum organised an exhibition celebrating his centenary, and the Philatelic Association of the Algarve was also present with a philatelic exhibition. For this event a special cancellation was also issued. 

The above mentioned stamp and cancellation can be seen on the cover I prepared which also features a photo I took of one of the panels at the Biblioteca Municipal José Saramago, in Feijó, Almada. 

My thanks to the CTT team at Portimão, who handled this cover in the most professional possible way.

Municipal Library José Saramago, Feijó, Almada

  My National Covers

Every now and then I have the opportunity to add what I call a "National Cover" to my collection.

These are nothing fancy. In fact they are but covers that I print  at home with the flag and coat of arms of a specific country and which I then either send to a fellow collector who is willing to help or give to friends or family or take my own self whenever travelling abroad, in the hope that these might find a way to a local post office to get a stamp and a postmark.

I will be adding these to a new "My National Covers" section in this blog.

If you don't see your country here and are willing to help me add your own country's national cover to my collection, please email me at pnsoares1@gmail.com. 

You'll get a cover from Portugal (if you want I'll be happy to print a Portuguese National Cover just like the ones I print for myself, although in a somewhat larger envelope) and a printed envelope with the relevant symbols printed, so that you can then return it to me.

Thanks a lot.

Note: Whenever possible I will try to transcribe the flag and coat of arms information from the relevant national site. Failing that I'll transcribe from Wikipedia.

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Brazil / Republica Federativa do Brasil 

The Flag

The national flag was established on 19 November 1889, four days after the Proclamation of the Republic. It was inspired by the flag of the Brazilian Empire. The colour green represents the House of Braganza, the Portuguese royal family, and the colour yellow represents the Habsburgs, the family of Empress Leopoldina. In addition, the colours depict the country's riches: green for the woods and forests, yellow for mineral wealth, blue for the sky, and white for peace.

‘Order and Progress,’ the motto written on the flag, is inspired by positivist philosophy. The stars symbolise the 26 states and the Federal District. Their arrangement represents the Southern Cross constellation on 15 November 1889 in Rio de Janeiro, when the Republic of Brazil was proclaimed. Flag Day is celebrated on 19 November.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Source: Símbolos nacionais representam a identidade de uma nação, diz consultor — Senado Notícias

The Coat of Arms

The National Arms or National Coat of Arms represent the glory, honour and nobility of the country and were created on the same date as the national flag. The use of the symbol is mandatory in the buildings of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches and by the Armed Forces. They are also present in all public buildings, representing the characteristics that make up the Federative Republic.

The coat of arms is a blue shield, supported by a five-pointed star, arranged in the shape of the Southern Cross constellation, with a sword at the ready. Surrounding it is a crown formed by a branch of coffee berries and another of flowering tobacco on a golden halo. The symbol also bears the date of the proclamation of the Federative Republic of Brazil, 15 November 1889.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Source:  Símbolos nacionais representam a identidade de uma nação, diz consultor — Senado Notícias

The Stamps

Founded in 1999, the G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 sovereign countries, the European Union (EU), and the African Union (AU).[2][3] It works to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stability, climate change mitigation and sustainable development, through annual meetings of heads of state and heads of government.[

The 19 member states of the G20 account for around 85% of gross world product (GWP), 75% of international trade, 56% of the global population,[5] and 60% of the world's land area; including the EU and AU, the G20 comprises 78.9% of global population and 83.9% of global CO2 emissions from fossil energy.

Source: G20 - Wikipedia

- The 19th summit meeting of the G20 took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on the 18 and 19 November, 2024, under the motto "Building a just world and a sustainable planet".

Marking the occasion, Correios do Brasil issued on 05NOV2024 the 6.3 Reais on te cover, illustrated with the logo of the summit and carrying it's motto as legend: "Construindo um mundo justo e um planeta sustentável".

 

Caiçaras (Portuguese pronunciation: [kajˈsaɾɐs]) are a people who inhabit the coastlines of the Brazilian states of Paraná, São Paulo and Santa Catarina, and the municipalities of Paraty and Angra dos Reis, in the south of Rio de Janeiro. They were formed from the intermixing of Indigenous, Africans and Portuguese people. The main basis of Caiçara culture is artisanal fishing, cultivation of small gardens, hunting, plant extraction and handicrafts.

Source: Caiçaras - Wikipedia

On 01JUL2022 Correios do Brasil issued the stamp on the cover celebrating the "The Caiçara Villages and Populations of Brazil" as can be read on the tiny legend in the frame of the stamp image

The drone captured photograph on the stamp shows a fisherman with his catch inside a canoe with another canoe to its side where a fishing net can also be perceived.

The Postmark

The Postmark was applied at the Central Post Office of São Paulo, the Capital of the eponymous State and the largest city of Brazil with almost 11.5 million inhabitants.

My "Muito Obrigado" goes out to Luis, whose help was instrumental to make it possible for me to add this cover to my collection.

POSTCARD N.211 -  PHILIPPINES

Postcard sent on the 21st January; received on the 12th February 2026.

Postcard image: Matinloc shrine

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The restless wanderer was on the move again. This time to southeast Asia, it seems, judging from  the postcard that Mr. Postman dropped today on my letterbox. The Philippines... not an usual visitor to my blog. I'm really thankful to The Ghost who Walks, my friend The Phantom, for his continued support of this humble album of covers and cards. Danke Sehr, Alex!

Matinloc Shrine, an abandoned religious structure devoted to the Virgin Mary is located on the Island of the same name

From what I could read on the Internet, the shrine was built in the early 80s of last century, by a wealthy Philippine businessman, but after some years it was left on its own and is now but another tourist attraction, with years of neglect slowly making their way into the structure.

Be it as it may, the island itself probably more than deserves a visit, judging from the colour and transparency of the waters that surround it, provided one does not forget to take a snorkel and goggles along...

The 17 Pesos stamp bearing the image of a Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga Jeffereyi), a critically endangered species, endemic to the forests of the Philippines Archipelago, was issued on AUG2024, included in a definitive  three stamp issue dedicated to National Symbols.

The postcard bears two different postmarks both bearing the identification of the Post Office of El Nido, in the province of Palawan, a town that serves as gateway to the islands of the Bacuit archipelago, including Matinloc

COVER N. 686 - FRANCE

Postmark: Nouvel An Chinois Année du Cheval - Paris - 1er jour 06.02.2026

Posted on the 6th February;  Received on the 11th February 2026

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My second Year of the Horse cover. This time from France, where La Poste issued its customary very pretty Chinese New Year issue. Un grand Merci, Roland.

The Year of the Horse, or, more specifically, of the Fire Horse, something that occurs every 60 years, will begin on the coming 17th February.

I could go and look for what experts in the Chinese Zodiac expect the year to be, but the sceptic in me will always say that you cannot predict the future, and so you'd better learn from the past, so as not to commit the same mistakes, ever and ever again.

Simple as it might seem, this postulate, nevertheless,  does not seem catch up with human  societies at large, for we keep allowing ourselves to be represented in many cases by lunatics, liars, tormentors, dictators, with the results that we all know... and yet, just like the zodiac, it seems to be cyclic....

Will the circle be unbroken; by and by, Lord, by and by?

there's a better home a-waiting, in the sky, Lord, in the sky...

I wish it were that simple....but what I'd really want would be to everyone to have a better home a-waiting where we are, Lord, where we are!

I would also wish that La Poste would not insist in double cancelling the covers that devoted philatelists so laboriously and carefully prepare to send to their friends... talk about learning with errors from the past....

Will the circle be unbroken...?

POSTCARD N.210 -  JAPAN

Postcard sent on the 31st January; received on the 10th February 2026.

Postcard image: Tokyo Skytree Tower

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I have a confession to make: lately, Jeff's "My stamp Stuff" Blog has been making me feel a bit envious. Well, my skin hasn't turned deep green, yet, but I see a slight colour shift has been making its way onto my epidermis :-). I know it is not the best feeling one should allow to develop within oneself, further more we are all grown-ups, so we should know better, but to see all those magnificent pictorial postmarks he has been publishing accompanied by those not less than gorgeous Eki stamps.... how can one not feel envious about it? especially someone like me who everywhere I go and visit, tries to collect stamps from the tourist bureaus, museums, hotels and so on, on the pages of my travel journal...

So I was more than enthralled to open up my letterbox today to find one such postcard from Japan, courtesy of Jeff himself. This made it possible for my skin to start to regain its natural colour, so I think the worse of my envy bout is past now (unless he starts again to post those lovely postcards of his.......)

Tokyo Skytree tower is the third human made tallest structure in the world, rising 634 metres into the air at Sumida, one of Tokyo's 23 special wards or municipalities.

Construction of the Nikken Sekkei Ltd. designed radio and television broadcast tower  began in 2008 and it would be completed in 2012.

The 110 Yen stamp featuring a cyclist is part of a 10 x 110 Yen self-adhesive set included in a minisheet issued on the occasion of the 79th National Sports Festival of the Shiga Prefecture.

The back of the postcard features two post office stampmarks. The pictorial one, in sepia, was applied at Sumida, since it clearly features the Skytree tower, as well as what looks like the top of some structure which I could not identify.

Of note is the fact that the date is expressed according to the Japanese calendar, the numeral 8 standing for the eight year of the Reiwa era which started in 2019.

The black datestamp with the date expressed according to the Gregorain calendar originates from Mukojima, a neighbourhood of Sumida, so both stampmarks might have been applied at the same Post Office.

Further to these postmarks , the card features a large Eki blue stamp which I gather must be the official stamp of the Skytree tower. 

Again, Many thanks, Jeff. Truly appreciated.

COVER N. 685 - INDIA

Postmark: 100 Years of Electrification in  Indian Railways  380001 Ahmedabad 31.12.2025

Posted on the 19th January;  Received on the 6th February 2026

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A few days ago I posted a cover sent by my friend Ravidra Ratpanala on the 1st January this year. Well today I post one mailed on the very last day of 2025, this time from neighbouring India and exhibiting two lovely train stamps. आपका बहुत-बहुत धन्यवाद, Piyush (I hope that Google got it right.....).

Passenger transportation in trains in India is a story that goes back to 1853, when the first  train dedicated to such an endevaour began to circulate on a 34 km stretch of  narrow gauge track between Bombay (Mumbai) and Thane.

From then on, India's railroad network would exponentially grow over the years to become what is now the 4th largest in the world, behind the USA, China and Russia.

In 1925, India would also commit to follow the worldwide trend in rail transport technology, by introducing the first electric train on a short 16 km commuter stretch between  Victoria Terminus in Bombay and Kurla, with an Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) running on 1500 Volts DC electric traction fed by means of overhead electric transmission.

One hundred years have passed since that milestone and today the fastest train service in India, the Vande Bharat Express, like in many other countries around the globe, also runs on self propelling EMUs that were locally designed and built, operated in eighty services connecting cities less than 800 km apart, with a top speed of 180 km/h.

Celebrating the centenary of the electrification of Indian railways, India Post issued on 31DEC2015 the 2 x10 Rupees stamp set on the First day Cover Piyush sent me.

The two train compositions that magnificently illustrate the stamps are, (left) The First EMU train that operated in India in 1925 on its inaugural run on the 3rd February 1925 and, on the right, the current fastest train of India, the above mentioned Vande Bharat Express.

The FDC Postmark, issued at Ahmedabad , State of Gurajat, appropriately features an electric locomotive 

In order to complete postage, three 5 rupee stamps, canceled with the Ahmedabad regular day mark cancel dated of 19.01.2026 were glued on the back of the envelope.

The stamp features the portrait of Nationalist Netaji Subash Chandra Boise (1897 - 1945), and was issued in January 2016 as part of the year's issue of the definitive series "Makers of India".