COVER N.171 - FRANCE

Postmark: Service des Oblitérations Philatelliques 24 - Boulazac 13.10.22  
Posted on the 13th October; received on the 18th October 2022
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Strange times we live in...  a cover travelled to me from France, flying freely in the hold of an airplane, over fictions created by man such as borders and countries; the same France that I read on the newsfeed on my mobile is about to decree a suspension, albeit temporary, of the Schengen Agreement, thus reinstating border controls for every traveller irrespective of nationality, due to an increase in terrorist threat.

I am of course not criticising the decision, because I'm sure there is a sound and good reason for taking such an extreme measure, but it discomforts me... more that that, it depresses me to see that a world that we once thought would hasten its progress towards the perennial light of the three brilliant beacons that illuminated the French revolution would in fact fall prey to the whim and egocentric will of a few nasty personalities that see the world as a mere board game on which to deploy the pawns and kings of their self-indulgence.

I was young at the time but I will never forget watching on TV Leonard Bernstein conducting Beethoven's ninth at the Schauspielhaus in Berlin in front of an Orchestra and Choir composed of East and West German, American, Russian, British and French musicians... Freiheit, instead of Freude, sang the choir on that day in 1989... and I, like millions elsewhere, felt we were witnessing history in the making... a true small step for man, but a giant leap for mankind  without the need to go so far as to the moon to take it...

30+ years later, I long for the day when the 9th can be played again with equal vibrancy, the day when again, even if for a day or two, Alle Menschen werden Brüder...

Letters, on the contrary, know not such apprehensions, such anguishes... they just travel freely in the hold of an airplane, over fictions created by man such as borders and countries...

Thank you so much Brigitte, for the nice cover! 

René of Anjou 1409-1480, reads the legend on the 0,55 € stamp issued on 16JAN2009, celebrating 6th centenary of the birth of this noble Frenchman that although never having risen to the throne in France (in spite of having been the King of Naples from 1435 to 1442) would pass on to history books under the accolade of Good King René. On the background of the lovely in-taglio printed stamp there's an image of the castle of Angers where René was born.

Anne Geddes is a particularly well known Australian self-thought photographer whose works featuring babies dressed in fantasy attire and mothers to be were all the hype some years ago, being thereafter copied by many a family and baby photographer.

Many of her photographs can be seen in  such diverse items as puzzles, credit cards, ads and... stamps... such as the one on my cover, part of a four stamp set, all of 0,50€ denomination, issued on 12JAN2004, labelled as "message stamps" directed at familiar events such as announcing a birth in the family (C'est un garçon, it's a boy - the stamp om my cover; c'est une fille - it's a girl;  Ceci est une invitation - This is an invitation; Un grand Merci - many Thanks).

The four stamps had been issued some days before in a format that included a personalised vignette, I presume that in the case of the stampon my cover, that vignette could be filled with a picture of the new born family member.

Les Sables D'Olonne - The sands of Olonne - is the name of a “commune” in the Region of Loire bathed by the waters of the Biscay gulf, whose main city is Côte de Lumière, a fishing port and also a tourist destination.

On  31JAN2009, La Poste issued the beautiful 0,55 € printed stamp dedicated to this region that can also be seen on the cover.

I started by remembering the French Revolution, so it is fitting that I close this blog entry with it's most famous symbol: Marianne, as proposed by the 0,05 stamp on my cover part of the set issued on 15JUL2013.

The postmark was applied by the Service des Oblitérations Philatéliques of Boulazac  in the Dordogne Department (24).