COVER N. 618 - SRI LANKA 

Postmark: Headquarters P.O. Colombo Mail  21.07.2025

Posted on the 21st July; Received on the 1st August 2025

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Boy... is my Sri Lankan connection alive.....

Thanks a lot Ravi, I can't keep up the pace.....my friend Mr. postman by now must be intrigued with having to deliver so many letters from Sri Lanka to my letterbox....😀

Vesak, the celebration of Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death is celebrated on the first full moon of May. This year it took place on the week of the 12th May and in Sri Lanka, Colombo was at the epicentre of festivities with thousands of devotees participating.

From what I could see in videos, the streets were decorated with a multitude of lights and colourful light displays  and people visited the temples to make offers of flowers and oil lanterns. 

Food stalls were also set up and people were offered free meals what can only be regarded as  a way of fostering social bonds within the community.

Communion... this is central to all religions, I see the images of people being offered food in Colombo and I cannot help to think about the Impérios in Santa Maria, Azores, for the celebrations of the Holy Ghost when people would also be offered meals (a most delicious meat soup), or the amazingly savoury piece of Turkish bread my wife and I were once offered by a kind lady in Ankara, and the end of one of the days of the Ramadan.... 

As usual, on the occasion of Vesak, Sri  Lanka Post issued, on 10MAY2025, a souvenir sheet with three 50 Rupee stamps dedicated to the theme, each of them illustrated with  paintings from three different Buddhist temples.

The image on the souvenir sheet itself and well as that on the lower corner stamp are from the Hanguranketha Pothgul Vihara, an historically very important temple, given that  Pothgul Vihara, means “Library Temple,” what makes me infer its relevance as a  learning centre for the Buddhist faith.

The stamps all carry the legend 2569 Vesak 2025, since 2025 translates into year 2569 of the Buddhist Era, which began with the death of Buddha.

- The second mini-sheet on the cover comprises an absolutely delicious  four stamp set (4; 10;15 and 35 rupees) stamp set dedicated to Birds of Sri Lanka, issued on 16DEC2017. From left to right, top to bottom we have:

- Sri Lanka black capped bulbul (Pycnonotus melanicterus)

an endemic passerine, quite common in the Island State

- Sri Lanka chestnut-backed owlet (Glaucidium Castanotum)

a member of the Strigidae family, endemic to Sri Lanka, its populations have been showing signs of regression , hence the Near Threatened status awarded by IUCN

Sri Lanka Warbler ( Elaphronis palliseri)

Another Near Threatened bird, this  member of the Locustellidae family lives in the highlands of central Sri Lanka, usually above 1200 m.

- Sri Lanka Drongo (Dicrurus lophorinus) 

As all the other birds in the series, the Sri Lanka Drongo is endemic to the Island State where it can be frequently be found in the wet zone of  its South Western parts.

This member of the  Dicruridae family is classified as a Least Concern species.

COVER N. 617 - SRI LANKA 

Postmark: Headquarters P.O. Colombo Mail 12.07.2025

Posted on the 12th July; Received on the 23rd July 2025

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More mail from Ravi. I finally had the opportunity to send him a couple of covers back, but I still have to catch up... Bohoma Stuthi, my friend!

- The Sri Dalada Poson Perahera (procession) which has been taking place in the Buddhist temple of Ethkandqa Raja Maha Viharaya in the city of Kurunegala, the Capital of Sri lankas Northwest province, since 1925, was again held this year o the 21st July. 

Marking the occasion and the centenary of the event, Sri Lanka Post issued on 21JUL2025the 50 Rupee stamp on the cover illustrated with images of the procession with the temple in the background and what must be an unmistakable landmark of the city: a very large Buddha sculpture on top of a  hill  overlooking the city.

- According to Wikipedia, the first experiments of coffee cultivation in Sri Lanka date back to the time of the Dutch colonisation in the 18th century. Still, it seems that almost a century would pass until the first commercially viable plantations would be established, by nationals of the then colonising power, Britain, in 1925.

The bicentenary of coffee cultivation in Sri Lanka was celebrated with a 50 rupee stamp issued on 08JUL2025, illustrated with a picker holding a basket full of coffee fruits, what looks like a caffelate cup, and a groups of workers sorting coffee grains, with old original black and white photographs of coffee workers in the background.

- As stated on its official  webpage, "The SRI LANKA MEDICAL COUNCIL is a statutory body established for the purpose of protecting health care seekers by ensuring the maintenance of academic and professional standards, discipline and ethical practice by health professionals who are registered with it"

It replaces since 1998 the former Ceylon Medical Council, established on  June 22, 1925.

On the occasion of its centenary, Sri Lanka Post issued the 50 Rupee stamp on the cover, illustrated with a numeral 100 that bears on the last 0 the organisation's logo.

Postmark from the Main PO at Colombo, as usual.

 

COVERS N. 614/5/6 - SRI LANKA 

Postmark: ? 04.07.2025

Posted on the 4th July; Received on the 17th July 2025

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Continuing with Ravindra's most generous mail barrage, this time with a truly interesting series dedicated to the fauna of one of the country's protected areas: Minneriya National Park.

Bohoma sthuthi, Ravi!

Due to the large size of the individual stamps, Ravi chose to spread the series over three envelopes, so for the sake of clarity I'll combine them all into one single post.

Minneriya National Park occupies an 8.9 thousand hectares area in the centre of the North Central Province of Sri Lanka and before it became a National Park in 1997, it already enjoyed Protected area status as a wildlife sanctuary, since 1938.

According to Wikipedia, the park is home to 24 species of mammals, 160 species of birds, 9 species of amphibians, 25 species of reptiles, 26 species of fish, and 75 species of butterflies.

The very beautiful series issued in 26JUN2025 both as regular single stamps and as 1 stamp souvenir sheets, comprises 10 stamps, all of the same denomination (50 Rupees).

Stamps. left to right; top to bottom:

- Yellow striped chevrotain (Moschiola Kathygre). This small mouse-deer, about the size of a domestic cat, of nocturnal habits, was only described as a new species in 2005. Further to Sri Lanka it can also be found in  India, Myanmar, and Thailand,

- Sri Lankan Elephant (Elephas maximus maximus)

Sri Lanka has the largest elephant density of Asia, for a total (2019) of 7500 of these gentle giants, spread all over the dry areas of the country.

Loss of habitat due to increased claiming of land for cultivation has put the relation between men and beast at the point of conflict, with hundreds of elephants being killed each year to protect crops and homes...

- Indian Star Tortoise (Geochelone elegans)

The species, endemic to Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka, which can attain 10 inches long when adult, has been subject to the strain of illegal pet traffic and is now classified as vulnerable by IUCN.

- Sri Lankan Jackal (Canis aureus naria),

The Sri Lankan Jackal can be found all across the country, the canid being a sub-species of the common jackal, which in turn can be found from  Africa to Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia. 

- Black naped hare (Lepus nigricollis)

 A common species of hare, native to the Indian subcontinent, and Java.

- Sri Lankan sloth bear (Melursus ursinus inornatus) 

This type of bear native to the dry forests of Sri Lanka is an highly threatened species, classified by IUCN as endangered. Its total population may not exceed 500 individuals.

Like the elephant, the loss of habitat due to land claim for cultivation purposes has strained the relation with local populations.

- Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) 

The pangolin, a native of the Indian subcontinent, is the most trafficked protected species. It is also classified as endangered by IUCN, its numbers diminishing in the wild due to it being illegally hunted because its scales are highly sought as traditional medicine and as raw material for  jewellery and also due to the consumption of its meat.

This insectivore mammal of nocturne habits, can be found in the  Sri Lankan rainforest and plains to middle hill levels.

- Asian openbill (Anastomus oscitans)

A common site in much of  India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia. this member of the stork family is peculiar in that its beak presents a curved gap between the two mandibles, which is developed as the bird enters its adult phase (newborns do not have this feature) which helps the bid handle the round carapaces of snails, which they mainly feed on.

- Brahminy kite (hallastur indus)

Common in  Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and southeast Asia and as far south as New South Wales, Australia, this member of the Accipitridae family looks quite distinctive with its white head and breast, which contrasts with the red brown of the rest of the body lumage.

Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala)

Another member of the stork family (Ciconiidae), easily identifiable due to their characteristic  pink tertial feathers.

The Painted stork is distributed throughout the wetlands of the plains of tropical Asia south of the Himalayas in the Indian Subcontinent, extending into Southeast Asia.

Contrary to what is usual with Ravi's covers, these three do not bear the usual  Central Post Office of Colombo postmark, although I cannot identify the place of postage, due to the day stamp being writen in the beautiful but for me undeciphrable Sinhala script.

COVER N. 613 - SRI LANKA 

Postmark: Headquarters P.O. Colombo Mail 12.07.2025

Posted on the 12th July; Received on the 17th July 2025

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My friend Ravindra bombards me with one of his highly welcome mail barrages. And I have yet to retribute in kind, something which I hope to  come to terms with soon... things have been a bit on the hectic side, around here....

Bohomá sthoothi, Ravi!

A large C5 envelope was needed to accommodate all the stamps on this cover, particularly due to the fact that they are included in souvenir sheets what always poses some envelope layout challenges.

But  I really appreciate having the frames included with the stamps, for they are either part of the story, such as in the case of the single stamp sheet, or complement it to perfection, as in the case of the spices of Sri Lanka sheet.

Spices, cinnamon in particular,  but also pepper, cloves, nutmeg, were at the root of the Portuguese interest in colonising Ceylon, something which they managed to do, until being replaced by the Dutch who themselves would lose it to the Brits, who finally had to acknowledge the full self-determination of  the Island State.

In a way, the two souvenir sheets tell this history, full circle,  for one is dedicated to the country's spices, which were at the root of the Portuguese colonisation and the other is dedicated to Sri Lanka's declaration of Independence, dated of the 4th February 1948.

I wrote some notes about this particular souvenir sheet on the entry for  cover #606, so I will not repeat them here.

The souvenir sheet in question with a single 110 Rupee stamp was issued on 08OCT2024.

The souvenir sheet with the four 15 Rupee stamps illustrated with Spices of Sri Lanka was issued on 26FEB2019. The beautiful illustrations show both the "fresh" and dry forms of the spices, which is that we are all more familiar with.

From left to right, top to bottom, we have:

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum)

Cinnamon harvest is fascinating in that it much resembles the harvest of cork, so here I find another connection between Sri Lanka, the producer of the best cinnamon and Portugal, the producer of the best cork.

The trees are stripped off of their skin (cinammon, as we know it is the inner layer of the cinnamon tree bark, while cork is the actual bark of the cork tree) which will, in time re-grow to be ready for harvest again. The process takes a full 9 years in the case of cork and 2 to 3 years for cinnamon.

Cinnamomum zeylanicum, a synonym for Cinnamomum verum, or true cinnamon is the tree from which premium cinnamon is extracted, Sri Lanka being the world's major producer. 

The other commercially available types of "Cinnamon" are extracted from cassia trees which although in the same family as the cinnamon tree have different properties, being noticeably more spicier that the sweeter true cinnamon.

Pepper (piper nigrum)

Pepper is one of those spices that everybody is familiar with. What people might not know is that black pepper, green pepper and white pepper all come from the same tree, In fact, pepper is a drupe and the way it is processed yields the pepper varieties that we all are familiar with.

To produce black pepper the unripe, still green drupes are briefly boiled in water and left to dry what leads to the skin of the fruit wrinkling and turning black;

Green pepper is the result of pickling or free-drying the still green drupe;

White pepper is obtained by grinding only the seed of the drupe, after removal of the skin of the fruit.

Cloves -. Syzygium aromaticum

Cloves are the dried flower buds of the clove tree (Syzygium aromaticum)

Nutmeg - Myristica fragrans

Nutmeg is the seed of  of the drupe of the nutmeg tree, Myristica fragrans. When fully ripe, the drupe opens up in two, revealing the seed (the nutmeg) which is involved by a sort of net like structure, the mace.

The pulp of the drupe can be eaten and both the nutmeg and the mace can be used in culinary as spices of similar flavours, although mace is more spicy than nutmeg.

Further to the two sheets another two stamps were used to complete postage

:

- Sandaya Kumary (1945-1994) was a very popular Sri Lankan actress who participated in 41 movies throughout her career.

The 5 rupee stamp honouring her is part of a 6 stamp set (3 x 5; 10; 15; 20 Rupees) honouring Sinhala Cinema, issued on 21JAN2012.

- Last but not at all least we have on the cover a 25 rupee stamp with a vignette. The stamp, issued on 13SEP2017, features a painting of Dondra lighthouse, which is particular because it is Sri Lanka's tallest Lighthouse (49 m) and also due to the fact that it is located on the southernmost tip of the Island.

The all important vignette features none other than the Royal Family of Sri Lanka, that is the Ratnapala Family,  and boy do they look a fine bunch! :-)  

COVER N. 612 - ARGENTINA 

Postmark: Correo Argentino - Coficial de la Republica Argentina Suc. Plaza Italia NIS C0025 Av. Santa Fé 3882 - C1425ZAB 10.07.2025

Posted on the 10th July; Received on the 17th July 2025

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As much as I'm very pleased to receive letters from such a distant place from me like Argentina, it is always quite discomforting to look at the face value of the stamps on the letters  and think about how much the friendly name on the back of the envelope had to desimburse so that a humble letter could travel all across the ocean to my door. At today's exchange rate, the stamps on this particular cover cost more than 7 Euro...  positively insane! 

Muchíssimas gracias  Rafael! 

Stamps left to right:

The three stamps with images of national parks, are part of definitive series dedicated to these protected areas, in 2019. 

The 200 pesos stamp dedicated to Lanin national park, located in the province of Neuquén, is part of the original first issue of the series, dated of 07JUN2029; 

The 400 pesos stamp dedicated to Los Alerces national park in the province of Chubut, is either the  07JUN2029 original or the  2023 reprint.

The 1500 esos stamp, dedicated to Laguna el Palmar national park, in the province of Entre os Rios is part of the 2023 issue, dated of November.

Some of the stamps exhibit the acronym UP, further to the face value. I noticed that in 2029, for instance, there were two issues for the same values. One marked with the UP letters and the other, with the same face values but different images, withouth the UP letters.  Any explanation for this would be most welcome in the comments section. Thanks.

The two 4 500 Pesos stamp stamps with photographs of ponchos  constitute the 2025 Mercosur issue, dated of 30April 2025. The white poncho on the left is typical of the region of Catamarca while the one on the right is labeled as Surero, which means, from the South.

COVER N. 611 - SWITZERLAND 

Postmark: 3000 Bern 6 Kirchenfeld 17.07.2025

Posted on the 17th July; Received on the 23rd July 2025

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A mix of old and new stamps on a cover from beautiful Switzerland, Vielen Dank, Vural!

According to the pertinent entry in Wikipedia, "Pro Patria, officially Stiftung PRO PATRIA Schweizerische Bundesfeierspende, is a Swiss patriotic and charitable organization. Its purpose is to give meaning to the Swiss national holiday, August 1, by collecting donations to the benefit of social and cultural works of national public interest".

Donation to Pro Patria have been collected since 1910 trough direct collaboration with Swiss Post.

Quoting again directly from Wikipedia: "Post offices sold Federal Celebration postcards from 1910 to 1960 and postage stamps since 1936. The price of these cards and stamps (marked with "Pro Patria" since 1952) exceeds their denomination, with the surcharge representing a donation to Pro Patria"

The stamp on the left, with a face value of 20 + 10  centimes,  illustrated with a detail of a stained glass window of the church of Véchy, a town in the French speaking part of Switzerland,  is part of the 1971 Pro Patria issue of 1971, issued on 27MAY1971, which comprised 4 stamps, all illustrated with details of stained glass windows; 

The one on the right, with a face value of 70 + 30  centimes,   illustrated with a painting of the castle of Porrentruy, a town in the Jura canton, is part of the 1979 issue, issued on 25MAY1979, also comprising 4 stamps, showcasing Swiss Castles; 

The 1 Franc stamp, with the format of an apple, is part of a four stamp set (2 x 1; 2 x 1.2 SWF), issued on 08MAY2025, dedicated to summer fruits and berries. Further to the apple, the set comprises stamps cut to the format of a pear, a couple of  cherries and a strawberry.

The postmark hails from the country's capital, Bern. 

COVER N. 610 - FRANCE 

Postmark: Les Reserves Naturelles Ressources en Mediterranée Premier Jour La Poste Paris 11.07.2025

Posted on the 11th July; Received on the 17th July 2025

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This year's chosen topic for the annual common themed stamp issue of the  Member States of the Mediterranean Postal Union - Euromed -  is "Resources of the Mediterranean", and I just got a very nice cover with the French issue, thanks to the attention and care of Roland. Un grand merci, mon ami!

With its very beautiful and joyfully coloured single 2,10 € stamp issue, which began to circulate on 11JUL2015, La Poste chose to highlight the importance of the French Mediterranean coastal natural reserves, scattered along the more than 1000 km of  coastline bathed by this most important inner sea.

In times of overexploitation  of resources and climate change, the sanctuaries that the reserves create are paramount in the protection of species, the more so when located in a sea which sadly has seen much better days.

The stamp is illustrated with a scene that immediately resonates of the south of Europe, the Calanques of Marseille coming to mind even though I too have places much like that on the stamp, with sandstone cliffs and pine trees,  just a 10 minute ride from where I live....

I am also familiar with the type of red starfish that is present on the lower left corner and, most of all, with the amazingly beautiful "Peixe-rei" (King fish, so I call it - Thalassoma pavo) which I fished many a time when I was a kid in the Azores, where the species is also present. 

The beautiful commemorative postmark, issued at Paris, in this case, mirrors the illustration of the stamp.

COVER N. 609 -  DENMARK - GREENLAND 

Postmark: 8913 taSIILAQ 5  08.07.2025

Posted on the 8th July; Received on the 17th July 2025

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After a somewhat tribulated and unfortunately shortened  summer road trip to the Baltic States, which will have to be completed sometime in the future since I do not like to leave matters unfinished :-) I returned to my usual desk, only to find that my scanner/printer is in need of rest also, so I had to send it to be serviced...

I'll try to make do with phone pictures of the covers, which I will replace for scans at a later stage. And so let's get on with it, since I have  decent stash of covers that await their turn....

The first one is again one of Roland's marvellous and very generous sendings, from scientific missions of the Groupe de Recherche en Ecologie Artique, this time from Greenland, where GREA has been studying the lemming populations, on what must be now the 38th expedition to the site.

Un grand Merci, Roland!

According to its website the Karupplev Valley Project is a long term German-French scientific project, running under the auspices of the University of Freiburg and the Groupe de Recherche en Ecologie Artique, initiated in 1988, with the aim of providing new insights into the processes that govern cyclic fluctuations of lemming populations in high-arctic ecosystems.

Inside the cover I could find a report for the 37th expedition, of the summer 2024, which makes for quite interesting reading... and had that strange effect of making me sad for not being a scientist on a mission to Greenland... :-)

Incidentaly, Roland had already sent me another cover from the same project, a couple of years ago.

As for the stamps, 

The 4 Krone stamp is part of a two stamp set issued on 31JAN2025, dedicated to plants of Greenland (4; 19 krone). It features a painting of a Dwarf fireweed (Chamerion latifolium), a member of the Onagraceae family, which the stamp release notes inform us is  apt for human consumption, since the leaves, shoots, flower and fruit are edible and particularly good in salads.

- As far as I understand, from 1927 to 1967 Greenlanders had access to a savings scheme that entailed the acquisition of coupons (stamps) to be collected on a savings book that once completed could be redeemed. The System would later include a school savings programme that run from 1957 to 1976.

As a matter of curiosity, I have a faint, (very) idea that there was one such programme here in Portugal too, but I'm cannot confirm this now, at all.

Tusass Greenland  has been issuing  on a yearly basis stamps set with reproductions of these savings stamps. 

The 23 Krone stamp was issued on 27FEV2023 as part of a set that comprised another  5 Krone stamp, illustrated with reproductions of 1957 School savings stamps.

- The 1.10 Krone stamp was issued on 01MAY1979 and is dedicated to Greenland's Home Rule, dated of the same year which transformed the hitherto Danish colony into an autonomous constituent country within the Danish Realm.

The envelope features on the top left corner the cachet of the Karuplev Valley project, the cachet of the 2025 expedition being placed under it.

The flying grouse (?) is probably GREA's logo, but I am not sure of that.