POSTCARD N.67 - Germany

Postcrossing postcard sent on the 25th October; received on the 4th February
Postcard image: Glenfinnan, Scotland
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Better late then never, I've heard it so many times said. Well, this old aforism fits like a glove to this postcard I got from Monique, in Germany. Thank you Monique. The postcard took a staggering 107 days, that is to say three and a half months, to travel from Anklam, near the Baltic, to my place, near the Atlantic... 

The first thing that stroke me as I looked at the card was that I knew the place in the picture, but somehow I could not associate it to Germany... and so right I was....upon turning the postcard over to inspect the stamp I noticed the little legend, Scotland 2021, and all of a sudden it all came to light: The Glenfinnan monument, by Loch Shiel... not only did I know the place but I had been there and had even climbed to the top of the monument to take a look at the view.

I went looking for photos of my passing through Glenfinnan...

Quoting from the official site of the National Trust for Scotland:

Surrounded by mountains on the shores of Loch Shiel, Glenfinnan Monument is a Highland gem and a tranquil spot from which to imagine the day when one of the most important events in Scottish history began here: the 1745 Jacobite Rising.

Eight months before the Battle of Culloden, 1,200 Highlanders gathered in Glenfinnan to pledge their allegiance to Prince Charles Edward Stuart. After raising the royal standard (flag) and sharing a brandy, they set off on a fateful campaign to regain the British throne for a Stuart king.

In 1815, the 18m-high monument was built as a poignant reminder of the clansmen who gave their lives to the Jacobite cause. Today you can climb to the top and stand beside the lone Highlander for a unique Highland panorama.

Stamps

0,15€ stamp issued on 18DEC2018, as part of the long standing definitive emission started in 2005 themed on wild flowers. it shows a milkmaid (Cardamine pratensis). 

0,80€ stamp issued on 10JUN2021, commemorating the European Soccer Championship of 2020, which took place between 11 June and 11 july 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Italy took the cup home. 

The machine applied cancelation tells us that the card was processed via Briefzentrum 17 -  Neubrandenburg. I cannot read the vignette on the postmark, and its top third is also missing.

COVER N.69 - United Nations - Vienna

Postmark: Wien Vereinte nationen 16JAN22 
Posted on the 16th January; received on the 1st February
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Once again I have to thank Roland for another very nice cover, this time posted from the Vienna branch of the United Nations Postal Administration.

Year after year the UN Postal Administration has been issuing a series of stamps in  blocks of four se-tenant items each dedicated to the theme of endangered species. Since the UN Postal Service has three branches - New York; Genéve and Vienna - each one issuing stamps in their corresponding denomination - Dollars; Swiss Francs and Euro - every year the spotlight is shone over 12 species that we all take for granted but that may one day disappear mainly due to the loss of their habitat as a result of human activity, as it has happened in the past with a variety of species.

The beautifully executed stamps on my cover are part of the 2021 UN Wien block of four 0,90€ stamps issued on 07APR2021 and they showcase the braided nail-tail wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata) a small nocturnal wallaby endemic to Queensland, Australia, of which there are only an estimated 500 individuals in the wild, thus having earned the "Vulnerable" conservation status accorded by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Of note is the fact that This particular species was thought to be extinct by 1937 until, in 1973, a small population was identified as still living in the region of Dingo, Queensland.

The other 0,90€ stamp features the  Buru babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa), a member of the Suidae family, that comprises all pigs and wild boars. Endemic to four Indonesian Islands, it is also classified as "Vulnerable", data from 1996 estimating that between 4,000 and 5,000 individuals still lived in the wild, but in risk of prey by huntsman, and loss of habitat due to logging.

COVER N.68 - France

Postmark: Bureau Philatelique Toulouse Capitol 25JAN2022 
Posted on the 25th December; received on the 31st January
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Another nice cover from France with a couple of interesting stamps fell on my letterbox on the last day of January. Thanks a lot Marie-José.

Stamps. left to right:

Established in 1762 by Monseigneur Louis De Montmorency Laval, Bishop of Metz, Baccarat Crystals would become one of the most famous Cristal ware manufacturer in the world. On 01AUG2014 La Poste would pay homage to this famous French manufacturer by issuing two self-adhesive stamps in the shape of an heart, an item many times produced in crystal by Baccarat, adorned with the silhouettes of  two of the crystal items that the manufacturer is famous for: a chandelier, for the 0,61€ stamp and a drinking glass for the 1,02€ stamp. 

The Solar Impulse, Pioneer of the Ecological transition, so reads the legend on the 1,08€ stamp that was issued on 21JUN2021, highlighting the fact that the energetic transition from fossil fuels to sustainable sources is here to stay and has already taken to the air. 

Drawing on the experience accumulated with the Solar Impulse I,  Adré Borshberg and Betrand Piccard have created the Solar impulse 2 demonstrating the viability of electric powered aircraft (in this case solar powered aircraft) for the future of aviation. Solar impulse 2, accomplished a full round the world flight, from ant to Abu-Dabhi in the course of 16 months, from March 2015 to June 2016.

The stamps carry the postmark of the Philatelic Bureau of Toulouse. 

COVER N.67 - Costa Rica

Postmark: Correos RECIBIDO Sucursal Correo Central 
Posted on the 14th January; received on the 28th January

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While in Costa Rica, my daughter Marta also sent me a letter from the country's capital, San José.

Unfortunately (not that I blame her, of course) the stamp applied on the envelope is the same ATM label used on the postcard Marta had previously sent me.

This nice label was first issued on May 2018, and it features the photograph of a  Red Legged Honey creeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus).

The postmark indicates that the letter was sent from the central Post office in San José.

COVER N.66 - South Africa

Postmark: No postmark on stamps. Letter sent registred (label - Reg. Airmail letter small, 15/12/2021) from Gallomanor 
Posted on the 15th December; received on the 31st January
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The end of the year was drawing close when I got a message from the land of Cape of Good Hope (probably the cape in the world with the most beautiful name, me thinks). A fellow collector wanted to swap covers and I immediately said yes. Sadly it was just about the time Omicron was making its entrance into the daily vocabulary across the world and new restrictions to travel and mail were coming into being, especially affecting transit to and fro that particular area of the globe. 

But as George Harrison once said "All things must pass" and luckily it seems that Omicron might be a contribution for the end of it all, so regular transit is slowly coming back and with it Kyle's beautiful cover finally made it to my letter box. Thanks a lot Kyle; another country to my list!

Kyle used the 5 auto-adhesive stamps issued in souvenir sheet form on 05FEB2015 to celebrate the centenary of the South African Aviation Corps. all stamps have no face value being the correct tariff for "airmail postcard".

Pressured by the German expansion operations in austral Africa ever since the beginning of the First World War, the Union Defence Force of what was still a dominion of the UK, quickly understood the manyfold advantages of  the airplane in warfare and swiftly established the South African Aviation Corps, on the 29th January 2015, the forerunner of the South African Air Force that in its turn would be established on the 1st February 1920. 

The first stamps has showcases the image of an Henry Farman Biplane. The Henry Farman F-27, a reconnaissance airplane,  was sthe first aircraft operated by the SAAC.

The second stamp is illustrated by an image of the 14-15 Star. Quoting directly from Wikipedia, "the 1914–15 Star is a campaign medal of the British Empire which was awarded to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who served in any theatre of the First World War against the Central European Powers during 1914 and 1915. The medal was never awarded singly and recipients also received the British War Medal and Victory Medal."

The third stamp according to its kegend, depicts a SAAC tunic detail.

the fourth stamps is dedicated to the embroidered  pilot's wings used by pilots of the SAAC.

the fith and final stamp illustrates the shoulder badge of the tunics of SAAC members. 

COVER N.65 - Colombia

Postmark: P.V. Unicentro - Quatro Setenta y dos - Servicio de Envios de Colombia - 31DIC2021
Posted on the 31th December; received on the 27th January
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What a cover I got this time.... a true Mega-Cover, if not for the size, at least for the sheer number of stamps that decorate it, and what's more, from a country that will fill another gap in my collection...

Thanks a lot Roland. I was speechless, when Mr. Postman rang for the delivery, I still have trouble finding the right words to say how much I appreciated it.

The envelope was so big I couldn't scan it, so it'll have to be a shot taken with my mobile phone:

Stamps. left to right, top to bottom:

Se-tenant 10.000 Pesos stamp pair issued on 09MAY2018, as a joint issue with Mexico, celebrating the year of the friendship between the two countries. Butterflies, common to both Colombia and Mexico, were chosen as the symbol of this friendship, the honour falling on the iconic Monarch (Danaus plexippus) a member of Nymphalidae family, whose trans-american migration is well known and many times cited as one of the most spectacular animal migrations.

The other stamp features the beautiful Blue Morpho (Morpho Pleides), another member of the Nymphalidae family, that can have a wingspan as large as 20 cm, what makes it easy to identify it.

1000 Peso stamp pair issued on 22JUL21, celebrating the 70th anniversary of the La Grand Colombia University, Founded in 1951.

200 Peso stamp se-tenant pair, part of a 8 equally denominated stamp minisheet, issued on 20JAN2021, dedicated to the National Parks of Bolivia. This is listed on several sources as  being the 8th series dedicated to this theme, the first 6 having been issued in 2019. The stamp on the left depicts the locally known as Paingua (Anadara tuberculosa) bivalve clam, which is exploited for food and commercialisation while that on the right shows a photo from a mangrove at Sanquianga Park. Since  Painguas thrive in mangroves, I would believe that the fact both stamps are paired is due to this relationship.

Pair of the 50 Pesos stamp issued on 10JUL20217, celebrating the 90th anniversary of the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia.

pair of 500 Pesos Stamps, part of a minisheet of equally priced 6 stamps issued on 24FEB2021celebrating the Colombian distinguished personalities. The top stamp is dedicated to Enrique Grau (1920-2004), one of the most representative Colombian painters of the 20th century, famous for his portraits of Amerindian and Afro-colombian characters. the bottom stamp is dedicated to Alejandro Óbregon, (1920-1992) another outstanding Colombian painter (although Spanish born) who was also a sculptor, a muralist and an engraver, known for his colourful hard to categorise paintings where the abstract mingles with the figurative and the real with the surreal.

5,000 Pesos stamp se-tenant pair, issued on 04JUL2021, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the San Juan-San Pedro Folklore Festival, that yearly take place in June in Bambuco in the region of Huila in the centre of  Colombia. Honouring both saints this festival is a way to promote local traditions especially dancing.

As a side note, I should say that in my own country,  Portugal, S. João and S. Pedro, (along with S. António) also are revered as patrons of several cities and yearly their days are celebrated with popular festivals,  an occasion for partying with popular music and  dances (Marches) and for indulging in  grilled sardines served on slices of  bread, all washed down with plenty of  red wine.

The last 10,000 Peso stamp was issued on 26AUG2020 with the noblest of intentions: raising funds to support the "Computers in education" programme, an aim that was reinforced by the educational challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and  its implications on face-to-face education...

The legend on the stamp reads Colombia rewrites its history.... I hope Colombia succeeds in doing so!

Unfortunately, a full minisheet fell from the envelope while in transit, so the right hand side has a conspicuous white space that should have been filled with a full set of 9 stamps....

COVER N.64 - Chile

Postmark: Conception - Centro - 30DIC2021
Posted on the 30th December; received on the 27thJanuary
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Thanks a lot Jindřich for a cover so full of stamps. I loved it!

Stamps, left to right; top to bottom:

70 Pesos stamp issued on 09AUG2013, part of a 10 stamp set celebrating historic aircraft and their role in significant events in the history of the country. The image on the stamp is that of a Bell 47 helicopter (the first helicopter certified for civilian use manufactured between  1946 and 1974 and a workhorse of several air forces all over the world), the tiny legend on the stamp highlighting its role during the Air Bridge on the aftermath of the Earthquake of Valdivia (1960).

30 Pesos stamps issued in se-tenat form, part of a 10 stamp set issued on 25FEN2008, honouring Chilean Typical Street Trades, in the case the Photographer and the Peanut Vendor. Other characters on this set are: Road Sweeper and Knife Grinder (20 Pesos); Ice Cream vendor and Shoe Shiner (50 Pesos); POp corn vendor and Organ Grinder (100 Pesos); One Man Band and Newspaper Vendor (500 Pesos).

360 pesos Stamp issued on 09OCT2018, the occasion of the Continental Philatelic Exhibition, EXFIL2018, The beautiful image depicts a Condor Andino (Andean Condor) - Vultur Gryphus, Chile's national bird, flying over the Andes.

110 Pesos Stamp issued on 21OCT1997, as the Christmas issue.

60 Pesos stamp issued on 04NOV2015 as part of a 7 stamp set dedicted to Chillean Cartography other than the map of Antarctica on this particular stamp, the set comprises Antarctica #1 (50 Pesos); Robinson Crusoe Island (80 Pesos); Robinson Crusoe Island #2 (100 Pesos); Easter Island 1770 and Easter Island 1777 (both denominated at 1000 Pesos)

10 and 20 pesos stamps, issued on 29DEC2016 as part of a very beautiful 6 stamp set dedicated to indigenous peoples. Besides the Tanu and the Halaháches on the 10 and 20 pesos stamps, the set comprises the Matan (30 Pesos); the Shoort Jóichik (150 pesos); the Kulan (100 Pesos) and the Ulen (1000 Pesos).

Another 70 Pesos stamp issued on 09AUG2013, in the same 10 stamp set of the first stamp 

mentioned above. Its image depicts a LET - L13 Blanik, a Czech Glider first introduced in 1956 and still in production. The legend on the stamp highlights its use for the first crossing of the Andes Range in a glider, in 1964.