COVER N.162 - GIBRALTAR

Postmark: Royal Gibraltar Post Office Main Office 25.AUG.2022 
Posted on 25th August; received on the 9th September 2022
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I've wrote here of how I was surprised by a cover from Eric coming from the Faroe Islands, after I got another one from him from Albania; well, he continues to surprise me, this time with a beautiful cover, full of exciting goodies, from the only the place I know that has a traffic light on the shoulder of the airport runway....the Rock that guards the straight, the only place in  Europe with wild monkeys: Gibraltar. 

Thank you so much, Eric. I truly appreciated it. The more so since I can now tick another box in the list of stamp emitting countries and territories. 

Gibraltar is one of those places that makes you wonder... not only for the seemingly eternal geopolitical issues that gravitate around the rocky promontory, which in the wake of Brexit will at some point rekindle,  but also because  of its geonatural uniqueness, of which the celebrated monkeys or the fact that it is one of the world's hot spots for birdwatchers, due to its startegic location as an open air auditorium to watch the great bird migrations between Africa and Europe, are probably the most famous features.

Gibraltar is also the place, I found, where machines work for themselves:  I've been to the rock many years ago, when my girls were still pre-teens.Marta, the youngest of the two,  was passing by a Coca-cola vending machine and for some reason patted it. Maybe because the machine recognised her as a gentle and kind soul, maybe because someone had forgotten to hit the button after dropping the coin in, maybe (as I firmly believe) because, as in  the Moody Blues Album title "Every good boy - or girl, I add - deserves favour - the machine  responded to Marta’s act of affection with some internal noises that caught our attention and lo and behold.... on the retrieving drawer an ice cold can of Cola suddenly materialised.

The irony of it was that Marta didn't like Coca-Cola, but it was the middle of August, hot as hell, so the remaining three of us were very happy to share this gift from....above?  😀

Stamps, left to right:

On  14SEP2013, Gibraltar Post issued a six stamp set, all with a face value of 42 pence,  dedicated to endangered animal species.

On my cover we can see two of these stamps, featuring the Chinese Alligator (Alligator sinensis)....

With a distribution that is today restricted to the province of Anhui, as well as possibly the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, in China, the species is classified by the IUCN as critically endangered, its population in the wild numbering some 300 individuals as of 2017.

... and the Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), 

This amazing creature is distributed along all the oceans of the world which it constantly roams through. I once witnessed  just etched little leatherbacks and loggerheads (Caretta caretta) being taken by the bucketful at night, as close to the sea line as possible to enhance their chances of survival, on a beach in the Yucatan peninsula, in Mexico. I was allowed to take one of the leatherbacks out of the bucket and take it myself to lay it on the sand and watch the little thing as she paddled her way through the sand into the water. Survival rate is very low, only 1 in 1,000 reaches adulthood, but who knows, she might be swimming across the ocean, as I type...

the last stamp on the cover is part of the 1983 EUROPA issue, themed on Inventions. Gibraltar, on 21MAY1983, issued two stamps (16p and 19p) the lower value one, on my cover, depicting St. George's Wall, a complex of caverns excavated on the rock to serve as bunkers for coastal defence batteries, and the 19p stamp, illustrated with the water catchments created on the rock face to capture rainwater since there is no phreatic or any other source of inland water on the promontory.

Operation TAAF 

a progress report on what happened to a souvenir sheet that was broken into 5 parts

Episode I - Iles Éparses 

Episode II - Crozet - cover received 09SEP22

"Surprise, surprise....".seemed to say my letterbox when I opened it today upon arriving from another day at the office.

"Now, look who's here..." said I to myself, while a large grin took hold of my lips.

Envelope #2 of the 5 valiant Operation TAAF letters had arrived. On it, the Stamp pertaining to "Les Iles Australes" on the piece of the TAFF Souvenir sheet that I'm trying to recomplete again shone with a carefuly applied cancelation on its lower left corner that reads Alfred Faure Crozet TAAF and the date of expedition: 10-5-2022.

Computation completed, the letter  took 4 months on the inward journey and three more months on the return leg, for a  total travel time of  7 months. 

Besides the regular postmark, the cover is embelished with 3 more "tampons", two of them being particularly nice: that of Monsieur le Gérant Postal de la Mission 59, David Gasnier, (whom I got the chance to put a face to a name by browsing the immensely interesting blog of the Crozet District ) which includes the image of an orca pushing a letter with its mouth  over the contour of the Possession Island with a radio anthena mast over the location of the Alfred Fauré station.

And that of Mission 59 itself, that comprises the outline of the Island divied in 4 sectors by a wind rose, each sector carrying an little icon related to the mission, I presume: an albatros; the altimetric contour of the island, pensguins and the base facilities.

the third tampon is the litlle square with the coordinates of the base: Long. 51º 52 E; Lat. 46º 26 S.

all in all a beautiful addition to the colection.

Mission 60 is now starting so I guess it is time to start preparing Operation TAFF 2.0.

COVER N.161 - POLAND

Postmark: Grodkow 26.08.2022 
Posted on 16th August; received on the 2nd September 2022
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Large stamps call for large covers, and that's what  my friend, Mr. Postman, dropped into my letterbox: a C5 envelope that started its journey in Grodkow, a city in the Southwest of Poland, in the Upper Silesia region, with 8.4 thousand inhabitants as of 2021.

Every time I get a letter from somewhere I do a little spying through my Google spy glasses to see what that somewhere looks like and this only fosters my yearning for travelling...  how could it be different with a town that boasts such a nice Town Hall as I've learned Godkow does?  

I have never been to Poland,(sigh....) but I'm sure that in a not so far future I will have ticked the box. In fact, I have never been to a lot of places even if I have already been to a whole bunch of them.

Traveling is the cinematic expression of reading, both are fundamental learning tools but traveling has the added bonus of calling on the active participation of all of our senses, while reading is much more  an intellectual activity that relies on a direct almost passive channel between the eyes and the brain (watching TV or a movie just takes the process one step further on the passiveness scale...).

Reading is also much easier than travelling from a logistic point of view for obvious reasons and most of the times, we, regular standard issue human beings, do not have the time, the resources or the opportunity to travel as much as we would like, so we find ways to fill in the void.

And that's what a cover from somewhere you have never been to, falling into one's letterbox, exactly does! 

Thank you so much Piotr! Enquiring into the histories and sights disclosed by looking deep into the centre of the stamps on the covers I receive, makes me a richer person ... maybe one day I'll be a  stampillionaire....😀

Stamps, left to right; top to bottom:

The Chinese new year seems to be a highly collectible theme for philatelists, judging from the number  postal administrations all over the world that issue annual emissions dedicated to the theme.

Polish Post (Poczta Polska) is one such case. 

The 3.30 Zloty stamp dedicated to the year of the bull was issued on 26FEB 2021. 

Its 2022 counterpart, a 4 Zloty (ah... inflation...inflation...)  stamp dedicated to the year of the tiger, was issued on 01FEB2022.

Both stamps feature the image of the animal of the year and the legend "Chinese zodiak signs" followed by the identification of the sign of the year: Year of the Buffalo and Year of the Tiger, respectively.

Józef Mackiewicz (1902 – 1985) was a Polish writer whose life crossed through the troubled history of Poland in the 20th century, from its regaining its independence by the end of  WW1 to its loosing it again at the hands of the Germans in the aftermath of the infamous Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, through it becoming a satellite country of the Soviet Union following the end of the WW2 hostilities.

A staunch anti-communist he exiled himself in 1945 first to Rome and then to Munich, where he would see his last days.

According to the references I consulted, his literary production is permeated by realistic accounts of a period in history that was not the finest hour for mankind, be it the hardships of life under soviet occupation or the controversial bombing of Dresden in the late stages of WW2.

Honouring  the 120th anniversary of his birth, Poczta Polska on 01APR2022 issued the 30  Polish grosza commemorative stamp that can be seen on my cover.

At a time when the importance of vaccines could not be more evident, although ironically some beneficiaries of the quantum leap in longevity that vaccines have allowed the human race still care to question it, it is highly adequate that Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) be remembered.

Celebrating the bicentennial of the birth the man who was at the fulcrum of the development of  vaccines to rabies and anthrax, two very democratic and effective killers, and whose works paved the way for the development of so many other vaccines we now enjoy the benefits of, Poczta Polska issued on 07MAR2022 a 30  grosza commemorative stamp with the effigy of Pasteur superimposed on a French Flag. Small images of a syringe and a laboratory flask point us to his achievements in the fields of microbiology and vaccine development.

The "Independent Self-governing Trade Union of Individual Farmers "Solidarity" " was established in 1980 as part of the historic "Solidarity" movement led by Lech Wałęsa  that would eventually see the transition of Poland from the Soviet Union sphere of influence into the blue and yellow starred flag of the EU.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the official creation of this organisation, Polska Poczta Posta, on 12MAY2021, issued the 5 groza stamp of which a pair can be seen on my cover.

The stamp contains the highly symbolic image of a bread loaf and the legend "40. rocznica rejestracij NSZZ Rolników Indivydualnich "Solidarnośc"", which translates into "40th anniversary of the registration of the Individual Farmers' Union "Solidarnośc"" (I'm so glad I have access to deepl.com.... 😀!)

The Postmark  tells us that the cover was mailed from Godkow.

COVER N.160 - LATVIA

Postmark: Pasta Centrs "SANKTA" 26.08.2022 LV - 1051
Posted on 16th August; received on the 2nd September 2022
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Another Baltic State joins the list, and it does it in absolute class and style, with this beautiful and very carefully composed cover sent from Latvia. Thank you so much Vera!

I love wild flowers! Even if I am no botanic, it gives me great pleasure to observe and photograph wildflowers for the sheer beauty of them. How many times do we pass by something as common and unassuming as, say, a dandelion flower and care not to look at it and discover that in reality it is not a flower but a huge bunch of them growing together in a  most perfect geometric form radiating from the centre, and that in its apparent fragility, they are strongly bound together creating the little yellow marvel in front of one's eyes?

Or the frailty of poppies which can withstand the constant push and pull of the wind, but if one tries to collect one chances are that in a matter of seconds all the petals will come lose..

And wild Gladiola .. the touch of colour they imprint on the yellowish cereal fields, with their beautiful rosy flowers and their bright green leaves.... the magic touch of spring, they are!  We have three  species here in Portugal, two of them very similar - Gladiolus italicus and Gladiolus illyricus - and  Gladiolus undulatus.

All this à propos the main star of the lovely cover  Vera sent me:

On 02JUL2021, Latvia Post (Latvijas Pasts) issued this very beautiful 1,27€ stamp  featuring a pretty detailed illustration of a Gladiolus imbricatus, a cousin of the species we have here that can be found in Central and East Europe, and also in the countries of  the Mediterranean Sea, Caucasus and Western Siberia.

Besides the image of the plant, the logo of the Latvian Fund for Nature (Latvijas Dabas Fonds) - a kingfisher - a non-governmental organisation founded in 199, dedicated to the preservation of biological diversity in Latvia, is included on the left bottom corner of the stamp.

The cover also includes two pairs of stamps from a definitive series themed on  flowers  started in 2014. The stamps included are the 2022 edition of the  0,01 € stamp,  featuring the common Daisy (Bellis perenis) and the 2017 edition of the 0,10€, featuring a Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis).

Vera decorated the envelope with a very nice botanical illustration of the main flower on the cover, the Gladiolus imbricatus, or as she says, the Jumstiņu Gladiola.

COVER N.159 -  MOROCCO

Postmark: fdc: Tétouan 11.07.2022 Villes Antiques de Méditerranée - Barid Al-Maghrib / Meknes C.D. 16.08.2022
Posted on 16th August; received on the 29th August 2022
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My country list has been increasing steadily, lately. I couldn't be happier!

Thank you so much Pierre for letting me tick another square in my  Philatelic Atlas, with this beautiful cover from across the straight of Gibraltar!

Tétouan, an ancient city in the north of Morocco whose ancient quarters, the medina, is included in the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, for its unparalleled conservation status which highlights the Andalusian influence brought about by the refugees fleeing the "Reconquista"  later increased in number by the Muslims expelled from Spain by Felipe III of Spain (Filipe II of Portugal) who throughout the years rebuilt it after we, the portuguese 😞 raised the ancient city to the ground in 1437.

Today Tétouan is a city of cultural relevance being part of the  UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), and an important university centre, these two realities being obviously interrelated, given that knowledge fosters creativity and vice-versa.

The Postal Union of the Mediterranean congregates  postal operators of the European and Mediterranean region. Established in Rome in 2011 by 14 Postal Operators it has been steadily growing to include 23 members, at present. 

Each year, a common theme is selected for a  joint emission by all members of the organisation, much like the famed EUROPA emissions, each postal administration  being absolutely free to design their own stamps, provided they follow the adopted theme. 

For some reason that I could not identify, the theme for 2022 is two fold: Maritime Archaeology or Antique Cities of Mediterranean. This, as far as I know, happens for the first time, and is probably a one off stunt for next year's theme is already chosen and has no double option. I'd also bet some money on the fact that the disruptures brought about by the Publich health situation we all are familiar with, had something to do with it.

The Postal Operator of the  Kingdom of Morroco Barid Al-Maghrib - Poste Maroc elected Tétouan as the city to promote under this year's  common Euromed Theme and so the beautiful 9 dinar stamp featuring a view of the Al-Jalaa public Square with the Zaouiya Qadiriya, a religious building,  was issued on 11JUL2022.

The FDC is embelished with what I suspect is a view of the medina, with the characteristic white walls (to ward off the heat) and blue doors and window shutters (to ward off the mosquitoes).

COVER N.158 -  KAZAKHSTAN

Postmark: Kasapost 09.08.22
Posted on 9th August; received on the 22th August 2022
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Another country to add to the list, Great! Thank you so much Marat, the more so since I can't help noticing that you went the extra mile trying to only include stamps related to my preferences. 

I was writing about the silk road the other day à propos the nice cover I got from China and now it looks like I'm doing some sort of air mail silk road journey... so I'll drop by the caravanserai to rest and write a few lines about the nice stamps used to post this nice cover to Portugal.

Stamps left to right:

On 24SEP2021, Kazpost issued a 4 four stamp definitive series dedicated to endangered species - Artiodactyls of the Red Book of Kazakhstan, comprising 5, 20, 200 Kazakhstani teńge and Tariff A values. 

The 20 teńge stamp on the cover is illustrated with a drawing of an Argali (Ovis ammon karelini) the largest species of wild sheep, native to the  highlands of western East Asia, the Himalayas, Tibet, and the Altai Mountains. It is classified as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species, particularly because it is a top target for poachers and hunters looking for an impressive trophy....

The preceeding definitive series of 2020 also themed on endangered species of Kazakhstan, issued on 12MAY2020  was dedicated to fishes and it included six values: 5,10, 20,60, 200 teńge and Tariff A. The 20 teńge stamp on the cover depicted a Siberian taimen (Hucho taimen), also known as the Siberian giant trout or Siberian salmon, that is distributed across areas of Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China. 

The Siberian taimen is classified as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species.

On the very last day of 2002 31DEC2002, Kazpost issued a two stamp set themed on aircraft, with 20 and 40 teńge denominations depicting an Ilyushin Il-86 and a the ill fated Tupolev Tu-144.

The Il-86 was the first wide-body aircraft produced by the then Soviet Union and the second such category aircraft to be propelled by 4 engines, after the Boeing B-747. It first flew in 1976. As usual it was used by the airlines of countries within the former soviet union sphere of influence, including  the flag carrier of Kazakhstan in its two iterations as Kazakhstan Airlines and Air Kazakhstan, although, at present, no civil operator uses the type, of which 3 aircraft continued to fly in 2020 with the Russian Air Force.

The Tupolev TU-144 was the Soviet Union's counterpart to the Concorde, and its maiden flight took place on the very last day of 1968, some two months before the Anglo-French design.

It was used commercially on the Moscow / Alma-Ata (Kazakhstan) route for only 55 flights after which the project was abandoned, following an accident in 1978 and the consequences of the oil crisis of the day, since the type was even more fuel-inefficient that its western counterpart.The immensely gluttonous aircraft had to fly full time with its afterburners on, contrary to the Concorde which only used them for take off (and what a sight that was, at dusk, in Lisbon Airport, where I saw it more than once).

As a sad but curious note, I remember quite clearly seeing live on tv, in 1973, the tragic  accident of the Tu-144, at le Bourget airshow.

Again on the last day of the year 31DEC2019 Kazpost issued a souvenir sheet containing three stamps dedicated to the  Barsa-Kelmes Nature Reserve. Located on what was once an island in the  Aral Sea and established in 1939, the reserve is now surrounded by one of the worst ecologic disasters known to men, but it still maintains its importance in terms of biodiversity conservation. 

The three 500 teńge stamps depict the Saiga Antelope (Saiga tatarica) - that on my cover- a critically endangered species ; the Onager (Equus hemionus onager) or Persian wild ass, listed by the IUCN as endangered and the Purple Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius) a plant now common in many gardens around the world.

COVER N.157 -  DENMARK - FAROE ISLANDS

Postmark: Klaksvik Føroyar 16.08.22
Posted on 16th August; received on the 22th August 2022
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A kind soul! "I saw your blog and I send you this cover so that you may have another cover from the Faroe Islands"... Thank you so much Eric. A nicer gesture could not there be,.. the problem is how to reciprocate given that we roam on the same geographic unit.. I'll find a way, somehow someday, I'm sure!

And thank you also for the beautiful cards inside.

The theme of the 1987 EUROPA  issue was modern Architecture. In accordance to it, the Postal Services of the Faroe Islands issued on 06APR1987 the two stamp set (300 and 500 Faroese oyra) of which some multiples  that can be seen on my cover. The masters for the very beautiful in taglio printed stamps were engraved by master engraver  Czeslaw Slania and the images depict details of the Nordic House (Norðurlandahúsiðin Faroese) a cultural centre whose mission is to support and disseminate the Nordic and Faroese Cultures in the region. The amazing building, inaugurated in 1983,was conceived by Architects Ola Steen from Norway and  Kollbrún Ragnarsdóttir, from Iceland,.

On 19OCT1981, the Faroese  Post issued a 5 stamp definitive set  themed on "Ancient Documents". On my cover Eric used the 3 Faroese króna stamp, illustrated with the reproduction of part of  a page from a 1298 book, and the 5 Faroese króna stamp (illustrated with a 1553 seal)

The postmark tells us that the cover was sent from Klaksvik, the second largest city of the Archipelago, in the Island of Borðoy.