COVER N.173 - CANADA

Postmark: Canada Post / Postes Canada -  Downsview Retail Postal Outlet 1027 Finch Ave. West Toronto, ON, M3J 2L6 2022-10-17  
Posted on the 17th October; received on the 25h October 2022
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I do like coloured envelopes.  Not that there isn't a certain classical aura to an all white envelope, the more so since the stamps usually do "emerge" more efficiently against an all white background, but colours are, luckily, part of our lives and the added grain of "extraordinary" conferred to something that we are used and expect to see in white can be like ... a ray of sunshine protruding through an autumnal greyish sky, if you'll forgive my cheesy analogy.

Thanks a lot, Nargiza. I did quite like it. On top of it, I had also once received another coloured envelope from Jeff, in Canada, so it looks like my collection of letters from the upper North of the American continent is quite prone to chromatic diversity.

Stamps, left to right:

- The story of man is full of golden pages, we all know, but I dare to say, based on pure empiricism and gut feeling, that for each page written in gold, there are a couple of entire books printed in rust.

Supremacism, colonialism, exploitation, tyranny  are as old as man itself. its consequences have been and are still being felt by many and all it takes it to turn on the TV to sadly hear about conflicts that could have been avoided had we lived up to the adjective that qualifies our species... sapiens...

Sometimes knowingly, other times out of sheer ignorance man has done wrong to man. It's in our nature. We can't escape the fact that we are animals and given the right conditioning we will do stuff that normally we would think unimaginable.

Usually, some years after, as times and tides change, someone will come in the name of the aggressor and offer condolences, apologies... but the wrong was done, and those that felt it in the flesh usually are  already gone too.

It happened everywhere, in my own country also, of course. In fact, it is happening right now, as the church apologises for the behaviour of  members of the clergy that have abused those they should protect...

Quoting from Canada Post website

"First Nations, Inuit and Métis children were forced to attend federally created Indian residential schools, which operated for nearly a century and a half. More than 150,000 children were taken from their families and communities, many never to return home."

Many of these schools were run by the Catholic Church. 

Once again, Pope Francis, with a sincerity that I believe to be unquestionable and truly heartfelt, followed the Standard Operating Procedure: during a  visit to Canada he apologised to representatives of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities... but the wrong had long before been been done, and for those that suffered in the skin, many still alive today, an apology no matter how sincere, will always fall short..

On 29SEP22 Canada Post issued a set of four se-tenant self adhesive Domestic  Permanent stamps dedicated to the theme of Truth and Reconciliation.

Out of respect for the issue, I'll again quote directly from Canada Post website regarding the description of the two stamps from this series that were used on my cover. As such:

"The top left image was designed by Jackie Traverse, First Nation (Lake St. Martin, MB), Anishinaabe, Ojibwe. It represents seeds of change. It features a man and woman, the elders, their children and their grandchildren. The ubiquitous bunchberry is in the centre and represents Canada, with the roots from the seeds reaching to the past. This image emphasizes the need to share the sun, water and the land to enjoy a good harvest."

"The bottom left image was designed by stamp designer Blair Thomson. It features a pair of bold hands held over eyes and a human face. The hands are cross-representative — belonging to the settler, masking their view of reality and shame, and to the Indigenous people/Survivors, covering their face in sadness, pain, memories. Tears stream from between the fingers. The background further connects to the school windows, looking out and dreaming of home. An Indigenous child looks out from behind the hands to reinforce the message that we must never look away again."

- Classic carousels... how not to like them?

A rather uncommon theme for a rather uncommon format stamp set, I believe, but an interesting one, nonetheless.

On 21JUL2022 Canada Post issued a set of 5 self-adhesive Permanent Domestic rate stamps illustrated with images of animals (4 horses + 1 lion)  from vintage carousels dating back to the late 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, that I presume are well loved  by all those that have ridden the lovely wooden creatures.

The one on my cover, features a beautiful horse identified as belonging to the Roseneath Carousel. Again resorting to the Canada Post website "Built by C.W. Parker in 1906, this was originally a portable carnival carousel. It is the only Canadian carousel to receive the National Carousel Association (U.S.) Historic Carousel Award – in 2010. This carousel has resided at the Roseneath Fairgrounds in Roseneath, Ontario, since 1932.

Uncommon stamps call for uncommon postmarks and that's precisely what the large rectangular postmarks are, informing us that the cover was mailed from the city of Toronto, the capital of the Ontario province.

COVER N.172 - BRAZIL

Postmark: Cuiabá 16.SET.22  
Posted on the 16th September; received on the 20h October 2022
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A second cover speaking my own language arrived at my letterbox. Muito, muito obrigado Léo, not only for the cover but most especially for what was inside the envelope.

On 17 July 1922, a mostly wood and fabric Fairey IIID double winged floatplane named Santa Cruz alighted at the Baía de Guanabara, Rio de Janeiro, then capital of Brazil, which was celebrating the centenary of its independence.

On board two intrepid explorers that had thus concluded the first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic, a feat that earned its place in the  book of honour of worldwide aviation with heavier than air aircraft, an exploit which had had its first iteration only 19 years before.

Gago Coutinho, a geographer and cartographer Naval Officer who would later ascend to the rank of Admiral, and Sacadura Cabral, a distinguished military pilot who would be paramount in the development of Military aviation in Portugal as pilot, trainer and Director of the branch, who would rise to the rank of Commander, were the heroes of the feat.

Yes, the Atlantic had already been crossed several times before, first by Commander Read,  at the end of an odyssey that started in Newfoundland on the 8th May  and terminated on the 31st of the same month in  the estuary of the Tagus river, the same river that I often cross when commuting to work.

Just the following month, between 14 and 15 June, John Alcock and Arthur Brown rose to the distinction of being the first to cross the Atlantic on a non-stop flight, that took them again from Newfoundland to a bog in County Galway, Ireland, its Vickers Vimy now residing at the Science Museum in London

But these were flights done in the direction of the prevailing winds and in the case of the Read expedition relying on the support of  a line of destroyers placed at 50 mile intervals along the planned route so as to help navigation and rescue, should there be a need for it.

Also these were  also flights taking the shortest route possible. Alcock and Brown, for instance,  flew for a total of 1,890 miles (3,040 km) from start to finish (an extraordinary feat nonetheless as it is easy to grasp from reading any of the several books dedicated to the history of the atlantic crossing).

Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral's flight span 7,281 Km (4, 527 miles) against the prevailing winds, and with no support other than a navy ship that would meet them at the programmed location for refuelling, the tiny archipelago of S. Pedro and S.Paulo, nothing but some rocks emerging from the Atlantic, so to speak.

The trans-Atlantic portion of the flight  was divided into four legs:

Lisbon to the Canary islands; Canary Islands to Cape Verde; Cape Verde to S. Pedro and  S. Paulo Rocks; S. Pedro and S. Paulo  to Recife... and then onwards to Rio de Janeiro with a few stops on the way.

It was not an easy flight and the aviators saw death coming close not once but twice, both times at the S. Pedro and S. Paulo rocks. First when one of the float gave in upon their alighting, (they were saved by a passing merchant ship, just as things were about to go real bad for them) and later when the engine of  the replacement  aircraft they were flying to S. Pedro and S. Paulo, to restart the leg towards Recife, panned and they again lost it to the ocean and the sharks that were plentiful and eager to try human flesh..

A third and last (Portugal only had three Fairey III-Ds on the inventory), was sent from Lisbon and on the 5th July they took off from the rocks towards Recife, from where they would progress to Rio de Janeiro, where they alighted to a memorable reception on the 17th June 1922.

Of note is also the fact that the flight in the way it was planned, was only made possible because Gago Coutinho had modified the nautical sextant by adding spirit levels to it so as to be able to use it aboard an aircraft, an idea that was latter patented. Gago Coutinho also developed what he called a "Course corrector", an instrument that could be used to calculate and compensate for wind drift. The value of these two instruments is easy to ascertain if one puts into perspective the scale of the task of trying to find a couple of rocks in the middle of the ocean without any other means than the help of the celestial bodies...and yet, they did it!

One century has gone by and to celebrate this great feat  both the Portuguese and the Brazilian post issued commemorative stamps. 

Having of course acquired  the Portuguese issue, I badly wanted to have the Brazilian counterpart. and that's where Léo came to the rescue. I couldn't be more thankful.

Image Credit: Correios do Brasil

The Brazilian issue is composed of a se-tenant strip of three 2.35 Real stamps, linking the history of the Portuguese Maritime Exploration with that of the First aerial crossing of the Southern Atlantic. The first stamp depicts  Belém, at the mouth of the Tagus, with its unmistakable tower and the image of  Caravela Vera Cruz, a replica of the ships on which the Portuguese navigators sail off to "Give new worlds to the World”, as our national poet, Camões, once put it it, while in the background the shadow of the first Fairey DIII - Lusitânia - is seen flying;  the middle stamp shows the aircraft flying over the sea with land, the Canary islands or Cape Verde, maybe, in the background and the cross of Christ , the symbol even today used by the Portuguese Air Force on its aircraft; the third stamp shows the Santa Cruz, such was the name of the Last Fairey used, alighted in the sea in front of Rio de Janeiro with the 2 aviators framed inside an astrolabe and an image of the Course corrector developed by Gago Coutinho.

Image Credits: CTT Correios de Portugal

The Portuguese Issue, is composed of a souvenir sheet with a 3,00€ stamp illustrated with a well known photograph of both aviators ready to depart from Lisbon inside the cockpit of their Fairey IIID Lusitânia plus three I20g (International, up to 20g) tariff stamps with the image of each of the 3 aircraft used, one departing from Belém, the second alighting at night at the S.Pedro and S. Paulo Rocks and the third, alighting at Baía da Guanabara, Rio de Janeiro. The logo of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the first South-Atlantic aerial crossing  is also present on all the stamps.

Leo used stamps from two different issues to mail me his letter:

The two1,55 Reais stamps with images of cats are part of a stampsheet integrating 30 1,55 R$ stamps dedicated to pets, issued on 06NOV2018.

Between 2005 and 2011, Correios do Brasil issued a definitive series dedicated to Professions. The shoemaker, (two 0,20 R$ stamps on my letter) was part of the first set of three stamps issued on 30DEC2005, while the Manicurist, (1 RS) belonged to the second set, comprising two stamps, issued on 06NOV2006.

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).

COVER N.170 - AUSTRIA

Postmark: Sollenau 2601 - 04.10.22  
Posted on the 4th October; received on the 13th October 2022
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A simple envelope with the right tariff stamp... that's all it takes for a letter to journey from here to there.  It has been like that for ages... harbingers of good, bad, so and so news, letters go where voice can no longer be heard, where words can no longer be perceived, where distance is but an address. 

Not much of a secret, I know, but we never really think much about what we take for granted until that sad moment when what there is,... is no longer...

Thanks a lot Manfred!

To make sure that children "Leg Godt", what translates into Play Well in English was the idea that drove Ole Kirk Christiansen into inventing a wood block system that would allow children to replicate the universe around them in 3 D while at the same time developing skills such as tri-dimensional perception, fine movement coordination, planning, and I'm sure a whole lot of others. 

History has it that the system was invented in 1932, and I'm sure that Mr. Christiansen would be absolutely bewildered if he were to see who is a substantial part of the brand's customers these days.... I've seen children of 40+ proudly getting out of the supermarket or toy store clutching their prized new 1000 + parts Lego box under the arm... "oh yes, Nice isn't it? I bought it for my soon that is about to be born...."

I still remember when I was given a basic set of Lego by my grandmother, when I was 5 or 6 years old. Although I quite liked the concept, I found it quite frustrating, because whatever I tried to create, the pretty limited number of parts I had meant that I could never go past the basic house or two-wheeled cart... Little did I know that by 10, I'd be even more frustrated with Meccano, for exactly the same reason... 

Celebrating the 90th anniversary of the creation of the famous plastic building blocks Österreichische Post issued on 14SEP2022 a single 1.20 € stamp illustrated with the image of a LEGO Ferris wheel, which Manfred used on my cover.

The Postmark tells us that the letter was mailed from Sollenau, a city located some 36 km south of Vienna.

COVER N.169 - GREECE

Postmark: Illegible 02.09.2022  
Posted on the 2nd September; received on the 13th October 2022
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Bonds, connections, relations... this is what our gregarious nature pushes us into, no matter how self-absorbed or even misanthropic one is.

I find that the internet has multiplied the effect by an exponential factor, because not only it makes it so easy to get in touch, contact, talk to or even see the other at the end of the phrase but also because it does all this without the need for that discomforting reality that impacts especially on those of a more timid or less sociable extraction: physical presence. Hence the thousands and millions of friends, followers, admirers that some like to boast of and which so many times are but the expression of intellectual idleness; relational void.

Common ground is a safe harbour for all though. and bulding on common interest is, in my humble point of view,  as I think I have already elaborated once on these unpretentious pages, a step forward towards eliminating the absurd that leads to such horrific situations as we continue to hear about upon turning on the TV at news time.

For a year or so, I have been a  member of a cover circuit club and I couldn't have been more happy for having enrolled. I've been fulfilling my duties and like other members I take real pleasure in forwarding the circuits I receive and waiting in anticipation for the next cover to reach my letterbox.

But things are beginning to escalate, I find. Thankfully. not as in the absurd and unjustifiable conflict that rages upon Europe's Eastern door but in the way that Humans are supposed to do it: by creating bonds, connections, relations...

Thank you George, for your nice envelope and for all those nice covers sent out of circuit context. Truly appreciated!

Stamps, left to right

On 14OCT2010, ELTA, the Hellenic Post, issued a 10 stamp set dedicated to the Greek Islands, each stamp (0,02; 0,05; 0,20; 0,40; 0,50; 1; 2; 4; green and red tariffs) being illustrated with a photo of a landmark of the island it meant to showcase. The 0,50€ stamp on my cover is dedicated to the island of  Skyros.

On 04JUN2013 ELTA issued a set of 5 stamps (0,05; 0,30; 0,47; 2x A tariff)  dedicated to sailing tourism, and illustrated with photos of sailing yachts. 

The Isthmus of Corinth connects the Peleponese peninsula to the Greek mainland. To make it possible to navigate from one side of the peninsula to the other without having to follow the coast line all along its perimeter a canal was opened in 1893, thus effectively transforming the Peloponnese into an island. 

Celebrating the 120th anniversary of the canal opening, Greek Post issued the  0,05€ stamp on my cover on 17FEB2014 illustrated with the image of painting that I presume depicts inauguration day, by the festive look of the participating ships.

a 10 stamp definitive set dedicated to Greek marine fauna was issued on 21FEB2012.  With 0,02; 0,03; 0,05; 0,20; 0,35; 0,50; 1; 3€  and 20 g domestic and 20 g international denominations. The 0,50 stamp on my cover  is illustrated with a photo of a Common Dentex (Dentex dentex) a common sight in the Mediterranean, Eastern Atlantic and Black sea, which is classified as vulnerable

 

COVER N.168 - FRANCE

Postmark: Le Petit Louvre - Loire - Premier Jour 09.09.2022 - 42 La Pacaudière  
Posted on the 9th September; received on the 3rd October 2022
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As much as anyone, I love a good surprise and today I got a great one. Mr. Postman droped this very fine cover, with First day obliteration and the autograph of the stamp designer. Truly Excellent. Couldn't be happier about it Eric, Thanks a lot!

I guess that these days the best approximation we could make to a stage coach relay station of yore would be what...a motel? A highway hotel of the kind where the weary driver pulls up to spend the night when the eyelids begin to feel too heavy to trust one's own resistance?

La Poste has issued on 12SEP22 the lovely lettre verte (domestic, up to 20g) stamp, of which a pair can be seen on the cover, dedicated to Le Petit Louvre, which I understand is an ancient "relais de diligence" on the Paris-Lyon Road, now part of the heavy traffic Route Nationale 7, connecting Paris with the Italian Border right after Menton, in the French Riviera.

The Petit-Louvre, located at La Pacaudière (Loire) and built in the first third of the 16th century was conceived in a mixture of ghotic and rennaissance styles. Of note is its amazingly high roof that stands much higher that the rest of the building (13m tall to be precise, against the 9,75 metres of the walls).

In its days it served as a much frequented stop for rest and horse change for those that took the 450+ km of the journey. Amidst the many anonymous travelers that must have used its traveler support facilities  high sounding names like Catherine de Médicis or Louis XIII, could be traced and it is a known fact that it was here (citing la Poste site) that "the Duke of Richelieu, Bishop of Luçon, learned in September 1622 that he had been appointed Cardinal".

The place is also famous for the graffiti on its inner walls, bearing testimony to those that were once there, in the form of names, thoughts, dates, coats of arms, drawings...

As I said, the cover is autographed by the author of the stamps, Thierry Dubois, a well respected name of the French Bande Dessinée universe, whose work clearly illustrates his love for classic cars, and for...La Route Nationale 7, which he turned into a BD series.

It should also be noted that Thiery Dubois has also authored a set of 8 stamps dedicated to La Route Nationale 7, issued by La Poste  in 2021.

The first day postmark captures the ornaments above the buildings's main door (there must be an architectural name for this,,,), that are also replicated on the stamp sheet margin, where the portrait of Catherine de Médicis can also be seen.

COVER N.167 - MALTA

Postmark: Marsa Malta 16SEP22  
Posted on the 16th September; received on the 30th September 2022
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Every day, when I'm at home, I anxiously wait for the sound of a motorbike running through my street in stop and go mode. The best days are those like last Friday, when the noise of the motorbike's engine on idle sounds for a few moments by my door, followed by the metallic "clonk" sound of the flap of the letterbox hitting its resting spot.

On those days I hurry to the outside and nervously turn the key on the letterbox lock.... 

This time it was a nice cover from Malta. Thanks a lot Albert.

Stamps, Left to right:

- On the 10th June 1922, Malta's Meteorological Office was established and it recorded its first official weather observation at 7.00 am: 27.3 Celsius, good visibility and Force 2 West Northwesterly wind.

Since then, 100 years of inestimable services to the population in general and to the sectors that rely heavily on meteo information, like aviation, be it civil or military, have been ensured by a dedicated team operating from Malta International Airport.

Celebrating the centenary of  the Meteorological Office, Malta Post issued on 01JUN2022 a three stamp set (0,07; 0.37 and 1,25 €) illustrated with weather icons, of which the first two can be seen on my cover.

- In 2013, Malta Post started a stamp series dedicated to local fountains, which would see two three stamp sets being issued, one in 2013 and the other in 2014, although all the stamps bear the 2013 imprinted date.

The 2014 issue with 0,42€, 0,59 and 1,25 € stamps began to circulate on 03JAN2014. The 0,59€ stamp on my cover depicts a fountain located in the San Anton Gardens, in the town of Attard, in the centre of Malta Island,. The gardens are part of the complex where the Presidential palace, also called San Anton Palace, is located.

 - Another centenary, that of the Society of Christian Doctrine, or M.U.S.E.U.M. is the subject of the last stamp on the envelope. The Society is an organisation founded in 1907 by a Priest named George Preca, now Saint George Preca, with the aim of "using lay men and women to serve the Church, primarily by helping them lead a truly Christian life and a dedication to evangelisation" as can be read on the society's website. 

The acronym for which it is known translates into  Magister Utinam Sequatur Evangelium Universus Mundus, or in  English: Divine Teacher may the whole world follow the Gospel.

The 0,21€ stamp on my cover is part of a five stamp set (0,01; 0,21;0,37; 1;2 €) dedicated to Anniversaries and Personalities, issued on 29DEC2007.

The postmark is hardly legible, but it is possible to confirm that the cover was mailed from Marsa, where the head office of Malta post is located.