COVER N. 283- SRI LANKA

Postmark: Head Quarters P. O. Colombo - Mail - 30.06.23

Posted on the 30th June; Received on the 14th July 2023

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Sri Lanka, Ceilão (Ceylon)  as it used to be called when I first learned about it, or Tapobrana as Camões, our national Poet called it in his monumental epopee "os Lusíadas". Another country joins the list and this time with two entries in a row. Thank you so much, Ravindra.

I have to confess my ignorance regarding Sri Lanka's culture and the facts that I do come up with when I try to invoke my inherent data bank are not the kind of news that any country would like to be talked about for: civil war  between Tamil and Sinhalese and the horrific Tsunami of 2004.  Hopefully both are bad stories of the past although, in later years, again, social unrest caused by a pressured economy have made it to the news on TV all around the world,  but I do hope that Sri Lanka may find its way and prosper in peace for the benefit of all its citizens.  

Vesak is the most important Buddhist holiday, celebrating the birth, enlightenment (Nibbāna), and passing (Parinirvāna) of  Buddha.

Honouring this celebration, which is particularly relevant in Sri Lanka given that Buddhism is the creed of 70% of its population, Sri Lanka Post has issued on 04MAY2023 a three 50 Sri Lankan Rupee set illustrated with images of temples and a procession, all associated with the Vesak Festival, I presume.

The stamps were also issued integrated in a souvenir sheet and, further to the three, a fourth 50 Rupee stamp, also dedicated to the Vesak festival, illustrated with a painting of a procession, was equally issued on the same date.

Left to right, the temples depicted in the colourful stamps are  are:

The Thinipitiya Viharaya at Madampe;

The Sri Nagarama Purana Viharaya at Mahawewa;

The Paramakanda Raja Maha Viharaya at Anamaduwa.

Besides the identification of the temples, the stamps contain a legend with the name of the State  written in Sinhala - ශ්‍රී ලංකා - and Tamil - இலங்கை, - the official languages  and English - Sri Lanka - defined as the Link language.

Of note is also the fact that the year indication also shown on the stamps is that of the Buddhist calendar in use in Sri Lanka - 2567, corresponding to 2023 in  the Gregorian calendar.

The letter was mailed from Colombo, the country's capital, as indicated by the Postmark.

COVER N. 283- CABO VERDE

Postmark: Correios de Cabo Verde - Agência de S. Filipe / Correios de Cabo Verde  - ?? Praia Postal  07.06.23

Posted on the 6th June; Received on the 14th July 2023

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A second cover sent by Marta on the same day, just to check what stamps were on offer at the local Post Office.

On the left a 5 CV Escudos stamp, part of a 6 stamp (5; 10; 20; 40; 60; 1000 CVE) set + 1 stamp souvenir sheet (150  CVEsc.) issued in 2011, dedicated to local avian fauna and flora. 

The bird depicted is what is known locally as "Passarinha" (little she bird). The Halcion leucocephala,  grey headed kingfisher, is a quite colorful and flashy bird, like all kingfishers, which has a large African distribution encompassing tropical and semi-tropical Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

And what better stamp to put on a letter mailed from the Island of Fogo than one depicting the reason for the Island's Toponym?

The Pico do Fogo Volcano is the active type and I remeber seeing on TV images of the destruction it caused during its last eruption in 2014, the 27th since 1500.

On 04JUL2007, Correios de Cabo verde isued a 4 stamp set (10; 50; 55; 60 CVE) dedicated to this particular volcano, with images of a previous eruption (probably that of 1995).

As with the other letter Marta sent, the stamps are cancelled with the Corporative mark of the Postal Company, the back of the envelope exhibiting a normal postmark from Praia, Santiago Island.

COVER N. 282- CABO VERDE

Postmark: Correios de Cabo Verde - Agência de S. Filipe / Correios de Cabo Verde  - ?? Praia Postal  07.06.23

Posted on the 6th June; Received on the 14th July 2023

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Cape Verde... my "place of conception"... I wonder if by some mysterious osmotic mechanism, places may enter into your genetic stream somehow, for wind, lava, sea and  sand seem to melt into a distant and never ending blue horizon line that has shined over  the most happy days of my transit through our beloved planet.

Not that I  remember much of my first four years of existence spent in the island of Sal. In fact, all I recollect is an episode that could have been the last of the very short series, which I have already narrated here, but years later I would cut the soles of my feet in lava paths, on my way to the blue of the Azorean waters where I would go spear fishing, or manoeuvre a home made kite in the gusty wind or just wind the day away in the white sand beach (a precious rarity in the Azores) of Praia Formosa in Santa Maria island, and I'd feel - as I still do - that those were my elements, the roots that connect me to the soil I've been part of and to which I'll some day return.

I have visited a few Islands in my days, some large, some small, but I've always felt at home in them. It's the eternal and unavoidable presence of the sea, I guess: the luminous white highlights of spray and foam contrasting deep against the undertones of rocks and stones... and its smell..., the life-giving odour of salt and iodine and seaweed and then the colour gradient that erases a soft turquoise into the deepest ultramarine blue as the depth of the waters increases.....

I have to discuss this empirical genetics theoretical hypothesis  with my daughter Marta, within a week or so, when she returns from the Island of Fogo, in Cape Verde,  where she is at present for professional reasons. Have to ask her if she didn't feel that somehow, without ever having been there, she felt in some way at home.... or maybe I'd better not.... she has lived all her life in the city....her DNA must be more inclined to fossil fuels and concrete  than to seaweed and salty winds, no matter what links of the chain my personal heritage have influenced ...., 

One thing is certain, I would not let her go to Cape Verde without begging her to go to the post office and mail a few envelopes to daddy and friends, even though daddy's affection for stamped envelopes is regarded by her as another of the old man excentricities....

With the help of Eric, one of the honoris causa members of this blog, a small stash of envelopes was prepared and handed to Marta with intructions regarding the absolute need of having the envelopes postmarked upon expedition, since I did not want to run the same risk I ran when she went to São Tomé and the envelopes were all returned without cancellations.

She was really keen on having things done right this time and she even phoned me from the post ofice to make sure.

The result?

Thank you so much, Marta, dear daughter, for the time and effort. The old one (and I'm sure his friends also) was quite happy to receive the very spiffy letters you sent on your day off.

Cape Verde has been participating ininterruptively in the Summer Olympics since 1996. In the 2004 Edition, the Cape Verdean delegation comprised three athletes who would defend the coulours of the country in Athletics (Marathon), Boxing and Rhytmic Gymnastics.

Celebrating the Olympics and its Athletes, the Correios de Cabo Verde issued a three stamp set (10, 60; 100 Cape Verdean Escudos) on 13AUG2004, two of which can be seen on the cover.   Oddly enough, although being de facto represented in the Boxing discipline, one of the three stamps issued is illustrated with the image of a Taekwondo combat, a discipline that would see a Cape Verdean athlete Competing but in 2016...

The cancelations on this cover are quite interesting, since the stamps were postmarked with what looks like the corporative  stamp of the Agency of São Filipe, Island of Fogo, that in place of the date mark includes the logo of the Postal Company - Correios de Cabo Verde S.A.

On the back of the envelope, though, there is a "regular" cancelation postmark issued at Cidad da Praia, Island of Santiago, wherefrom the letters were sent to their final destination, I presume. 

 COVER N. 278 - FRANCE

Postmark: 58 Clamecy - Nièvre 05.07.2023 

Posted on the 5th July; Received on the 11th July 2023

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About time I resume normal activity here on my cover and postcard collecting blog, after some pretty joyful and agreeable days travelling through places I had never been before.

And while I travelled, my friend Mr. Postman kept dropping mail into my letterbox, so to the significant stash of covers I had left at home to post here on the blog I was very pleased to add quite a few more upon returning.... looks like I will not be impaired on my posting by lack of subject matter in the coming weeks....

I have to confess that no day passed while I was abroad that I didn't think about that truly anticipated moment in the morning when, outside, the noise of an idling motorcycle engine by my door indicates that mail is being delivered, but reality exceed my best expectations so it will be a long time before I get up do date with all the covers and postcards I received. 

So without further ado, let's start with a  cover I received more than a month ago with some very interesting stamps on the outside and a couple of truly interesting aviation related FDCs inside.

Thank you so much Jean-Pierre! Truly appreciated!

Stamps left to right

Stamps are privileged billboards for showcasing a country's achievements, history, places, heroes, villains... in one word: culture.

So it comes as no surprise that art and artists  has been a preety recurrent theme for stamp issues all over the world.

- The first stamp on the cover, with  a face value of 1 Franc,  dates back to 22FEB1969 and although having been issued as a standalone stamp  is part of a series dedicated to French Art that ran for some years, while I was coming out of infancy into youth, I notice, so quite a few years ago 😀

It is illustrated with an image of one of the Bas-reliefs located at the base of the right portal of the main façade of the Basilique Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens (Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Amiens), according to the information available at "Les Timbre de France" website, dating back to the beginning of the 13th century.

The bas-relief series is dedicated to the Zodiac and the Seasons and the image on the stamp is that of an old man by the fire, evocative of winter.

- According to Wikipedia, Jean Hay, known as le Maitre de Moulins lived between 1475 and 1505,  and was "an early Netherlandish painter"  who lived and worked in France.

His is the painting illustrating the second stamp on the cover, entitled "Pierre II, Duc de Bourbon, Presented by St Peter" is part of a triptych executed by the master in 1492-93.

The 2 Franc stamp was issued on 14OCT1972.

- France's administrative regions have also featured in several  stamp issues. The 2,80 Franc stamp dedicated to the Region of Nord-Pas.de-Calais, issued on 13DEC1975, is part of one such series which ran from 1975 to 1984.

- The Abbaye de Fontvraud, whose first structures date back to the early 12th century and wherein some rather prominent  members of the Anglo-French royalty, namely Richard I, the Lionheart and Eleanor of Aquitaine were interred is the subject of the 1,70 Franc stamp issued on 03JUN1978.

- Millau, a commune of the Aveyron department in the Occitanie region in Southern France is the subject of the 3 Franc stamp issued on 15MAR1997. 

Of note is the fact that Millau has its own dialect, the Rouergat, a variation of the Occitan idiom.

The stamp is illustrated with images of the Bellfry of Millau, on the left, the church of  Notre-Dame-de-l'Espinasse (on the right) and of the Gorges du Tarn (Tarn canyon) in the background.

- Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette,  (1873-1954), or simply Colette, as she would forever be remembered, was a multifaceted artist. 

Although being better known as a writer, she was also an actress, a mime and a journalist. She was also a member and President of the Académie Goncourt and one of the nominees for the Nobel prize of Literature in 1948, which ended up being awarded to the poet T.S. Elliot.

The 0,50 + 0,10 Franc stamp featuring her portrait was issued on 01JUN1972.

- The coat of arms of the city of Niort, located  in the Deux-Sèvres department in the Centre west of France,  illustrates the 0,01 Franc stamp that was issued on 27JAN1964 as part of the French Cities Coat of Arms series that ran for several years.

- The postage on the cover is rounded up by one last 3.80 Franc Marianne du 14 Juillet stamp, issued on 14JUL1997.

The postmark indicates that the cover was mailed posted at Clamecy, a city of the Nièvre Department, in Central France.

 

COVER N. 281 - FRANCE

Postmark: Festivals de Méditerranée - Arles Les recontres de Photographie  - Premier Jour - Euromed Postal  07.07.23

Posted on the 7th July; Received on the 11th July 2023

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My first multiple.

As I mentioned in the previous post, I received two Les Rencontres de Photographie d'Arles Euromed FDCs, for which I  could not be more thankful to Eric and Pierre.

Not wanting to repeat myself, I'll just note, à propos the cover Eric so kindly surprised me with, that, in a way, even though it is a duplicate cover, it is quite singular.

In fact, even if marred by an unnecessary double obliteration, it was applied upside down over the commemorative postmark, and not over the stamp.

Quite unique....☺

The 2023 theme for the Euromed common issue being Mediterranean Festivals, La Poste chose this important artistic event to showcase on the very nice 1,80 stamp issued on 07JUL2023, that constitutes the French emission and which Eric and Pierre so kindly sent me as FDCs.

Thanks a lot!

COVER N. 280 - FRANCE

Postmark: Festivals de Méditerranée - Arles Les recontres de Photographie  - Premier Jour - Euromed Postal  07.07.23

Posted on the 7th July; Received on the 11th July 2023

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I have to say that the first thing I think about at the mention of Arles, is Van Gogh's ear, and this because of a beautiful poem by Portuguese poet Reinaldo Ferreira, called Rosie, which I've known by heart since I was a kid, that manages to bring into the train of thought of  someone who, "nauseated and drunk" speaks silently to Rosie, his friend or lover.

But Arles is not famous only for being the place where the great painter who never lived to see the recognition he totally deserved, in a gesture of despair and anger fuelled by an altercation with his friend Gauguin, mutilated himself. The "Rencontres de Photographie", first organised in 1970 by local photographer Lucien Clergue, writer Michel Tournier and historian Jean-Maurice Rouquette. and since them taking place every year in the summer,  have earned a well aknowledged place at world level for all those interested in this form of artistic expression.

The 2023 theme for the Euromed common issue being Mediterranean Festivals, La Poste chose this important artistic event to showcase on the very nice 1,80 stamp issued on 07JUL2023, that constitutes the French emission and which Pierre and Eric so kindly sent me as FDCs.

Thanks a lot!

COVER N. 279 - CROATIA

Postmark: Hrvatska Posta P1405  03.07.2023 

Posted on the 3rd July; Received on the 11th July 2023

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A distinctive feature of cover collecting is the fact that one can count on the help of friends and relatives to increase one's collection, given that a visit to a post office while abroad is not, most of the times, something that will either take too much time or be in any other way too inconvenient..

So, whenever I get the chance within my family nucleus, I always pester wife and daughters, begging for their help.

My wife went to Croatia some time ago for professional reasons, so I immediately prepared a cover and asked her to pass by the post office if she had the time.

Unfortunately, she didn't, but she passed my request to a kind colleague of hers, who went through the trouble of buying the stamps and posting the envelope. I could not be more thankful for such a nice and generous gesture. 

Thanks a lot, Andrea!

The Croatian war of Independence, which marked the beginning of the several secessionist conflicts that would bring about the need to revise the Balkanic atlas after a decade of brewing up in Yugoslavia after Tito's death, took place between 1991 and 1995.

The conflict opposed Croatian units to the Yugoslav army and local Serb forces, and besides causing an estimated 20.000 military dead on both sides,  was also at the root of the displacement of several thousand civilians. The former opponents are now at peace, but as usual with wars, and particularly civil wars, the ugly scars that were left will take time to fully heal...

Honouring the Croat forces that participated in the conflict, Hrvastka Post issued between 2017 and 2020 a series of stamps evocative of the involved Croat units, decorated with the badges of the pertinent unit against a camouflaged "fabric" background.

On my cover Andrea used one such stamp from the 2020 issue - which comprised four 8,60 Kuna stamps and began to circulate on 11MAR2020 -  dedicated to the 5th Guards Brigade - Sokolovi, The Falcons, I believe.

Andrea completed the postage with a 0,56 € label, on which the place of expedition - Zlatar Bistrica, is clearly identifiable, thus adding to the cover another interesting element as two currencies were used on the same postal object.

As a side note, this year I'm planning to finally bring to life a project that has been with me for decades. That is, to walk the Portuguese Coastal Caminho de Santiago between Porto and the Praza do Obradoiro, in Santiago.

Knowing this, and having been at a church which is in the Santiago way that runs through Croatia (something I didn't even know it existed), my wife had the back of the envelope stampmarked with the church stamp, another great touch to the cover! Thanks Francisca!