Libération

Liberation of concentration camps, 80 years
2025

 

Liberation of concentration camps, 30 years
1975

Déportation
Liberation, 20th anniversary
1964

Résistance
Liberation, 20th anniversary
1964

Thursday Postcard Hunt | Arctic Refuge

Polar bear, Ursus maritimus, cub checks out eskimo elder Daniel Akootchook, on his ATV out on the pack ice, 1002 area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska

Postcard sent by Susan (the USA).

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Thursday Postcard Hunt
May theme: PARKS AND GARDENS

• Week 1 - National Parks
• Week 2 - Public Gardens
• Week 3 - Beaches
• Week 4 - Forests

Everyone is welcome to share their postcards!

Penny Black Day

Envelopes sent by Alan (the UK).

I have also received this commemorative stamp from Isle of Man:

Is there a Penny Lilac Day?

Cinco de Mayo

Postcard sent by Bryon (the USA).

From Wikipedia:

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for 'Fifth of May') is an annual celebration held on May 5 to celebrate Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 —Not to be mistaken for Mexican Independence Day.

More popular in the United States than in Mexico,Cinco de Mayo has become associated with the celebration of Mexican-American culture. Celebrations began in Columbia, California, where they have been observed annually since 1862. The day gained nationwide popularity beyond those of Mexican-American heritage in the 1980s due to advertising campaigns by beer, wine, and tequila companies; In Mexico, the commemoration of the battle continues to be mostly ceremonial, such as through military parades or battle reenactments. 

Year of the Fire Horse [OUT]

Mail sent to Heleen (the Netherlands), Fabienne (France) and Phillip (the USA).

Sunday Stamps | N is for Nuclear

20th Anniversary of the Atomic Energy Commission

France, 1965

Windscale reactor
British technology
UK, 1966

Phénix Reactor
France, 1974

Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons
UN, 2025

More N-stamps on Sunday Stamps!

Chocolate Packaging [OUT]

Envelopes made of chocolate packaging, sent to Fabienne (France), Bryon (the USA) and Phillip (the USA). It seems they lost some stamps during their journeys...

Chocolate Packaging [IN]

Envelope made of chocolate packaging, made by Phillip (the USA). And a bit difficult to open!

Thursday Postcard Hunt | Blue Skies

Zaanse Schans
Netherlands

La Ciotat
France

Moulin Vendeen
France

 Postcards sent by Fabienne (France).

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Thursday Postcard Hunt
April theme: COLOURS OF THE SPRING

• Week 1 - Pink
• Week 2 - Yellow
• Week 3 - Green
• Week 4 - Purple
• Week 5 - Blue

Everyone is welcome to share their postcards!

Year of the Fire Horse [V]

Back of a big envelope sent by Imma (PC). 

The front is equally nice, drawn by the sender:

Misadventure

I sent this envelope to Alan (the UK). It was made out of an old encyclopaedia. But I did not realised the paper was too weak to resist the modern postal machines: two edges were broken and the envelope arrived empty. 

Women on Postcards | R is for Reader

Reading Lesson (1865), by French painter Auguste Toulmouche (1829-1890). Postcard sent by Bryon (the USA).

[Women on Postcards - 2026]

Sunday Stamps | M is for Megalith

The UNPA (United Nations Postal Administratio) has a tradition of issuing stamps that celebrate UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which are recognized for their outstanding cultural, historical, and natural significance. 

In 2024, they issued six stamps featuring Korean sites. Bryon sent me one of them, dedicated to the Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites.

This is my M-stamp for this week's Sunday Stamps.

Disappointment and Sorrow

«"I never will, no, I certainly never will wish for a letter again," was Fanny's secret declaration as she finished this. "What do they bring but disappointment and sorrow?"»

Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

250 Years of US Postal Service (10-11)

In 2025, the United States celebrates a milestone: 250 years of postal service. This collection of postcards have been released one a month. All 12 align to form a timeline spanning from 1775 to 2025.

10.

Introduced in 1968, Priority Mail offered expedited 1-3 day delivery for packages weighing up to 70 pounds, with the shipping costs determined by the distance traveled.

11.

In 1970, President Nixon signed the Postal Reorganization Act, transforming the Post Office Department into the United States Postal Service (USPS). This legislation changed the structure, operations, and financial model of the postal system, creating a new framework for mail delivery.

Bryon sent the postcards last year. But, for some reason (mail monsters?), postcard 10 and 11 did not arrived. After resending them (thanks!), they landed safe and sound. The complete set makes a nice poster:

(Picture taken from here)

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