23 April: Stop and Smell the Roses

23 April is Sant Jordi ('Saint George’s Day'), and also the UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day, when love and literature are celebrated massively throughout the Catalan countries and, more and more, in many other places around the world. The exchange of books and roses (#BooksAndRoses) is turning into a worldwide phenomenon.

I got last week a couple of Sant Jordi-related stamps (unintentionally?):

Letter from Alan (the UK)

The White Ensign, at one time called the St George's Ensign due to the simultaneous existence of a cross-less version of the flag, is an ensign worn on British Royal Navy ships and shore establishments. It consists of a red St George's Cross on a white field with the Union Flag in the upper canton. The stamp belongs to a set issuet on 22 October 2001.

This is the decorated back of a big postcard sent by John (the UK). The miniature sheet was issued on 6 May 2010, under the title Celebrating the Accession of King George V for London 2010 Festival of Stamps. 

And a letter from Fabienne (France) wore a stamp I was really happy to get. Issued on 12 April this year, it celebrates the 75 anniversary of Le Petit Prince ('The Little Prince').

If you have read the book, or know the story, you can see a rose in the Little Prince's hands... And you realise that the stamp on the left is a perfect match!

Oh, and I sent some dragons & roses, too!