Let's Celebrate!

Finalist of the "Discover the Magic of the (St. Jame's) Way" contest
organised by organised by Correos and iPeregrinos.
By Esther Mayor

Today is the 9th anniversary of this blog. 

I need to think something to celebrate the 10th... Any ideas?

 

Wonderful design outside...

Real stamps inside!

 

Detail, small Chinese hand-embroidery on silk, 
mid 20th century C., depicting the Chinese mythical tale
 "Carp Leaping over Dragon's Gate" 
symbolising success as a reward for courage and perseverance.
Wow!

Un petit mot...
By Francesca Quatraro

Some postcards and cards I got for my birthday, sent by Laura (Spain), Heleen (the Netherlands), John (the UK), Phillip (the USA) and Fabienne (France).

Ancient Postal Routes

Spain

EUROPA stamps are special stamps issued by European postal administrations/enterprises. Each year, PostEurop's Stamps & Philately Working Group selects the EUROPA stamp theme. This year the theme is Ancient Postal Routes.

You can see here all the stamps and, from 9 May till 9 September 2020, vote for your favourite.

Cyprus

Austria

Poland

Germany

(I haven't received any of these.)

This Is Air Mail

Back 

Just in case you hadn't noticed when you saw the front of the envelope...

Front

Sent by John (the UK).

What Is the Deal with Pen Cancels?

A letter I received plays a role on this interesting Graham Beck's video (5:47):

Have you received items in the mail that have been scribbled over with pen? Let's take a look at the many pen cancels that I and other philatelists have received and explore the reasons for them.

Guess Where I Am

When I sent this postcard to Phillip (the USA), I had been at home 24/24 during almost a month. Five weeks later, I am at home 23/24. So not need to guess! 

I wrote it on 4 April, and posted on 9 April. It was postmarked on 16 April and arrived 8 May. What a journey!

Sunday Stamps | Children's Books

Letter sent by Heleen (the Netherlands)

PostNL has been issuing Children's Welfare Stamps to collect money for projects aimed at the welfare of vulnerable children since 1924.

The 2019 Children’s Welfare Stamps sheet contains ten stamps in five different designs which  feature the covers of five classic children's books:

• Nieuwe avonturen van Pietje Bell (1932, Chris van Abkoude)
• De Drieling op paard (1987, Trix van Brussel)

• Uit het leven van Dik Trom (1891, Johan Kieviet)
• Kruimeltje (1923, Chris van Abkoude)

• De schippers van de Kameleon (1949, Hotze de Roos). I haven't got this one. But I have got the same book belonging to a different set:

Update: Got it!

More information on this stamps.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, today about Mothers & Children.

Royal Mail Postage Labels

Although adhesive stamps were first introduced for the prepayment of postage in 1840, it was subsequently felt that other methods of prepayment were desirable. Consequently, in late nineteenth century, consideration was given to ways of reducing the time spent in post offices for the purchase of stamps. Trial machines were built and demonstrated to the Post Office from 1898 onwards, but did not have any real success or stimulate public interest and so they were discontinued. Such trials, however, did represent the first attempts to provide an independent method of prepayment for the public.

After the First World War, bulk users of the post were introduced to a method of prepayment by meter makings. This system was accelerated by its approval for overseas use by the Universal Postal Union at the Madrid Congress in 1920. Although delayed, the advantage of a system to prepay labels through some form of dispensing machines was not overlooked by postal administrations and coil dispensers and booklet machines were introduced in the following years, but none of these provided the desired flexibility necessary for changing postal rates.

To meet such a requirement, the new Royal Mail Postage Labels have been introduced. Similar to labels used in Europe, they are printed on phosphor coated paper within the machine and the value can be varied to suit the customers' needs.

The first day cover was designed by Ken Briggs and Associates. And sent by John (the UK).

Greetings from Gryffindor (and Great Britain)

Which house will the Sorting Hat assign you to?

Postcards and matching stamps sent by John (the UK).

Overrated?

«This writing business,

pencils and what-not.

Overrated if you ask me.»
Eeyore

Postcard sent by John (the UK).

Winnie-the-Pooh characters have appeared several times on stamps...

Home Pleasures

Envelopes made of Naomi's templates, coloured with colour pencils.

Sent to John (the UK), Laura (the UK), and Heleen (the Netherlands).

Bevrijdingsdag

Bevrijdingskind Karin Bergmann aan het ontbijt, 5 mei
W.P. van der Hoeff

In the Netherlands, Liberation Day (Bevrijdingsdag) is celebrated each year on May the 5th to mark the end of the occupation by Nazi Germany during World War II.

Postcard sent by Heleen (the Netherlands).

I Am an Airmail Envelope

This fun envelope sent by John (the UK) made me smile last week, and I hope the postal workers too:

Hi there,

I'm an airmail envelope. It's quite a fun life. You get to travel on planes -and those fast food tracks are really cool. I may even get to watch a movie. What I don't understand is how I can arrive before I left. I've been told it's not time travel, it's something to do with things called 'time zones'. Today I'll be put in a postbox in        and the kind people in the sorting office will send me all the way to SPAIN. When I get there I'll be sent to                  (        ). Then a postie will deliver me to                so that Eva        can read me. Thank you everyone involved. Stay Safe.

Sunday Stamps | Wild and Scenic Rivers

Wild and Scenic Rivers is a 12-stamps series issued by USPS on 21 May 2019. For today Sunday Stamps theme: Water.

Skagit River (photo by Tim Palmer)
Flathead River (id)
Merced River (photo by Michael Melford)

Ontonagon River (photo by Tim Palmer)
Niobrara River (photo by Michael Melford)
Owyhee River (id)

Update: I have got the whole set.

Miffy Is Having Fun

It seems Nijntje/Miffy is having a great time on this envelope and postcard sent by Heleen (the Netherlands)...

UK's Curious Customs Stamps (4)

Padstow ‘Obby ‘Oss 

Location: Padstow, Cornwall 

Timing/Date: 1st May 

Background: The Padstow ‘Obby ‘Oss event involves two strange black beasts called Osses (which some remark as barely resembling horses despite the similar name) swirling and swaying through the streets of Padstow. 

The ‘Ossses are accompanied by drummers, musicians and dancers before they ‘die’ once the clock strikes midnight. 

It is an example of a fairly old tradition, with documents recording that the first year that this custom took place was in 1803.

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Other stamps of the Special Customs series:
- World Gurning Championships
- Same Sky Burning the Clocks
- Up Helly Aa