First Belgian stamps of the year! (issue date 02/01 and 19/01/2009)

First covers from Lithuania, with WWF stamps :)

Thank you very much Leonardas for these 2 wonderful covers from Lietuva, franked with the 2008 WWF serie 'European roller' (Coracias garrulou)!

First fdc from the Philippines!

Thanks Myron for this lovely fdc picturing the some of the Philippines most beautiful tourist spots. (Boracay Beach, 'Intramuros' in Manila, Banaue Rice Terraces and Mayon volcano)

WWF Latvia

The 2008 WWF stamps picture the Pond Bat (Myotis dasycneme) and the Barbastelle Bat (Barbastella barbastellus). You can find more information about these stamps and animals in my previous 'Latvia' post .

Taiwan

Thanks to my friend Wei Yi for this very nice cover picturing different pet animals!


Inside the envelope there was also this very nice postcard with lighthouse stamp and special postmark:

WWF Brazil

Hello to you all :)

I'm back after some difficult weeks! During these last weeks I had too much trouble with my eyes to update my blog or send out many mails / letters, I hope you all understand. I'm doing the best I can, but sometimes I don't get further than go to bed after work... :s

But anyway, I hope to be back for some time now, so I can show some of my new covers to you :) I would like to start with this local WWF fdc from Brazil:

The parrots pictured on the stamps are (left to right, top stamps first):

1. Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus)
2. Golden-capped Conure (Aratinga auricapilla)
3. Blue-chested Parakeet (Pyrrhura cruentata)
4. Yellow-faced Amazon (Amazona xanthops)

This FDC, issued in 2001, is of course a very nice gain for my WWF collection! Thank you very much Luis!

First cover from Sri Lanka

Thank you very much Ravindra for sending me this very nice cover from Sri Lanka!

New Belgian stamps in 2009 !!

Follow this link to see the new Belgian special stamp issues in 2009 (pdf document):

http://www.post.be/site/nl/postgroup/aboutus/structure/subsidiaries/philately/stamps/Brochure%202009_internet_version_02.pdf

This link seems to be inactive at this moment because Belgian Post has a new website. I'll try to find another link to the document...

(copyright Belgian Post, www.post.be)

UPDATE 18/02/2010:

France

Very nice cover from France sent by Eric. Merci beaucoup, Eric!


Eric sent this cover from the 62nd Salon Philatélique d’Automne 2008 in Paris (6-9/11/2008)

The two airplane stamps on the left are part of a joint issue of Israel and France. The stamps were issued to commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries and show the departure and arrival of the first postal flight from Haifa to Paris.

On the right we see an ATM label issued for this philatelic event in Paris.

The two small stamps are reprints of definitives, with euro values.

This cover is really special because it is signed by the designer of the aviation stamps, Pierre-Andre Cousin!

Portugal

Thank you João for sending me my first cover from Portugal with stamps only mentioning 'Portugal' and not Azores or Madeira... ;)

WWF Gibraltar

Local WWF first day cover depicting the Giant Devil Ray (Mobula mobular). (http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/39418)

Christmas in Austria

Thank you very much Florian for this special letter from Christkindl post office!

Croatia

Thank you Tomislav for this nice cover commemorating the 700th anniversary of the order of poor clares in Split. (http://www.posta.hr/main.aspx?id=193&idmarke=1667)

First cover from Sweden!

Great idea from Swedish Post to give collectors the opportunity to obtain a nice postmark for their covers:

Malaysia

Malaysia

Malaysia

Switzerland

Nice cover from Switzerland, with sheet commemorating the 2008 World Food Day in Bellinzona.

"Delicacies from Switzerland’s sunny south

Show them a “tassina” (little jug) of Merlot, a hunk of mountain cheese and some mortadella, and most Swiss people automatically think of sunny Canton Ticino with its grotto taverns, good food and southern joie de vivre – hence the CHF 0.85 miniature sheet depicting Ticino specialities to mark this year’s Stamp Day in Bellinzona.

Every year, southern Switzerland attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors, not least because of its tasty fare with its mixture of rustic alpine dishes and a Mediterranean food culture that was influenced by Italy’s Lombardy region, making it one of the world’s most varied cuisines. Its roots lie in what were once poor mountain valleys where, over a thousand years ago, people created natural “fridges” in rocky niches and caves, storing their cheese, sausages and wine in these ready-made larders. The first grotto eateries with granite tables, and later with boccia courts and simple dishes for locals, developed around 1600. These rocky bases from which Ticino’s gastronomy sprang can be seen in their original state in the village of Cevio in the Maggia Valley to this day.

Renaissance of the predecessor of the Merlot grape

The atmosphere in these old rock cellars conjures up times long forgotten. Sitting at one of the moss-covered granite tables, you can almost hear the voices of the villagers who once ate, drank and celebrated here. All these “sottorocci” share a close connection with the wine that used to be made much higher up the valleys where families produced their own earthy “nostrano” using an old grape variety known as “Bondola”. This original rustic wine ousted by the more refined Merlot grape a century ago is currently experiencing a renaissance, just like other tasty morsels from Ticino’s “cucina povera” (poor people’s fare).

Old is back in fashion

So, nowadays there are plenty of “new old things” to be found in Ticino, like “scmieza”, a vegetable cake from Soazza.Or the “farina bona” (browned maize flour) that people in Ticino use to prepare maize pudding, just like their grand-mothers before them. Chestnuts – once the bread of the poor – have also been rediscovered, and these highly nutritious fruits are now being roasted in the old smoking houses or “grà” in the Valle di Muggio and made into chestnut soup or gnocchi (see recipe).Ticino’s southernmost valley is home to “zincarlin”, a pyramid-shaped cream cheese matured among the rocks of the Monte Generoso. And last but not least, there is “mais rosso” with its booming popularity. At one time, this red maize was the main variety in the upper part of Ticino, but then it disappeared only to be recultivated from old seeds just four years ago. And now the top restaurants just can’t get enough of this tasty “oldie”.

Ticino’s rich natural resources

The list could go on and on. As part of the process of discovering its culinary heritage, Ticino is harking back to things that are authentic and genuine. Every valley has its speciality, each of them something original that has been handed down from generation to generation. And now many of these products (like Piora cheese from the Leventina region) are in demand and are becoming increasingly costly rarities. One thing brought to light by this culinary investigation of the past is that the people of Ticino love and tend their soil. Many families have their own vineyards, make their own “nocino” (walnut liqueur), distil their own grappa and send some pigs up to higher mountain pastures in summer for slaughtering in autumn.

“He who eats well, lives well”

People from Ticino can discuss the proper seasoning for “pancetta” (dry-cured pork belly) for hours on end, and the issue of the right kind of rice and the correct stirring time for risotto can also quickly turn into a discourse on cultural history. The same applies to wine,“cicitt” (goat sausage) and “torta di pane” (bread cake), for which every family guards the “only genuine” secret recipe. This is not a matter of nostalgia but a process of awareness that is deeply rooted in the regional soul. According to the people of Ticino, “si mangia bene, si vive bene” (he who eats well, lives well). Hence the many restaurants with innovative chefs focused on skilfully combining the old and the new. The great potential of Ticino’s eating culturelies in capitalizing on its old rustic mountain roots while remaining open to new ideas."

text: Martin Weiss, author of “Urchuchi” (www.post.ch)

WWF Azores

Thank you Nuno for these 2 nice WWF covers from the Azores / Portugal, picturing the Atlantic Blue Marlin and the White Marlin! (see first Azores post for more information on these stamps)

"Aceite após a hora de corte" is a postmark that some post offices put on letters that are deliveried after the hours of mail collection. In this case this post-office closes at 20:00 and mail is collected at 19:00. (Thanks Nuno for this information!)

British Indian Ocean Territory

Cover from British Indian Ocean Territory, franked with 2 'Millennium' stamps (satellite images).




Local FDC from BIOT with WWF stamps 'seastars', issued 01/08/2001.
From left to right:
1. Azur Sea Star / Linckia laevigata
2. Crown-of-Thorns / Acanthaster planci
3. Banded Bubble Star / Echinaster callosus
4. Cushion Star / Culcita novaguineae




Local FDC issued on 01/12/2008, topic 'sea cucumbers':
1. Ocellated Sea Cucumber / Bohadschia argus
2. Pineapple Sea Cucumber / Thelonota ananas
3. Dark Green Sea Cucumber / Stichopus chloronotus
4. Graeffe's Sea Cucumber / Pearsonothuria

Belgium