1967 - EUROPA CEPT - Cogwheels - Iceland

The stamp on this First Day Cover dated 2.5.1967 depicts Cogwheels. The EUROPA CEPT Wheel has 22 teeth, one tooth for each 1967 members of CEPT. Designer was Oscar Bonnevalle a Belgian.  

Thank you Maria for this nice FDC.

Iceland - Wild Flowers

Merja sent me these two covers with the nice stamps on them. Iceland has many varieties of wild flowers. Four of these are shown on this cover at right dated 15.7.1964, and two on the cover at left dated 17.1.1968 They are :

50a on both covers. The mountain avens is a common plant in heathers and gravely/sandy soils. It can be found almost everywhere on Iceland. It is model plant for paleobotany. Presently the species occurs in the subarctic regions and on the high mountains of central Europe and the Scottish/Welsh mountains etc.. From pollen research it is known to have been widespread through the lowlands of Europe during the glacial periods. The flowers are quite conspicuous but so are the maturing fruits with the spirally, hairy tufts of the maturing fruit (see photo of maturing fruits)
It is a member of the rose family 

1.00kr. The meadow buttercup grows both in lowlands in drier meadows and meadows and pastures as well as in the highlands in snow beds. The photo was shot in spring showing early flowers. Later the flowers grow on upright stems. The other similar common buttercup is the creeping buttercup (R. repens) differs in having compound leaves where as the meadow buttercup has hand-shaped deeply incised but entire leaves. Other buttercups which are common on Iceland have small leaves and grow generally on damp/wet places.
It is a member of the buttercup family

1.50kr. Bogbean is a beautiful perennial plant with trefoil leaves and spikes of pink and white fringed flowers. It grows mainly in bogs and marshes in cold water. Early Native American Indians boiled the root and stems for spitting blood and other internal problems. Colonists used the leaves as a cathartic and a remedy for constipation, fevers, rheumatism, scurvy, scabies, and dropsy. They also used it to treat skin diseases, jaundice, and intestinal worms.

2.00kr. The white clover is a common species of grasslands, roadsides, home gardens etc. The flowers are generally white but occasionally they may have a reddish color. It is a member of the Pea family. 

2.50 kr. Vicia cracca (tufted vetch, cow vetch, bird vetch, boreal vetch), is a species of vetch native to Europe and Asia. It occurs on other continents as an introduced species, including North America, where it is a common weed. It often occurs in disturbed habitats, including old-fields and roadside ditches.

The plant is fast-growing and flowers prolifically, sending out one-sided racemes of cascading pea-flower shaped purple to violet flowers from the leaf axil during its late spring to late summer flowering period. The flowers drop off and tiny bright green seed pods start to form. Cow Vetch is very similar to Hairy Vetch (V. villosa), but is distinguished from the latter by its smooth stem.

Edith Piaf and Miles Davis 12.6.2012

The United States Postal Service made a joint issue of new Forever stamps honoring two of the world’s greatest musicians, Edith Piaf and Miles Davis. The stamps were issued with the French postal service, La Poste in June 2012, and postmarked on these covers with very appropriately designed date-stamps.

“We look forward to issuing these great stamps jointly with La Poste, continuing a tradition of international celebration of stamps,” said USPS Manager, Stamp Services, Stephen Kearney.

Americans may know Edith Piaf best for her cheerful song “La Vie en Rose” (“Life in Pink”), about the experience of falling in love and seeing life through rose-colored glasses; the tune is still heard on the streets of Paris today.

Piaf’s tumultuous life got off to a stormy start. Born Edith Gassion in Paris, she was abandoned by her mother and later traveled with her father, singing on the street while he performed acrobatics. The tiny singer was discovered by a nightclub owner who gave her the stage name “Piaf,” Parisian slang for sparrow. She quickly became a star, singing tragic songs about heartbreak that have been called a French equivalent of the blues. Piaf toured the U.S. ten times and sang twice at Carnegie Hall. In 1960, the ailing chanteuse discovered the defiant song that would become her anthem, “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien” (“No Regrets”).

Miles Davis was at the forefront of jazz musicians for decades, setting trends and exploring musical styles from bebop through cool jazz, fusion and funk. His restless musical exploration made him a hero to many, while sometimes confounding critics and fans. Among his many influential recordings are Birth of the Cool, Kind of Blue, Sketches of Spain, and In a Silent Way. He was also a great bandleader, and many important musicians rose to prominence in his bands, including saxophonists John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter; drummers Tony Williams and Jack DeJohnette; and pianists Bill Evans, Chick Corea, and Herbie Hancock.

Davis’ music will long be remembered for its profound depth of feeling. By the time of his death in 1991, he had won many prizes and honors, including a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement. In 1984, he received Denmark’s prestigious Léonie Sonning Music Prize. In 1989, he was awarded the Grande Médaille de Vermeil by the city of Paris, which was presented to him by Jacques Chirac, then mayor and later president of France.

Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps using an undated, black-and-white photo of Piaf made by Studio Harcourt Paris and a black-and-white photo of Davis, from 1970, by David Gahr.

Thank you Dear Merja for this wonderful set of first day covers.

1969 EUROPA - Iceland 28.4.1969

'EUROPA' & 'CEPT' inset on 2 sides of an architectural type Colonnade. Designed by Italians Luigi Gashara & Giorgio Belli.

Thank you Maria for this FDC.

NORDEN 1969

The Norden stamps are common stamp issues between Nordic countries. It is as old as the Europa stamps. The idea of a Norden issue with a common motif was bred by Foreningen Norden [the Norden Association] in a letter to the five Nordic Postal Administrations in 1951. At the conference of the Nordic Postal Association in March the same year the consensus was to accede to the idea, but for practical reasons it could only be accomplished later.

The first issue was in 1956, and had a common motive representing five flying swans. The Swan motif emanated from a poem from 1946 by Hans Hartvig Seedorff Pedersen titled "Svanerne fra Norden" [TheSwans from the Nordic Countries], which is a tribute to the free community in the five countries each symbolized by a swan- Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. In 1969 the common design was five Viking ships from a rock carving.  On February 28th 1969, the five Northern Postal Administrations issued stamps with a common motif to stress Nordic Solidarity, and the importance of Nordic co-operation in many different fields. The Swedish designer Sven Ake Gustafsson designed the stamps. They were printed at different Nordic stamp or bank-note printing presses.

In connection with the issue an exhibition with all the five Postal Administrations participating was held at the Postal Museum in Stockholm. The exhibition was held from February 28th to March 30th, 1969. A special date-stamp was used for letters and postcards posted at the exhibition. In accordance with a special agreement all “Norden” stamps were postmarked by the date of the exhibition stamp.

Thank you my friend Merja for this wonderful first day cover, with stamps of all the five Nordic countries.

Food for All

On 21.3.1963 two stamps were issued by Iceland dedicated to the global campaign against hunger. The stamps show fishermen working in their boats. Fish is the most important food item in Iceland.

The stamps on this first day cover were issued to highlight this effort to alleviate the curse of hunger around the world. Iceland was one of the few other countries to issue stamps for this cause. 

Thank you Maria.

COD WAR - 50 MILES FISHING LIMIT 1972-73 - Unilateral Decision by Iceland

The Icelandic position was similar in all three conflicts. The major point was that Iceland depends on its fishing industry more than any other state in the world. Iceland has few natural resources, no timber, no fuel, little agricultural potential, and no mineral deposits. Its economy is uniquely dependent on fishing for survival and for exports, to fund the imports needed for the other parts of the economy. "Fish and fish products of one form or another...have on average accounted for 89.71 per cent of Iceland's total export in each year during the period 1881-1976." Iceland argued, therefore, that it had an overwhelming need to ensure the survival of the fish stocks in its area. Iceland became convinced that it had to act unilaterally. Due to the failure of the international arena regarding the Icelandic herring, Iceland acted on its own to protect the cod.

On February 15^th 1972 the Parliament of Iceland passed a bill to extend the fishing limits to 50 miles.
August 17^th The International Tribunal in The Hague pronounced that the Icelanders did not have sovereignty over the areas between 12 and 50 miles.  The Icelandic government protested and decided to take no notice of this decree.
September 1^st the regulation on the extension of the fishing limit took effect.  British ship owners asked in vain for battleship protection.  Three West German tow vessels were sent to Iceland to prevent the apprehension of German trawlers within the limit.
September 5^th the secret weapon of the coast guard, the trawl clippers, created havoc, when the trawler “Peter Scott” was relieved of its fishing gear.  The crew threw coal, iron bolts and a fire axe at the coast guard vessel “Aegir”.  Altogether 82 trawls were cut during the dispute.

Thank you Maria for this interesting FDC.

1970 - European Conservation Year

During 1970, over twenty countries took part in a European Conservation Year. Organised under the guidance of the Council of Europe, it aimed to focus attention on the way we affect and change the lands we live in by our various activities - as individuals and as communities. Housing, industry, transport, all these will continue to bring changes to or surroundings. Yet all these things must be fitted in, together with the needs of food and timber production and of leisure and recreation, without destroying the quality of our environment.

The aims of the European Conservation Year were:

• to agree on policies which will help to conserve and improve the quality of our environment and to find the best ways to put them into action;
• to make conservation problems clearer to everyone, so that there will be better support for any measures needed to deal with them.

The European Conservation Year opened with a conference in Strasbourg in February 1970. Delegates from the countries taking part discussed four major topics: the ways in which urbanisation, industry, agriculture and forestry, and the new demands of leisure, are affecting the land in which we live, work and play. The conference issued a declaration which went to each government and to public authorities in each of the countries to act upon.

This issue commemorates Norways' participation in the European Conservation Year with these four lovely stamps on this cover. The cover was given to me by my friend Pia.

The four cards show a wolf; a Pasque flower; The Voringsfossen waterfall, which is the 83rd highest waterfall in Norway. It lies at the top of the Mabodalen in the municipality of Eidfjord, in Hordaland, not far from the road that connects Oslo with Bergen. It is perhaps the most famous in the country and a major tourist attraction. And the fourth stamp depicts a white-tailed sea eagle.

Centenary of the Norwegian Red Cross

Norway 1965 set of 2 commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Norwegian Red Cross, depicting coastal and mountain scenes. The Norwegian Red Cross (Norges Røde Kors) was founded September 22, 1865 by prime minister Frederik Stang. In 1907 the Norwegian Ministry of Defence authorized the organization for voluntary medical aid in war. The Norwegian Red Cross was one of the first national organizations in the International Red Cross. The organization now has 150,000 members and provides a variety of humanitarian services, including care for old and the infirm, prisoner visits, outdoor rescue, and international work.

It might be of interest to some to know that, The International Committee of the Red Cross was declared the winner of the Peace Prize both in 1917 and in 1944. The main reason was its efforts during the two World Wars.

In 1963, it was 100 years since the Peace Prize Laureate in 1901, Henri Dunant, founded the Red Cross. On the occasion of the centenary, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wished to call attention to the importance of the organization in the global community. It also wished to reward the organization's work since World War II, but this time the Swiss Red Cross Committee shared the honour with the League of Red Cross Societies. Together, the two organizations made up what is now known as the International Red Cross.

Thank you Pia for this nice FDC.

Geranium sylvaticum and Taraxacum Vulgare

These two pretty stamps were issued by Iceland on 29.11.1960 in order to highlight two of the many flowers that grow in that small but wonderful country. This FDC was given to me by Maria.

Wild geraniums, Geranium sylvaticum, known as wood cranesbill, growing in the Pingvellir National Park. They were used long ago for their medicinal properties to treat inflammation and arthritis. Geranium sylvaticum, is a medicinal herb that grows wild all around Iceland. It can be found in the undergrowth of birch forests, on hillsides shielded from winds, in gullies and ravines. Its fruit contains five seeds which are neatly tucked into a five-fold structure. When mature it expands fervently and flings away the seeds, leaving a beautiful pentagon of blossom behind. Wood cranesbill has long been used in Iceland for its medicinal properties. The entire herb was used and traditionally it was believed to be beneficial for treating inflammation, gastrointestinal sores and arthritis.

Taraxacum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. They are native to Eurasia and North and South America, and two species, are found as weeds worldwide. Both species are edible in their entirety. The common name dandelion (from French dent-de-lion, meaning "lion's tooth") referring to the coarsely toothed leaves, is given to members of the genus, and like other members of the Asteraceae family, they have very small flowers collected together into a composite flower head. Each single flower in a head is called a floret. Many Taraxacum species produce seeds asexually by apomixis, where the seeds are produced without pollination, resulting in offspring that are genetically identical to the parent plant. Dandelion leaves and buds have been a part of traditional Sephardic, Chinese, and Korean cuisine. In Crete, Greece, the leaves of a variety called Mari (Μαρί), Mariaki (Μαριάκι) or Koproradiko (Κοπροράδικο) are eaten by locals, either raw or boiled, in salads. Historically, dandelion was prized for a variety of medicinal properties, and it contains a wide number of pharmacologically active compounds. Dandelion is used as a herbal remedy in Europe, North America and China. It has been used in herbal medicine to treat infections, bile and liver problems, and as a diuretic.

200th Anniversary of Turku Musical Society 26.1.1990

The stamp on this cover was issued to commemorate the 200^th Anniversary of Turku Musical Society. The Turku Philharmonic Orchestra (Finnish: Turun Filharmoninen Orkesteri) is a Finnish orchestra based in Turku, Finland. The oldest orchestra in Finland, the Turku Philharmonic is resident at the Turku Concert Hall, the first purpose-built concert hall in Finland, completed in 1952.

The orchestra was founded in 1790 under the name Turun Soitannollinen Seur (Musical Society of Turku). In 1927, the municipality of Turku took ownership of the ensemble, with Tauno Hannikainen as the orchestra's first chief conductor under municipal management.

Since January 2012, the orchestra's principal conductor is Leif Segerstam. Juha Kangas is the orchestra's principal guest conductor, since 2001. The orchestra's current composers in residence are Mikko Heiniö and Anders Hillborg.

The orchestra has recorded commercially for such labels as Ondine, Finlandia, and Naxos.

Merja gave me this nice cover.

Islands of Træna in Norway

The stamp on his cover given to me by Pia depicts the islands of Træna in Norway

Træna is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region.  The administrative centre of the municipality is the island/village of Husøya. Other villages include Selvær and Sanna.

Fishing is the economic mainstay of Træna. Connections to mainland Norway are by means of boat and ferry. Routes are provided to Sandnessjøen, Nesna and Stokkvågen. Each year Træna plays hosts a music festival called Traena Music Festival.

The islands of Træna have been the site of a number of archeological discoveries, indicating that the island has been populated since the Stone Age.

Centenary of the Norwegian Mountain Treking Association

To commemorate the Centenary of the Norwegian Mountain Treking Association, a set of 3 stamps were  issued on 22nd Jan. 1968.My friend Pia sent me this cover.

The Norwegian Trekking Association (Den norske turistforening, DNT) is a Norwegian association which maintains mountain trails and cabins in Norway. The association was founded on 21 January 1868 with the scope "to help and develop tourism in this country". Today the goal is to work for simple, secure and environmentally friendly outdoor activities. DNT has currently more than 200,000 individual members. It also has several "honorary members", prominent people who has shown a keen interest in Norwegian nature and given the country publicity as a tourist destination, among them Kofi Annan and Katie Melua. The secretary-general of the association is Kristin Krohn Devold, former Minister of Defence.

The mountains of Norway have always been utilised by the Norwegian people since the first Norwegians followed the reindeer when the ice cap retracted ten thousand years ago.

Stamps on the occasion of the inauguration of King Willem-Alexander 1.5.2013

On 1 May 2013, PostNL issued two inauguration stamps on the occasion of the inauguration of King Willem-Alexander. The newest inauguration stamps differ from their predecessors (1898, 1948, 1980) in several important respects: they are smaller and self-adhesive, and the design is typographical. PostNL will issue the permanent stamp later this year in honour of the new King.

King Willem-Alexander's first two initials are shown on the inauguration stamps. The stamp with value indicator '1' has the colours of the Dutch flag with a red initial 'W', a white background and a blue initial 'A'. The stamp with value indicator '2' has the same monogram but with a blue initial 'W' and a green initial 'A'. The inauguration stamps were designed by Piet Gerards Ontwerpers of Amsterdam.

'The blue-green combination was chosen on purpose. The blue is a reference to King Willem-Alexander’s interest in water management and the green represents the attention he demands for the sustainable solutions to the problems our planet is facing,' the designers Piet Gerards and Maud van Rossum explain.

Thank you dear Martine for this FDC.

Huis ten Bosch 16.6.1981

Huis ten Bosch ("House in the Woods") is a royal palace in The Hague in the Netherlands. It is one of three official residences of the Dutch Royal Family, the other two being Noordeinde Palace in The Hague and the Royal Palace in Amsterdam.

Huis ten Bosch has been home of former Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands since 1981, current King Willem-Alexander and his family have announced to move into the palace in the near future. A replica of the palace was built in Sasebo, Japan in a theme park bearing the same name.

Thank you Maria for this nice FDC.

Bus Travel in the '70s 8.6.1978

The shape of Finland, the sparse settlement and complicated system and rivers and lakes, make bus traffic very important both in passenger traffic and in transport. In 1978 the number of buses was around 8,900. During that year buses transported more than 500 million people and covered around 520 million kms.

I don’t know what these figures are today. But, I do believe that there are fewer buses driving on the countryside nowadays, because almost every household owns a car. Many families living in the countryside have two cars, one for a man and one for the lady of the house.

The stamp on this first day cover was issued essentially to encourage bus travel. Thank you Merja for this nice FDC.

"twinning" of the Rambouillet Forest in France and the Black Forest in Germany 18.5.1968

The stamp on this French first day cover depicts a gnarled tree trunk and a fir tree, designed and engraved by Michel Monvoisin after drawings by French artist Marie-Elizabeth Wrede (1898-1981), and issued by France on May 18, 1968 to publicize the "twinning" of the Rambouillet Forest in France and the Black Forest in Germany.

“Twinning” between cities of different countries has been quite common, to promote friendly relations and understanding between peoples. The pairing of the Black Forest and the forest of Rambouillet should enable all those who love and care for them to meet beyond the confines of national borders.

Black forest and the forest of Rambouillet, with a surface area of 13, 000 ha, is much smaller than the Black Forest, but these two wooded areas represent each country similar to their glory, both historically and in terms of tourism.

Coming from France, the Black Forest begins in Fribourg and located between the cities of Offenburg, Triberg, Tuttingen and Schaffhausen. In the centre of the Black Forest, Lake Titisee occupies a prominent place, surrounds thermal spas of Hinterzarten, Friedenweller, Badenweiler and Faidberg, The scenery offers visitors spectacular panorames of slopes of majestic conifers, valley’s and glacial lakes, and a few remnants of strong castles. Rambouillet forest is divided into three major massifs (St. Leger, Tambouille Yvelines). It presents a wide variety of landscapes, with many ponds, rocks the most diverse species of trees. Charles X often stayed there for some time. Actually, Rambouillet is the summer residence of the Presidents of the Republic . Walkers can circulate freely throughout the forest, with the exception of a portion of the enclosure reserved for the large park. Both forests are home to abundant wildlife and variety of flowers; nature is preserved and protected for the greatest jamboree of nature lovers of all nations.

Thank you very much Maria for this lovely FDC.

Farming in New Zealand 26.4.1978

Maria gave me this lovely FDC. This issue centred on the Centenary of Lincoln University College of Agriculture, and its special relationships throughout New Zealand's agricultural industries.

The College was founded in 1878 on 100,000 acres of pastoral land that had been set aside for the purpose by the Provincial Council of Canterbury. Mr W E Ivey was appointed the first director of the College.  Grassland farming is New Zealand's most important industry and the source of over 80 percent of the country's exports.  The College continues to develop its resources to meet the challenges of modern agricultural needs - through the application of the findings of research, use of machinery, topdressing of pasture and efficient agricultural management.

The stamps shown on the cover are :-

Centenary of Lincoln College (1878 - 1978) - 10c Ivey Hall and students.

Centenary of Lincoln College (1878 - 1978) - 12c The rural agricultural nature of the College is illustrated on this stamp with sheep, rolling hills, grasslands and trees.

Fertiliser Groundspreading - 15c The spreading of bulk fertiliser is an important part of efficient agricultural management.  The bulk fertiliser ground-spread industry has grown - in techniques and capacity - to meet the widespread challenges of our agricultural society.

Agriculture Field Days - 16c Farming skills are demonstrated to enthusiastic audiences at organised field days. here a tractor is shown ploughing.

Harvesting Grain - 20c Cereal and grain farming sectors are portrayed on this stamp, reaping the fruits of the harvest, so essential to the daily lives of man and beast.

Dairy Farming - 30c Dairy farming and the important role cattle play in the New Zealand economy are represented by the cattle which, in New Zealand's mild climate, can graze outdoors throughout the year.

Tourism in the Netherlands Antilles

This lovely FDC with the three lovely stamps with a very apt postmark and a very descriptive cover was given to me by my friend Maria. It was issued by the Netherlands Antilles post on 30^th November 1977 to encourage Tourism in these Dutch Islands. A brief description about the islands on the cover would not be out of place.

Saint Martin (French: Saint-Martin; Dutch: Sint Maarten) is an island in the northeast Caribbean, approximately 300 km (190 mi) east of Puerto Rico. The 87 km² island is divided roughly 60/40 between France (53 km²) and the Kingdom of the Netherlands (34 km²); they are roughly equal in population. It is one of the smallest sea islands divided between two nations, a division dating to 1648. The southern Dutch part comprises Sint Maarten and is one of four constituent countries that form the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The northern French part comprises the Collectivité de Saint-Martin (Collectivity of St. Martin) and is an overseas collectivity of France.

On January 1, 2009 the population of the entire island was 77,741 inhabitants, with 40,917 living on the Dutch side, and 36,824 on the French side.

Collectively, the two territories are known as "St-Martin / St Maarten". Sometimes SXM, the IATA identifier for Princess Juliana International Airport(the island's main airport), is used to refer to the island.

Saba is a Caribbean island and the smallest special municipality (officially public body) of the Netherlands. It consists largely of the potentially active volcano Mount Scenery, at 887 metres (2,910 ft) the highest point within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Saba, including the islet of Green Island, became a special municipality within the country of the Netherlands after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles on 10 October 2010.

The island has a land area of 13 square kilometres (5.0 sq mi). As of January 2013, the population was 1,991 inhabitants, with a population density of 150 inhabitants per square kilometre (390 /sq mi). Its current towns and major settlements are The Bottom (the capital), Windwardside, Hell's Gate and St. Johns.

Sint Eustatius, also known affectionately to the locals as Statia or Statius, is a Caribbean island and a special municipality of the Netherlands.

It lies in the northern Leeward Islands portion of the West Indies, southeast of the Virgin Islands and immediately to the northwest of Saint Kitts and Nevis and to the southeast of Saba. The island is named after the legendary Christian martyr Saint Eustace. The regional capital is Oranjestad.

The island has an area of 21 km² (8.1 sq. miles). In the 2001 census, the population was recorded as 3,543 inhabitants, equating to a population density of 169 inhabitants per square kilometre. The official languages are Dutch and English. A local English-based creole is also spoken informally. Travel to the island by air is through F.D. Roosevelt Airport.

Formerly part of the Netherlands Antilles, Sint Eustatius became a special municipality within the country of the Netherlands on 10 October 2010.

The name of the island "Sint Eustatius" is a reference to Saint Eustace (also spelled Eustachius or Eustathius), a legendary Christian martyr known in Spanish as San Eustaquio and in Portuguese as Santo Eustáquio or Santo Eustácio. This Island was also popularly called “The Golden Rock”.

1971 EUROPA CEPT - Malta

Malta issued these three stamps shown on this cover as part of the EUROPA CEPT series on 3rd May 1971. The stamps depict a Chain of Os with CEPT in the links. Icelandic Designer was Helgi Haflidason. Thank you Maria for this FDC.

1967 EUROPA CEPT Wheel – Liechtenstein

The stamp on this First Day Cover dated 2.5.1967 depicts Cogwheels. The EUROPA CEPT Wheel has 22 teeth, one tooth for each 1967 member of CEPT. Designer was Oscar Bonnevalle a Belgian.  

Thank you Merja for this nice FDC. 

Charles-Michel d’Irumberry de Salaberry and John By

These two stamps and the cover are in honour of Charles-Michel d’Irumberry de Salaberry and John By, who were military leaders who helped to prevent the advancing American army at the battle of Châteauguay, and built the fortifications of Quebec City, the canal at Les Cèdres and the Rideau. The map on the cover gives a fairly detailed idea of the area of operations of these two men.

Lieutenant Colonel Charles-Michel d'Irumberry de Salaberry, CB (November 19, 1778 - February 27, 1829) was a French-Canadian of the seigneurial class who served as an officer of the British army in Lower Canada (now Quebec). He won distinction for repelling the American advance on Montreal during the War of 1812. After the war of 1812, Charles de Salaberry became a folk hero in French Canada. He served as justice of the peace for various district courts, and in 1818 became a legislative councillor for Lower Canada. After his father's death, he became Seigneur of St. Mathias. In 1817, he was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath. Charles de Salaberry died in Chambly, Quebec on February 27, 1829.

Lieutenant-Colonel John By (7 August 1779 – 1 February 1836) was a British military engineer, best remembered for supervising the construction of the Rideau Canal and, in the process, founding what would become the city of Ottawa.  Born in Lambet, in London, England in 1779 to George By and Mary Bryan. By studied at the Royal Military Academy. He entered Officer Training in the army when he was 18 years old. He was commissioned in the Royal Artillery on 1 August 1799 but transferred to the Royal Engineers on 20 December the same year. With the end of the war By retired from the military but in 1826, in view of his engineering experience in Canada, he was recalled and returned to Canada to supervise the construction of the Rideau Canal. Since the canal was to begin in the wild and sparsely populated Ottawa River valley, his first task was the construction of a town to house the men who were to work on the canal, and associated services. The resulting settlement, called Bytown in his honour, would later become famous under the new name of Ottawa.

The canal was completed in six years, and was acclaimed as an engineering triumph. Colonel By was recalled to London, however, to face accusations that he had made a number of unauthorised expenditures. The charges were spurious and a parliamentary committee exonerated him, but the damage was done and he was never given a formal commendation for his work on the canal. He died in 1836 and is buried in the village of Frant in East Sussex in the South East of England.

Thank you Maria for this FDC.

1976 EUROPA - Handicrafts - Germany

The theme for EUROPA stamps in 1976 was "Handicrafts". And that is what is featured on these two German stamps as well as on the First day cover which my friend Maria sent me.

1975 New Zealand Definitives - Roses 28.11.1975

Another delightful first day cover from my dear friend Maria. Roses, which are very popular in New Zealand and grow particularly well, were chosen as the subject of a new Definitive stamp issue in 1975. They were issued on 26th November 1975.

The rose has long been the most popular flower and references to its beauty can be found far back in history.  In those far gone days it blossomed in the wild as a simple flower of five petals only; from those original species the creations of the present day have evolved - through natural cross fertilisation and selective breeding by hybridists. The stamps are: 1c Sterling Silver, 2c Lilli Marlene, 3c Queen Elizabeth, 4c Super Star, 5c Diamond Jubilee, 6cCresset, 7c Michele Meilland, 8c Josephine Bruce and the 9c Iceberg. The names are quaint aren't they?

Israel Tenth Anniversary exhibition in 1958

''And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them…'' Amos IX, 15 

– this is mentioned on the tab attached to the stamp. The FDC is postmarked on 2nd July 1958.

Some 600,000 persons visited the Israel Tenth Anniversary exhibition at the Binanei Haumah buildings (shown on the stamp) here during the 77 days it was open.
Thank you Dear Merja for this very nice FDC.

25th Anniversary of The European Economic Community (EEC)

This stamp from Portugal was issued on 22.4.1982 and shows Flags of the member countries on the  25th Anniversary of European Economic Community, EEC. 

The European Economic Community (EEC) was an international organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957.

Its aim was to bring about economic integration, including a common market, among its six founding members, Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany. The EEC was also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world and sometimes referred to as the European Community even before it was officially renamed as such in 1993. It gained a common set of institutions along with the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) as one of the European Communities under the 1965 Merger Treaty (Treaty of Brussels).

Upon the entry into force of the Maastricht Treaty in 1993, the EEC was renamed the European Community (EC) to reflect that it covered a wider range of policy. This was also when the three European Communities, including the EC, were collectively made to constitute the first of the three pillars of the European Union (EU), which the treaty also founded. The EC existed in this form until it was abolished by the 2009 Treaty of Lisbon, which merged the EU's former pillars and provided that the EU would "replace and succeed the European Community."

Thank you Maria for this memorable FDC.

1975 EUROPA CEPT - Paintings - Luxembourg

For 1975 the EUROPA CEPT theme was paintings. Luxembourg issued these two stamps on 28^th April 1975. These stamps show "Moselle Bridge at Remich" by Nico Klopp (1894-1930) and "Still Life" by Joseph Kutter (1894-1941). 

Maria I must agree that Luxembourg does have a very impressive postmark.

INTEREUROPEANA 1973

These two stamps on the first day cover were issued by Romania as part of the INTEREUROPEANA 1973 on 28^th April 1973 to commemorate collaboration amongst countries of Europe in the fields of Culture, Economy, and mail distribution (mail delivery and mail coaches). I have posted more information about Intereuropeana not to long ago.

Thank you Dear Merja for this nice FDC.

1966 - EUROPA CEPT - Monaco 26.9.1966

Monaco issued these stamps and cover on 26.9.1966. The stamps depict a symbolic ship, representing CEPT, making steady progress on a Calm Sea. Designed by German brothers Josef and Gregor Bender. 

The European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) was established on June 26, 1959, as a coordinating body for Europa state telecommunications and  postal organisations. The acronym comes from the  French  version of its name Conférence européenne des administrations des postes et des télécommunications.

Thank you Maria for this nice FDC.