Registered cover from the Czech Republic no. 4

Received today a registered letter sent from Říčany near Prague, from a lady with whom I won some stamps in an online auction, who was kind enough to use commemorative stamps on her letter to me (unfortunately, even philatelists these days prefer in quite a large number not to bother with stamps and leave the task of marking the postage to post-office clerks who will always resort to using those handy but ugly stickers, which is used here only to complement the postage and show the registered number).

Well, of these two commemoratives, one has already been commented upon in these pages (the 17 Kč stamp with a tab celebrating the past and not very successful Czech Chairmanship of the EU, issued on 25 November 2008). The 12 Kč portrait stamp (issued on 18 June 2008, 2 million copies) has a special significance for me, since the man depicted in it, geologist/traveller/explorer Ferdinand Stolička (1838-1874), was born within a stone's throw from where I live, in the middle of a forest, in a cottage of a gamekeeper, now standing on the edge of a frequented cyclepath. A street parallel to ours even bears his name. After studying in Vienna, Stolička mapped the Eastern Alps and Dalmatia, and as a paleontologist of the Indian Geological Institute he researched the Himalayas and the Karakoram. The other stamp in the last year's series shows orientalist and geographer Alois Musil (1868-1944).

Cover from Italy no. 2

Another fine cover with this year's Europa stamp, this time from Italy, sent on 8 October 2009 and received today. The stamp shows the astronomical satellite "Agile" of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), launched into orbit on April 23, 2007. Thank you, Gosia!

Cover from Norway no. 2

Another fine cover from Norway and the town of Borgheim, sent on 25 May 2009 and received a few days later. The righthand stamp is a dream come true for collectors of stamps related to towns and cities. The Porsgrunn stamp has it all: the coat of arms and representative images from the city's history; in this case: the barge "Dionne" pointing to Porsgrunn's shipbuilding tradition, the Custom House which played important role in the city's birth and perfume bottle commemorating the local china factory. The stamp was issued on 27 April 2007 with a print-run of 1 million pieces.

The bluish A Innland stamp (same as the Porsgrunn stamp, i.e. A-priority domestic rate of 7 NOK) was issued on 12 April 2008 in the series Important Anniversaries and is dedicated to poet and playwright Henrik Wergeland (1808-45), prominent figure in the Norwegian letters and culture. The postage is complemented by a 2 NOK definitive. Thank you, Renate!

Postcard from Estonia

In May 2009 I received also this great card showing a "white night" in Tallinn - the time when the whole sky stays luminous even at midnight, with the brightest nights being those ten days before and after the summer solstice. This specific picture was taken at 1.21 a.m. Very interesting. Astronomical phenomena are covered also on the fine stamp from the EUROPA project, issued on 5 May 2009, along with another stamp showing the cell structure of the universe. Thank you Susa!

Cover from Portugal no. 5

Received on Monday 5 October 2009 and sent on 1 October 2009 from Coimbra - Mercado is this lovely cover with two appetising dishes from the series of six stamps and a souvenir sheet issued on 5 June 2009 in Portugal. The series is called Sabores de Lusofonia and if I am not mistaken, it means tastes of Portuguese-speaking countries. One stamps shows a meat-dish(?) "Leitoa num ar de sarapatel" (from Brazil), the other one "Bebinca das Sete Colinas" (from India). Fantastic! Thank you, Rodrigo'

Postcard from Latvia no. 3

A postcard showing the gate and front of the Rundale Palace in Latvia, at Pilsrundāle, 12 km west of Bauska. It was built in the 18th century as a summer residence of Ernst Johann von Biron, the Duke of Courland, and designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Now it is a major touristic sight in Latvia.

The stamps are from a long series of definitives showing coats of arms of Latvian towns (in this case with the year 2007). The card was sent from Riga on 11 March 2009.

Cover from Taiwan

Lovely flowery cover sent from Taipei on 25 May 2009, with stamps from the current series of definitives issued on 12 March 2009, consisting of stamps of four values. The flowers here are: Lantana camara (3.50) and Tabebuia chrysantha (12). Thank you James, also for the mint stamps you included!

Cover from Peru

Peru cover received on 11 May 2009 from the capital of Lima. The single 7.50 pesos stamps shows Espostoa mirabilis, from the series Cacti of Peru (Cactus of Peru), issued in 2008. I was not able to get any more info. The letter was postmarked at a philatelic counter, "Ventanilla Filatélica". Gracias, Juan Manuel.

Cover from Australia

An airmail cover received from Australia (NSW) on 29 September 2009, sent 5 days earlier. The stamp shows Eastern Grey Kangaroo and is part of a series called Australian Bush Babies issued on 1 July 2009. Thank you liugesen:-)

Day of the stamp in Finland

Two magnificent cards with special cancellations dedicated to the "Day of the Finnish Stamp" received from Finland in September 2008 and 2009. The 2008 card shows the Rock God of Astuvansalmi, part of the rock paintings at the shores of the lake Yövesi in eastern Finland. The matching stamp shows a detail of the face of the God and was issued on 27/3/2008 in the Norden Project: "Nordic mythology - part III". The special postmark from Mikkeli reminds of some of the prominent Finnish stamps from 2008.

The 2009 card shows breathtaking Norhern lights (aurora borealis) matched on the stamp issued on 9/9/09 in a series of three. The postmark is again from Mikkeli bearing the same magic date of 9/9/09.

Thank you Liisa!!!