Hello, lots of stamp news around at the moment as I have spent some time reading the Stanley Gibbons online magazine this afternoon. I should have been doing other things, like cleaning paddocks and working more with the new horse I was trialing but lets just say I am not taking the horse as I had a bad fall while jumping today.      Oh well I tried and there are lots more lovely horses around. This one had such a lovely friendly personality but wasn’t quite right in the jumping for me.

 

So on with stamp news.  I read a piece about a group in the UK called the Stamp Active Network. Thisgroup was formerly known as the National Youth Stamp Committee. The group encourages all junior stamp collectors and has a web site at http://www.planetstamp.co.uk

The group is now expanding and reaching out to many more youngsters and stamp club leaders by putting the Stamp Active programme and Kidstamps on to the website. The site will include work sheets and ideas for stamp club leaders, help and advice on how to enter competitions and news and information about future events and what is happening in youth philately.


If you are interested in supporting youth philately by sponsoring or donating material please write to SAN, 46 Woodville Road, Ham, Richmond, Surrey TW10 7QN or email Anne@dummerah.freeserve.co.uk  I have sent them my details and I’ll let you know any more news on this in coming weeks no doubt.

 

I also read about the new GB Christmas stamps —the 40th issue— and with a return to a religious theme, featuring images of the Madonna and Child. There are six stamps in the issue which go on sale on 1 November. The stamps show existing paintings from  five continents and Great Britain, the designer’s idea being ‘to show that Christ was born for everyone’.

The stamps are:  2nd class- Black Madonna and Child; 1st class- Madonna and Child; 42p- The Virgin Mary with the Infant Jesus; 60p- Choctaw Virgin Mother and Child; 68p- Madonna and the Infant Jesus; £1.12- Come let us adore Him. This one is a painting in coloured sand from the Merrepen Arts Aboriginal Corporation of Northern Australia.  I think these are rather pleasant to look at. At least from the images I have seen onine. Let’s see what they look like in real life.


Also a Christmas Smilers sheet will be available from 1 November. This contains ten 2nd class and ten 1st class Winter Robin Christmas stamps of 2001. Have to hope I get some Christmas cards from family and friends in the UK so I get some of these Christmas issues.

Finally, I read about the various countries that have issued stamps for the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.  These include Ascension, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Kiribati, and no doubt others. Anyone seen these     I’d be interested in seeing these and if you can send me scans I’ll show them so others can see them.  Or send me the links to web sites that show them and I’ll publish those.

 

Am looking forward to receiving my copies of the GB Battle of Trafalgar issue. Will show you them when they arrive.

 

Have a great weekend.     ….. Best wishes… Michael