Merry Christmas everyone.

I hope you get a few of the pressies you were wishing for. I am sure I got the catalogue I casually left notes around the house about. I saw this large package. Well it has to be it doesn’t it.

I also got some stamps I bought recently. – since they are aircraft related I suggest you pop over to the other blog :-) Aircraft and Aerophilately

On the parcel I received with some nice stamps.. always sent this way I might add. – CTO – by a very thoughtful seller. These are going to the one person who sent me a Christmas card – or the one I have received. Thank you. Australia FDC and these in the mail to you today.

Some days ago I wrote about the Robert Burns issue – and I was asking did anyone know why the stamps were issued when they were? I didn’t and could not see a reason as there was no birthday or death anniversary for Burns at the time of the issue. One reader sent me the following explanation which I am sharing with you.

“ Just a small info why Royal mail issued stamp on Robert Burns in 1966. It was proposed that stamps be issued to mark the bi-centenary of his birth in 1959 but all requests were refused, although the Soviet Union marked the event with a stamp. After many demands from Burns organisations and also Scottish Nationalists the first set were finally agreed to in January 1966”

So there you have it. Now for my own research. Well as I think we all agree now, there is no birth or death anniversary, but there is something special, and related to Burns, about the date on which these stamps were issued. Anyone know? Small prize of CTO Australia M/S if you are first email with right answer – cddstamps@gmail.com I’ll post a short piece tomorrow and confirm I got my catalogue.

Merry Christmas Enjoy your stamps……… Michael