leaves, flowers, stars

 

I know you've all seen the Canadian flag.  It is promoted shamelessly, endlessly, and is slapped on any and all products that are Canadian, as well as many, many stamps.  But, unlike the Americans, we are not a flag waving from your front porch kind of country.  That is changing as, in light of current ... issues, we are being encouraged to fly it proudly this weekend.  Flag makers have been furiously sewing like crazy to keep up!  This FDC shows the very first stamp of the flag that has its 60th anniversary on Feb 15th.  I like the 'simplicity' of this, though remember well having to learn how to get all those points right - which was challenging for a seven year old (but then getting the crosses correct on the Union Jack was equally challenging)

An even simpler design is the Japanese flag, which was adopted as a civil flag in 1858 and as a national flag in 1999. I like how this stamp includes the chrysanthemum imperial seal and the cherry blossoms.

Since 1972, New Zealand has discussed changing their flag, to get rid of the colonial Union Jack, but also to distinguish it from the similar Australian flag. (hint, NZ has red stars inside its white stars. It also only has 4 of these stars of the Southern Cross)

 

siamese

 extremely vocal with a low pitched voice

CATURDAY

lines of a city

 

 and because this isn't all about subways

translucent crystal

Scolecite from Teigarhorn, one of the most famous zeolite locations in the country.

Scolecite forms as sprays of prismatic needles, with large deposits in Iceland.  The crystals will curl when exposed to intense heat which is how it came to be named for the Greek word for worm.

Teigarhorn is a natural monument and nature preserve in the eastern part of Iceland.

the one that got away

 

CATURDAY

bonhomme

 Bonhomme Carnaval

2025 is the 70th anniversary of Bonhomme.  He is an incarnation of the joy of living by les québécois and is the official ambassador of the Quebec Winter Carnival which opens today.

topography

I like the 'quilted' look of this map of Germany and the fact that there is no other English.  It's always interesting to see how other countries are spelled in different languages.

Another topographic map, this one showing the directions the landscape takes (makes me think of seeing the bent trees from the prevailing winds) following the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which divides the county into the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate

welcoming year of the snake

 of least concern

the common grass snake is 7" at birth and can grow to more than 3'.  It is protected in Denmark and in some Baltic countries is considered sacred with the myth that killing one might bring misfortune.

to a snake that is critically endangered

the ornate ground snake, or St Lucia racer, an endemic snake that was once found all over St Lucia, but now is the rarest with fewer than 20 individuals.

happy february

 

CATURDAY

red

Wrigley Field, the second oldest ballpark (opened 1914 after Fenway Park, Boston, 1912) They are the possibly the only two major league stadia I could immediately name both the city and sport.

Superman and his ubiquitous red cape

who is hungry for a red lobster?

a man and his cat

 

Georges Perec was a French novelist, essayist and filmmaker.  He liked to write books using a curious wordplay - for example a novel without using the letter 'e', and another using only the vowel 'e'.

Perec had a succession of cats, all named Duchat.  This stamp is from a photo done in 1978 by Anne de Brunhof (granddaughter of Jean de Brunhof of Babar fame)

pretty in pink

 

birds

This kemphaan is seriously endangered as a breeding bird in the Netherlands and extinct in Belgium

 

 

 

These budgerigars are golden faced blues (from a photo by Leila Jeffries).  They are small parrots and the most popular to be kept as pets in North America and Europe

Below is a kestrel, a small member of the falcon family.  They are highly adaptable and can live anywhere from mountains to the seaside, to urban areas (even nesting at Notre-Dame Cathedral)

orange moments

 

"funny moments are meant to be shared"

a 'ladybug' resting on a dewy orange petal

It seems Highland cattle can be found in Westphalia Germany. (the text reads: loyal, soft, not overly delicate, that's really Westphalian style)

This cool cat is enjoying his saucer of tea

great lakes lights

 

It's annoying that the cancel cancels out the names of these lighthouses.  One for each of the Great Lakes is shown.  Left to right: Lake Superior's Split Rock; Lake Michigan's St Joseph; Lake Huron's Spectacle Reef; Lake Erie's Marblehead; Lake Ontario's Thirty Mile Point

green

 lady mouse in a mobcap

a hungry, hungry caterpillar

Pettson and Findus in their green kitchen

a green snake

one bite

PostNL wrapped this postcard in plastic with a letter of apology for the "damaged" card.  Except it wasn't actually damaged... it was meant to show a bite taken off the chocolate bar!

czech

I am quite intrigued by the engraved and illustrated stamps from Czechoslovakia and Czech Republic (Czechia) and have not yet seen a stamp that was a photograph.

I haven't gotten enough Slovakian stamps to see if they have continued this tradition, but looking online, I think they have.

from 1955

jewellery

glassware

and from 2003, these aquarium fish which I believe are angel fish

cheshire cat

 from Russia

CATURDAY

blue

 a blue cat by Louis Wain

 

blue dome, blue sky, blue sea

some blues for the first Thursday Postcard Hunt of 2025

the best

 

flights

 

Birds are a favourite theme and I was thrilled to find this first day cover featuring a barn owl and a kestrel in flight.  This makes me think of those flip books.  Photography is by S Dalton and the series dates to 2003.

Wishing you all a year of fanciful flights in 2025

christmas in sweden

In Sweden (as well as other countries) the pig is a symbol of good luck.  It had its heyday in the 19th century and a pigs head was common fare for Christmas dinner. This card is illustrated by Jenny Nystrom (1854-1946) who became Sweden's most prolific painter and illustrator.

A few months after Jenny Nystrom died, Sven Nordqvist was born.  He also went on to illustrate children's books; his most well known being Pettson and Findus.

gingerbread

 

I managed to buy these Christmas stamps before the post office went on strike, but have not had a chance to use them. They went on strike Nov 15 ... update: they are back! and mail is moving.

Anyway, these gingerbread houses are different from the ones the USPS issued in 2013.  Ours feature a birdhouse (Canada), a doghouse (US), and a barn (International)