cats galore

my 4,000th card received

from China. the sender has been considering getting a stray cat, but is concerned about how upset they'd feel if anything happened to it.  I can relate.  but the love of a pet is worth it

CATURDAY 

rocking horses

 1923

Yesterday, there were a few rocking horses on the posts for children with toys.  Here are two rocking horses for fun loving adults.

children

 naughty?

or nice?

maple viewing

In spring, there is Hanami, "cherry blossom viewing"

 In autumn, there is Momiji-gari, "maple viewing"

this woman has found a time and place for maple viewing all to herself
 

samara

Samara, in this case, is a city in Russia that used to be known as Kuybyshev, at the confluence of the Volga and Samara rivers.  I can't quite figure out if this is a view of the Volga or Samara.

snake island

 

There are only around 400 inhabitants on this island, down from around 3,000 before 1945.

edit:  I have now learned this is only one of 2,000 islands in Estonia!

rrrr

 

Radauti is the second largest urban settlement in Romania.  It is known for its decorative pottery

Southern Rhodesia was a self governing colony when Elizabeth was crowned Regina

 

 

 

 

we are at the last day of NaBloPoMo  whew, this was easier than I thought it'd be!  I may even continue the daily postings

belly dancer

 not sure she is appreciating the decision

CATURDAY

day 29 of NaBloPoMo 

puppet show

 

a bit of fun entertainment on this blustery Friday

received from Germany

day 28 of NaBloPoMo 

nature

 natural Finland

as we head into winter and December's theme of Christmas

day 27 of NaBloPoMo

slashed

 

artist: Henri Cadiou.        received from Postcrossing, France 

joy and happiness

 May joy and happiness fill every minute of your day

motivation for a Tuesday

day 25 of NaBloPoMo

treasure hunt

 

You can't actually dig for the buried treasure (that may or may not actually exist), but you can visit the island and take a tour.  Or you could watch the long running (13th! season has just started) Curse of Oak Island on the History Channel.  Or, you can read all about it here

 

we're up to day 24 of NaBloPoMo 

phq

squirrel stamps on PHQ cards

These are great ways to collect stamps, for their large format.

PHQ stands for Postal Headquarters and have been around since 1973. 

The above red squirrel is from 1977, designed by Patrick Oxenham

below, from 2016, the Beatrix Potter charming squirrel nutkin

day 23 of NaBloPoMo

black cat

a lino cat 

 CATURDAY

day 22 of NaBloPoMo

 

painting the landscape

In Eastern traditions, dragons symbolize prosperity and good fortune, embodying a positive force in spiritual journeys.  

from Belarus 

day 21 of NaBloPoMo 

scenic cities

In Granada, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, is perhaps the most famous example of Islamic architecture.  It was originally a small fortress (1258-1358), but was significantly rebuilt after 1492 and used as a palace.

I have never been to Chattanooga, and have no idea what these buildings would be in this 1940s postcard showing the city center and the Tennessee River and Lookout Mountain.  It's official nickname is the "Scenic City".

day 20 of NaBloPoMo 

zwaanendael

The Zwaanendael Museum was built in 1931 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the founding of the first Dutch settlement in Delaware. The building models the city hall in Hoorn.  On the top is a David Pieterson de Vries, the founder of Swanendael.  The name changed over time (it means valley of the swans) and was again changed to Lewes when the English took control 1664.

 

day 19 of NaBloPoMo 

skillfully prepared

 

in addition to a cool motel and sign, there are these old '50s cars to admire.  and every one is a different colour!  located 1mi. N Centre of City, the dining room serves "the choicest food skillfully prepared"

day 18 of NaBloPoMo 

finger lakes

The Finger Lakes were carved out by glacier.  They flow north, eventually reaching into Lake Ontario

Seneca Lake, the gem of the Finger Lakes, is known as the lake that never freezes.  It is the deepest of the eleven lakes (600') and the longest (35 mi)

Day 17 of NaBloPoMo

post

 

For the second time in less than a year the postal workers stopped working, but they are back now (on rotating strikes, but so far not in my area) so I've gotten back into checking my mailbox every day and sending cards through Postcrossing.

Our vans are a little different - less boxy - than these ones from the early 1990s, (same colours)

 

a couple of interesting and very different postboxes both from 2011

day 16 of NaBloPoMo

cat's eyes

 I'm watching you...

CATURDAY

day 15 of NaBloPoMo 

mirror

in the Highlands of Scotland — Glen Etive, part of the Ben Nevis and Glen Coe National Scenic Area

day 14 of NaBloPoMo

out for a walk

some peopled landscape views

The Humber Bridge, at one time the longest single span suspension bridge in the world (it is now 14th).

The back of the card reads "riding a bike, and strolling together. the moments spent with family flow by, where each instant feels eternal" (as translated by the postcrosser from Taipei)

day 13 of NaBloPoMo

cricket

The young boy who sent this card on Postcrossing was an avid cricket fan. Admittedly, it is not a sport I follow or know much about, so I tried some research...  still don't quite get all the rules and terms.

The 'DREAM11' is actually a fantasy sports platform that has now lost the sponsorship after the Indian government recently banned real-money online gaming. 

day 12 of NaBloPoMo

wait for me, daddy

 issued 2014

This photograph was taken in 1940 by Claude Detloff.  The picture of the five year old boy racing to his father in the Duke of Connaught's Own Rifles marching to a waiting ship was soon after used by the government to help sell war bonds.  Warren "Whitey" Bernard's father survived the war.

seaway

Construction began on the St Lawrence Seaway in 1954 and was completed in 1959.  

A series of locks, of which the St Lambert in Montreal is the first, allow for ships to travel between the Atlantic and the Great Lakes

Day 10 of NaBloPoMo

rides

 

some odd shaped stamps for the letter 'O'

In 2001, the Blue Jays, Toronto's baseball team, celebrated its 25th season and Canada Post celebrated by issuing a stamp (designed by Paul Haslip).  In 1992/93 they won the World Series.  In 2025 they had a spectacular, country unifying, run at the World Series again.  It was a much needed feel good story/event.  They didn't quite make it, but what a ride it was! The fact of getting as far as they did makes them winners in our hearts.

Carousels, or merry go rounds, were the theme for this 2022 set.  I was never into amusement park rides when I was little and the merry go round was pretty much my limit.  The lion at the top from Lakeside Park is near where I now live and it still costs only a nickel per ride!  The stamps were illustrated by René Milot.

autumn cat

CATURDAY

day 8 of NaBloPoMo 
 

market

So, a little introduction may be in order for the newer visitors (hi NaBloPoMo people).  Postcard and stamp collecting has become an almost all consuming hobby since I joined Postcrossing - gasp! - 17 years ago. It has its own wikipedia page. I collect a lot of cards from across Canada to send out (found at postcard shows) but the others, I say I accumulate rather than collect.  A couple of local stamp dealers help with getting older Canadian stamps, which saves money in the long run, and, to me at least, is a fun and interesting addition to the backs of the postcards.

Although this particular Farmer's Market (in St Jacob's, celebrating 50 years!) isn't one of them, where I live, we are fortunate enough to have a farmer's market somewhere within a 20 minute drive every day of the week.  Most of them are only open from June until October.  I am already missing them.  Supporting local growers is important, though expensive. So often my support might only be visiting and conversing with the vendors.

NaBloPoMo 

black and white with scenery

some black and white Holstein cows ignoring the tulips, with a canal in the foreground

a black and white Spitz dog (Fino) and his companion, a brown Spaniel (Tiny) with some mountains and a lake in the background painted in 1791

some black faced sheep in Ireland with mountains and possibly water in the sky.

some landscapes with animals for Thursday Postcard Hunt

NaBloPoMo 

water and light

celebrated during the full moon, this year to be held Nov 5 & 6

also known as the Festival of Lights or Floating Lantern Festival

krathong = basket or vessel and loy = to float 

By releasing your krathong onto the water you are letting go of anger and bad luck you've been holding onto during the past year.  It is also a way of paying respect to the water goddess andfor the water itself while asking forgiveness for polluting it.  Though, in reality, the lighting of these individual lanterns creates its own pollution with tonnes of rubbish needing to be collected out of the rivers the day after.  It is now recommended that eco friendly krathongs be used (example: banana leaves or coconut shells) 

If, like me, you are not able to be there in person, you can read about what you're missing here

Participating in NaBloPoMo (where I seem to have problems commenting on some blogs - specifically any on Wordpress)

three swans

Dating back to 1517, this former coaching inn in the town of Market Harborough was chosen by King Charles I as a rest stop on his way to the Battle of Naseby in 1645 during the Civil War (he lost)

It is still in use today as a Hotel and Wedding Venue.  You can read more about it here, and see its updated decor and menu (and book a room if you so wish)

I'm participating in NaBloPoMo This is day 4 of 30.  Check out the other bloggers and join in!

steamclock

The Gastown Steam Clock was installed in the 1970s to cover up one of the vents of the downtown steam heating system.  The steam powers the winding mechanism, and it plays the Westminster Chimes every hour when tourists flock to catch the puffs of steam.

The clocks did their annual 'fall back' this weekend.  I am still trying to sort out what time it really is.

5,000 km

 This has a distinct look of Dick Bruna's work

Japan has a "letter writing day" on the 23rd of each month to encourage people to write and send letters to friends and loved ones to counteract the trend of digital communication.  And to help the cause, there are numerous stamps dedicated to this.  I wish we could adopt this  (in light of our current postal situation in Canada, and the cries of "who gets mail anymore, anyway").

About 5,000 km away from Japan is Nepal and this black  francolin of the pheasant family.  It is considered 'of least concern'

 

Another country that is about 5,000 km from Japan is  Nauru.  Once occupied by Japan (during WWII), it is the 3rd smallest country in the world.  It's highest elevation is about 213' above sea level and there are no rivers, but judging by this stamp it might have magnificent sunrises (and presumably sunsets)

three N countries