woody

 

a wood duck a "resplendent denizen of woodland waterways" and a pileated woodpecker which shares many characteristics with the cartoon character Woody Woodpecker

ungulates

I have full sheets of these stamps and have often thought they were rather strange...

When I did a little research, I found that they were designed by Emanuel Hahn (who has done several stamps as well as the caribou on our quarter) in 1956.  

They were not well received.

The above one is known as 'dancing caribou' by collectors (a Can-Can, maybe?)

this one was described as "the most diabolical animal I have ever seen" by a Member of Parliament (with similar, and worse, descriptions by a few others)

maybe these frolicking young goats are more pleasing

tulips

 Tulips are maybe my favourite flower. There are so many sizes and styles and colours.  And I love that they close up at night and reopen in daylight, so each one looks like two different flowers

By the time you read this, I will be off on a road trip for two weeks.  All Sunday Stamps and Thursday Postcard Hunt posts have been scheduled so nothing will be missed.  Carry on as usual and I will check in with you all when I return.

quercus

 

Quercus rubra, or more commonly, red oak. Stamp is from 1978 and designed by Heather Cooper

Red oak is a native tree and the leaves can grow between 10cm to 20cm in length (or about 2" to 8") and are a good food source for deer, black bear and squirrels

oddities

First up is an octopus like creature, originally of Norwegian origin, known as the Kraken

and a serpent like creature named Ogopogo, who is said to live in underwater caves of Lake Okanagan

Ogopogo was seen as a sacred protector who is feared and respected by the Indigenous peoples, but as a demon by the later settlers.  Today, it is seen as an elusive, harmless mascot for the area.

a not so gentle bedtime history of the kraken

narcissists?

some spring narcissi from Canada, Germany and China

a diving duck from Poland called a netta rufina

and a nightingale, who may have the most beautiful and varied song

maple trees

Sugar Maple is where the oh-so-delicious maple syrup comes from.  They do not like non-acidic or compacted soil, so are not found in urban areas.  Silver Maple is also not found in urban areas due to its brittle wood that breaks easily in storms and their shallow roots that can make a mess of sidewalks and foundations.

Norway Maples are a popular choice for landscaping but they are an invasive tree and several cities are working to take them out and replace them with something more suitable - and native.  Manitoba Maple has leaves which look more like an elder than a maple and is sometimes called a box elder

Here is the complete set of maple tree stamps issued in 1994.  Of the twelve shown, only ten are native (Norway and Hedge maples are invasive)

lilies

a martagon lily, also known as a turk's cap can be found from Portugal as far east as Mongolia                                                                                                                               

there are 50 species of water lily, and in 2015 USPS hadthis one in four different colours.  Half a billion (!) were printed in anticipation of interest in them

 
this white lily used to be the provincial flower of Quebec as shown in this 1960s era stamp.  it was later changed to the blue iris which more resembles the fleur de lys

daylilies are a hardy perennial known to spread across a sunfilled garden

horses

 

The horses on Sable Island are wild and protected from humans. It is illegal to touch, feed or treat them.  They have suvrived on the island since the 1700s and have stocky bodies with thick woolly, shaggy coats.

illustrated and engraved by Jorge Peral (2005)

guides

 well behaved

I don't know my dog breeds, but I think this is some kind of retriever?  maybe golden? or a lab?

not so well behaved

from 1952, the ubiquitous Canada Goose

north america cities

Montreal, in winter, may not the wonderland getaway experience you might be looking for

but, at the moment, neither is Havana

 so, how about sunny Santo Domingo?

year of the horse

in celebration of the Lunar New Year, a trio of running horses sculpted by Joe Fafard

Gong Xi Fa Cai (Mandarin) or Gong Hei Fat Choi (Cantonese)

snow moon

February (and January) is often the snowiest months of the year ... and that has proved true here this past week! 

bonus parliament postcard.  this is the granddaddy of the Parliament Buildings as seen from the back with the gorgeous Library of Parliament taking centre stage.  The library survived the 1916 fire (120 years ago on Feb 3rd) that destroyed the rest of the Centre Block building when the library clerk ordered the iron doors to be shut so the fire couldn't spread into the room.  In spite of WWI going on, the Centre Block was rebuilt and reopened in 1920.

aries

I have been saving these stamps for the next year of the ram - so 2027 - even though they aren't technically lunar new year stamps.

They were worth .59¢ when issued in 2011,  now they are worth $1.24

I do appreciate the colour bars on the selvedge in the shape of the ram's horns.

With this alphabet round, I am going to go with stamps related to flora and fauna.  Some may be rather tangentially related.

water

Sometimes it is enough just to get a bird's eye view of the water

other times, you want to be right in it

or maybe you'd like to live surrounded by water

sunshine

a new year is dawning 

time to get up and start fresh for 2026

we have a bright sunny day

winter needs the sun to shine (and the snow to be fresh and white) to make it less depressing

rays of sunllight adding to the view

these travellers have the setting sun at their back

 

more than santa

In 1992, Canada issued a series of Christmas stamps featuring "personages" from various regions, specifically Estonia, Italy and Germany.  The denominations are for Canada, US, and International.  My, how rates have changed!  

Estonia's  "Jouluvana" is dressed in a brown sheepskin coat and matching hat, hand-knitted mittens and a walking staff.  Imported from German legend, he carries a bag of presents for good children and uses his stick for the naughtly.

Based on an illustration by Anita Kunz

"La Befana" of Italy, is a benevolent witch-like woman who rides a broomstick on the eve of Epiphany, January 5, carrying presents for the deserving and charcoal for the erring.  After leaving small gifts and consuming snacks left for her, she sweeps the floors with her broom.  Italy also enjoys a second gift-giver, Babbo Natale, a Santa figure similar to ours who brings larger or more expensive gifts on Christmas Eve.

Based on an illustration by Jamie Bennett

Germany's "Weihnachtsmann" is a thin, stooped, heavily laden, white-bearded old man who makes his rounds on Christmas Eve with his sack of presents and a Christmas tree.  He is a secularized version of St Nicholas who is still associated with December 6.

Based on an illustration by Simon Ng 

All stamp descriptions from Postage Stamp Guide

Merry Christmas Eve

toys and tiere

Children's toys were the theme for 1979 Christmas stamps.  It was the Year of the Child that year, and antique toys were photographed by Arnaud Maggs.

Here we have a wooden train and, instead of the rocking horses of last week, a rolling horse

 

 

 

Germany has had a few of these adorable tierkinder - young animals.  A pole cat and a wild boar

 

and haus tiere - or pets

santas

 a parade of santas

on skiis (1996)

in a sleigh, and in a car, and on a train (2004)

2004 was the 100th Toronto Santa Claus Parade

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