Flowers, Canada

Hello guys

Since few days ago, we have entered some summer heat, even though it is just like middle of May, but temperatures have gone above 35 ℃ ☀ which is too much for this time of the year.
In general, I seriously detest the summer in this city and am certainly not willing to have to deal with it this early 😖

Well at least warm weather is compatible with today's Sunday Stamps theme of flowers... and since I couldnt decide between these two Canadian covers, I decided to post them both and spare myself the trouble of choosing :) (Thanks to Bryon for the trouble 😈)

Just let me tell you in advance that I am terrible when it comes to knowledge about flowers as well as taking care of them... if you have left some flowers under my responsibility, they certainly will end up suffering (you can ask my current boss about this.. boy was he angry 😄😄)

Btw, 2020  is also the International year of Plant Health, so here is one commemorative post to it!
 🌷🌸🌺🌻🌼

This first one is actually a Valentine Day's issue from 2019, on February 14th,  showing some beautiful fragrant Cape jasmine gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides).

It is said that giving gardenias was known as a way of saying ‘I think you’re lovely’ during shy Victorian times while these days, the white petals are considered a symbol of purity, making gardenias a popular choice for weddings. 

It is native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, Madagascar and Pacific Islands and just now I learned that these belong to the coffee family.

The other cover comes with some lovely Lotus flowers issued on 1st of March 2018.

It is an aquatic perennial and it grows from root-like rhizomes that form in the bottom of shallow ponds and marshes, producing leaves and flowers that rise above the water. The species featured on these stamps are the pink and white sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) and the creamy yellow American lotus (Nelumbo lutea).
It is the national flower of India and Vietnam, and is a symbol of divine beauty that carries deep religious significance for Buddhists and Hindus. It is native to tropical and temperate regions of Asia and Australia.
 Rare and threatened, the American lotus needs warmth and sunshine to survive. Its northern grow limits are the shores of Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair in southern Ontario, with other populations found in wetlands across the eastern United States and as far south as Honduras.



Lotus flowers always remind me of one fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen called Thumbelina, and when she drifts along the water, full of lotus flowers...

Check out some more beautiful floral items over at Sunday Stamps!

And enjoy your Sunday!

Canadian Pride - Flag of Canada, Canada

After almost a year, here is a new post for the Sunday Stamps edition, which seems to have gone back to themes after the alphabetic posts :)

Today's theme is Water - and even though the primary topic of this issue is the Canadian flag, there is pretty much water on the sheet, to make it eligible for today :)

In this set, issued 14th of January, 2013, the designer Karen Smith said that they tried to represent as many different regions of Canada as possible as well as different seasons. There are images from the prairies, inland, and the coast, as well as summer, fall and winter, where the Canadian flag is shown in abstract, unusual ways.


The set of five stamps features essentially Canadian scenes with the flag uniquely displayed. In one, three Muskoka chairs lounge on a dock facing a lake in early fall, evoking Canadian cottages from coast to coast. The chairs reappear on the souvenir sheet, this time with the puffy, whimsical clouds of summer dotting the sky. The fall colours are recalled by the golden hue of a very Canadian hay bale that waits in a prairie field at harvest time. On the East Coast, just outside Halifax, a spinnaker fills with a summer breeze representing the Canadian sails and flags that fill the waterways each season. This same spinnaker is shown again on the OFDC, this time with an iconic East Coast lighthouse in the background.
During Canada Day celebrations in Winnipeg more than 3,000 patriotic Canadians gather on the lawn of the provincial legislature to form a living flag, challenging a record held by Victoria, British Columbia.
Finally, a lone fishing hut brings a splash of colour on a clear day to a frozen Lake Scugog, Ontario.

So, dear Canadians, do you find pride in your flag? Or your maple syrup? Or is it something else? Feel free to share your thoughts, im curious to know :)

Seeing those chairs... not really fitting into the social distancing concept nowadays, eh?

For more calming water stamps, visit today's Sunday Stamps edition

Franklin the Turtle, Canada

I should seriously get back to the scheduled posts, cos Sundays end up being days I am away from the laptop and unable to join on time the Sunday Stamps game. (just a note to self for next Sunday at least...)

Well, we have reached the letter F on our journey, and for today I have this adorable cover issued by Canada Post on 11th May 2012, portraying a really cute character called Franklin the Turtle, a little reptile who encourages the children to 'come out of their shells' (I am not familiar with these books or TV series but I'm pretty sure some of you are).
The books were written by Paulette Bourgeois and illustrated by Brenda Clark, based on which later a TV series was produced. 
The main character is of course Franklin the Turtle, while on the stamps you can also see his best friend the Bear, his friends the Beaver and the Snail and (probably) his little sister Hariett.

Now in case just as me you were confused by reading Franklin Benjamin on the stamps and wondering what the hell this guy had anything to do with this character... well, it turns out that Franklin is known as Benjamin to its French-Canadian readers... you really couldn't have made it any more confusing guys :D :D :D But at least, mystery has been solved :))

Well lets go over to Sunday Stamps now and see if there are some other confusing/ambiguous stories of this kind :P

The 100th Anniversary of the Titanic disaster

Letter T is very tempting for Trains lets say, but trying to be not so transparent and predictable, I will go with some Titanic stamps today, all issued in 2012, commemorating the 100th Anniversary of its sinking.

First is a cover from Canada, showing two of the four stamps that are part of the block showing the bow of the ship, as well as an international stamp, showing its side-view. These stamps were issued on 4th of April.

Even though many countries commemorated this anniversary on stamps, Canadians were among those personally involved with the world's most famous ocean disaster. In addition to a number of Canadians aboard, and the tireless efforts of the people of Halifax, it was a team of employees working at the Canadian Marconi company's wireless station on Cape Race, Newfoundland, who heard the early distress call.

Next we have the FDC issued by the BH post, on 29th of May.
No extra information regarding this stamp, but anyway, it is not like any extra info is necessary on this world-wide known tragedy.

then we have this FDC from Alderney, issued on 22 February, featuring 6 striking stamps. During its journey, Titanic had sailed past Alderney as well.
The story behind the six stamps is:

36p. - Leaving Southampton
47p. - Sailing past Alderney
48p. - The Grand Staircase
52p. - Orchestra plays the final rune
61p. - Captain Edward J. Smith
65p. - Lifeboats leave the ship

And just as it had caught me by surprise that I had never posted Titanic stamps before here, I was also surprised to see I have this FDC in my collection, issued by Macedonia Post on 17th April. The reason is cos I simply don't know why I would have bought this for myself, taking into account it is a bit pricey, and not as part of my collectibles. But I guess this was during the times I was just splurging on stamps (un)necessarily. Oh well :D

I have this gut feeling that I may be overlooking some other Titanic related FDCs or covers from my collection, but I guess these four will do for now.

For more T-related stamps, simply visit the Sunday Stamps blog.

Canadian Recording Artists, Canada

The regular visitors to this blog may have expected to see some Railway stamps today but this train lover has decided for something completely different (partly because it was one of the very few already scanned stuff)

Actually, the main reason I went for this one today is to draw the attention to one of the accepted ways of stamps' cancellation in some countries, which outrages me! I think it is fairly visible that this cover has been crossed with a pen instead the regular way. I don't know who first allowed this and why is it still not sanctioned, but for philatelists this is tragic on many levels.
I received this cover some years ago, but now of course, thanks to the cancellation, I can just guess it was sometime after 30 June 2011, or after the stamps were issued.

Canada presents us with some important Canadians which are not very popular outside its borders, or at least, on this side of the pond. If you ask me to name some famous Canadian Artists, the first one that always comes to mind is Bryan Adams.... alongside with Alanis Morissette, Celine Dion, Leonard Cohen.... but none of these featured here, so lets get a bit familiar with them now, shall we?



- Ginette Reno, (28 April 1946) - a Canadian author, composer, singer, and actress. She has received nominations for the Genie and Gemini Awards and is a multi-recipient of the Juno Award. She is a gold and platinum selling Canadian musician. She has also starred in some movies, which of course, I haven't watched.
I have just listened to her on YouTube, and wow, what an amazing voice! Not the kind of music on my everyday playlist, but for sure it's good!

- Bruce Douglas Cockburn (May 27, 1945) - a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. His song styles range from folk to jazz-influenced rock and his lyrics cover a broad range of topics that reveal a passion for human rights, environmental issues, politics, and Christianity. He has written more than 300 songs on 33 albums over a career spanning 40 years, of which 22 have received a Canadian gold or platinum certification as of 2018, and he has sold over one million albums in Canada alone.

- Robbie Robertson, (July 5, 1943), - a Canadian musician, songwriter, film composer, producer, actor, and author, best known for his work as lead guitarist and primary songwriter for The Band, and for his career as a solo recording artist. His work with The Band was instrumental in creating the Americana music genre.
He is also known for his collaborations with director Martin Scorsese, which began with the rockumentary film The Last Waltz (1978), and continued through a number of dramatic films, including Raging Bull (1980) and Casino (1995). He has worked on many other soundtracks for film and television - well I am well known as a movie lover who totally cannot remember movie titles, actors, directors, songwriters... no wonder I had no idea about him as being part of some of the movies I have watched

-the last stamp is reserved for two sisters, Kate McGarrigle (February 6, 1946 – January 18, 2010) and Anna McGarrigle (born December 4, 1944) - a duo of Canadian singer-songwriters from Quebec, who performed until Kate's death on January 18, 2010.
Their songs have been covered by a variety of artists including Nana Mouskouri, Linda Ronstadt, Billy Bragg, Cyndi Lauper, Pet Shop Boys and others. which had led to the McGarrigles getting their first recording contract in 1974. They created ten albums from 1975 through 2008.

so that would be my contribution for today's R letter, some recording artists (where you also have Reno and Robbie Robertson :))

For more R-related stamps, visit today's edition of Sunday Stamps! 

ps. Thank you Bryon for this cover - turned out into a nice music lesson of the day :)

Locomotives EXPO '86 Vancouver, Cuba

this weather outside has kinda totally ruined my plans for the day, so if we're gonna stay at home, at least lets spend it in some productive way (where productive doesn't mean cleaning or working).

And being that no Cuban stamps have seen the light of the day here, here comes something Cuban, which in a way is related to everything else but Cuba :D

On May 2, 1986, Cuba Postal issued a set of 6 railway stamps, plus one souvenir sheet, representing different kind of steam engines, which were exhibited during the 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication held in Vancouver, Canada from Friday, May 2 until Monday, October 13, 1986. The theme of the Fair was "Transportation and Communication: World in Motion - World in Touch.


And here for display we have the mint stamps (shown above already), the FDCs (shown below), and also the maxicards (even further below). Couldn't be any happier regarding this possession :D

Out of all these, it is just the souvenir sheet that represents a Cuban steam engine from 1837.

The rest of the steam engines:

-The first Russian locomotive from 1845

-next is the Stephenson's Rocket steam engine from 1829 (Great Britain)

-from the same year of 1829, below you can see the Stourbridge steam engine from the US

-next is a French one from 1830, depicting Seguin's steam engine

- here we have the first Canadian locomotive from 1836






- and the last one is dedicated to Belgium, showing an urban locomotive from 1872 pulling a train at the Belgian Grand Central Railway.

*fun fact no. 1 - it is not that fun actually - but I have totally lost track of who has actually sent these to me. I find it embarrassing and kinda rude, but unfortunately I just cannot remember =/ So a big big thank you to the sender, and if you remember being the 'guilty' one for these in my collection, please drop me a line!

* fun fact no. 2 - Depeche Mode had had a concert during this EXPO!!! Seriously!! Back in their early days still, as part of the Black Celebration tour... damn, that setlist looks soooo good! Nowadays I would never probably hear live songs like Fly on the Windscreen or Christmas Island or Leave in Silence or Blasphemous Rumours
(weeps in silence)

* fun fact no. 3 - Apart from DM, A-ha have performed here as well!
(weeps in silence a bit more)

* fun fact no. 4 - Death Cab for Cutie have a song called 'Expo 86', and just now I know what it actually refers to - I've never really liked that one so never really cared to google for more info. It is from their Transantlanticism album (2003), where you can find my favourite DCC song, called Transantlanticism as well, but I wonder how an EXPO could actually serve as an inspiration for someone writing a song....

Year of the Monkey, Canada

I've mentioned before that I was born in the Year of the Monkey, so for that occasion, here comes another issue from this year, this time from Canada.

Some countries seem to have something really particular about their designs where just from one glance, you can kinda guess which country it was issued by - Canada is one of those.

Thanks a million to Bryon for another cover with stamps ahead of their time since again we have a 2015 cancellation :D I wonder when exactly did the clerk cancelling these, noticed the mistake =)

Weather Wonders, Canada

Last week a fantastic cover landed in my mailbox, featuring the Canadian set of Weather Wonders stamps, issued in 2015.

Each of these stamps illustrates a unique weather phenomenon, where each the credits for each image go to a  different photographer.
As the Canadian Post website had put it, you can revel in the beauty of a double rainbow over Quebec, tremble at the power of a lightning storm in the skies above Manitoba, and gaze through a gorgeous pink-hued fog at Newfoundland's Cape Spear lighthouse, Canada's easternmost point. Shake off the chill of a wintry hoar frost on a snowy Alberta plain, and shiver at the sight of sun dogs shining over Iqaluit in the Canadian Arctic.

Really spectacular set of stamps that come with a 'special' feature, and that is the cancellation :D
Obviously the postal-clerk felt like travelling back in time, so instead of cancelling the cover with the 2016 date, (s)he did it with the 2015 one (hence I was a bit confused at the beginning, wondering if this has indeed travelled for a year or if it was the human factor...). It was the human factor indeed and funny thing is that at this particular date, these stamps weren't even issued until 18 June, that is almost two months later :D :D :D

The big-big-big thank you goes to Bryon for this one :)

Mental Health, Canada

A post for today's Sunday Stamps regarding the Health and Welfare theme...

For this I've chosen this great Canadian cover sent by Bryon few years ago, with this amazing semi-postal-stamps sheet issued on September 6th, 2011 for the Mental Health series - did you know that Canada issued these from 2008 till 2011, with a 10¢ surcharge that went to the Canada Post Foundation for Mental Health to be used for mental-health research and patient support? The main reason they started it was to eliminate the misconceptions associated with mental illness and establishing the Canada Post Foundation for Mental Health.
According to me it is a great initiative since often Mental Health is like a taboo and mental illness is something people feel ashamed of and just keep that hidden from the others... but it is just as important as the physical health...and those two just have to go together for one's own well-being.

Another interesting thing regarding this issue is that for the first time in history Canada Post invited Canadians to submit designs for a stamp, and also tasked the public to participate in the design selection process through the social media.

Out of more than 300 stamp-design entries, this was the most voted one with over 286,000 online votes..."The Puzzle" by Miriane Majeau - for this design Miriane has said that "Dealing with mental health issues can be like putting a puzzle together. As the puzzle comes together, as you find the right pieces and connect them in the right way, something beautiful and whole is revealed.”

N.B
A semi-postal stamp is also known as a charity stamp, and that is a postage stamp issued to raise money for a particular purpose (such as a charitable cause) and sold at a premium over the postal value.

ps. that other (neglected) stamp was also issued in 2011  for the International Year of Chemistry

thanks a whole bunch to Bryon for this one! :)

and for more stamps on health and welfare, check out today's edition of Sunday Stamps

The 15th Anniversary of the Death of Gilles Villeneuve (1950 -1982), Canada

First of all, I would like to thank you all for the kind comments on the last post and for your concern and wishes for well-being...it meant a real lot to me! Thank you!

And since it is Sunday today (well, early Sunday, just past midnight), it is time for Sunday Stamps, with this week's theme of  'commemorating a person' or 'event worth commemorating'. What seemed as piece of cake at the first thought of it, ended up with great doubts of 'what to post what to post'..and when I laid my eyes on this, I knew it had to be IT! (Though I must admit that my initial thought was also F1 related, but I'll save that one for another time =))

Anyways, it may also be a bit of a biased post - those who know me, know I am an F1 fan, though I must admit I haven't been so dedicated to following it the past few years as I used to be. But still, it holds a special place in my heart and if Raikkonen starts performing better, I will surely get back to watching it more regularly.
Well, it is not Raikkonen for today, but Gilles Villeneuve, whom I have never had a chance to see him racing, since he had died when I barely knew to walk, but I do admire him and that's why I thought he deserved to find his place in today's post...not to mention that I absolutely LOVE this sheet! And for an F1 fan it is a great treasure to have as well :)

*from the booklet in which it was enclosed:

Blinding speed, astonishing car control, fierce determination and ferocious tenacity; these are the characteristics that marked Gilles Villeneuve's remarkable 5-year Formula One racing career. Villeneuve is remembered for his superb performance, winning six Formula One championship races; he is revered for his strength of character and indomitable spirit. Gilles Villeneuve is a Canadian legend and one of the greatest drivers of auto racing.
His F1 career started in 1977 in the team of McLaren, at the British Grand Prix, while from 1978 until 1982 he was part of Ferrari.
Unfortunately, he had died in a 225 km/h crash caused by a collision with the March of Jochen Mass during qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder
At the time of his death, Villeneuve was extremely popular with fans and has since become an iconic figure in the history of the sport. His son, Jacques Villeneuve, became Formula One world champion in 1997 and, to date, the only Canadian to win the Formula One World Championship.

This unique 8-stamp sheet includes two images. One stamp ($0.90) depicts Villeneuve in the Ferrari 312-T3, the car in which he won his first Formula One victory, fittingly at the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
The other stamp ($0.45) shows Villeneuve in the Ferrari 312-T4, which brought him his most single season wins.

And I know that if he was part of Formula One today, I would have liked him as a driver.

See where the other famous people or events are coming from today...I am sure that by clicking on the button below, you will be offered a lot of great things to read :)

Have a lovely Sunday!

The 75th Anniversary of Superman, Canada

In today's Sunday Stamps post, I'd like to ask you all a small favour. I usually don't do this, but sometimes life situations call for it and right now, all help is more than welcome...not to me, but to the people in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, who have been struck with one of the worst flooding disasters in more than a century. The images from there are heartbreaking. And right now these two countries need all the help they could get. The current situation is terrible, but its consequences are gonna be a real struggle as well.
I know that not everyone is able to donate money or goods, but sharing the news and making others aware about the actual situation is of great help as well and would mean a lot to me.
In the following Facebook links you can read more about it, follow the situation and see how you can donate if you want to.
https://www.facebook.com/HelpSaveBosnia?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/helpforserbia?fref=ts
http://revolution-news.com/call-help-worst-floods-bosnia-serbia-contact-info-vital-donations-supplies/

We may not be superheroes like Superman. Superman tried to save the world and help the people in need. But people can be superheroes in their own special way and help the ones in need!


And I have these two Superman covers, one containing the stamps, the other one the mini-sheet. Sent by one of my mailbox superheroes! And they just came in appropriate for today.

The stamps were issued to commemorate the 75th Superman Anniversary...one of my favourite childhood characters - with Christopher Reeve being my favourite Superman of all times! (never really read the comic books I must admit)

Since this is an 'anything you wish day' click on the button below to be surprised at the variety of thoughts and ideas for today's entries

Blue Whale, Canada

Few days ago I received this fantastic cover from Glenn...and it came in very handy for this Sunday's theme of Viridian's blog, featuring Stamps of the Great White North...so apart from Canada being eligible for this category, the stamp itself feels very northy, so I simply had to choose it for today....and believe it or not, this cover took EXACTLY two months to reach me...from Canada!! I'll never understand the postal service, but im definitely more than happy it had arrived coz it is such a beautiful stamp and such a nice and clear cancellation! It would have been more than a pity if this had gotten lost somewhere..

On October 4, 2010 Canada Post issued a $10 definitive stamp depicting the world's largest creature, the Blue Whale (Balænoptera musculus). The stamp is the largest in size and highest denomination Canada Post has ever produced.
10 $ of face value certainly is A LOT and makes this stamp mainly interesting for collectors only coz I highly doubt it will be used for regular mail often.

The stamp was produced using a combination of intaglio (for the whale in the foreground) and offset lithography (for the colours in the background). The intaglio process (which was used to produce Canada’s first postage stamp) was recently reinvented using a new, state-of-the-art laser engraving technology.
A special printing technique called microtype was used to write the Latin name for blue whale - a feature that is normally impossible to reproduce by any other means than intaglio.
Additionally, a large cluster of krill (the whale’s food of choice), along with a diver, were introduced using tagging inks. These can only be seen under an ultraviolet lamp.

 here is an image of the stamp under UV:

pretty cool, no? :)

This mammal weighs between 80 and 180 metric tonnes and reaches lengths of more than 30 metres. It can travel at speeds of 33 km/hr, accelerating to 48 km/hr when chased, making it among the fastest of whale species. This fascinating giant of the deep is also unmatched in the projection of its voice, emitting low-frequency sounds that can travel hundreds of miles (and possibly entire oceans) under water. Yet despite its outstanding stature and might, sightings of the elusive blue whale are very rare—another reason why it has fascinated us since the dawn of time. In Canada, the blue whale roams the waters along the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence near eastern Nova Scotia, the south coast of Newfoundland, and in the Davis Strait between Baffin Island and Greenland. In the west it habits the coast of British Columbia.

Maybe not so appealing as dolphins coz whales are a bit scary, but I love them too....and im appalled each time when I read how in some part of the world there are mass killings of these animals...the latest I read was regarding the dolphins' killing in the Faroe Islands/Denmark...disgusted is the least i could say I've been...man's nature is just so twisted...

well, a few more technical details about the stamp:

Date of Issue  4 October 2010
Width            128.0 mm
Height            49.0 mm
Denomination 10.00 CAD
Perforations    13 by 13

For more north-related stamps, please visit Viridian's blog:

Have a great Sunday!

Roadside Attractions, Canada

an amazing and perfect cover sent by Bryon!

this cover features a lovely mini-sheet showing Canadian Roadside Attractions. The Canadian post had decided to portray some roadside attractions that are simply too large and too whacky to go unnoticed.

These landmarks include:

- Davidson, MB, halfway between Regina and Saskatchewan used to be “the” place to stop for coffee before the highway was rerouted. What better way to welcome weary, caffeine-deprived drivers than with a giant, towering coffee pot It is a tribute to the town's hospitality and is 7.3 metres tall which makes its capacity to fill nearly 150,000 cups of coffee ( top left corner stamp - and probably my favourite! I mean, it is COFFEE we are talking about :))

- The Gladstone, Manitoba town mascot, the Happy Rock, is mounted on top of a tourist booth. The over 7-metre high attraction is a recognizable landmark along the Yellowhead Highway and weighs more than 700 kilograms (top right corner)

- an enormous Atlantic Puffin in Longue-Point-de-Mingan, QuebecThe Atlantic Puffin in Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, Quebec is a tribute to the charismatic seabirds. The 1.8-meter high fibreglass monument was built in 1995 and is located by the seaside where the birds live (bottom right corner)

- The giant steel Wawa Goose that is perched outside Wawa, Ontario, has been around since the 1960s. The current goose is the third steel tribute to the wild geese of Northern Ontario. The 8.5-meter high, two-tonne monument is located along the junction of highways 17 and 101 (bottom left corner)


technical details:

- date of issue 5 July 2010
- Width: 35.0 mm
- Height: 41.0 mm
- Denomination: P
- Layout/Format: self-adhesive booklet

 the stamps are pressure sensitive and printed on Tullis Russell paper using lithography in eight colours plus spot varnish. They are general tagged on four sides
-

Canada

Here is one fantastic cover i received from Canada, sent by Laura. The stamps she had chosen are just more than precious!

I will start with the 3 cents one, with the redish colour, which was issued in the distant 1937....it portrays the coronation of H.M. George VI and H.M Queen Elizabeth. George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions from 11 December 1936 until his death (6 February 1952). He was the last Emperor of India (until 1947), the last King of Ireland (until 1949), and the first Head of the Commonwealth. Elizabeth was the Queen consort of King George VI and the British Dominions from 1936 until his death in 1952. After her husband's death, she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II. She was the last Queen consort of Ireland and Empress consort of India.
The coronation took place on 12 May 1937.
And this stamp IS somehow related to trains since King George and Queen Elizabeth were present at the
New Zealand government offices in  London, 19th October, 1939, when a model of  “J” Class locomotive  was presented to the  New Zealand government railways by the manufacturers, the North British Engineering CO. LTD., Glasgow.

The small grey  6c stamp is a definitive from 1970.

The stamp in the top right corner is from a set of 3 Christmas stamps issued in 1979.

The 64c stamp was issued in a set of 4 stamps in 1983, and it shows the Adam Brown locomotive, type 4-4-0, while the other two 32c stamps were issued the following 1984, also in a set of four. The one on the left shows the Countess of Dufferin type 4-4-0 locomotive, which was the first steam locomotive to operate in the Canadian prairie provinces.The stamp next to it shows the Scotia 0-6-0 type locomotive.

Sorry if you are getting an overdoes of trains here..but you know i simply LOVE them!

And thank you sooooooo much Laura for such a precious cover!

Vancouver 2010 Olympics, Canada

There is no better time to post this than today!

the miniature sheet was issued regarding the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada, that begin today and will last until 28th February. In the sheet the 5 different stamp designs are presented, among which the 3 Official Olympic Mascots, Miga - the Sea Bear, Sumi - the Thunderbird and Quatchi - the Sasquatch.


None of the three mascots actually exist in real life: Miga the Sea Bear is a combination of an orca and a sea otter. Sumi, the Paralympic mascot, is a Thunderbird but looks more like a bear with wings.
And Quatchi is the first Sasquatch in history to actually make an appearance before human beings.

I doubt ill be able to catch much of the Olympics (lots of work + bad time zone), but however it is more than great to own this mini sheet.

Too all those that are gonna be following the broadcasts, enjoy it and let the best ones win!