A Few Choice Cards

It's been another week again, I just can't seem to get back earlier. I hope, though,  I make up for my sporadic updates by showing some great cards and stamps. After all that's what this is all about. That's why you're here, right ? Let's get to it.
This first card came to me while I was still living in Parksville. It shows the sign for The Cottage garden on Gabriola Island. Gabriola is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia. It lies about 5 kilometres east of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. The Cottage Garden is a delightful little plant stand located on Gabriola's Orlebar Point. The Garden is right across from a beautiful stretch of sandstone beach with a great view of the Entrance Island Lighthouse. Gabriola is a cyclist's delight with a narrow paved road that circles the island.

My Lovely Teena dropped this card in the mail to me after a day of exploring Gabriola and lunch at the Rona's Mad Cafe.
She used a 2014 stamp celebrating the opening of The Canadian Museum for Human Rights in September 2014, in Winnipeg. The museum is the first in the world solely dedicated to the evolution , celebration and future of Human Rights.

My next card is a Marilyn Monroe card. I know there are many card lovers out there who collect Marilyn cards. If you are one, I hope you enjoy this one.

This is a card I posted to myself. It was a test for the postmark / cancellation , to see what a card posted in the complex in which I live would receive. Needless to say , once again Canada Post failed the test. It actually did receive a cancellation of sorts, an automated computer date of 160517 for May 17, 2016. The stamp itself ( sorry Shania )  received a couple of lines of oblique slashes. Not very appetizing to a collector, so you can bet  I won't be using this service again any time soon.  I have since found a small corner postal outlet, where the lady working was quite agreeable to hand cancelling while I was there.

My next card arrived from Alicante, Spain. This port city on Spain's southeastern Costa Blanca is in an area that has been inhabited for over 7000 years. Ana's card gives a fine look at the city and Castle of Santa Barbara on Mount Benacantil. The castle dates to the 9th century.

Ana used 3 of 4 stamps from a 2015 set of City Gates. Kind of reminds me of a set of 8 Chinatown Gates from Canadian cities released by Canada Post back in 2013.

Now it's a series of cards sent by David from his recent South Pacific trip. The cards are from Kiribati, Norfolk Island , Cook Islands and Aitutaki. First up is a card showing the beach and some Japanese defences left from World war II. Tarawa is the capital of the Republic of Kiribati. David's  card was postmarked in Bairiki, a small city of just over 3500. Bairiki may not be the capital but it houses the State House, a number of High Commissions and the embassy of Taiwan. One interesting and important thing about both cities is the elevation, or lack of  - just 3 m.

David used 2 of the 16 stamps from a 2013 Water Transport set. The set of 16 is rather an attractive set.

David's next card is from Burnt Pine, Norfolk Island. Burnt Pine is the largest town on the island  and had a population of 180 in 2007. Norfolk Island is a tiny Australian island in the South Pacific Ocean, defined by Pine trees and jagged cliffs. Its capital is Kingston even though Burnt Pine is the commercial hub of the island. On David's card we see one of the Norfolk Pines that Norfolk is famous for.

This card might indeed be the last card I receive from Norfolk Island with a true Norfolk Island stamp.Norfolk Island is set , at the end of June, to lose its status as a self dependent governing territory of Australia. On July 1st , Australia stamps will be the norm on the island. As a collector, that's a sad fact indeed. We always like to see new countries emerge, but we always hate to lose one.

David used 2 stamps, they look like they are from the same set, but they are from 2 different sets.  The stamp on the left was issued in 2014, 1 of 6 in a Coastlines set. This one shows Duncombe Bay on Norfolk Island. The right stamp is from 2013, again from a set of 6 Coastlines, showing Ball Bay on norfolk.

This next card from David gives us a look at Avatiu Harbour, on Rarotonga Island, the largest of the Cook Islands. It is located close to the capital of Avati. Avatiu is a  great place for tying up yachts.

The 3 stamps used on this card are celebrating 50 Years of Self Government. 4 Mini/sheets were issued containing 50 stamps to mark the occasion. The 3 stamps shown are Stamps on Stamps, a great topical collectable for many.

We see the island of Rarotonga on David's next card. The card is from a series called Postcards From Paradise and I think from looking at it, they didn't lie. It looks like Paradise to me.

The stamps on this one are from a 2011 set of 15 in a Tourism - Rarotonga Landscapes issue.

I think that's it for today. I know, I was supposed to show Aitutaki, Guernsey , France and Austria. They will be first up next time, for sure. Thanks for today's cards  go out to My Lovely Teena, Ana, and David.
Take care and I'll be back soon.