Fall 2016

Well the leaves are turning yellow, many have fallen and the weather seems to have changed for Fall. This will be the first update for Fall.  I have a number of great cards again this time, so let's start with a card from Bruges, Belgium. Bruges is the capital and largest city in West Flanders. The historic city centre is a World Heritage Site of UNESCO since 2000. On Johan's card we see The Belfry of Bruges, a medieval tower, 83 m high and leaning about a metre to the east.

Johan used a very recent stamp, issued on 22nd  August , celebrating the sport of Para-Equestrian at the Rio Olympics.

Be sure to check out Johan's fine postcard blog right here .


Next is a bird's eye view of Dubai Marina. This district in Dubai, is an artificial canal city , built along a 3 km stretch of the Persian Gulf. The development is inspired by the Concord Pacific Place development along False Creek in Vancouver , Canada.

David used a couple of stamps from 2013. On the left is a special commemorative marking the 10th year of the Dubai International Film Festival. The larger stamp on the right commemorates 50 Years of Postal Service in Abu Dhabi. It is from a set of 4.

Have a look at David's great postcards and travel blog , here .


Now it's a card France, showing the statue of Joan of Arc, or the Maid of Orleans.

Dominique used a 2015 stamp celebrating St. Martial de Lestards Church.

Sorry , not a great scan of that one.


Here's another card sent by Jobbo, this one from Vientiane, Laos. It's a fine look at the Patuxai, a war monument in the centre of the city, which was built between 1957 and 1968. Often called the Victory Gate or the Arc of The Triumph of Vientiane, it is dedicated to all those who fought in the struggle for independence from  France.

Jobbo used great stamps as always. On the left is a stamp from 2008, 1 of 4 in a set featuring Bees. On the right is a stamp celebrating the ASEAN Economic Community. Both nice stamps but unfortunately they ran into the infamous stamp defiler. The only cancellation received was a black marker or crayon strike. And I thought that only happened in Canada. More on that  later.

I recently went out to Banff for a short visit and as always , I always send a few postcards , both to myself and to others. All 3 that I or My Lovely Teena sent to me , met with the stamp defiler. All 3 were eventually marked out with a black or green crayon. This happened after I personally handed the cards in at the Banff Post Office and asked the clerk to hand cancel all the cards for me. He said no problem and I even watched as he cancelled them. What good was that I now ask ?
Back to the cards now.
This card , sent by My Lovely Teena is a really nice card. It's one of those thin wooden cedar cards that one finds every now and then.  The picture on the front is a classic Canadian snapshot. Members of an old time Canadian hockey team. By the flags flying in the background, I think this could be a team from a World Hockey Championship from days gone by. A wonderful card indeed.

Teena used one of the recent Haunted Canada stamps. The scary set of 5 was issued on September 8 . The stamp on the card shows the Phantom Bell Ringers of Charlottetown , Prince Edward Island.

The 2nd card from Banff is a 3D card with a number of scenes from Banff National Park - mountains, lakes, snow , a train and the Banff gondola. Hopefully the scan will show the 3D effect.

Another of the Haunted Canada stamps appears on this one. This time it's the Lady in White of Montmorency Falls.

And finally today's last card, showing 2 Bighorn Sheep. Two beautiful animals indeed.

One more Haunted Canada stamp. Here we have the ghost of a well-dressed Edwardian lady , who often shows up at the century old Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre in Toronto.

As you can see all three met up with the dreaded stamp defiler. As I mentioned earlier, I'm not that surprised this happened in Canada, as it's long been a problem here. I just wasn't sure that it happened abroad. I see some cards from away and they have perfect cancellations , it just makes one wonder what the problem is here . I know a good, clear cancellation is the farthest thing from the mind of Canada Post and its workers. Their only job  is to move the mail and keep it moving, and the hell with collectors.
Pardon my little rant there.

Today's thanks for cards go out to Johan, David, Dominique, Jobbo and My Lovely Teena.

There it is , another update and a few random thoughts thrown in on cancellations. If you have any thoughts on the stamp defiler or have experienced his work, leave a comment and let the world know .
Take care and enjoy the Fall.