The First Winter Like Post

Yes the title above says it all. Today, Oct 2nd is a Winter day here in Alberta, Canada. We went from summer to winter with no fall. Last month , September, sucked. It was the worst and coldest September on record. Yesterday winter blew in and it has been snowing all morning, all day and will be all evening. I was supposed to go to a soccer game this afternoon, but not anymore - the field is a little too white. I think I need a holiday already. Oh well, I do live in a northern country. Just so you haven't forgotten what snow looks like, here's a couple of pictures taken today.

But it is a good day for postcards and blogs. So let's get to it.

Today's first card arrived from 1200 year old Magdeburg, Germany.  The card shows a Boeing 737-800 in Ukraine International Airlines livery. This particular airplane UR-PSP is 17.4 years old and previous to Ukraine International, it flew for Sun Country Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines and AerCap. It's most recent flight was yesterday between Kiev and Baku. Other aircraft types in Ukraine International's fleet include the B777, the B767, and Embraer 190s. 

Eike , a Postcrosser over that way used one of the often seen Flower definitives along with an Aviation related stamp from 2011, showing a Glider at The Wasserkuppe.

Marilyn Monroe is the subject of my next card. I don't go out of my way to collect Marilyn, but many do. Perhaps Barbara would like this card.

Marianne used 2 nice stamps on this card, both issued in 2011. The left stamp is from a set of 6 Bicycle stamps. The right stamp celebrated the World Judo Championships.

I don't have anything to say about this next card. It's from Belarus, but that's all I know. Perhaps someone will enlighten me as to what's written on the front. I'm really just showing it so that I can show the stamp that Dimitri used.

The stamp was issued this year. It is 1 of 3 in a Reptiles and Lizards set.  Reminds me of the 1974 Jim Stafford song ' Spiders and Snakes ' even though the stamps aren't about spiders and snakes.  . A nice song and nice stamps.

Card # 4 -- The Toraja are an ethnic group indigenous to a mountainous region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Card 4 shows one of the Toraja dancers in costume. Toraja dances are part of funeral ceremonies , harvest time and there are even war dances.

Fitri used 2 stamps on this card. On the left , from 2018, is 1 of 9 stamps in a set issued for the 18th Asian Games. Over on the right, from 2014, is 1 of 4 in a Seabirds set.

Who out there has heard of Dany Saval ? Most likely many of you, but not me. Honestly , I've watched lots of movies over the years, but never came across Dany Saval. She is a former French actress during the 1950s and 1960s  and into the late 1980s. Touted as the new Brigitte Bardot, she was chosen by Walt Disney as the leading actress in the 1962 film ' Moon Pilot ' .

Dany may be French but the card came from Van Dyne, Wisconsin, USA.   J. Tills used a nest little selection of Bulk Rate stamps, Flag stamps and Zip+4 stamps.

This should be the end for today, but it is not. I have 4 cards from St. John's, Newfoundland, from a recent trip down that way. All are postmarked at St. John's.
This first one , showing The Rooms, is from My Lovely Teena. She always sends a card home to me. The Rooms is an innovative, cultural institution that tells the story of Newfoundland and Labrador through archival records, art and artifacts. The building opened in 2005 and can be seen from almost anywhere in the city, competing with the Basilica of St. John the Baptist for dominance of the st. John's skyline.

Teena used 1 of the beautiful Astronomy set of 2 issued in June of this year. It shows the northern lights over Churchill, Manitoba.

Next is the Big Fish that didn't get away. A couple of cod fish caught in a trap in Battle Harbour, Labrador in 1901. The picture by Robert Holloway was published in St. John's in 1905. The larger fish measured 5 ft. 5 in. and weighed 60 lbs. The boy is Albert Victor Croucher.

Gilles Villeneuve , from the F1 in Canada set, is seen on the stamp on this card. The set contained 5 stamps. Hometown hero Gilles Villeneuve was a force to be reckoned with from the late 1970s to early 1980s.

Hang in there - just 2 more to go.

Now we have an iceberg and a lighthouse. An iceberg partly blocking St. John's  harbour , known as The Narrows. The lighthouse is Fort Amherst Light. It was first lit in 1813, but the current structure only dates from 1951.

On this one we have a 2018 stamp. It honours the 100th presentation of the Memorial Cup. The trophy symbolizes junior hockey supremacy in North America.

Here's the last card. It's called Trail of the Caribou Stamps. It shows a selection of 12 Newfoundland stamps. The stamps were issued by the Newfoundland Government to commemorate the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and the Royal Naval Reserve.

A Lewis Hamilton stamp from the F1 in Canada set was used here. Hamilton became the youngest Grand Prix World Champion in history in his second year.

This is definitely the end for today. Thanks going out to Eike, Marianne, Dimitri, Fitri, J Tills and My Lovely Teena. Do come by again soon. I still have lots of cards on my desk to clear.

Take care.