Ucluelet Lighthouse, South River and Split

                                                          

   Blog # 1667 --- Day 1351 ( That's One Thousand Three Hundred and Fifty One Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .       

                                                              

Well it's been 3 weeks or so since I was last here. The last 2 weeks have been quite difficult for me so I thought a new blog today might actually be beneficial . My first card is from Split, Croatia showing a few of the local buildings. 

 

Isa used a stamp from 2020, 1 of 3 in a Natural Wonders set. 

Next is a card from Ucluelet, B.C, Canada. Ucluelet is a district municipality on the Ucluelet Peninsula, on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. Ucluelet comes from Yuułuʔił which means "people of the safe harbour" in the indigenous Nuu-chah-nulth language and is the homeland of the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ. The population of Ucluelet is a little over 2000. Teena's card shows us Amphitrite Point Lighthouse in Ucluelet, Vancouver Island. The light as you see today was built in 1915.

My Lovely Teena sent this card as she always does whenever we go anywhere.  We had a lovely , short getaway there back in late September. Her stamp honors  French Canadian author Maire-Claire Blais. The stamp is 1 of a set of 5 , all authors. 

This next card is my last for today. I'll just sort of ease back slowly. Here we see a view of South River, Newfoundland. It's another addition to my Towns and Postmarks of Newfoundland. South River is an incorporated municipality in the Canadian Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located at the south-southeast side of Bay de Grave, in Conception Bay. The town had a population of 674 according to the 2021 Canadian census. The river itself forms a natural boundary with neighbouring Clarke's Beach and is a scheduled salmon river. A second river, known as the Gould Brook, forms another natural boundary with the unincorporated local service district of Makinsons. Modern-day South River comprises a number of very old, smaller settlements, namely, The Broads and Springfield. Salmon Cove Road (commonly referred to as just Salmon Cove, not to be confused with the nearby municipality of Salmon Cove) occupies the north side of a hill known as Long Harry, the south side of which is occupied by Cupids, the oldest English settlement in North America. There are three cemeteries in South River; a Roman Catholic cemetery on Hodgewater Line, and two Anglican on Salmon Cove. The earlier of the two Anglican cemeteries dates to the early-mid 19th century. In addition, there are marked graves scattered along Long Harry in areas known as The Cupids Road and Adam's Grove. These graves likely pre-date the cemeteries. There are several families in the area, particularly on Salmon Cove, which have lived there for centuries. These families names include Bussey, Wells, Batten, Noseworthy, Andrews, and more. A geological formation on the shore of Salmon Cove known as Stake Cove is reputed to be the location where a woman, Catherine Snow, murdered her husband John by hitting him with a stake maul, hence the name of the cove. Catherine was convicted of the crime and hanged at St. John's, the last known woman to have been hanged in Newfoundland.

Between South River and Cupids sits an area of provincially-protected pastureland. Used primarily by local cattle farmers, a portion of the pasture has been allocated for use by Newfoundland Ponies, Newfoundland's only designated heritage animal. 

The Postmaster at South River sent this card along. The stamp was issued this year, 1 of 3 showcasing Indigenous leaders. This stamp shows award winning Inuit singer , songwriter, actor, director, producer and activist Elisapie.

 

Well folks that's it for today, Thanks to Isa, My Lovely Teena and the South River Postmaster.

Take care, see you soon.

Belize Airways B720, Chateau d'if and Lake Sevan Arakelots Church

                                                           

   Blog # 1666 --- Day 1332 ( That's One Thousand Three Hundred and Thirty Two Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .                                                                     

       

                                                                   GLORY TO UKRAINE   

Hey folks , here`s a few more cards to showcase here on my blog. Before I do though, let me just say this. Our postal strike is not over, however the total mail stoppage is. The strike has now morphed into rotating strikes for a day or two. So mail is again moving, slowly, with 3 or 4 different post offices suffering the strike every now and then. So some service is better than no service. So I`m expecting the first postcard in my mail box any day now. I posted my first cards today since the start of the strike. 

My first card is from France. Ìt`s a look at Chateau d`If . The Château d'If is a fortress located on the Île d'If, the smallest island in the Frioul archipelago, situated about 1.5 kilometres offshore from Marseille in southeastern France. Built in the 16th century, it later served as a prison until the end of the 19th century.

Dominique used a stamp from 2009. It celebrates the 161st  anniversary of the birth of Juilette Dodu, the first woman to be awarded the Legion of Honor. She is a rather controversial figure as many doubts remain about her exploits in the Franco - Prussian War. 

Here's today's second card. It's an Airline / Aircraft card from Belize. Jean Pierre's card shows a Belize Airways Boeing &20 at Montego Bay in March of 1979. Belize Airways operated from 1977 to 1980 before declaring bankruptcy. The aircraft shown was delivered to United Airlines in December of 1960 and flew for then until April of 1976. VP-HCO then saw service with Belize Airways until 1980. The aircraft was scrapped at Miami in January of 1983. 

Two stamps on this card. They are overprinted stamps of the original Bird definitives issued in 2020. I don't know when the overprints were issued.

Now this next card is today's last card. It arrived from Armenia. It's a look at Lake Sevan Arakelots Church, built in 874. The Arakelots Church (Church of the Holy Apostles) is one of two surviving 9th century churches at the Sevanavank Monastery complex, located on a peninsula on Lake Sevan in Armenia. The complex, founded by Princess Mariam, is a historic monastic site known for its medieval Armenian architecture, built from black tuff stone, and its stunning location overlooking the lake. 

 

Alena used a 2023 stamp , part of a Joint Issue between Armenia and Slovakia. There were 2 in the set. 

That's all for this time. Thanks for cards go to Dominique, Jean Pierre and Alena.

See you all again next time. 

Makris Gialos, The Lion of Singapore and an Unknown Lady

                                                           

   Blog # 1665 --- Day 1317 ( That's One Thousand Three Hundred and Seventeen Days ) Since the Start of the Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .                                                                     

       

                                                                   GLORY TO UKRAINE   

          

   

Here we go again. 

Here's a few cards that have come my way over the last while. First up is a card from Greece. It's a beachside view of Makris Gialos, located on the southeast coast of Crete.  The area has a population of around 4,200. The main industries are tourism, greenhouse farming and harvesting of olive trees. 

Alena used a 2024 stamp, one of five in a set featuring ancient Greek Writers.

 

                    

This next card is from Singapore.  It shows futuristic National Symbols of Singapore as generated by Artificial Intelligence.   

Jean Pierre used a 2019 Joint Issue stamp with Israel. It was a 2 stamp set.      

Time now for my last card for today. It's a picture of an actress and her signature is at the bottom. But for the life of me I don't recognize her and I can't read her signature. I know that sounds kind of dumb but it is what it is. 

So anyone who knows who she is , feel free to enlighten me with a comment. Here she is .

Eylem used  a wonderful assortment of stamps sending this to me.  The left stamp was issued in 2025, 1 of 2  celebrating the European Para Youth Games  in Istanbul. The 2 stamps on the right are from 2020 and were issued as a Joint Issue with Russia. They celebrated Turkish Mosques. The stamp at lower right , from 2025, is from a set of 2 honouring Nasreddin Hodja, a witty and wise folk hero and trickster. 

So ends another blog update. Thanks to Alena, Jean Pierre and Eylem for their cards . Don't forget , if you know the lady on the postcard, be sure to let me know. 

Take care , see you again soon. 

Chief Donald, A Lady and Her Guitar, and Saint Naum

 Blog # 1665 --- Day 1316 ( That's One Thousand Three Hundred and Sixteen Days ) Since the Start of the Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .                                                                     

       

                                                                   GLORY TO UKRAINE

Hello once again. It's been a couple of weeks but that's not unusual here on The Blog. Well in that time My Lovely Teena and I flew out to The Island -- Vancouver Island for a little visit, we usually try and get out there twice a year or so. We spent time in Ucluelet, Parksville and Tofino. We visited Wickaninnish Beach and Long Beach  in Pacific Rim National Park and Big Beach, Little Beach and Terrace Beach , all three near Ucluelet.  Long Beach runs for 16 kilometres. 

I purchased postcards in Ucluelet and mailed them on the morning of September 24th. Then Canada Post workers went out on strike on September 25th. So I have no idea where those cards are now, whether they left Ucluelet on the evening of the 24th or whether they are still in the Ucluelet Post Office . I'm sure they never made it into the International mail stream so it may be quite a while before you and you and you find them in your mailboxes. But it is what it is .  

And I respect the workers right to strike. I was a union member for 30 years or so , in my younger days. 

 Now a few words on World Postcard Day , which was celebrated on Wednesday October 1st. World Postcard Day went ahead in a great many countries , just not Canada. Congratulations to all who took part, writing cards , and posting them to family and friends. 

Now on to a few cards  - what you really came here for.  My first card is from Ohrid, North Macedonia. David's card shows us Saint Naum Monastery, built in 905. It and the Lake Ohrid area make up one of the most popular tourist destinations in North Macedonia. 

David used 2 copies of a stamp issued in 2023. It marked the 75th Anniversary of the National Gallery of the Republic of North Macedonia. 

Card 2 for today arrived from the Netherlands. Here we see a very musical lady from the Fab 70s. 

She must be musically inclined, why else would she be holding a guitar ? I wonder if she 

knows   " While My Guitar Gently Weeps " ?  

Barbara used the new Postcrossing stamp from The Netherlands. It marks 20 year of Postcrossing. 

 

There have been quite a few of Postcrossing themed stamps issued from many countries in those 20 years. As a long time philatelist I can say that in my opinion this is the best Postcrossing stamp issued so far. Many over the years have looked like stickers, had childish themes and or looked very immature. So congrats to PostNL

Here is the last card for now. It is also from the Netherlands. The card is titled " Chief Donald ". I leave it to my readers to decide who Chief Donald is or looks like. I think maybe he would prefer a Crown on his head. That's just me talking out loud, of course.

  A Postcrosser named Pieter sent this card . He used 2 stamps from a set of 10 issued in 2023 showcasing Echt and its architecture, customs and local festivals.  

 

Well that's all folks for today. Thanks to David, Barbara and Pieter for their cards. 

Take care and I'll be back soon.

Air Canada A330, Gjirokastra

  Blog # 1664 --- Day 1301 ( That's One Thousand Three Hundred and One Days ) Since the Start of the Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .                                                                     

       

                                                                   GLORY TO UKRAINE

Hello one and all . Time for a few more cards to be shown and talked about. I don't usually have a card to show  from Canada but that's where I start today. This is a card I received from Montreal, courtesy of Jean Pierre. Of course it's an Airline card, as I receive very many of this type from him. 

Shown is an Air Canada  Airbus A330-343. The registration is F-WWYA, not a normal registration for Air Canada or any Canadian aircraft. F-WWYA was a temporary Airbus test registration for Air Canada's Airbus A330-343 aircraft. As a test registration, it was used by Airbus during the production and delivery phase of the aircraft before it was formally registered to  Air Canada. So here's the card.

 The card arrived with a bird stamp, 1 of 5 in a set of Birds of Canada, issued in 2017. 

I have to say that I never knew about these temporary registrations  . I 'm sure I have showed hundreds and hundreds of these airline/aircraft postcards over the years but never came across any temporary registrations before. I guess I learned something new today and at my age , any day I can learn something new, it's a good day.  

Card 2 for today was sent from Gjirokastra, Albania. This city in southern  Albania is located in a valley between the Gjere mountains and the Drino, at 300 metres above above sea level. Its old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Alena's card shows a  clock tower in the upper left corner. The clock tower is a 19th century era structure located within Gjirokastra Castle and was built by Ali Pasha to indicate the times for the five daily Islamic prayers.

Alena used a commemorative stamp from 2022 celebrating 100 Years of Diplomatic Relations between Albania and The United States. 

Well that's my update for today. Thanks go out to Jean Pierre and Alena for their cards. Take care and I'll be here again soon. 

Mosset, Hop! and Frankfurt

   Blog # 1663 --- Day 1296 ( That's One Thousand Two Hundred and  Ninety Six Days ) Since the Start of the Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .                                                                     

       

                                                                   GLORY TO UKRAINE

Howdy again folks. Here's a couple of cards to have a look at this time. First up is this card showing Mosset, a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. It has a small population of just 313 or so. 

 Josep and Assumpta used 2 stamps on this card. The left stamp highlights the commune of Lagrasse and was issued in 2024. The right stamp, from this current year, show the commune of Collioure. 

 

Next up is a favourite type card for me -- an Airline / Aircraft card. 

Here we have an ATR42, from Hop! registered as F-GPYL.    HOP!, is a French regional airline operating flights on behalf of its parent company Air France. The airline was founded on 21 December 2012 after the merger of Airlinair, Brit Air and Régional brands. Its head office is at Nantes Atlantique Airport. F-GPYL is 28.5 years old, it started service with Air Littoral in 1997. In 2004 it saw service with Airlinair, 2016 with Hop! and finally 2018 with Sky Exxpress Greece, 

Jean Pierre used a Stamp Day 1988 semi-postal stamp on this card. 

Today's 3rd card is from Frankfurt. It was issued on the occasion of a special flight by Lufthansa. 

The first Lufthansa Airbus A330 flight from Frankfurt (FRA) to Raleigh-Durham (RDU) was on Jun 6, 2024, operating as flight LH409. This flight was part of Lufthansa's new nonstop service to RDU, which began on the same date and offers service five times a week. 

The stamp used was issued in 2008. It shows an Airbus 380, not a 330 as the card commemorates. 

The aircraft on the stamp has 4 engines while the aircraft on the postmark commemoration has just 2 engines. 

 

So ends another blog update. Thanks for today's cards go to Josep and Assumpta, Jean Pierre and Yvonne from Austria. 

Big Thanks all around.  

Labour Day 2025 and Telc

    Blog # 1662 --- Day 1284 ( That's One Thousand Two Hundred and  Eighty Four Days ) Since the Start of the Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .        

                                                                

       

                                                                   GLORY TO UKRAINE

Hello once again. It's September 1st , Labour Day here in Canada. 

                                               

Labour Day is an annual day of celebration of the labour movement and its achievements. It has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest.

It is a statutory Holiday in Canada providing most workers with a day off with regular pay. So the Post office is closed and that means no mail today. 

Now on to postcards. 

First card today is from Telc, Czech Republic. The town has approximately 5,100 inhabitants.It is well known for its historic town centre which is protected and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992.Telc is said to date from 1099, but the first written mention is from 1335. 

Meelis' card is a partial aerial view .  

Lots of stamps on this card. Top left - issued in 2004 , 1 of 2 Trees stamps. Middle stamp - from 1995, a rock formation  from the Beauty of Our Homeland set. Right stamp - issued in 2023 to mark the 250th Anniversary of the Birth of Czech linguist and poet Josef Jungmann. The 2 stamps on the bottom are Butterfly definitives from 2021 and 2023. 

Just a short update today. I'm off to a Labour Day BBQ . 

Thank you Meelis for your card today.