COVER N. 632 - CANADA

Postmark: Canada Post Postes Canada Canoe B.C. 21.08.2025 

Posted on the 21st August; Received on the 2nd September 2025

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Hanukkah and Diwali, two different celebrations, from two different religions, both having a common symbolic fulcrum: light!

Thank you very much, Edward, for a cover with no less than 4 stamps and a nice pictographic cancel.

I won’t elaborate over the signification of the Hanukkah and the Diwali Festivals, since I am not at all versed in the fundaments of both the Jewish and Hindu religions, agnostic that I am. Suffice to say that both festivals play a very important part in the traditions of both religions, 

As I read, Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of the oil in a very small container having been enough to keep a menorah alight for eight days in the  Temple in Jerusalem after it had been taken by the Jews over from the Greeks, and takes place on the 25th day of Kislev, which may occur at any time from November 28 to December 27.

On its part, Diwali, celebrates the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and is celebrated during the months of  of Ashvin and Kārtika—between around mid-September and mid-November.

The “P” (permanent) tariff  stamps on the top row are the traditional Hanukkah issues of the Canadian Post for 2022 and 2024.

On the left we have the  07NOV2022 stamp which, according to the release notes, “reflects the joyful spirit of the festival through a vibrant, contemporary interpretation of the flames on an eight-branched menorah”

On the right is the 14NOV2024  issue featuring a 19th-century peacock-themed hanukkiyah (menorah) that was rescued from a burning synagogue in Germany during Kristallnacht in 1938.

The bottom row “P” tariff stamps are dedicated to the Diwali Fest, also an annual tradition of the Canadian Post.

On the left, we can see the 15OCT2024 issue, which, according to the release notes, “highlights Lakshmi Puja, which for many is the most important occasion of the celebration, often falling on the second or third day.

Traditions vary during this time, but many people light small clay lamps called diyas and perform rituals to invite Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity, into their homes to bestow good fortune. Inspired by depictions of Lakshmi, the stamp design features three of her hands – one is showering coins, another holds a lotus flower and the third holds a diya.”

Finally, on the right we have the 06OCT2022 issue. Illustrated with an oil burning lamp.

Again referring to the release notes, “one of the many tales surrounding the origins of Diwali relates to the diya (small clay lamp) at the heart of the design. According to an ancient legend, when the venerable Prince Rama and his wife, Sita, returned home from exile, jubilant villagers illuminated their path with dīpāvali (rows of diyas), from which the word Diwali is derived. To this day, rows of lamps, candles and lights burn in homes and temples during the festival”.

The Pictorial cancellation was applied at canoe, a semi-rural community, part of the city of Salmon Arm, in British Columbia, 

COVER N. 619 - CANADA 

Postmark: Canada Post Postes Canada Canoe B.C.  24.07.2025

Posted on the 24th July; Received on the 4th August 2025

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Thank you so much Edward, for such a nice cover from Canada with an issue celebrating the future. "And why do I say that, you may ask?"

Well, we tend to forget that languages are just as perennial as the existence of their users.... when the last speaker of a tongue passes away, especially in cases where there are no written records or recordings, so does the treasure he/she carried throughout his/her life.

Since 2022, Canada Post has been issuing stamp sets honouring Indigenous Leaders, as a way to highlight and acknowledge the role played by distinguished leaders of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples in the promotion and safeguarding of each people's history and culture, language being, of course, central to both.

This year's issue of the Indigenous Leaders series, which began to circulate on 20JUL2025, honours  three such leaders that have dedicated their lives to preserving the culture and improving the quality of life of their peoples, with a strong commitment to the preservation of their native languages.

Since the release notes for the set are very enlightening as to the role each of these leaders played in the preservation  of their people's culture, I will quote directly from them, hoping this may be considered fair usage:

Julia Haogak Ogina

Witnessing the erosion of her Inuit heritage spurred Julia Haogak Ogina (b. 1962, Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories) to devote her life to revitalizing the culture and languages of her ancestors. As colonization fragmented families and undermined traditions, she noticed that lessons once learned through singing, dancing and storytelling were gradually being lost.

Ogina worked with anthropologist Richard G. Condon on The Northern Copper Inuit: A History (1996) to document the rapid pace of socio-economic change experienced by her community. In 2017, the accomplished drum dance teacher and leader helped publish Huqqullaarutit Unipkaangit (Stories Told through Drum Dance Songs). The project involved a decade-long consultation with Elders to retrieve forgotten drum dance songs – which she sees as a conduit for ancestral knowledge and “a window into all the strengths of our people.”

In nearly two decades with the Kitikmeot Inuit Association, Ogina has contributed to the creation of a regional language framework and programs promoting oral learning and knowledge transfer. In 2020, she was awarded a Meritorious Service Medal for her efforts to protect and promote Inuit culture and traditions.

Sophie McDougall

Sophie McDougall (née Margaret Sophie Boyer, 1928-2023) shared extensive knowledge of her Métis culture and language with generations of students and community members over her long life. She was born in St. Louis, Saskatchewan – a descendant of one of the area’s original settlers. As a Métis woman, McDougall experienced discrimination at teachers’ college but faced it with courage and determination. She graduated at age 17 and spent many years as a devoted schoolteacher.

An Elder with the Prince Albert Métis Women’s Association in Saskatchewan for 20 years, she translated books and other materials into Michif, the traditional language of the Métis. Michif is categorized as critically endangered by UNESCO.

McDougall was a dedicated Language Keeper who also worked with many organizations in Prince Albert to document and teach the regional dialect Michif French. She appeared in the YouTube series Métis Women Stories when she was in her late 80s and later contributed to the creation of the Learn Michif French app. In 2023, McDougall received the Order of Gabriel Dumont Gold Medal in recognition of her lifetime of service to the Métis of Canada.

Bruce Starlight

Known as Dit'óní Didlishí (Spotted Eagle), Bruce Starlight is one of the last fluent speakers of the Tsúut'ínà language. Born in 1947 on the Tsúut'ínà Nation near Calgary, Alberta, the Elder and Knowledge Keeper has worked hard for more than five decades to save his language and culture from extinction.

Although he had to leave high school to help support his family after his father died, Starlight went on to study linguistics at the University of Calgary later in life. Frustrated by a lack of support for the teaching of Tsúut'ínà, he began to document its alphabet, words and phrases. Starlight founded the Tsúut'ínà Gunáhà Násʔághà – an institute dedicated to the preservation and revitalization of his mother tongue – and served as language commissioner for the Tsúut'ínà Nation.

Also an accomplished teacher and speaker, he has developed extensive materials for Tsúut'ínà instruction, including dictionaries and recordings. Starlight recently collaborated on a collection of traditional narratives and historical accounts in Tsúut'ínà and a Tsúut'ínà-to-English glossary. He is still active as a cultural mentor, adviser and ambassador. In 2023, he received an honorary doctorate from Mount Royal University.

The nice pictorial postmark depicting two persons transporting a canoe hails from the semi-rural community of Canoe, in British Columbia, a part of the city of Salmon Arm.

COVER N. 462 - CANADA

Postmark: no postmark

Posted on ?; received on the 3rd June 2024

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"He who doesn't have a dog, hunts with a cat", so says and old Portuguese adagio, which I think could perfectly be used in this particular occasion.

I got a cover sent by an Argentinean collector with a note inside, explaining how hard it was for him to participate in a cover circuit, given the difficulties in locally obtaining stamps and the the impact of rampant inflation on things as easy as posting a letter.

My country has gone through some really bad economic times, but Argentina has been in permanent economic upheaval for I can't remember how long and I sincerely hope the Argentineans will one day soon find a way of  for once and for all solving the equation that has been causing so much socio-economic trouble... 

So, Muchas gracias, Amílcar. I know your Canadian letter holds the beauty of  the pampas and Patagonia, inside!

The vintage travel poster set of  five "P" tariff stamps from which the poster advertising the cruise of the great lakes, replicating a poster issued in the 1930s,  was issued on 09JUN2022.

The Madonna and Child stamp, featuring a painting by 15th century Italian artist Master of the Castello Nativity was issued on 01NOV2016 as one of the annual Christmas issues of Canada Post.

The Gardenia was the flower chosen for the "flowers" issue of Canadian Post in 2019, the two "P" tariff stamps which, as ususal, are included in the set, of which one can be seen on the cover, having been issued on Valentine's day, 14FEV2029.

No postmark was applied on this letter. 

COVER N. 452 - CANADA

Postmark: Port Rowan ON 16.05.2023

Posted on the 16th May; received on the 21st May 2024

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Last week, I was out trekking in the south, along the coast, doing the first half of the Fishermen's trail, from Lagos to Aljezur, in the Algarve, hence the silence on these pages. 

I was very lucky with the weather, which graced me with a week of cool, dry (but very windy) days, which would have been perfect for walking the trail, had I not decided to do it from the south to the north without first checking the direction of the prevailing winds in the region... which, of course always blow from... the north...

That, the quite demanding ravine climbs and descents and the stretches of loose sand (I really do hate these) were a bit more taxing on my ageing legs and back that I had first anticipated, but the views I had access to, the communion with a rather  wild and pristine coastal area, and the absolute joy of overcoming a self-imposed  challenge, all made for an absolutely unforgettable experience, which I will hopefully repeat next September or so, when I take the remaining 100 km of trail that are still left for me to complete it.

Although I did not get that much mail during the week, the three covers I found on my desk , thanks to my caring wife, were absolutely great, beginning with this one  from Canada, for which I have to greatly thank Jeff, who surprised me with this terrific set of Kermit relatives, which will jump right off into my favourite covers selection.

Let me get back to the trail...

Walking over those cliffs,  bordered with the most ultramarine blue one could ever hope to mix, made me remember many times my happy childhood days in the Azores, when I would also walk the lava cliffs, barefoot, with a fishing rod in one hand, many times with my old man by my side...., intense memories that more than once made some liquid drops run down my face... and it was not only sweat....

Anyway... here's the link to the stamps: one day my playing mates and I, we went to a place where there were a few ponds that were full of frogs. At home, in the garden, I had half a barrel  that was standing there just empty (I guess father had the idea of turning it into a large flower pot or something). So a cunning plan started to develop in my ever curious 12 years old brain: I could fill the half wooden barrel with a layer of earth, add some water and fill it with eggs, tadpoles and adult frogs. That way I would be able to watch live all the metamorphosis of the frogs, from eggs to adults, something that I found rather interesting.

I did not think anything more would be needed, since if frogs lived in the pond in water, than they could surely go about their lives in my barrel, provided I supplied them with the necessary living conditions, that is, water and earth....

So we went to the pond and set about chasing frogs.... in a matter of minutes, we had dozens of them (literally), which were thrown into a sack, along with lots of tadpoles and eggs.

And we all ran to my place where we filled the wooden barrel, which we first hid in a corner behind a tree, out of any adult inquiring gaze,  with earth, and water, into which we dropped the contents of our precious bag.

Mission accomplished. 

The tin houses in Santa Maria, where I lived, were built on concrete feet, so in some places, there were gaps beneath the base and the ground. These were cool shaded places, so whatever frogs that were still alive, they all took shelter under the house and that night we had the most incredible frog concert....

Some days later, though, a strange, unpleasant smell began to be felt in the garden, and it only grew worse, as the days passed....

My mother went into the garden trying to find the source for the stench and her accurate nostrils guided her right to the corner of the garden, behind the old pine tree..... loads of rotting frogs (those that had already arrived home in the bag dead, plus some that had not survived the experience) were lying atop the dry earth inside the barrel (all the water had already either evaporated or just escaped)...

As punishment, I had to collect all that rotting stuff and dispose of it in the communal garbage container, something that almost made me vomit, quite a few times....

Be it as it may, I still find the metamorphosis of frogs a really interesting phenomenon.....

The two "P" tariff  Endangered frogs of Canada stamps on the souvenir sheet which Jeff so kindly used on this cover,  were issued on 15APR2024 and the frogs therein pictured are:

- Rana pretiosa, (left stamp) commonly known as Oregon spotted frog, which in Canada can be found in south-western British Columbia, and which is classified by the IUCN as a "Vulnerable"species.

- Anaxyrus fowleri, (right stamp) commonly known as Fowler's toad. It occurs in eastern US and parts of  adjacent southeastern Canada. It has a "least Concern" IUCN Status.

The Inaugural postmark for this beautiful set was applied at Port Rowan, a city in the northern shore of  Lake Erie, this being ath the heart of the living territory of Fowler's toads in Canada.

Postage on the cover was completed with the Eclipse stamp I talked about a propos postcard #140, issued on 14-MAR2024, which also got an unnecessary  mechanical cancellation....

POSTCARD N.140 - CANADA

Postcard sent on the 6th May, received on the 14th May 2024

Postcard image: The Canadian in winter travelling through Robson park

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No image could be more iconic of Canada than  that on the postcard Ravindra kindly sent me from the great Canadian outback. Thanks you so much, Ravindra.

The 4,446 km journey between Toronto and Vancouver in the Canadian lasts 4 days, crossing "gentle prairie fields, rugged lake country [...] picturesque towns [and] the snowy peaks of the majestic Rockies", as can be grasped from  the VIA Rail Canada - the train operator for this famous scenic ride -  website.

Looking at the postcard, I am not sure that winter is the better time of the year to take the ride, for the majestic greens are subdued by the rather structureless wither shade of pale of the fog and the falling snow, judging from the photograph.

The problem with such great train journeys, as with all organised journeys is that I always come out of them with the feeling having missed  great photo  opportunities.

Of course, when I go out travelling in a car, being able to stop wherever I want to, I always come home with the feeling that I could have shot much better pictures than I did, but at least I have not to live with the idea that I have gone past my photo of a lifetime and could not stop a while just to grab it.... :-)

Now on to the stamps, left to right:

- A stamp I had already seen on another of Ravindra's sendings, part of the 2024 Canada Post wildflowers issue, dated of   01MAR2024, comprising two tariff P, for Permanent, self-adhesive stamps. 

The beautiful stamp It is illustrated with the image of  a Spotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata), a native from Canada, Eastern United States and Mexico, a member of the mint family which exhales a thyme scent, which makes it a favourite amogst pollinators.

- Not that long ago, on last 8 April, the moon cast its shadow on the bright star that illuminates us daily, in its most perfect form, something I have yet to witness...(will I ever?)

A rare occasion and, as such,  one worthy of celebration. So  Canada Post issued a commemorative "P" tariff stamp showing the eclipse in its totality phase, midway between  the Canadian Totality path, illustrated by a photomontage with Niagara Falls, Ontario, on one side and Bonavista, Newfoundland on the other.

The stamp is said to have been printed with a coating than, when exposed to black light, shows the image of the eclipse against a darkened sky, as it happens in real life, but I have not the means to confirm it.

- Salome Bey was an American-born Canadian singer, songwriter and actress who lived between 1933 and 2020. I have to confess I had never heard about her so I went and took a look on Youtube to discover a powerful gospel voice, which I am sure I will hear again.

Celebrating her life, Canadian Post issued a “P” tariff self-adhesive stamp on 22APR2022, illustrated with a portrait of the singer, with her name printed in gold.

The Postmark on the stamps hails from the City Centre Post Office  of Victoria in British Columbia. 

Unfortunately this is not the only existing postmark on the stamps since Canada Post also put the postcard through a postmarking machine…

 COVER N. 446 - CANADA

Postmark: 090138 Post Office/Bureau de Poste Brampton, ON L6W3M0 24.04.2024

Posted on the 24th April; received on the 2nd may 2024

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The last of Canadian mementos for which I have to thank Ravindra for -  Bohomȧ  sthoothi, Ravindra! - is a cover graced with the full set of stamps issued by Canada Post highlighting a theme that is borne out of the acknowledgment that history is not always a romantic happy ending tale, and that time, knowledge, development, democracy and most of all education will one day raise the  corner of the carpet under which many not so nice episodes had been swept and kept.

History, or better, the way it is conveyed to present and future generations, is in fact, in general terms, the result, on one hand, of convulsions, social movements, conflict, domination and subjugation and, on the other, of the  cultural perception the  dominant groups in society have of it, something that is also open to evolution and  reassessment, as civic conscience evolves too.

It is this cultural perception of the status quo that made it possible for societies to accept and even promote things which we now classify as unjustifiable abuses such as slavery, forced displacement, occupation ...(I know, I know, there's always the exception that validates the rule).

Times, notwithstanding, do change, as Dylan so aptly once pointed out, and even if "the looser now will (not always) be later to win" general civic consciousness at some point in time is impacted by the discomfort of knowledge and shame and that's usually the turning point, the milestone in progress towards a more just and equitable society.

Truth and Reconciliation, so important a theme that it was given a national day in Canada, and yet only in 2021....

Let me just copy a paragraph from the issue notes from this set of stamps, which explains the reason why Truth and Reconciliation day was established in 2021:

"Between the 1830s and the 1990s, more than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children across Canada were taken from their families and sent to federally created Indian residential schools. Stripped of their languages, cultures and spiritual traditions and forced to assimilate into white society, the children endured unsafe conditions, disease, and physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Thousands of them never made it home." (Source: Canada Post)

The Truth and Reconciliation celeberatory set on the cover comprising four "P"ermanent self-adhesive stamps was issued on 29SEO2022.

The stamps feature artwork inspired on this theme, by contemporary Canadian artists,  three of them being members of the ethnic groups (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) victims of the forced acculturation which Truth and Reconciliation day acknowledges.

COVER N. 445 - CANADA

Postmark: 090138 Post Office/Bureau de Poste Brampton, ON L6W3M0 24.04.2024

Posted on the 24th April; received on the 2nd may 2024

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Canada Post traditionally issues every year a set dedicated to flowers. These are always graced with truly beautiful illustrations which are a pleasure to behold. But this year Canada Post took it to another level (as far as I'm concerned) for the flower issue is dedicated to native wildflowers of Canada.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against garden flowers, but the raw beauty of wildflowers is for me a continuous source of wonder and bewilderment, and if asked to chose between a dandelion flower and a garden rose, I would have no doubt whatsoever in ticking the dandelion box.

 Bohomȧ  sthoothi, Ravindra, for the cover with the two stamps in the set.

The Canadian Wildflowers set, comprising two "Permanent - P" (domestic, up to 30g)  tariff stamps, was issued on 01MAR2024. Featured in the immensely beautiful illustrations, are:

- Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), a plant native to eastern and Southwestern North America, which gets its name from the fact that butterflies find it extremely attractive for the large amounts of nectar it generates;

- Spotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata), a native from Canada, Eastern United States and Mexico, this member of the mint family is another plant highly regarded by pollinators, which are attracted by its thyme scent.

The postmark  originates from Brampton, a municipality in Toronto's greater area, in the Ontario Province.

POSTCARD N.138 - CANADA

Postcard sent on the 24th April, received on the 2nd May 2024

Postcard image: Toronto's Chinatown and  Kensignton Market.
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Ravindra is on the move and wherever he's gone he's taken his kindness with him... that's why when I went to check my letterbox after the usual alarm sign of Mr. Postman's motorbike idling by my door and the metallic "clonck" of the letterbox flap cover, I found a batch of Canadian goodies inside. Thanks a lot; Merci beaucoup (in true Canadian fashion); Bohomȧ  sthoothi, Ravindra!

Now getting these was almost like an appetiser, for I'm planning to visit Canada later this year too and Toronto will probably feature on the menu, which I still have to organise... Canada has been in my "to go" list for quite a number of years, so let's see if this year i can finally tick it off from it. 

The problem with countries like Canada is that they are so huge and have so many things to see that you'd need at least as many lives as a cat's to just scratch the surface, but as I'm sure I will never eat all the cake, I'd better satisfy myself with whatever slice of it I am given... besides, my own country is decidedly small by Canada standards and there are still so many corners I haven't thoroughly checked...

To post this nice postcard, Ravindra used a stamp from the 2023 Canadian Post Christmas issue, which comprised three (P; 1.3 and 2.71 Dollars) all illustrated with quite charming naive paintings of Winter Holiday Scenes, which began to circulate on 02NOV2023.  Knowing Ravindra's affection for Lighthouses, I am not awed to see that the stamp on my postcard features one as the main point of interest in the image 😀

The postmark  originates from Brampton, a municipality in Toronto's greater area, in the Ontario Province.

COVER N. 332 - CANADA

Postmark: Canada Post  Postes Canada World's largest mushrooms Plus grands Champignons au monde  Vilna AB 06.10.2023

Posted on the 6th October; received on the 18th October 2023

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November is really the beginning of the mushroom season around here, but the theme came up a bit earlier this year, with this Canadian cover with a very beautiful and large mushroom related postmark that I got, courtesy of The Phantom.

On looking at the slogan,  on the postmark, though, I was really intrigued...

The world’s largest mushrooms? How could someone claim that....? After all mushrooms come in all sizes and sometimes some really big pop up here and there, (go ask Alice...) so much so that to claim that a given location is the place where the largest mushrooms grow might be a bit of wishful thinking.... I went and took a look into it...

...and… mystery solved: the world's largest mushrooms won't grow more, because they are a sculpture. Located in a public park of the city of Vilna, in the State of Alberta, the huge sculpture replicates a group of three Tricholoma uspale mushrooms, a species that occurs locally and which is traditionally collected for culinary purposes.

With a total weight of over 18,000 pounds and standing 20 feet tall, the sculpture claims to be the largest mushroom replica sculpture in the world, as advertised in the very nice pictorial postmark that is illustrated with a line image of it.

Thanks a bunch, Alex!

- The 2.5 Canadian Dollar stamp on the right illustrated with an image of a baby wapiti (Cervus canadensis) was issued on 31MAR2014. It is part of a set dedicated to baby animals comprising five stamps, which constitutes, the last set issued in an annual definitive series initiated in 2011, dedicated to the theme.

 The Wapity is member of the deer family (Cervidae) distributed in Asia and North America. It was  thought to be a sub species of the reed deer, which can be found in Europe, but genetic studies have proved it to be an entire different species.

 - The two stamps on the left (10 and 25 cents) were issued on 05AUG1992, integrated on a definitive set themed on edible berries. 

 The 10 cent stamp is illustrated with an image of a kinnikinnick shrub (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), a red berry producing plant that is native to subarctic regions. Given its name, it is easy to conclude that bears must be great admirers of the berries produced by the plant.

 The 25 cent stamp is illustrated with an image of a Saskatoon Berry shrub (Amelanchier alnifolia), a white flower and purple berry producing plant native to Alaska, Western Canada and Western and North-central United States.

 Although rather small, I find these stamps quite beautiful and am quite pleased to have them on a cover.

COVER N. 329 - CANADA

Postmark: Canada Post Postes Canada - 24 Ovens Ave - New Westminster B C - V3L 1Y0 25.09.2023

Posted on the 25th September; received on the 4th October 2023

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A very neat cover from Canada. 

Four nice stamps on it, but I have to confess my preferred are those on the bottom of the cover for one cannot but love the great mugshots of a black and a white bears that illustrate them. Thank you so much Evelyn!

- Canada is a vast country, and a great part of its extension is occupied with pristine wilderness. Throughout all that unscathed territory there is no shortage of mountains also, so it comes as no surprise that mountaineering, trekking and all kinds of alpine sports have lots of fans in the country, as attested by the 13,000 member of the Alpine Club of Canada.

The Club was founded in 1906 by A.O. Wheeler, and Elizabeth Parker, with a view to the exploration and preservation of the canadian wilderness. and to the promotion of equality between man and women in mountaineering and climbing, quite a revolutionary view for the time, I should think. 

In 2006 the club celebrated its centenary and Canada Post issued the 51 cent stamp on the cover, in celebration of the event, on 19JUL2006.  On it, the present contrasts the past: a female athlete solo free climbs an almost vertical mountain face superimposed by the silhouette of a line of four  turn of the century male mountaineers,  all connected by a rope, going up a much less steep edge. Quite a graphic way of putting it, I'd say... in one century we went from this to that! And I'm glad it is so!

- The tenth Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations was held in Vancouver, Canada, between 13 and17 October 1987, and was hosted by the country's Prime Minister at the time. Brian Mulroney.

To mark the occasion Canadian Post issued the 36 Cent stamp on the cover, on 13OCT1987.

- All that wilderness, covered by never ending forests... (although some have now been greatly ravaged by unfortunate long lasting forest fires) well into the arctic circle, makes the perfect habitat for several species of bears. Four to be precise. 

On 24JUL2029, Canada Post issued a set of four  P(ermanent) tariff stamps dedicated to the four bear  species of the country - Grizzly, Black, Kermode and White - illustrated with rather candid face shots of each one of them, taken by wildlife photographers Robert Postma and Michelle Valberg. On my particular cover, Evelyn  used the stamps dedicated to the black and white bears. 

Judging from the Postmark, the cover was mailed from New Westminster; British Columbia.

COVER N. 263 - CANADA

Postmark: City of Toronto UC - MR 6 1834 / Canada Post Postes Canada Toronto ON Toronto's First Post Office 07.06.2023

Posted on the 7th June; Received on the 13th June 2023

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A rather interesting wild fauna related issue from a country that is undergoing right now a tremedous forest fire ordeal. 

Being a Portuguese, I cannot but feel the utmost sympathy for all the brave men and women that right now are fighting this incredibly huge disaster and I'm very happy and even proud to see that some Portuguese fire-fighters were dispatched to Canada to lend a helping hand. I'm also hoping that weather changes soon and rain comes to the help of all those that have been fighting this disgrace for so long now. The scale is so huge that Canadian smoke is set to arrive over Portugal this coming weekend...

Although otters and grebes do not live in forests, I'm sure a disaster of such proportions affects all the ecosystems one way of the other, so may the beautiful stamps on Jeff's cover be a reminder of the huge task we still have ahead if we want to make sure that Earth will still be an habitable place in a not so far future....

Thanks a lot for the very nice cover, Jeff! 

Earth's day is in itself a way of raising awareness, of reminding, of calling on the attention of us all to the effects of our greed, negligence, stupidity in what concerns our relation with the planet we live in and with its non human occupants. It first was celebrated in 1970... that's 53 years ago... and the obvious, disturbing fact is that in this half century we have  managed to cause seas to dry, glaciers to evaporate, species to become extinct,... yes, there is another side to the coin, as always. Smallpox was eradicated, extreme poverty has declined from 44% of the population in 1981 to 10.7% in 2013;  endangered species were protected and so on and so forth, but population has risen to a staggering 8 billion and just feeding all this people is a gargantuan challenge...

Celebrating Earth, sustainability and biodiversity is more than ever a priority, as all actions taken to this end will keep the flame alive and at least shake our conscience, make us feel uncomfortable, but there is no escaping the fact that if  the questions that  directly impact on us Humans, like access to housing, water, food, income, healthcare, education,  aren't properly and thoroughly addressed, then sustainability and  biodiversity will barely be more than a debating theme  for  the lucky ones who chanced to have been born to a household where all it takes is to turn the tap to see water flowing, for the others, the majority, will still have more pressing needs to cater for... 

The beautiful Domestic Permanent stamps chosen by Canada Post to honour Earth's Day 2023, issued on 18ABP2023, were conceived as embroidered works of art resulting from the creative minds of designer Meredith MacKinlay, and embroider Caroline Brown.  The two images thus created, besides honouring Earth's day also resonate to the fundamental bonds between mothers and their babies, celebrated by Mother's day.

The species chosen were the sea otter (Enhydra lutry) and the red-necked grebe (Podiceps grisegena), highlighting the role mother otters and grebe play in raising their offspring.

A rather interesting short video featuring one of the stamp authoresses can be watched here. 

On the lower left corner of the envelope there is also another recently issued (23MAy2023) Domestic Permanent stamp, commemorative of the 150th anniversary of the famous Roayal Canadian Mounted Police, instituted as the North-West Mounted Police by an Act of the Canadian Parliament on May 23, 1873.

COVER N.186 - CANADA

Postmark: Canada Post Postes Canada, Downsview Retail Postal Outlet 1027 Finch Ave West Toronto, ON M3J 2L6

Posted on the 30th November, received on the 8th December 2022

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Red and gold dominated stamps, hailing from far North... 'tis the season to be jolly, I guess 😀

Thanks a lot Nargiza,

- The male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) looks quite distinctive in its red overalls tinted with black on the tail and face. The stamp it illustrates is part of a three stamp souvenir sheet ("P"; 1.30 and 2.71 Canadian Dollars) issued on 01NOV2022, featuring "Season's birds". 

Further to the Cardinal on the domestic P tariff stamp, the small but quite attractive stamps include the Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) - 1.30 CDN and the Evening Grosbeak (Esperiphona vespertina).

- On 18MAY2018, Canada Post issued a stamp dedicated to the Ice Hockey Memorial Cup 2018, held in Regina, Saskatchewan,  between 18 and 27 May, 2018.

The tournament, honouring the Canadian Military fallen in combat, was first held in 1919 and has since been held yearly, the 2018 edition being the 100th (hence the celebratory stamp). Its winner is declared Canada's Ice Hockey League Champion for the season. In 2018, the title was won  by the Acadie–Bathurst Titan team. 

Further to the rather uncommon large rectangular postmarks on the front of the envelope, which tell us that the letter was mailed from Toronto, there is a Portuguese Postmark, upside down on the back of the envelope which reads 6-12 SAD Lisboa (I know not what the acronym SAD stands for) on the circular postmark. On the side, the legend  "Como endereçar corretamente a sua correspondência" (how to correctly address your correspondence) features besides an image of an envelope wherein I presume are indicated the preferred areas to inscribe the address of the sender and of the recipient ( the image is neither clear, nor complete).

COVER N.175 - CANADA

Postmark: Canada Post - Postes Canada - Barry's Bay On  Zurakowsky Park - Home of the Avro Arrow - 27.10.2022  
Posted on the 27th October; received on the 7th November 2022
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It has been a while since my last addition to the blog. A slight perturbation in mail distribution due to a couple of days of industrial action at  CTT, the Portuguese Post, but things are now back to normal, as the "clonk" of the letterbox lid  closing that I again heard today so clearly illustrated.

The moment I heard it, I ran to the door, of course, and rightly so, because amidst other letters of a far less pleasant nature - taxes and utilities accounts - there was this beautiful cover from Jeff in Canada, laden with three very recent stamps dedicated to my theme of choice: aviation. Thanks a lot, Jeff, for a fabulous cover, indeed!

The stamps Jeff used on this cover are part of the second set of the "Canadians in Flight" series, started in 2019, three stamps of  which he  had already kindly sent me on a previous sending.

The 2022 set, equally comprising five P (Permanent) tariff stamps as that of 2019, was issued on 17OCT2022. 

- Ask any aircraft fan to name a bush plane and I'm certain that a unanimous "Beaver" will be the first answer. The DHC-2.. a true Jack of all trades, rugged and capable of operating in all types of conditions from all types of strips, with STOL capabilities, be it land or sea....

Designed in the aftermath of WW2, the Beaver first flew on the 16 August 1947 and throughout its production life, that was to come to an halt in 1967, more than 1,600 aircraft were built, many of which are still flying. Although being decidedly linked with the vast and wild spaces of the American North, many Beavers were used by the military in a large number of countries.

It is fitting that such a landmark in the history of Canadian aviation would be included in a series dedicated to the theme, and this is not the first time that it happens since the Beaver also featured in the 1982 issue of the lovely Canadian aircaft series, which ran from 1979 to 1982.

The current Beaver stamp though is marked by controversy. It so happens that the designers of the stamp chose a photograph that features a DHC - 2 Beaver, indeed, but ... bearing an American registration on the fuselage, not a Canadian.  and this was not that well taken by many a Beaver and Stamp fan..... well, this is not really perceivable upon looking at the stamp with the naked eye or even with a loupe, but the artwork has been shown in much larger supports, I would thing, and that's probably where it all became apparent...

Anyway, registered in the USA or in Canada, the Beaver is as Canadian as the Mounties and fittingly it is shown on the stamp flying over land and sea, juxtaposed to 3-view drawings of it and the  a De Havilland Canada Logo substituting the Beaver for the usual Mosquito, which was issued, I read somewhere, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the former.

- Wallace Rupert Turnbull (1870-1954)... I confess my ignorance as to the relevance of Mr. Turnbull's work in the aviation field., but Canada Post informs me that he was famous for developing the variable pitch propeller, that is, the ability to change the angle of the propeller blades while the prop is rotating , an important step towards maximisation of the thrust generated by the propeller during the various phases of a flight. 

The stamp dedicated to Rupert Turnbull is illustrated by his picture in front of an airplane equipped with his invention, which is also the subject of the line drawing on the left side of the stamp.

- Flight simulators more than learning tools were life-savers. Aviation is not an activity devoid of danger for the initiated and going through what is to be  (un)expected high above the surface, knowing that no matter what you'll be always able to walk back home through the stairs down to the ground and out through the door is ... reassuring, to say the least.

Aviation simulation technology was first brought to Canada in 1947 by Kenneth Patrick (1915-2002) who founded CAE Canadian Aviation Electronics, a concern that would develop simulators for the Canadian Air Force and later for Canadian Pacific Airlines ...(writing this suddenly brought to my mind vivid images of the beautiful DC-8 aircraft in the orange livery of Canadian Pacific that I saw so many times being refuelled at Santa Maria Airport in the Azores, when I was a lad. 

The stamp dedicated to the CAE Flight Simulator is illustrated with a photo of a simulator, and it also features a side view line drawing of one such machine.

- The remaining two stamps on this set, which was issued in souvenir sheet format, are dedicated to Violet Milstead (1919-2014), one of the first female bush pilots, and a member of Britain’s Air Transport Auxiliary, during WW2. and Dr. Wilbur Rounding Franks (1901-86) the inventor of the first G-suit,  

Jeff had the Cover fittingly Postmarked at Barry's Bay, for Canada Post issued a special cancellation for that city that features an image of another of Canada's most famous aircraft, the Avro Arrow, a scale replica of which is now gate guarding Zurakowski Park, named after the chief test pilot of the Arrow, Janusz Zurakowski.

 

COVER N.173 - CANADA

Postmark: Canada Post / Postes Canada -  Downsview Retail Postal Outlet 1027 Finch Ave. West Toronto, ON, M3J 2L6 2022-10-17  
Posted on the 17th October; received on the 25h October 2022
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I do like coloured envelopes.  Not that there isn't a certain classical aura to an all white envelope, the more so since the stamps usually do "emerge" more efficiently against an all white background, but colours are, luckily, part of our lives and the added grain of "extraordinary" conferred to something that we are used and expect to see in white can be like ... a ray of sunshine protruding through an autumnal greyish sky, if you'll forgive my cheesy analogy.

Thanks a lot, Nargiza. I did quite like it. On top of it, I had also once received another coloured envelope from Jeff, in Canada, so it looks like my collection of letters from the upper North of the American continent is quite prone to chromatic diversity.

Stamps, left to right:

- The story of man is full of golden pages, we all know, but I dare to say, based on pure empiricism and gut feeling, that for each page written in gold, there are a couple of entire books printed in rust.

Supremacism, colonialism, exploitation, tyranny  are as old as man itself. its consequences have been and are still being felt by many and all it takes it to turn on the TV to sadly hear about conflicts that could have been avoided had we lived up to the adjective that qualifies our species... sapiens...

Sometimes knowingly, other times out of sheer ignorance man has done wrong to man. It's in our nature. We can't escape the fact that we are animals and given the right conditioning we will do stuff that normally we would think unimaginable.

Usually, some years after, as times and tides change, someone will come in the name of the aggressor and offer condolences, apologies... but the wrong was done, and those that felt it in the flesh usually are  already gone too.

It happened everywhere, in my own country also, of course. In fact, it is happening right now, as the church apologises for the behaviour of  members of the clergy that have abused those they should protect...

Quoting from Canada Post website

"First Nations, Inuit and Métis children were forced to attend federally created Indian residential schools, which operated for nearly a century and a half. More than 150,000 children were taken from their families and communities, many never to return home."

Many of these schools were run by the Catholic Church. 

Once again, Pope Francis, with a sincerity that I believe to be unquestionable and truly heartfelt, followed the Standard Operating Procedure: during a  visit to Canada he apologised to representatives of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities... but the wrong had long before been been done, and for those that suffered in the skin, many still alive today, an apology no matter how sincere, will always fall short..

On 29SEP22 Canada Post issued a set of four se-tenant self adhesive Domestic  Permanent stamps dedicated to the theme of Truth and Reconciliation.

Out of respect for the issue, I'll again quote directly from Canada Post website regarding the description of the two stamps from this series that were used on my cover. As such:

"The top left image was designed by Jackie Traverse, First Nation (Lake St. Martin, MB), Anishinaabe, Ojibwe. It represents seeds of change. It features a man and woman, the elders, their children and their grandchildren. The ubiquitous bunchberry is in the centre and represents Canada, with the roots from the seeds reaching to the past. This image emphasizes the need to share the sun, water and the land to enjoy a good harvest."

"The bottom left image was designed by stamp designer Blair Thomson. It features a pair of bold hands held over eyes and a human face. The hands are cross-representative — belonging to the settler, masking their view of reality and shame, and to the Indigenous people/Survivors, covering their face in sadness, pain, memories. Tears stream from between the fingers. The background further connects to the school windows, looking out and dreaming of home. An Indigenous child looks out from behind the hands to reinforce the message that we must never look away again."

- Classic carousels... how not to like them?

A rather uncommon theme for a rather uncommon format stamp set, I believe, but an interesting one, nonetheless.

On 21JUL2022 Canada Post issued a set of 5 self-adhesive Permanent Domestic rate stamps illustrated with images of animals (4 horses + 1 lion)  from vintage carousels dating back to the late 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, that I presume are well loved  by all those that have ridden the lovely wooden creatures.

The one on my cover, features a beautiful horse identified as belonging to the Roseneath Carousel. Again resorting to the Canada Post website "Built by C.W. Parker in 1906, this was originally a portable carnival carousel. It is the only Canadian carousel to receive the National Carousel Association (U.S.) Historic Carousel Award – in 2010. This carousel has resided at the Roseneath Fairgrounds in Roseneath, Ontario, since 1932.

Uncommon stamps call for uncommon postmarks and that's precisely what the large rectangular postmarks are, informing us that the cover was mailed from the city of Toronto, the capital of the Ontario province.

COVER N.152 - CANADA

Postmark: City of Toronto UC - MR 6 1834 / Canada Post Postes Canada Toronto ON Toronto's First Post Office
Posted on ?: received on the 16th August 2022
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I love things that fly, be it butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies, (I confess that even some types of ... flies, tickle my fancy) coleoptera, gyrocopters, helicopters and all types of aircraft.

As such it is always a pleasure to receive a cover laden with stamps related to aviation, such as the one I got from Jeff, from Canada. Thanks a huge lot, Jeff!

The three stamps that literally made my cover fly, are part of a five P (Permanent Tariff) stamp souvenir sheet issued  by Canada Post on 27MAR2029, to celebrate achievements of Canadians in the field of aviation.

And of these, nothing would be more famous, I guess, than the short lived Avro Arrow. A son of the cold war, ...( hhh..did it ever end, really..😞) ...and conceived as a Mach 2 capable interceptor to counter the Warsaw pact menace flying over the north pole route, the Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow started to be developed in 1955 drawing on the experience gathered from the Avro CF-100 Canuck.

Flight testing of a first prototype began in 1958 and the aircraft, from the  beginning, promised to be a solid platform delivering all that was expected from it, in terms of manoeuvrability and speed.

The development program progressed all through 1958 with the 2nd iteration of the design, the MK2 version equipped with more powerful engines, being ready to be test flown in early 1959, when the sort of questions that are universal to democracies - the ability to question political decisions, options for public funding spending, - but also, I suppose,  the less that optimal effects of corporatism in the public agencies, particularly in the branches of the armed  forces, brought the project to an absolute halt, the government giving the order not only to stop the development of the aircraft but also to destroy all the prototypes already built as well as any pre-production aircraft, tools, plans... the works…

So much so that when an example of the Arrow was needed to put in a museum, a replica had to be made from scratch by volunteers….only to be left to decay at the will of the elements when the Canadian Air and Space Museum where it was kept closed doors in 2011… but it found another home where it now resides in full glory at the Canadian Air and Space Conservancy at Edenvale Airport, Ontario.

This scope of the strange decision taken by the Canadian cabinet is pretty difficult to understand, the more so since it impacted greatly on Canada’s  air industry and it generated a lot of controversy in the country, the Avro Arrow to this day being a theme for discussion amidst aircraft fans.

Elsi Mcgill. I confess my ignorance. Can't remember having ever read her name, so I turned to Wikipedia and learned that she was "the world's first woman to earn an aeronautical engineering degree and was the first woman in Canada to receive a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering".

Known as the "Queen of the Hurricanes" for her role as Chief Aeronautical Engineer at CanCar, the Canadian Car and Foundry Company  during the 2nd World War when the company built Hawker Hurricanes under licence, she would also direct her endless energy after the war at the cause of women's rights, having been named for  Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada in 1967.

The last quarter of the 20th century saw a huge progress in ultralight and lighter that air aviation. The Lazair family of ultralight aircraft is one such example with the distinctive feature of being based on a twin engined design. Offered in kit form from 1974 to 1984, hundreds of Lazairs of the several types the basic design originated were built with many still flying in Canada and the US..

The other two stamps included in the souvenir sheet are dedicated to William George "Billy" Barker, VC, DSO & Bar, MC & Two Bars (3 November 1894 – 12 March 1930), the most decorated Canadian Air Ace of the 1st World War , who lived to tell the tale, and  to Clennell Haggerston "Punch" Dickins OC OBE DFC (12 January 1899 – 2 August 1995), a pioneer Canadian Pilot, who also served during both world wars and later, with De Havilland Canada would be instrumental in the development of the most famous of the Canadian bush aircraft, the De Havilland Beaver.

POSTCARD N.84 - FINLAND

Postcrossing postcard sent on the 20h June; received on the 30th June

Postcard image: sunset over Rimouski bay, Quèbec, Canada 

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Sunsets have the unique quality of singleness. There is never a sunset equal to any other, and most times they are one of mother nature's beautiful spectacles, with the added bonus of always coming with free admission,..

Of course, there are sunsets and there are sunsets... summer in the northern hemisphere,  is an awful season: the days are too long. too hot, too crowded, too expensive   and  most of the times framed by a too dull, cloudless, sky, that is not even blue but a "whither shade of pale". As such, one can hardly expect to be surprised by the always enrapturing vision of  a kaleidoscope of  reddish, purplish, yellowish, blankets of clouds reflecting on the calm waters of an inviting bay, 

And yet, that's what happened to me. Not that the current and forthcoming summer days (oh hell, there's no escaping it, and  there's always the promise of those nice cloudy autumnal skies in 3 months time....) are any different than those I generalised about above, but upon opening my letterbox, I was greeted by this nice view of a sunset over a bay, with the Postcrossing logo imprinted on.

Beautiful place, beautiful sunset! Thanks a lot Andrèa, ou bien, Merci bien Andrèa, ton coucher de soleil m'a illuminé la journée.

Postcrossers around the world organise Postcrossing meet ups, so that names can be put to faces, histories be shared and, most importantly, postcards can be collectively written and sent.

That is what happened on the last 18th June, in the coastal town of Rimouski, in the province of Quèbec, Canada, and I was one of the lucky few contemplated with a postcard  signed by the participants in the meeting, which Andrèa told me was the first Postcrossing meeting held  there since 2019, for the nasty reasons we all are familiar with.

On the back of the postcard I count 19 signatures, most of them in the form of  personal stamps (rubber stamp markings, I mean) , what to my eye indicates a quite dedicated postcrossing .community (me,  I'm the type who signs a card by scribbling nothing more than a personal hieroglyph (that's how bad my handwriting is...).

Anyway, I was very pleased to be a tributary of this meeting of postcrossers at a place that I would love to visit. 

Andrèa used a 2.71 CAD stamp issued on 13JAN2022 integrated in the year's "From Far and Wide"

emission,  a multi annual series that promotes Canada's natural scenic beauties. The set comprises 9 stamps (five P Tariff plus 1.07; 1.30;1.94 and 2.71 CAD denominations)  in minisheet form. The stamp on my card  is illustrated with a view of the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton Island.

The stamp is cancelled by a nice postmark that has the image of what I believe is the lighthouse on my card and the legend "Site Historique Maritime de la Pointe-au-père", a museum complex of all things sea located in Rimouski, at the mouth of the Saint Laurent,  but I could not find any information about in on the pictorial cancels page of the Canada Post website.

COVER N.97 - CANADA

Postmark: Canada Post Postes Canada Toronto, ON. Toronto's First Post Office 04-04-2022 
Posted on the 4th April; received on the 15th April 2022
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Jeff was one of the first kind persons who accepted to swap covers with me when I first started this blog, so I was elated to open my mailbox and find an unannounced cover again sent by him from Canada. 

And what a cover it was. From the layout of the stamps and labels to the colour of the envelope, everything was thought to create a sense of harmony with undeniable good taste. Thank you so much, Jeff!

Canada Post has, for quite a number of years now, maintained a tradition of issuing an annual stamp set  dedicated to flowers. 

This year the honour fell upon the world famous Calla lily, of which the white Calla Lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica) is the most common and generally known. The Zantedeschia genus comprises eight species (and several cultivars), and it originated in the South and Centre of Africa and is now globally disseminated (I'm thinking of my little garden...) and doing so well, that in some places it is considered a pest.

The Calla edition stamps were  issued on 01MAR2022, being offered on coils or booklets or in a lovely souvenir sheet containing the two P rate (Permanent Domestic) stamps.

This souvenir sheet would also be issued with the CAPEX 22 logo overprinted on it, 

with a view to promoting the International One Frame Stamp Championship Exhibition CAPEX 2022, that will take place in Toronto, from the 9th till the 12th June, this year, this being the sheet used on my cover.

Queen  Elizabeth II, celebrated her Platinum Jubilee on February, this year, what clearly illustrates the longevity of her reign. A quick consultation over Wikipedia and I'm informed that Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, "is the longest-lived and longest-reigning British monarch, the longest-serving female head of state in history, the oldest living and longest-reigning current monarch, and the oldest and longest-serving incumbent head of state".

It came as no surprise then that her Platinum Jubilee should be celebrated by the Commoweath Realms of which she is the Head of State with a stamp emission as it was the case for Canada.

The all silver P rated stamp featuring the well known Munchin profile used on UK definitive stamps was issued on 07FEB2022.

The distinctive postmark used on the stamps belongs to the oldest Post office in Toronto, which also houses a small postal museum if I recollect well from what Jeff once told me.

POSTCARD N.61 - USA

Postcrossing postcard sent on the 30th December; received on the 20th January
Postcard image: Pittsburgh - Hot air balloons launch from Pittsburgh's Point State Park during the Three Rivers Regatta, a boat racing competition and celebration held each summer.
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A New Yorker with good reasons to like Pittsburgh, it seems. Thanks a lot Hannah for the nice postcard.

Cities with rivers always make the case for good photo opportunities.... this I know, living right across Lisbon, on the other side of the Tagus River... cities with rivers means cities with bridges and these are always photogenic. The examples are many, but if doubts there were, this postcard of Pittsburgh would clearly erase them all.

Pittsburgh, in the state of Pennsylvania, sits on the confluence of three rivers: the Allegheny, on the left in the postcard image, the Monongahela, that on the right, and the result of both joining their waters: the Ohio, that flows on from the tip of the triangle on the left of the image.

With a population of about 306,000 Pittsburgh at one time was the biggest producer of steel in the world, but those days are gone now and the new technologies robotics and biotechnology in particular, have taken the lead of economic development of the city.

Stamps, left to right:

Three of the four "Forever" self adhesive stamps included in the set issued on 09APR2021, themed on Espresso Coffee Beverages. besides the Caffe Mocha,  Caffe Latte and  Espresso stamps on my card, there is also a stamp devoted to tthe Cappuccino.