iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Here's one for your archives. Canada's early airmail routes. I have a second one that shows the extensive routes to northern towns etc. I'll dig that out eventually

Map of Canada showing airmail routes across the country.

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

A coin was issued in 2023 featuring her as well as a stamp earlier in 2019

Elsie MacGill photo of her on a stamp, with hurricane sillouettes in the background and schematics on the lower right.

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

She was such a bad ass they created a comic book about her in 1942 - Queen of the Hurricanes. She was deeply respected by all the engineers who worked with her.

First page of the Elsie MacGill comic book. Starting with her as a young girl telling her parents she wants to be an electrical engineer

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Reading 1908 Aeronautics mag & came across article by A Graham Bell writing on the work he was doing with the AEA aviation company. Excellent details & photos. Here's a page. If you are interested the 3 page article as PDF, drop me a note & I'll shot it your way. #Aviation #flight #history

Screen capture from Aeronautics magazine photo shows early model of Bell's silver dart experiments.

THE WORK OF THE AERIAL EXPERIMENT ASSOCIATION.
As Recorded in Associated Press Dispatches; Written by Dr. Alexander Graham Bell
May 17

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Working on some new buttons and posters for the store. Have these coming so I can see how they look IRL. I've been working with 1910 ads from aviation magazines & am happy with how they look. I'll let you know when they arrive in a week or so. #Aviation #Flight #history

A small poster from 1910 advertising Bleriot Aeronautique. Monoplans Bleriot. An ad advertising the latest monoplanes

Small button showing 1910 Antoinette monoplane with the caption ANTOINETTE at the top and Grande Semaine D'Aviation de Reims (Reims Great Aviation Week)

Small poster of a 1910 aviation ad for Antoinette Aeroplanes - Motors
1910 Antoinette monoplane with the caption ANTOINETTE at the top and Grande Semaine D'Aviation de Reims (Reims Great Aviation Week) It lists, in French the winning competitions the airplane won including 569 kilometres World record for a monoplane.

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

So FarmBoy ... which is it? The tag was nestled underneath a potato on top layer. If you're going to maple wash, put some effort into it. #maplewashing #Canada

Green tag trading certified weevil free Arkansas sweet potatoes with a sale sign with a maple leaf

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Yup. New Mexico - for those in the back, yes, it is a US state.

US stamp for New Mexico showing a roadrunner - beep beep - pearched on a Yucca flower.

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Woo hoo! Have tickets to this double feature on Sunday. Atomic Anxiety Double Feature Sunday August 16 at the Paradise on Bloor. War of the Worlds and The Day the Earth Caught Fire. YES the original War of the worlds. WOO HOO! Can't wait. paradiseonbloor.com/programs/dou...

Two posters for Atomic Anxiety Double Feature Sunday August 16 at the Paradise on Bloor. War of the Worlds and The Day the Earth Caught Fire. YES the original War of the worlds. WOO HOO!

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Yup. Toronto this evening. From my building, looking south side. Not good

Evening photo of Toronto, with CN tower. Sky is hazy yellow because of the smoke.

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Looking for something fun to read? Try Stamp of the Day. Over 900 - yes 900 - articles to browse through. Some pretty long, some just a paragraph or two. Depends on how lazy I feel. ... pick a day. bittergrounds.com/this-day-in-... #stamps #writing #history #reading

A screen shot of the month of July's stamps - one subject for each day. SHows 18 stamps and links to explore what each is about.

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

I always loved the Canadian special air delivery. Designed by the great Herman Schwartz. We've gone from bikes to airplanes to deliver our mail!

4 stamps - Canada Special Deliver -Expres - one 16 c stamp and three 17c stamps showing 1940s prop airplanes

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Not a stamp, but a friend's family used to make these in the 30s. Think it would make a kickass stamp. 1939 Hungary. Now I have to find some stamps to rival that sweet special delivery.

SHB 98 Motorett moped from the 1930s. Bicycle adapted with an engine and gas tank adapted.

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

In an increasingly dangerous time, I hope for a rambunctious and safe PRIDE month for everyone I love. #Stamps #Canada #PRIDE

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Looking for something to read? A bit of history, stamps, literature... well a hodge podge of fun. bittergrounds.com <- hundreds of articles to read. #stamps #writing #history

Bitter Grounds stamps, espresso & conversation
http://bittergrounds.com

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Why #Logitech? Why do we need AI added to our bloody mice? For the love of our sanity stop wedging AI into every crevice in an attempt to make it relevant.

Screen shot from Logitech software upgrade showing Logi AI Prompt Builder that access ChatGPT while using the mouse.

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Guess what day it is? It's WORLD COCKTAIL DAY! Yes a day set aside for us to say screw the world, catch me on the balcony with a cocktail as I watch the world go by. And of course, there's a stamp for that! #Stamps #cocktails bittergrounds.com/cryptoreleas...

Cocktails in Paradise
Issued by Vanuatu in 2014
Designed by New Zealand artist Denise Durkin

4 cocktail glasses with relaxing beach scenes inside the glasses

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Canada Post has also produced some excellent stamps like this 2015 souvenir sheet

Wreckage & diagram of HMS Erebus on a souvenir sheet with a single stamp.

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Here's what I spend #donations on. Reference #books. My latest acquisition is a small volume abt Stephen Smith & his #rocketmail experiments in #India. From the Diary of Stephen Smith. Just arrived. Shout out to #independentbookstores who carry books like this. #stamps #philately

Inside page showing photo of a rocket taking off

Diagram by Smith showing rocket firings.

Front cover of book From the Diary of Stephen Smith.

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Stamp shelves are looking might happy. Might need to expand to the shelves beside my desk soon. #stamps

Bookshelves covering lower half of wall filled with stamp albums, reference books, shoe boxes full of covers and stamps and supplies

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Armin Shimerman as Principal Snyder ... does meet an nasty end.

Photo of Armin Shimerman in the role of Principal Snyder in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

From the same newsletter, 1929. A warning about faked cachets on some Canadian airmail covers. The article lists a number of other faked cachets. If you are interested I can post the rest. #airmail #Canada #stamps #history

Text from newspaper clipping
Readers are advised to be careful of
covers offered them bearing first flight
cachet of Rolling Portage-Red Lake or
Gold Pines, flown either way during
1927. The first flight was on May lOth,
1927, and we have seen two covers
which are postmarked June 1927, having
first flight cachet, which are obviously
fakes. Every first flight cover has the
dates of May lOth, 1927 either front
or back and are very easily indentified.

Covers are also being offered with first
flight cachet of Gold Pines, Red Lake,
Woman Lake or Jackson Manion, and
Narrow Lake dated January 25th, 1928

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

From Nov 20, 1929 Airpost Journal. BROOKINS FLIES 12 MILES WITH MAIL Time and Distance Records Broken in Flight from Kinlock Field. Bit of interesting #Airmail #history #stamps #philately #aviation

Article Reads:
BROOKINS FLIES 12
MILES WITH MAIL
Time and Distance Records
Broken in Flight from Kinlock Field.
FEAT IS SEEN BY 2 5,000
Trip Will Be Made To-Day Across Field-Aerial Post Box for Public

Oct. 5-Walter Brookins, flying in a Wright biplane, carried 6000 pieces of mail from Kinloch Field to Fairground Park yesterday afternoon. The distance, twelve miles, is the greatest mail has ever been carried in an aeroplane.

Brookins left Kinloch Field at 4:18 p.m. and alighted at Fairground park at 4:32:40 p.m., twenty seconds ahead of his schedule. The time was the best ever made by an aeroplane carrying mail and the flight was the first west of the Alleghany mountains on which mail was carried.

A crowd estimated at 25,000 cheered the av.iator as he landed at the park with the 'two sacks of mail. Aero Club officials rushed up to him, eager to congratulate him, shake his hand and hear what he had to say about the flight.

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

200 Yr. Anniversary of Janos Batsanyi. First thing I picked up. Now that's a cancel.

Hungarian stamp - diamond shape in red and pink. With spectacular 1963 cancel 200 Yr. Anniversary of Janos Batsanyi

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

They've arrived! Now I have to find shelf space for all the new stamp albums

A stack of 5 stamp albums sitting on a chair.

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

#Marianne 2022 poster from the 75th Autumn Philatelic Fair in Paris featuring Yseult Digan’s 2018 Marianne (with Elsa Catelin on engraving duties). I tried to get this, but couldn't find a seller. Still tops of my list #stamps #France #Poster

A black and white engraved poster featuring Yseult YZ's interpretation of the iconic French image Marianne. Engraved by Elsa Catelin.

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

And a tablet case too! What a great re-purposing of old mailbags.

Dutch post mail bag repurposed as an ipad case. tan canvas with veritcal red white blue stripes in the middle of hte case.

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Another notebook just made it onto my "i need this" list. Nederlands "postbag notebook is made from original PTT postbags". #nederlands #philately #merch shop.postnl.nl/webshop/cade...

Notebook with cover made of old Dutch mailbags

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Looking around various post offices & coveting some pretty cool merch. #Malaysia has one of the best notebooks around. I need to get this. #philately #merch shop.pos.com.my/peti-pos-not...

A notebook with a red cover that looks like a post box. Has a loop for a pen.

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

Page from Jan 1940 magazine: Flying Aces: Fiction, model building, facts. A comic detailing Canadian air ace Billy Bishop. #aviation #Canada #history #comic

6 panel comic abt Canadian Billy Bishop:
1. Born in Owen Sound, Ont., in 1894, William A. Bishop
entered the Royal Military College in 1912. In 1914 he enlisted
in the 4th Canadian Rifles, and in 1915, he transferred to the
Flying Corps and spent four months in France as an observer.
Injured when his pilot made a poor landing, Bishop returned to
England, then he took pilot training.
2. On March 31, 1917, Bishop was ordered to destroy a par-
ticular German observation balloon five miles behind the enemy
lines. While engaged in that duty he was attacked by an enemy
scout, which he forced down in short order. He then destroyed
the balloon with incendiary bullets. For this job “Billy” Bishop
received his first decoration—the Military Cross.
3 - Не attacked three balloons on April 24, just three weeks
later, sending two down in flames. Next day, Bishop received
his notice of having been awarded the Military Cross And on the 30th
“Billy” engaged in nine fights
4 - Bishop returned to France in May, after being on leave
in England, and on June 2 he carried out a long-cherished plan
of attacking a German airdrome. Passing over an enemy field,
he
saw
seven
machines
preparing to take-off. Bishop dived,
raked the drome with bullets. He destroyed two planes on the
ground and got another in the air.
5 - Air Marshal Bishop advocates wooden military airplanes
& definitely believes that they are superior to metal craft.
For years he has argued that spruce ships are easier to build,
need less expert repair, and have all the desirable qualities of
the metal jobs. & he is now active in putting over a new
R.C.A.F, wooden bomber.
6 - Canada is rightfully proud of her Air Marshal, who was
the fourth greatest Ace produced by the First World War, having
a record of 72 confirmed victories. And at the present Bishop is
still fighting—this time to rebuild the Royal Canadian Air Force
to help England stave off the threat of Germany’s formidable
sky horde.

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Working on Türkiye's 2026 stamps. I always think it'll take an hour, maybe 2, then I start writing and researching and ... well already over 1,600 words & I'm only up to Mar 12. Worth the wait. Here's a teaser: #Al-Jazari - Father of Cybernetics #stamps #Türkiye #elephants

Al-Jazari - Father of Cybernetics souvenir sheet. Stamp shows portrait of al-Jazari, On the sheet is a beautiful drawing of his mechanical elephant water clock. Elephant on the bottom supporting richly decorated waterworks

A cancel showing an elephant, with mechanical driver inside.

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Love this set from China released yesterday. The 3rd in their Seal Carving series. Beautifully designed by Yu Xue 于雪 and featuring 4 classic chinese seals. You can learn more over at bittergrounds.com/chinas-2026-... #China #Art #Seals #stamps

Jingshen Six-Sided Seal - Ding Jing - 敬身六面印·丁敬
This seal is currently in the Shanghai Museum Collection.
Seal Carver: Ding Jing (1695-1765) from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Made of stone.
Small square with carvings on each side

The River Flows with Sound, the Cliff a Thousand Feet High. - Deng Shiru - 江流有声断岸千尺·邓石如
Seal Carver: Deng Shiru

Rectancular seal with printing on one side.

Erjin Die Tang - Two Golden Butterflies Hall Zhao Zhiqian - 二金蝶堂·赵之谦
Seal Carver: Zhao Zhiqian

Beautiful red seal

Sixteen Golden Talisman Studio Huang Shiling - 十六金符斋·黄士陵。
Seal Carver: Huang Shiling

White rectangle with cravings on the bottom. Also shows the printed seal.

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Canada Post really missed a great opportunity here. They should have made these sugar shack stamps scratch and sniff.

Two stamps shaped like cans of sugar with traditional 1940s artwork of Quebec families making maple syrup and around a table eating.

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

At last ... despite a chilly day here in Toronto, there are signs of spring.

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

I'm going to get this newspaper properly framed and preserved. It's getting a bit fragile. But would look so great on my wall. June 16, 1919. Alcock and Brown's flight across the Atlantic #Aviation #vintageaviation #history #flight

Daily Mirror's front page featuring photos of ALcock and Brown, their flight route across the Atlantic and photos of the Vickers biplane they flew.

June 16, 1919. Alcock and Brown's flight across the Atlantic

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

HAHAH I got it! I've wanted this for my wall for months and I finally went and picked it up. It'll look great hanging with my aviation and horror movie stuff. #CaptainCanuck #Elbowsup #Canada

A mounted cover of an old Captain Canuck comic. Shows Captain Canuck pulling an American pilot out of a biplane, flying over snowy woods, with mountains in the background.

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

No "U" in sight but how about some very welcome signs of spring - Cherry Blossoms! From Canada Post this year.

Canada Post's 2026 Spring flowers - pink cherry blossoms prunus Kanzan

And the lovely white cherry blossoms Prunus Somei-yoshino

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

How about a #Renault engine for your airplane? Another ad from the same L'Aerophile May 1912 newspaper. It's a good read. I have about 3 decades archived on my computer and slowly working my way through them. #Aviation #Ads #history

Another ad from the same L'Aerophile May 1912 newspaper. Ad for Renault engines Showing a mono plane and biplane and a Renault engine.
Text reads:

'Aerophile of May 1, 1913
AVIATION ENGINES
RENAULT

LOUIS RENAULT, MANUFACTURER
BILLANCOURT (Seine)

World Record for Duration
11 hours 2 minutes

World Record for Distance Non-Stop, for Biplane
720 kilometers

World Record for Altitude with Passenger, for Biplane
2460 meters

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Catpaw 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇬🇪 ** A nasty Canadian! @bittergrounds.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Here's the second ad from L'Aerophile May 1912 for Louis Breguet A#viation Workshops : "SUPPLIER TO THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT and the English, Russian, Italian, Swedish and Balandal Governments" Advertising Flexible, adjustable and folding wings. #History #Breguet #pioneeraviation

L'Aerophile May 1912 for Louis Breguet A#viation Workshops : "SUPPLIER TO THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT and the English, Russian, Italian, Swedish and Balandal Governments"

Advertising Flexible, adjustable and folding wings. Shows a biplane in flight in small photo middle of the page.

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