Sunday Stamps: Flags or ensigns

At the moment the European soccer competition (UEFA) takes place. The Netherlands doesn't participate this time, but I like to share the following soccer stamp sheet today, issued by Dutch PostNL two years ago in honour of the World Championship.
Why today? Well, this Sunday Stamps' theme is 'Flags or ensigns', and you can see the flags of the participating countries - be it in the shape of the ball.



I found some other flag stamps:

An Italian stamp, showing the flags of Italy and San Marino:



The Scottish flag:



The red and white squared flag top left is the flag of the (Dutch) province Brabant, and I think the ensign belongs to the specific group the boy and man belong to:



See more 'Flags and Ensigns' stamps at Sunday Stamps.

Sunday Stamps: Weather

This Sunday Stamps' theme is 'Weather'.

Canada Post has issued a stamp serie about weather.
I was so lucky to have received this beautiful rainbow:



From Scotland I received this stamp showing Loch Ness, but the blue sky and clouds of course also are related to 'weather':



Dutch Post has issued a few stamps on weather.
Two of these have been issued for the 150th anniversary of the KNMI, the Dutch national weather service. Alas I don't have them myself, but you can see the pictures here and there, a rainy and a sunny version (a funny thing is that on the latter the 6th stamp misses the word 'Nederland').

In 1990 Dutch Post issued three weather related stamps: one on the scientifc registration of weather, one on 'a warm summer day', and this one, about cloud formations and isobars:



Besides the KNMI there's an other 'weather predictor': the barometer. I happen to have a real one, inherited from my dear late grandmother, and it almost always shows the correct weather! Dutch post issued this stamp, showing a part of a barometer:



See more weather related stamps ont today's Sunday Stamps and via the links under that blog post.

In: from Scotland

An interesting story! And I didn't know, or at least didn't realize, that Dutch people crossed the North Sea and even traveled far north to Scotland in the Middle Ages, 500 years ago!

So I learned, thanks to John, who was very close to this octagonal house recently, and who sent me some more very interesting postcards from Scotland.



I didn't know before either that the Scottish have issued their own national (international) stamps. This one shows Loch Ness, and thanks to John I also learned there are more stamps showing the Saltire.

In: from the United Kingdom

De Ardnamurchan vuurtoren op de 'Ardnamurchan Point'. Verstuurd vanuit Schotland door John, die op de achterkant prachtige, toepasselijke postzegels plakte.

The Ardnamurchan lighthouse on the Ardnamurchan Point. Sent from Scotland by John, who had this postcard accompanied by beautiful lighthouse stamps on the back.

Thank you very much, John!

In: from Scotland

Ik hou van kaarten met treinen, en John uit Engeland was zo vriendelijk om me met deze Schotse trein te verblijden.
Het viaduct komt ook voor in de Harry Potter films, aldus John, en de oude stoomtrein heeft dan ook de nieuwe naam 'Hogwarts Express" gekregen.

I love trains on postcards, and John was so kind to do me a favour with this postcard. He writes that this viaduct is from the Harry Potter film, and the old steam train has been renamed The Hogwarts Express.



Op de postzegel de NCC Class WT van de LMS (London, Midland and Scottish Railway).

On the stamp the NCC Class WT of the LMS (London, Midland and Scottish Railway).

Thank you very much, John!