Sunday Stamps: 'V' is for voetstap, vogelbekdier and verkeersveiligheid

This Sunday the theme of Sunday Stamps is the letter 'V'.

Inspired by Eva's blog post of one week ago, showing a stamp on which voetstappen in the snow were pictured, I wanted to show you one other stamp showing a voetstap.
However, I couldn't find it in time. But luckily suddenly a voetstap stamp has arrived in my mailbox last week! On the back of a postcard which I showed you last week already.

These are voetstappen, also known as footsteps, in the Spanish sand:




A theme of which I can show you plenty of stamps, is 'vogels', 'birds'. Because I couldn't choose from all pretty bird stamps which I have received and which I bought to send out, I decided to show a stamp of a mammal, whose name in Dutch starts with 'vogel', too: the vogelbekdier. Vogel means bird, and bek means beak, dier is animal, so it is a 'bird-beak-animal'.
As many of you know, the vogelbekdier, or platypus, is one of my favourite animals, and I've showed you an other Australian platypus stamp before. This time I like to share this maximumcard, which I am very happy to have in my collection:




Finally a word, related to an important issue: safety first! 'Safety' in English means 'veiligheid' in Dutch. And 'verkeersveiligheid' means 'safety in traffic' (verkeer). Many fatal accidents have been prevented since the veiligheidgordels = safety belts have been introduced, and some more fatal accidents are missing since the use of veiligheidstoelen, special safety car seat for kids, is obliged.
Russian Post has issued this colourful stamp on this theme:




It is safe and in a way obliged, to check today's Sunday Stamps to see what words other mail lovers have chosen for the letter 'v'!

In: from the United Kingdom

Beautiful illustration of a dragonfly, issues as a postage stamp and a maxicard, sent by John.
On the back more insects: a fly, on a stamp issued for the 150th anniversary (in 1989) of the Royal Microscopical Society, and my favourite butterfly, the Atalanta.



And this interesting stamp, or even intriguing as long as I don't know the meaning. I see a lady, a deer, the lady rowing a boat, horses, a building, trees... Please let me know if you know what this stamp is about!



The same day this postcard arrived. I had to look several times, wondering if is it a photo or a painting. It is a painting! Created by Robert K. Calvert, who has painted more trams in that era.



On the back two great matching - metro - stamps.



Thank you very much, John!

Out: to Sri Lanka

I was happy to find these maxicards on the internet. The stamps have been issued in 1989 for the 150th anniversary of the Dutch Railways.



The card below shows a mail train!
I haven't seen trains like this anymore for the last decades. Probably mail is carried in common cargo trains without logo, or by road in vans. I think the latter, as I see many mail vans on the highway.



On all back sides there is a prominent 'R' printed at the place where the stamp has to be sticked.
It is clear to whom I have to send these cards!

In: from Hong Kong

I am very pleased to have received this beautiful maximumcard from Natalie from Hong Kong.

Besides sharing this card and stamp with you 'regularly', there are two more reasons to post this card today:
- Tomorrow the New Year will start, according to the Chinese calendar, and it will be the Year of the Monkey!
- And today's Sunday Stamps theme is 'illustrations', to which I would like to add these two illustrations of a monkey!

Check for more illustrations the Sunday Stamps blog and the links under the post.
And for all mail friends (and all others) who celebrate the Chinese New Year: happy New Year!

Thank you very much, Natalie!

In: from the United Kingdom

In juni 2014 arriveerden een vuurtoren en tram op dezelfde dag, dankzij John, vanuit Engeland, en een klein jaar later was dit weer het geval!
Boven zie je de vuurtoren van Bell Rock oftewel Inchcape, en hieronder de Llandudno & Colwyn Bay electrische tram.

In June 2014 a lighthouse and tram arrived on the same day, thanks to John, from the United Kingdom. Almost a year later the same happened!
Above you can see the Bell Rock aka Inchcape lighthouse. amd below the Llandudno & Colwyn Bay electric tram.



Deze keer kwam er nog een derde ansichtkaart bij, met een wat vreemd onderwerp: een stoel waarmee mensen in het water gedoopt werden?

This time a third postcard arrived, showing a peculiar subject: a chair by which people were dipped into the water!??



En alle drie weer met mooie postzegels met enkele van mijn favoriete onderwerpen: een treinstation, postvervoer, bruggen en taal (gebarentaal in dit geval).

The three of them showing nice stamps on the backside, among them some of my favourite subjects: train station, mail transport, bridges and language (sign language this time).
Thank you very much, John!







En niet te vergeten airmail/priority stickers.

And not to forget: air mail / priority stickers.