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 Australia

Usually I keep the digital versions of my received postcrossing postcards on the postcrossing site only. This time there's a postcard which matches with Eva's postcard, posted yesterday , showing a lighthouse and a postmark on the front side.
It is the very first lighthouse card I received from Australia. Which shows not only a lighthouse and a postmark in front, but also the postage stamp!



The card and stamp show the Casuarina Point lighthouse.

Australia Post has issued many so-called maximum cards, of which I am happy to have received this one.

In: from the United Kingdom

Prachtige maximumkaart van een brievenbus, een Edward VII Ludlow Box om precies te zijn, uitgegeven op 18 augustus 2009 door de Royal Mail.

Beautiful maximum card of a postbox, an Edward VII Ludlow Box, issued on 18 August 2009 by the Royal Mail.



Op de achterkant ook een brievenbus, een George V type B wall box. Plus een prachtige tekening van een vlinder (ik hou van tekeningen!), gemaakt door de afzender zelf, thank you very much, John!

On the back side an other post box, the George V Type B Wall-Box. Plus an awesome drawing of a butterfly (I love drawings!), made by the sender himself.
Thank you very, very much, John!

Out: to France

In Nederland zie ik maar zelden maximumkaarten.
Toch lukt het soms om een bij een kaart passende postzegel te vinden. De luchthaven Schiphol van buiten en, op de postzegel, van binnen. De postzegel plakte ik toch maar op de achterkant van de kaart. Of de post voor het derde element kan zorgen, de juiste poststempel, tja...

In the Netherlands I haven't seen maximum cards that often. However sometimes you can succeed finding an apt stamp to a postcard. Which in this case I put on the back side, and of course I doubt if the post would add the third element - an apt cancelling stamp.
The card shows Schiphol Airport (Amsterdam Airport) from the outside, the stamp offers an inside view of this airport.

Out: to Belarus

'Een grizzlybeer (Ursus arctos horribilis) doet een dutje' in het Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, gefotografeerd door Carol Block voor National Geographic My Shot / Stock.
Verzonden naar een berenliefhebster in Wit-Rusland die mij verraste met onderstaande bijzondere (eerste dag-stempel!) ansichtkaart.

'A grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) takes a nap' in the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Pictured by Carol Bock for National Geographic My Shot / Stock.
Sent to a bear-fan in Belarus who has surprised me with this special (first day stamp!) postcard: