Scotland’s Mythical Unicorn on Postage Stamps
The enchanting story of Scotland’s mythical unicorn featured on postage stamps, from its royal symbolism to stunning philatelic designs celebrating Celtic heritage.
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The Porridge Connection: Stamp Collecting and Culinary Arts
On a particularly inspiring day, triggered by an amusing yet enlightening email received from Iain, our dear Scottish friend and contributor to the Letters of Scotland, I found myself diving into the niche world of topical stamp collecting, specifically under the theme of Food and Beverage. Iain’s heartfelt correction of a porridge recipe mistake led me down this path, showcasing … Continue reading →
World’s Oldest Post Office has a New Lease on Life
Hello everyone! I have exciting news to share: The continued operation of the world’s most ancient functioning post office in southern Scotland is ensured, thanks to the acquisition by new proprietors.🎉 Scotland has long been home to tales of the old and the new, of history merging with the contemporary, and of traditions that refuse to die. One such tale … Continue reading →
Nessie in Art : Fascinating History of Loch Ness Monster
Nessie in Art | The Loch Ness monster, or Nessie for short, is a cryptid (an animal such as Sasquatch that has been claimed to exist but never proven to exist) that is said to live in the murky depths of the Loch Ness Lake. This mysterious, aquatic being has been the subject of many stories, sightings, and theories over … Continue reading →
Scotland and Scottish on Canadian Postage Stamps
Creating a virtual museum featuring postage stamps related to Scotland could be a fascinating and informative resource for stamp collectors and anyone interested in Scottish culture and history, so I purchased a few years ago the domain ScotlandOnStamps.com To make the website even more engaging, I thought I could include interactive features such as quizzes, exhibits and offer resources for … Continue reading →
Postcards that set sail from St Kilda took ten years to reach destination
Bonjour Mairiuna et Jean-Claude, Iain and Margaret and loyal readers! 🙂 I’m very happy to contribute this article written from my home-based town of St- Jérôme in the province of Québec, Canada just before rusty oranges, golden yellows, and ruby reds of autumn transform the landscapes. Upon reading and learning through Mairiuna’s most recent post A Virtual Journey to the … Continue reading →
Stamp Collecting with George Mackay Brown
Hi and welcome back ! While chatting with my dear friend Mairiuna about stamp collecting, a topic we love to share upon as we are both fans of those miniature work of art, she mentioned George Mackay Brown’s interest in collecting stamps. By all means! Having travelled through many of his books I was surprised that I never got hinted … Continue reading →
Happy Spooky Halloween
Happy Spooky Halloween Dear Friends! I know its an old-fashioned holiday that actually dates back many centuries, but nice to recall that Halloween actually originates from Scotland. Back then it was called Samhain, a Gaelic and Pagan commemoration of the end of the harvest season. The celebration is mentioned in Celtic literature over two thousand years ago. During Samhain, the … Continue reading →
GB Historic Scotland Archeology Postage Stamp Design Error
Hello dear friends! I was tidying up some philatelic files and came across this beautiful booklet of ten (10) postage stamps depicting Scottish archeological sites, issued by Great Britain, for exclusive sale by Historic Scotland. I don’t remember at which property I bought same as there are over 300 properties in the care of Historic Scotland and I have visited … Continue reading →
John Maclean Scottish Socialist featured on Russian Postage Stamp
In my ongoing quest of postage stamps relating to Scotland, I stumbled upon this enigmatic russian stamp issued in 1979 to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of John Maclean, a Scottish schoolteacher and revolutionary socialist of the Red Clydeside era. I googled his name and discovered that he was born in Pollokshaws, on the southern outskirts of Glasgow, from parents … Continue reading →
Surprising Scottish Inventions
Would you be surprised if I told you that the lawn mower was a Scotttish invention? I was! Even though I knew that Scottish ingenuity is source of numerous inventions. Lawns were first kept clean and tidy by having animals graze on the grass, or by the use of scythe, sickle, or shears to hand-cut the grass lawns. But that … Continue reading →
Scottish Fictional Characters
There are many books devoted to the subject of Scottish invention and discovery, as well as scores of websites listing Scottish inventions and discoveries with varying degrees of science, but one category caught my attention: the invention of fictional characters. As per Wikipedia, more than forty (40) fictional characters were invented by Scots. Here are just a few of them: … Continue reading →
Illegibility of Glasgow postmark saves Madeleine Smith from the gallows
For those of you who appreciated the articles I’ve posted on the blog relating to philately, I have yet another one to share. 🙂 Mind you, I am not a fan of murder cases, as MairiUna would witness, but in this particular event, postal history is involved, so it strikes my fancy ! I cannot resist getting into the story … Continue reading →
Glenfinnan Viaduct and Harry Potter Postage Stamps
Hi Mairiuna! The Prince’s journey up to Glenfinnan being the subject of one of your recent articles, I thought it would be a great idea to continue our “blog conversation” on the topic of the Glenfinnan viaduct which greatfully enhances the scottish landscape. It is situated just on the other side of the road, facing the monument. You have visited … Continue reading →
Glenfinnan Scotland Commemorative Postage Stamps
Hi Mairiuna! Upon reading your great article about the magnificient Prestonpans Tapestry: the Prince’s journey up to Glenfinnan… I wondered if postage stamps were issued to commemorate this milestone in Scottish history? I surfed the web and .. by golly … found one! 🙂 It was issued in 1981 by the Royal Mail to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of … Continue reading →