A Ship, A Horse, A Flag and A Plane

Good weekend to you. It's actually a long weekend here in Alberta. Monday is Family Day . The third Monday in February has been celebrated as Family Day here, since 1990. It's not a Canadian national holiday, so mail delivery on Monday, I'm not really sure, I can only hope.
The words in the title today don't really have much in common with each other , except they are what's on today's postcards.

A Ship - let's have a look at this card from Finland. It the Suomen Joutsen, a three-mast, steel hull ship. Built in St. Nazaire, France in 1902 she plied the waters between the Atlantic and the Pacific. In 1930 she was bought by the Finnish Government , serving as a Finnish Navy training ship. Then from 1956-1991 she served as a stationary Seaman's School. In 1991 the Suomen Joutsen was again purchased by the City of Turku as a museum. FYI, although nothing to do with this ship, Turku is the hometown of Miikka Kiprusoff , the great goaltender for the Calgary Flames off the National Hockey League. Here's the stamp. It 1 of 4 issued January 23, 2012 to celebrate Helsinki, the 2012 World Design Capital.

A Horse- this card comes from China. It gives us a look at The Running Horse. That's all I got on this one. It would be really good if there was a little more information on the card. I have more on the stamp than the postcard. The stamp is from 1998 , 1 of 4 in a set featuring Dai architecture. The architecture of the Dai region is distinctive, known especially for the Dai-style temples, bamboo bridges and houses. The temples combine the styles of South Asian and Chinese culture and can be shaped like pavilions, thrones, bells, and so on. Bamboo houses are designed based on local conditions. Made entirely of bamboo, the houses have two floors - downstairs for livestock and upstairs for people - a clean, light and well - ventilated design.

A Flag- The National Flag of Finland. It dates from the beginning of the 20th century. The flag features a white background with a blue Nordic cross. Like most flags there are some dos and don'ts. There are also common rules on how to treat the flag respectfully. The flag must not be dirty or damaged. The flag must never touch the ground. When the flag is washed, it must be dried indoors. A worn-out flag must be disposed of by burning (though not with the intent to disgrace it), or alternatively by cutting it to pieces small enough not to be recognizable as parts of the flag. The flag must not be buried in the ground or the sea (including not throwing it into the garbage). Paivi , a Finnish Postcrosser sent this card and wrote quite eloquently and proudly about her flag. She used a 2008 flower definitive which is readable in Braille.

The Plane- The card is from Taiwan , so I would think the plane is a drawing of a Taiwan fighter jet. Again the card tells me nothing about what is on the front. So there. The stamp is from 2011, 1 of 5 in a set featuring railways.

There you have it, the latest. Another update in the books. Enjoy the weekend, even if it's not a long one in your area. Take care.