27 April 2017

#AtoZChallenge | W is for Windmills


Postcard sent by Heleen, showing De Zaanse Schans (The Netherlands). Most people associate windmills with the Netherlands, but of course you can find them anywhere in the world. I have gathered a small collection of windmills on postcards and stamps, and I still don't know why I love them so much.

A bonus stamps, from the Postcrossing series. Do you know Postcrossing? (If not, I need to warn you: it is highly addictive!)





47 comments:

  1. Windmills always captured my fancies when I was a little girl. I always felt that there is something inviting in them, as if they have lots and lots of stories to share while their blades went round and round gently with the winds!
    Now a days I could see many windmills coming up in the hilly areas to harvest the natural resources. But these modern ones lack the charm of the older ones!
    ------------------------------------------------
    Anagha From Team MocktailMommies
    Collage Of Life

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    1. But even in the modern ones, I find some of the ancient charm. At least, I prefer wind to petrol!

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  2. Like your choice of word and postcard Eva.
    Postcrossing looks fun. Problem is, where we live, mail is delivered to p.o. boxes and not to individual home adrresses. This slows the process down considerably. Letters can take up to 3 months to deliver.
    W is for Warp and Weft

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    1. That's a pity. I also stopped postcrossing for a while. In Morocco, the post works well. Especially if you hava a PO box, like me, and especially with Europe, the USA and Canada. But too much naked postcards to distant countries got lost.
      Three months seems too much.

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  3. Windmills are romantic, the old ones, De Zaanse Schans is such a pretty place.

    The new windmills look good too, sleek and futuristic. There's a large windfarm in Egypt and the blades turning look like birds taking flight from far away.

    Nilanjana
    Madly-in-Verse

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    1. Windfarms are also quite popular in Morocco and Spain. I quite like the structures (but sometimes they are dangerous for birds!).

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  4. There was an old, dilapidated windmill in my hometown that someone finally bought and is now restoring to live in. He's a builder and will keep the structure intact. I always look for the changes whenever I go home.

    Josefine from
    Getting to the end

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    1. That's great, isn't that? Recycling beautiful structures.

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  5. Windmills bring to mind an idyllic lifestyle, large farms, farm animals and lakes. I haven't seen any old world windmill, no idea why these things come to my mind

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    1. On pictures and films, on postcards... :)

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  6. I too love windmills and watermills). I wonder if I have sent you our local windmill - I must check.

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    1. I don't remember any windmill from your place (neither it is in the album - I checked because I don't rely on my memory!).

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    2. How coincidental, I received a windmill from John yesterday!

      Thank you, Eva, for posting, and thank you John, for your windmill!

      By the way, I love both old and modern windmills, and I agree with which you wrote above, Eva, they are far better than unsustainable energy sources :-)

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  7. I love the sight of windmills. A postcard featuring one would be a nice keepsake.

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    1. I found this one particularly beautiful, and I was very happy to receive it!

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  8. The windmill in my boyhood village home stood derelict without any sails. I couldn't even find a stamp for the theme on last weeks Sunday Stamps.

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    1. If you follow the link on the post, you will see some stamps with windmills that I have got.

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  9. Beautiful!

    http://slimexpectations.com/2017/04/letter-w/

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  10. I did postcrossing for awhile but eventually stopped. I exchange cards with family members and participate in the August Postcard Poetry fest where we write a poem a day on a postcard and send them out to our list. I don't believe I have seen a windmill.
    Finding Eliza

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    1. That exchange of poetry on postcards sounds great!

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  11. I wonder what it is about old windmills that people find them so attractive (I do as well). And fascinating that they have become a power source again.

    Phillip | W is for White Shapes W is also for What do you see?

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    1. I don't know either. Maybe that is because they belong to the landscape in such a quiet and constant way... something quite romantic! (When you approach, their noise is awful!).

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  12. Fun post. I love windmills as well, and am lucky to have a friend in the Netherlands who frequently sends me postcards of local ones. I'm fascinated by the latest technology that is putting windmills in the ocean to harness that power as well.

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    1. Technically those are not windmills... but they are fascinating, I agree!

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  13. For some reason I always remember Mr.Bean when I think about windmills!

    Shubhangi @ The Little Princess

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  14. I spent a summer in the Netherlands when I was a kid, and the windmills were my favorites.

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    1. And you like to colour them, too. I remember your sunset behind the windmill :)

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  15. Older windmills look more interesting, the modern ones sometimes are too jagged. We had windmills put on the island and people complained about the view, and sometimes they don't run them when there is plenty of wind, so seems a waste. https:// Maui Jungalow

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  16. I find the old style windmills attractive. I have seen one that I remember in person. The rest I have only seen in books. Here we have wind farms with rotating blades on high poles. I find a different intrigue with them. The new ones do not capture the imagination quite the same way.

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    1. That's true. However, I have a friend in Taiwan who likes to photograph them, and her pictures are quite inspiring. You can see here some pictures (turned into postcards). What do you think?

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  17. When I was in fifth grade I did a report on the Netherlands because I was fascinated with the windmills!
    Unfortunately, the new wind power generators (not windmills) they are putting up now are bird killers and eyesores.

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    1. They are not perfect (the windmills weren't, either), but still they are cleaner.

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  18. The postcard and the stamp are lovely.
    I've never heard of Postcrossing before, and thanks to the link, I now know what it means. It would be exciting.

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    1. It is. I encourage you to give it a try!

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  19. I have been looking through your posts-love the Red Riding Hood one:) Windmills always seem from a bygone era even though we have "new and improved" ones now. The other country that I think about windmills is Spain

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    1. Me too, I associate windmills with Don Quixotte. I'm glad you like the postcards :)

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  20. The windmill postcard and stamp are really cool. I had an 8 hour layover in Holland but it was winter so didn't get to see the beautiful sites. I'd like to go back.

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    1. I've never been there, but I wish to so much!

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  21. Windmills seem to be creatures born from stone and earth, with arms that twirl in a way we might find menacing. Don Quixote tilting at windmills is the perfect example. I can understand why you like them so well.

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    1. :)
      Don Quixotte is s beloved book of mine.

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  22. I should associate windmills with the Netherlands, but I tend to associate them with Don Quixote. Oh well.

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  23. I love windmills too! And the new wind turbines for energy generation :) they're so delicate looking. There's a housing community near here which has a windmill as it's logo, but whoever designed it drew 3 "fins" normally, but the 4th one would be hidden by the windmill body, so they just drew it at an angle like it's been broken lmao! It makes me laugh every time I see it.

    I hadn't heard of postcrossing but I shall be signing up! Thanks. :D

    Here's my "W" post :) http://nataliewestgate.com/2017/04/wetwork-secret-diary-of-a-serial-killer

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    1. I'm sure you will enjoy Postcrossing. I feel honoured that I inspired you to send more postcards! :D

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Thank you for coming. All your comments make me extremely happy.