Friday, January 04, 2008

Vexillophile

A vexillophile is someone who loves flags. That's me! I love to see them flying, their colors rippling in the breeze. I collect them also. Back in El Cerrito, California, we had a flagpole and ran all sorts of them up. Here I have the flags but no pole.

My collection includes 29 countries plus the United Nations, Earth flag, Episcopal Church, California, New Mexico, Texas, and British Columbia, along with the rainbow flag and the Italian peace flag. Some of the countries were acquired because they were available, some I have because I have some link with people from that nation or have visited there. I acquired South Africa because I was so excited to see it emerge as a renewed nation, Cambodia because I have Cambodian friends, Armenia because I grew up with Armenian friends. Antigua, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Bart's are all because of a cruise we took one January. And on it goes.

Now there is a cyber-collection. I finally got one of those counters that shows how many visits one has from each country and, as of this moment, there are ten countries represented. A few were surprises as one may surmise.

We know Padre Mickey checks in from Panamá and I am assuming that Maddy and chums visit from the UK. Massing Priest gives us hits from Canada along with those who might link from him. I strongly suspect that prince blogging has brought us visitors from Spain and Sweden and, because the Crown Prince of Laos visited in Thailand that may have brought a visit from Thailand. It is a pleasure to have visitors also from Germany, Slovakia, and Romania--the latter two being delightful surprises.

To one and all I wish a hearty "Welcome!" Please visit again!


I look forward to adding flags to this new collection. After all, I proclaim myself a citizen of the world.
--the BB

2 comments:

Malcolm+ said...

As a vexillophile, you may be interested to know that the current Canadian flag resulted in the creation of a new heraldic term.

The Canadian flag, of course, has a white piece in the middle with red on either side. Heraldically, the flag is red with the white section "in pale." But normally, "in pale" would mean a band one third the length of the flag. In the Canadian flag, the white piece is half the width of the flag - now described heraldically as "in Canadian pale."

Paul said...

Malcolm+, thank you for that informative tidbit. I knew the dimensions were different when I bought my Canadian flag in Vancouver, BC, years ago. They asked what size I wanted and I said "3x5" to which the lady responded that Canadian flags are "3x6". You have just explained delightfully how the unusual artistic dimensions have altered heraldic terminology.

And I am interested in heraldry. It plays a role in my fiction which is set in a world corresponding to our medieval era.

Thanks also for being a Canadian connection in my life in blogtopia (™ skippy the bush kangaroo).