But seriously, how have I missed this thread? I loooooove stationery. I still have, sitting in a pot on my desk, the very first "Platignum School Pen" I ever owned. I've lost count of the number of nibs I wore out, or changed on a whim when I decided as a teen that my drunken-spider writing might be improved by using a broad chisel-tip italic nib. That got me into trying calligraphy to improve my penmanship (I had had essays returned as illegible at school ) which in turn got me into learning a little bit about different types of paper and ink, and acquiring too much of all of them!

I never got very good at the calligraphy thing (I suspect, fundamentally, that I was too lazy to practice enough to overcome the inherent crappiness of my handwriting) but there was still something deeply satisfying, in an adolescent sort of a way, about making a batch of paper, preparing it for inking, making the ink, and copying out, in almost-elegant italic script, some enormously pretentious piece of French poetry as a gift to my then-girlfriend. [Turned out in the end she was a complete fruitloop, but I was quite smitten at the time ]

I got into calligraphy during high school (can't remember how). Did a poster-sized script of Desiderata (?), and then when the first Macs came along (many years later) they shipped with huge, 500+ page booklets of all the fonts available, many serif. Joy of joys.

I always looked at those ads in the paper showing the nice quality writing paper, attractive handwriting and classy looking pen as if the pen and paper were all I needed to write like that.

I had to make do with the quality writing paper.

I now have one of these fixed up to put my empty report covers and notebook.



There's a really nice pen at Staples. I love the look and feel.

But I'm not paying $60 for it unless it can make me write classy.

This is available for less than $300 in the next 20 minutes.

I wouldn't pay $3 for it.
(unless someone was to buy it from me )

3 months ago bought 2 Cross pens like those shown, on Ebay. One is copper (a relatively-new model) for red ink, the other stainless steel for black. I got them for about 20 -25 quid each, brand new. They sit on my desk in an antique Italian marble double-pen stand with a roll calendar in the middle, which I also bought on ebay for £3.50. Makes me happy, anyway.

Canadians seem to be able to manage without treasury tags. I couldn't so had to order some from Viking, and some Red n Black notebooks. Why don't Staples stock Pilot V5 pens in their stores anymore?

How many English school students write properly today just because they had to learn with a fountain pen? If you didn't hold the pen properly, it just wouldn't write. Who bought and used blotting paper?

How many students knew exactly who was the left handed kid because the lower part of their palm was always black or blue with smudged ink?

I teach in schools now and I'm appalled at the lack of penmanship .... not just neat writing but, kids who write with a closed fist, kids who write with just a thumb and index finger etc. Kids who can only write in capitals because the way they hold the pen doesn't let them flow into what we called joined up writing.

I was the ink blot leftie!!!

I was passing through Vancouver yesterday and...drum roll please...Paperchase has just opened up inside Top Shop. Much excitement! A couple of managers from Britain have set it up (it only opened this week) and they've also just opened a store in Toronto. I think they said Calgary might be getting one too.

Another favourite stationery shop of mine is The Regional Assembly of Text here in Victoria. I think there's one in Vancouver somewhere too.

Which Top Shop, where?????? Not that I am desperate!!

In the basement of the Bay downtown.

Missed that yesterday!!!

Chapters/Indigo is having a little sale and today I spied some very pretty notebooks including special edition Hello Kitty Moleskines

Bought some very cheap yet nicely covered spiral bound A4 notebooks in the UK ...... and coincidentally read an article today that amongst other things says that spiral notebooks kill left handers. My son is left handed.