By which I mean MY house, because any house I’m in is the Opera House. And you know, lockdown, so that we don’t all die. So far so good on that front, but if I develop a fever mid review I’ll let you know. I’m not going to talk about that in any great depth … Continue reading Diamine Inkvent: The View From the Opera House
Tag: Fountain pens
An awkward British-German collaboration
If you’re here for the music, read on. If you’re here for the ink, I promise it shows up eventually. Keep scrolling down and you’ll find a header. Straight up: this isn't about Brexit, which, although awkward, can hardly be considered a collaboration between, well... anybody and anybody else. Squillions of words have been written … Continue reading An awkward British-German collaboration
Design, Frustration and Regret. (I’m fun!)
Sometimes we pen nerds get called luddites. This is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of what the pen nerd mentality is all about.* It isn’t a need for things to be old for the sake of being old. There’s just something very beautiful about the design and functionality of fountain pens. They can inspire joy … Continue reading Design, Frustration and Regret. (I’m fun!)
Pens are not responsible for the people who hold them
NB: I still have no idea why WordPress formatting still wants to be such a total shitshow. If you know, do tell me, but I remain powerless to fix it. I repurpose this post title from a man who once told me: "Ideas are not responsible for the people who hold them." The fact that … Continue reading Pens are not responsible for the people who hold them
We’ve got love power
Hello! It's been 50,000 years which is not because I'm dead or have lost all my fingers. I've been working really hard on my novel and it's taken up every spare moment I have. It's a 130k beast and it's not even finished yet so I'm trying to write and cut, write and cut. I … Continue reading We’ve got love power
A gift for a man I shouldn’t know
Cw: mental health shiz. This is going to be depressing. Comes with the subject matter I'm afraid. The How I Met My Psychiatrist genre of anecdotes isn't the most chirpy of all dinner party stories. I am what I might call an intermittently crazy person. You, on the other hand, should not call me this. … Continue reading A gift for a man I shouldn’t know
No imagination, no concept of sarcasm and no sense of humour
I should explain that title shouldn't I. Back a decade ago when I was first diagnosed with ASD, (well actually with Asperger's, which was a thing then but isn't anymore) I spent some time on an ASD message board* trying to figure out what any of it meant. There was a thread about shitty things … Continue reading No imagination, no concept of sarcasm and no sense of humour
Looking at our mailbag I see that it’s overflowing with this blog post from a Mrs Trellis of North Wales. She writes:
Dear Gardeners' Question Time, I'm holed up at Gladstone's Library, which is a residential library in the tiny little village of Hawarden, North Wales. I'm here to work on my novel and relax a bit and OMG THIS PLACE IS BRILLIANT. I HAVEN'T SPOKEN TO ANYONE USING MY FACE FOR TWO DAYS, EXCEPT TO ORDER … Continue reading Looking at our mailbag I see that it’s overflowing with this blog post from a Mrs Trellis of North Wales. She writes:
We need to talk about China: teeny tiny pens part 2
If you ever want to start a claws out, no holds barred pond war, I have the best topic for you. It's not what you might expect: not universal healthcare, gun control or freedom of speech. Those are divisive, but they're divisive within the US as well. Go to an international group of cat people and … Continue reading We need to talk about China: teeny tiny pens part 2
Does it make your heart sing? Teeny tiny pens part 1
I recently had a conversation with a work colleague about the particular kinds of music we create. I talked about some of the incredible concerts I've been in as a choral soprano and the buzz of standing there as the audience go wild at the end. Well. As wild as they ever get at the … Continue reading Does it make your heart sing? Teeny tiny pens part 1