Pens, inks, notebooks and other accessories
This blog has typically been about fountain pens, as the name suggests. The subject matter has been about whatever pen or related topic happens to be occupying my mind at the time. In this way I have shared my enthusiasm on the subject of fountain pens, which continues to be a major hobby for me. … Continue reading A little diversion about sketching.
Following on immediately from our time in Albania, we flew to Naples to take a two hour ferry ride to Amalfi. From Amalfi’s harbour, the owner of our accommodation had kindly arranged for us to be picked up with our luggage and taken to the apartment, which was actually in Pogerola, a pretty town up … Continue reading Travelling with ink, June 2026: Part II, Italy.
I have just returned from a wonderful if rather busy two-part holiday, starting in Albania and continuing in Italy. The Albanian leg was comprised of six nights in the capital Tirana, then four nights at a coastal resort, Himarë in the south and a final night at an airport hotel back in Tirana for an … Continue reading Travelling with ink, June 2026: Part I, Albania.
Inky Pursuits is my sporadic series of monthly round-ups, featuring snippets of my stationery news. These might not necessarily be blogworthy on their own but are presented in the hope that together they may be greater than the sum of their parts. Pen Purchases. This month, there has been only one purchase and even that … Continue reading Inky Pursuits: May 2026.
This will be a shorter-than-usual post, but the title seemed too good to waste. Last week, my wife Ling casually mentioned that she had been clearing out some drawers at her parents’ house. She handed me a fountain pen which had lain there for over 10 years. Her dad, Chan Chiu Fa, died in 2015. … Continue reading Taking No Nonsense from my father-in-law.
At our recent monthly pen club in London, my latest purchase drew quite a few admiring glances. This was the Majohn P140 in a clear demonstrator version. My own experience of this pen is still in its infancy. I first received an email from a friend overseas, on 2 April 2026, who had been down … Continue reading Early thoughts on the Majohn P140 fountain pen.
While visiting Hampstead recently, I sauntered into Rymans to look at their fountain pen display shelf and see if there was anything new or on offer. I requested a closer look at a fountain pen from Tom Hessin. I did not yet know the pen model’s name. It featured a barrel in a dark brown … Continue reading Early thoughts on the Tom Hessin Revolution fountain pen.
I noticed recently, a glaring omission in my Index of Pen Posts: more than 9 years into this blog, I had yet to write a post about the Parker 51. For a fountain pen blog, not having featured what is arguably the most famous, recognisable, respected and iconic models of the last century, seems remiss. … Continue reading My Parker 51 Aerometric collection.
On Sunday, 1 March 2026 the London Spring Pen Show was held, once again at the Novotel London West, Hammersmith. It was a great day as always but this year, my experience was very different: I attended as a vendor for the first time. So rather than posting about my haul, (which was nil), this … Continue reading The London Spring Pen Show, 2026: my stall.
I have been conscious for a little while that this little blog was approaching a milestone. Having launched with tentative steps in November 2016, this is my three hundredth post. The name “Fountain pen blog” was only meant as a working title whilst setting it up, but went live before I had thought of a … Continue reading Post number 300: my State of the Hobby address.