tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69351081332526620852024-03-13T01:06:40.948+00:00Paper Pens InkA place to share in the love of writing...Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.comBlogger375125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-86115028523711429052020-01-18T17:00:00.000+00:002020-01-18T17:00:08.173+00:00Stalogy coverIn fairness, I didn't really <i>need</i> a cover for my Stalogy as it wasn't going to be anywhere other than my desk, but... well, you all understand!<br />
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I had a browse on Etsy and found a seller who made plain, simple leather covers. I don't need any bells and whistles for the cover, just something sturdy and nice. Anyway, the seller was <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/whpdesign" target="_blank">whpdesign </a>and they do a range of colours/leathers etc.<br />
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I ordered a brown leather cover:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKS4_sNp7KwDjL0KTTuA-wAm-Y86ltg8I2zKhCIVhefRN9iRAU56OhD3WPUKggpcfJYj-O0LE-tbODcQAwZ2D8aMl0qGPIlnTxIFdN1tc9myoOfeK87xHsyB5GQHdm4FHM4Z3Kx7pFGY1T/s1600/P1040713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="725" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKS4_sNp7KwDjL0KTTuA-wAm-Y86ltg8I2zKhCIVhefRN9iRAU56OhD3WPUKggpcfJYj-O0LE-tbODcQAwZ2D8aMl0qGPIlnTxIFdN1tc9myoOfeK87xHsyB5GQHdm4FHM4Z3Kx7pFGY1T/s320/P1040713.JPG" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO7DxS27P9d4F2w2UtFK8WlSL_8NwQj7ryg-ayt0vnbgVf8905sSgxU55crq_w50C0Qqm5L7gjDzAma7m24zbB-TjHRrMKRDUt7_PPwwY2Ay7DaiUJUDSeYnGdiaPWRgeS2zgsVsypruBW/s1600/P1040714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="688" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO7DxS27P9d4F2w2UtFK8WlSL_8NwQj7ryg-ayt0vnbgVf8905sSgxU55crq_w50C0Qqm5L7gjDzAma7m24zbB-TjHRrMKRDUt7_PPwwY2Ay7DaiUJUDSeYnGdiaPWRgeS2zgsVsypruBW/s320/P1040714.JPG" width="215" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>I've never had a genuine Traveler's Notebook cover, but I suspect this is similar. It marks fairly easily (which I don't mind. If you <i>do</i> mind that kind of thing, there are other finishes available), but has some lovely markings and a matte finish. If/when it gets really bashed, I'll probably wax it.<br />
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The cover is pretty simple. The covers on my Stalogy slip into vertical slip pockets:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zyUP6mDoJCsp9GXDDGPHgsg8pFRoNHrZmPjkgsSGO20gUusw5oWhmC3-Ce-xmWYEh0UVFAAZOWCJrbjgfDOMblrY-YnSNbmJeRNOoDFVRCsQw6sjMEz46UZnqPhBdUhiXt16BnABi602/s1600/P1040715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="1024" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zyUP6mDoJCsp9GXDDGPHgsg8pFRoNHrZmPjkgsSGO20gUusw5oWhmC3-Ce-xmWYEh0UVFAAZOWCJrbjgfDOMblrY-YnSNbmJeRNOoDFVRCsQw6sjMEz46UZnqPhBdUhiXt16BnABi602/s320/P1040715.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cover, empty</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="733" data-original-width="1024" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKUYnrQtRIlji_klelk4PtU0_eB45WbAmP6e4JEwqKBDlEih2bgldtqBVKS9L1GNXps9Ac0IQAv-SQWewyZ27PzD6cxfyllM7Wjfbq7fIX73ngIFc66LD5mHxiFXFFTbBKZts9b2VMnj7/s320/P1040712.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With my Stalogy in it</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKUYnrQtRIlji_klelk4PtU0_eB45WbAmP6e4JEwqKBDlEih2bgldtqBVKS9L1GNXps9Ac0IQAv-SQWewyZ27PzD6cxfyllM7Wjfbq7fIX73ngIFc66LD5mHxiFXFFTbBKZts9b2VMnj7/s1600/P1040712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKUYnrQtRIlji_klelk4PtU0_eB45WbAmP6e4JEwqKBDlEih2bgldtqBVKS9L1GNXps9Ac0IQAv-SQWewyZ27PzD6cxfyllM7Wjfbq7fIX73ngIFc66LD5mHxiFXFFTbBKZts9b2VMnj7/s1600/P1040712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
There's a small pocket at the bottom of the inside front cover - I use it to keep a few stickers in (mostly to remind me to use some and my journal not just end up text-dense as usual).<br />
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The cover wasn't hugely expensive. The biggest disappointment was that I asked the seller to use as little plastic as possible in the packing. It came in a plastic/synthetic dustbag, which was then wrapped in another grey plastic bag, and this was then in <i>another</i> grey plastic bag with the delivery details on it. There was also a free <i>plastic</i> ring-binder. And a keyring in <i>another</i> plastic dustbag. Not one bit of the packaging was biodegradable. The seller had messaged me to say they'd used as little plastic as possible, but I'm struggling to see how they could have used <i>more</i>. I'd have been more than happy with no dustbag and one of the grey bags replaced with a sheet of newspaper.<br />
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The plastic ring binder is A5, with Filofax-style rings (6 rings in two groups of three). The rings are the same spacing as Filofax A5. I don't really know what I'll do with it - take it to a charity shop I suspect. While it's nice in many ways that there were freebies, I specifically asked for very little plastic and got shed-loads of it. It's made me very reluctant to buy from them again, which is a shame, as the cover itself is beautiful (and biodegradable).<br />
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I'm loving the B6 Stalogy so much, I'm sure I'll use another, and B6 is a great little size, so even if I didn't, I will probably buy other B6 notebooks to go in it, in the future.Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-24855850580461277252020-01-17T17:00:00.000+00:002020-01-17T17:00:14.035+00:00Stalogy 365<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLfP9dqq8ZoFv-jIqcWMZdUtKCN56cXIDvMFNcEQPWVwki7KG9MAAPyV69DzM2Fg6TwggdORH5MiPiQ2JhqzHRXfhuvqoRk7uvRFAKDRleVUacW_rJlozilO0zhAxj0DVm3-HcT-uqbgc/s1600/P1040709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="727" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLfP9dqq8ZoFv-jIqcWMZdUtKCN56cXIDvMFNcEQPWVwki7KG9MAAPyV69DzM2Fg6TwggdORH5MiPiQ2JhqzHRXfhuvqoRk7uvRFAKDRleVUacW_rJlozilO0zhAxj0DVm3-HcT-uqbgc/s320/P1040709.JPG" width="227" /></a></div>
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Sorry for the LONG delay in posting. I've been up to my neck in editing and that has stolen <i>all </i>my time! There may be some light at the end of that tunnel in March.<br />
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Anyway, for 2020, I decided that my journal would be a <a href="https://amzn.to/2QJ0VX5" target="_blank">B6 365 by Stalogy</a>. I've used various diaries (as journals) over the years and fancied something a bit different.<br />
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For those of you who haven't come across Stalogy yet, they make a series of excellent notebooks. Some of my favourite B5 writing notebooks have been the Stalogy 016, but the 365 series is a little different. They come in a variety of sizes (<a href="https://amzn.to/2QJ0VX5" target="_blank">B6</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/35GiNGj" target="_blank">A6</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2QHFWE8" target="_blank">A5</a>) and the A5 come in different coloured covers and also a half-year option.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2DMM9L5QEJV8W2r6obiB4WOzCth_F3GDeudeQIDCv7xSQY9b50XfmbjCwPJiFYxdfvXtcoYyQXkDs-QxwndzmPe95UfWdbZkfLOJk2J2OOqPKqoeE6AqAcIbvglOzycomIvgZfiRzFlO/s1600/P1040707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="738" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2DMM9L5QEJV8W2r6obiB4WOzCth_F3GDeudeQIDCv7xSQY9b50XfmbjCwPJiFYxdfvXtcoYyQXkDs-QxwndzmPe95UfWdbZkfLOJk2J2OOqPKqoeE6AqAcIbvglOzycomIvgZfiRzFlO/s320/P1040707.JPG" width="230" /></a></div>
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They are simple little things. There is little branding on the front, no 'bells or whistles' (so, no ribbons, no back pockets, no pen loops...), just some great quality, super-thin paper. The B6 and A6 sizes have 0.5 mm squared paper; the A5 has 0.4 mm squares. In both cases, the squares are in such a faint grey, you could probably ignore them if you so chose. At the top of each page, again in very faint grey (and in almost microscopic font) there are the days of the week, the months and the numbers 1-31 so you can circle them to note the date. Down the left-hand side of each page are time points. In the B6 they go from 7 in the morning to 11 at night. In the A6, the times go from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (I don't know what the layout is in the A5 as I don't have one). Again, this is so faint and in such a small font, you could easily ignore them if you didn't want to use them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hrWJigri09Uoz4MsOx95obl1UyK9Cs-YnXA-2DIItqRvvlC54Od3expLD4TWoG_RfqbQZLxLQtEq32t1Fr0CILSq-0J5UqgXLqNJ-haXH9w2LnRSkQpTAiaR2SvfVb6Nh-yFAd-mX1EH/s1600/P1040710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="709" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hrWJigri09Uoz4MsOx95obl1UyK9Cs-YnXA-2DIItqRvvlC54Od3expLD4TWoG_RfqbQZLxLQtEq32t1Fr0CILSq-0J5UqgXLqNJ-haXH9w2LnRSkQpTAiaR2SvfVb6Nh-yFAd-mX1EH/s320/P1040710.JPG" width="221" /></a></div>
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Some people think of them as a cheaper Hobonichi, but I think they are very different beasts. To me, the Hobnichi has a lot of duplication with monthly, weekly and daily spreads. I don't find the layout of the Hobonichi very flexible, either. I think the Stalogy wins for me because it can be used as a day-per-page diary (as I am - see below) or as a bullet-journal, with whatever layout you want. The lines and notes are so faint, they can be ignored, but are there if you do want to use them. They're also a lot cheaper at ~£17 (for a 368 page books - not bad!). I like the B6 size - big enough, but not too big.<br />
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<b>How I'm using it...</b><br />
I have a time-log on the left of each page and my journal entry for the day on the right. I'm also <i>trying</i> to use more colour and decoration than I usually do, though this doesn't appear to come naturally to me! Along the bottom of each page I'm logging various things, but they're too personal to share - hence the image being trimmed.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DxbYPmxYxeQzQ9A2riTTHZ8icJfdyZ547v8B_MAFOrreJlQD6_DzpmYXygWXiPXHnWf5SEjhv-pR74INeWjoC3Qg3TsrZPp3FkGkkWnlkG5jq3cb8kDLW517xZyAhVerNUd_23jku8nA/s1600/P1040711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DxbYPmxYxeQzQ9A2riTTHZ8icJfdyZ547v8B_MAFOrreJlQD6_DzpmYXygWXiPXHnWf5SEjhv-pR74INeWjoC3Qg3TsrZPp3FkGkkWnlkG5jq3cb8kDLW517xZyAhVerNUd_23jku8nA/s320/P1040711.JPG" width="243" /></a></div>
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I've also bought a cover for it... more on that in the next post.<br />
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The paper is super-thin, but takes most pens well. There is a bit too much show-through/ghosting for me to want to use a fountain pen in it, but that's because I have a huge aversion to ghosting.<br />
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So far, I'm really enjoying using it!<br />
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Anyone else out there a Stalogy 365 lover? How do you use it?Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-18479536843747533772019-09-01T16:18:00.000+01:002019-09-01T16:18:06.095+01:00I've bought my 2020 planner...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjum5M8BC9daOaBqThToIZ-S5npJ1j305TA7XxOFYkOw85BXqg0z-PLwlTc1wMtPb_R28k_evBG9Af4hoEn3cJ3QqVfi4nnuk1srB6eYiRHOP5RWejhYPaP6cbOExq2hlk9lxY7EL1A_Cy/s1600/P1040681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="632" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjum5M8BC9daOaBqThToIZ-S5npJ1j305TA7XxOFYkOw85BXqg0z-PLwlTc1wMtPb_R28k_evBG9Af4hoEn3cJ3QqVfi4nnuk1srB6eYiRHOP5RWejhYPaP6cbOExq2hlk9lxY7EL1A_Cy/s320/P1040681.JPG" width="197" /></a></div>
... and no major surprises but it's by Box Clever Press again and is the <a href="https://boxcleverpress.com/products/everyday-diary-a5" target="_blank">2020 version</a> of the diary/planner I've been using all through 2019.<br />
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Last year, I found <b><a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/12/my-day-to-day-diary-for-2019.html" target="_blank">the perfect layout and planner for me</a></b> and I was worried that either the company wouldn't make it again or would fiddle with it so that it was no longer just right. I'm delighted they haven't!<br />
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So, why is it so perfect for me? As I said last year, I have a LONG list of 'must-haves'. I need a diary that:<br />
<ul>
<li>is about A5 size</li>
<li>has a week to a view with the days in vertical columns (so I can time-box)</li>
<li>has equal sized columns for Saturday and Sunday (my life isn't less busy, just because it's a weekend!)</li>
<li>has the week starting on a Monday (who in their right minds splits the weekend so that it bookends the week? It's a week<b>end</b>)</li>
<li>has space to list tasks for the week</li>
<li>preferably also has space to list Most Important Tasks for each day</li>
<li>would help me with planning my week/month/year</li>
<li>preferably is pretty/attractive because I have neither the time nor talent to do it myself but like the look of them</li>
<li>will lie flat on the desk</li>
<li>preferably has 2 ribbon markers, but at least one</li>
</ul>
The Box Clever Enjoy Every Day A5 diary ticks <b>all</b> the boxes. Yep. Every single one! Here's a (picture-heavy) walk-through...<a name='more'></a><div>
First up, let me just say that I've added in the month tabs that you can see in the pictures. The diary didn't come with them, but I find them really useful. I bought them last year from eBay (in a pack that will cover about 5 more years!).<br />
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You've seen the cover at the start of the post. Inside that are some decorative end-papers:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13nCbk_MTM7Sq0ehHq2EkHZhOPBidcppGHMv1knxpTFfp4VxM6Cfye33taNYXhU8JUlRvTUElqZF6yOCRqleck1HxT0gSuA8JMOr1ClnWb1f08pn-YSwouBve2KbadpJtHQGGqgTTRQAz/s1600/P1040682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="1024" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13nCbk_MTM7Sq0ehHq2EkHZhOPBidcppGHMv1knxpTFfp4VxM6Cfye33taNYXhU8JUlRvTUElqZF6yOCRqleck1HxT0gSuA8JMOr1ClnWb1f08pn-YSwouBve2KbadpJtHQGGqgTTRQAz/s320/P1040682.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Following that, is a page for adding your details. I haven't taken a picture and I never use these as the diary won't actually leave the house all year!<br />
There's then a summary page of 2020 (which I won't use) and a page for Goals and Dreams for 2020.<br />
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There's then a double-spread for plans for 2020. I used this last year and it was hilariously inaccurate, so I'm not sure if I'll use it this year!<br />
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Next up are two double-spreads for project planning:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi40mI2NY12dtpvM6H-xPMfIAPXKwvxDPIpSSCJ4vqlDSdEq2bS37btjgsj05LWrkTs53AfQIhSFm5AuQRIDnj6-tVwidNP1N_nRmQflgM8CMQ_KNynGumRa4dLodc0SmqXsgCvkd410LP/s1600/P1040685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="764" data-original-width="1024" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi40mI2NY12dtpvM6H-xPMfIAPXKwvxDPIpSSCJ4vqlDSdEq2bS37btjgsj05LWrkTs53AfQIhSFm5AuQRIDnj6-tVwidNP1N_nRmQflgM8CMQ_KNynGumRa4dLodc0SmqXsgCvkd410LP/s320/P1040685.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Skipping to the back, after all the diary pages is a double-spread for notes and lists. It's on dot-grid and with some pretty (but unobtrusive) decorations around the edge of the pages:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_cExJg87WST1q-0bZb1kBausCnMFLiLbsBbIztVtYvhzh1lRZiIexevfUscd0utbWjiZU9u8LVxXpJkw7M2nFH1TpaysDMY8aFWWTQi-oIsgazAJQXP1LuwMWXUf8NtFf5VkdO-NXiVsm/s1600/P1040693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1024" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_cExJg87WST1q-0bZb1kBausCnMFLiLbsBbIztVtYvhzh1lRZiIexevfUscd0utbWjiZU9u8LVxXpJkw7M2nFH1TpaysDMY8aFWWTQi-oIsgazAJQXP1LuwMWXUf8NtFf5VkdO-NXiVsm/s320/P1040693.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
After that is a double-spread for Christmas notes and plans, but which may well just be used for general notes:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzPQSa9E10pz8dLhUtuGzEJihKMRTzV767L7zUl5BY9olQNwp8zdyxcihZO6z3rVwH6A5GparcDDw02clsckoKnoUSoYIcuzxj8AU7UI5YecyHqS9E567gthGHe1H_ZZF9E8SZozXIcXH/s1600/P1040692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1021" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzPQSa9E10pz8dLhUtuGzEJihKMRTzV767L7zUl5BY9olQNwp8zdyxcihZO6z3rVwH6A5GparcDDw02clsckoKnoUSoYIcuzxj8AU7UI5YecyHqS9E567gthGHe1H_ZZF9E8SZozXIcXH/s320/P1040692.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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There's then a page for notes and lists, and a goals and dreams for 2021 page:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOC_kkbBJsLV-bQDTCbEm_Nr704s4s6Hl45BFmvaafuzmiSH19eRWb1XtOF8nMcKprIRHUBbkxPQoD_cjtyZzBulI7hJOLLq9K0NGl1xBHtdUA-Q2bKO6e80t6UFoFD2TdSk4Kl2Td5WGE/s1600/P1040691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1024" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOC_kkbBJsLV-bQDTCbEm_Nr704s4s6Hl45BFmvaafuzmiSH19eRWb1XtOF8nMcKprIRHUBbkxPQoD_cjtyZzBulI7hJOLLq9K0NGl1xBHtdUA-Q2bKO6e80t6UFoFD2TdSk4Kl2Td5WGE/s320/P1040691.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Then a double-spread of plans for 2021:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkiS1SnW4kOhbpz-ecpHfgFsViP3Kdnzt-_AagI9z19RAfLx9G50GNWK1y-I7JgLB2GIgT3E6GD2OPSeE1e5m1zl_Yzf8Z-US37FHi_I0i9ciRYySu3d3W7a4YhpMYZX9Bv35O1HuoSr0/s1600/P1040690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="746" data-original-width="1024" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkiS1SnW4kOhbpz-ecpHfgFsViP3Kdnzt-_AagI9z19RAfLx9G50GNWK1y-I7JgLB2GIgT3E6GD2OPSeE1e5m1zl_Yzf8Z-US37FHi_I0i9ciRYySu3d3W7a4YhpMYZX9Bv35O1HuoSr0/s320/P1040690.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
A space for important websites, and useful numbers (I probably won't use these):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit8cOAPsW4TiiztjGrAM41oNc0vqsDcAb3oJZF7PweJ_OthCYGroFhenMjbjnk8sM79HViSBIGIYbZlYTyOt4KLKeTcD8tNXM_mGxZ92hRKAk8oWsboIlLj44Gnbo5m_UReeb8hOQyDIQe/s1600/P1040689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="1024" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit8cOAPsW4TiiztjGrAM41oNc0vqsDcAb3oJZF7PweJ_OthCYGroFhenMjbjnk8sM79HViSBIGIYbZlYTyOt4KLKeTcD8tNXM_mGxZ92hRKAk8oWsboIlLj44Gnbo5m_UReeb8hOQyDIQe/s320/P1040689.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
And right at the back, a 2021 summary calendar and a pocket in the back cover (not photographed).<br />
<br />
But... it's the diary pages that are the best bits for me! At the start of each month, there's a monthly spread (which I've been using to note blog post schedules and other big things):<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4DTh74a2GQcR7gDSjb9Vta6NJgXaHWxUJq5R5SCXCCCpiAm_3shlJFyWBzRrXmxG_5XOjAJWscU6pESmEdIQNMp10vNqZlVTaoBpNUjhPFJFSdIk2goQW_BsJNriJ1_7u3DKRh76R9Kp/s1600/P1040687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="999" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4DTh74a2GQcR7gDSjb9Vta6NJgXaHWxUJq5R5SCXCCCpiAm_3shlJFyWBzRrXmxG_5XOjAJWscU6pESmEdIQNMp10vNqZlVTaoBpNUjhPFJFSdIk2goQW_BsJNriJ1_7u3DKRh76R9Kp/s320/P1040687.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
After that, is a page for plans for the month and one for expenditure. I won't use the expenditure pages for expenditure. I'll use it for a list of monthly to-do and use correction tape over the titles (which is what I've done this year). The box at the RHS is used as a simple tick-box.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRqlFsnSF37KtrBIY-3KtQS1MiSB55VsfV2sNRzeQdArHjDBlPGG-axF1GO45i4dPt_omqleqnVlD3nFxyCjMNuquXQ_i6sFYahf7oFsYe4UuxDOzUZ1V00MhvTr1cAOI27YWM8j-AuLj/s1600/P1040688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1016" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRqlFsnSF37KtrBIY-3KtQS1MiSB55VsfV2sNRzeQdArHjDBlPGG-axF1GO45i4dPt_omqleqnVlD3nFxyCjMNuquXQ_i6sFYahf7oFsYe4UuxDOzUZ1V00MhvTr1cAOI27YWM8j-AuLj/s320/P1040688.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The main part is a <b>vertical</b> week to view. It's split into 3 sections but doesn't have time slots. This year I've used the top two sections as timed slots, running from 8-6 and used the bottom section to either note my Most Important Tasks for the day and/or what's for dinner. On the LHS is space for a list of weekly to-do and along the bottom of the page are spaces to note how you're progressing your goals.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXHNqWQ8SrySvxsgjTdEwIVh1pa22QDUwww0TXzVa0YaEYc0DrO46iFzfKydZGIZTAE9expQCB4RNeNu4IcGBa-9TQ8W4uJQSbE5bYsIMySkWiiTyDIYKwuySOqKWBgZYyhVBbG1bziwV/s1600/P1040686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="978" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXHNqWQ8SrySvxsgjTdEwIVh1pa22QDUwww0TXzVa0YaEYc0DrO46iFzfKydZGIZTAE9expQCB4RNeNu4IcGBa-9TQ8W4uJQSbE5bYsIMySkWiiTyDIYKwuySOqKWBgZYyhVBbG1bziwV/s320/P1040686.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
For me, this is just about perfect as a layout (I would remove the mini-calendar thing and have another goal box to make it absolutely perfect...). I use the vertical layout to time-box my day, and the to-do space has plenty of lines to it. There's enough 'pretty' around the edges, but not so much that it's distracting or too cluttered.<br />
<br />
And one of the amazing features? It's only £10.99 with free UK delivery.</div>
Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-25334594333470284642019-08-15T12:00:00.000+01:002019-08-15T12:00:06.605+01:00Cambridge Imprint notebooks<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilWSjKO7_heNm3sVL-9S4GhjOxgCh2OlhrrkQR8nqPLiPsE9JI9c7zW4jCsadmNneddU3M_KY1tAsuP2hO3aWPzQXcND5dnq7C_qXBm4YhxIB3z7VSaj3joj0ZTTQBRURykImXE-iMGFs9/s1600/P1040658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="836" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilWSjKO7_heNm3sVL-9S4GhjOxgCh2OlhrrkQR8nqPLiPsE9JI9c7zW4jCsadmNneddU3M_KY1tAsuP2hO3aWPzQXcND5dnq7C_qXBm4YhxIB3z7VSaj3joj0ZTTQBRURykImXE-iMGFs9/s320/P1040658.JPG" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notebook samples from Cambridge Imprint</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Recently, I was asked by <a href="https://www.cambridgeimprint.co.uk/" target="_blank">Cambridge Imprint</a> to review a couple of notebooks. I should hasten to say, these notebooks are not currently available to buy from them - they were prototypes which they wanted feedback on.<br />
<br />
I have a number of Cambridge Imprint notebooks (yes, I know, I haven't reviewed any of them on here yet, but I will). I have a <a href="https://www.cambridgeimprint.co.uk/product-category/notebooks/square-notebooks/" target="_blank">large square softback notebook</a> and a <a href="https://www.cambridgeimprint.co.uk/product-category/notebooks/memo-books/" target="_blank">set of three pocket-size notebooks</a>. I really loved the look of their stuff, but wished they did a lined notebook that was bigger than the pocket size, but not as big as the square one. They do have <a href="https://www.cambridgeimprint.co.uk/product-category/notebooks/hardback-notebooks/" target="_blank">medium-sized notebooks</a>, but they were all plain, not lined. I contacted them about whether they had any plans to produce a lined one, and they sent me these two books to have a look at! They are the same size as the plain ones (18.5 cm x 12 cm; paper size: 18 cm x ~11 cm).<br />
<br />
The two they sent me were covered with the Letterpress Harebell paper, and the Elephant paper. There's no plastic (hurrah!) and the papers are absolutely gorgeous!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Fe2EwKOmWbxY18Z2hOfINwshVqqIpcrScU46scvyva42aGfBPB1nqp9k_g3i5pVi1_YmMQT3DfMGqMSrWODgl8cq7SfvbMZ4OQwDeAmte-BUMrowF-6aRYjHNHv55QxciqLWLAwijmaA/s1600/P1040661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1058" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Fe2EwKOmWbxY18Z2hOfINwshVqqIpcrScU46scvyva42aGfBPB1nqp9k_g3i5pVi1_YmMQT3DfMGqMSrWODgl8cq7SfvbMZ4OQwDeAmte-BUMrowF-6aRYjHNHv55QxciqLWLAwijmaA/s320/P1040661.JPG" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elephant paper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So, what do I like about them and what don't I like?<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>Loves:</b></h4>
Well, I love the <b>covers </b>- the papers are all amazing (have a browse of their site and see what glorious papers they have). They're hardback so will resist all but the most significant dings. There's a small label on the front to indicate the contents, which is a lovely touch.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDn2sTzCtPWSn1fuGlE8g9gCQU-GqBCZctCjmGHuDxtAXnWTILz0G1TIKgj4ODEfLmszoflzNKFsDf3aW-WKKWVzJFWnHWN8XRAncgMxFMKlsI_ZToEcu4TqzHmDR6m8G3q2SH4QeIS2b/s1600/P1040659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="684" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDn2sTzCtPWSn1fuGlE8g9gCQU-GqBCZctCjmGHuDxtAXnWTILz0G1TIKgj4ODEfLmszoflzNKFsDf3aW-WKKWVzJFWnHWN8XRAncgMxFMKlsI_ZToEcu4TqzHmDR6m8G3q2SH4QeIS2b/s320/P1040659.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Letterpress paper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The <b>paper</b>. I've only used fountain pen in them (and I took out a page to do the tests, as I don't like leaving them in). The paper is fairly toothy, so would work well with pencils too. Writing wasn't as smooth as in a Clairefontaine book, but was a nice experience. My sharp calligraphy nibs jagged a little, but they jag on everything except Clairefontaine! The stubs were great and regular nibs were fine. There was some good shading going on as dry time isn't super-fast (lefties may need to take a little bit of care). There was no feathering, bleed-through or show-through.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LhD8qo-SMkt4N0vMK30eaIb-bHse3g9JcthTDA_-nLZL8KlQ4L_18ciLxF-_cqGbv0OYXas2OudRTCOfsawUVOdDYj5Mkk5_Y6LeDtNgyqJEpVzFpScqjx_QJhJZTgKoB46X8phYXzW7/s1600/P1040662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="641" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LhD8qo-SMkt4N0vMK30eaIb-bHse3g9JcthTDA_-nLZL8KlQ4L_18ciLxF-_cqGbv0OYXas2OudRTCOfsawUVOdDYj5Mkk5_Y6LeDtNgyqJEpVzFpScqjx_QJhJZTgKoB46X8phYXzW7/s320/P1040662.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQfDjolod92o42DwwOIqJQyMLBXCxbGk5d1Fe0cKFr8PnL8q3C_CKmuz0pfvujAqqyEU31xAWW0V_mnBtJcufAvRh4VjG1WxI3btJDACXG9R4kuSaW7-A271Pj46Me4W6yIXqlMu5wUom/s1600/P1040663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="625" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQfDjolod92o42DwwOIqJQyMLBXCxbGk5d1Fe0cKFr8PnL8q3C_CKmuz0pfvujAqqyEU31xAWW0V_mnBtJcufAvRh4VjG1WxI3btJDACXG9R4kuSaW7-A271Pj46Me4W6yIXqlMu5wUom/s320/P1040663.JPG" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Size:</b> Not so large that they would take up too much real-estate on a desk or in a bag, but big enough that you're not starting a new page every second. At a page size of ~180 mm x ~110 mm, they're fairly close to B6 (which is 176 mm x 125 mm).<br />
<br />
<b>Ruling/margins:</b> They're pretty narrow ruled, which suits me (even with a chunky nib) but if your handwriting is large, you might struggle. Ruling is 6 mm, with a top margin of 15 mm and a bottom margin of 9 mm. 7 mm might appeal to a wider range of people? As I say, they're fine for me!<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>Things they don't have, but I don't care:</b></h4>
There's no contents page, page numbering, page markers or a pocket in the back cover. None of these things are deal-breakers for me. If I need page numbers, I'll add them in. If I want a contents page, I'll leave some blank pages at the start/end. I rarely use the back pockets - they can make the writing experience a bit lumpy.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>Things I'm less keen on:</b></h4>
The first and last page are glued to the end-papers and there's quite an overlap. I'm never keen on glued spines, because they're hard to open the book out flat, and this is the case here too. I'd rather they would fall open properly - writing in the inner pages will involve a bit of brute-strength!<br />
<br />
I hope that they'll make these part of their main range as they're just beautiful!<br />
<br />Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-21934351475171693562019-08-10T14:30:00.000+01:002019-08-10T14:30:05.768+01:00Life A5 notebook<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1fEOhRvjyzCC3JuUdmd84nHlqpIfSManIWmpFk5OGTQ3oQP6zpihmZRSNNviVa_vwJ9we1_OrZEYg5hx1ZZyh0NBaAt1FMbYH-uyyXjLh9rBZJ6aAw32WjEsiWwHvg4fiYkIcwoA9eex/s1600/life.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="390" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1fEOhRvjyzCC3JuUdmd84nHlqpIfSManIWmpFk5OGTQ3oQP6zpihmZRSNNviVa_vwJ9we1_OrZEYg5hx1ZZyh0NBaAt1FMbYH-uyyXjLh9rBZJ6aAw32WjEsiWwHvg4fiYkIcwoA9eex/s320/life.JPG" width="227" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1em;">
As Stu says over on Nero's Notes:</div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1em;">
<em><a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/collections/all-notebooks/products/life-noble-note-a5?aff=4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Link to Life notebooks page">Life notebooks</a> are coveted by anybody who values quality paper. The Noble line of Life notebooks in particular are beautiful, featuring Life's superb fountain pen ink friendly Japanese paper, which is cream in colour and finely laid. As you would expect, the paper in the Life Noble notebook is acid-free and archival quality. This A5 sized notebook comes in plain, ruled and graph paper (5mm grid paper and 8mm ruling) and features the LIFE logo, embossed in gold. </em></div>
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I've been using a ruled <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/collections/all-notebooks/products/life-noble-note-a5?aff=4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Link to Life notebook page">Life notebook</a> for making notes on the gazillion things I need to think about/do/investigate ready to self-publish my fantasy trilogy later this year. I'd been umming a ah-ing over which notebook to use (something I suspect only stationery nerds like me do, because we have <strong>so many</strong> notebooks to choose from...), so let me share my reasoning for why I plumped for the Life notebook over the other million I have in my stash.</div>
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Well, first up, the paper is fountain pen friendly. I realise that many people won't care about that, but if you do care about that, you generally <em>really do </em>care about that. A paper that feathers or ghosts or lets the ink bleed through to the other side drives you insane. But, even if you don't give two hoots about this kind of thing, if a paper is good for fountain pens, it's generally amazing for <em>any</em> pen. Or pencil.</div>
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The paper is thick enough that there's minimal show-through and there is no feathering at all. Dry time is a little on the long side, so lefties may want to think about that, and you may want a sheet of blotting paper handy too.</div>
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My only niggle with the paper is that it's a yellowish cream and I prefer off-white or a light ivory, but that's just a personal preference.</div>
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There are 100 pages (sides) in the book. This is a happy medium between the slimmer notebooks available (68 or 72 etc.) and the chunkier 168+ page books. I'll have a lot of notes to make, and a slimmer book will probably be too small, but I hate waste and it would annoy me if I only used half of the pages in a larger notebook.</div>
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But one of the things I love the most about these notebooks is this:</div>
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<strong>The little dots at the top and bottom lines.</strong> These are perfect for if you want to add a table, because you don't have to faff about measuring it out. Fear not, the marks are small enough that if you're not needing to draw out a table, they won't distract. They're spaced at 10 mm (which a bit of my brain sometimes squeaks at because line spacing is 8 mm, so drawing vertical lines leads to rectangles, not squares).</div>
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Since I'll be making notes on a variety of sub-topics in the book, I'll be putting a table of contents at the front (and may even put an index at the back!), and there may be a number of topics where being able to quickly draw a table is a bonus, for example when I'm comparing different editors or cover-designers.</div>
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I also like the top margin with a slightly darker top line. The top margin is 15 mm and I use the space to put a few-word summary of the page contents (like 'print on demand' or 'keywords') so that when I flick through the book I can see what's on each page.</div>
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There are no fancy frills like ready-printed page numbers (I've just hand-written them in) or a ribbon-marker or a pocket in the back, but this is a good, solid notebook at a very decent price. Why don't you give it a whirl?</div>
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<i>A modified version of this post first appeared on Nero's Notes.</i></div>
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<i>*The post contains affiliate links, which help me to be able to run this blog, at no cost to you.</i></div>
Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-230188403566817272019-07-13T12:42:00.000+01:002019-07-13T12:42:17.389+01:00Guest post: Pens for New Writers – What to Look for in a Vintage PenI'm delighted to share this post with you from Simon Gray of <a href="https://www.penhome.co.uk/" target="_blank">Battersea Pen Home</a> on the history of fountain pens and what to look for in a vintage pen. You can find out more about vintage fountain pens and <a href="https://www.penhome.co.uk/pages/pen-repairs" target="_blank">fountain pen repairs</a> at <a href="https://www.penhome.co.uk/" target="_blank">Battersea Pen Home</a>.<br />
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Battersea Pen Home have specialised in servicing and repairing pens, ballpens and pencils since the mid 1990s. They were originally based in Battersea before moving to Epping in 2000.<br />
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They look after most makes of fountain pen including those now classed as 'obsolete' by their manufacturers. They were trained by Parker and Waterman back in 2002 as service technicians for their writing instruments and are also recommended by Sheaffer UK.<br />
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<b>Pens for New Writers – What to Look for in a Vintage Pen</b></div>
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<b><br /></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZbZDOLbAkhyphenhyphenKck-zLt7E0ARq-bOqSsLfrumQStsX31zmaLro6BSe-zjBW1H_KQfOy6xiLp47W5oL2zYQ_YRXYwBzWJI7dvO6Nz3uGmbQB4Q_iefVF3Twrt8O3Wz2cEhXv352Z2zvSPII/s1600/pen-1245723_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="1600" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZbZDOLbAkhyphenhyphenKck-zLt7E0ARq-bOqSsLfrumQStsX31zmaLro6BSe-zjBW1H_KQfOy6xiLp47W5oL2zYQ_YRXYwBzWJI7dvO6Nz3uGmbQB4Q_iefVF3Twrt8O3Wz2cEhXv352Z2zvSPII/s320/pen-1245723_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Many people buy vintage fountain pens because they find them inspirational. In a similar way that driving a classic car can force you to drive differently, using a fountain pen forces you to write differently. Writing with a pen is more challenging than using a word-processor; you can’t easily edit what you have written and so you have to find creative ways to make it work.<br />
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When buying a vintage pen, most people are initially drawn to how it looks; although how comfortable it feels in the hand and how smoothly it writes are what ultimately determine how much it will be used. Often the most important consideration is sentimental. Owning and using a pen that brings back memories of loved ones gives a sense of connection to things past and present that a biro or keyboard can never achieve.<br />
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Most vintage pens are susceptible for wear and tear, but don’t be put off. Most of the important components can be replaced and repaired, and once refurbished, pens can continue to work for many years with very little further intervention. Here are some tips for selecting the perfect vintage pen.<br />
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The term ‘vintage pens’ covers just about every instrument produced for the purpose of making marks on slate, skin, parchment or paper. One of the first pens capable of holding its own supply of ink was described by Nicholas Bion, a French instrument maker and author who lived in Paris around the turn of the 18th century. Little progress was made until the early 19th century when the number of patents connected with fountain pen design began to increase as new materials and production processes were developed.<br />
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By the late 19th century much progress had been made with the development of hard rubber which was cheap, resistant to chemicals ink and could be easily turned on a lathe into caps, barrels and nib sections – the main components of a pen. At this time, virtually all fountain pens were ‘eyedroppers’ where the ink was contained directly in the barrel rather than in an ink sac. Ink was transferred from the barrel through the feed and onto the paper by capillary attraction; hence ink only flowed when the nib touched paper.<br />
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The 1900s saw the development of the feed (the part below the nib) in an effort to regulate ink flow. Once this had improved, designers were freed up to focus more on the portability of pens with the 1910s bringing pen caps which screwed securely onto the main body of the pen rather than just being a push or slip-on fit. Screw-on caps meant it was safer to carry a pen in your pocket so the next stage was a multitude of clip designs to ensure the pen didn’t fall out of your pocket. Everyone today takes clips for granted, but in the 1920s a fountain pen clip was quite a new idea and frequently an optional extra at additional cost.<br />
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At the same time, progress has been made with improving the method of holding ink. Rather than the hard rubber barrel being the only reservoir, latex rubber ink sacs became available and reduced the possibility of leakage. Research and design then turned to filling methods with Conklin leading the field with its Crescent filler in 1901 and Parker developing a button filling system in 1914 which was still being used on their Duofold models as late as the 1950s. Sheaffer, Waterman and others focussed on lever fillers which again lasted through to the 1960s with several companies.<br />
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So, we are almost there with what most people would recognise as a fountain pen in terms of controlled ink delivery, a variety of filling systems and a basic design which was secure enough for the pen to be carried around in a jacket pocket. The final step was in materials development. Up until the 1920s, pens were made from metal (either solid or plated gold, silver etc) and vulcanised hard rubber which restricted the colour of pens largely to black, red or a combination known as a rippled finish.<br />
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All this changed from around 1924 with major developments in the manufacture of plastics principally in the USA and led by DuPont. No longer restricted to hard rubber, pen makers went into overdrive with pens appearing for the first time in colours such as lapis blue, jade green, pearl and black and many other combinations.<br />
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So, in terms of choosing a ‘vintage pen’ to write with, the mid 1920s is really the starting point as choice of colour, style, filling system, nibs begin to expand almost exponentially.
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<i>Many thanks to Simon Grey for the post.</i><br />
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<i>You can find out more about vintage fountain pens and <a href="https://www.penhome.co.uk/pages/pen-repairs" target="_blank">fountain pen repairs</a> at <a href="https://www.penhome.co.uk/" target="_blank">Battersea Pen Home</a>.</i><br />
<br />Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-67500493302513158742019-06-08T14:00:00.000+01:002019-07-22T16:08:31.837+01:00HUGE pen test on pocket size notebooks!!This post was born out of writing a post for <a href="http://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/?aff=4" target="_blank">Nero's Notes</a> on whether my dislike of Moleskine and Field Notes was justified (spoiler alert... it is). They really <i>don't </i>play nicely with fountain pens, but then I wondered which pocket notebooks actually <i>did</i>.<br />
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Enter the biggest test I've done yet, with 10 notebooks getting tested. I used 5 fountain pens and I also tested 11 non-fountain pens too.<br />
Warning! Post is very picture heavy!<br />
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<b>The Notebooks:</b><br />
Field Notes<br />
Moleskine<br />
Whitelines<br />
Story Supply<br />
Word.<br />
Rhodia Webby<br />
Clairefontaine 1951<br />
Darkstar<br />
Pebble Stationery<br />
Telegraph<br />
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<b>The Fountain Pens:</b><br />
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(top to bottom)<br />
Parker Vector with calligraphy nib. Ink = Iroshizuku Shin kai<br />
Tombow Object m nib. Ink = Iroshizuku Ku jaku<br />
TWSBI Eco m nib. Ink = Diamine Burnt sienna<br />
TWSBI Diamond 540, 1.1 mm stub nib. Ink = Sailor Yama dori<br />
Conklin Durograph, 1.1 mmstub nib. Ink = Iroshizuku Shin kai<br />
Platinum Preppy - UF nib. No idea what the ink was and anyway, it ran out...<br />
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<b>The Other Pens:</b><br />
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(top to bottom)<br />
Pilot V5 hi-tecpoint 0.5<br />
Uniball vision needle micro<br />
Scheider slider memo XB<br />
Uniball signo RT 0.7<br />
Uniball Jetsream 1.0<br />
Stabilo worker medium 0.5<br />
Zebra J roller RX 0.5<br />
Zebra Z-grip medium (biro)<br />
Uni jetstream 0.7 (biro)<br />
Calepino bic biro<br />
Field Notes bic biro<br />
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<b>The results:</b><br />
A lot of pictures... left side of the picture shows the pen test; right side of the picture shows the reverse of the page.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>The Good!</b><br />
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<br />
<b>The Bad</b><br />
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<br />
<b>The Ugly</b><br />
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<br />
<b>A Special Category All On Its Own</b><br />
Pebble Stationery. They use the lightweight Tomoe River paper, so there's a ton of ghosting. But... there's amazing sheen, hence a category of its own!<br />
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<br />
In essence... go for Clairefontaine! They are very reasonably priced, have a lot of pages per book and play nicely with every pen I own. The only (minor) downside is that drying time for fountain pens is longish, so they could smudge. I can live with that!Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-50544508723163764102019-05-25T14:00:00.000+01:002019-05-25T14:00:00.974+01:00My Every Day Carry (#EDC)It's been a while since I shared my set-up with you, so I thought I'd give you all a quick look at what I'm using at the moment.<br />
<br />
I need my EDC to have everything in it. There's no point me having a separate wallet and diary/notebook, because I'll forget one or other of them when I leave the house! But, I need to have something small enough that I don't wreck my back carrying it around! I'm somewhat in awe of people who merrily lug a well-stuffed A5 Filofax or planner around with them. Despite the fact I do always appear to have an enormous handbag, my EDC is pretty small.<br />
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For a long while, I'd been using my undyed extra wide pocket from Meadowgate Leather, which is slowly turning the most delicious caramel colour. But this week, I've changed out of that and into another Meadowgate Leather cover that I bought from a Facebook group.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pocket TN from Meadowgate Leather<br />with extra width</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>It's an extra wide pocket. A6 might be pushing it, but it easily takes chunky pocket inserts without any overhang. I don't know what colour it is (technically) - it's a dark midnight blue, with pale turquoise elastics. To be honest, it was looking a bit sad and dry, but I rubbed some coconut oil into it and buffed it up and it's now much softer and has a fabulous sheen!<br />
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The inside cover has two pockets (neither of which I'm currently using, but probably will eventually). There's space for two cards in the outer pocket, with a full-height pocket behind. If/when I get some new business cards, they'll probably go in the card slots and receipts will go in the pocket.<br />
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The wallet insert takes up the most real-estate. It was made by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ThreadNPrints" target="_blank">ThreadNPrints</a> on Etsy and at time of purchase was just under $20. There are 6 vertical card slots in the front (carrying my most frequently used cards). Behind the card slots is a full-height pocket. The right-hand side of the insert is a zipped pocket (where I keep cash). I can definitely recommend ThreadsNPrints - the range of fabrics is huge and communication with Sabrina was brilliant.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cards all removed for security</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Next up comes a homemade diary and notebook combination. The diary is a month to view, drawn up in a Moleskine pocket cahier. You all know my feelings about Moleskines, but this works okay at the moment. I don't use this diary for planning - it's entirely so that I have a diary on me when I'm out and about in case I need to book anything or check anything. My planning all takes place in my <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/12/my-day-to-day-diary-for-2019.html" target="_blank">Box Clever Press diary</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyzAseJOd1qxkD3apP7TqkT6DMyLsVA3KX-cD38KDgfCz8juOztVsp3CXOCif1OwURTPtFvNYFweG4v0zMP695WuSMW3R1Yh7dGfJBJvXeCkAa7_9p0ZpPMgZYTliJ-LRDeMAVVleubPu/s1600/P1040440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="985" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyzAseJOd1qxkD3apP7TqkT6DMyLsVA3KX-cD38KDgfCz8juOztVsp3CXOCif1OwURTPtFvNYFweG4v0zMP695WuSMW3R1Yh7dGfJBJvXeCkAa7_9p0ZpPMgZYTliJ-LRDeMAVVleubPu/s320/P1040440.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_Do6flR8iQ4ZXQDY0UBQh5eYIsYva5h7-mliGX4H3XybAgsUnbOuI7xOHwvx9xdxb-sFV57QTuMipNFFMuAUBtPP_7TNOzBFrHcMqqPogdq2fIVVATWA89cvWNuH5CWHVKcQ82l_R_FX/s1600/P1040275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="950" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_Do6flR8iQ4ZXQDY0UBQh5eYIsYva5h7-mliGX4H3XybAgsUnbOuI7xOHwvx9xdxb-sFV57QTuMipNFFMuAUBtPP_7TNOzBFrHcMqqPogdq2fIVVATWA89cvWNuH5CWHVKcQ82l_R_FX/s320/P1040275.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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After the diary pages, is space for notes. The diary tabs came from a shop on eBay. As you can see, I just tear out the note pages when I no longer need them! If I run out of note space before the end of the year, I still have a spare elastic that I can pop another pocket notebook under.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvVuo-svWsEyQsFxlwrR9G4iFgdnsKzbMwKNE2oYCzYNL8UxVvJpT4qM6ZAkH-774rNeOrHccL7K83IEt-FIyCHjJXIkV04MSILwj9kfE0jolz7DSUA3Joxy_Ne152nfupaawh6TMIbCS/s1600/P1040441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1010" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvVuo-svWsEyQsFxlwrR9G4iFgdnsKzbMwKNE2oYCzYNL8UxVvJpT4qM6ZAkH-774rNeOrHccL7K83IEt-FIyCHjJXIkV04MSILwj9kfE0jolz7DSUA3Joxy_Ne152nfupaawh6TMIbCS/s320/P1040441.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dullest notes in the world!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Right at the back is a homemade card holder. Essentially, I followed the tutorial below! These are cards I don't need to access very often, so the potential flimsiness of the card holder is fine for me. That said, it's seemed pretty robust so far and it's definitely slimline!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQwIndyMDvzAdWKjThUv7xlgi5Oh0sqRTDsG43jjK7fDFLAJaL9BumHtd90teWlw7D2ebUJkVLpaVlCPIQjzrnLG_D6w8Fn_mhoSR7yAJp2MHJ6_WsgmP0cjkweGxFV16r5wdbqExYJBCl/s1600/P1040442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="759" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQwIndyMDvzAdWKjThUv7xlgi5Oh0sqRTDsG43jjK7fDFLAJaL9BumHtd90teWlw7D2ebUJkVLpaVlCPIQjzrnLG_D6w8Fn_mhoSR7yAJp2MHJ6_WsgmP0cjkweGxFV16r5wdbqExYJBCl/s320/P1040442.JPG" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade slim card holder</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KYXz_qOndd0" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
In the back cover is a curved pocket and the pen loop (which I also don't really use).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvoJdYxNUAjhZD7Gr5WIkikNYwSsKBQX1VOfS5y7sHxHN1OSWey7habW8Fu__fGExoPQWnyIRA6FWqhyMEYc8hQw4bED5qgqHxxbjKh8NPCbwVqP5h_35bD5Vu1CSNEKs_Waty9UETqIts/s1600/P1040443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="701" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvoJdYxNUAjhZD7Gr5WIkikNYwSsKBQX1VOfS5y7sHxHN1OSWey7habW8Fu__fGExoPQWnyIRA6FWqhyMEYc8hQw4bED5qgqHxxbjKh8NPCbwVqP5h_35bD5Vu1CSNEKs_Waty9UETqIts/s320/P1040443.JPG" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside back cover</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I don't really bother with making my EDC pretty (and the only pretty aspect to my Box Clever diary is pre-printed!), but this is smart and functional and does everything I need.<br />
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<div>
What do you all think?</div>
Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-52876118713489162482019-05-03T16:00:00.000+01:002019-05-03T16:00:00.589+01:00B5 bonanza!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbuYvheJfIfQpJWs5eG4UdrcHS7h-7Nmy6z3ItiEQfy8gwVmvRklpowp1ZDcD1uAN7pHUGDGIhNZhP6vgRCkgRhi8kT9luFFKTcFZuLhbdPSOjQ2LovLuJ-5yP5Xt8UogqksFY17IZUD65/s1600/P1040363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="797" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbuYvheJfIfQpJWs5eG4UdrcHS7h-7Nmy6z3ItiEQfy8gwVmvRklpowp1ZDcD1uAN7pHUGDGIhNZhP6vgRCkgRhi8kT9luFFKTcFZuLhbdPSOjQ2LovLuJ-5yP5Xt8UogqksFY17IZUD65/s320/P1040363.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
There aren't all that many places that sell B5 (at least, not in the UK) and those B5 notebooks that are reasonably easy to get (via eBay or Amazon) are often poor quality. <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/07/rosaliny-green-world-4-assorted.html" target="_blank">These ones</a> are okay, but just don't play nicely with fountain pen.<br />
<br />
Well, despite the fact I'm <i>deep</i> into editing the fantasy trilogy I've been writing for a few years (hopefully published later this year... watch this space! Or watch my <a href="https://www.amandafleet.co.uk/" target="_blank">author website</a> - I'm more likely to talk about it all there!), the next book is giving me the occasional poke. And so (naturally) I start thinking about new notebooks.<br />
<br />
I've been through a variety of notebook sizes while writing (and even dabbled with <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2011/11/still-loving-my-book-planning-filofax.html" target="_blank">a writing Filofax</a> at one point, which didn't work out anything like as well as I hoped it would). But at the moment, I've settled on B5 as a good size for me. Partway between A5 and A4, it offers a decent amount of real-estate without taking up the entirety of my desk when lying open. I've also <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/05/battered-deskfax-to-b5-travelers.html" target="_blank">renovated an old Filofax Deskfax into a B5 traveller's notebook</a> (to use as a writing TN).<br />
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This week was National Stationery Week and <a href="https://www.thejournalshop.com/" target="_blank">The Journal Shop</a> did a site-wide 15% off. They sell quite a few B5 books, most of them Japanese and therefore amazing paper and so I treated myself to a small (ahem) selection.<br />
<br />
<b>The haul:</b><br />
1x Life Kappan Note<br />
2x Tsubame Notebooks<br />
3x Penco Hightide Notebooks (purple, black, pink)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNdst9ctQFnIfvh8GdNPPh5gEupoofTmsrz13tPLOHrkE-IBqYdkR0pv5N-DBZcaeLOk8dboWX9uXuhdlN72aRqm8POr3qILJxz61GIv-JOM_7vw8Sw6nAgng71u6t7pbM0T2tZXPH8_5V/s1600/P1040364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="735" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNdst9ctQFnIfvh8GdNPPh5gEupoofTmsrz13tPLOHrkE-IBqYdkR0pv5N-DBZcaeLOk8dboWX9uXuhdlN72aRqm8POr3qILJxz61GIv-JOM_7vw8Sw6nAgng71u6t7pbM0T2tZXPH8_5V/s200/P1040364.JPG" width="143" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONTMYgln7Z8KcPSUY6WVPeOEU6DwpLQ0P_I_jAzfkoH0Du76JQ7J8UCaET56MkeyWujGQukGQHGVVawjKd4TrZRUAyrfhelCWJuo2hiM5btknK-JLzs68xkhX80o4uk8i3vHbyG4pBFSt/s1600/P1040365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="744" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONTMYgln7Z8KcPSUY6WVPeOEU6DwpLQ0P_I_jAzfkoH0Du76JQ7J8UCaET56MkeyWujGQukGQHGVVawjKd4TrZRUAyrfhelCWJuo2hiM5btknK-JLzs68xkhX80o4uk8i3vHbyG4pBFSt/s200/P1040365.JPG" width="145" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbS-XPBKefnP_JFllCBAl9H2gBRMe0n0pldJJMPYsEpzGidwQiAi_B1sg0GFwfNaqRo-_ui4NWEE2zsdjL6upWXJjFheJw-O0j9jBK_ekxCqPTE9ph7rMfSvf8IUY-MUUvFtZ5b8lt-BrI/s1600/P1040366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="741" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbS-XPBKefnP_JFllCBAl9H2gBRMe0n0pldJJMPYsEpzGidwQiAi_B1sg0GFwfNaqRo-_ui4NWEE2zsdjL6upWXJjFheJw-O0j9jBK_ekxCqPTE9ph7rMfSvf8IUY-MUUvFtZ5b8lt-BrI/s200/P1040366.JPG" width="144" /></a></div>
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How do they compare and contrast?<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><b>Cost per page</b> (I've listed the full price at The Journal Shop; other retailers may sell them for less - if so, let me know?):<br />
Life Kappan: £8.99/80 pages (sides) = 11.23p/side<br />
Penco Hightide: £3.99/60 pages (sides) = 6.65p/side<br />
Tsubame Note Book £3.99/60 pages (sides) = 6.65p/side<br />
<br />
You don't need to be hugely observant to spot that a) the Life Kappan is almost twice as much per page as the other two, and b) the other two are the same price.<br />
<br />
So what are the other differences?<br />
<br />
<b>Line spacing; top and bottom margins:</b><br />
Life Kappan: top margin = 25 mm, bottom margin = 23 mm, line spacing = 7 mm, lines/page = 30<br />
Penco Hightide: top margin = 20 mm, bottom margin = 14 mm, line spacing = 7 mm, lines/page = 31<br />
Tsubame Note Book: top margin = 23 mm, bottom margin = 18 mm, line spacing = 7.5 mm, lines/page = 28<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj12WL8n_F8dKkc5F20AE24SoL1XQiGaVSI7sdVwk4MYeQzDydGDVTNtyffg1Z7-xjDEaSc3b2woVpWoLdfOGRJ0iRXYagMwaqTh_pe5wEqttGm_V3mtfwSSIicF5e9Wd-tbAi8mcjuSyS5/s1600/P1040370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="759" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj12WL8n_F8dKkc5F20AE24SoL1XQiGaVSI7sdVwk4MYeQzDydGDVTNtyffg1Z7-xjDEaSc3b2woVpWoLdfOGRJ0iRXYagMwaqTh_pe5wEqttGm_V3mtfwSSIicF5e9Wd-tbAi8mcjuSyS5/s320/P1040370.JPG" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Life Kappan page</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbu5_RRu-zuPzl2SKKCi4XGGs8FaCv0IJeqwdLzABMiMDra3rQeJ2PBrK20nqOcB3zIclWnqe3iORsXM56okhxHYZ7jVYPJs9wMJ4J0xEp5_cwSaVfluc1Q9TgToXFdVQmVw74YD6rtY5j/s1600/P1040368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="752" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbu5_RRu-zuPzl2SKKCi4XGGs8FaCv0IJeqwdLzABMiMDra3rQeJ2PBrK20nqOcB3zIclWnqe3iORsXM56okhxHYZ7jVYPJs9wMJ4J0xEp5_cwSaVfluc1Q9TgToXFdVQmVw74YD6rtY5j/s320/P1040368.JPG" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Penco Hightide page</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD6IcuHZonbDA7x9XQAm3QQXE-84Ywa35JDh2jgNSYrV7gCsw1n2aLFVQ_hTGlblmHc0KjPWDfSo4NNJWE8RS4cgaLpRfPr0P0BfxeAkoI9CUijs81MqadJU6l7n1kLO2NBBd-6-FPZ83y/s1600/P1040369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="748" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD6IcuHZonbDA7x9XQAm3QQXE-84Ywa35JDh2jgNSYrV7gCsw1n2aLFVQ_hTGlblmHc0KjPWDfSo4NNJWE8RS4cgaLpRfPr0P0BfxeAkoI9CUijs81MqadJU6l7n1kLO2NBBd-6-FPZ83y/s320/P1040369.JPG" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Life Tsubame page</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Table of Contents?</b><br />
Life Kappan: No<br />
Penco Hightide: Yes<br />
Tsubame Note Book: No<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYIMdGn3Pwvy3s04CgQz84NsZyq9xwQJJfYlHAlz1KTeDAA9BV_PZQPZtoWWTQ2n5srUUb0cR9-STPeDVJjv00ITvKQY1dbomEvSqvmpMaF5cnPyhWfIi1GNEh5lTQIna_AoALXDOE_Zh/s1600/P1040367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="759" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYIMdGn3Pwvy3s04CgQz84NsZyq9xwQJJfYlHAlz1KTeDAA9BV_PZQPZtoWWTQ2n5srUUb0cR9-STPeDVJjv00ITvKQY1dbomEvSqvmpMaF5cnPyhWfIi1GNEh5lTQIna_AoALXDOE_Zh/s320/P1040367.JPG" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Table of Contents page in Penco Hightide</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Marks on the margins:</b><br />
Life Kappan: Yes - small triangles, 10 mm spacing<br />
Penco Hightide: No<br />
Tsubame Note Book: Yes - small dashes, distinct from the line, 10.35 mm spacing<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9BLSsP4aKNQYY8MXURrqotgHvbWgwFfmocZjs0frXgFWewpU1HiTKTeqMmlEwG8_q8SsTZ0Byq2laeN4Ox94vjNUHUMltdS0gF4JArc3Uf69Rpa7uGB0boFk2MM2j-XdEr6Sr0tQXx6mX/s1600/P1040373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="1024" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9BLSsP4aKNQYY8MXURrqotgHvbWgwFfmocZjs0frXgFWewpU1HiTKTeqMmlEwG8_q8SsTZ0Byq2laeN4Ox94vjNUHUMltdS0gF4JArc3Uf69Rpa7uGB0boFk2MM2j-XdEr6Sr0tQXx6mX/s320/P1040373.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Life Kappan marks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0M-5ta576xG8Jo0Q-dTmUBKsTe_zj2-_2ksg3nw82MW_SimDcglxS9joPYkcS4matb4EgO_ezCwkSlbwfgKvO5PDL1DnTMsaGa58ECWb-D7V9MXirE1ACvsi2PzxSKvTwX2nmoyr-8F8p/s1600/P1040372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="989" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0M-5ta576xG8Jo0Q-dTmUBKsTe_zj2-_2ksg3nw82MW_SimDcglxS9joPYkcS4matb4EgO_ezCwkSlbwfgKvO5PDL1DnTMsaGa58ECWb-D7V9MXirE1ACvsi2PzxSKvTwX2nmoyr-8F8p/s320/P1040372.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tsubame marks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'm not going to do pen-tests on these, as I've bought them in the past and they have great paper!<br />
<br />
So, which is the 'best'? Well, for value for money, I would say that the Penco or the Tsubame are, as the price per page is about half that of the other (Life Kappan). Of the two, Penco has more lines per page and a table of contents page, so they probably win out, but only by a slim margin. There are no margin marks, but unless you do a lot of tables in your notebooks (or have other reasons you want to draw straight vertical lines) then it's probably not a deal-breaker.<br />
<br />
What will I be using them for? Plotting and planning the next book, of course!Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-71326880338991034112019-04-07T11:00:00.000+01:002019-04-07T11:00:07.483+01:00Current set-up: diary, to do/notes, and Travellers NotebookI haven't blogged on here for a while (I've been busy writing and editing my novels, as well as writing for Nero's Notes), but I did tell you about my <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/12/my-day-to-day-diary-for-2019.html" target="_blank">2019 diary a while back</a>, so I thought, since we're now in the second quarter of 2019, I should update you on how it's going.<br />
<br />
I'm pretty much using the same system that I've used in the past, but with a couple of tweaks. I have my main diary/planner, which lives on my desk and never goes anywhere else, I have a running list of 'stuff to do/remember' and I have my Every Day Carry that is usually in my handbag as it's predominantly a wallet.<br />
<br />
<b>Main Diary:</b><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBgWaG-BhL3y7ov5ZZl_OH8_3hyti32go7mtzm1ouYYGbD1R2LJ77sLcjUsKtdRacsmL80PKz9FJSIc5Dp3GBkZGF7k54DcgXHVM9yShLnBJ8PvU6OdJ728dG-MABYuHxvW4AF1mlHv4q/s1600/P1040285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="1024" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBgWaG-BhL3y7ov5ZZl_OH8_3hyti32go7mtzm1ouYYGbD1R2LJ77sLcjUsKtdRacsmL80PKz9FJSIc5Dp3GBkZGF7k54DcgXHVM9yShLnBJ8PvU6OdJ728dG-MABYuHxvW4AF1mlHv4q/s320/P1040285.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This is still the Box Clever Press one I blogged about. This has honestly been one of the best diaries I have ever used! I'm even using the month at a glance pages (and we all know how <i>terrible</i> I am at knowing what they're for!).<br />
<br />
So, why is it so good?<br />
<a name='more'></a>A few reasons...<br />
<br />
<u>1. The weekly layout.</u><br />
This is the beating heart of my diary! As you can see in the picture above, this has a vertical layout, and Saturday and Sunday have the same space. There's a column at the left where I list the tasks for the week. Along the bottom are the weekly goals, which link back to pages at the start of each month. I'll come on to them in a moment.<br />
<br />
Each day is split into thirds. You might want to have a different third for different family members. I use it as morning, afternoon and evening (though the evening bit is usually blank). I time-box what I'm doing over the day. Appointments are blocked off at the appropriate time. I start with 8am as the top line, use 2 lines per hour and usually stop labelling the hours when I get to the bottom third (which would be 6pm with this system), unless I do have things happening in the evening.<br />
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<u>2. The monthly goals pages</u><br />
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I don't actually use the expenditure page as for any expenses, but as a list of tasks for the month. I put correction tape over the date and bills bits and use the line as one continuous line, and the check box at the end for ticking tasks off. It works for me!<br />
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<u>3. The month to view page</u>
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I don't record much on these pages - mostly scheduled blog posts, which get a juicy big tick next to them when they are completely written and all the pictures etc are done. I don't really use the notes strip down the right-hand side either (as I use the expenditure pages for task lists). Since I now write on 3 blogs (here; my author site - <a href="http://www.amandafleet.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.amandafleet.co.uk</a>; and for Nero's Notes - <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/blogs/news" target="_blank">https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/blogs/news</a>) the month to view is a handy place to see which blogs have posts written and which don't (and yes, I know there haven't been many on here!). I also block off time I'm away so that I don't forget to schedule ahead for times when I won't be able to access the internet.<br />
<br />
<b>To Do/Notes</b><br />
This also largely lives on my desk, partly because I'm not sensible enough to remember to take it out with me (and anyway, my EDC has a notebook in it), but mostly because 90% of the time I need it, I'm at my desk.<br />
Currently, this is a hateful Moleskine thing - 9 x 14 cm - with quite narrow ruling (6 mm). I'm using it to get rid of it and I'm writing in pencil in it because the paper is dreadful for fountain pen (and a lot of other pens, frankly!). I don't bullet journal - this is a running list of things to do, or notes I've needed. As soon as the item is no longer relevant, it's crossed out. At the top outer edge of the page is a circle - "The Circle of Done" - an idea I've poached from "<a href="https://thecalendex.com/square-of-done/" target="_blank">The Square of Done</a>". If I moved to a squared notebook for my to do/notes book, it would become a square of done. Essentially, since I don't keep transcribing uncompleted tasks to a new page (the way a bullet journal does), but keep all of the to do as a long list, once everything on the page has been done/is irrelevant, I colour in the circle. This tells me without having to scan down the page, that there's nothing needed on it. I'm on page 6 of the book and no page has a circle filled in yet... there always seems to be one pesky thing still on it. I may (after all) transcribe all the long-term/less vital things on to a new page and fill in the circle, just to tidy it up! As I progress through, completed pages may well get torn out and discarded.<br />
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<b>Every Day Carry</b><br />
This is still my undyed pocket traveller's notebook from Meadowgate Leather, which is a fabulous colour now.<br />
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In it I have a fabric wallet insert, which holds a few bank cards, has an open pocket and a zipped pocket. After that, is a diary and notebook, made from another hateful Moleskine. I've drawn out a page per view diary at the front, and the back is for jotting the rare notes I need to when I'm out and about.<br />
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There are so few appointments that need to go into this when I'm out, that the tiny diary is okay. It's almost entirely hospital or doctor appointments for my parents, or my next hair appointment. As soon as I get in, I transfer them to the A5 main diary on my desk.<br />
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Behind that, is a homemade card holder, made from pieces of card and laminated to hold it together. One day I may share how I made that! It holds all the cards I sort of need if I'm out, but not very often (loyalty cards... that kind of thing). As it's just made from card and laminated, it's very slim.<br />
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And that's it...Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-60999912445233530712019-02-09T14:30:00.000+00:002019-02-09T14:32:08.556+00:00News!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTv2-Q41hcTd5nhpE7H9MWrVHEGtZgfC7YZYlOvsuZL8D-wfGUlGJsICqniczLewDpa_kEpKaCmV9sVLktzMGwoyBME8jYqTmmWVE0LDoHdgRrgP_d6q0pha9SWqvaISR9M7uKLstGzY4/s1600/neros-notes_360x.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Logo of a black dog with a monocle and the name Nero's Notes" border="0" data-original-height="143" data-original-width="360" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTv2-Q41hcTd5nhpE7H9MWrVHEGtZgfC7YZYlOvsuZL8D-wfGUlGJsICqniczLewDpa_kEpKaCmV9sVLktzMGwoyBME8jYqTmmWVE0LDoHdgRrgP_d6q0pha9SWqvaISR9M7uKLstGzY4/s320/neros-notes_360x.png" title="Nero's Notes" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Those of you who've followed me for a while (bless you!) will know that as well having an addiction to stationery, I also write books (you can see the covers in the sidebar here!). Well... I'm now managing to combine both loves as <a href="https://stuartlennon.com/" target="_blank">Stuart Lennon</a> has asked me to write for the blog on <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/" target="_blank">Nero's Notes</a>.<br />
<br />
I first 'met' Stu a couple of years ago. There are quotation marks, because in fact, Stu and I haven't ever met in real life (though I hope we will one day). We were both part of a #writingchat chat on Twitter (where various writers come together via Twitter on a Wednesday night from 8-9 pm UK time, to talk about a range of topics relating to writing) and the topic for the night was writing buddies. Neither Stu nor I had a writing buddy, nor were we in any writing groups. To cut a long story short, Stu and I swapped a small chunk of writing, gave feedback to each other and have ended up good buddies ever since!<br />
<br />
Stu is now one of my beta readers - a very select group who read my books when I'm happy enough with them I can bear the thought of someone else seeing them, but with still some work to do on them. He also shares my love of good stationery. In fact, so much so that he bought a pocket notebook company! It was originally called Pocket Notebooks, but under Stu's guidance, has become <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/" target="_blank">Nero's Notes</a>. You'll have seen a number of reviews of things from there, over the last wee while (and in case you missed them, I'll pop a list at the end).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFc3wdRKjnUrkLSdwIotWj__aAtRg3WaNgrzHydaDMl5f-Tc6nG0_-S3Ky5tKredXv6_faO4WQv8tl_Su1HBW5cDNlmb8wJVCDvx9zA1Tlfa2axW-8RjQVDra-1XmjPAGOlVu-k7DtAHg/s1600/letters-2111546_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Picture of pen, paper, envelopes and ink bottle, for letter writing" border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFc3wdRKjnUrkLSdwIotWj__aAtRg3WaNgrzHydaDMl5f-Tc6nG0_-S3Ky5tKredXv6_faO4WQv8tl_Su1HBW5cDNlmb8wJVCDvx9zA1Tlfa2axW-8RjQVDra-1XmjPAGOlVu-k7DtAHg/s200/letters-2111546_640.jpg" title="Letter writing" width="200" /></a></div>
Stu is also one of the friends that I write to. Yes, I still write proper letters to people, on proper paper and put them in proper envelopes, add a stamp and post them. In fact, my very first blog post for Stu is on writing letters and it comes out on Wednesday. Please pop over to the <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/blogs/news" target="_blank">blog</a> and check it out? It should be up after 2 pm.<br />
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If you're reading this blog, the chances are that you share my love of good stationery, so go and have a rummage through the Nero's Notes site. There are <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/collections/all-notebooks" target="_blank">notebooks</a>, <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/collections/durable-pocket-sized-pens" target="_blank">pens</a>, <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/collections/pencils-1" target="_blank">pencils</a>, <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/collections/accessories-1" target="_blank">accessories</a> and some excellent <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/collections/subscriptions" target="_blank">subscription boxes</a> to feed your habit. There's some amazing stuff on there, including some things you won't be able to get anywhere else in the UK. Hopefully see you all over there!<br />
<br />
<b><u>Reviews of Nero's Notes (originally Pocket Notebooks) things:</u></b><br />
(Each link opens in a new window)<br />
<a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2017/02/papio-press-a6-notebooks-review.html" target="_blank">PapioPress A6 Notebooks</a><br />
<a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2017/02/darkstar-collection-review.html" target="_blank">Darkstar Collection</a><br />
<a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2017/02/write-pocket-notebooks-review.html" target="_blank">Write pocket notebooks</a><br />
<a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2017/02/rhodia-rhodiarama-review.html" target="_blank">Rhodia Rhodiarama</a><br />
<a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2017/04/review-of-new-darkstar-collection.html" target="_blank">New Darkstar Collection</a><br />
<a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2017/05/stationery-box-from-pocket-notebooks.html" target="_blank">Stationery Box (subscription)</a><br />
<a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2017/05/word-notebooks-review.html" target="_blank">Word. notebooks</a><br />
<a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2017/05/inky-fingers-currently-inked-review.html" target="_blank">Inky Fingers Currently Inked</a> (sadly no longer available)<br />
<a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/07/6-for-6-from-neros-notes.html" target="_blank">6 for £6</a><br />
<a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/08/leuchtturm-lined-slim-softcover-notebook.html" target="_blank">Leuchtturm lined slim softcover</a><br />
<a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/10/poach-my-lobster-notebook-review.html" target="_blank">Poach My Lobster notebook</a><br />
<br />Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-10794566764366414412018-12-14T17:30:00.000+00:002018-12-14T17:33:15.037+00:00My day to day diary for 2019In my last post, I said how I was staying in my Field Notes sized TN from Meadowgate Leather as my everyday carry. I only need a month to view calendar while out and about, but I need a larger diary to plan my days, so am finishing up using my standard sized TN diary (that I've used all year) until the end of December.<br />
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For <b>2019</b>, I'm staying in the Field Notes sized TN and using the <a href="https://boxcleverpress.com/everyday-diary-2019-a5.html" target="_blank">A5 Everyday Diary from Box Clever Press</a>.<br />
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I can spend a ridiculous amount of time choosing a diary (often time I can't really spare, but hey ho). To work well for me, I need a diary that:<br />
<ul>
<li>is about A5 size</li>
<li>has a week to a view with the days in vertical columns (so I can time-box)</li>
<li>has equal sized columns for Saturday and Sunday (my life isn't less busy, just because it's a weekend!)</li>
<li>has the week starting on a Monday (who in their right minds splits the weekend so that it bookends the week? It's a week<b>end</b>)</li>
<li>has space to list tasks for the week</li>
<li>preferably also has space to list Most Important Tasks for each day</li>
<li>would help me with planning my week/month/year</li>
<li>preferably is pretty/attractive because I have neither the time nor talent to do it myself but like the look of them</li>
<li>will lie flat on the desk</li>
<li>preferably has 2 ribbon markers, but at least one</li>
</ul>
Not much to ask for, is it?? You can see why I can end up trawling shops and the internet for yonks, trying to find this mythical beast.<br />
<br />
Well, this year <b>I have struck gold!! </b>I've got the <a href="https://boxcleverpress.com/everyday-diary-2019-a5.html" target="_blank">2019 A5 Everyday Diary from Box Clever Press</a>.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>It's a planning diary and has some great features. At the start, there's space to write down plans and dreams for the year, and break these down into monthly chunks.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCj8Uuwhbb7g9wUuidnQb501O1hNk7qGfqwN-EorvUidCqP1gBzqpgQxPKDy_Xukd0ahCNdOJCVD_6mYw8wdngPwr4EVw_VmdyG_LQVq-U2Zqj6LbXNSNIUmjjRkf-F4k5ugmO6ic5cKI/s1600/P1040280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="1024" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCj8Uuwhbb7g9wUuidnQb501O1hNk7qGfqwN-EorvUidCqP1gBzqpgQxPKDy_Xukd0ahCNdOJCVD_6mYw8wdngPwr4EVw_VmdyG_LQVq-U2Zqj6LbXNSNIUmjjRkf-F4k5ugmO6ic5cKI/s320/P1040280.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2019 calendar on the left; plans and goals on the right</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoF777tgvU8uvZAyrFkhvSLss9OZqiTJyzyPk2WkrW-rEqglFi5VKBXg2wC6HTV0ZXNBQmELefXkXZkyA_E68pd33gwmrKcleG9Mc-g2zpAru00EEj9yd5qRzWO7li3iQmuSZ_zgTrwejq/s1600/P1040281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="745" data-original-width="1024" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoF777tgvU8uvZAyrFkhvSLss9OZqiTJyzyPk2WkrW-rEqglFi5VKBXg2wC6HTV0ZXNBQmELefXkXZkyA_E68pd33gwmrKcleG9Mc-g2zpAru00EEj9yd5qRzWO7li3iQmuSZ_zgTrwejq/s320/P1040281.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">space for monthly notes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There are also pages to help break down big projects into achievable chunks.<br />
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For those of you who like them there are month to view pages. I'll probably record my running and my word counts on these pages, because I don't really use monthly pages for much. These come after the previous month's weekly pages.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZtzD8b8Ic7WS5MmixiL0OQz70kmEMmcxRyAS4hhA_LOSkI5H-QltYspUeVrVUTR7Q0DDnOVudn58vhx4YrJPco4RPETP7KLUCM8nGYUom9upnhd3K5oNQ2hKi3zZY5fWoejNQlEjIqfE/s1600/P1040283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="759" data-original-width="1024" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZtzD8b8Ic7WS5MmixiL0OQz70kmEMmcxRyAS4hhA_LOSkI5H-QltYspUeVrVUTR7Q0DDnOVudn58vhx4YrJPco4RPETP7KLUCM8nGYUom9upnhd3K5oNQ2hKi3zZY5fWoejNQlEjIqfE/s320/P1040283.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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After the monthly spread, there is a space for monthly goals and a page to record monthly expenditure. I probably won't use the expenditure page as it's intended. I'm more likely to list the 'to do' for the month and use the 'Paid' column to check off when the task has been done.<br />
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But... the meat and drink of the diary is <b>this</b>... the week to view. This feels about as perfect as it can be, for me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbju863Qno7QdpVjT7YjGMxuiKUPuOWmlF7YIQA1yyUCndGCZwrYI99HQ3YQKntuC_QSRIYyj0i9clEP5DwPEiavlcKq5lsk2ya4f23loOQn0T4X95myJSrNi2idIhSb9MagWywl5L0Y1/s1600/P1040285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="1024" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbju863Qno7QdpVjT7YjGMxuiKUPuOWmlF7YIQA1yyUCndGCZwrYI99HQ3YQKntuC_QSRIYyj0i9clEP5DwPEiavlcKq5lsk2ya4f23loOQn0T4X95myJSrNi2idIhSb9MagWywl5L0Y1/s320/P1040285.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Vertical layout? Check.<br />
Equal billing for Saturday and Sunday? Check.<br />
Monday start to the week? Check.<br />
Space for the week's to do? Check.<br />
Space for noting progress on goals and plans? Check.<br />
Pretty/attractive? Check.<br />
Two ribbon markers? Check.<br />
Space to note the day's Most Important Tasks? Check.<br />
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The day column is split into three boxes, but otherwise is unstructured. I'll probably list my three MITs in the top box and use the middle box to time-box my morning and the bottom box to time-box my afternoon. I don't really ever plan evenings, but if I <i>am</i> doing anything that I want to note, I could use some of the bottom box. But you could also use it to note what three different people are doing, or notes for three different projects etc.<br />
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And the price point is very competitive... £10.99 including P+P. They do a range of diaries, so why not check them out?<br />
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Are there any negatives? Well, it currently doesn't lie spectacularly flat, but it will. 😃<br />
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Anyone else found their perfect diary?</div>
Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-75996313456175322162018-12-09T16:00:00.000+00:002018-12-09T16:00:12.621+00:00Short-lived experiment!Towards the start of October, I was wondering what to use as my diary set-up in 2019. It had been a choice between three TNs (standard, B6 and Field Notes size) or go back to a Filofax. You can see my thoughts about it all <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/10/what-diary-to-use-in-2019.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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I was itching to use my Field Notes size TN, but wasn't sure if I could make it work as wallet, planner and notebook.<br />
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Short answer... Nope. Well, not quite as I had thought I would.<br />
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I'd bought a fairly cheap diary to fit in it (the <a href="https://amzn.to/2RGDE6s" target="_blank">teNeues one</a>... see <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/10/teneues-cool-diary-2019-weekly-diary.html" target="_blank">here </a>for the blog post on it), which had a vertical layout. It fitted in okay, though the TN ended up a bit of a chunky monkey with that, a wallet insert and a home-made credit card insert. The teNeues diary started in December, so I thought I would trial it, and see how it went (while I still also had my standard size, vertical layout, Midori TN diary to hand). I could have made it less chunky by removing the cover of the diary, but it wasn't really the chunkiness that made it not work, it was the fact the small diary wasn't big enough for me to plan my days and weeks in.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfd_QGHm7I0lyaFOiv8Ndd7P9EeZ_arzZlJF9dO8ATNMhwZc2DRedJBgzx2DjPCIEEbkgxLJMmojhGLSX5WkqLmgCPK-PPQxCvh57N7W6Mku4yGmTE9RpJDrV3ginhXUznxjBQRZRBWFCs/s1600/P1040266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="945" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfd_QGHm7I0lyaFOiv8Ndd7P9EeZ_arzZlJF9dO8ATNMhwZc2DRedJBgzx2DjPCIEEbkgxLJMmojhGLSX5WkqLmgCPK-PPQxCvh57N7W6Mku4yGmTE9RpJDrV3ginhXUznxjBQRZRBWFCs/s320/P1040266.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The teNeues layout</td></tr>
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But, I still really loved using my Field Notes sized TN, not least because it's undyed and the colour is changing in an amazing way!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Pg1txDdUW2M4npLgNKAPjAPpwD-8mbUP9eJudovmdON04Z4jZFHHxv6E2Tq9zSpS0luxVKHrIWdqb95VT5XjFXjN7Syvz3U_MQTHHlptN6Iqb5f_1XMGoEOG1JRpSWvxB_uD6PYETXtl/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Pg1txDdUW2M4npLgNKAPjAPpwD-8mbUP9eJudovmdON04Z4jZFHHxv6E2Tq9zSpS0luxVKHrIWdqb95VT5XjFXjN7Syvz3U_MQTHHlptN6Iqb5f_1XMGoEOG1JRpSWvxB_uD6PYETXtl/s320/001.JPG" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was it when I got it...</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQXAj5qY6LQTVKbxvPgY7SPtmEEET-sOCueFTEl7cVUIAnz5dZEmtuD5jdaQylElR8O1p_iBb_5gljcBgSqlKtt3kJwVQ7A25-_jI0J2_Nc-svR_lbq3HInr39feUOFQrrxx7jzEDIhpl/s1600/P1040257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="1024" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQXAj5qY6LQTVKbxvPgY7SPtmEEET-sOCueFTEl7cVUIAnz5dZEmtuD5jdaQylElR8O1p_iBb_5gljcBgSqlKtt3kJwVQ7A25-_jI0J2_Nc-svR_lbq3HInr39feUOFQrrxx7jzEDIhpl/s320/P1040257.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this is it now...</td></tr>
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So, what to do? I could go back to using a standard size TN for diary/planner/wallet/notebook which was what I'd been using for ages. Or, I could change what's in the Field Notes TN to try and make it work.<br />
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I looked at what I needed when I'm planning my week/day and what I need when I'm out and about. When I'm planning my day/week, I like to time-box tasks/work/stuff and have a list of 'to do' for the week that I work through and tick off. Until I was trialling the Field Notes TN, this was all done in the vertical TN diary which lay open on my desk so I could see it while I worked at home.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi556cau9u8VRRGWdntpIpH8VHXFMFjXfHTfxydPrlMSDntykW67HY7Jn2qRgsuU6bj01lA7h-n8-W1_DlMEGNxgwJJ962Gvq1xqxh6-Oc9Sb1emW2QROI1Pywb0rQ33STlvD2V_ooFxVPs/s1600/P1030792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="860" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi556cau9u8VRRGWdntpIpH8VHXFMFjXfHTfxydPrlMSDntykW67HY7Jn2qRgsuU6bj01lA7h-n8-W1_DlMEGNxgwJJ962Gvq1xqxh6-Oc9Sb1emW2QROI1Pywb0rQ33STlvD2V_ooFxVPs/s320/P1030792.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sample page from my TN diary</td></tr>
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The teNeues diary was <i>way</i> too small for this. Saturday and Sunday shared a column (which was okay for noting appointments/events but hopeless for planning into) and I had to use a to-do list Post-It note (which was mobile and could be shifted from one side of the week to the other, as needed). But it just wasn't working. The diary was too chunky to lay flat on my desk <i>and</i> too small to use the way I wanted to.<div>
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While out and about, what I need is my wallet (money, cards etc), a diary to note appointments down in (and no more - no planning is needed), and a notebook. In all honesty, I usually have another notebook in my bag too, in case book inspiration occurs, but I keep book notes separate from other notes. I used to just pick up my standard TN, as everything was in there. The advantage of it all being in one: there was only ever one thing to have to pick up and all appointments/events were noted in a single place (therefore no transcription error and no forgetting to copy across to a planner). The disadvantage: the standard TN was big.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So, the teNeues diary in this smaller TN was too thick for what I needed out and about (making the TN a chunky little beast), but too small for actually doing any decent planning in.</div>
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The solution?</div>
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<div>
I've made myself a month to view diary in a Field Notes size notebook (using up another hateful Moleskine that I'd acquired, despite my best efforts to avoid them), which has the months at the front and plenty of space for any notes at the back. On my desk is the standard size TN that I've been using so far this year for week/day planning and will continue to use for the rest of 2018.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkyheYLzW1AK4QQPVRqFbiuS8m_pMqii1ct3w4SXkhWGQd4uOHfIN3ddFiLjWjwwz-IcwuNFAaZEPao2Vf2cf2LzLm8zHexkAQidrZr-A6fIQn6Sowew8hULCfe91Z2TEx-To6gF-fx99c/s1600/P1040275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="950" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkyheYLzW1AK4QQPVRqFbiuS8m_pMqii1ct3w4SXkhWGQd4uOHfIN3ddFiLjWjwwz-IcwuNFAaZEPao2Vf2cf2LzLm8zHexkAQidrZr-A6fIQn6Sowew8hULCfe91Z2TEx-To6gF-fx99c/s320/P1040275.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The home-made monthly diary in a hateful Moleskine</td></tr>
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<br />Yeah, okay, Saturday and Sunday are still sharing a column in the month to view, but since this is only for noting down appointments/events, it's okay. I've used washi tape to block off the parts of the week which aren't dates, to remind me where the month ends/starts and also to try and pretty up the pages a bit. For the months where it should really have had 6 rows to accommodate all of the month, I've just included some dates on the month before/month following, so that only 5 rows are needed.<br />
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That lives in my TN, along with my money and cards, and since it's only a slim little book, the TN is nowhere near as chunky as it was. There's space in the back of the diary for notes out and about. The week/day planning happens in the standard TN on my desk. The trick is remembering to transfer across any dates from the monthly diary to the planning diary, but I have very few, so should manage to keep on top of it.<br />
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And in 2019...?<br />
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I'm keeping going with the monthly diary in the TN and am going to use an <a href="https://boxcleverpress.com/everyday-diary-2019-a5.html" target="_blank">A5 weekly diary/planner</a> from Box Clever Press. Which is amazing and I'll blog about it soon!</div>
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Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-19910548734731899082018-10-21T10:00:00.000+01:002018-10-21T10:00:02.489+01:00teNeues Cool Diary 2019 Weekly diary review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA2zgkgfY-bYPetEabeLvxztDrVVE1u3yW2J_xW4Z0U4-rQWLyC3vPDLzVZKfYTZP-JFpkB1eFyI_rXIyALPGmcTHSYybaVXRpDRz3h05wEoB_HYwzJHc-55BTu8SGjsk5fQxmnQS9nvE9/s1600/P1040258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="806" data-original-width="551" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA2zgkgfY-bYPetEabeLvxztDrVVE1u3yW2J_xW4Z0U4-rQWLyC3vPDLzVZKfYTZP-JFpkB1eFyI_rXIyALPGmcTHSYybaVXRpDRz3h05wEoB_HYwzJHc-55BTu8SGjsk5fQxmnQS9nvE9/s320/P1040258.JPG" width="218" /></a></div>
I've been umming and awwing about what to use in 2019 (see <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/10/what-diary-to-use-in-2019.html" target="_blank">here</a> for latest witterings) and bought myself a small diary to use in a <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2017/06/new-travellers-notebook-from-meadowgate.html" target="_blank">Field Notes size Traveller's Notebook</a>. The one I bought is a 9 x 14 cm <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/2019-teNeues-Grey-Cool-Diary/dp/B077ZH9D55" target="_blank">TeNeues Cool Diary weekly diary</a> (that is how the capital letters go in the label...). I got mine in blue, but it comes in a variety of colours.<br />
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It arrived the other day, so here's my review.<br />
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<b>Cover:</b><br />
The cover is a hard cover with nothing more than 2019 in silver on the blue on the front and the teNeues logo on the reverse. The cover is soft-touch synthetic. I'm not a huge lover of that, because I'm trying to reduce my plastic/non-recyclable purchases, but it's understated and fairly classic. That said, I'm in two minds over just removing it altogether, because it takes up thickness in the binder and the pages of the diary don't need protecting if it's in the TN cover.<br />
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<b>Inside:</b><br />
Right at the start is a name and address/personal details page, with pretty narrow line spacing (4.5 mm). I never fill these in, so I don't really care about the spacing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaAXUA2tcATuIV30fn4DiJ04HpVWHwQv89nv8Y9AHOSdf8s3JhQiPSnZxb0uFB7SK4UxaRkXJYUe7Diq3YkiJrrgoDjteQ_oXOs24U7Zhc91yCSctcA5dOf0soexhlD83NsC-Ot0R99lkC/s1600/P1040262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="636" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaAXUA2tcATuIV30fn4DiJ04HpVWHwQv89nv8Y9AHOSdf8s3JhQiPSnZxb0uFB7SK4UxaRkXJYUe7Diq3YkiJrrgoDjteQ_oXOs24U7Zhc91yCSctcA5dOf0soexhlD83NsC-Ot0R99lkC/s320/P1040262.JPG" width="198" /></a></div>
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Following that are two pages on world time differences and international dialling codes. Then there are monthly pages from November 2018 to December 2019, with a line for each day. Moon phases are included and again the line spacing is pretty tight at 4 mm.<br />
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After that are the months of 2019 in the box-format mini-calendars (you know, the ones I have no idea what they're for), with a lot of space around them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzM1ZXJ-2zkqz_63mO68R4GMGi6KRZP505PgFrzwJdjjaIrCFm7VQ2Aiwcit9tgzMGWD0DuHjxsZuIw3SHoYjoj3L7K2gyu73qfJDS5d6N7xcYQmM0N1Bdk5NtEVT2Y01zU7wVMdRLK5ZG/s1600/P1040264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="905" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzM1ZXJ-2zkqz_63mO68R4GMGi6KRZP505PgFrzwJdjjaIrCFm7VQ2Aiwcit9tgzMGWD0DuHjxsZuIw3SHoYjoj3L7K2gyu73qfJDS5d6N7xcYQmM0N1Bdk5NtEVT2Y01zU7wVMdRLK5ZG/s320/P1040264.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tYN0S01KMQF_HFP16nKlnWmJWnN5BKa7kOq-1yI-Yz6rNlq-FuAf6gd7jwpUGGslA2gErdM-Hp15QUI056AIBBcGFyBBr6BaXSjNipFcpRk9A4ejV0N5gy9ZgfRotIoqSIgBD4k5gYos/s1600/P1040265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="931" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tYN0S01KMQF_HFP16nKlnWmJWnN5BKa7kOq-1yI-Yz6rNlq-FuAf6gd7jwpUGGslA2gErdM-Hp15QUI056AIBBcGFyBBr6BaXSjNipFcpRk9A4ejV0N5gy9ZgfRotIoqSIgBD4k5gYos/s320/P1040265.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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After that, the week to view diary starts. The diary starts on 26th November 2018 and goes to 1st February 2020.<br />
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After that are monthly pages for 2020, with a line for each day. Right at the back are 37 sides for notes, with a line-spacing of 4.75 mm.<br />
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In the back inside cover is a pocket (like the ones in a Moleskine). The closure is a vertical elastic, there is an elasticated pen loop (same colour) and there is a ribbon marker, that could be a little longer as it only pokes out about 3.5 cm from the book.<br />
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<b>The diary layout:</b><br />
The layout is vertical (which is why I bought it). The week starts on Monday and Saturday and Sunday share a column (which isn't ideal, but I'll cope with it!).<br />
Across the top of the page is the month in a variety of languages. The date is in bold, with the day in several languages underneath. Moon phases are indicated too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPgyTuEaBpgMRH12UywrPaolhlTIKKrh1ekTOjy8P0xHhX9NJ-95s0vJZmxgRykge6lbT04KQLvQwWVzWjhcvgWAPKPn4e_lzgNk6MH9l9bbUE7JOGKGxyee76zVna1y1Xk9apksoriCr/s1600/P1040266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="945" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPgyTuEaBpgMRH12UywrPaolhlTIKKrh1ekTOjy8P0xHhX9NJ-95s0vJZmxgRykge6lbT04KQLvQwWVzWjhcvgWAPKPn4e_lzgNk6MH9l9bbUE7JOGKGxyee76zVna1y1Xk9apksoriCr/s320/P1040266.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The days with a full column have 16 lines, with a line spacing of ~6.5 mm. There are no times marked, so you can use them for a list of to-do, or you can set your own times up. I've already added in a few appointments for next year and have just put them approximately in the right place, - so a mid-morning appointment is written in about a sixth of the way down (though I haven't counted lines!).<br />
<br />
I do feel that there is a bit of wasted space towards the top of the page, with the month and then the date and day taking up 2.5 cm of the 13.5 cm height, but that's just me.<br />
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Paper is at the yellow end of cream. I'd have liked it a bit brighter/whiter, but again, that's a personal preference.<br />
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<b>Pen tests:</b><br />
Maybe a bit unfair, as this is for a planner/diary rather than for journalling, but I tested a handful of pens - both fountain pens and rollerballs/biros. The paper was actually pretty good! No feathering, no bleed-through and almost no show-through. Far less show-through than I get with Leuchtturm!<br />
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<b>Overall:</b><br />
I like it. It's a little bulky in my TN (though not ridiculously so). I love the fact that the format is vertical, rather than horizontal. I'm less keen on the fact Saturday and Sunday share a column, though it's not the end of the world. There are a lot of notes pages at the back, which would make it less necessary to have a separate notebook in the TN, though I'm still wondering whether to cut the cover off, to reduce the amount of bulk in the TN. Since it starts in December, I may switch over to it for a month, to see if I can get it to work for me. If a month works out okay, I'll stay in it. If it doesn't, I'll label up my blank regular size TN diary inserts and stay in the TN I'm currently in. I really do want to use the undyed TN cover I got from Meadowgate Leather, not least because of the amazing colour it's going!<br />
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Keep you posted!Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-29508330150646832792018-10-10T06:00:00.000+01:002018-10-10T06:00:01.184+01:00What diary to use in 2019?I know... it's barely October! And I don't normally have things planned hugely in advance, but we have just booked our summer holidays for 2019 and I'm feeling a bit twitchy that other than scribbling them down on the 'forward planner' bit I've created on the inside cover of my current diary, I have <i>nowhere</i> to put them down! I don't even have a wall calendar for 2019 and I'm <i>sure</i> magazines (like Country Living etc) have included them with the magazines by now.<br />
<br />
Anyway, it's got me thinking about what to use for 2019. I currently have three options, though I may throw in a fourth just for shits and giggles.<br />
<br />
1. Keep going with my standard-size Traveller's Notebook<br />
2. Move to my B6 Traveller's Notebook<br />
3. Move to a Field Notes size TN<br />
4. Go back to using a Filofax<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><b>1. Keep going with my standard-size Traveller's Notebook</b><br />
This is by far the easiest option. I have blank diaries already (<a href="https://amzn.to/2E3MmsZ" target="_blank">Traveler's Company 018</a>, though looking online at them now, mine have a different layout. Mine have all days with their own column and a blank column at the far RHS for notes). I also have the blank diaries, card-holder and the zipped insert etc. and all I would need to do is label up the blank diaries ready for next year and on January 1st, swap them in.<br />
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<b>2. Move to my <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/08/b6-travellers-notebook_11.html" target="_blank">B6 TN</a></b><br />
Hmm. Tempting, not least because I have a fabric wallet insert for this, and the TN is bright pink and I could do with a colour-pop at this time of year. I don't currently have a diary for it, although I have designed one and am thinking about printing it out. It would have the same format as the current week to view (vertical). I could also draw a version out as I have plenty of dot-grid paper (though printing might be quicker if I have the design right!). But... even though it's probably the same footprint as the regular TN, it now feels larger (it's shorter but wider). I suspect once I started using it, it would be fine.<br />
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<b>3. Move to a Field Notes size TN</b><br />
I have two - one is the <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2017/06/new-travellers-notebook-from-meadowgate.html" target="_blank">undyed beauty</a> I got from Meadowgate Leather. It started out very pale:<br />
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But this is it now...<br />
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It's the colour of boiled condensed milk!<br />
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I also have another one that is navy blue, with white stitching, which I bought secondhand. To be honest, I've not fallen in love with it and it's sat in a drawer since I got it. I suspect I will sell it soon.<br />
<br />
I would actually really like to move to the undyed one and it would be <i>relatively</i> easy as I have a gazillion notebooks that would fit in it, and I made myself a card holder. I've even ordered a <a href="https://amzn.to/2NsF6pS" target="_blank">cheap, vertical diary</a> to slot in. Okay, Saturday and Sunday share a column in it, but it would probably be okay because I don't have many things booked in on the weekends. Can I make Field Notes size work for diary and wallet? Hmm... Maybe.<br />
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<b>4. Go back to using a Filofax</b><br />
This isn't really a serious contender as I would want to use a vertical week to view, the way I did a million years ago when I still used a Filofax, and the ones available in the UK are not what I want (though you can get them in France...). If I <i>did</i> go back to one, it would probably be one of the Baroques I have (NO, I'm <i>still</i> not selling any of them. Don't waste your breath asking), or a Portland, or <i>possibly</i> a slimline. They all have a number of card slots and a zipped pocket in the cover. I sometimes think about going back to them - their footprint is similar to the TN and there is perhaps more flexibility with being able to remove pages and keep it lighter. But, they are heavy and the rings get in the way. Every now and then I wonder, though.<br />
<br />
I genuinely don't know which way to go with this. I may wait and see what the Field Notes size diary is like when it gets here. The B6 is tempting, but I would really want to be sure, before drawing out/printing up a diary for it. I may just stick with the regular size TN after all, and maybe order another one from Meadowgate Leather, but bright red, so I have the colour pop!! Any excuse!Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-4361831892287259672018-10-06T12:30:00.000+01:002018-10-06T12:30:12.042+01:00Poach My Lobster Notebook Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhg6jBmJp5hpVIhXMdJvD8EyZ7ngiZ0yvhUorDKiATcqnSpl8ECZST_gvZFdZL66HKch_gAFhyxE3EuDq5FEIQ0HYS_f5qXREsUBerUfFAo3bMVN2gmTUZMdMEOw_BN51ts0Ht-nzlr77A/s1600/P1040242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="664" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhg6jBmJp5hpVIhXMdJvD8EyZ7ngiZ0yvhUorDKiATcqnSpl8ECZST_gvZFdZL66HKch_gAFhyxE3EuDq5FEIQ0HYS_f5qXREsUBerUfFAo3bMVN2gmTUZMdMEOw_BN51ts0Ht-nzlr77A/s320/P1040242.JPG" width="207" /></a></div>
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Many thanks to Stu from <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/" target="_blank">Nero's Notes</a> for sending me this notebook to try out. This is my honest review of the notebook.<br />
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Recently, I've been shifting away from the A sizes of notebooks (A4, A5, A6 etc.) and turning more often to the B sizes (B5, B6 etc.). B5 (176 x 250 mm or 6.9 x 9.8") is an excellent size for me for writing/planning books and B6 (125 x 176 mm or 4.9 x 6.9") is a great size for a handbag-notebook. The notebook by Poach My Lobster is 128 x 202 mm, or pretty much exactly 5 x 8". Although not a true B6 size, it's a pretty good size for my bag.<br />
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The corners are rounded and the paper is glued in (making the flattability score for me pretty low).<br />
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The label on the back said the following:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
128 pages of Fedrigoni Arcoprint Edizioni Avorio 1.5 100gsm<br />Cover printed on G. F. Smith's Colorplan Claret 270gsm with buckram embossing<br />Books Good Enough To Eat™: designed in London, printed in Italy, made by Poach My Lobster.</blockquote>
The pages are blank throughout.<br />
<br />
<b>The Cover:</b><br />
I really like the cover. There are a variety of covers available (see the full listing on Nero's Notes <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/collections/all-notebooks/brand_poach-my-lobster" target="_blank">here</a>). I was sent the one with the quote about wine. The colour is a dark red (my crime-writer-brain is saying the colour of dried blood, but I realise that might not be a selling point for everyone 😄). It's a sturdy enough cover that the pages are protected, but not solid or heavy. And, it doesn't appear to contain plastic (though the notebook did come shrink-wrapped in single-use plastic that I almost opened an artery trying to remove). The logo of a lobster on the back is the only branding on it.<br />
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<br />
<b>The Paper:</b><br />
The paper is lovely to write on, both with fountain pen and also pencil. It's quite toothy, so calligraphy nibs may catch a little, and the paper is matte and so there isn't much sheen to fountain pen ink (though there is shading). I quite like the fact that the paper is blank as it means I can write in it and also sketch in it (yes, I do sketch occasionally - hence the wide array of pencil tests to come!). As this is more likely to be an 'out and about' notebook (as opposed to one used for planning, or for writing books), this makes for a good combination as I can scribble down thoughts and ideas, but I can also do sketches and drawings. If you prefer lined books because your writing stays neater, rest assured that a line-card shows through pretty well, to keep you on the straight and narrow.<br />
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<b>Pen/Pencil Tests:</b><br />
As you all know, these can make or break it for a notebook with me. The pens I currently have inked would present quite a test to the paper (and many a notebook would have failed abysmally!).<br />
This paper sailed through. No sign of any feathering, absolutely no bleed-through and absolutely no show-through, either. 'Pen Tests' was written with my Pilot Parallel pen with 1.5 mm nib - almost everything fails with this, even Clairefontaine at times! This paper - absolutely fine. No feathing or even a hint of show-through, despite the fact it's a wet pen! The paper was a little too 'grabby' for my Rosetta Mosaic, and for the Parker Italic (though almost anything except Clairefontaine is too grabby for that little pen!). Beautifully smooth with my bamboo pen (bought as cheap as chips from eBay and one of my absolute favourite pens - always writes beautifully and is <i>so</i> easy to rinse out!).<br />
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The pencil tests were great - there is enough tooth in the paper to make sketching fun (no slippy-slidey shiny stuff!). I'm actually really looking forward to drawing in this wee book.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPi1CfFTXYw3oN4ozKg3Q-jmPlOBBFZF4CYqyoYwlZl5tbkVqzekIZlmhOsznCQN_OrcibqIFXAhDOwRcaRY2k7DYDfZnLguwSpII3yNdZiWszdFFUnAlgHyTNOmt8JI2yESVEI57zwjF7/s1600/P1040245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1015" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPi1CfFTXYw3oN4ozKg3Q-jmPlOBBFZF4CYqyoYwlZl5tbkVqzekIZlmhOsznCQN_OrcibqIFXAhDOwRcaRY2k7DYDfZnLguwSpII3yNdZiWszdFFUnAlgHyTNOmt8JI2yESVEI57zwjF7/s320/P1040245.JPG" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pen tests (apologies for low exposure - it's Scotland!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reverse of the page - no show-through or bleed through</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpe0ErH1P2DAsn0KxRtlGRpbez0OCHE2eyAOBFsQLwOBXJhKjn9WWfKece6DibnrlBDzbWDZCNqEwsTDDbTnjnnuMYCyN2kq19L0-_Tkdx7-TsWbBKGgAvKVhlhLAF4TX9-7y_EIxgS4L/s1600/P1040247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpe0ErH1P2DAsn0KxRtlGRpbez0OCHE2eyAOBFsQLwOBXJhKjn9WWfKece6DibnrlBDzbWDZCNqEwsTDDbTnjnnuMYCyN2kq19L0-_Tkdx7-TsWbBKGgAvKVhlhLAF4TX9-7y_EIxgS4L/s320/P1040247.JPG" width="246" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pencil tests</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Overall:</b><br />
I am <i>very</i> impressed. The paper is fabulous, the cover great (and quirky) and the size just right. The only thing I'm slightly less happy about is the low flattability. Maybe I'll just have to be a bit more brutal with it, but it currently does not lie flat.<br />
<br />
Thanks again to Stu for sending me this. As I say, all views are my own and reflect my honest opinion of the book.<br />
<br />
You can get these notebooks from Nero's Notes - click <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/collections/all-notebooks/brand_poach-my-lobster" target="_blank">HERE</a> to go to the full range.Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-48408395000839443012018-08-26T15:30:00.000+01:002018-08-26T15:30:09.238+01:00Leuchtturm lined slim softcover notebook<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/products/copy-of-leuchtturm-b6-soft-cover-notebook" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="688" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqLCTHb57rbfD-xAWPQkVA1Dm_sdQ5ftBeg1R0AiTrBsglQbG7lARYzXW6itsjzfzgzJTNQGoqqqsEGRvu2aIx9MpueMbOJhbUf5sT6d4dEMFQ7c9Jzew1APKW8ZvE-_6YlGtdyD4k4gl/s320/P1040207.JPG" width="215" /></a></div>
<br />
My good friend Stu, from <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/" target="_blank">Nero's Notes</a> sent me a couple of notebooks recently. One was this little number; the other was from Poach My Lobster, and a review of that will be coming soon. Although these were a gift, these are my honest views on the notebook.<br />
<br />
Stu knows my penchant for slightly differently sized books (see all my recent posts on B5 and B6 stuff). I find that A5 can be a little bit big for a handbag, but A6 is a bit too small for me. I've slowly been shifting towards B-sizes, using B5 for writing notebooks (see <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/05/battered-deskfax-to-b5-travelers.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/05/zhi-jin-b5-notebook-review.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/06/leuchtturm-b5-dot-matrix-book.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/07/rosaliny-green-world-4-assorted.html" target="_blank">here</a>), and looking at using B6 for a Traveller's Notebook (see <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/08/b6-travellers-notebook_11.html" target="_blank">here</a>). So both of these notebooks were a brilliant size for me.<br />
<br />
The <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/products/copy-of-leuchtturm-b6-soft-cover-notebook" target="_blank">Leuchtturm softcover slim notebook</a> measures 125 mm x 190 mm (making it almost B6 size:125 mm * 176 mm). It would fit in my B6 TN cover, but it would be as tall as the cover (probably making the stringing a bit tight - I don't know, I've not tried it). But, I don't want this for my TN, I want it as a satellite notebook to keep in my handbag! The one I was sent is lined, but they are also available in dot grid or plain.<br />
<a name='more'></a>[click on any image to enlarge; apologies for the contrast/colour casts. It's Scotland and dreich today!]<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4oHYuGBI3TVwJMEHRCcKnV8NUXPvI7UQP6scC59Q-eEV7Ndjychc2XZVJWTTmHWFEdj56Npim-dnSgqa-jp50KWkYVBGkj5ZeX7iUoOriuyrA8GhwKsQbhJsmWOt3TY4Cs6qsOtQher-1/s1600/P1040208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="680" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4oHYuGBI3TVwJMEHRCcKnV8NUXPvI7UQP6scC59Q-eEV7Ndjychc2XZVJWTTmHWFEdj56Npim-dnSgqa-jp50KWkYVBGkj5ZeX7iUoOriuyrA8GhwKsQbhJsmWOt3TY4Cs6qsOtQher-1/s320/P1040208.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
The cover is thinnish vinyl-coated card. It's sturdy enough to cope with being knocked about in my handbag, but not so thick it adds weight. There are the usual Leuchtturm features - the vertical elastic closure, the envelope in the back cover and the page-markers. There were also stickers for labelling the book for archive (I never use these. If anyone needs any, I probably have lots to give away).<br />
<br />
The notebook has an "If found, please return to..." section on the first page. I never actually fill these in. Aren't you just giving your address away? I do use them to indicate what the book has been used for, though.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22TWhQL_w7_wqO81YM12Z4xF2mhAHDm-JqfBYuIADAn58n3oXmdgRHsBvWPy0rceKO9BQOf-TvSVAJg8O41TkVW9Cb3fp0qRI2354XgNCWV4ZKHJoqgoCWbnNqfHzkd2UY6sNudkW5lOh/s1600/P1040209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="704" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22TWhQL_w7_wqO81YM12Z4xF2mhAHDm-JqfBYuIADAn58n3oXmdgRHsBvWPy0rceKO9BQOf-TvSVAJg8O41TkVW9Cb3fp0qRI2354XgNCWV4ZKHJoqgoCWbnNqfHzkd2UY6sNudkW5lOh/s320/P1040209.JPG" width="220" /></a></div>
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On the reverse of that page is a notification of the size:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEire60AwRbG2SUdj8DnkLdAWNbWgOJXruAT3JfHhnZUE5Lf0fFNfpTiVUHAfyNGJBVu4hcq8s7WRXwY71sLik2F1Xe59z1QSSZVlh_SILApIbbGC8L5QulKWRSwY3m0UM44Ug3RrJCmCHx3/s1600/P1040210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="1024" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEire60AwRbG2SUdj8DnkLdAWNbWgOJXruAT3JfHhnZUE5Lf0fFNfpTiVUHAfyNGJBVu4hcq8s7WRXwY71sLik2F1Xe59z1QSSZVlh_SILApIbbGC8L5QulKWRSwY3m0UM44Ug3RrJCmCHx3/s320/P1040210.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
In my notebook, this first page was glued to the next page, hence the odd crease on the right-hand side.<br />
<br />
Following this, are 2 pages for a table of contents. There are 26 lines per page (therefore 52 in total) and 123 pages in the book, so you'd better write long notes that span more than one page. I've never really understood why there aren't bigger tables of contents in these books. Since the page following the double-spread is blank, you have space to overflow, but couldn't it have had the TOC there too?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWY_WyJmWhpTkHC9Vj0PEuDVlRY9mdrUihvLdxAy5T8VMR41949TqDCjXnOTmZFu9sdvUBnLsOwcL080DciXFX0R70wSNrsSrwXo66joccNiqrE0IHi7408reaDP2jkTVgZN2SXAVFNdE/s1600/P1040211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="748" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWY_WyJmWhpTkHC9Vj0PEuDVlRY9mdrUihvLdxAy5T8VMR41949TqDCjXnOTmZFu9sdvUBnLsOwcL080DciXFX0R70wSNrsSrwXo66joccNiqrE0IHi7408reaDP2jkTVgZN2SXAVFNdE/s320/P1040211.JPG" width="233" /></a></div>
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The layout of the note pages is as follows:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjFeL_wlEVF8sh65LKiHlv1cbktQssViAh_qmT0fWa9D9gT3E_xM7GJ-0zeUNbw2nnFbh4SmoItswU-q6tj2Mmfay-AXf4thZVTK9f7u71AxB_Rsxqsgw90DUUA-N3fO3r4fELPeFcH8C/s1600/P1040212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="759" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjFeL_wlEVF8sh65LKiHlv1cbktQssViAh_qmT0fWa9D9gT3E_xM7GJ-0zeUNbw2nnFbh4SmoItswU-q6tj2Mmfay-AXf4thZVTK9f7u71AxB_Rsxqsgw90DUUA-N3fO3r4fELPeFcH8C/s320/P1040212.JPG" width="237" /></a></div>
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At the top of each page, on the outer edge, is a space for the date:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gN932D9B8tH_aJtAzQWZnUhtSJeBBA7V5gm-3KZgc0jd0rhkvu9glM_wa0P8Ax6tHfeJArtk00IOHtd9qYAjw-utN2-DPlkb1m8yjw2wDBaXL-3D1_ZAGDPr_x7j8aV3sIOgO4nQGEB5/s1600/P1040213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="459" data-original-width="1024" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gN932D9B8tH_aJtAzQWZnUhtSJeBBA7V5gm-3KZgc0jd0rhkvu9glM_wa0P8Ax6tHfeJArtk00IOHtd9qYAjw-utN2-DPlkb1m8yjw2wDBaXL-3D1_ZAGDPr_x7j8aV3sIOgO4nQGEB5/s320/P1040213.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Each page is numbered on the bottom outer edge:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYeeGoaejqquR-_YOCeAnSeI4KMVQYuyc0i7lerrMcYT5C8OG2Qv5fsFT-9IBGmIkOrrFbRKCUL-VUinq2Blq32xQzLlvzTFPqrgNidDkVijDhiea-LB3j7lgGXACvwaYwHbSX7rCJZGp/s1600/P1040214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYeeGoaejqquR-_YOCeAnSeI4KMVQYuyc0i7lerrMcYT5C8OG2Qv5fsFT-9IBGmIkOrrFbRKCUL-VUinq2Blq32xQzLlvzTFPqrgNidDkVijDhiea-LB3j7lgGXACvwaYwHbSX7rCJZGp/s320/P1040214.JPG" width="308" /></a></div>
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Top margin is 12 mm. Bottom margin is 10 mm. Line spacing is narrow, at 6 mm. I don't really mind the narrow ruling, though others may find it a bit tight. There are 28 lines to the page.<br />
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There are two page markers. One was green to match the cover and elastic; the other was chequered. They are both decent lengths (can't be doing with markers that only just scrape past the page) and the fact they are different is helpful.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5J6USU8C1g0ZygiX3KncJjJ9mnED4DLHwj3vcRWyCJJoBt6Cbe9sV2h9iuWSoCEaELlrGCUavCQHBFSB3O8th3ZRQQ5EsvcJR-EReOoTHaFtxB4GvUsM-2poapZI4bWSKNoINwsjVrP8_/s1600/P1040215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5J6USU8C1g0ZygiX3KncJjJ9mnED4DLHwj3vcRWyCJJoBt6Cbe9sV2h9iuWSoCEaELlrGCUavCQHBFSB3O8th3ZRQQ5EsvcJR-EReOoTHaFtxB4GvUsM-2poapZI4bWSKNoINwsjVrP8_/s320/P1040215.JPG" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">page markers next to elastic closure</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzWUEG2qYi5-V2nB-fPqmw5vWP1X1Vu0qyRvJ2IzIWM0wKJxwf_9YrhbJPzfX6-X6zmSOE6Mt4sSJYfgzI8h-_NpgQ5n4rpwyS3EVLjEiA41XvBmHM61wjOaAwFBWsdLZpXDtVl-6lyrP/s1600/P1040216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="773" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzWUEG2qYi5-V2nB-fPqmw5vWP1X1Vu0qyRvJ2IzIWM0wKJxwf_9YrhbJPzfX6-X6zmSOE6Mt4sSJYfgzI8h-_NpgQ5n4rpwyS3EVLjEiA41XvBmHM61wjOaAwFBWsdLZpXDtVl-6lyrP/s320/P1040216.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zoom in to show the difference</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Okay. Pen tests. Uh oh.<br />
<br />
I had a handful of fountain pens inked. One of them is just horrible on almost all paper (a Pilot parallel calligraphy pen - I did the title with that). The Rosetta and the Conklin can be a bit wet, depending on the paper. The other two pens are usually fabulous on most paper. Since other people might not use fountain pens, I also used some rollerballs/gel pens/biros.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqnZ2mW_x7kZR41IiD7-ogZcvULYZQkBzxwjvkeGR4a0eyxZJwGFhuev3mJo0em5tPjAFlYjczcSBjQUDtUrhVOxyx06E4rT-sOTS-UIEHrD1pOXtGgiSb-z-fBbREjRl-jkVCgQM6OsO5/s1600/P1040217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="708" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqnZ2mW_x7kZR41IiD7-ogZcvULYZQkBzxwjvkeGR4a0eyxZJwGFhuev3mJo0em5tPjAFlYjczcSBjQUDtUrhVOxyx06E4rT-sOTS-UIEHrD1pOXtGgiSb-z-fBbREjRl-jkVCgQM6OsO5/s320/P1040217.JPG" width="221" /></a></div>
<br />
The Pilot parallel feathered, but to be fair, I'd never use it in a book like this.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj9nzlEHVaq0NnKUghWB0kX8qMWVkDvmTsidv_4-zp9M7-wzdT3BYTskWn4TUBKTQyH7o23XPZAaGaIBFXL47VjlAtYtvMVkZZ82XC43tH6nH_Z2_ium7CrX93VFP33VhnLdMEh2cfkure/s1600/P1040218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="1024" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj9nzlEHVaq0NnKUghWB0kX8qMWVkDvmTsidv_4-zp9M7-wzdT3BYTskWn4TUBKTQyH7o23XPZAaGaIBFXL47VjlAtYtvMVkZZ82XC43tH6nH_Z2_ium7CrX93VFP33VhnLdMEh2cfkure/s320/P1040218.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The others didn't feather at all and showed some beautiful shading with the inks.<br />
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The others didn't feather or skip either:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWBNhqwzViG_k9n29ORoz0H-jePGpHgTOPZ7-ipi2RRo34Dt7YEKC6Em7BfSgALtUmnm6PW34VmCkbImq-_Dyq2gQZnKM_1tEVTcyQk0h21TEuO8c-ZGcM-v9zy5WZo4378Mtk0Oz29br/s1600/P1040223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWBNhqwzViG_k9n29ORoz0H-jePGpHgTOPZ7-ipi2RRo34Dt7YEKC6Em7BfSgALtUmnm6PW34VmCkbImq-_Dyq2gQZnKM_1tEVTcyQk0h21TEuO8c-ZGcM-v9zy5WZo4378Mtk0Oz29br/s320/P1040223.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihl-FP8Ub5arQA6B9iJmLe4vZ18xm-toby6ynNkpSfTOkXLqHLcENjoQVxaZdxTnhI55CEtpZQ5au7biwwlBFD6x3JTW9Js2P28IKZTqr1RQ-2DcVHduyRVkuiwJGyQVQBanDnOzuq_Ovw/s1600/P1040224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="1024" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihl-FP8Ub5arQA6B9iJmLe4vZ18xm-toby6ynNkpSfTOkXLqHLcENjoQVxaZdxTnhI55CEtpZQ5au7biwwlBFD6x3JTW9Js2P28IKZTqr1RQ-2DcVHduyRVkuiwJGyQVQBanDnOzuq_Ovw/s320/P1040224.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
But what did the other side look like?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBiFLvK3RS6cPG0hu5Xj9mlgutRAAJnsLLr6FXZcWNLLWa5oWK8aYgHOZOiQh8bGb5F_0vwrVuAF7gD6EGWdf4eQ5-e86I4aGAU1qAoShK0l9q_-_P6hhewskBpaJTy462BXRF6pCqPBwE/s1600/P1040225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="710" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBiFLvK3RS6cPG0hu5Xj9mlgutRAAJnsLLr6FXZcWNLLWa5oWK8aYgHOZOiQh8bGb5F_0vwrVuAF7gD6EGWdf4eQ5-e86I4aGAU1qAoShK0l9q_-_P6hhewskBpaJTy462BXRF6pCqPBwE/s320/P1040225.JPG" width="221" /></a></div>
<br />
Not great, to be honest. I don't know if Leuchtturm have changed their paper, but I don't remember it being quite so bad. It also feels more like 70 gsm than the stated 80 gsm. Others may not mind this amount of ghosting, but it's too much for me. The Pilot parallel also bled through, but as I've said, that's probably an unfair test.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-StVp2CzBdTXsff8LSxC_CKudvJj0BiYiUI4J0ey-dKs3ohkufi-7qq-bnMJyO4l3t5cHENuZrDEAP6HU591VA7N3cbKb_U6tVlL6RR3yJNMUmx9ddqbUqiRzOToom9WHMSNE0WdwxUG/s1600/P1040226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="1024" height="73" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-StVp2CzBdTXsff8LSxC_CKudvJj0BiYiUI4J0ey-dKs3ohkufi-7qq-bnMJyO4l3t5cHENuZrDEAP6HU591VA7N3cbKb_U6tVlL6RR3yJNMUmx9ddqbUqiRzOToom9WHMSNE0WdwxUG/s320/P1040226.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reverse of the Pilot parallel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1QV1e1m8hvl6ee8CtjIq96LTaAYgCSVsrFUeKz1XrlEbuH1Ge3UzeGDPzWDF0nPk0RXszDlw_9vcIvmu_hRoow-EWQ2HWU0-4kWorkPXuw1byG9mkAm8Odh-n2X8UGhM5V5Ad3K_Kc3fR/s1600/P1040227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="1024" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1QV1e1m8hvl6ee8CtjIq96LTaAYgCSVsrFUeKz1XrlEbuH1Ge3UzeGDPzWDF0nPk0RXszDlw_9vcIvmu_hRoow-EWQ2HWU0-4kWorkPXuw1byG9mkAm8Odh-n2X8UGhM5V5Ad3K_Kc3fR/s320/P1040227.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">reverse of the Rosetta and Conklin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg27iUSMpwfKVgpcAnUab5FeoQ8S0wQAvPVZ7nPWEymJUZeoxKKc4_MGB4ttHgp3gwqIt8Xy66C4TtNuPW09vhctmrwFBvYwN_oQVw0EpMtYfwl-ZwZJBHnXxJ9bEhgn5yjVDDCLRF27Mp/s1600/P1040229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="856" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg27iUSMpwfKVgpcAnUab5FeoQ8S0wQAvPVZ7nPWEymJUZeoxKKc4_MGB4ttHgp3gwqIt8Xy66C4TtNuPW09vhctmrwFBvYwN_oQVw0EpMtYfwl-ZwZJBHnXxJ9bEhgn5yjVDDCLRF27Mp/s320/P1040229.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">reverse of the rest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Okay, so much for pens... what about pencil?<br />
<br />
To be honest, these were <b>much</b> better! The paper is smooth, but with enough tooth to make writing in pencil great.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2bUiHmgjy4332gQLrsM6lyMKbKW41vkQe8pjG5i8oRN__4byjZVTTKofx5es-uUJK-U7hrRdmwL5gDwjV3K3VuSQGv4V8DlY9VKSVOaV5-O5zTvWQI5Yc622rMEkdoOznX0dFYlLDSHb/s1600/P1040230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="678" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2bUiHmgjy4332gQLrsM6lyMKbKW41vkQe8pjG5i8oRN__4byjZVTTKofx5es-uUJK-U7hrRdmwL5gDwjV3K3VuSQGv4V8DlY9VKSVOaV5-O5zTvWQI5Yc622rMEkdoOznX0dFYlLDSHb/s320/P1040230.JPG" width="211" /></a></div>
<br />
For use, it needed a pen-loop, but I have several Leuchtturm self-adhesive ones, so stuck a black on on (and yes, those are marks to ensure it was <i>exactly</i> in the centre of the book. I'm like that!):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7ISQrSqGFQQaKwh3oLE14gis8LsUxEmjE6grIj8GLZuc4x1iUVXkGMIiP1wNCud_p6Abflt2t8DJwvRkNA2A1rSbnHI3oFJdFRSEGIdT34gK7YFw0XV8brVozxjmAd3qRJ_v4SLPFK6f/s1600/P1040231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="764" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7ISQrSqGFQQaKwh3oLE14gis8LsUxEmjE6grIj8GLZuc4x1iUVXkGMIiP1wNCud_p6Abflt2t8DJwvRkNA2A1rSbnHI3oFJdFRSEGIdT34gK7YFw0XV8brVozxjmAd3qRJ_v4SLPFK6f/s320/P1040231.JPG" width="238" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Overall verdict:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Pros:</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Nice sized notebook with a good number of pages. Not so many you'll be using it forever; not so few you feel cheated</li>
<li>Lightweight - with pen loop and pencil attached, the notebook weighs 178g (I think the loop and pencil might weigh 5-6 g in total)</li>
<li>Table of contents in the front</li>
<li>Space for noting the date</li>
<li>Numbered pages</li>
<li>The last few pages are perforated (I hadn't actually noticed... it says it on the label and lo and behold, when I looked properly, they were indeed! If you never wanted to tear them out, they would stay in very securely)</li>
<li>Two ribbon markers in different material</li>
<li>Thread-bound, so lays flat (with a little help)</li>
<li>Back pocket for storing odds and ends</li>
<li>A range of colours (see <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/search?page=3&q=leuchtturm&type=product" target="_blank">Nero's Notes pages</a> for the range)</li>
<li>Nice paper for pencils</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<b>Cons:</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The fountain pen friendliness has gone (I note the label says "high ink compatability" but I have no idea what that's supposed to mean)</li>
<li>No integral pen-loop (though these are pretty cheap and easy to buy)</li>
<li>Came wrapped in single-use plastic</li>
</ul>
<br />
At the moment I am deep into writing the second book of a trilogy and so ideas can come to me all day and all night. I have a writing notebook, where all the notes relating to the book are kept, but pretty often ideas for a totally different bit of the book can come to me while I'm working, or come to me when I'm out and about, so a satellite notebook where I can jot them down and then put them in the main book when appropriate is incredibly useful. I've stuck a pen-loop in it and am keeping a pencil in it and this little lovely is always with me.<br />
<br />
If you want to get one, pop over to Nero's Notes. They stock them in 5 colours: <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/products/copy-of-leuchtturm-b6-soft-cover-notebook-2" target="_blank">pink</a>, <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/products/copy-of-leuchtturm-b6-soft-cover-notebook-1" target="_blank">yellow</a>, <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/products/copy-of-leuchtturm-b6-soft-cover-notebook" target="_blank">green</a>, <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/products/copy-of-leuchtturm-b6-notebook" target="_blank">orange</a>, and <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/products/leuchtturm-b6-notebook" target="_blank">blue</a> (links take you straight to the correct page for the colour, hopefully!). If you don't fancy them lined, they are also available in dot or plain.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-qp6hWuF-wMmUIeClTKK8IpvBZLFU2wNWigZRVLF2tYu8hAeF0qZSjgQEppDVu_JzCWwAvLMyCc97Z82l_Uw-6vqJGkc0B2XVI7y3ldlkakDW8LFpoJz5IuZSos0wxSHO3eHroTC3Bfw/s1600/neros+notes+range.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="1027" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-qp6hWuF-wMmUIeClTKK8IpvBZLFU2wNWigZRVLF2tYu8hAeF0qZSjgQEppDVu_JzCWwAvLMyCc97Z82l_Uw-6vqJGkc0B2XVI7y3ldlkakDW8LFpoJz5IuZSos0wxSHO3eHroTC3Bfw/s400/neros+notes+range.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHSbkn7iUwCZR3w3kr1pIvLAtjtGYmJUILXR-lbVK0wd0MnheXvQa1uV-OzVe7mSa8qmEu0IQnFUpYe3Dqkd4-Q6kLAjMp5lg-7qxC4EP3SiXDRKcxP0wMnjgh9cgzxkjA5g52VuvRQ_z/s1600/P1040232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="724" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHSbkn7iUwCZR3w3kr1pIvLAtjtGYmJUILXR-lbVK0wd0MnheXvQa1uV-OzVe7mSa8qmEu0IQnFUpYe3Dqkd4-Q6kLAjMp5lg-7qxC4EP3SiXDRKcxP0wMnjgh9cgzxkjA5g52VuvRQ_z/s320/P1040232.JPG" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pencil is Stabilo Othello 2B = 1 1/2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Thanks again to Stu for sending me one of these. As I say, all opinions are mine and are not influenced by the fact this was a gift.Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-51823240615021170232018-08-11T17:00:00.000+01:002018-08-11T17:00:09.329+01:00B6 Traveller's Notebook<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1lA1_LsLBouI-94Pxpm0MdfR-bcIg61MWZ59cSXKYv5Xvit8qMKinXITO-8VX3VvN1OByh7L73upmgPcqwGBOSG6FYv2-HNLfAviS9GGF4kdyKNipCQw21n_HvJnVOVQf4eqQHXSU5xU/s1600/P1040192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="725" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1lA1_LsLBouI-94Pxpm0MdfR-bcIg61MWZ59cSXKYv5Xvit8qMKinXITO-8VX3VvN1OByh7L73upmgPcqwGBOSG6FYv2-HNLfAviS9GGF4kdyKNipCQw21n_HvJnVOVQf4eqQHXSU5xU/s320/P1040192.JPG" width="226" /></a></div>
If you've read my blog much recently, you'll know that I've become a recent convert to the B5 size, having a) <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/05/battered-deskfax-to-b5-travelers.html" target="_blank">converted an old Filofax Deskfax to a B5 Traveller's Notebook</a> and b) found that B5 is a great size for book planning notebooks (see my reviews of a Zhi Jin notebook <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/05/zhi-jin-b5-notebook-review.html" target="_blank">here</a>, a B5 Leuchtturm dot matrix book <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/06/leuchtturm-b5-dot-matrix-book.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and a set of Rosaliny Green World B5 notebooks <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/07/rosaliny-green-world-4-assorted.html" target="_blank">here</a>).<br />
<br />
Before my conversion to B5, I had already been exploring B6 as a size. Now, don't get me wrong, I do love my Traveller's Notebooks (original size), but sometimes they are a bit big. This is probably because they are wallet, diary and notebook, all in one, but sometimes I think I want something a bit smaller.<br />
<br />
Way back in January (!), I decided to dip my toe in the B6 water and bought (secondhand) a B6 TN via a Facebook group. I don't know why I haven't blogged about it before now... perhaps because I'm not using it yet.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
For those who aren't au fait with the B sizes, B6 is 125mm x 176mm (or roughly halfway between A6 and A5) - which is shorter than a standard TN and wider (210mm x 110mm). I did a couple of charts to try and demonstrate:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigAjgdaIN-eq-Na7KWstRxHh3VTwqic-4xxttZQ8mOvkfVRHBxlRSVSin7Y17PvGF1aWZrylN75X1vRtZzwcunu46tcyH714_UTUeSNryrnU9bXBRhQjYfWoT-k7GQRffQzLIR_LQhhAs/s1600/Slide1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="1211" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigAjgdaIN-eq-Na7KWstRxHh3VTwqic-4xxttZQ8mOvkfVRHBxlRSVSin7Y17PvGF1aWZrylN75X1vRtZzwcunu46tcyH714_UTUeSNryrnU9bXBRhQjYfWoT-k7GQRffQzLIR_LQhhAs/s400/Slide1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sizes, side by side</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFu8UyO4cpjyxw5QqrpJPrjJ-EInf6N1P-Ett70cvYO0-btQ6h7Fy3-_tOUC7xcoyl1MoYvL8puCkwpZ5NrJPuIKVhWBXqXm9sqzhZB0XOVqQx46crVHbxAVgJxR72hhuVdp38ZoZE4M/s1600/Slide2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="294" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFu8UyO4cpjyxw5QqrpJPrjJ-EInf6N1P-Ett70cvYO0-btQ6h7Fy3-_tOUC7xcoyl1MoYvL8puCkwpZ5NrJPuIKVhWBXqXm9sqzhZB0XOVqQx46crVHbxAVgJxR72hhuVdp38ZoZE4M/s320/Slide2.JPG" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sizes, stacked on top of each other</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I don't remember what make this TN is... and there are no maker's marks on it either. It might be a Bevdori (but I can't confirm that). Inside, there are 4 strings and some slip pockets:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkW5XMsCd6RhYipRjvyDfLnrezv5VYA4MuOBUO6f2XzfXYaLN6vOLfwllJhIJgr5QSN1fVATh00RpQhYXcBc-meA5aVZP6BEGEyeaC3GHph2LU3xrLHj7VYF8pQrZHO3FV0pH83eqbvWk/s1600/P1040193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="1024" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkW5XMsCd6RhYipRjvyDfLnrezv5VYA4MuOBUO6f2XzfXYaLN6vOLfwllJhIJgr5QSN1fVATh00RpQhYXcBc-meA5aVZP6BEGEyeaC3GHph2LU3xrLHj7VYF8pQrZHO3FV0pH83eqbvWk/s320/P1040193.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
For me, if I started using it, I would need to be able to carry money as well as a diary and notebook, and those pockets aren't going to cope, so I also treated myself to a sweet little fabric insert, by Thread and Prints on Etsy (click <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ThreadNPrints" target="_blank">here</a> to go to the store):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-MEd78y5jDAEHkbMxpZQM1q6IumnsCEUmH1rpeMJJ9_5zv3sjt-sx61OOPYvKY4G1tIyEoPCgjZiBboIdTPTqq0RaYPgz5UBTF0UEnNzIGkgJdh6e1qWMsgKY0f7H7uUAsdwrS2K2kI/s1600/P1040194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="1024" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-MEd78y5jDAEHkbMxpZQM1q6IumnsCEUmH1rpeMJJ9_5zv3sjt-sx61OOPYvKY4G1tIyEoPCgjZiBboIdTPTqq0RaYPgz5UBTF0UEnNzIGkgJdh6e1qWMsgKY0f7H7uUAsdwrS2K2kI/s320/P1040194.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The insert has space for 9 cards (though doubling up would be easy), and there's an open pocket behind the card slots. On the right, there is a zipped pocket. It's not quite as easy to use as the plastic TN wallet inserts, but a) I'm trying hard not to buy plastic and b) I really like the cats! (Lots of other fabric is available).<br />
<br />
I also cut down a Rhodia dot matrix A5 book to use either as a notebook, or, if I drew it in, as a diary. I would probably print a diary though as it would be quicker!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrYrikSnKNARkHpJDNG7C6cqA0A9iqjGPQOEIRpirG73DR_n6xPprl1pSjmiIG05YbOa9LisftfUzL4g5RRKFpXfqoAoeXOSKtWyX_BMYB-Zj6Dv2Uux1lu1NtpUThQG6aGI0xC9f64Vk/s1600/P1040195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="744" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrYrikSnKNARkHpJDNG7C6cqA0A9iqjGPQOEIRpirG73DR_n6xPprl1pSjmiIG05YbOa9LisftfUzL4g5RRKFpXfqoAoeXOSKtWyX_BMYB-Zj6Dv2Uux1lu1NtpUThQG6aGI0xC9f64Vk/s320/P1040195.JPG" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cut down Rhodia dot matrix book</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJ65Vxq1TR2-NYLsy03HNxdtN1dp8OnNTMdJOXaCJmiP_X6SweR7MLmNpifQKLeHzoTl52-Gw6zf7p37YCLikJObgrxd4AKciqr-Z6dZ5SROndTGfkcxCbdzCmkrYUHaaznxixvFl3vY/s1600/P1040196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="726" data-original-width="1024" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJ65Vxq1TR2-NYLsy03HNxdtN1dp8OnNTMdJOXaCJmiP_X6SweR7MLmNpifQKLeHzoTl52-Gw6zf7p37YCLikJObgrxd4AKciqr-Z6dZ5SROndTGfkcxCbdzCmkrYUHaaznxixvFl3vY/s320/P1040196.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Also from Thread and Prints, I got a couple of Unicorn books in B6 size:<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5EVZ6yLx6Ji7neMhTQtB9s73oCOToS8zX48dTCWuQfpyUpH5UuZG4dDgu-pbXPi0dsvGULxNxdZ6YRttA76iN8BpBwkiDMk00p9DuiF39dUEJXCoDEhV9UYHfRn7E02SazjRE-tN7vfQ/s1600/P1040197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="737" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5EVZ6yLx6Ji7neMhTQtB9s73oCOToS8zX48dTCWuQfpyUpH5UuZG4dDgu-pbXPi0dsvGULxNxdZ6YRttA76iN8BpBwkiDMk00p9DuiF39dUEJXCoDEhV9UYHfRn7E02SazjRE-tN7vfQ/s320/P1040197.JPG" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="733" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWnnc-hn1lTn8sFVz7jJrkrLRRu1nWW9Fl5kGlpa-7f-qD8btHLDj4BxOvxMWhFQIQK4wuIKu0uxBFExwsMrmWH8ILrwV1VEQ65ttHwYwS4k4QJqD6ekIKlU3h1bqq-UEopaehuf70kv8/s320/P1040198.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="229" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWnnc-hn1lTn8sFVz7jJrkrLRRu1nWW9Fl5kGlpa-7f-qD8btHLDj4BxOvxMWhFQIQK4wuIKu0uxBFExwsMrmWH8ILrwV1VEQ65ttHwYwS4k4QJqD6ekIKlU3h1bqq-UEopaehuf70kv8/s1600/P1040198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<br />
<div>
Here it is, next to my current every day carry, a Meadowbank Leather TN (also bought secondhand - see <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/04/planner-peace.html" target="_blank">here</a> for details).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKu21UYDHCzsQREFGhyfa_TUfsDcDaY2FtRN_SDLWqfLChz7-aNBWsu6wOBrTw8TEhrBDTMRC0vUWhM528YAp8beTVNeu5kzGmwvFncu5tNwj16zZ1llvl6NHeAfHYz_oW7uvRWLW9_zU/s1600/P1040200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="934" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKu21UYDHCzsQREFGhyfa_TUfsDcDaY2FtRN_SDLWqfLChz7-aNBWsu6wOBrTw8TEhrBDTMRC0vUWhM528YAp8beTVNeu5kzGmwvFncu5tNwj16zZ1llvl6NHeAfHYz_oW7uvRWLW9_zU/s320/P1040200.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
As you can see, the B6 is shorter but wider. I suspect the footprint is essentially the same...<br />
<br />
Will I ever use it? To be honest, it feels chunkier than the TN. This might be because it is of a slightly stiffer leather, or because it has a thicker spine. Or, I may have just got used to the tall, thin shape of the TN. Crunch time might come towards the end of the year when I'm deciding what to use for 2019.<br />
<br />
But before that... I have <i>another</i> TN on its way - this time a smaller one. Keep you posted!<br />
<br /></div>
Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-87693145063154745202018-07-07T07:00:00.000+01:002018-07-07T07:00:02.465+01:006 for £6 from Nero's Notes<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqCK7ar-Y1woFKPFq9h7HAMR0XFP9wDCryt5rMARwelWMbHHXxNHz00e67JhqjGIbNGzPoknlozPIC8cK0i2SnRJu6YvHt-Twk4ArbsbotiKHrxxnom2pBGqhXqDswBMeTf3yq_JDptOJR/s1600/P1040131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="797" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqCK7ar-Y1woFKPFq9h7HAMR0XFP9wDCryt5rMARwelWMbHHXxNHz00e67JhqjGIbNGzPoknlozPIC8cK0i2SnRJu6YvHt-Twk4ArbsbotiKHrxxnom2pBGqhXqDswBMeTf3yq_JDptOJR/s320/P1040131.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loving the new logo! <br />
(Another book as well as the 6 for £6 is in this wrapped selection)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>6 for £6</b> (or, as it appears on the website, "<a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/products/six-4-six" target="_blank">six 4 six</a>") does what it says on the tin! For £6 you get a random selection of 6 notebooks. As Stu describes it on the site:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Discount Sales are few and far between at Nero's Notes. We do our best to keep prices fair all the time. This is our lucky dip box. As the name suggests, there will be at least six books for six pounds. That might be two three packs, or it might be six singles or any other combination.
</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Great value for money, perfect as a stocking filler or just for a little treat.
Who knows what extras Nero might throw in...</i></blockquote>
Despite having more small notebooks than I will possibly ever use in a lifetime, I decided to check this out. After all, I'm not sure that any of the books on the site are only a pound to buy!<br />
<br />
As ever, the parcel arrived with everything beautifully wrapped. I love the logo for Nero's Notes on the stickers. In the picture above, there's also a <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/products/neros-notes-leather-notebook-5" target="_blank">Nero's Notes leather notebook</a> which I'll be reviewing soon.<br />
<br />
So, what were the six books that were in the "six 4 six"? Well, either Stu can't count, or Nero sneaked in an extra, because I had seven books! There are no pen tests for any of the notebooks - partly because I haven't had time to do them and partly because the post is more to show you the kind of contents you might get.<br />
<br />
The seven books were:<br />
[tl;dr An absolutely brilliant bargain. Now read all of the post!]<br />
<b></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b>1. A Traveller's Notebook sized notebook by personalised-stationery.co.uk</b><br />
I didn't see these listed anywhere on the Nero's Notes site, but I may just have been looking in the wrong place...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fOBer1hWmrKGw07OnkYfL4Z0JVcon8i4sM2p1f1M645fC8bvsWVW0XVXo8B9bLpYALBZjryMj2CzcUTa7zoQa9Qn8rld0ZK5pBbr3qsFb_pQRj3UQhm_rjM-stc5ddNRWQNAU3jOlQFz/s1600/P1040135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="562" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fOBer1hWmrKGw07OnkYfL4Z0JVcon8i4sM2p1f1M645fC8bvsWVW0XVXo8B9bLpYALBZjryMj2CzcUTa7zoQa9Qn8rld0ZK5pBbr3qsFb_pQRj3UQhm_rjM-stc5ddNRWQNAU3jOlQFz/s320/P1040135.JPG" width="175" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still with card band</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimz60E7ZoB6RTsPbDSwqVxl3eZlFB892zMiCVoZm2EXpFw5J5_Fgyn4ggdIvNT0kMtiURmaNlZ7tKJ4Kd1DI107CplEqVLXnyVetjYvzQ5fg5ictOV19-62NqlOB1j5BMF8P0Nfw6CPGAN/s1600/P1040136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="547" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimz60E7ZoB6RTsPbDSwqVxl3eZlFB892zMiCVoZm2EXpFw5J5_Fgyn4ggdIvNT0kMtiURmaNlZ7tKJ4Kd1DI107CplEqVLXnyVetjYvzQ5fg5ictOV19-62NqlOB1j5BMF8P0Nfw6CPGAN/s320/P1040136.JPG" width="170" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover with band removed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The notebook has 26 pages (52 sides) of lined notepaper, size 110mm x 210mm (standard TN size). Top margin is 22mm, bottom margin is 6mm, line-spacing is 7mm.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NNCI1f3iDttyvu7n6J62lQK37m-GOahG9tWLRnw8m09fLLg0bw7KeAysU_FiwsfZTYJgWEuZ9w1oL36po2FxuOMhIhzCDwiwZd2Cdv95Lz49Cte8rxhV1P2-14989kTaf7lrbYnfmInI/s1600/P1040137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="807" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NNCI1f3iDttyvu7n6J62lQK37m-GOahG9tWLRnw8m09fLLg0bw7KeAysU_FiwsfZTYJgWEuZ9w1oL36po2FxuOMhIhzCDwiwZd2Cdv95Lz49Cte8rxhV1P2-14989kTaf7lrbYnfmInI/s320/P1040137.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the notebook</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The cover is just beautiful and I usually have a notebook in the back of my everyday carry TN, for notes on the run. This will be just perfect!<br />
<br />
<b>2. A Public Supply notebook in blue (dot grid)</b><br />
These normally come in a set of 3 for £12.50 (see <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/products/copy-of-public-supply-ruled-set-of-3?variant=33843931021" target="_blank">here</a> for the listing on Nero's Notes).<br />
The notebook is 3.5" x 5.5" / 9 cm x 14 cm (same as Field Notes). There are 24 pages (48 sides) of dot-grid paper, with the Public Supply mark (P - S) on the bottom RHS of each spread. I'm not the biggest lover of this, because it's not <i>right</i> at the bottom right-hand side, but 3 dots up and 3 dots in from the corner. On the cover is space for a title for the notebook. Everyone knows how little I like Field Notes (rubbish paper) but these feel like they may be much better quality than FN.<br />
<br />
<b>3. A Write Notepads & Co - Telegraph - Limited Edition Pocket Notebook</b><br />
These were last year's Write Notepads & Co.'s limited edition and were £12 for 3, but have been reduced to £8 for 3. The listing on Nero's Notes is <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/products/write-notepads-co-telegraph-limited-edition-pocket-notebooks-set-of-3" target="_blank">here</a> and describes these books as follows:<br />
<ul>
<li>3.75” x 5.5” lined paper notebook</li>
<li>Glue bound notebook with 100-pound cover stock and a 70-pound paper stock which has been meticulously selected to perform best for most writing instruments</li>
<li> Each book contains 64 pages</li>
</ul>
<br />
The pages have a top margin of 12mm and line-spacing of 6.4mm. There is also a double-margin on the LHS of each page, making them useful for a check-list.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD969UOZGtlOwGHhk8txSzsNsui0z_e5u3GHsQZHegwETCcemlVQd7e9VubPc8inuY2KaHQH5p4kX0pELDONjTf4IMS5_DT2oMnmG4g54bMlEDDTpcQ6sOGQR-eLKwMUPyi2-HQm1wvO4z/s1600/P1040151_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="740" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD969UOZGtlOwGHhk8txSzsNsui0z_e5u3GHsQZHegwETCcemlVQd7e9VubPc8inuY2KaHQH5p4kX0pELDONjTf4IMS5_DT2oMnmG4g54bMlEDDTpcQ6sOGQR-eLKwMUPyi2-HQm1wvO4z/s320/P1040151_edited.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>4. A Calepino Cut Form Crush Notebook</b><br />
These are available on the Nero's Notes site at £15 for 3 (see the listing <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/products/calepino-cut-form-crush" target="_blank">here</a>). The site descibes them as follows:<br />
<ul>
<li>Each 9x14cm notebook has 48 dot-grid pages on a 100% recycled 90g paper made in France.</li>
<li>The golden "Calepino" hot stamping on the back cover is done manually in the typographic workshop of Calepino.</li>
</ul>
<br />
This is a lovely wee notebook. The cover is very attractive and the dots are fairly unobtrusive. Given that it's recycled paper, I'm not sure how well it will stand up to fountain pens, but most of my little notebooks don't need to be able to cope with that, as they are used for notes on the go.<br />
<br />
Here are 2, 3 and 4 together:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvayurUG6mLRjPwUjOrp_V4s9sPtjrRUcrgxhdabHzTI2CJGhyphenhyphenyc9jrw_CtKroAZbzIxVs1h-vN8PoACZ9sEdB2Ns1xpFdPsSo_4kGjgj1Oq7pHnwhqc08SjSvzSmLq51leH1KHbAYm6Pu/s1600/P1040138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="955" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvayurUG6mLRjPwUjOrp_V4s9sPtjrRUcrgxhdabHzTI2CJGhyphenhyphenyc9jrw_CtKroAZbzIxVs1h-vN8PoACZ9sEdB2Ns1xpFdPsSo_4kGjgj1Oq7pHnwhqc08SjSvzSmLq51leH1KHbAYm6Pu/s320/P1040138.JPG" width="257" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>5, 6 & 7. A pack of three Whitelines lined notebooks</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNmeDNuYYaNkDWpgkN0ROWbmcUnxSqjGgFs1w-0-sdBa_ElaWLf4flRl_oCKY7_Vc0iF3yERCtRS3Q7oDZKaoUyim2BtfdWoxCLSk4NxPmuV2Cqz8yR3j9oxeIRiy-wVWYtnLP41y_Ecu/s1600/P1040139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="665" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNmeDNuYYaNkDWpgkN0ROWbmcUnxSqjGgFs1w-0-sdBa_ElaWLf4flRl_oCKY7_Vc0iF3yERCtRS3Q7oDZKaoUyim2BtfdWoxCLSk4NxPmuV2Cqz8yR3j9oxeIRiy-wVWYtnLP41y_Ecu/s320/P1040139.JPG" width="207" /></a></div>
<br />
These are currently listed on Nero's Notes at £4.50 for the three (see the listing <a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/products/whitelines-lined-set-of-3" target="_blank">here</a>), though there is also an indication that these are reduced (by £4.50). The site describes them as:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>48 pages, 6mm lines
3.5" x 5.5" / 9 cm x 14 cm </li>
<li>Sold in packs of 3 </li>
<li>80g paper weight </li>
<li>Staple binding </li>
<li>Made in Sweden</li>
</ul>
<br />
Whitelines are different in that they have a grey background, with white lines (or dots if you buy the dot version), hence the name. I've never tried Whitelines before, but these look great.<br />
<br />
<b>Verdict:</b><br />
What a bargain!!! Even allowing for some of the notebooks to currently be on sale or perhaps be ultimately discontinued, and Nero's Notes needing to make space for new stuff, this is a seriously good bargain! I don't know how much the TN book normally retails for, but even setting that aside, the cost of the others (if you could buy them singly) adds up to more than £16. You can see why pretty much everyone who buys one of these 'mystery selections' comes back and buys another (and another...).<br />
<br />
Disclaimer: Although Stu (the owner of Nero's Notes) and I are good friends, I bought this pack, I was not given it. All of the views in this post are my own, unbiased opinions. If I hated a book, I wouldn't recommend it (even if I had been given it!). If you don't believe me, read some of my posts about Moleskines or Field Notes. 😃Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-82067733841240827942018-07-04T08:00:00.000+01:002018-07-04T08:00:11.530+01:00Rosaliny Green World 4 Assorted Softcover B5 Composition Notebooks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://amzn.to/2KnDscM" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0GdzP1b-4HEUePM4ceFeOVN-syDBIQFppP7q2sics9E80mJRWpaklb2IGYcZwnrnhhVhGJoV02VgJdvx_n6OMXAhVF2GnARHJk6tTYuM8a0Ay87IfYba7hV2cxZbWwwRh_hL_xsmk-EaS/s320/71Y5DjN7VcL._SL1300_.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>
I've been on a bit of notebook-buying spree. After <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/05/battered-deskfax-to-b5-travelers.html" target="_blank">renovating an old Filofax Deskfax to create a B5 sized Traveller's Notebook</a>, I (naturally) needed to buy lots of B5 notebooks!<br />
<br />
B5 is just about the perfect size for me, I think. I find A5 a little on the small side, but A4 a bit too large sometimes. B5 sits between those two sizes at 176mm x 250mm (c.f. A5 at 148mm x 210mm and A4 at 210mm x 297mm). And of course, it's the perfect size for my renovated Deskfax.<br />
<br />
I use my Deskfax as a writing TN - if I'm travelling, it has enough cards and pockets and so on, that I don't really need to have anything else in my bag, and the covers are sturdy enough to lean on if there isn't a table. (You can see what features the writing TN has <a href="http://www.amandafleet.co.uk/2018/05/new-writing-folder-old-deskfax.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)<br />
<br />
In the early stages of writing a book, I use small, slim notebooks to bounce ideas around. Some (most!) of these ideas may never make it to a full book, but I like to keep them anyway. Once I think an idea has enough legs to make it to being a full novel, I need a thicker book (like the <a href="https://amzn.to/2lJltOQ" target="_blank">Zhi Jin notebook</a>, reviewed <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2018/05/zhi-jin-b5-notebook-review.html" target="_blank">here</a>). I quite like the slim books made by Penco or Stalogy but saw some slightly more attractive slim notebooks on Amazon, while I was looking at the Zhi Jin.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2KnDscM" target="_blank">The Rosaliny Green World notebooks</a> were £8.99 from Amazon with free delivery and looked like a nice set of notebooks, so I ordered a pack. They took forever to arrive, not helped by the first order getting lost. Once the seller sent a new set, they took about 10 days to get here and there were some very sweet post-it notes in the parcel too (which I forgot to take pictures of and have now given away).<br />
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The notebooks have a reasonably sturdy card cover with quite sweet designs of trees/leaves and cats.<br />
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Inside, there are 38 pages (76 sides) and they are sewn rather than stapled. 37 (74) of these are lined; the first/last sheet is plain.<br />
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On the lined pages, there is space at the top to note the date and also the day of the week. The very top and bottom lines also have small marks on them to facilitate drawing in columns, should you so desire. The spacing of the small marks is a slightly random 10.8mm (which doesn't seem to relate to a sensible fraction of an inch either). Line spacing is 8mm, with a top margin of 15.5mm and a bottom margin of 14.5mm. There are 28 lines (if you're happy enough to use the bottom line; it would be fine - the small marks are unobtrusive).<br />
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How well did they stand up to fountain pen? The paper is described as "100gsm acid-free high quality recyclable ivory paper". I'm not sure if they mean "recyclable" (which surely, all paper is?) or "recycled". The paper does feel as if it is 100gsm and is very smooth.<br />
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Amazingly, I don't have a zillion fountain pens inked up at the moment, but I tested the paper with what I had, and with a few other pens I had to hand. I used one of the plain pages at the back of the book to test the pages. I don't imagine the lined paper will perform differently.<br />
<br />
The results are a bit mixed...<br />
I tried a 1.1mm stub nib and wet ink combo (usually a bit of a killer in pen tests), plus another italic nib, a standard m nib and then some Pilot Hi-tecpoints and a ballpoint.<br />
<br />
The good news...<br />
There's no feathering of the fountain pen ink at all and the paper is smooth to write on.<br />
There's no bleed-through of the stub nib or the italic.<br />
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The bad news...<br />
There <i>is</i> bleed-through with almost all the other pens except the ballpoint. The Tombow Object nib was the worst; the Hi-tecpoints were a bit better.<br />
There is show-through for everything. Depending on how much that bugs you, this might be the deal-breaker. For me, the pens I use the most are 1.1mm stub nibs, so the fact these worked so well and show-through isn't too dire, means that I'm happy enough to use them, but might not buy them again to be honest.<br />
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Pictures (click to enlarge):<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gMPiA7eF48i8tv2hGpBGGvt44IkAjI-MlJ2EQrDr5FBfOXlqJzkUxmicnT1baMjQLvD420fhZtMQeMkqD97m3aFpibNh-bFJIgLScEroA3NJPnRyaD3U7T5mE69aGLQPjQp3lkvzgil4/s1600/P1040148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="732" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gMPiA7eF48i8tv2hGpBGGvt44IkAjI-MlJ2EQrDr5FBfOXlqJzkUxmicnT1baMjQLvD420fhZtMQeMkqD97m3aFpibNh-bFJIgLScEroA3NJPnRyaD3U7T5mE69aGLQPjQp3lkvzgil4/s320/P1040148.JPG" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pen tests</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMNQXh44b9eSPEiR_N6nAFEvjWh3R9xxMkq9j4tKs1x_4WB3HkxUHaL-TsFkSQYLgvLDPAhvA-LIK01XVD4ZLL5MIBNo3oAgCaqWUoiBRtRcDl_WZaK1A3EwOHxQ2kKOOpf22iA2xA27a/s1600/P1040149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="747" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMNQXh44b9eSPEiR_N6nAFEvjWh3R9xxMkq9j4tKs1x_4WB3HkxUHaL-TsFkSQYLgvLDPAhvA-LIK01XVD4ZLL5MIBNo3oAgCaqWUoiBRtRcDl_WZaK1A3EwOHxQ2kKOOpf22iA2xA27a/s320/P1040149.JPG" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">reverse, showing bleed- and show-through</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpkKBiNBUSxyFZD9GaaWH6R9vsqg91Swhtnyb9Pxq0TX5iqFVTug0teGhusRPSdwh6WvF-Kh6_sHRZ-6Dr7Qb7aS57hjpaTfuaI7Dwfafsa9TdGMYjWZBjpWTjOt-7-mBgCl7Rpy5j0XC3/s1600/P1040150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpkKBiNBUSxyFZD9GaaWH6R9vsqg91Swhtnyb9Pxq0TX5iqFVTug0teGhusRPSdwh6WvF-Kh6_sHRZ-6Dr7Qb7aS57hjpaTfuaI7Dwfafsa9TdGMYjWZBjpWTjOt-7-mBgCl7Rpy5j0XC3/s320/P1040150.JPG" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">zoom in on the reverse</td></tr>
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<b>Overall:</b><br />
These are sweet little books which will definitely get used for initial notes on books or ideas. As for value for money, compared to the <a href="https://www.thejournalshop.com/hightide-foolscap-notebook-b5" target="_blank">Penco notebooks</a>, you get more pages (74 lined in this c.f. 60 in the Penco) for less money (£2.25 per book here, c.f. The Journal Shop selling Penco at £3.99). But... paper quality is significantly lower than the Penco.<br />
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As for comparing to Stalogy, the only UK seller I can find is Tokyo Bike (the listing for the Stalogy is <a href="https://www.tokyobike.co.uk/stalogy-vintage-notebook.html" target="_blank">here</a>). They have 68 pages and are £5.50 (I originally got mine from somewhere else and they were £2.50. I wish now I'd bought more!). Again, paper quality on the Stalogy is better, but they are a lot more money per notebook. If you're US based, I think there are more options for purchasing them.<br />
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The covers are attractive and sturdy and I like that the pages are sewn rather than stapled. Paper quality lets them down, but at £2.25 each, I shouldn't really complain (I mean, Moleskine get away with charging a lot more money for notebooks and the paper is much worse!). I like the headers with the space for the date (and day), plus the marks to facilitate drawing columns. Line spacing suits me, though those with small writing or a penchant for fine nibs may find it a bit wide.<br />
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Overall, I quite like them!<br />
<br />Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-51860700730933148782018-06-30T08:00:00.000+01:002018-06-30T08:00:03.839+01:00Leuchtturm B5 dot matrix bookFollowing on from <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/battered-deskfax-to-b5-travelers.html" target="_blank">converting an old Deskfax Filofax into a B5 TN</a> and getting a great new B5 notebook for it (review <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/zhi-jin-b5-notebook-review.html" target="_blank">here</a>), I also took advantage of the fact that Bureau Direct were selling off their Leuchtturm B5 dot grid notebooks. I just looked at the Bureau Direct site and they were out of stock and I suspect they aren't going to get them back in. But... <a href="https://amzn.to/2G7D76P" target="_blank">Amazon do sell them</a> (though not at 20% off like the Bureau Direct ones were...). If the price of them on Amazon is a bit rich (it seems to be going up and down), then there are also <a href="https://amzn.to/2rCLFgP" target="_blank">ZenArt's Bullet Journal Notebooks</a> available on Amazon (but I don't know what they are like as I've never bought one).<br />
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But... back to the ones I <i>do</i> have! Given that Bureau Direct said that they were discontinuing stocking them and because delivery is free over £20, I grabbed a couple - a raspberry pink (berry) coloured cover and a sea-green (emerald) coloured cover.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmR1a4d_LYx6CK7UjYCY9oGwXFtlse-R6lOhkWPe0-IxSwqfsKdm6q2AYfhFVdFtXymUI2q1Wi-IJV0JmQPAnZBtCMSi5lnH7c_vBM85i68M6-IRw8B6FyPgsnGg5LuFAUMs-snDgyqnIa/s1600/P1040130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="1024" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmR1a4d_LYx6CK7UjYCY9oGwXFtlse-R6lOhkWPe0-IxSwqfsKdm6q2AYfhFVdFtXymUI2q1Wi-IJV0JmQPAnZBtCMSi5lnH7c_vBM85i68M6-IRw8B6FyPgsnGg5LuFAUMs-snDgyqnIa/s320/P1040130.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There are 121 numbered pages, a blank table of contents, 8 perforated (detachable) sheets, an expandable pocket, and a page marker. The pages are thread bound so the book opens flat and paper is cited as ink-proof and acid-free. I've found other Leuchtturm paper a bit iffy with fountain pen ink (see a review from a few years ago <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-leuchtturm-1917-notebooks.html" target="_blank">here</a>) and I haven't yet tested these ones. I suspect I will find them a bit iffy too, but I'll use them nonetheless.<br />
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Dot spacing is 5mm and the dots are fairly unobtrusive. Although the notebooks are described as soft-cover, the cover is nonetheless pretty sturdy and certainly withstands being slotted into the slip pocket in the cover of my Deskfax TN.<br />
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These would probably make a great bullet journal. I wouldn't know... I've <i>tried</i> to bullet journal and it doesn't work with my brain. For me, these are notebooks to go in my renovated Deskfax-TN as writing books - books to plan out new novels etc. I did a post over on my author blog about my "writing Deskfax" - see <a href="http://www.amandafleet.co.uk/2018/05/new-writing-folder-old-deskfax.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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I tend to use slim notebooks when I'm starting out on a novel - when I'm just noodling around, trying to work out if the initial thoughts will ever grow enough legs to make it to a full book (sometimes they do; sometimes they don't, but I keep them all, just in case!). But once I genuinely think a book <i>will</i> emerge from all the noodling about, I need a decent sized book to write in. I'm looking forward to using these for that.<br />
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For bullet journallers out there, these may be the missing size between A5 being a smidgen too small, but A4 being a bit too big to be portable. Page size is good, but the overall thickness of the book is manageable if you have a decent sized bag (or use a briefcase). If I could get my brain to work with bullet journalling, I might contemplate using these with a week to view layout including enough space for tasks for each day (though I do already have a B5 diary that would do just that, by United Bees. I've not reviewed it yet, but it's available <a href="https://amzn.to/2MyB5At" target="_blank">here</a> if you want to check it out).<br />
<br />
Since I went on a bit of notebook-buying splurge, I 'm hoping to have more blog posts coming soon.<br />
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<u>Still to review:</u><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2MyJHH5" target="_blank">Ya Jin Classic Lined Casebound Hardcover Notebook </a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2KytuV1" target="_blank">Rosaliny Green World 4 Assorted Softcover B5 Composition Notebooks</a><br />
<a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/products/neros-notes-leather-notebook-5" target="_blank">Nero's Notes Leather Notebook </a><br />
<a href="https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/collections/notebooks/products/six-4-six" target="_blank">Nero's Notes 6 for £6 </a><br />
<br />
<b><u>B5 books at Amazon:</u></b><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/LEUCHTTURM1917-349298-Notebook-Softcover-Composition/dp/B01N3CJHYZ/ref=as_li_ss_il?th=1&linkCode=li2&tag=amanflee-21&linkId=88b8c7819dacc0218e08bde8105d7d5e" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B01N3CJHYZ&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=amanflee-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=amanflee-21&l=li2&o=2&a=B01N3CJHYZ" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/LEUCHTTURM1917-349298-Notebook-Softcover-Composition/dp/B01MZIENS4/ref=as_li_ss_il?th=1&linkCode=li2&tag=amanflee-21&linkId=23a40bfe4cb26c5ce9c4e8d63439da34" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B01MZIENS4&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=amanflee-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=amanflee-21&l=li2&o=2&a=B01MZIENS4" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/ZenArts-BULLET-JOURNAL-NOTEBOOK-Expandable/dp/B074G5R57B/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&linkCode=li2&tag=amanflee-21&linkId=d697d2cc7008bad6e4b8ab75c3a93db7" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B074G5R57B&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=amanflee-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=amanflee-21&l=li2&o=2&a=B074G5R57B" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B075CJ35R5/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&linkCode=li2&tag=amanflee-21&linkId=6e86c7304896abfcb174659ce2a15b97" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B075CJ35R5&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=amanflee-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=amanflee-21&l=li2&o=2&a=B075CJ35R5" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0724ZW7RP/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&linkCode=li2&tag=amanflee-21&linkId=a40698488e0c8593b0c9b688cf8e3efe" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0724ZW7RP&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=amanflee-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=amanflee-21&l=li2&o=2&a=B0724ZW7RP" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B076KX83FH/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&linkCode=li2&tag=amanflee-21&linkId=ae2030ea572c1f5b4433a28819e3aff6" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B076KX83FH&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=amanflee-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=amanflee-21&l=li2&o=2&a=B076KX83FH" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-64302443138209873302018-05-10T13:00:00.000+01:002018-05-10T13:00:10.749+01:00Zhi Jin B5 notebook - review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheK1eP07WFAvwhlmRRwfKHBKDSU3CLkqYiycofjnMnHb05BZRCTw4c6v365sKcgnk6a5FfO16YyUkZ-OujTYBjHlfWGxBBmYSjkJxzKkwISPCwB3TlfcXhfNIcSdjabf2R08hHbEzRXhl-/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="98" data-original-width="448" height="69" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheK1eP07WFAvwhlmRRwfKHBKDSU3CLkqYiycofjnMnHb05BZRCTw4c6v365sKcgnk6a5FfO16YyUkZ-OujTYBjHlfWGxBBmYSjkJxzKkwISPCwB3TlfcXhfNIcSdjabf2R08hHbEzRXhl-/s320/002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Having <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/battered-deskfax-to-b5-travelers.html" target="_blank">renovated a battered old Deskfax into a beautiful B5 Traveller's Notebook</a>, to use for writing, I was in search of some slightly thicker B5 notebooks. I have some slim ones (60-80 pages - Penco and Stalogy for example) but I'm getting to the stage with the new novel, where I'm going to need a chunkier book to hold more notes.<br />
<br />
B5 isn't the easiest size to buy in the UK, which is largely wedded to the A-sizes (A4, A5, A6 etc) but I <i>love</i> B5 as a notebook size (and B6 as a smaller notebook size, to be honest). Leuchtturm do a B5 dot matrix book (and I've just snaffled a couple of those from Bureau Direct. They were reduced as they were discontinuing stocking them, so I don't know how long they will available). There is a Moleskine notebook which is approximately the right size, but hell hasn't frozen over yet, so I won't be buying it.<br />
<br />
On Amazon, there are a couple of B5 books that I've been looking at, but <a href="https://amzn.to/2Iwp5Ro" target="_blank">this Zhi Jin</a> one caught my eye as it had colourful covers and a rainbow edge.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ClklsfRzW9L6MJ8w4YjJCco94Msv1olTkwdYR9Opg9CH4y3s_VDLyf85Vhfb9UKVT7pwh6ArJz1xEQuMEXq4d5-OUgDZ2_DpZwSaLfSV-GS7LmW2hsX2Nvk3xbzEB4Nk_-bCL3DeJhnV/s1600/Zhi+Jin+books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="945" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ClklsfRzW9L6MJ8w4YjJCco94Msv1olTkwdYR9Opg9CH4y3s_VDLyf85Vhfb9UKVT7pwh6ArJz1xEQuMEXq4d5-OUgDZ2_DpZwSaLfSV-GS7LmW2hsX2Nvk3xbzEB4Nk_-bCL3DeJhnV/s320/Zhi+Jin+books.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I bought the blue cover and it's a fabulous, vibrant blue - Mediterranean sea colour on a sunny day. But what's it actually like as a notebook?<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>The cover is synthetic (which I'm not a fan of as I would rather not buy anything that's not biodegradable). It has a similar feel to Ciak notebooks, but this is made of PU rather than 'recycled leather' that the Ciak have. The pages are sewn not just glued in and there is a page marker in a weird brown colour (that doesn't go with the book at all) which is too short, really. There's no pocket on the inside cover.<br />
<br />
At the start of the book, there are various pages, almost none of which will be much use to most people:<br />
An "if found, please return to..." page<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbc2mS7B-L6FyN5qEp8Q6-Q9lChCSiMU7wT5na7G2ytBF89jiCnUBJ1ohjKWZhYtIyYmhqQCU1i8Cp_6bF841PqfT9NRXR9hoaMNHrdsRIjdaWy9rTc8X3JlHHrHdlRdTRxdfwazzaash/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="325" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbc2mS7B-L6FyN5qEp8Q6-Q9lChCSiMU7wT5na7G2ytBF89jiCnUBJ1ohjKWZhYtIyYmhqQCU1i8Cp_6bF841PqfT9NRXR9hoaMNHrdsRIjdaWy9rTc8X3JlHHrHdlRdTRxdfwazzaash/s320/004.JPG" width="232" /></a></div>
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Those pointless month calendars for 2018, 2019 and 2020 (if anyone actually uses them, can you tell me what for?? Thanks!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBmsINVcXlNbiP7Dz2qaNHGC7JwOHVDH0ToUyPXa96diT4E7p0VUNVXondv5sF9VJyF7HH0GJBA_RllwgOjOIEEfOxNORYYfmkQVoiIrXaQjhmYcwK8WjASyKLNKVWd4COvOITjXrbRSf/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="448" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBmsINVcXlNbiP7Dz2qaNHGC7JwOHVDH0ToUyPXa96diT4E7p0VUNVXondv5sF9VJyF7HH0GJBA_RllwgOjOIEEfOxNORYYfmkQVoiIrXaQjhmYcwK8WjASyKLNKVWd4COvOITjXrbRSf/s320/005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Dialling codes and postal codes for the Chinese provinces:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjktw_KqZ6Y7kztgeno_pcwpemB93MzUEMrUD98oKl-A7x1cMsp6ll306uUgq2qxjpgadqeNn2UZXqfoAxtQv53RZYraxvY32r_vSlJJaM0eaLwNXeBhLKlep7yGIBM-R_JEegsvCia_46P/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="448" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjktw_KqZ6Y7kztgeno_pcwpemB93MzUEMrUD98oKl-A7x1cMsp6ll306uUgq2qxjpgadqeNn2UZXqfoAxtQv53RZYraxvY32r_vSlJJaM0eaLwNXeBhLKlep7yGIBM-R_JEegsvCia_46P/s320/006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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International dialling codes and time differences and a chart for container sizes, international clothing sizes and temperature conversions:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2C8L7FC_AWRGVW9cIlSi7CDVKSXfJZJxs9NXivZ_e-UHdsYM1y4JoGxVcDR7XNzS00vSw3IvQrhwKomBrzy5_z_F2hn8OPRGa_LP_d7NLKIrx8k3Ruj27rqvGrIoP6hfP_oVEhB2mhvZ/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="448" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2C8L7FC_AWRGVW9cIlSi7CDVKSXfJZJxs9NXivZ_e-UHdsYM1y4JoGxVcDR7XNzS00vSw3IvQrhwKomBrzy5_z_F2hn8OPRGa_LP_d7NLKIrx8k3Ruj27rqvGrIoP6hfP_oVEhB2mhvZ/s320/007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Conversion tables for weights/area/capacity etc. and a map of the Beijing Subway:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVoPCXvhddeWbbbx8UY9bSm6y5L1KFqe3f68_YIPJvtuRg0D26upl0KwK7BG6puJL93PgLpKpmS382Yc_fiiqw5t0X6x3TMQwTcUAPbJoEfAmghOW3dfHlti80ev915CKkuSv7Jc29Xop/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="448" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVoPCXvhddeWbbbx8UY9bSm6y5L1KFqe3f68_YIPJvtuRg0D26upl0KwK7BG6puJL93PgLpKpmS382Yc_fiiqw5t0X6x3TMQwTcUAPbJoEfAmghOW3dfHlti80ev915CKkuSv7Jc29Xop/s320/008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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A map of the Shanghai Subway and a map of the Guangzhou Metro:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipv4gl-wbgGRhB3mI69R3_YpRILvPN2OVb5CECCnHdMSpTCr5aqvygVm3NtPmzq178TIaSNbU5GepnMq2SyU7AOWhouXNypUq1vvow8ZdWOe8EP6-boEhfywHUoRirNAAYmNy-S3IXJEtl/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="448" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipv4gl-wbgGRhB3mI69R3_YpRILvPN2OVb5CECCnHdMSpTCr5aqvygVm3NtPmzq178TIaSNbU5GepnMq2SyU7AOWhouXNypUq1vvow8ZdWOe8EP6-boEhfywHUoRirNAAYmNy-S3IXJEtl/s320/009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Another map of another rail/subway/metro system (but there's no English on it so I don't know where it's for), plus one for Hong Kong, and table of internet addresses (??):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmu_W73fVQ49mAgE3VBniwBjKtJCDTfS8oFOyQvVUQ73cP4haswXwAYES_DvUXEtHNc_YOnklVIAxyR6gq9i6fUGpNp9dUXGWJUGo1nbtBorlX7p6m-XPv1Bwho0eTNq6AagUZ_5e7ky3/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="448" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmu_W73fVQ49mAgE3VBniwBjKtJCDTfS8oFOyQvVUQ73cP4haswXwAYES_DvUXEtHNc_YOnklVIAxyR6gq9i6fUGpNp9dUXGWJUGo1nbtBorlX7p6m-XPv1Bwho0eTNq6AagUZ_5e7ky3/s320/010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Another table but I don't know what it's for, then 2 pages for addresses/emails/phone numbers:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIVbe3i_aeHJFtP5_QAiMsdu0wAiLk4poX5qirTvmpGzh3_Zbhnoqhxah1JJulW3MQ_QL4A0mnh2KPgByf5seWalnENgVTw6qLCYZK6JL7YO-DvKPhdHQHnjrzcBCRNPX7le8l_cqIEwXL/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="448" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIVbe3i_aeHJFtP5_QAiMsdu0wAiLk4poX5qirTvmpGzh3_Zbhnoqhxah1JJulW3MQ_QL4A0mnh2KPgByf5seWalnENgVTw6qLCYZK6JL7YO-DvKPhdHQHnjrzcBCRNPX7le8l_cqIEwXL/s320/011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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After that, there are 196 sides of undated journal pages:<br />
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The diary pages are quite nice. At the top, there are weather symbols, should you desire to record the weather when you're making notes. Beneath those, there are the days of the week. On the top right hand side of the page is a space to mark the memo no. (whatever that might be; I'll use it to note what kind of notes they are - character, setting, plot etc.), and beneath that, space to note the date.<br />
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There are small marks at the top and bottom of the page to help you draw vertical lines, should you so wish. These are spaced at 12.5mm spacing. There are 22 lines to a page (23 if you don't mind writing over the small marks) and line spacing is at a fairly wide 9.5mm (which may well be too wide for many people - if I'm writing with a stub pen, it might be okay. If I'm writing with a normal nib, it may seem far too wide!).<br />
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There are no page numbers and no designated spaces for an index/table of contents.<br />
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But... the million dollar question... how does it perform with fountain pens??<br />
<br />
Actually, <b>amazingly well!</b> The paper is described as 100 gsm which feels accurate, though the pages don't feel over-thick. I didn't have a huge number of pens inked up, but those I did, are often tough on notebooks!<br />
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Not needing a list of Chinese internet addresses, nor the table on the other side, I used that page to do the pen tests:<br />
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The paper was lovely and smooth, but ink drying time was quick. There was no feathering, no bleed-through and no show-through! Here's the reverse:<br />
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I was both amazed and delighted! The notebooks are just under £12 on Amazon, have bright covers and LOTS of pages and perform really well with fountain pens. Line spacing is a bit over-generous, but not a deal-breaker. All in all, they are a great B5 notebook and I recommend them!<br />
<br />
You can get them from Amazon <a href="https://amzn.to/2Iwp5Ro" target="_blank">here</a>. Shipping was free and quick. Mine took less than a fortnight from ordering to delivery. I will probably slip the back cover into the vertical slip pocket in the back cover of the Deskfax and keep the elastics for the slimmer books I use.<br />
<br />Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-8015641456277274002018-05-05T12:38:00.001+01:002018-05-05T12:38:44.611+01:00Battered Deskfax to B5 Travelers NotebookI <i><b>love</b></i> the B paper sizes - from B6 which is just a brilliant TN size (bigger than A6, but not quite so big as A5) and B5 which is the perfect size for notebooks (again, bigger than A5, but not so big as A4).<br />
<br />
I have a number of B5 books that I use for writing notebooks. I usually have smallish (60-80 page) ones as general ideas/initial notes on stories with one for each idea, and wanted to have a way of keeping them together. To buy a B5 Travellers Notebook would be expensive, but...<br />
<br />
... an old Filofax Deskfax is exactly the right size! I spotted a pretty battered Richmond Deskfax on eBay, put in the minimum bid and waited to see... and I won it!<br />
<br />
I actually <i>have</i> a Richmond Deskfax, given to me by my wonderful friend Gerard, which does indeed make a great notebook size. But I wanted one to remove the rings from and then punch holes in it, so the lovely, perfect condition one from Gerard was altogether <i>far</i> too nice to be treated like this!<br />
<br />
This is what the one from eBay looked like, before I started on it...<br />
[click on any picture to enlarge] <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5CVsxtM1ds-QlsXKm1uXg7wAuoyYVgEnM3WYh6vaCVJU4CStfFXYBgCrTNSV5_gOSlcNy0abT0L6rdlY2FIdRWrvWbEBRGTiI2kRuhxml77TWQPaVcZ15P6p967SfeGPteKK2HlmWdkw/s1600/P1030865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="939" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5CVsxtM1ds-QlsXKm1uXg7wAuoyYVgEnM3WYh6vaCVJU4CStfFXYBgCrTNSV5_gOSlcNy0abT0L6rdlY2FIdRWrvWbEBRGTiI2kRuhxml77TWQPaVcZ15P6p967SfeGPteKK2HlmWdkw/s320/P1030865.JPG" width="261" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front cover</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back cover (apologies it's a bit blurred)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I got my hubby to drill out the rivets holding in the ring mechanism (as he isn't likely to drill through an artery in the process, whereas I am), then he carefully cut the lining, removed the backing plate and glued the edge of the leather back down over the slit with superglue. You can barely see the cuts!<br />
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So this is what the inside looked like after the removal of the rings...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior, no rings!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The rings removed, the cover still looked battered and pretty horrible. But black shoe polish works wonders! I know some purists out there will be grinding their teeth at the thought, but I wanted a nice looking notebook and don't care.<br />
<br />
So, here we go, rings removed and the leather cleaned up with a leather wipe and then covered in black shoe polish...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOj7Xq-XEEDSUBcdDWQr2QbnQnbPk9puT2Sgs7YqG35ICuP3LCtBmljXKR2cLVuusJcMrFlpezUclEcVmYrGWh0OIoiBoqx2rG0inclAfKQZCThRj-4wQYLCapdNnyPcuWMX5pGVrgBerp/s1600/P1030872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="1024" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOj7Xq-XEEDSUBcdDWQr2QbnQnbPk9puT2Sgs7YqG35ICuP3LCtBmljXKR2cLVuusJcMrFlpezUclEcVmYrGWh0OIoiBoqx2rG0inclAfKQZCThRj-4wQYLCapdNnyPcuWMX5pGVrgBerp/s320/P1030872.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Rings removed and cleaned up, all that was left was to punch the holes in it and thread the elastics.<br />
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<u>Three tips for you:</u><br />
1. Use a leather punch. You need to get through the leather cover, a card inner and the lining fabric. I used a 1.5mm punch, bought pretty cheaply from eBay. Remember to protect the surface you have the Filofax on before walloping the punch with a hammer. I had a chopping board underneath.<br />
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2. Use a bit of masking tape/washi tape to mark up where the holes need to go as it's easier to write on that than on the leather.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3xn9H-ZxG-xb5aZy1smefud78C_M_n-qtSWKkMEZd8DIiK3_0Yq59PVxYlbbjDr3jXexekzQMXk1nvY8x1bTu2ucJhMR_bEOA3AMmkN3YXvWWcTe1wvA6_IsJAw_Q0SOL2bmOaI_6r10/s1600/P1030875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3xn9H-ZxG-xb5aZy1smefud78C_M_n-qtSWKkMEZd8DIiK3_0Yq59PVxYlbbjDr3jXexekzQMXk1nvY8x1bTu2ucJhMR_bEOA3AMmkN3YXvWWcTe1wvA6_IsJAw_Q0SOL2bmOaI_6r10/s320/P1030875.JPG" width="316" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Washi tape on the leather ready to mark up <br />
where the holes need to be punched</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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3. Use a wool needle to help thread the elastics through the holes - it's a lot easier than trying to poke the elastic through the holes, especially from the inside.<br />
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<br />
The Richmond is a great layout for a TN - there's a set of 8 card slots on the left, with what <i>was</i> a floppy disk holder (ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!) at the bottom, but which could be used for stickers/Post-Its etc. Behind that is a full-height slip pocket. Behind that is a zipped pocket and behind that is another full height slip pocket.<br />
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The right hand side (inside back cover) has a full height slip pocket and a slot so you could put a notebook in it if it had the backing attached along the top edge, rather than the side.<br />
<br />
There are two pen loops and it fastens with a clasp (so no need for an elastic round the middle).<br />
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Perfect B5 TN ! Here it is, loaded up with some notebooks, ready to go. I do admit, you might need a large handbag/briefcase to carry it around, but I want it mostly for train journeys (and have a huge bag...). All in all, I'm really pleased. For less than £14, I have a B5 TN that has all the features I want.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybtSmIZ5QBQeObtm5rIwErlGSXxNL5bSlBRqK8_91_Q66yQbrd_kurOZRUsnRDTxnTPljctP-_DfPlQveEAudREBUmt-6Bi-juCdTVPmeNpiV99oF-VysF_z9Ogld1TfWGoO07AQfJiZg/s1600/P1030880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="1024" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybtSmIZ5QBQeObtm5rIwErlGSXxNL5bSlBRqK8_91_Q66yQbrd_kurOZRUsnRDTxnTPljctP-_DfPlQveEAudREBUmt-6Bi-juCdTVPmeNpiV99oF-VysF_z9Ogld1TfWGoO07AQfJiZg/s320/P1030880.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Penco book on the left and a Stalogy 016 on the right</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOR0oVE-xeAm-FYzz-q3PWlEi_zoHpPgZmdCg-jQUBltGnNf3eoAWjCD-EaUKnfmpslXFUO1VLuxJM1muufnwcm_JvRkzEBWC7-A27DhJatQVqliR3mfZ7X-Sug2D7e_43rmHD-Y2Su_QO/s1600/P1030882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOR0oVE-xeAm-FYzz-q3PWlEi_zoHpPgZmdCg-jQUBltGnNf3eoAWjCD-EaUKnfmpslXFUO1VLuxJM1muufnwcm_JvRkzEBWC7-A27DhJatQVqliR3mfZ7X-Sug2D7e_43rmHD-Y2Su_QO/s320/P1030882.JPG" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not perfect, but less 'lived in' looking that at the start!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
What do people think?<br />
<br />Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-61077840337409010562018-04-10T16:00:00.001+01:002018-04-10T16:00:12.043+01:00"From Me to You"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2Gq5Sha6VDAOvcqrH0IiHsPLRelTKnbQwgbokMUHDZmNThMwWxJ_Y4M-lirGnSe5Xc38XZ4UKUzQZ6zNae7JpaEf5Ct-__nmvxxICPdPd_REXJG0NxYhELmP0ulfNXzZJRSZoX0SrU1r/s1600/From+me+to+you.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="849" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2Gq5Sha6VDAOvcqrH0IiHsPLRelTKnbQwgbokMUHDZmNThMwWxJ_Y4M-lirGnSe5Xc38XZ4UKUzQZ6zNae7JpaEf5Ct-__nmvxxICPdPd_REXJG0NxYhELmP0ulfNXzZJRSZoX0SrU1r/s320/From+me+to+you.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
As the title of the blog implies, I am a stationery fiend. I supply my habit in a number of ways, including getting an occasional subscription to <a href="http://www.spotlightstationery.co.uk/" target="_blank">Spotlight Stationery</a>.<br />
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Part of the cost of each subscription is donated to charity and this year, the charity that has been chosen is "<a href="https://www.frommetoyouletters.co.uk/" target="_blank">From Me To You</a>". From Me To You encourages people to write letters to friends or family members who are suffering from cancer. It also has a "<a href="https://www.frommetoyouletters.co.uk/copy-of-donate" target="_blank">Donate a Letter</a>" scheme where people can write to cancer patients who have requested a letter. I have joined the "Donate a Letter" scheme and last week, wrote several letters to be given to cancer patients, to show them that there are people (even strangers) who are thinking of them. You don't have to send long letters - even a card or a postcard will be welcomed.
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<a name='more'></a><br />
This might sound like a really strange thing to do, but I love writing letters and I love receiving a hand-written letter too. Now, the donate a letter scheme only involves donating letters - you don't get any reply. You don't know who your letter has gone to. But I figured that if I love getting a letter, others would too. After all, you can choose to read a letter when you want (rather than a text which demands instant attention on your phone). You can re-read a letter time and again. A letter on real paper has taken time and effort and concentration and that alone can make it special. Obviously, if you are writing to a friend or family member, you do know who they are and you may get a reply.<br />
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When you sign up for the scheme, you get sent (by email) information about it all, including tips for letter writing, in case you don't know where to start or what to include, and sample letters, so you can see what others have written.<br />
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If you are a cancer patient, you can ask for a letter to be given to you and you'll get one of the donated letters.<br />
<br />
I think this is a brilliant scheme and I hope you do too. Why not join in?<br />
<br />Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935108133252662085.post-27524343611150564602018-04-02T00:01:00.000+01:002018-04-02T00:01:00.258+01:00Planner PeaceI've realised that the reason I've hardly been posting on here (apart from being ludicrously busy all the time, naturally) is that I'm not angsting or fretting over my planner. When I used a Filofax, either the size was all wrong, or the inserts were. I flipped back and forth from A5 to personal to pocket and back.<br />
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I've been using a Travellers' Notebook system for yonks now! I blogged about being in a TN way back in 2015. Then, I'd been in my Stamford Notebook Company red TN for six months (and thought <i>that </i>was a record!). I blogged about it <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/my-snc-travellers-journal-aka-workhorse.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Since I moved into the red TN, my system hasn't changed at all, though the actual TN being used has.<br />
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<b>What I'm using at the moment:</b><br />
<a name='more'></a>At the moment, I'm in my Meadowgate Leather (see <a href="http://paperpensink.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/review-travellers-journal-from.html" target="_blank">here</a> for my initial review of it). It's a Snowbell, but with card slots in the back cover as well as the front cover, and in cahier size, rather than regular. I have a Traveller's Company (used to be Midori) vertical week to view diary in it, a zipper pocket insert for money and a notebook in the back for notes out and about. All my cards are held in the cover card slots and there is space in the vertical pockets behind the card slots for receipts etc.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwfk2KH3Is37G-9aI1ysrCwitxwtyC1NWWpEo7xCBLEsUpFwNy_Fovw_5CkZND4IrPr6t3mznL6QhBq4Olmf9xptUlUpJQisCR1r1MNYKQfP1AMxg52CoynXJfgdcRzBeAE60ftJoxhx0/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="991" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwfk2KH3Is37G-9aI1ysrCwitxwtyC1NWWpEo7xCBLEsUpFwNy_Fovw_5CkZND4IrPr6t3mznL6QhBq4Olmf9xptUlUpJQisCR1r1MNYKQfP1AMxg52CoynXJfgdcRzBeAE60ftJoxhx0/s320/015.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior of my Meadowgate Leather TN</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTb98KDU54QkCR3B8bkTnT8Gto_IpNvkGAjVnn4u6rzjD9Sk0PtIqoOMOIyZk3haEQAmLA6LbO3rw7jpAGpRRrhZnRNckR7s8n0V6KZ6QL0uYqWrQOnDdvJ6qM2Cvn9jWPhWBMe_2SM0lf/s1600/018+insert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="1025" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTb98KDU54QkCR3B8bkTnT8Gto_IpNvkGAjVnn4u6rzjD9Sk0PtIqoOMOIyZk3haEQAmLA6LbO3rw7jpAGpRRrhZnRNckR7s8n0V6KZ6QL0uYqWrQOnDdvJ6qM2Cvn9jWPhWBMe_2SM0lf/s320/018+insert.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diary insert</td></tr>
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The vertical, undated, weekly diary (insert 018) is working brilliantly for me. It has the days split into timed slots so that I can time-box each day if I need (or at least accurately indicate when I'm busy with appointments etc.). There's also space at the RHS and at the bottom for a to-do list and notes. I usually use the column at the RHS for my to-do and the space at the bottom for notes (whether I've ordered anything, so I can tick it off when it arrives; notes on weekly word-count when I'm writing; maybe an inspirational quote...). I use space by the date to record the weather (I'm British) and since I never really have anything before about 8.30-9.00 a.m., I can use the first couple of lines of the day to note things too. I don't have any book marks in, but fasten previous weeks' pages back with an elastic band. Here's an example of a completed week... (with some bits hidden).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOyJN2OYt0gvsC89U5lJ16vNvhKPo4EFiAe98bqMguy47gqILbh5Ig1eIl8GiEjkwnOGWFFluRq9OWny8s0fHYT8F2MPqHR0EgoRXMLeVr8LBPkdHEveSw2g5JIM7L5lRnwdbc3w_uHEp4/s1600/P1030793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="870" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOyJN2OYt0gvsC89U5lJ16vNvhKPo4EFiAe98bqMguy47gqILbh5Ig1eIl8GiEjkwnOGWFFluRq9OWny8s0fHYT8F2MPqHR0EgoRXMLeVr8LBPkdHEveSw2g5JIM7L5lRnwdbc3w_uHEp4/s320/P1030793.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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2018 is split over two inserts (with a few weeks spare at the end...) which works well for me. At the moment I don't have the second half of the year in there as I rarely need to plan that far ahead. Anything I do need to note, I can just write in the note book at the back. Once we get towards the end of May, I'll pop the second half of the year in, and as soon as I'm into the new insert, the first half will come out (so the two will only be in for a few weeks, keeping it light).<br />
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I realised <i>many</i> years ago that I have no idea how to make a monthly insert work for me. I can't get the granularity right - I either put in too much detail and can't see the wood for the trees, or don't put in enough and have to refer to weekly pages anyway. My best option is a week to view, but big enough that I can time-box each day <i>and</i> have space for notes. I prefer the Traveller's Company insert 018 over the dated version, because in the dated version, that column on the right is filled with mini month-calendars (and regular readers will know just how much I think they are utterly pointless!).<br />
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<b>But...</b><br />
I'm about to switch the cover from my beloved Meadowgate Leather one, to...<br />
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Another Meadowgate Leather one! I bought this one second-hand in a Facebook group. The woman who sold it said it was the wrong size for her. It's a standard size (so not as wide as my current cover) and is a standard Snowbell layout with card slots in the front cover but not the back. I still have my card holder insert from when I used my red Stamford Notebok Company TN, so will pop that in for the cards I currently have in the back cover of my TN. I don't know which colour it was (the woman I got it from had got it from someone else) but it's gorgeous!<br />
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No reason for the change, other than the fact I needed a colour pop with all the rubbish weather (and to try and convince me that Spring is actually going to arrive at some point!).<br />
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Anyway, that's what I'm using at the moment, and I suspect that it will be what I end up using for some time to come! Aaahhhh.... planner peace! Amanda Fleethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15838595882535434260noreply@blogger.com1