Hey, look what I found in my Easter basket: two Lamy Safaris from Line Friends.
Cuteness overload, I know. But let’s revel in it, just for one day.
Author: Laura
Spring Ink-o-Rama
I love spring inks!
Pen of the Day: Aurora Optima Demonstrator
Aurora Optima demonstrator with fine nib. It is Italian Pen Week here at Fountain Pen Follies. Actually, I have no other inked pens that haven’t already been Pens of the Day. But Italian Pen Week sounds better. Lemons to lemonade, that’s my motto.
There’s not much to say about this fantastic pen, except that it’s really perfect.
Right now the pen contains Waterman Serenity Blue, so I could compare a standard blue ink color to KWZ Iron Gall Green Gold. Serenity Blue is a darn good ink: well-behaved in most pens, well-behaved on most papers. And it’s safe for this beautiful Aurora.
Ink Review: KWZ Iron Gall Green Gold
A Few Thoughts, No Pens
Yesterday was a sad day. I was working on an ink review post, but it didn’t seem as important. So here are words I like from other people. Two wonderful writers and a wonderful musician.
“I composed a beautiful letter to you in the sleepless nightmare hours of the night, and it has all gone: I just miss you, in a quite simple desperate human way. You, with all your un-dumb letters, would never write so elementary phrase as that; perhaps you wouldn’t even feel it.” – Vita Sackville-West, letter to Virginia Woolf
“Each one of us has lived through some devastation, some loneliness, some weather superstorm or spiritual superstorm, when we look at each other we must say, I understand. I understand how you feel because I have been there myself. We must support each other and empathize with each other because each of us is more alike than we are unalike.” – Maya Angelou
“We gon’ be alright.” – Kendrick Lamar
Pen of the Day: Omas Vintage Paragon Arco Verde
Omas Vintage Paragon Arco Verde with extra-fine nib. I would be the first person to tell you that green is not my favorite color. But some of my most beautiful pens are green, including this one.
This is not a vintage Omas: rather, Omas continued to produce this older body style in limited editions denominated “Vintage Paragon” after changing the Paragon to a larger pen with metal section.
Arco celluloid came in brown or green. It shimmers as it catches the light. There’s not much like it.
In celebration of the spring, I’m using the lovely Caran d’Ache Delicate Green. It’s light and bright, but legible even from an extra-fine nib.
Ink Review: Bung Box First Love Sapphire
Things I Learned This Week
1. Pie for breakfast. “It’s a thing,” my older daughter told me. And it turns out that it is! How could I have missed this? Allrecipes calls pie for breakfast “the most important pie of the day.” Outstanding!
2. March Madness. Our alma maters crashed and burned in the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament. I’m way past “my bracket is busted” and basically at, “just rip it up.” It’s okay; I can still watch. The commercials are much better than on normal t.v. And when my mind wanders, there’s always pie. For example, how many pie pieces could one eat in a day?
3. March weather. It is a truth universally acknowledged that whenever I had the opportunity to take photographs for the blog this week, the clouds would immediately come out and the light would become dull. Once I gave up, the sun would shine. So I am out of ideas here. Other than those involving pie.
No. I totally have some ink reviews coming up. There’s one that’s sort of cherry pie in color, and one that’s like asparagus, which you could put in quiche. And another that would be the color of blue jello pie, if there is such a thing. And omg there is such a thing!
4. Easy spring pie. Jello pie, any color you choose. It’s really a thing. Is this a great country, or what?!
Bad News, Good News
Unfortunately, it was too cloudy to take ink photos for the blog yesterday afternoon. Ominous rain clouds came in from the west and covered most of the sky. But then I looked to the east. And I found a (sort of) ink photo after all. J. Herbin Bleu Azur.
Pen of the Day: Pelikan M600 Ruby Red
Pelikan M600 Ruby Red with fine nib. This is a gorgeous pen that I really enjoy and love using. But I have to admit that today I’m talking about it mostly because of the ink.
KWZ Red #1 is the ink. And it’s another home run for me, just like KWZ Maroon and Maroon #2.
Red #1 is another deep and rich red — so deep and rich that it almost evokes garnet or ruby. But it’s red more than maroon, cranberry more than wine. I’m really enjoying using it, and I’m looking forward to reviewing it.
Fountain Pen Follies 