Merry Christmas Everyone

From my journal to yours, Merry Christmas! Thank you for reading and commenting and sticking with this blog during this year of change and wonder. All the best in 2017!

 

inlovewithjournals on hiatus

Hello. Just a short note tonight to let you know I am taking some time off from the blog to focus on my upcoming move. There might be the occasional post but largely I will be absent from this space for the next month. I will miss it but will resume just as soon as I can hook up the internet in my new place.

Happy journaling everyone!!

Pharaoh Notes Giveaway Winner

Tags

giveaway, pharaoh notes

I have the results of the Pharaoh Notes Giveaway! Once again thank you so very much to all who entered. I so appreciate your support and this is my way of sharing our love of journaling!

Seventeen people commented on the blog post, within the time frame set by the rules of the giveaway, the most entrants so far! Each unique user id received one entry. I entered the list into the Random List Generator at random.org and below is a screenshot of the result after I pressed Go! You can see the date and time stamp.

And as you can see the winner is…

heba15

Congratulations heba15! You have until Sunday, April 3, 2016 to contact me with your mailing details, using the Contact Me button at the top of the page, next to the About button. If I don’t hear from you by midnight on Sunday, April 3, 2016 I will pick another winner and announce it on Monday, April 4, 2016.

Thanks again to everyone who entered and watch this space for more giveaways! Happy journaling!

Monday Miscellany

Tags

cnc'd aluminum pen and pocket notebook, from the pen cup, garnet bartlett, hobonichi techo, kickstarter, typos, washingtonpost.com

Mary from From The Pen Cup penned this inspiring post on how she has bonded with her Hobonichi Techo and for the first time in her entire life has been able to maintain a journaling habit because of it. Hurrah Mary!

Garnet Bartlett sent me a message to alert me to his Kickstarter Campaign: CNC’d Aluminum Pen and Pocket Notebook. This is genius – the notebook with matching pen that clips to the spine. The pen has a magnetic cap and the available finishes look amazing. And there’s so much customization! And the notebooks lay flat!! I’m excited about this and I genuinely hope it gets funded. I will back it myself if the budget allows. Best of luck Garnet!

And finally tonight this article on washingtonpost.com made me laugh. Don’t turn on the bat signal to fight crime; open a dictionary! 🙂

Journal Writing Wednesday: 14 pages

Tags

as it happens, cbc, chase the ace, de atramentis, king philip purple demonstrator, maximillian emerald demonstrator, noodler's

What I’m currently using: the Paperblanks Blue Filigree journal, the Seven Seas Writer, and the Franklin Christoph Notebook.

Total pages written since this post (Mar 9): 14

Total pages to date since project inception (Dec 11/13): 1573

Total pages written in 2016: 130

So…I’m not using the ONLINE fountain pen in the white checkerboard pattern like I’m supposed to. I just don’t like writing with it. Maybe it’s too light, or just a touch too slim. I tried but it’s just not working for me. It will probably end up in a giveaway 🙂 I will announce the pen for April on March 30.

Don’t miss out on my next giveaway:  the Pharaoh Notes Giveaway. It’s a notebook this time. The giveaway runs to March 26 so click on the link and leave a comment to enter!

Some points covered this week in my journals:

• I’ve despaired of finding anyone to fix my Noodler’s Ink King Philip Purple Demonstrator (the section is not positioned correctly underneath the nib) so it occurred to me that I could switch out the barrel with the Maximilian Emerald Demonstrator. I love the colour of the King Philip and really wanted to try the De Atramentis Heather Violet ink in it. So I did the switch and now I have a beautiful purple and green pen – my first “frankenpen”! I’ll share a picture and give a review soon.
• I heard a lovely story on CBC radio about two lottery winners from the island where I grew up, Cape Breton, in Nova Scotia. That island has been gripped by “Chase the Ace” madness of late and recently a jackpot of $230 thousand or so was awarded. On the night of the big cheque presentation, two winners showed up. After verification and embarrassment and confirming phone calls, the lottery commission asked the two women to split the prize. They agreed but the charity organization, who was scheduled to receive the equivalent amount, decided to forego their share so both women could have their $230 thousand. The two women winners forged a bond during the tense 40 minutes or so that their fate was decided. And I thought to myself – in the big city would that shake out the same way? I wonder. Read about it here.

Happy writing everyone.

Miss Brookner, You Will Be Sorely Missed

Tags

anita brookner

‘It was then that I saw the business of writing for what it truly was and is to me. It is your penance for not being lucky. It is an attempt to reach others and to make them love you. It is your instinctive protest, when you find you have no voice at the world’s tribunals, and that no one will speak for you. I would give my entire output of words, past, present and to come, in exchange for easier access to the world, for permission to state “I hurt” or ” I hate” or ” I want”. Or indeed, “Look at me”. And I do not go back on this. For once a thing is known it can never be unknown. It can only be forgotten. And writing is the enemy of forgetfulness, or thoughtlessness. For the writer there is no oblivion. Only endless memory.’ – Look At Me, Anita Brookner

Anita Brookner died on March 10. She is the author of 24 novels and a master of prose. I have read all of her novels and loved every one, truly. No one writes about loneliness and London quite like Miss Brookner.

 

Monday Miscellany

Tags

brainpickings.org, century pens, chicago tribune, dani shapiro, inkophile

You know the site brainpickings.org? If you get a really great article you can spend hours reading it and then all the jumping-off points. Dani Shapiro on the Pleasures and Perils of Writing and the Creative Life is one such article. Great thoughts on why we write, why we have to write, the need for endurability (such a great word!) and the immediacy of the writing life. So many quotes to copy into my journal! And I just put the book on hold at my local library.

This article from chicagotribune.com is fun: From $1,500 pens to Bic, Chicago executives reveal their favorites. It’s very interesting that the head of Friedman Properties uses fountain pens and a notebook, and that the Blackhawks Chairman is a fan of Montblanc. But the best part of this article is the video visit to Century Pens in Chicago. 75 Cross Peerless rollerballs to one accounting firm? Sweet!

And for those of you with just a smidge of ink left in a bottle or sample, why not decorate your journal pages with a spritz or two? In this post Inkophile shows us what to do with those last few drops of ink. Beautiful canvas for your words.

 

Journal Writing Wednesday: 12 pages

Tags

armchair travelling, downton abbey, good earth, julian fellowes, madeira, masterpiece, portugal

What I’m currently using: the Paperblanks Blue Filigree journal, the Seven Seas Writer, and the Franklin Christoph Notebook.

Total pages written since this post (Mar 2): 12

Total pages to date since project inception (Dec 11/13): 1559

Total pages written in 2016: 116

I’m not in love with the Online pen I’m using this month. It’s not leaking but it no longer thrills me. I have so many pens that I love, I find myself longing for something different when I write with it. I will announce the pen for April on March 30.

On Saturday I announced yet another giveaway:  the Pharaoh Notes Giveaway. It’s a notebook this time. The giveaway runs to March 26 so click on the link and leave a comment to enter!

Some points covered this week in my journals:

• I think I mentioned a Good Earth cafe has opened near me, and it is a vortex of yumminess that I cannot resist. The other night I went to the library with no intention of getting tea but found myself sitting in the cafe, drinking a decaf Earl Grey latte, writing in my journal until almost 10. I was gone for over an hour. So good.
• I’ve been doing a bit of armchair travelling of late. We watched a program that was a documentary type and the narrator was in Madeira, Portugal. Wow what a beautiful hillside city. You certainly get your exercise walking up the steep streets, and the narrator showed us the quick way of getting down to the bottom: sit in a giant basket, manned by two locals, and go flying down the hill. He was screaming and laughing the whole way. David and I looked at each other and said, “We have to go!”
• Downton Abbey ended last week. It was a very happy ending for all of the storylines, which I was happy about but also surprised by, as Julian Fellowes has not exactly been known for his happy endings. But I listened to the Masterpiece podcast in which Mr. Fellowes discussed his approach to the finale and it ultimately made sense.

Happy journaling everyone.

Journal Writing Wednesday: 12 pages

Tags

downton abbey, incowrimo 2016, last shot, natalie goldberg, writing down the bones

What I’m currently using: the Paperblanks Blue Filigree journal, the Seven Seas Writer, and the Franklin Christoph Notebook.

Total pages written since this post (Feb 24): 12

Total pages to date since project inception (Dec 11/13): 1547

Total pages written in 2016: 104

As reported on Feb 24 the pen for March 2016 is the Online Green and White Checkerboard. It is a SUPER wet writer but so far no leaking, which was my beef with the black Online. I will announce the pen for April on March 30.

On Sunday I announced the winner of the Baoer 79 Starwalker Giveaway. The winner has been in touch with her details so I will be sending that off, along with some cartridges, this week. I am planning more giveaways this year so stay tuned!

Some points covered this week in my journals:

• Alas, I did not hit my InCoWriMo target; I think I managed 12 letters, which is worse than last year. Oh well. Fingers crossed I will continue to reduce my Reply To pile. For any of you waiting on a letter from me I sincerely apologize.
• I recently finished the excellent Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg and I’ve been writing quotes from it in my journal. I think I will end up writing the entire book.
• My husband’s band, Last Shot, performed last Saturday night and I was in the crowd. Once all of the family and friends had gone home at a decent time, I whipped out my journal and books and pens and started writing. Big nerd in the corner, writing in my journal while all around me people drank and danced and made merry. I was making merry in my own way. 🙂
• I have been a faithful watcher of Downton Abbey since the beginning. I must say I was not a fan of the last episode; Mary always gets everything she wants and poor Edith gets left behind. We shall see what happens in the final episode. I will be sorry to see it go but I’m sure we shall all become enthralled with the next adventure.

Happy journaling everyone!!

Merry Christmas Everyone