Author: Charlie Rufus
A Blue Door At Wells Cathedral
If you haven’t been to the city of Wells and most particularly it’s Cathedral then you definitely need to add it to you list of things to do. The Cathedral is truly spectacular and is, I would say, one of the finest Cathedrals in England. Continue reading “A Blue Door At Wells Cathedral”
Hints & Tips No.6 – Improvised Inkwell & Pen Stand
Believe it or not Hints & Tips No.6 is about recycling or to put it another way repurposing; but whichever way you look at it it all turns out the same. Continue reading “Hints & Tips No.6 – Improvised Inkwell & Pen Stand”
Happy Diwali
Happy Hallowe’en
Bodleian Libraries Mini Notebooks by Flame Tree Publishing
A couple of weeks ago I was in Foyles bookstore enjoying the fact that I was their only customer which meant I could wander at will with no one to get in my way. My wandering took me to a quiet corner of the store filled with notebooks and in amongst every conceivable size and colour of Leuchtturm1917 was a little packet of brightly coloured notebooks; that looked like tiny bookcases.
The notebooks just stood out as being something different, so a few minutes later I was leaving the store with a pack of three mini notebooks tucked safely in my bag.
They are produced by Flame Tree Publishing and based on book covers in the Bodleian Libraries collection. The cover design is amazing detailed for an A6 pocket notebook and if you look closely, you can read the titles of the books on the cover and just like the original books the books on the cover are gold foiled as the originals were.
This level of attention to details is quite something especially when you consider the fact that this pack of notebooks retails at £5.99GBP/$8.99USD and similarly priced packs are just plain card.
And the attention to detail goes beyond the cover design; Flame Tree have opted to have the corners rounded and the spines stitched; the latter means the notebook should lie flat when opened and I have tested this, and it does meaning you can write on pretty much the full width of the page.
The paper is cream coloured and feels around 80gsm and the pages are alternately lined and blank which is in itself an interesting choice as notebooks are more often one or the other. But this is a useful choice for anyone using these notebooks because it gives you the best of both worlds, somewhere for notes and somewhere for sketches.
When it came to the ink test, I opted to use a Broad nib TWSBI Eco and Pennonia Sour Cherry ink, the ink is a wet well saturated colour and consequently when I tested it it showed through the pages. However, this is ghosting and not bleeding through so as long as this doesn’t bother you then you should be fine to use both sides of the page.
For better results I would suggest a fine nib and a dryish ink if you want to use a fountain pen or better still a pencil or a ballpoint such as a Bic would probably be a better option.
All in all, I am happy to recommend these notebooks, but I would suggest that you visit the Flaming Tree website and view their entire range before making a final decision on which notebook/s you would like to spend your pennies on.
Disclaimer: These notebooks were purchased at retail price. The opinions expressed in this review are my own; and I am not connected with either the retailers or manufacturers in any way.
Expecto Patronum, Prongs Rides Again – Dingbats A5+ Green Deer Notebook
A couple of years ago I published ‘Expecto Patronum’, a review of the A6 Green Deer notebook by Dingbats; and now the time has come to once more say Expecto ‘Patronum’ and for Prongs to ride again. Continue reading “Expecto Patronum, Prongs Rides Again – Dingbats A5+ Green Deer Notebook”
Happy 40th Birthday Only Fools & Horses
40 years ago, today, The Peckham Posse first rode on to our screens in a yellow Reliant Robin three wheeled van and the legend was born. Continue reading “Happy 40th Birthday Only Fools & Horses”
Kabul Small Animal Rescue (KSAR)
Today I’m not writing about pens; today I’m writing to ask anyone who reads this post to stop for a few minutes and think. Continue reading “Kabul Small Animal Rescue (KSAR)”
Inks Of The season – Autumn
As I write the 1st of September is just around the corner and that means the beginning of Autumn is nearly upon us and I thought instead of writing another Ink Of The Month I would, this time, choose some seasonal colours and write an Inks Of The Season. Continue reading “Inks Of The season – Autumn”
You must be logged in to post a comment.