I have always been a fan of fountain pens. There’s something about their elegance, the way they feel when you try to write and their permanency which I like. The strange thing is, these days I barely have a need to physically write anything. I tweet, I email, I type, I text. The only writing I tend to do is the message line. And that is barely legible.
When I was at school, I used a fountain pen. This would have started around third year at secondary. The other pupils thought me a bit odd (not just for that, I hasten to add), but the teachers appreciated me writing with it, as it improved my handwriting, making life easier for them. (That wasn’t necessarily a complete bonus for me, as I have always struggled with spelling – so much so I needed remedial help at secondary school too – and bad handwriting covers bad spelling up a lot!).
It wasn’t an expensive fountain pen I used at school; I think it came free with Geographical Magazine once. But I always thought it would be nice to have a decent fountain pen. As the years went on, and the amount of physically putting pen to paper decreased, the notion sort of passed me by. What did I need with a fountain pen?
Soon, though, I will be able to conduct weddings, and I will need a ‘real’ ink pen for the signing of the register. Which has given me the perfect excuse to buy a fountain pen. A decent fountain pen.
I had been given a monetary gift from my probationary placement church, and I had considered using some of that towards a fountain pen. It would, after all, be something I ‘needed’ for ministry, something I could keep and something which would remind me of those lovely people in that congregation.
But I don’t have to spend any of that money on that, as today I received vouchers in the post for The Pen Shop from a couple of very good friends. A good and thoughtful gift. Completely unexpected, and so very, very thoughtful. I am blessed with good friends.
Turns out, my husband had been wondering when they’d arrive, as he’s been in on it too. True love, friends and husbands doing lovely things behind my back. Won’t be the first time and won’t the last.