I ended up choosing a cohort of blue inks for June, which may have been a mistake as the sky now seems to think that it doesn’t need to contribute any blue to the month at all. A monochromatic month may seem a trifle boring, but it suits me because I can’t seem to get enough of blue ink at the moment. I looked to HG Wells and “The Time Machine” to give the pens and inks a workout this month. It’s an old, old favourite and maybe a story to slip into my bag for work journeys.

First up, it’s Graf von Faber-Castell’s Cobalt Blue which I have in my Waterman L’Essence du Bleu pen. This combination speaks straight to my soul, especially when I write on a good, white paper. There is something elemental about it. The Cobalt colour is deeper than traditional blues, but it does not stray quite as far as blue-black shades. This is actually a re-inking of the same colour in the same pen after I used up one fill of it at the end of May.

Moving to the lighter side of Cobalt, we come to my next ink which is a mystery to me. It’s an odd bue ink cartridge which was lying around and I thought I might as well use it up. Being ‘standard international’ size, it fit perfectly in my Kaweco Collection Al-Sport in Iguana Blue. Two years down the line, I still love this pen. I have mixed feelings about the ink, though. I love the colour as it first goes down on the page, the colour which shows in my photograph. However, after 15 minutes or so it dries down and becomes very muted, especially on the ivory paper in the notebook I’m using for my journal. It’s fine, I just prefer a look that is somewhat bolder.

My third ink choice is good old Waterman Inspired Blue which brings a beach theme to the party, edging close to turquoise without actually going that far. One of my favourite blues; what it lacks in depth it makes up for with brightness. I’ve paired this with the latest addition to my fountain pen lineup: a pre-loved Sheaffer Imperial 404 with an extra-fine nib. I’m a fan of the inlaid nib on these pens, it’s such an elegant design. Unfortunately, this one has a tiny flaw which means there is some ink seepage – just enough to leave a “blue spot” of evidence on my forefinger each time I write with the pen. It remains to be seen whether this is a keeper in my collection.

We are already halfway through the month and I am enjoying my blue inks enormously. I’m not even missing the traditional contrast colour I like to have in every ink lineup. The first pen I’m expecting to write dry is the Kaweco, after which I will probably use the Waterman for writing my daily journal entries. Only two weeks to go and we will be heading into the second half of 2024, with a fresh take on inks which, who knows, may banish the grey skies for a while.