December has dawned so I think it’s time to catch up on the pens and inks I’ve been using recently. I also need to ruminate on the first two months using my personalised Filofax diary insert inside the cover I found on Etsy (my Fauxlifax).
I mainly used two pens through November: my Onoto filled with Scribo Notturno Viola and the Tom Hessin with a cartridge of Diamine Burgundy Royale. This was very much a game of two halves – the Onoto/Scribo combination filled my heart with joy and the Hessin/Diamine pairing did not. In fact, every single day I wrote with the burgundy ink, I included something along the lines of “I really don’t like this ink and today I must sort out an alternative”. I was shocked when, on Sunday morning, the pen ran out of ink; using the entire cartridge was not in my plans. That said, I totally intended to re-ink the Onoto with the Scribo ink and that didn’t happen either – I think I may have been hit with a bout of extreme laziness.
I must point out that, of the burgundy inks I have tried over the years, Diamine Burgundy Royale is my favourite. I’ve also tried Diamine Writers’ Blood, Graf von Faber-Castell Garnet, and Diamine Oxblood – all failing to engage me. Acknowledging my feelings about Burgundy Royale brought home to me just how much I dislike the others! In fact, my experience with burgundy inks induces the same feeling I get when choosing wools and, indeed, clothes – the bright, jewel tones always feel right and the sludgy, muted tones always feel wrong. Although I was concerned that Notturno Viola was going to feel too muted, on the page it has the crisp and solid presence of a slightly off-beat neutral. I can imagine wearing a suit this colour, then adding a magenta silk blouse. Though I do not personally wear suits or silk blouses, there is a version of me inside my head who does.
The other pen this month has been my Kaweco Al-Sport Iguana Blue which has been pressed into use to house the last Graf von Faber-Castell India Red ink cartridge. Now that’s a colour which is well and truly to my taste.
I’ve touched on my planner and now for the update itself. In short, I’m loving it. The size and the format of the bonded leather cover are comfortable and easy to carry. It’s gained a few marks over the first three months but it still looks clean and serviceable. The Montblanc Slimline remains my go-to planner pen, a purpose for which I feel it was made. I have used the horizontal weekly Filofax diary pages consistently since the start of October and they are just right. I’m glad I opted for having the lines printed as I feel that provides a structure which I can use efficiently. The one thing I’d change is the moon phases. I opted to include these, but they don’t match with what the actual moon is doing, so I don’t quite know what has gone wrong. It’s probably the moon to blame, Filofax wouldn’t have got the dates muddled. I’m using a mixture of lined sheets for note pages. These mainly run 1cm narrower than the full A5 size as they’ve been trimmed down from other books or planner systems. So long as I keep the Fauxlifax beside me, I find jotting down thoughts and plans is much easier than trying to add them to an electronic system.
Another item I’m very fond of in the Fauxlifax is the plastic card holder. The cover is minimalist, with a secretarial pocket on the inside back cover and a single slot which I use to hold postage stamps. The card holder houses sticky notes, a couple of useful but random pieces of information, and a lovely business card I picked up at a craft market. There are also some raffle tickets from Capacity Awareness Week – do we have capacity to make our own decisions and, if not, who will advocate for us? Important stuff.
So in the end, I re-inked the Onoto with the Scribo Notturno Viola because it was just right. I really didn’t want anything else.
Then Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo turned out to be a colour with plenty of zing, and a better match to the resin of the Tom Hessin, so that may prove to be a dream pairing for a while.
It’s a strong start to December, and I have letters and cards to write so the chances are I’ll work through my ink a little faster than normal. Here’s to progress.
Pam Alison Knits 
4 responses to “Two Twelve Twenty-four”
Good to hear how things are working out, with your pen and ink combo’s and your planner diary set up. This post made me laugh out loud several times, so thankyou for that! All the best for the new month.
Glad to have provided some cheer on a Monday morning. I must admit that some days I find myself missing my personal-sized Holborn, but I can’t get past the fact that A5 paper is perfect.
I feel your pain around the burgundy inks. I bought Diomine ‘Noel’ from Ebay with the idea of writing Christmas cards with it. I also inked up my Lamy Safari with it for my daily journal so as to be seasonal. But I find this colour dull and muddy. It is a reddy brown and not very Christmassy. But I cannot give myself permission to change it, not now we are in December.
Glad your enjoying you Filofax planner. I’m also enjoying the same planner also with lines. The cream paper is pleasing.
I have researched the moon issue. You are right! There are some full moons missing! Fortunately the Easter full moon is marked on 13th April 2025 so there will be an Easter next year.
Ive also very much enjoyed hearing about your two very lovely London Pen Show pens and, of course, their purchase stories. It looks link you have landed on the right ink for the Onoto.
Tim.
Hi, Tim. I keep wondering whether it would be possible to bring the burgundy inks “up” to a shade I’d enjoy by mixing in some brighter, zingier red, but it’s likely the burgundy would eat the red alive and still end up being just as brown as ever. One day I’ll do a half-and-half experiment with Oxblood and something red just to check out the theory. I’m glad you’re also enjoying the Filofax personalised planner. Such a relief that we will get Easter next year – it’s my daughter’s favourite holiday for reasons I can’t quite understand.