Typecast

After I shared my 2022 planner/diary blog post I received some messages about what pens I use, especially from people who were new to considering Tomoe River paper (in the Hobonichi) or wondering why I was raving about 120gms paper (for the Filofax refill). For me, the paper I use has to be responsive to the ink in my pen, so here's a quick overview of the pens I use regularly...   Fountain Pentel JM20  : This is basically a disposable fountain pen with a plastic nib that feels firm on one side and flexible on the other which will generate a thick and thin line, depending on which side you use.  It has black ink, a plastic barrel and a clip on the cap.  I appreciate that this isn't exactly environmentally friendly but I off-set that in other ways, hopefully.  Monteverde Prima Rollerball : I received this to review five years ago  and it quickly became one of my favourite writing implements because of the chunky barrel which is actually unique in its desig...

Around mid-November, I always start thinking about what diary and planning system I'm going to use next year. I have a few tried and tested favourites but there's always something new that piques my interest. For 2022 I did consider returning to a travellers notebook system and seriously looked at the Jibun Techo , however, I am going to be fairly traditional with my choices but will be splitting business and personal. It's always worth remembering that I treat my diaries and planners as a B.O.A.T - my Book Of All Things. It's always to hand and I scribble ideas, reminders, shopping lists and to-do lists down alongside regular notable dates and appointments. It's my portable brain dump. So let's dive in...  Hobonichi Techo (A6) I first used a Hobonichi Techo back in 2015 because I thought the 'page a day' journal style layout would be great for the variation of the bullet journal system I use. However, the blank space gave me a sense of overwhelm so ...