Because a lot of folk just revel at the thought of stationery, and who could really blame them?
Is it wise to categorise stationery buying? Do I want to know how many moleskine notebooks I’ve bought during lockdown (and not used because they are too nice)?
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Some of mine are even more granular… “Snacks on the way to work” is a category I have.
Can I recommend both 1) getting a fancy fountain pen (TWSBI eco are excellent) to encourage writing, and b) trying out LECHTURM’s (spelling?) soft sided notepads. I find they’re a bit bigger (both in page size offering, and number of pages offering), slightly cheaper, and just as nice to write on as Moleskine.
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You’ve become a pusher of stationery items, Ben. This is a new low.
*goes to Google these lovely objects*
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Just look how lovely they are. You can see the ink and everything.
Ohh, now that’s a point. You’ll need to pair it with an equally nice ink too.
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Left handed person here, I hope you enjoy your snobby pens 
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20-odd years of only really using a keyboard have rendered my handwriting a scrawl to be ashamed of, but those pens are something else (and the range of inks, OMG).
I wonder if there’s a way to retrain yourself…?
Edit: apologies for veering this important discussion onto pens, stationery and handwriting!
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So as my last derailment. If, hypothetically, you did want to spend some money on inks - definitely try Pilot’s Iroshizuku brand of inks - they have so many beautiful colours, and it’s like writing with or on butter. In a good way.
There’s also a British company called Daimine who make hundred of hundreds of inks, and you can get neat little 25ml bottles for a couple of quid that last aaages - and they have ink that is dichromatic, and leaves a beautiful 2-tone shimmer that changes when it catches the light.
Hard to show in pictures but…:
I feel extra fancy going to Tesco with that on my shopping list.
Anyway… Sorry for all the pen chat. Sorry to make you spend. Sorry for being off topic.
On Topic: Update good, connected accounts good.
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What’s with all this pen chat? Been a lot of ink spilled over this. Not sure I see the point.
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I know, I know, I need to nib this behaviour in the bud.
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Where was this helpful inspo before mothers day?
But don’t worry, it’s not been her birthday yet. And I will be taking all credit. “Yeah, there’s this guy that I talk to about my bank account and spreadsheets and he recommended these pens…”
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You’re write about that
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This forum is such a wonderful melting pot of hobbies and interests.
You forgot to add “thermostats” to your list of things we talk about too.
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The looks I get from my partner sometimes when telling her what fun conversation I’ve recently had on the Monzo forum 🥲
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What pen is that? Looks really nice.
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Yes more pen chat in this forum!
That’s a TWSBI Eco, they come in a whole range of colours and nib thicknesses but all of them have a transparent chamber so you can see the ink.
Dream to write with 
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I have the fountain pens shop link saved from when @BritishLibrary posted it last time, ready for my Mums birthday.
Left hander here, so I can’t have fancy pens.
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This is the one I have saved, not sure if it was the one Ben linked or the one I saved on this site because I know my Mum likes purple.
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Thanks a lot.
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Cult Pens 
Absolutely the best place to go.
@ndrw - some quick nuggets. Welcome to my Ted talk.
- You can either get “Demonstrator” pens or “Cartridge” pens - demonstrators have the clear chamber that allows you to see the ink. If you get a cartridge pen, you need to buy a converter to fill with non-cartridged ink. A demonstrator pen will hold more ink than a cartridge. Both are faffy to fill.
- On the Twsbi, they have a whole wide range - the ECO’s come in at about £30 and are super reliable but not super high end construction.
- (You can go higher end with things like Sailor / Pilot (vintage models) / LAMY etc, but a lot of that is really making the nib gold).
- You’ve got options in how fine the nibs are, and how thick the line on paper is, and different brands tend to have nibs that “flow” differently, higher end tends to be smoother, more controlled writing.
- TWSBI also do an “ECO-T” model, where the barrel of the pen is triangle shaped, which may help with grip vs the default round - meant to be more comfortable.
Edit to add: Lamy Safari or Kaweko Sport are also good alternatives for a more budget friendly / starter pen. Though I prefer the TWSBI
The main thing to get thinking about though, is what delicious and lovely inks you want to pair your pen with. There’s an ink brand called Diamine which have hundreds of different colours. (what’s that you say @revels, you wan’t a Lavender ink to pair with your mum’s present? No worries).
They have a whole range of glittery inks, lots of bright colours, and iridescent inks which glimmer with two colours under the right light. The one I use most often, is “Diamine Maureen” which iridesces blue to red.
But that said, if you’re feeling fancy, Pilot Iroshizuku are my all time favourite. it’s like writing with, or on, butter. It’s a fancy looking bottle though, but honestly it’s a dream to write with. They even have a lavender one @revels…
Anyway. Thats enough pen chat for me today. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
Don’t get me started on notebooks and paper quality.
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