What else, other than books read, of which there were none in June. I'm on a go-slow at the moment, as life is a bit hectic. I have also signed up to Audible, so there may even be books listened to in future.
Amazon Prime day came, along with a very good price on a Waterman Carène in black and gold. With that nib. First impressions are that this pen is gorgeous. Is it £150-plus gorgeous; I don't know. It is certainly worth the £70 it was in the sale. It came with a medium nib, which is a little fat for me, but really this pen is crying out to make a statement. It looks glossy and sleek, then the cap comes off (it clicks in place with a nice, solid noise) and there is that inlaid nib. Just a little bit ostentatious. For someone whose main pen was a Parker 45 for many years, the open nibs seemed a bit "out there". As for this one, it's showy and gorgeous. It also writes beautifully. I can see myself pulling this out in a posh meeting (not that I go to many) and feeling just a teeny bit superior. Currently it has J Herbin Poussière de Lune in it; yesterday it had Kensington Blue. I'm unsure what will be its happy ink at the moment, possibly one I don't yet have. Maybe even one with sheen, to make the most of that juicy nib…
My other dilemma was the gold nib. Which hand? I don't mind switching writing hand with a steel nib, but I tend to stick to one hand only for a gold nib. The right won this pen; it seems to be slightly smoother when written with the right hand. It joins my Parker 45 there, whereas the left hand gets to use both my Pilot Capless pens.
Of course, the day after finding this bargain, I came across the TWSBI Vac 700R for £16 less than I had seen it for in other places. I have a Vac Mini, which I like, but quite fancied the full-size one, even if only for the ink capacity. However, I didn't fancy it £75-worth, so held off. This, too, has Poussière de Lune in it - I had it to hand. Again I'm not sure it will stay inked with this, although it probably will. (It will for a while, thanks to a large capacity and extra-fine nib). I have to say, along with, I suspect, a lot of other people, I find the matte clip somewhat incongruous and irritating. That said, when I'm using the pen it doesn't matter, as the cap is on the desk. Otherwise, the pen is most useable. The nib is pretty smooth, unlike some I have tried. I hope this will be a decent workhorse. No doubt time will tell.