Retrospective: Sunday October 16 (Planner Season)
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More coming (somewhat periodically)…
I definitely need to get back into these! Working on it!
It is near or already in the Business-end of planner season with the 2022 Hobonichi launch already well over. I’ve already received my Hobonichi order replete with Saul Leiter attire plus a few extra knick-knacks. I recently discovered the Franklin Covey Franklin Planner Organizer and depending on what happens with Tomoe River might be an interesting 2023 planner. I’m not really a part of the planner community so I don’t really know an developments or options.
What is everyone else doing for their planner, organiser, or diary for 2022?
🗞 Articles I’ve read:
Planner Review: Erin Condren Focused Productivity Planner (The Well-Appointed Desk) ✑ This doesn’t look like something I would use but it is interesting to start looking at some alternatives!
A planner as a pocket notebook (mnmlscholar) ✑ JP has had a few posts about Planners but this one was a different approach.
Planning for planning: Hunting for a new planner system (mnmlscholar) ✑ Also briefly touches on his approach to looking for a planner.
Planning for planning: Day-free and month-focused for 2022 (mnmlscholar) ✑ …and also how he plans on using the Hobonichi. This is something I always try to think on because I’m never completely happy. Part of the reason why I went from the A5 to A6 Hobonichi was that the Inever Weekly Calendar Pages of the A5 (and the A6 doesn’t have this section).
Tour of the toolbox (mnmlscholar) ✑ I love seeing this sort of stuff. I have a similar box full of similar equipment that I take with me to pen meets (mainly in case someone would like a pen to be made less scratchy or to remove a baby’s bottom).
Fountain Pen Review: Leonardo Officina Italiana Momento Magico Millefiori (Rants of the Archer) ✑ I really do need a a Leonardo pens, they are some of the standout pens for me in recent times.
Ink Review #609: Color Traveler Ninoshima Baumkuchen (Fountain Pen Pharmacist) ✑ Finally a elected set of yellow-leaning inks starting with this beautiful shading green-leaning yellow-brown.
Ink Review #613: Color Traveler Kotohira Happy Yellow (Fountain Pen Pharmacist) ✑ This dusty orange-yellow.
Ink Review #614: Tono & Lims Friendship: Old Book (Fountain Pen Pharmacist) ✑ and this yellow-leaning brown.
🛍 Check out my Sponsors* and help out the blog:
Esterbrook Pens ✒︎ A beautiful new Blue Estie is out! Nouveau Blue. Looks great!
La Couronne do Comte (10% off with MACCHIATOMAN10) ✒︎ LCdC are giving away a bottle of Sailor Manyo Shirakashi on their Instagram!
Goldspot ✒︎ Teaming up with Kaweco for the 2021 Pantone colour of the year (Ultimate Gray) Kaweco Sport. A lovely simple grey sport it both silver and gold trim.
Pen Chalet (10% off with MACCHIATOMAN) ✒︎ Good prices on Platinum #3776s and a few Cross and Conklin sales.
ink’d Pens (10% off with LOVE MACCHIATO MAN) ✒︎ Pre-orders are up for some Sailor FIKA pens, and the Ferris Wheel Press Carousel pens are available.
Desk Bandit ✒︎ Dialog CC Pre-orders (these look great), all the latest Sailor Kobe inks from numbers 71-80, and the fairy unique Nagasawa Pro Gear Slim Mini Nagasawa Rosa)!
Pen Classics ✒︎ I’ll be getting this years Diamine Inkvent calendar from here!
Bookbinders Design Australia (15% off code: BBDMACCHIATO) ✒︎ Melbourne is coming out of lockdown early which means retail opening isn’t too far away now! I’m sure the folks at BBD can’t wait! They still have a good sale on Pilot products and the Pelikan Golden Beryl M200 set will be available soon at a very decent price.
Pen Savings (12% off with MACCHIATOMAN) ✒︎ Excellent selection of Private Reserve, Monteverde and Noodler’s. My go-to for these brands! They also have Private Reserve Limited Edition Fountain Pen Ink, 2 Minutes to Midnight Blue and some recent Noodler’s releases!
*Due to COVID-19 I have extended all sponsorships throughout the pandemic.
🖋 Recently Inked
I really should try and get out of the comfort zone a bit with my Pelikan M805 Ocean Swirl but I always ink this pen with a matchy ink (or something in the ballpark) and this is no exception. Birmingham Pen Co. Cooked Spinach was a recent(ish) acquisition. It’s nice and wet!
I think I’ve used both Maruzen Athena Hatobanezu and Izumi Kasa Obake before.
🛒 Recently Acquired
The most prominent recent acquisition. I wouldn’t usually get a pointy sailor nor a slim sailor but this colour grew on me over time and I have wanted a music nib and I took advantage of the Sailor sale that was happening at Pen Chalet a little while ago.
🎼What I’m listening to
Richard Strauss is possibly my favourite composer and his wind ensemble works were pieces I connected with a while ago and recently re-connected with. Lovely pieces.
I can’t say which Sonatine I prefer, number one above or number two below. Either way, delightful, complex, and yet still fairly light!
I listened to Fantaisie for Piano and Orchestra a couple of times recently and it’s just a delightful Debussy piece. Beautiful sonorities and harmonies. So evocative! I know Debussy didn’t really agree with the comparison between his music and impressionist painters but for me they are both evocative in similar ways.
📷 Photography
A few different shots in this time! Starting with some composites of 40+ images in a method similar to what Pep Ventosa used. In September I took a week off to go down south and climb a (what is for Western Australia) mountain. It’s only 1100 metres but it’s a decent trek up and quite beautiful! I also got some of my first film shots back. I definitely want to get better at this!
Pagoda from a park in Perth City.
Fremantle Town Hall at Dawn.
From atop Bluff Knoll in South Western Australia.
I was quite lucky to find this place! I believe it is called ‘Dry Lake’ and I reckon it is usually an apt name but there was rains recently and the water was perfectly still. Not a ripple in sight! It had some nice beautiful Australian shrubbery and trees and the Stirling Range in the background. Stayed here for a while (with probably at least 1000 mosquitos per square metre…) and took a shot of Golden Hour and then Sunset. It was stunning and the only really pretty light we got all week.
I saw this place on the way back from climbing Bluff Knoll and so came back next morning. I was hoping that some clouds might form for some colour but alas only some nice golden hour light. Would love to go back with some colour (or at least some interest in the sky)!
I bought a lens a while ago because it would useful for astrophotography. I’ve never really done it before because I live in an area with too much light pollution so I was happy with how this shot came out.
How would you know it’s film without the border Kodak Film Border‽ Definitely needed! Also taken on the trip down south the picture of the barn is with Kodak Gold 200.
The picture of the woman on a bench I really liked even though everything is very soft. It was taken with a guesstimated shutter time (guessing reciprocity failure) and I think it was not too bad for that. Why is it soft all over? Well it was a pin hole lens! Nothing amazing but I found this one fun also Kodak Gold 200.
The final image was taken in a botanical garden quite a while ago on Ilford Super XP2. It’s a bit messy but I like it. Definitely needs to be viewed larger I think.
Ultimately I’m just learning on film - none of these are amazing - but I’m enjoying the journey!
⏳Coming soon!
A pen review, a pen and notebook and notebook cover review(!), Esterbrook’s Inks (Part 2), and of course the start of a few Birmingham Ink reviews! One more La Couronne du Comte/Diamine review to go as well!
I’m starting to think these Retrospectives are taking more time than the actual reviews! Certainly to write they do.