Scriptus, Postscript: the Pen Show Ink, Diamine Rushbrooke Blue

Scriptus is well and done for the year, but bear with me as I just share this last post on the Scriptus show ink, Diamine Rushbrooke Blue. The ink got its name from Philip, the show organizer’s, street in Toronto.

Who am I to play favourites among show inks, but this is a gorgeous, medium blue, with sheen.

The writing sample is in my Pilot Custom 74 with a soft medium (without a doubt one of my top 5 pens), and the softness of the nib gives it a little extra bounce that also puts out a wetter line than most standard nibs do—which shows off the sheen. It’s on Tomoe River paper.

I used to have a hard time with these special edition inks, saving them for a special occasion, or just worrying about what will happen when I run out. However, as time has passed, and as I’ve again and again organized and re-organized my stationery storage, and as I’ve dug out special edition inks from the dusty corners of closets, I’ve realized that the special occasions are today. It’s because it’s grey out, or because it’s a beautiful day out, or because it’s my birthday, or someone else’s birthday I’m sure. With all of our customers, I’m sure that every day of the year is someone’s birthday, and I will ink up this show ink or this Lamy Dark Lilac or this special edition ink in your honour.

And should I be so fortunate as to live out a life long enough to use up an entire bottle of Rushbrooke Blue, I will embrace the years I had it and hope the words I wrote meant something to me or the person reading it or more likely just the recycling bin.

And I realize I’m posting this now inaccessible ink for all of you that weren’t at the show but I hope you take heart, and you take this for what it is: a celebration of a lovely show with a lovely ink. I hope you have all the lovely inks you need to write in your journal or take your meeting or lecture notes or doodle.

***

There’s lots going on in the shops as we get ready for the holiday season. With the early snow we’ve had here in Toronto, we’ve been digging the shovels out from the basement in order to shovel our front walks, lugging around big bags of salt, and contemplating the big bins of winter vials, wondering when we’re going to have to start siphoning ink from some of our favourite glass ink bottles.

But: there’s Letter Writing Club tonight, and I’m pretty excited. I’m getting all my supplies ready, which I think is maybe half the fun. I don’t normally get a chance to go, as it’s at the main shop on a school night (I keep getting voted down when I say we should move it to the studio shop), but tomorrow is a PA Day at Caleb’s school, so it’s not a school night for our family.

Currently reading: My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent
Currently drinking: my second cup of coffee, beans from Hale, after my first one was dramatically spilled by Naomi, requiring a 20 minute clean-up and the aforementioned second cup of coffee
Currently writing with: (GASP) a Sailor 1911 Naginata Togi Medium Fine
Currently top of mind: Caleb’s parent teacher meeting at school this evening
Currently grateful for: emergency dollar store mittens
Currently regretting: having made Swiss cheese out of the walls in an effort to find the right spot to hang a calendar

(And also I need to add that I made sort of a big deal about how I lost my TWSBI Mini AL-Blue and how I needed another one and I wasn’t at all embarrassed about that at the time because I really like my Mini-ALs and TWSBI doesn’t make a lot of special editions in the Mini-AL and not even I in my almighty power as a tiny shop in CANADA where there are igloos can convince Philip from TWSBI to send me another one once they sell out, but guess what Jon moved the couch the other day and found it under there along with a lot of other unsavoury items that will not be mentioned and so now I have two. So, definitely not a hoarder.)