TIL that kingfishers nest in tunnels in decaying trees or clay banks...and that they make these tunnels by repeatedly diving on their target beak first. Gotta say, hurling yourself at a wall of earth until it gives way before the barrage of blows from your face is a pretty hardcore way to prepare for kids, but each to their own. #birds #kingfisher #TIL

I always thought the word "smith" was inextricably connected with metalwork, but it comes from the Proto-Germanic word smiþaz, meaning a craftsman or skilled worker. So "wordsmith" might not be so figurative after all. Just think of all the variants we're missing out on: yarnsmiths, numbersmiths, codesmiths, plantsmiths, claysmiths, clothesmiths... #words #smith #crafts

Knitted toy snake. Based on the snake pattern from Knitted Wild Animals by Sarah Keen (adapted by me to knit in the round as I dislike sewing up). Man, eyes are hard. #knitting #snake #FinishOrFrogAlong

There is so much enjoyment to be found in a seed catalogue. #gardening #SimplePleasures

"there is one thing that seems more and more 'in the air' - the realisation that the supremacy of the machine, which is rapidly making robots of humanity, must be faced. And the machine must be put in its place as a servant to do the servile work only, freeing humanity to exercise its birthright of imaginative creative work. ... Art may indeed be under a cloud. But if it is not the spirit of the Creator working in us I do not know what it is. And it cannot be eternally killed." Arthur Rackham, August 1939 #art #ArthurRackham #creativity #AI

You CAN refill a TWSBI Swipe with an eyedropper. I don't say it's wise, but it's possible. #FountainPens #ink

I think I've spotted a tinge of rust...on the nib of a pen recently filled with J. Herbin's Rouille d'Ancre (Anchor Rust), ironically enough. I had to use a magnifying glass to see it, and the pen still works, but it's a bit worrisome. I've never been much of a one for pinks (in inks or otherwise) but Rouille d'Ancre is really quite nice.

Mountain of Ink

Ink Review #339: J. Herbin Rouille d'Ancre — Mountain of Ink

Ink review of J Herbin Rouille d’Ancre.

#FountainPens #ink

Looks like the end of the road for my Pilot Birdie pencil - it keeps snapping the lead about half an inch from the writing end, and it hasn't fed in new lead in years. Does anyone have any advice and/or opinions on: Lamy Logo 106 Filofax Barley Mini Leuchtturm Drehgriffel nr 2 bearing in mind that I have small hands and may carry the pencil in a skirt pocket? (#FountainPen enthusiasts, does your knowledge base extend to mechanical pencils?) #MechanicalPencils #pencils #stationery

Me: Ah, the infinite potential of the blank page! Cat: Ah, the perfect place to sit! Me: Cat: Infinite potential. Me: Cat: I'm expanding the breadth of your intellectual assumptions. Me: *click* Cat: Hey! You know I can't get comfy with that thing pointed at me. Me: *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* Cat: I will now expand into exploring the infinite potential of somewhere else. #cats #stationery #FountainPen

Turns out it's easier to draw something when you can see it. (Possibly even easier if you do a pencil sketch first, but I haven't built up my patience to that level yet.) Here's my exceedingly imprecise attempt at copying the work of Arthur Rackham, using a Moonman/Majohn Wancai loaded with Jinhao Black. Original here: #drawing #PenAndInk #FountainPen