You've just gotta love Notebooks, don't you?

 

Everybody loves a notebook, don't they? Ok, I ought to fess up from the start. 

   I love notebooks. 

There I've said it. I have quite a few. Some are partially full of writing, some are not, and some are full of my musings. Most reside in the annoying piles, as my wife calls them, of notebooks, magazines and research books that live on, in and underneath the table next to my armchair.

Yes, I must tidy my writing stash, but I would like to explore this week the many different types and styles of notebooks I now have in my 'collection'. 

I have your standard A4 hardback cover notebook. I thought I might get on with that one, but it was disappointing, so I now have a pile of them in our spare room. I might have to take them to the office, where we can use them for work.

Then there is the notebook that Murphy, our very clever WestiePoo, gave me for Father's Day. Excellent cover, which reminds me of what I do for him daily, and there is another one, but I'll have to check through my book piles for that one.

During the pandemic and when we were locked down, I wrote a journal daily. I have several notebooks from that time. They are nothing spectacular although, amongst the plain A5 ones, there were a couple of interesting ones. A history of Boris's cock-ups, one might say.

This beauty was given to me by our lovely next-door neighbours. I have several ideas for

stories in this one. If I'm writing in public, I always have this one on show.

Now we get to the real reason I came up with this subject. About a month ago, on a writer's channel that I follow on YouTube, I was challenged to write something humorous about Japan. My last trip was to Tokyo before I retired from the Royal Marines Band Service. I could recount a funny story from that trip, for which I received a Travellers Notebook Passport-sized one. 

At this point that I have to say it wasn't William Gallaghers 58Keys channel. William is a self-confessed scribbler and considers pens and pencils the spawn of the Devil. 

To cement my place as a proper notebook spotter, I bought a full-size Travellers Notebook.

What is it with these Travellers Notebooks, I hear you say or not?

The thing with these two notebooks is that the expense is with the leather covers. You can tailor the notebook via several elastics and a selection of inserts. They are real journals/diaries/notebooks all in one. And with all the accessories, pen holders, card holders, clips etc., they are the stationary lover's perfect gift.

I will be set up for our Rugby World Cup trip next month with these two notebooks—lots of notes to report back to you for upcoming blog posts.

I've saved the best to last. The best thing about these notebooks is unpacking them when they arrive. Extremely cathartic.