Into 2023

Today it is Three King's day: the three wise men visit baby Jesus in Bethlehem. And today we eat Three King's cake. If you succeed in finding the bean in the cake, you become King or Queen for one day..and I was the King :-)

I know it's been since September 2022 that I've posted anything on this blog. I would have liked to have been able to share more with you, but due to circumstances, to my great regret, this did not work out.

I would like to take this opportunity to quickly look back to 2022. In 2022, I bought several more expensive pens. By more expensive pens I mean pens that cost several hundred euros. The purchase of my Lamy 2000 is probably one of my most important new acquisitions.

The purchase of the Parker Queen Elizabeth II edition was also special, especially just after the Queen's death.

2022 is certainly not a highlight when it comes to writing pen reviews. This has led to a pile of unopened pen boxes waiting for their review. 

In 2023 I really want to make an extra effort to catch up, because I definitely have a number of pens that are worthwhile.

The unfortunate news is that one of the stores where I largely bought my pens no longer exists. I mean the shop La Couronne du Comte. They had a wide range of pens and regularly gave large discounts. A pity. Fortunately, there are still enough specialty penstores that will fill this void so that we can continue to practice our beloved hobby.

2022 was positive in terms of drawing faces. I have used various means for this such as pencil, markers, watercolor and others. But drawing with a fountain pen is definitely my further goal.

One of my goals in 2023 is to draw at least 1000 faces with the pen. I know this is a huge challenge. But I am convinced that this will improve my drawing and that I can also take the opportunity to test various pens.

As far as 2022 is concerned, I can give you the following statistics:

• Fountain pens bought: 20 pens
• Most expensive: Parker Sonne Queen Elizabeth II for 460 Euro
• Cheapest: Flying tiger for 2 Euro
• Main supplier: La Couronne du Comte (went bankrupt in 2022)
• Total money spent: 2.642,95 Euro
• Fountain pens in my collection: 87 pens
• Total value of fountain pens in my collection: 5.518 Euro
• Pen reviews in 2022: 22
• Ink bottles bought: 5
• Most expensive ink: Ferris Wheel Press Stroke of midnight
• Ink bottle in my collection: 36 bottles
• Fountain pens inked: 26 pens
• Pens cleaned: 31 pens
• Insta posts: 14
• Insta followers: 179
• Blogger posts: 2

Maybe these numbers will give you an idea of what the fountain pen hobby means to me. Of course, I can't generalize this because personal preferences are different.

I wish you all a healthy and happy 2023. I invite you to take a look at my blog every now and then and post a comment. Remember that the pen community is an open, friendly and sociable community that is open to everyone. So don't be shy about asking questions or commenting, I welcome them with open arms.