Hi everyone. Where would writers be without stationery? Well, in the digital age we could probably survive without it but why would we want to? Who wants to deprive themselves of the thrilling possibilities of that brand new notebook, the warm feel of those sheets of paper as they flow from the printer or the hours spent chewing the end of a pencil when we don’t know what to write? So, as an avid devotee of stationery myself and also because I wanted something to blog about and we happen to be in the middle of National Stationery Week , here are 10 things you (probably) never knew about stationery. 1. Post-it Notes Ah, the humble Post-it Note. So many colours, so little time. How on earth did we manage our daily lives before scientist Dr Silver accidentally discovered a glue that didn’t glue properly. Then, with the help of his colleague Mr Fry, the Press ‘n Peel, as they were first named, saved mankind from a world of trouble. 2. Bic Biros Originally known as a Bic Crystal, our
Hi everyone. Happy World Poetry Day! According to the “oracle” that is Wikipedia, World Poetry Day has been celebrated every year on 21 March since 1999 when UNESCO set it up with the laudable ambition of “supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be hear.” But of course, you knew that, right? The theme for World Poetry Day 2024 is “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants”. It’s intended to remind us how famous poets from the past have helped make poetry important in different cultures and paved the way for others to follow. What do you mean "Poetry doesn't have to rhyme"?! So, just in case you need a gentle reminder as to who some of those famous poets are, here are some opening lines to poems from a few very famous poets (sadly all male but that’s a whole other blog post) although they are all from Western culture and predates anything written since the mid 1960s. This is entirely due to my age,