"Parker?" "Yes m'lady"

A school in Stockport has withdrawn the use of fountain pens from their students as the school scanners are struggling to interpret the decimal point in maths papers.

Is this the end of yet another traditional and important aspect of communication, the hand written letter or report?

I have been a keen fountain pen fan, from times far back where I am fast struggling to remember. My father had a classic gold cased Parker pen and pencil set, and signed his name in a flourish which resembled a caterpillar, the P of Paul being the head, and the continuation with a (for Alexander) and weathers with a small w making up the body.

I had several pens presented to me on my 21st birthday, the Parker with the italic nib I still have 35 years later. It was a present from the kind couple who lived below us in the flat in Balham when I was a student which I shared with three other chaps.

I have wheeled and dealed fountain pens on eBay over the years, selling some I have found about the house and some acquired from car boot sales. Parker continues to be the sought after brand, although Cross are a more modern collectible, and Mont Blanc have more recently established themselves as market leaders in the 'poseur' market populated by estate agents and bankers.

That said, each of our children was presented with a Mont Blanc fountain pen for their 18th birthday, and I do have one which I use myself for special communications. On a day to day basis I use a Lamy or one of my two Rotring Core pens. They are all cartridge powered now, although i do still have an ink converter for the Parker.

There is still no better sight than seeing a hand written envelope in the daily post tray, an image which leads to it being the first item opened. I do hope the fountain pen survives into the future, I wd h8 it 2 b ex'd

Into the Valley of Death

There once was a very famous man

On his famous horse he'd ride through the land

The people used to see him everywhere

When he died, they put a statue in the square

So say the opening lyrics of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band in their song, The Equestrian Statue.

It came to mind yesterday as I strolled from Victoria to Charing Cross, via Parliament Square and Whitehall. This area of London is to equestrian statues what the Coolmore stud is to horse racing. Amongst the people I passed were Charles I, George IV, Richard the Lionheart and George, Duke of Clarence.

Now there is thought to be a protocol about equestrian statues relating to the number of hooves that touch the floor. If the statue has two touching then the rider was killed in action, if they have three touching then they died subsequently of injuries received in battle. if all four feet are on the ground they died of non-battle related causes.

The statue of Earl Haig in Whitehall does contradict this theory . His equestrian statue has one hoof off the ground, although there is no evidence to suggest he suffered injuries in the various campaigns he was involved in, except PTSD, something unheard of in his time.

Backing the theory ,however, are the Civil War monument in Gettysburg and at Waterloo in Belgium where the statues have consistency with the theory.

And did you know that Parliament Square in 1926 was made into the first ever roundabout, I didn't?