Pen that is? If you grew up in the times when neat cursive handwriting was a must is school, you probably had a Parker pen. You might have had ink in a little bottle, or if you’re getting on a bit, those old ink wells in desks might have been filled by the school.
Visiting Sherri the other day, she reminisces and mourns the loss of those days. Of course you didn’t get to use an ink pen in the beginning, it was something to aspire to when your writing skills with a pencil were deemed acceptable. Luckily mine was very neat and my progress to ink was swift and only very occasionally marred with a tiny splash or smudge of blue.
A few years ago I was browsing in a big chain office supply store, when I came across Parker again. Fancying the idea of writing with one, I splashed out around a tenner. This is what I bought.
Remember the Quink?
I was hoping that my handwriting would return to the prize winning standard of the 8 year old G. Alas no, there’s no hope, unless . . . perhaps if I treated myself to a seriously posh expensive one. What do you think? No laughing in the back there please.
Lucid Gypsy 
I use the cheap Paper-Mate fountain pens. Not as nice, at $10 for 6 pens haha
Goodness your Parker post made me rush to find mine. I remember having a permanent blue/black ink stain on my middle finger when I was at school – no Biros then! My beautiful Parker Duofold (pearl and black) was given to me by an old boyfriend who worked for Parker almost 30 years ago. I rarely use it but perhaps I should, my writing is appalling.
Ah, I still have a Parker, but no longer use it…. I do remember Quink, and inkwells, and ink stained fingers!
I just read Sherri’s post tonight and refrained from commenting that my hand writing was never up to scratch, and my pages were invariably blotchy, fingers a constant blue. I was a failure. 😦 😦
I’ve still got a Parker I had given to me in the eighties, and it still works. I’m a lover of fountain pens, can’t get enough of them.
We still teach handwriting in schools and aim for perfect cursive. Let’s hope that continues.
Yes indeed I did, at Junior school we had to learn to write with real ink and in italics too. Loved handwriting lessons…stood me in good stead for the future, as a designer I have two different styles of writing, one for everyday and one for plan drafting!
Nope, we had Bic ballpoint pens and actually, they were about 10 for about $1.00.
Oh yes this brings back the memories and the smack on the back of the hand with a ruler if you got it wrong or too messy. I am now trying to master calligraphy with a dip pen, not easy…
I had a Parker and the Quink cartridges. And pink blotting paper. Fortunately my dad owned a newsagents and stationers so I got them all for free. Boy, did we have to do a lot of writing then!
I had an Osmiroid at school, along with a bottle of blue Quink but I also remember inkwells and wooden pens, with scratchy nibs, in primary school. I never had the dubious responsibility being ‘ink monitor’ and filling the wells from a big bottle, (thank goodness ~ I would have spilled it for sure!) I do remember two boys sitting in the desk behind my friend, giggling as they dipped the end of her long plait into the ink! Great memories, Gilly! 🙂
Love your Quink and Parker memories G! Thanks so much for linking back to my post…those of us of a certain generation have a mixed bag of memories from those cursive handwriting school days it seems. I was so glad when I was able to get a Parker with the ink cartridges instead of the one with the lever for the Quink bottle; you can imagine the even worse mess I got into with that! Great to know you can still buy them though, you’ve inspired me to try again…maybe! And I have to say, lovely handwriting 🙂