03 May 2013

Free For All Friday No. 233

Hi Everyone,

Have you started to use your Filofax for planning your summer holidays? What pages do add to it it?

As always it's Friday so please feel free to discuss anything Filofax or ring bound organiser related.

Have a great weekend.

29 comments:

  1. We're off to sunny Skye and Plockton in Scotland this year, and my Filofax has been wonderful - I have used it to work out when we are going, what accommodation was available and then used that information to book us up at 2 cottages for 2 consecutive weeks, and finally I am now using it to decide where to go and what to see once we are actually there.
    And when we are on holiday, I will be using my Filofax to record where we have been, which is always useful when going through thousands of digital photographs - if you don't recognise the picture, you can always identify where you were the day it was taken.
    Job done - you can always rely on your Filofax.

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    1. I forgot to add that I print out pages from the internet of places to visit, hole-punch them and add then to my filofax. It's a quick and useful way to prepare for a holiday.

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    2. That sparked off an interesting sideline of thought....you mention thousands of digital photos, which I've also got. Do you log them permanently with your FF, or do you use something like Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop or Bridge to add tags? Where does your FF fit in all of this?

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    3. Hi David, I don't actually keep a record of my photographs in a filofax, as most are on tagged on Flickr and I can get access to them from almost anywhere, even my phone. I am currently experimenting with Picasa for tagging my photographs on my computer (the ones not on Flickr), and also Ribbet (www.ribbet.com), which is web-based and links to flickr.

      The only time I have used my filofax with my photographs was when I downloaded over 1000 photographs from an Italian holiday and needed to identify which hill town in Umbria each photograph belonged to. My filofax told me when we had been in each town and I compared it to the EXIF data.

      I do keep notes in my filofax of good places to take photographs - places I have been and places I want to go.

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    4. Thanks for that.....I have a *lot* of tagging to do, and I'm probably going to use Lightroom, because then I can search them in Lightroom or Bridge. I think it needs a digital solution for the flexibility of searching afterwards......

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  2. I thought some of you might appreciate these....kindly supplied by my lovely wife (who knows what I'm like when it comes to stationery) :-

    http://www.picpaste.com/a263474c424f5b9c69430f2132fb6604.jpg

    http://www.picpaste.com/595a7aff9a80a27787e70e3a81378612.jpg

    Don't worry, the links are safe!

    On a more (?) serious note, I was at regus business centre in Berkeley Square, London, for a couple of hours on Wednesday, and next to me was a woman who spent the *whole time* on her mobile to some provider or another, trying to configure an app on her tablet. I very much wanted to advise her that if it took that long to configure, I could make her a £50 bet that my Filofax was quicker.....but I didn't, because I'd prefer not to get banned from Regus. It was right about then that I realised again just how much I love pencil and paper.....

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    1. I am very digital when it comes to consuming data but so much so that I have to have a filofax to write down all my accounts and passwords! Its a binary system as far as I am concerned

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    2. Those links are priceless!

      For years I tried to organise myself using text files on my PC, which worked up to a point - this was before smartphones really took off. The downside was that although I could be organised when at my PC, things got lost when away from it. That was OK when I worked in an office but when I moved to working from home full time, everything fell apart. Even though I have a smartphone these days, I can't make it work for me... too slow and clunky to enter and categorise reminders. The only thing its reminder app gets used for is the shopping list, because I can just pick it out of my pocket, click one button and say something like 'add tomato sauce to the shopping list' while standing in front of the cupboard noticing we're nearly out of tomato sauce.

      For everything else, there's a filofax (currently a red A5 Pimlico) and a fountain pen (Stipula Suprema Nuda).

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    3. That is a *serious* fountain pen!!!

      We wants it....

      What paper do you use with that, and what's the feathering and bleed-through like?

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    4. David,
      Those pics are hilarious!! Thanks for sharing.

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    5. @David Popely - yes, it's a really nice pen. :) I got it, used, from a chap on the Fountain Pen Network for *rather less than retail*. Mine has a Titanium nib and is an extraordinarily wet and smooth writer.

      I should perhaps mention that I suffer from a bad case of birophobia (they give me writer's cramp) and have been collecting fountain pens for about the last 6-7 years. I sometimes look at the number of Parker '51's I have and wonder about my sanity...

      The Stipula is filled with Montblanc Racing Green ink (sadly discontinued) and I use mainly self-punched Rhodia paper. I like the R by Rhodia pads - the pages are microperfed and although they come out slightly shorter than A5 as a result, it's a lovely smooth creamy paper. Feathering is nonexistent and bleedthrough is minimal, although the ink does sometimes take more than a few seconds to dry.

      When I'm not using the Stipula, instead I currently tend to use a Waterman L'Etalon in Sterling silver, filled with Sailor Sei-Boku blue-black ink. Sei-Boku is a 'nanopigment' ink which pretty much won't feather on *anything*; but you do have to be careful not to let the nib dry out as the ink, once dried, is waterproof!

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    6. I'm going to look into some of those other models you mention as well....

      I'm interested that you use Rhodia paper - I really like the Rhodia 'writing blocks' which are perforated across the top edge. I get the impression that of the common papers available, Rhodia is far and away the best quality for fountain pen writing. Does anyone know if Rhodia do diaries, or if there are other brands of diary which use Rhodia paper between the covers?

      How do you stop the nib from drying out, Paul? I have exactly that problem with my Waterman.

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    7. Rhodia is great stuff. It's made by the same company - Clairefontaine - who also do the Quo Vadis line of papers; they're well known for superb fountain pen friendly paper. There was some discussion about Quo Vadis doing filofax compatible inserts as well. A good place to look to see what's available would be www.gouletpens.com (US based) - they generally stock a huge range of good quality paper, diaries and notebooks. Some of the items they stock can be a bit difficult to track down in Europe or the UK - which is odd because Clairefontaine-Rhodia are based in France... I think I bought my pads from Bureau Direct who are a relatively small company doing mail order from somewhere in central London. Paperchase also stock the Rhodia blocks in some sizes, and the webnotebooks.

      As to keeping the nib from drying out - it depends on the pen I find. With Sei-Boku (and its carbon nano-pigment cousin Kiwa-Guro) they are very fast drying inks so the problem is compounded. With L'Etalon I'm just very pernickety about recapping the pen if it's going to be unused for more than a minute, which isn't a problem with that pen because it's got a tight-fitting and well sealed slip-on cap. In general I tend to stick to pens which don't have a 'breather' hole in the cap, particularly with fast-drying inks. I made the mistake of putting Sei-Boku in a vintage Swan pen which had a breather (a little hole in the side of the cap to equalise air pressure when putting the cap on or taking it off) and discovered that over the course of a couple of days the ink went very sticky and things started to clog. Won't be doing that again...

      For most 'normal' fountain pen inks I haven't really noticed a problem. It does depend on how wet the pen is adjusted to write, too - I can more or less leave the Stipula uncapped for 20 minutes and it will start instantly when I pick it up again, but it is a quite wet writer with a prodigious ink capacity. If the nib on your Waterman is drying out while the cap is on (hard starting when you begin to write) then it's likely the cap isn't sealing well. That was a problem with some Parker Sonnets, and there was a well-known fix which involved a quantity of candlewax judiciously applied to seal the small opening in the cap which allowed air exchange and evaporation. If I were you I'd search the FPN site for posts about your model of Waterman 'drying out' or 'hard starting' and see what turns up!

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    8. Thanks, Paul, for so much really useful and 'hard' information. I shall search the FPN as you suggest.

      I know bureau Direct, and I believe they stocked the 'webbie' diaries as well as the notebooks for a while this year, although I suspect they will be sold out now. I'll run a check. The Rhodia blocks are the best perforated solution I've found, and I use the smallest size for notes 'on the road' sometimes, one note per (very small) sheet, which I can then drop into my collecting box (GTD) for onward processing.

      I used Quo Vadis diaries for a couple of years and was very impressed both with the layouts *and* the paper quality. Maybe a note-to-self for 2014, for consideration when the format-for-next-year process begins around August-September.

      Thanks again

      David

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    9. I am a Clairefontaine and Rhodia fan - as well as a long term member of the FPN. I remember the British Racing Green Paul (might even have some tucked away somewhere) - I do rate MB inks. When searching for your paper goods don't forget to check out The Paperie (http://www.thepaperie.co.uk/brands/rhodia) who sell Rhodia and also The Writing Desk (http://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/notebooks.php) I really wish someone would create FF friendly diaries - I know we would print out own (which I do) but they always look vaguely home made!

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    10. I was in a local officer suppliers here in France the other day whilst my car was being serviced. They had the full range of Rhodia books, the Oxford range of notebooks. All the different colours of A4 Clairefontaine paper at very sensible prices.

      Going back again when I have a bit more time, but a great find.

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  3. Re: new range - P& L has a "reserve yours now" for The (new) Original. Filofax USA reports they will have stock in a few weeks on all the new range. I am interested in seeing or hearing about The Original - the leather looks so hard and slick to me - but wonder if it's one of those knids of leather than will soften up with age (like in 10 years it looks like)? Also, has anyone heard or seen anything about the Teal Malden?? Why is the Osterley being phased out? Seems like it just arrived!! Happy Friday and weekend everyone!

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    1. I have a personal size Original to review, and it is not at all hard or stiff. It lays perfectly flat and the leather is nice. Review coming soon on Plannerisms! :)

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    2. In just a few days. We are waiting for Steve to receive his A5 Original and have the chance to do his review, then he will post his review of the A5 Original here on Philofaxy on the same day I post my Personal size review on Plannerisms! I'm also doing a video demonstrating how to use the elastic holders inside the cover, and that vid will also go up the same day. Very exciting!!

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    3. Can't wait, Laurie! Thanks for the update=)

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    4. Can't wait, Laurie! Thanks for the update=)

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  4. I have not started any summer planning yet, but I have a lot going on with my house that is starting to take up a few pages in my personal raspberry Finsbury. (after trying to do a short sale for a year we are trying to do a modification again to keep it.) So I'm about ready to give these pages their own section -- but do I put it at the end of notes section, since it is really just notes on phone conversations, contact info for my mortgage contact, etc. Or do I put it in the project section because sometimes it feels like the process is a huge and stressful project! Decisions, decisions! LOL!

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  5. Paul, I am envious of the Stipula!!!!!!

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    1. Hands off! it's MINE! (My Preciousssssssss!)

      :)

      Although actually I think you might have to stand behind David in the queue!

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  6. I'm right there.....might look for one on ebay......or on the fountain pen network, where I believe I still have a login :)

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  7. We're taking our usual trip to the Southeast this summer, I lived in North Carolina for a while and the South stays in your blood. We'll be in South Georgia this year. I write addresses and phone numbers straight into the diary section for the day I plan to be there. I have a list of things to do while there too.

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  8. I have my Filofax with nowhere to go... sniff :(

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  9. I need to ask a question and, even though it isn't related to using a Filofax for summer planning, I think this is the right place to ask and I believe somebody here will be able to help me out or to point me to the right direction.

    A few days ago I got a bunch of (mainly pocket size) ring bound organisers quite cheap. Some of them are quite plasticky and of low quality, but a few are actually quite nice. In fact, the best one is a pocket size Krause with the softest and nicest black leather (similar to the one of my lovely Filofax Portland mini. Alas, the ring mechanism is broken, I think beyond repair. The leather is so nice and soft that I keep it around and touch (pet) it all the time.

    The question would be wether it was possible to replace the ring mechanism and how to do it. I've been looking for information about it, but I haven't found anything useful yet. I'm sure some Philofaxy readers might have such information handy or even experience replacing or removing rings without damaging the leather.

    In the worst case, if the rings can't be replaced, I'd be happy to just remove the broken ones and use the organiser as a case to carry some cards, small notebook, a pen, or even my phone, i.e. I could use it as a kind of large wallet or small leather case for miscellaneus stuff.

    Any pointers on how to procced to, at least, remove the broken rings, please?

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