Two Years Ago Today

I'm not sure where the time has gone... but this was two years ago.

The New York Meet Up in June 2015 that I attended.

It was the start of our epic tour of the USA and Canada, spread over 7 weeks with 6 meet ups!!!

On the count of three.... check your phones !!

I'm sure by posting this there might be renewed interest in having another New York Meet Up?

Philofaxy Mini-meet up - Chicago July 2015

So after LA we spent some time in Yosemite National Park and then continued to San Francisco for a busy weekend of sight seeing and climbing mountains... sorry I mean the hills of San Francisco!!

Chicago was our next stop-over point for a brief mid-week stay. I always knew this meet up might be difficult for some people, but in the end it was just three of us including Alison and myself. But it didn't matter. We got to meet Sandra who I've 'known' now for a few years so it was lovely to meet face to face at long last.

Even though it was just a few of us, between Sandra and myself we had quite a varied collection of organisers with us. Sandra had her daily us Cavendish, but also things like a black Belmont, a Brindle and a few other treasures.

Here is the mini 'collection' I've been hauling around in the middle layer of my suitcase sandwiched between soft clothes either side.

Top Row L-R VDS Touch Me (Standard), Gillio Mia Cara, Gillio Giramondo, Filofax Ereader sleeve
Bottom Row L-R VDS Touch Me (Senior), VDS Custom Standard, VDS Custom A5, Filofax Malden Wallet

The three of us enjoyed a very simple meal and lots of discussion about all manner of things, not just planners!

Thank you to Sandra for extending her work day to meet up with Alison and I.

Next stop.... Toronto, Canada.

Philofaxy Meet Up - Los Angeles

After we left Denver last Monday we travelled to Las Vegas, what a crazy place that is, way too hot for my liking, and very brash and 'in your face' on the strip. We did manage to find a comfortable hotel to retreat to, that wasn't part of a casino nor did it have slot machines everywhere! The main reason for staying in Vegas was to visit the Grand Canyon, what an awesome experience that was, with a helicopter trip down in to the valley and then back again after a brief trip on a boat.

On Thursday we arrived in a much cooler (than Las Vegas) Los Angeles and picked up a compact hire car for our next week. My first taste of driving in USA was 'interesting' Not too bad though, I'm used to driving left hand drive cars... the same as France so that wasn't too much a shock. Just the style of driving here in LA... a topic for another day!

Today Sunday was the day of the LA meet up organised by the lovely Jennifer (My Purpley Life) without her it wouldn't have been the huge success that it was. The event was named Planner Palooza,  open to people of all interests in paper planners no matter how it was held together or covered. Essentially... just pen and paper.

We started off in the Tea Rose Garden in Pasadena, everyone was seated when we arrived a few minutes late, they were all busy chatting when we appeared, it took a few moments for us to be recognised, but when they did we got quite a welcome and were shown to our named seats in the middle of the table!

So many familiar faces, some I had chatted with on Skype but so many people who's name was familiar and it took me a little while to sort out who was who, knowing how bad my memory is for names. But it was just wonderful to talk with everyone whilst we enjoyed an 'English afternoon tea'

The lemonade was very tangy and thirst quenching.  The scones just melted in your mouth.. with a little cream as well of course...

'Another one Steve?' 

'Oh I don't mind if I do....well it would have been rude not to.?' 

So tea and lots of chatting and laughter, what a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Then I was floored... Rebecca gave a little speech and presented me with a small package that was an appreciation of everything I did.  Inside the carefully wrapped parcel was a 1923 Lefax Radio Handbook in beautiful condition. Wow... I can't say how shocked and surprised I was then. Totally 'gobsmacked' at everyones kind words in the card. So a blog post will be coming up on this Lefax.

As a former radio engineer of over 35 years in a career spanning since I left school, radio and its history has always been an interest of mine.

Thank you to everyone, you don't know how much I appreciate this wonderful gesture of kindness.

We had some photos in the tea room, thank you to Alison for taking so many photos...

We then headed off to Vromans across town for the second half of our afternoon.

Again Jennifer had organised all of the this part of the event which got everyone thinking and contributing to a wonderful afternoon, there was plenty of time for everyone to socialise and do fun things too.

We got to discuss the different types of planners available, not just ring-bound planners and people exchanged and shared views on all the different types.

I got to give a brief over view of everything Philofaxy and share some of the fun moments with the audience.

Of course all good things have to come to an end at some time. So we just had time to line up our organisers for a photo call before we said our farewells and travelled home again.

Alison and I would both like to say a big thank you to everyone that came along, some of you had travelled considerable distances and we both appreciate all the time and efforts you had gone to to make us both feel so welcome.

A thank you again to Jennifer for doing all the arrangements.

Planner Palooza - Pasadena, CA - LAST CALL

The Tea Rose Garden is now fully booked, unless someone decides to cancel! Don't worry, we have extended the event at Vroman's Bookstore to accommodate more people!

Anyone is FREE to attend!!! We have set up some great activities which is sure to be tons of planner fun! You will also have the chance to win some great giveaway prizes! Don't miss your chance to connect with the planner community and meet me, Vienna (My_Planner) and Steve Morton (Mr. Philofaxy). 

If you are still interested in attending, you must book your reservation at
https://v1.bookwhen.com/mypurpleylife -----> Select "Book Now" for Planner Palooza- Pasadena, CA --->  then select "Vroman's Bookstore RSVP".

*ONLY 17 MORE SPOTS LEFT!!!!* Last day to RSVP is Thursday, July 2!!!!

*Those who are already booked for the Tea Rose Garden, already have a spot reserved for Vroman's Bookstore.*

Thank you to Jennifer 'My Purpley Life' for organising this event.

Philofaxy Denver Meet Up - June 2015

Another week another meet up, this trend continues for yet another week. So we flew from Washington D.C. to Denver on Thursday. Denver is often called the 'Mile High City'. It sits at 5280 feet above sea level, so I was warned about being short of breath, to drink plenty of water and avoid drinking too much alcohol, wise words indeed.

We were here because my wife Alison was speaking at the Historical Novelists Conference in Denver at a hotel south of the city. This was the view from our 11th floor hotel room.

So whilst she was doing her presentations and attending other conference sessions I took a walk to the local light railway station to catch a train/tram in to the city and then jump on a bus to get to 6th Avenue where I was due to meet up with a group of our readers at 'The Stationery Company'

Lin Logan the owner of the shop, very kindly let us sit around a large table so we could get out all of our organisers and sit and chat for an hour or so. We also had a look at their Filofax stock and the inserts they had in stock.

There were seven people at the meet up including me. It was a pleasure to meet everyone of course, it is what I look forward to with all of the meet ups. But Denver was a bit special in a few ways, please excuse me while I mention a few names.

First of all it was lovely to see Theresa Hall again. The last time we saw each other was at the Gillio event in Brussels in March this year.

Theresa and Steve

Waiting for me outside the store for others to arrive, was long standing Philofaxy reader who comments under the name of Crofter  his real life name is Richard. It was an honour to meet Richard as he has been commenting on the blog longer than I have. For some reason I always thought Richard was in UK... clearly I got that wrong!

Richard and I got to chat about several topics so it was a pleasure to fill in some of the gaps in the jigsaw of knowledge.  Having seen the way that Richard uses his Filofax organisers, I've asked him if he would be happy at some time in the future to do one of our 'Experienced Filofax Users' questions and answer sessions. Trust me it will be worth waiting for.

Everyone got a chance to look at all the various organisers that everyone had brought along. Before the next meet up, I will show you the collection I'm carrying around at the moment!

L-R Anna, Theresa, Angel and Richard

L-R Theresa, Angel and Richard

L-R Anna, Theresa, Angel

L-R Brenda, Richard, Bridgette

L-R Bridgette, Anna, Theresa, Angel

L-R Anna, Theresa, Angel

Bridgette and Anna

The large ring Franklin Covey can certainly hold a lot!

Time moved on and it was time to move on to the nearby restaurant for some food. We continued our conversations there over our lunch.

Because we had started relatively early (10am) we finished our meet up by mid-afternoon and we said our goodbyes. Like Washington last week, I'm sure there will be another meet up in the future in Denver.

I would like to thank everyone that came to the meet up, it was great fun as always, and lovely to put faces to names at last!.

Thank you to Lin Logan at 'The Stationery Company' for letting us host the first part of our meet up at her shop.

Thank you to Anna for organising the event on my behalf. Thank you also to Bridgette kindly gave me a lift back to my hotel.

Next stop Los Angeles next weekend.

Philofaxy Washington Meet Up - June 2015

After a busy week in New York including a meet up. On Thursday, we took the train (rail road) from New York Penn station to Union station in Washington. It made a pleasant change to travelling by air and overall we got to our destination on Capitol Hill in about the same time I suspect. But the train announcers made us smile 'All Aboard' reminded me of Casey Jones... ok showing my age I know! It was a TV show which was on UK TV in the late 1960's.

On Friday, Alison and I had a pleasant surprise with meeting Karine Tovmassian for the first time, we went out to dinner in Alexandria as Karine wasn't going to be able to make the meet up on the Saturday. 

We had a lovely meal in a period restaurant in the old town. 

Saturday I travelled on the Washington sub-way out to Alexandria again and met with the group in a Italian restaurant in King Street.  

The staff in the restaurant were very patient whilst we waited for everyone to arrive and we sat and chatted and drank iced water, which was saviour as it was a very hot and humid day outside. 

As usual it wasn't long before the organisers and planners started to appear from bags and were being spread over different areas of the table! 

Once again the Gillio and Van der Spek leather samples were popular, I've got a little carry case for them now! 

L-R Tina, Michele, Keisha

Patricia and Jessica

L-R Patricia, Jessica, Tina, Michele, Keisha, Amber, Brandie, Amy, Sharon

We did a horizontal stack of all the organisers and planners we had with us, and then lined up to have our photos taken.

Photo Credit: Brandie Jamerson Sellers.

The waiter took photos of us with our phones which was brilliant.

Back Row L-R - Sharon, Amber, Amy, Steve, Keisha
Front row L-R - Patricia, Tina, Jessica, Brandie and Michele. 

We had a wonderful afternoon together, I really enjoyed it. Sharing thoughts and ideas, sharing how we used our organisers and explaining various things. 

Thank you to Amber for bringing along several Chic Sparrow Travellers Notebook covers, I was impressed with the way they are made. 

I would like to thank every one that came along, it was a great day. I hope you all get to hold some more meet ups in Washington in the future. 

Thank you to Brandie for being my local contact person and helping me organise the whole day. 

Next stop on our magical mystery tour... Denver. 

Philofaxy Meet Up - Los Angeles - Sunday 5th July - Updated

We are continuing the North America Philofaxy Tour with Los Angeles.

Los Angeles - Sunday 5th July 2015

So this is an updated 'calling notice' for people who would like to attend the Philofaxy Meet Up in Los Angeles

When and Where

Sunday 5th July. Location Tea Rose Garden in Pasadena, CA.

Time: 1:00 - 5:00 pm
Thank you, to Jennifer Reyes of www.mypurpleylife.com for helping to organise this event.

How to book a place on the meet up

Go to: Southern California Planner Meet-up where you will find a link to how to purchase a ticket to the event here

Additional Information

We will be in Denver the week before then we will be travelling to Chicago.

Thank you... any questions?

Philofaxy New York Meet Up - June 2015

Saturday was finally the day of the first meet up in our tour of North America. This wasn't the first meet up in New York, there have been quite a few others in the past, but it was the first one that I had attended.

We arrived in New York on Thursday another very hot day, and in the short time we had been there we rapidly adjusted to the fast pace that New York moves at.

We had established things in our local area around the Chelsea district of Manhattan (7th Avenue and 22nd Street), found local shops and explored the area. To put it another way... we hit the ground running more or less... although at a sedate pace! Friday saw us tick off several essential things on our list of things to do and see, including a visit to our local T Mobile shop for local SIM's for our iPhones. Keeping in touch with the outside world whilst on the move during this 7 week marathon was essential.

On Friday, we had lunch in a local restaurant using the same criteria as we do in France... if the locals are there in large numbers the food will be good and also good value for money as well.  The afternoon saw us go to the top of the Empire State Building and enjoy a cool breeze at the observation deck and a chance to take some photos on a slightly hazy day.

On Saturday, it was a hot summer's day in New York I adopted a rather casual dress style appropriate for the weather, so a light summer short sleeve shirt and shorts!

So with the help of Susan we had arranged to meet up at Ben's Deli and the on-line information about the menu choices was very detailed and accurate! We had a drink at the bar whilst we all gathered and introduced ourselves... 'Are you Steve Morton?' "That would be me!" and I attempted to remember everyone's name... difficult with 15 of us in total! I had met one or two before either face to face or via Skype video calls so that helped.

The food was excellent and lots of different choices. There was lots of discussions about all sorts of organisers and travellers notebooks as well. I got asked lots of questions of course and I was more than happy to answer them. There were lots of discussions going on around the table. I tried to share myself around everyone, so they all got some time.

I had taken with me a full set of leather samples for Gillio and for Van der Spek. These proved to be very popular, lots of notes were being taken about which colours people liked best.

I had with me a few organisers from both Van der Spek and Gillio, so they also got passed around, and there was a lot of interest in them. I've not bought any Filofax models with me, there's only so much that will fit in the case!

We did build an organiser tower, but it was fairly short lived... it collapsed as soon as I put the last organiser on the top!! Thank you to Marlene and Leilani for capturing it before it collapsed!!

Philofaxy Meet Up - Toronto - 18th July 2015

We are finishing the North America Philofaxy Tour in Canada in Toronto.

Toronto - Saturday 18th July 2015

So this is a 'calling notice' for people who would like to attend the Philofaxy Meet Up in Toronto

Please read all of the post before you apply for a place on the meet up.

When and Where

Saturday 18th July. Location is still TBD (To Be Determined).

Please feel free to leave any questions, comments, suggestions or feedback.

We would like to see who is interested in joining us so that we can get a good head count, so please let us know if you would like to attend.

Thank you, to Alan and Brenda for helping to organise this event.

How to book a place on the meet up

To get a place on the meet up you need to email: steve[at]philofaxy[dot]com and mark your email 'July 2015 Toronto Meetup', but please do not send it before Saturday 30 May 2015. Please only request a place if you are 99% certain that you will be able to attend on the 15th.

As places are allocated you will receive an email back again confirming your place on the meet up.

Please do not book travel tickets etc until you have a confirmed place. I will attempt to confirm places within 2-3 hours of receiving your email.

Additional Information

We will be in  Washington Four weeks before and Denver three weeks before, Los Angeles two weeks, Chicago earlier in the week.  We will be taking in a couple of Canadian cities as tourists before returning home to France.

Thank you... any questions?

Philofaxy Meet Up - Chicago - 15th July 2015

We are continuing the North America Philofaxy Tour with Chicago.

Chicago - Wednesday 15th July 2015

So this is a 'calling notice' for people who would like to attend the Philofaxy Meet Up in Chicago

Please read all of the post before you apply for a place on the meet up.

When and Where

The evening of Wednesday 15th July. Location is still TBD (To Be Determined).

Please feel free to leave any questions, comments, suggestions or feedback.

We would like to see who is interested in joining us so that we can get a good head count, so please let us know if you would like to attend.

Thank you, to Sandra for helping to organise this event.

How to book a place on the meet up

To get a place on the meet up you need to email: steve[at]philofaxy[dot]com and mark your email 'July 2015 Chicago Meetup', but please do not send it before Sunday 24 May 2015. Please only request a place if you are 99% certain that you will be able to attend on the 15th.

As places are allocated you will receive an email back again confirming your place on the meet up.

Please do not book travel tickets etc until you have a confirmed place. I will attempt to confirm places within 2-3 hours of receiving your email.

Additional Information

We will be in  Washington three weeks before and Denver two weeks before, Los Angeles a week before then we will be travelling to Toronto for our final North American Meet Up.

Thank you... any questions?

Philofaxy Meet Up - Los Angeles - 5th July 2015 - Updated

We are continuing the North America Philofaxy Tour with Los Angeles.

Los Angeles - Sunday 5th July 2015

So this is an updated 'calling notice' for people who would like to attend the Philofaxy Meet Up in Los Angeles

When and Where

Sunday 5th July. Location Tea Rose Garden in Pasadena, CA.

Time: 1:00 - 5:00 pm
Thank you, to Jennifer Reyes of www.mypurpleylife.com for helping to organise this event.

How to book a place on the meet up

Go to: Southern California Planner Meet-up where you will find a link to how to purchase a ticket to the event here

Additional Information

We will be in Denver the week before then we will be travelling to Chicago.

Thank you... any questions?

Philofaxy Meet Up - Denver - 27th June 2015

We are continuing the North America Philofaxy Tour with Denver

Denver - Saturday 27th June 2015

So this is a 'calling notice' for people who would like to attend the Philofaxy Meet Up in Denver

Please read all of the post before you apply for a place on the meet up.

When and Where

We will meet initially at 10:00am at The Stationary Company 2818 E 6th Ave
Denver, CO 80206,



At 12:30 we will be going to Cucina Colore 3041 E 3rd Ave Denver, CO 80206


You can read all about the restaurant on their website here

During the meal there will be plenty of time for chatting and sharing organisers...

Our meet up will finish at about 16:00 (4pm)

How to book a place on the meet up

To get a place on the meet up you need to email: steve[at]philofaxy[dot]com and mark your email 'June 2015 Denver Meetup', but please do not send it before Saturday 9 May 2015. Please only request a place if you are 99% certain that you will be able to attend on the 27th.

As places are allocated you will receive an email back again confirming your place on the meet up.

Please do not book travel tickets etc until you have a confirmed place. I will attempt to confirm places within 2-3 hours of receiving your email.

Additional Information

We will be in New York two weeks before and Washington one week before and then we will be travelling to Los Angeles.

Thank you... any questions?

Philofaxy Meet Up - Washington - 20 June 2015

We are continuing the North America Philofaxy Tour with Washington

Washington - Saturday 20th June 2015

So this is a 'calling notice' for people who would like to attend the Philofaxy Meet Up in Washington

Please read all of the post before you apply for a place on the meet up.

When and Where

We will meet initially at 12:00(Noon) at Bertucci's Italian Restaurant, 725-727 King St. Old Town Alexandria, VA 22314



You can read all about the restaurant on their website here

During the meal there will be plenty of time for chatting and sharing organisers...

Our meet up will finish at about 6:30pm

How to book a place on the meet up

To get a place on the meet up you need to email: steve[at]philofaxy[dot]com and mark your email 'June 2015 Washington Meetup', but please do not send it before Saturday 2 May 2015. Please only request a place if you are 99% certain that you will be able to attend on the 13th.

As places are allocated you will receive an email back again confirming your place on the meet up.

Please do not book travel tickets etc until you have a confirmed place. I will attempt to confirm places within 2-3 hours of receiving your email.

Additional Information

There is a free parking garage on Jefferson St off of S. Washington St. It'll be a bit of a walk to King St, but it will give you the option.

We will be in New York the week before and after Washington we will be travelling to Denver.

Thank you... any questions?

Philofaxy Meet Up - New York - 13 June 2015

We are starting off the North America Philofaxy Tour with New York

New York - Saturday 13th June 2015

So this is a 'calling notice' for people who would like to attend the Philofaxy Meet Up in New York

Please read all of the post before you apply for a place on the meet up.

When and Where

We will meet initially at 12:30 (to be confirmed) at Ben's Deli, 209 W. 38th Street Manhattan, New York 10018


View Larger Map


You can read all about the restaurant on their website here

Please note we have booked a private room at Ben's Deli and there is a minimum $15 spend per person, but looking at their menu I don't think that will be a major problem!

During the meal there will be plenty of time for chatting and sharing Filofax organisers...

Our meet up will finish at about 6:30pm

How to book a place on the meet up

To get a place on the meet up you need to email: steve[at]philofaxy[dot]com and mark your email 'June 2015 New York Meetup', but please do not send it before 8am (New York time) Monday 27 April 2015. Please only request a place if you are 99% certain that you will be able to attend on the 13th.

As places are allocated you will receive an email back again confirming your place on the meet up.

Please do not book travel tickets etc until you have a confirmed place. I will attempt to confirm places within 2-3 hours of receiving your email.

Additional Information

If you aren't familiar with New York or how to get to  from the station you are arriving at then use the MTA Journey Planner, it seems quite good. 

Once we have our full list of people, we will exchange email addresses and if you aren't familiar with New York you might be able to get someone to meet you at the station you are arriving at.

Your safety on the day and your enjoyment on the day is of paramount importance to me, so don't be afraid to ask any questions by email, I want everyone who attends to get the most from the day.

Thank you... any questions?

Philofaxy North American Tour - Summer 2015

I'm pleased today to be able to announce the main stop off points on our tour of North America this summer.

Alison and I have been planning this 'holiday' or marathon depending on how you look at it, for the last few weeks. We are continuing to do research in to things and planning to get the most out of our visit to North America this summer.

First and foremost this is a holiday for us both, the first true holiday we have had in nearly 10 years that doesn't involve visiting UK or what was our second home here in France until we moved here.

As neither of us have been to North America before we are keen to see as much as we can of the two vast countries, naturally there is a lot we will miss out, may be another time we will get to see more of the states.

Having announced the tour on Facebook just after Christmas, we have managed to find some willing volunteers to help me organise the meet ups in various cities during our visit. The details on times and locations of these meet ups are still coming together and I will publish more details about each one in the coming weeks.

As an overview here are the dates and cities that we will be having meet ups in on our tour.

• Saturday 13 June - New York
• Saturday 20 June - Washington
• Saturday 27 June - Denver
• Sunday 5 July - Los Angeles
• Wednesday 15 July - Chicago (likely to be an evening event) 
• Saturday 18 July - Toronto

Our overall tour looks something like this. 

We are flying from Paris to Montreal and returning via the same route as well. 

The other thing to decide of course is what organisers to bring along!!

Look out for the meet up details for each city in the coming weeks.