I realise as I write this, that my humble news may get lost in the noise surrounding more significant events – a certain election in the USA and the start of a second lockdown here in the UK. However, believe it or not, today marks the fourth anniversary of this blog.
Four years ago today I was a complete newbie at WordPress, but one grey November afternoon I took my first tentative steps to set up a blog. I was not familiar at all with the process. In the field for the title of the blog, I typed “Fountain pen blog” as a working title while I got up and running but then this became live. I have not thought of a better one.
This week, my WordPress statistics showed my total number of views as having just tripped past 100,000, which is similar to the excitement of watching the odometer reach a milestone number on your car. I know that there are many far more successful bloggers whose figures dwarf mine, but nevertheless it represents a level of publicity that I would not have dreamed of four years ago. What I also find staggering is how the viewings so far this year, come from over 130 countries.
This post will be my 150th, so I have been averaging a modest but fairly steady 37 or so posts a year, not quite one every week.
I must say, it has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I love the opportunity to write about things which I am interested in. To have the blog as a creative outlet is a wonderful thing as well as a privilege. Also, right from my first posts, I felt like a writer, a creator of content on the internet as well as a consumer of it.
Through the blog, I have met countless interesting people, some who have become friends here and abroad and many with whom I enjoy interacting with comments and likes. With the constraints of a full time job, it is hard to think of other realistic ways in which I could have increased my circle of friends to such an extent in this time. I have also expanded my knowledge of fountain pens and inks enormously. Someone should give out honorary degrees for this.
I am hugely grateful to those who encouraged me in my early days of the blog, those who commented and followed the blog from the start, such as Laura of Fountain Pen Follies whose own blog was one of my favourites and which set the standard for content, photography and good humour.
In my very first post, I included a gratuitous photo of the nib of my Diplomat Esteem. Funnily enough it is another Diplomat, the Excellence A Plus, that I am now using daily and which is “the one to beat” for me at the moment, as I survey my crowded pen cups. It is inked with Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-kai, a well behaved blue black. I was given a bottle of this and, just this week, used up the very last 1ml of ink, which you can do if you use a Pineider travelling ink well to fill your pen.
I have just renewed my subscription to WordPress for another year. With all the goings on in the world, it continues to be a source of relaxation and enjoyment for me and I am delighted that so many are still reading. Thanks and stay safe everyone!
Fountain pen blog 
Congratulations sir on the anniversary and the milestones! I always look forward to seeing your posts in my RSS reader — you have a wonderful tone of voice and a fantastic view of pens. I often find myself asking “what would Rupert do?”. Keep up the good work for many years to come!
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Thank you very much Anthony – and likewise I always enjoy finding a new post in your most excellent blog. It is fun to dip into the archives too, and see how sometimes our views have evolved. All part of the stationery journey!
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I believe I was lucky enough to discover your blog in 2018. I’ve managed to go back to the start and catch up. Four years and 150 posts are definitely to be celebrated and I’ve enjoyed reading the posts along the way. Please keep the posts coming!
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Thanks very much for reading! I have often done that too, catching up on back issues on blogs that I discover. I added an Index of Pen Posts this year to make it easier to use for those interested in a particular pen but otherwise, there is always the option to pick a month and dip in!
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Congratulations on your fourth. I always enjoy reading your new posts, and occasionally reading a random post from the past.
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Thanks a lot Ray for your kind comments and for your support from across the pond.
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Wonderful achievement. Enjoy your blog posts and they always provide interesting reading. Here’s to the next 100k.
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Thank you kindly! We all learn from each other and it is a fabulous online community of like-minded enthusiasts. I always enjoy seeing what pen has taken your fancy and earned a place in your daily carry.
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Fourth anniversary, well done. Terrific achievement.
Seeing as you are writing about your Diplomat, the Esteem that i ordered having read your review has arrived. Out of the box possibly one of the nicest writers and most comfortable pens in the hand I have used. No wonder you talk so highly of them. Thank you without your reviews I would never have thought of Diplomat. I have a feeling that it is going to become an everyday favourite.
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Thank you Charles! I am delighted to hear that your Diplomat Esteem arrived and that you are so happy with it. Diplomat pens, and their nibs in particular, are superb and it is odd that they do not have a higher profile in the UK. I am very glad that my blog was of help.
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A heartfelt congratulations to you as you celebrate the joint achievements on your blog. I think this post of yours cements my intention to buy that Flame Diplomat Traveller that has been itching away at me for several weeks.
Happy Fountain Pen Day, by the way!!
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Well done!
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I’ve been enjoying the blog almost from Day One. I feel especially thankful that Rupert seems prepared to go on with it; a fair number of other pen blogs, like blogs in general, seem to flicker out. Flowers of but a single season, or of only a few months. This blog adds up to something.
And I agree that Rupert’s superpower is his ability to be as warmly taken with inexpensive pens, some of them very inexpensive, as he is with the most expensive pens he owns. Together with that, an ability to buy from both specialist retailers and England’s most ubiquitous High Street shops. As one who has long admired and enjoyed a Cross Radiance, I feel urged to consider adding a Cross Bailey Light on Rupert’s warm recommendation.
Have many more years to come.
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Thank you so much, Jerome, for your generous comments and for staying around with this blog for so long.
A passion for fountain pens is a blessing which through this blog has introduced me to some fascinating people.
When I pick up my Aurora 88 I am often reminded of your comments on my post about that pen, conjuring up pictures of your lunch group in San Francisco with the likes of Jack Stauffacher and your own Aurora 88 perhaps sparking conversations about Marcello Nizzoli and Olivetti typewriters.
Best wishes from London. Keep well and thankyou for reading.
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