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The idea of writing a blog is to force myself to get words down so that this novel I have sloshing around in my head can start to take shape. If that means I seem to be writing about uninteresting trivialities then I apologise to anyone of you who read me but it’s all part of my training programme.

I have put together a little collection of writing accessories for my desktop: I will be using these in conjunction with one of my hobbies – copperplate writing. The thuya wood writing box came from Dorset County Show a few weeks ago. I have kept a piece of tissue smeared with Tiger Balm in it and now, internally marinated, I get a beautifully fragrant waft whenever I open the box. T complement the box I managed to pick up the smaller thuya pen box with integral pen rest from a local village boot sale on Sunday for a couple of pounds and I bought the pen holder – also in thuya from a seller on Ebay – about £11 – a lot of money and I nearly baulked but my wife told me not to be an old skinflint and pay the man. Hopefully I am not a skinflint any longer but sadly, I remain old!

The antique glass and silver twin inkpot came from a boot in Somerset a few weeks back – a fiver. The brass pen nib shaped pen rest and the antique brass inkpot sitting on top came after rummaging through a junk box at the same boot – 50p each. Brass stamp box from a charity shop yesterday - £1.25.

My favourite though is the large glass inkpot with the brass top. Weighing in at 1.3 kilos this is a beautiful piece of antique lead crystal glass that was unfortunately missing it’s top. Fortunately though, the hinge mechanism was still in place so I found an old brass doorknob in my workshop, popped it into my little model making lathe and parted the domed part away from the rest of the knob and that is what you see on top. It still needs a little work to make it a permanent job but I was surprised to find that the new top looks so good. What makes this aquisition so pleasing is that it to came from yet another boot and cost me a single pound coin!

I remarked to my wife this morning (half jokingly) that a pair of candlesticks would enhance the collection so this afternoon while browsing round a flea market I was quite taken by a pair of old brass candlesticks. They have been turned from solid brass, are 24cm high and weigh a kilo each. I have spent a little while with the Brasso polish and a rag and here is the result.

Not bad for four quid what? That seems to conclude my little collection (I thought) until our friend turned up a while ago to do my wife’s hair. Looking at this little collection she remarked “you need a kneehole leather top antique desk for that lot” -----------how stupid of me for thinking I’d finished! Looks like I am going to have to keep my eye out at local auctions for a desk. Where will it all end?