Guests (June 2003)

I was recently reminded of this when I stayed with two Scottish friends — I had written it for them as a parting gift on June 8, 2003, shortly before I left the UK for good. 

The main message is at first glance complimentary — Our guests always give us pleasure.  But the smaller text below adds, seemingly in a whisper, Some by coming, others by leaving. 

I can’t remember where I got this quote from, but if you do a Google search you’ll probably find different variants of it attributed to different people.

Italic Handwriting (March 2003)

This is the handwriting of the late Graham Last, a friend who was a senior education official as well as chairman of the Society for Italic Handwriting, to whose executive committee I still belong.  If I recall correctly, he was, in this note, commenting on a Sheaffer fountain pen whose nib I had just sharpened.

Graham’s handwriting was extremely regular; and while his style was not flamboyant or particularly decorative, it was supremely legible and pleasing to the eye.  To me, this feat was all the more impressive, considering he was lefthanded — though I hasten to add that I count many able lefthanded calligraphers among my friends. 

It was always a privilege to receive a letter from him on personal stationery he had printed on his handpress — in this case with his favourite Bembo type.