A quiet day which apart from the unavoidable and gruesome shopping was mainly spent reading and writing. Two contrasting treasured objects; my kindle, a present from Kit a good few years ago which although it does not boast the tablet functionality of more recent stablemates is none the worse for being a dedicated book reader with a rather wonderful paper like screen that really feels like reading from a proper page rather than a backlit computer screen, and my latest present from Kit a journal of glorious handmade paper in an embossed leather cover. The new and the old, high tech and low tech but both much treasured.

I'll never lose my love of proper physical books and if a book makes it into my affections one can pretty much guarantee I'll acquire it in physical form, much as I love the smell and feel of a new book, straight from the presses, a sensual delight, more than likely these days it'll be second hand but often non the worse for that, there is a great deal of pleasure to be had in finding which passages a book falls open to, the favourites of its previous owner(s), even scrawled margin notes have their joys and a well thumbed volume can even acquire character. That said, they will have to prize my kindle from my cold dead hand - an entire library in one's pocket, instant cross referencing, highlighting, note taking, all the bookmarks you can eat and a sharing of notes and selections with other readers dispersed around the globe, how did I survive before its invention?

As for my journal I've been looking for one like this for ages and Kit picked it up on her Canadian travels so it's very special. A joy to write and draw in. There is however a problem, the terror and angst of daring to use it. It looks and feels wonderful and the pen winds its way over the bite of the page's texture....but I feel as if it's too good for any old rubbish to be written there on, it induces performance anxiety. I've experienced this many a time with particularly fine looking sketch books...how dare I scrawl within it. As with so many things in life one just has to take the plunge.