Pelikan

Pelikan Hub Bremen

After recently moving from the UK to Germany, this year I was involved in the Pelikan Hub Bremen, rather than the Preston Hub that used to be my home hub.

The Pelikan Hub took place in a Greek restaurant in the North of Bremen. The location was chosen as it was close to public transport and also offered a big car park.

Some numbers linked this Hub: Unfortunately, three of the participants who signed up didn’t take part. There were also another three people who didn’t sign up but wanted to come along. In the end, however, they couldn’t make it. That left us with five participants which means that this was probably one of the smallest Hubs…

Despite the small number of participants I enjoyed the Hub very much. I wonder how long other Hubs went on for. This one lasted around four hours.

Thanks to Pelikan the participants got bottles of the ink of the year, nice notebooks and postcards.

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A Traditional year of the mouse

Coincidentally coinciding with Chinese New Year: a new addition to my Pelikan flock.

I couldn’t resist CultPen’s Pelikan discount offer and bought the ‘Traditional M120’. Upon arrival I filled it with Diamine Prussian Blue.

When I showed it to my wife, who usually loves Pelikan (except that blue M205 demonstrator I got in 2009), she compared the looks of the M120 to a Super5 and commented on the price.

When I ordered the M120 I didn’t think of the Super5 at all. Now that I made the connection it is so clear. Yes, they are similar, but putting them next to each other you realise how similar they are.

The colour of the M120 is beautiful, but the Super5 colours are beautiful as well. Pelikan and Super5 managed to find special colours that are the opposite of boring.

The Super5 is much cheaper, so unlike the Pelikan you don’t mind using it all the time. You don’t feel you have to protect it from scratches and the bad world out there. It takes cartridges – unlike the Pelikan which is a piston filler which always feels more high end. The Super5 is also special in a way: it is available without an Iridium point which makes for a nice and different writing experience.

Happy New Year of the Mouse to all Bleistift Readers. Enjoy your pens.

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Highway to pen

It’s always nice to drive through Belgium as it gives me a chance to refill my Atoma reserves. As you might know, I’m a big fan of Atoma notebooks.

Stationery in a Carrefour Hypermarket

With such a choice to tempt me (see photo above) I couldn’t resist getting a BIC multi-pen with a pencil to add to my multi-pen plus pencil collection.

BIC in Belgium

Carrefour had an offer on the Pelikano junior for under €10. It’s a great pen. When I bought mine in 2008 I paid £6.80, but these prices are long gone and today €10 seems like a steal.

Pelikano junior, probably bigger in Japan than in Europe

The reason I really stopped was to get more Atoma notebooks. Unfortunately they didn’t have the Bio Atoma which I love. Even Atomas with cardboard covers were rare. Most had thick plastic covers which seem unnecessarily plasticy and not as nice as the cardboard variety. The similar Adoc notebooks were however available with cardboard covers.

No Bio Atomas. Sniff.

When I drove on, into Germany, I noticed another nice stationery surprise. Kids get the excellent Noris colour pencils with a kids meal. Chicken fillets, fries, orange juice and Staedtler Noris for €3.99. The Noris is certainly the star in this combo.

I wish I was a kid

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Preston’s Pelikan Hub 2018

It’s been fairly quiet on this blog –  the beginning of the new academic year has been keeping me busy.

That made the two hours I spent visiting Preston’s Pelikan Hub last Friday even more precious. The Hub was in the same place as last year.

The outside might not have been as nice as last year, thanks to the scaffolding, but inside it was as nice as always.

We Preston Pelikan participants had a whole room to ourselves. Look! ..the green wallpaper even matched this year’s ink of the year 😜.

The wood fired Pizzas were absolutely delicious.

Here’s one I ate earlier..

The event was not only for humanoids. Here’s our feathered friend who came along..

..and our canine friend from the Hub.

..not to forget: some of our Hub’s Pelikans without feathers.

The fireplace made the whole place even cosier..

..as did the drinks (mine is the Diet Coke).

I hope Preston will get its own Pelikan Hub again in 2019.

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