Handbags   (The sad, the bad and the ugly. Non-productive stuff here.)

My secondary education was at Wigan Grammar School, at a time when the use of fountain pens was mandatory.

As a left hander, and with a writing style that saw me smudge everything I had just written I was left with 2 options:-

1. I could use blotting paper after literally every word and find myself taking twice as long as others to take notes from the blackboard. Or

2. Incur the wrath (and sometimes the cane) and use a ballpoint pen that would allow me to keep up with the writing speeds of the rest of the class.

Being the obstinate git that I have always been I chose option 2.

Eventually the teachers got sick of arguing with me over the issue and let me get on with it.

Happy days.