Travel Accessories for Puffing, Doodling and Scribbling

Happy Easter

I'm off to enjoy a few days R&R in Madrid. I'll wish you a Happy Easter, however way you choose to celebrate — be it eating chocolate eggs whilst watching The Robe with Richard Burton, or with palm-piercing and self-flagellation.

I'll be in Spain for Semana Santa, so there will be the traditional processions in most cities. They are quite a spectacle.

I've stuffed a few travel accessories in my 'hidden' breast pocket (above) for the trip. That's a vintage Liberty pocket square in the 'real' breast pocket.

Accessory # 1 - Chinchalero Cigar

The Chinchalero Reserva de Oro Epicure No.2 is a smooth day cigar, hand-rolled in Nicaragua, with a Honduran binder and Ecuadorian wrapper. The cigar was kindly sent by a reader who recommended it highly. Thank you, sir.

A very special thanks also to a London-based reader for a recent donation. The money was spent, as promised, on afternoon tea. It really perked me up, let me tell you. Perhaps there is a business in here somewhere.

Accessory # 2 - Uni Pencil

Have you tried the Kuru Toga mechanical pencil from Japan's Uni-Ball? You really must. I was lured by the technology of the pencil, which has a special mechanism that rotates the lead as you use it, keeping the point consistently sharp and lines clean. Use it with the incredibly strong Uni Ball Nano Dia 0.3 mm lead. The pencil makes for one hell of a doodling device.

Accessory # 3 - J. Herbin (1670) Pen & Ink

I bought this J. Herbin rollerball pen because it takes Herbin's wonderful inks. I like the look of it too, dash it. J. Herbin was established in 1670, and it is the oldest ink producer in the world. Herbin made ink for the likes of Victor Hugo and Louis XIV of France.

The ink cartridges come in little aluminium pots. I favour Bleu Nuit and Poussière de Lune. The pen and inks make for one hell of a scribbling device.

I'm all set for puffing, doodling and scribbling.