General Chat

"Rules are for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools".
Oft repeated maxim all the way back to Darius.

As fools are not in short supply and cheap the inevitable results are the turgid prose of the London Times and the ever more incomprehensible documents produced by HMG and the Civil Service.

Anybody writing for a living who relies on any "Style Guide" should consider alternative employment.

'Joined-up' writing using a blunt worn-down pencil was considered an achievement of something or other during the last millennium when the quill was being upgraded, VAT free.

Praising children's achievements excessively was considered to do more harm than good, especially to those with low self-esteem.

Back in the 1960s there existed a publication called "the Children's Newspaper". Despite the Super Sabres and Boeing Superfortress in the skies above this newspaper reported the world was full of brotherly love.

It occupied itself with such things as handwriting competitions. I won one of these comps. using by best italic calligraphy. It took me years to adapt my wiriting speed to something fast enough to pass A levels and take notes at uni.

I still have some of the pens and nibs - I like ot keep my hand in with greetings cards and family trees.