The humble pencil

My friend Janet and I have an interesting tradition of sending one another little gifts every Christmas to fill twelve little felt boots/stockings that hang from a wreath. We each open one a day for the twelve days of Christmas. I think I've probably mentioned this to you. My contribution to her stockings this year was twelve little packets of various teas and more than she ever wanted to know about tea. It was my Christmas research project.

What she put in my stockings was brilliant but she created something that inspired me. It was a handmade, wooden, pencil box with ten unsharpened, yellow, HB, school pencils inside, along with a pencil sharpener. But get this; the pencils came with instructions in the form of a 'Pencil User Manual'.

They were written as if I had only ever used a computer to write and so the instructions came in computer jargon, including a warning: 'Stay alert - explosive ideas can generate rapidly.' She even illustrated it!

There was a very efficient pencil sharpener, referred to as the 'tune-up kit'. On page five, it said that proper use of my new pencil will require operator input, and then it cautioned me to 'handle fresh ideas with care as they are liable to ignite'. I especially like the 'manual deletion module located on the reverse end' which it says is similar to the 'backspace key' on the computer.

So now I have both the tools and the inspiration. I'd better get working. So far I've only used my pencil to do the crossword puzzle in the local paper. My brain is getting exercise, even if my body isn't!