The Augurs of Spring are upon us

Spring is here, ah spring is here, life is skittles and, life is beer. I think that spring is the loveliest time of the year, I do - don't you? - 'course you do. But there's one thing that makes spring complete for me, and makes every May-time a treat for me... All the world seems in tune, on a spring afternoon, when we doodle in notebooks in the park!

With copious apologies to Messrs Lehrer and Stravinsky, it really is a season for song, apparently, and if you're in the mood for composition you'll surely want a notebook in your pocket. What could be better than one as appropriately themed as the Augurs of Spring notebook, from Calepino? Well, two more would be better, obviously, but that's easily done as they come in a pack of three complementary designs.

If you're a bit of a design obsessive, these are pretty much heaven in pocketable format. The cover art is redolent of all sorts of vernal themes (anyone else getting a waft of wisteria?), the hand-printed vibe adds a certain je ne sais quoi and it's even recycled paper in there. It's a million miles away from mass-produced pulp from the supermarket back-to-school aisle, that's for sure.

One slight word of warning for users of very wet fountain pens; you'll be able to use at least one side of the page, but the accompaniment this notebook warms to best is graphite. So, it's time to break out a posh pencil and a sharpening implement of your choice, and obtain a box set of your own from Nero. But admit it; your walk in the park just got a whole lot more interesting.