I learned to write using a school pen and reams of blotting paper. The pen (hah!) had a wooden shaft and a replaceable metal nib - - awful. The ink was in a small bakelite inkwell recessed into the wooden desk. As ink monitor, it was my job to refill the inkwells every Monday morning. I had to mix a blue powder with water to produce the ink. Consequently, for the first half of the week, I had blue hands (woad).

Happy days