Fountain pens

Do people still use fountain pens? I mean the modern ones that you put ink cartridges in? I guess when they were first invented, they must have been revolutionary. No more carrying around a bottle of ink. No more stopping mid-sentence to dip the nib of the pen. People must have thought it was a real time-saver. Technology never stands still, and so I’m sure that nowadays it’s possible to get a fountain pen with a nib that doesn’t bend if you press too hard on the paper, or ink that dries so quickly you can run your hand over it after only a minute or two. I mean, if you’re willing to spend enough money, you might be able to get a fountain pen that’s almost as a really cheap biro!

You may be asking why on Earth I’m wittering on about pens. Well, Hayley and I went to Alton Towers today for the first time in a couple of years. This meant it was our first go on Wicker Man. And it got me thinking about how wooden roller coasters are like fountain pens. The best ones are almost as smooth, and comfortable, and fun, as a really average steel coaster!

Back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries it made sense to build coasters out of wood. It was plentiful, easy to use, and certainly an enhancement on not having coasters at all. Then we discovered something better. We realised we could make coasters out of steel. The world should have moved on. Wooden coasters could take their place in history as an important milestone in the development of theme park fun.

Wicker Man was okay. It was good for a wooden coaster. But that’s like saying it’s a good fountain pen; fine, but not as enjoyable as even the most average of its modern competitors. How I wish Alton Towers had used the money it spent on Wicker Man to create something actually good, rather than just ‘good, for what it is’.

Full review to follow shortly, and I should make it clear that Hayley enjoyed Wicker Man more than I did. Although I think we’re both agreed that wooden coasters should belong in the past.