The Small Things:Pencil Shavings

It struck me as a bit of a coincidence that @derwentpencils has been tweeting about pencil shavings today. Not only did they link to this unusual piece of jewellery

http://www.thisnext.com/item/C89CA1E1/Victoria-Mason-Pencil-Shaving

But they started a competition to send in a picture of the longest pencil shaving you could do

Why was this spooky? Simply because I had been sharpening a pencil this morning. Not that unusual you may be thinking, but it is for me. I almost exclusively use mechanical pencils because I like a sharp point. But a combination of factors had come together. Well two. I had come across a Tintin pencil sharpener while tidying my study and the first pencil my hand came across this morning was a freebie Field Notes pencil, which of course needed sharpened before I could use it.

It was at this point I realised what a pleasure sharpening a pencil was. I had forgotten the physical feeling of turning the pencil, the noise, the swirl of shaved wood. Now this doesn't mean I shall give up on mechanical pencils to start a pencil sharpening frenzy in my life. It does make me think a bit more about the simple things in life. The things that we don't take time to think about or if we notice them don't capture the feeling. It's probably impossible to pay attention to the small things all the time but perhaps choosing a day to consciously notice the small things would be enriching, in a small way. I must try that.
I took some photos today of the simple things I came across that pleased me and shall post them tomorrow