writing in pencil

You can write anywhere with a pencil it's true and I'm never without one, somewhere about my person or in my bag. Great for travelling. They never run out, but of course you do need a sharpener and they irritate me. Cheap pencil sharpeners suck. They sharpen the pencil OK, sometimes, but so often they break off the lead (yes, I know it's not real lead any more) and hang on to it, so then it's stuck inside, and you have to get something to gouge it out with, so that you can try to sharpen the pencil again without decapitating it, and then you've lost the will to live, let alone write, and so today I ordered myself an un-cheap sharpener, grey metal, one with a handle you turn, one you can clamp to the desk if you want to, one you could press flowers with, one you could use as a paper weight, or something to stop you flying away in the wind, and I bought a little plastic version, to take in my bag, a blue miniature of the grey one, with little suckers so you can stick it anywhere, in any room, in any street, any city, any country. I've just tried it. And I want to sharpen everything in sight, it's so good. Oh, I am so happy. It's a treat actually, to myself. I've finished reading all the competition stories; I've chosen those to go though to the next round, and I'll soon be getting back to my own writing. Can't wait. The pencils are all ready, sharpened, beautiful.