A beautiful shade of red I'm guessing is tooled leather. Powell's always had a nice collection but in spite of liking them I could never buy one and stuck with my spiral notebook. It seems the nicer looking the journal the less likely I am to disturb its essential purity with my scribbles.

You're right that blogging does provide a better format for recording our passing impressions.

Susan, I'm not sure if it's real leather or a very good imitation with embossed design. It is also a darker muted red but the scanner made it a brighter colour which I could not seem to tone down. Yes, I know what you mean about notebooks that are too nice, almost too precious. It scares to me to start the first page!

i struggle with that first page too. there's a self-consciousness to it as well that annoys me. now i always use moleskines and it seems like it doesn't bother me so much! that one is gorgeous! x

I found some old pre-blogging diaries from a few years ago while clearing up, they were only routine stuff, but surprisingly interesting! I also fill one spiral notebook after another with everything, and have started trying to do morning pages regularly. The blog is different again.

I used to worry about using/spoiling beautiful things, now I try not to and use them anyway. This is a lovely book, reds are sometimes difficult to capture.

Elisa, I struggle with the first page in my sketchbooks too. The nicer the book, the more intimidating...

Lucy, good for you, doing your morning pages! I've never been able to do that. I, too, am trying to use my beautiful things. I'm a notorious list maker and ideas noter on scraps of paper. Later I may take the best ideas and rewrite them into my sketchbook.

My blog is also my diary.

Black Pete, you are a writer so I imagine you with many analog diaries and notebooks as well as digital.

I had a similar book, only in green, that I gave away to a friend. These days I take notes on my Kindle. I do like to look at some of my notebooks from previous years.

Hattie, I know how you love your Kindle. I like the travel diary for its light portability. I also keep a tiny notepad in my purse for odd things, taking notes at art exhibits etc. just to bring home to blog, that sort of thing.

I have the same one. Think it was 2009...

Marly, it's a lovely one, isn't it? Did you fill yours, unlike me?

Mine is a date book (is that what yours it, though you say a diary) and so it was chock full... I have a green Celtic one by the same press, too. I like those--pretty and a good size to stuff in your purse or bag.

Marly, yes, it is a date and address book, though I only used those parts during travel as I did with the diary part. Yes, great to fit in a bag! At home I use iCal (on a Mac) for my appointments, birthdays and so on as I like the reminder feature. The wall calendar is getting a bit lonely...

Oh, very nice tooling. I like the elastic band to keep the covers closed and anything inserted inside from falling out. Does it also have a slim pocket inside the back cover?

rouchswalwe, I like the elastic too. No pockets inside the cover on this, a feature I do enjoy when it's there for those loose bits of paper.