History - Day Four

I had decided not to bother writing with quills but this morning Jacob reminded me that we picked up seagull feathers when we were skiving on the beach on Thursday, so here we are.  I found these quill cutting instructions quite clear although very fiddley, the feathers are quite brittle and difficult to cut without them cracking (I really couldn't be doing with the soaking them overnight them heating them in hot sand bit) but there was no one around so I could use some expletives under my breath and that always helps.  Here are the resulting pens.

I  mixed washable paint with water to thin it out a bit instead of ink which is probably not very effective but both the kids managed ok and it will be much easier to clean up.

I had a go too and realized how glad I am that biros were invented, my current scratty handwriting is impossible with a badly cut quill and the idea of having to write shopping and to do lists in calligraphy is very scary.