I do adore my Mum as a rule anyway, but today she gave me quite an unexpected gift. While visiting my sister in London for the day, she stopped into a stationery store (as the pair of them often do) and bought me a fine A3 sketchbook and fineliner. She must have read my mind, as my fineliners have been in a sorry, dry state ever since I ran off a few sheets' worth of icon designs in them, but the sketchbook is something quite new and exciting. It's hard-bound and so immediately something I feel should be used or neater scribblings, and so cartography came to mind.

There are few things I find more exciting and intimidating than a fresh sketchbook.