Recently I was inspired to do something I had been thinking about for a long time, and that was to buy an old fashioned typewriter. I had been watching a few on Ebay for a while (surprised at the variety available), and very nearly purchased an old vintage Imperial in red enamel, and another equally as old. But, given that the ribbons for the older machines are very hard to find, and are themselves ‘artifacts’, and also that I wanted the machine for practical purposes as well as aesthetic, I plumped for a 60’s portable Smith-Corona Calypso in Teal, with white and red keys. The seller (Mark Law) was very helpful, and included instructions on where to get new ribbons and respooling. It arrived today, and it’s fabulous.