A Royal Christmas

Where the keytops glisten and Typospherians listen

To hear carriage bells in the glow

- with apologies to Irving Berlin

It may not be quite as breathtaking as that snowflake in the Polish rain, Piotr's palid Pola, that Trumpiel triumph, his polished white Valentine.  And it's most certainly a very far cry from those heady days of yore, when I would "give one away and get two back". But it did come in the midst of some serious downsizing, and it was a gift. And as Christmas gifts go, it's one extremely special 1930 Royal Model P portable typewriter (serial number P186586).

I actually received it a few days before Christmas, but after giving it a quick type test, and finding it typed just as beautifully as it looked, I put it to one side until the big day. I must confess, though, to having walked past it many times, and on each occasion to having been sorely tempted to give it a more thorough workout. But, like the nice kid eyeing off the gift wrapped boxes under the Christmas tree, I resisted.

It turned out that yesterday, Boxing Day, was the big day. At a tick before 4 o'clock on a bright Friday afternoon, while I watched the cricket Test on TV, this blog clicked over 1.5 million page views. It crept up on me a bit suddenly, as I wasn't expecting the milestone for a few more days. ozTypewriter reached six figures on March 20 this year, so another half million clicks in nine months is indeed pleasing.
To celebrate, I opened the Royal's case and spent some time happily typing with this gorgeous machine.

 Croc skin, above, or snakeskin? You be the judge.