Over 100 beers coming soon to Tonbridge....

The rugby season is all but over and I understand that the Tonbridge Juddians, better known as the Mighty TJs, had another decent season. Consolidation was the aim and I reckon that's what was achieved by all accounts. Which all means that it must be almost time for the SIBA Beer Festival which the club organises and hosts. Over a hundred different real ales and ciders all in a row all waiting to be sampled and consumed. A marquee and some keen young men and women to serve us up these hoppy delights. Burgers sizzling away on the barbe. What's not to like? The posters are already up outside the TJs carpark and it's all happening on the weekend of July 12th to 14th. My mouth is watering at the thought of it and I'm counting down the days....

PS on the Thatcher Biography....

I had one of those nit picky type conversations, which having a bookshop encourages, the other day regarding the spelling of Authorized in the title of Charles Moore's book, Margaret Thatcher The Authorized Biography. So is it spelled with a "z" of an "s"? Which does, rather irritatingly, remind me of that awful Liza Minelli song about Liza with a zee not Lisa with an s cos Lisa with an s goes ssss. But, in a way the song helps because the word authorized should sound like authorized with a zee because otherwise it it would be, phonetically at least, like "authoriced"wouldn't it? Anyway, whatever you and I think the authority on the subject, namely the Oxford English Dictionary, has it with a zed so that's good enough for me. I can't remember the exact episode but I also recall that knowledge of the correct spelling of this type of word once assisted Inspector Morse in solving a murder enquiry. Does any of this matter? Should we just let people spell words like Privatize and Incentivize however they choose and let the English language evolve or should we stand up and eulogize?  Let TBlog know your thoughts....

Edwin Apps in Tonbridge....

I met Edwin Apps in Mr. Books yesterday. He of All Gas and Gaiters fame (I can just about vaguely remember Dereck Nimmo playing a vicar in the comedy series.) He has an exhibition of his art starting on Saturday at the Parish Church and all week in Church Lane and then a book signing on Sat. May 25th 2pm to 6pm at my shop. He seems like a lovely chap but I was struck by him not knowing what a 50p coin was. He had a perfectly spoken English accent which made you fully expect him to know our coinage. But you see Edwin has been an artist living in South West France for nearly 40 years and hardly ever comes over here. I really like the look of his paintings myself and will definitely be going to take a peek. Find out more HERE

Beware the Orange Grids!....

Now we all know that we're not supposed to enter the dreaded orange (or are they yellow?) grids unless we're pretty certain that we won't end up sitting in the middle of it if they traffic is snarled up ahead once the lights change. We all know that don't we? I can see the logic of this in that, obviously, we don't want to block a busy junction. But entering one in London can be very costly indeed so do so at your peril. Coming back from Bloomsbury Book Fair a couple of months back I had to stop very suddenly just inside one such a grid on Southampton Row. I swear that I wasn't causing any sort of a blockage because, really, it was just the front end of my car that was inside the grid. The London Borough of Camden Council didn't quite see it like that though. In fact they slapped me with £130 fine or Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) as they like to call it. They send you a photo of your car in the grid with a freeze frame of the elapsed time as "proof" of your dastardly act. You see they have cameras watching you from every angle at these junctions so that they can catch you out and rake in lots of cash, er, sorry I mean keep the traffic flowing. They like to encourage you to pay up early do Camden Borough Council so they incentivize you by offering to halve the PCN payment if you cough up within seven days. Being a man of principle though I, naturally, felt incensed by this outrage and set about to challenge the notice. I couldn't do it online as their system was down at the time so I elected to send in my challenge to the notice by email, which they duly didn't receive for some reason. This challenge, whilst still ongoing, is likely to result in my fine increasing to £195 all for the heinous "crime" of having my nose in an orange/yellow grid. They also threaten you with sending in bailiffs should you not comply. Someone tells me that just one of these Big Brother controlled junctions generates revenues of over £1 million for one lucky London borough council, and I can well believe it, so there's no wonder they're so ubiquitous. They are an outrage and I cannot see how they can possibly encourage trade or visitors to the capital. They cause nothing but fear and a bad taste in the mouth but it seems, in Camden at least, they are police, judge, jury and indeed executioner. Beware the grids!....

Leave the car at home today....

Not so good this morning coming into work. Now bear in mind here that I can walk to Mr. Books in around 23 minutes or cycle it in around 8 minutes. This morning I had to drop some boxes off, as I often do, on the way in to Lok n Store on Canon Lane so had no choice but to drive. Anyone who's been down there over the last week or so will know that there is a little set of road works narrowing the busy road into one lane controlled by a couple of blokes let loose on a set of traffic lights. They look harmless enough. The result though? Chaos! I then had to post several large parcels containing mostly the Maggie Thatcher biographies which had been signed at Mr. Books on Saturday by Charles Moore himself (scroll down for more on that story) and, let me tell you, it is one hefty tome. So, on leaving the storage depot, I had a simple choice: did I turn left and go through the lights of the road works to go to Higham Lane Post Office or do I turn right and go to the busy central PO and pay the 50p fee in the Sainsbury's car park for 10 minutes of parking? I made the classic wrong choice. Went to Higham Lane and, on the way, noticed a queue of traffic stretching nearly back to Hadlow. On the way back to the centre of Tonbridge I played smart and cut through Romney Way and the grandly named Royal West Kent Avenue to eventually reach Shipbourne Road. The traffic jam, presumably because of the knock on effect from Hadlow Road was almost as bad as if I'd just come back that way. In fact it took me over half an hour to get back to the High Street from Martin Hardy Way which would normally take less than five. All for a piddling little set of roadworks on Canon Lane. Good advert for leaving the car at home if you can....

The Pages ARE for Turning....

The Charles Moore book signing event at Mr. Books Bookshop went okay I guess. To be perfectly honest I expected a much better turn out though as let's face it, there must be millions of Maggie Thatcher fans around these parts. Was it that they didn't know about the event or was it the rainy morning that put them off. Certainly the lack of column inches given to the eminent ex-editor of The Spectator, Sunday and Daily Telegraph's visit to Tonbridge to sign his already famous Margaret Thatcher The Authorized Biography by the Kent and Sussex Courier wouldn't have helped. I never expect them to print anything and am always grateful for any kind of publicity for events I'm involved with so I suppose I should thank the reporters for the little paragraph they gave it. I couldn't help but notice though that Tunbridge Wells Football Club's trip to Wembley for some spurious play off trophy match against that great football team on everyone's lips, Spennymoor Town, managed to get an eight page colour special centre page souvenir pull out in the same issue of the paper complete with photos of a mostly empty stadium in the background! No doubt the sponsors forked out for that one! Anyway I still managed to sell about 40 copies of the Thatcher biography and have sold several since. There are still some signed copies left should anyone want one at the discounted price of £25. Actually I'm reading the book at the moment and it does look like being an important historical account of Lady Thatcher's life and not at all the gushing praise you'd be forgiven for expecting. Don't all rush at once....

Sainsbury's and Beales fall out of bed....

Thanks for all the comments about the Tonbridge Loyalty Card and Angel Centre developments. Incidentally I did mention on this blog that there was a rumour that Beales might be closing down. A post which enticed the Chief Executive of Beales to make a comment below the post which effectively issued a strong denial that this was the case. This was about two years ago so is it just possible that early negotiations between Sainsbury's and Beales had already begun at that time. Was it these discussions, if they took place, which sparked off the rumours? We'll probably never know since it's unlikely that, were it true, they'd ever come clean on the matter....

Thoughts on the proposed Tonbridge Loyalty Card....

Do we need a Tonbridge loyalty card? As a little aside it does amuse me that TLC is the abbreviated version of Tonbridge Loyalty Card but maybe, inadvertantly, they've struck the right note because, let's face it, our town is in urgent need of some TLC!  Lots of shops already have their own loyalty card schemes of course. Mr. Books has had one, Cycle-ops has one and certainly the new butchers has trialed one very successfully since its opening. But would a town wide scheme work? How would it be practically managed. It is one of the ideas being looked at by the Tonbridge Town Team/Business Alliance very seriously. Though dwindling in numbers over recent years, a meeting of many of the independent traders of Tonbridge was held last week to discuss the options. I didn't attend it myself but, as I understand it, some positive things came out of it albeit after some fairly lively discussion about the merits of the new plans for the town centre developments. But that's another story. My first instinct is that loyalty cards are a little old hat; but is that me just being an old cynic? How could it work though if every trader wanted something slightly different? One retailer may have more margin to play with than another. 10% off a high ticket item such as some furniture or a bike would clearly be more to consider than off cards or at the butchers. I think that I'm slowly coming round to the idea that such a scheme might help publicise the independent shops in the town but I am concerned that the take up from shoppers wouldn't be that great and I doubt whether it would actually have the effect of drawing shoppers to Tonbridge from other towns. So do I want to spend the proposed forty quid to find out? That is the question. But that's just my thoughts; what about yours....

Charles Moore, Margaret Thatcher The Authorized Biography, Book Signing Event at Mr. Books Saturday 11th May....

Thankfully the scaffolding has now been taken down from outside Mr. Books and Clarke and Coleman Chemists. After six weeks it had started to seriously effect trade as potential customers could be seen giving it a wide berth and, in the process, not seeing the wonderful window display efforts of Mrs. Books! I've made strong hints to my landlord for compensation in the form of stopping the rent for a month but so far he hasn't bitten!
Back to normal then for me. Whatever normal is of course! One thing I said to myself I'd do when moving onto the High Street last June was to hold more events at the shop. "Mr. Books" I said, "You must hold more events at the shop...." I'd already had a few signing events at the old shop of course, such as Victoria Hislop and some local authors, but they were all a little low key probably due to my location being tucked away in Bank Street. Then came Anthony Horowitz and a two hour queue to get into Mr. Books. Yes, though I still pinch myself to make sure that I'm not dreaming, it really did happen. I've put many irons in the fire since then and can now announce that Charles Moore will be coming to the shop on Saturday 11th May from 10-30am to 12pm to meet readers and sign copies of his much publicized book Margaret Thatcher The Authorized Biography. I'm really quite excited about the whole thing. So if you were a fan of The Iron Lady or even if you just want to talk to someone who had exclusive access to many documents and interviews with Mrs. T's close collegues come along on the morning.

The book will be on sale at the discounted price of £25 and you'll also receive a £5 voucher to spend on your following visit to Mr. Books. See you there hopefully. More details here

Anyone for (football) tennis?!..

Anybody wishing to make a comment about anything to do with Tonbridge can do so right here on Tonbridge Blog. You don't even have to wait till there's a relevant topic on the blog just say what's on your mind so long as it's clean and legal it won't get deleted  I promise you that. So, unlike as some have suggested, you all do have an opportunity to comment about our town right here. Failing that you could always go on that lesser known social networking site, Twitter!  One recent comment below questioned whether or not our money is being wasted on the resurfacing work being carried out at the Upper Castle Fields carpark, causing its closure for at least a week.
Funny enough I too couldn't help but noticed this. "Work" had started yesterday. Except the "work" seemed to involve the "workmen" playing a game of football tennis which was a game they'd invented with a makeshift court using a rope and plastic crates. Innovative and entertaining though it was I couldn't help but wonder how much resurfacing was actually going on and how much their game would have been costing the local tax payer! If only my camera phone hadn't run out of battery I'd have been able to capture this great example of British workmanship....

New book due out on Tonbridge....

Just had an author in Mr. Books who says he's writing a book about the history of Tonbridge. Robert Turcan has already written a successful series of Through Time books on other towns in Kent as well as books about ancient Rome (Come on do some research, that was another guy by the same name, Ed.)so I look forward to seeing his latest effort. He bought a number of postcards and a book for images of the town in days gone by; I also gave him permission to use pics and stories from Tonbridge Blog (What was I thinking? I should be charging for this stuff!) Tonbridge Through Time will be published in June this year. I'm working on him for the launch book signing event!...

The Last Bookshop....

If you've been reading this blog for a while you may remember mention of a film production company who visited my old shop a few years ago. They were a lovely bunch of guys who I could see straight off were passionately enthusiastic about the project they were working on. Within a few minutes they had persuaded me to not only do an interview about the state of the book trade as I saw it but also to have my shop featured in the film they were proposing. They were going to call the film The Last Bookshop which, in itself, was quite ominous when I come to think of it! It took, not far off, a couple of years from that point to the actual premiere of the film and it's only now that, at last, it's available for all to view on YouTube. When you watch the film, and I would urge you to do so, you might think that it's availability for internet streaming to be somewhat ironic but that's just a little aside. I've seen it three times now and each time I notice another clever bit that I hadn't on previous viewings. Without ruining it for you the basic premise is that a school boy is bored after his home holographic cinema system breaks down (I should have said that it's slightly surreal and a bit futuristic) so he is forced to go out into the great outdoors and, among the boarded up shop units he chances upon the last bookshop. And I mean it literally is the last bookshop, so it would seem, in the world. It turns out to have some wonderfully uplifting ingredients as a movie and, like all great films, also manages to be sad at the same time. I haven't even mentioned yet that my old shop, Mr. Books, when it was around the corner in Bank Street, is featured in the shop as are Halls in Tunbridge Wells and Baggins in Rochester as well as one or two others. On first viewing you would be forgiven for thinking that the whole thing was filmed in Halls as Joe, the boy in the Last Bookshop, walks in that door having stumbled across the shop. But those clever film editors have played tricks with the audience but putting together some of the best internal shots from the other shops and blending them altogether seamlessly. There are some great little touches like the stuff about the Gamazon Corporation not allowing the books to be sold because they own all the copyrights and the scene when Joe handles a book for the first time in his life and starts to try to scroll it and make it interactive like he would with his hologram machine. Bearing in mind that this was made around three years ago now some of the more far fetched ideas are becoming somewhat scarily close to reality. Whether we will ever witness the final days of the physical book and the actual last bookshop remains to be seen, and let's hope to God not, but The Last Bookshop, at the very least deserves to be watched, if only because it's entertaining. I'll have a bet though that it'll make you pause for thought on a possible scarey future I'm not sure even the darkest minds at Google and Amazon would wish for. I'm glad I agreed to take part in my own small way in the project and I wish those talented guys at The Bakery great things things in the future. Long live real books!...

There's more than a touch of Just William about the boy Joe in the film

Comparing meerkats....

You see these annoying adverts for price comparison sites where they say something like: "I went to Confused.com and I've just saved £270 on my car insurance!" Well I used to think that this must be a load of old tosh. That is until quite recently. It's fairly well known that you can save hundreds by switching your energy supplier. It's always a bit of a hassle doing this though so I usually just try and bluff my present supplier into giving me it cheaper which in fact they nearly always do. Over the weekend I opened the letter containing our renewal for our home insurance. We've been with Direct Line for many years and I doubt whether I've bothered checking this for at least four or five years and, needless to say, I was shocked to see that the premium had crept up to over £660 for home and contents. I could have just let the policy "auto renew" as they try to encourage you to do by the way the letter's worded and small wonder they do this judging by how much they stand to make by letting it roll on. So this time I decided to check online on that famous Alexander Meerkat site and within minutes I'd ascertained that I could save alot of cash. In fact the cheapest quote seemed to be around £140! I couldn't believe that there could be such a difference. The quotes did range up to about £400 for similar cover to Direct Line's. So, after a bit of tweaking here and adjustments there, I managed to get the best quote out of my present insurer of £357. A saving of over £300 on their original renewal quote for a ten minute phone call. The Meerkat didn't make any money out of me but he did help save me a packet so I thank him and I will be back.
Perhaps I'm being idealistic but it does annoy the hell out of me that you get nothing if you don't ask for it from companies who should know better and that, worst of all, you get nothing for loyalty any more. In fact, effectively, you get penalized for it. It could be too strong to say that they're ripping you off but one thing's for sure, something stinks to High Heaven about this! So my advice to anyone who's listening is spend the time reviewing your insurance and utility contracts because it really does save you a packet....

Where would you buy a house in Tonbridge?...

A lady in my shop earlier was asking me where the best streets and which are the areas to avoid in Tonbridge. She is thinking of moving here so that she's close to London and thinks it a nice looking town. This got me thinking which areas I'd look at if I were moving here again for the first time, only with the knowledge I have now. The Slade perhaps? Once a no go area it now seems to have become quite gentrified and certainly has some quirky and interesting cottages in it's little knot of streets. (Yes and, before you comment, I know that I've nicked the title of the book on the history of the Slade.)  The new houses by the River clustered around the Town Lock. Bit tightly packed for me but picturesque and handy for the station certainly. Dry Hill perhaps? With it's grand old Victorian semis no wonder that it's a very sought after area. Pembury Road? Too busy. Quarry Hill? Similarly too busy a road for me. Any other thoughts on favourite areas??..

Are things looking up for Tonbridge?...

I see that there's soon to be a new Turkish Restaurant opening at the north end of Tonbridge High Street. Not sure of the name yet but it'll be opening soon where ASK used to be. Grand Apetito opened recently to replace Antonia's/The Olive Room (not sure what happened there) also at the north end. In addition things are also looking up at the south end of Tonbridge with those entreprenurial folks who run the Avebury Avenue Fish Bar having recently opened a Mexican Restaurant next door ( El Mariachi??) I've heard good reports about that from a few customers. Then there's soon to be a Portugeese Restaurant and deli opening a couple of doors from the Mexican. Some people seem to have confidence that things are looking up. Let's hope that they're right. What I wouldn't mind seeing though is more places that do a fixed price menu. It's always reassuring to know what you're paying before you start eating. Or is that just me....

Mr. Books is the first of Tonbridge Blog's featured shops....

Now there's a suprise I hear some of you say under your breath! Here's a selection of some of the latest books on display (and for sale) at Mr. Books, 142 High Street, Tonbridge. The first in Tonbridge Blog's series of features on independent High Street shops. You can of course also go around the shop on a virtual tour via Google. Who should be featured next.....

007 at Mr. Books, Tonbridge!...

Here's the new James Bond themed Mr. Books window display. See if you can work out what that naughty 007 fella has been up to!...

How to survive in Tonbridge on a £53 a week budget....

So is it possible to survive on the £53 a week, which Iain Duncan Smith has suggested is possible, in Tonbridge? Well let's think what you could do. Here's a few tips:

Firstly: Do not be tempted to go to Tunbridge Wells or Bluewater. Too many shops and tempting, expensive junk food places.

Do go and buy a book from Mr. Books or a charity shop. This will provide your entertainment, if you choose wisely, for the whole week. You can then sell it back and get 50p towards next week's book.

Do shop at Lidl. They're not only cheap but often just as good as the other supermarkets in terms of quality. You just get less choice of brands.

Do feel like you can treat yourself to Fish and Chips at the Avebury Avenue Fish Bar. I can tell you that you won't get much better Haddock, Chips and mushy peas anywhere. And I've had a lot of fish and chips in my time! It's a very nutritious and filling meal and about the same price as a Mc D's.

Do shop at the fruit and veg stall at the arcade. Their produce is good quality and you're helping a small business and therefore the local economy. Same goes for the butchers.

Avoid Waitrose and Sainsbury's unless you are very disciplined. It's not so much that they are more expensive than Lidl and Co Op it's just that they're very crafty, devious even, when it comes to shop layout. It's easy to spend £53 on a visit even when you may have only gone in for a pint of milk! Beware!

Do make use of the park and Barden Lake/country park. Not wishing to be patronising but walking, running and cycling, even the out door gym on the park, are all free and very healthy at the same time.

Steer clear of gambling activities like the slot machine arcade and the bookies (excepting a small flutter on the Grand National this weekend obviously!)

Join a club at the Angel Centre. There's lots of them, from Tai Chi to Flower arranging and they're all pretty cheap to join.

Don't go swimming in the river. Although free and once a great source of enjoyment in Tonbridge, it's now seen as a dangerous activity and could lead to an earlier than expected death!

Take up photography and enter free competitions. There's lots of subject matter around Tonbridge from sports to wildlife, to river life and retail life. Great fun and most people have a decent camera these days with them all the time on their mobiles.

Make use of the library. Free books, free magazines and newspapers, free computer use. Nice and warm in there usually as well.

So there's just a few suggestions on how to survive in Tonbridge by not eating into your £53 a week budget too heavily. I'm sure they'll be more...

£53 a week, in Tonbridge? Are they 'avin a giraffe?!..

I see that Tunbridge Wells MP and rising star of politics, Greg Clark, has joined the £53 a week row. Work ad Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, has got himself into hot water over suggesting that he could easily survive on that amount and now Mr. Clark is trying to soften the government's stance by suggesting that it would be very difficult especially for those used to a comfier existence. That bit I don't doubt so the question is whether it's possible to survive on 53 quid a week if you cut things to the bone. At first I thought this a ridiculous notion. Ridiculous until I learned that they are talking about the amount you have AFTER bills and rent/mortgage are paid. Admittedly the last family Chinese takeaway I ordered cost not far off that but then did I really need that meal. Couldn't I have chosen to shop wisely at Sainsbury's and gone for the Jamie Oliver £5 meals option instead. Of course the answer is yes. I think the £5 refers to a family so an individual's share of that is £1.25. Following that argument it would be possible to feed yourself on £8.75 a week. Add a loaf of bread, even a nice one, a few bottles of beer at £2 each (and it's possible to buy them a lot cheaper) a reasonably priced bottle of wine, fish and chips, meat and cheese for sandwiches and I still make that under £35. All of which would leave around £17 for other items. I know I'm stretching the argument to make a point but, based on this information, it would at least appear to be possible if rather uncomfortable.  But then there's household items, sweets for the kids, Christmas presents, cinema, computer games and all those other temptations that modern life throws at us.....

Stray Dogs in Tonbridge....

Part of this band has evolved from the Tonbridge based band Bareface who used to taunt me entertain me with their own brand of thumping Punk musak as they practiced in the semi derelict old building opposite the old Mr. Books shop in Bank Street. The new set up, Stray Dogs, also used to practice in there as founder member Tom's dad owns the building, which always helps I guess. They always had talent but now it seems that they've turned into quite a polished act. I like their latest song, Amber, which you can hear and in fact see the video of on the Stray Dogs web site. I miss the old punky irreverence of Bareface but this is definitely better and kinder on the ear!....

Anthony Horowitz on BBC Question Time Panel....

I had a very early start to my day yesterday; up at 5-30am for a drive over to Gatwick Airport, coffee at my sister's (who lives over that way) and back to Tonbridge to open up Mr. Books only a little late. Then quite a hectic day in the shop. So you can imagine that by the time one of my must watch TV programmes of the week, Question Time, came on I was understandably starting to nod off on the sofa. As the guests were introduced I was told by Mr. Dimbleby that Anthony Horowitz was on the panel. Having hosted a book signing event with the writer only a few weeks ago I was naturally interested to hear what he had to say about the more serious issues of the country. I wanted him to hold strong, yet balanced views on a range of topics and not to be frivolous and shoot from the hip as so many of the non politician guests tend to. And I wasn't to be disappointed. He gave very well considered and forthright comments on the whole and his views seemed to be well received by the York audience. The Education Secretary Michael Gove seemed particularly to welcome Anthony as the two men seemed to agree whole heartedly on the need to teach proper grammar  and story construction in schools as the building block before children should become creative. He was fast talking as well , my Gosh he was, showing a passion to get his views across. Joking at one point that he wasn't an economist Dimbleby replied that, by the way he was talking, it sounded like he was! To which, quick as a flash, Mr. Horowitz replied that naturally he had swotted up ahead of his appearance in Question Time! Anthony it certainly showed. Just slow down a little next time you're on so that you're not speaking at 100 miles an hour and you're sure to be a regular panelist. Mind you this fast talking certainly kept me from nodding off. That came later during one of my other must watch programmes, This Week, which I always think should be on a bit earlier. One more thing to Anthony Horowitz, if you can find an excuse to give us poor independent bookshops a plug next time on the show that would be an added bonus....

Dead Loss for Tonbridge High Street?...

I hear on the grapevine that we may be getting a new High Street shop in the near future. Great news you might think. We've had the new butchers open at the south end recently which was a much needed lift and we should all support it. However rumours of a funeral parlour opening at the corner of Bank Street at the north end are causing a bit of a stir among the local traders and neighbours. I have it from a reliable source that there's a planning application in for disabled access at the rear of the building, right opposite Church Lane, a location which you might think could be quite handy! This would appear to indicate that the funeral directors are intending to unload (is that the word?) the deceased bodies up a ramp and into the back room of what used to be Ray Silverman's jewellery workshop. It does beggar belief that the business is contemplating these premises knowing, as I do, how pokey that particular back room is. I suppose that every business has the right to trade from somewhere but I am left wondering about the suitability of this building for that particular speciality. Surely they need a yard of some sort don't they? One where they can discreetly and respectfully go about their business out of the gaze of passers by. A narrow street with cars and buses frequently trundling through doesn't seem to fit the bill although, you'd think that they must have done their homework. Wouldn't they? Can you imagine the horrific scene if bodies are spilling out of coffins all over the show when you're on your way home after taking the kids to swimming or football practice. It brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "coffin dodgers!" Sorry that was in poor taste so I'll put a lid on it right there! I'm only glad to have moved out of the old Mr. Books shop in the middle of last year. Got out just in the nick of time. I mean, can you imagine customers having to step over the dead bodies to get to the £1 paperbacks! Mind you I could have turned it to my advantage by renaming the shop Black Books and organising a book signing for Booker Prize winner, Hilary Mantel for her aptly named book, Bring Up the Bodies. Would have been the perfect venue for her! Then think of the music nights: I could have played Real Dead Ringer For Love perhaps. Or maybe a remake of the Michael Jackson Thriller video with rotting zombies boogying down Bank Street to generate some pubilicity! So what does everyone think? Perfectly acceptable? Butt out and let them get on with their business? Or a dead loss for the High Street??..

Hoorah, the new Mr. Books site is working....

New Mr. Books site now fully functional. You'd be hard pushed to tell the difference from the old one but, technically speaking, it's a whole new ball game using the very latest in web fusion techno stuff and on a different web hosting package to boot, using FTP to upload and nothing to do with Frontpage extensions (whatever that means!) Crucially there's no bandwidth limits which means you'll all be able to look at the site all at the same time, 24/7 until your eyes completely glaze over and you won't ever be able to crash it. That's the theory anyway.  I'll drag myself into the 21st Century yet you'll see!!..

Red noses on the Lion and Unicorn!....

Didn't spot them? Didn't care? Look again at the picture of the restored lion and unicorn on top of the Rose & Crown entrance. (Scroll down a bit.) Comic relief red noses they are. If you didn't care about any of this then you must have hearts of stone is all I can say! What will be funny is watching some clown have to go up there and take off the red noses in this wind and rain. Hope they managed to collect some money for their funny stunt....

Geeky Techno stuff....

If anyone is wondering why Mr. Books web site is down at the moment it isn't because it's going out of business or that we can't afford the fifty quid a year hosting fee. No it's because those clever people at Domain name company, 123 Reg, have put me on a new hosting platform, service, whatsit thingy. It's been very frustrating over the last few weeks sorting this all out, especially since I'm a bit of a technophobe when it comes down to it, but it should all be back up and running within the next 2 days. Fingers crossed. In fact it is kind of Anthony Horowitz's fault in a way. I'm not talking about some sort of Stormbreaker type plot to infect all bookshops online or anything like that. (Younger readers of TBlog, especially fans of the Alex Rider novels, will know what I'm talking about here!) No, nothing like that. And not that I'm complaining either, because it was a wonderful boost for Mr. Books to have him here for a book signing a few weeks back, but, with all the extra traffic his visit generated, the old Mr. Books site was brought crashing down. Visitors to the site were then only able to view a feeble message saying that the site had exceeded its bandwidth. Apparently it was all to do with the old Starter Pro package and Microsoft Frontpage extensions not being compatible with the new platform. I need to now upload via FTP instead or something. It's all Geek to me! Fear not then because normal service will soon be resumed....

At long last they return....

Here's the picture I promised of the Lion and Unicorn now superbly restored atop the portico of the Rose & Crown Hotel at the North end of Tonbridge High Street opposite Mr. Books Bookshop. The more observant among you will nosetice something very strange going on!...

Have a butcher's down Tonbridge High Street....

Fabulous that there's now a proper butchers on Tonbridge High Street. Long may they be in business. This morning I did what I very rarely get time to do what with running my own business and all. I went and did a bit of shopping. First I went to the Post Office who opened just about dead on 9am. A minute or two late perhaps but we'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Then on to the Angel Flea Market where I came out empty handed but not before I was able to browse the many treasures on offer there. Then I had to do mundane things like buy some shaving gel and smellies from Boots. Needing some lunch and snacks for later I thought to myself "I've still got time to visit the Country Market" (sometimes still referred to as the WI Market or, as I fondly like to call it, The Old Lady Market) I could only get the pudding half of my lunch as the lady who makes the lovely quiches hadn't bothered today. "Outrageous!" I thought to myself but, then again, since I only visit the market about every seven months, I can hardly call the shots! So I had a brief moment of panic. Would I have to go to Sainsbury's after all? or maybe the Co Op or Waitrose for a sandwich? There's always the Pepper Grinder for a trusty Tuna and Mayo roll. Someone mentioned the suject of meat and then the perfect solution popped into my head. The new Butchers beckoned.

What a lovely sight it is when you walk into Ian Chatfield's. All that fabulous locally produced British 100% meat. Over to the deli counter I went and soon I was in a conversation about how they make their sausage rolls, what meat they use, whether I wanted honey roast or boiled ham in my baguette?? You know like a proper traditional High Street shop should be. Most of us can only vaguely remember this and many of you have maybe never had the experience. The taste of the honey roast ham and mustard baguette combined with the fabulous sausage roll was absolutely divine. Forget Tesco Finest/Taste the Difference nonsense. Get yourself down to the new butchers and let your taste buds tell you the rest. This is how shopping should be and they've definitely got more rabbit than Sainsbury's! But there wasn't a horse in sight!

World Book Day....

Here's a link to the Telegraph picture gallery of teachers making fools of themselves for World Book Day. It would be good to see some Tonbridge schools pics if anyone wants to send any in....

Tonbridge Lions and Unicorn....

Two things today. Number One: It's World Book Day. Wow. I'm not sure how it all started but anything that encourages teachers and students to think about books and literature, and to dress as their favourite characters from the literary world cannot be such a bad thing as far as I'm concerned. I'm dressed in a sort of weird combination of Sci Fi wear. A tweed jacket and Doctor Who style 12' long multi coloured thing with a T shirt which simply says "42" which, as every fan of "Hitchikers Guide to The Universe" knows is the rather incogruous answer to life the universe and everything! Anybody else like to share what they're doing?

Number two: the observant among you may have noticed that the Coat of Arms Lion and unicorn thingies atop the portico of the Rose & Crown hotel has now been unveiled and, I have to say, it looks quite spectacular. Not sure about the, I'm sure temporary, cheeky Comic Relief red noses! No pics but I happen to know that there's at least one been posted on twitter already so look there if you must. Better still, treat yourself and actually come along and take a look for yourself, buy a book from Mr. Books and relax with a coffee and a cake at the Rose and Crown.....

Art Gallery planned for Tonbridge?...

I hear a little whisper that the hall at Tonbridge School, known as Big School, is about to undergo a conversion to become a large art gallery. This would be a fabulous venue for some top exhibitions and could only be good for the town. I wonder if they'll still keep it as a venue for other events. It would probably make a stunning setting for a book signing or maybe 16th birthday party. Obviously they'd have to remove any valuable pictures first!...

War Games in Tonbridge....

If you've never seen The War Game, a 1965 short film, which shows us, through the eyes of some 1960s film producers, what a nuclear holocaust might look like then have a gander at this on YouTube. I think I may have seen the odd clip of this film before and seem to remember the very bizarre comments from some of the people in it as they talk about how they'd barricade their houses against a nuclear attack with 17 shillings and 6 pence worth of sand bags! and how one middle aged gentleman keeps a twelve bore rifle in his fall out shelter and "wouldn't hesitate to use it!" I would urge you to watch it, not because it's a great film and social comment about a post war time full of underlying fear, but because I've just discovered that many of the scenes of devastation were filmed in Tonbridge! Not that our town looks at all like it's been hit by a nuclear bomb, far from it most of the time. But, so I'm reliably informed, when the Vale Road houses along the railway track were being demolished they provided just the perfect location for such a film.....

If I won the lottery I'd....

If I won the lottery I'd buy 19 bags of crisps. But if I won more than a tenner and more like a few million I would certainly invest a good chunk of it in reviving Tonbridge High Street. I'd back businesses who had a passion for setting up another traditional bookshop, a family bakers, a green grocers, a farm shop, an independent boutique or whatever the idea may be. I'd help them set up, part finace them, pay a large percentage of their business rates for the first few years and offer advice as and when they required it. I'd do this because I understand how hard it can be when up against big store groups and internet traders. I'd do all this if I could because I think it's vital that the High Street stays fresh and is full of thriving independent shops. The thing is I'd love to do all these things and can't and the local government is in a position to do some or all of these things but chooses not to. The council should tell us what their strategy is to revive Tonbridge High Street with real measures which will make a difference in the short and medium term and tell us soon?  

Sorry to bang on about Parking Wardens/Parking Attendants but....

Actually I think that they go by the name of Civil Enforcement Officers these days which sounds like something futuristic in a Clint Eastwood directed film about town councils having taken over the whole district and being able to do whatever they like so long as they pay their hench men enough danger money. All of which is laughable as I doubt that they're empowered do much more these days, and certainly not to make arrests, so it might be that the only difference between what they used to do, ie. issue parking tickets, and what they do now is that they can impose an on the spot fine or, more likely, call for back up when a dog owner fails to pick up their dog's crap from the grass near the swings at The Slade. So what's brought this sudden onslaught on then? I hear some of you thinking. Why's he banging on about Parking Wardens again then? Well I'll tell you why. It's because only last Friday I was attending the Angel Centre Flea Market, as I quite often do, combining it with a trip to the Post Office. As I'm sure you all know you can buy a half hour parking ticket for just 50p which is just about enough time to do both PO and Flea and open up Mr. Books by 10am. I went to the PO and then to the Flea where I had a quick look around and then got talking to one of the stall holders about this and that. Aware that my half an hour was running out I had to cut the conversation short and got back to my car with about 4 minutes to spare. Of course by this time there was not one but two of said Civil Enforcement Officers hovering, that's the only word for it, hovering menacingly over my car like hyenas around a recently killed carcass. I actually felt slightly threatened and more than a bit sickened by this and, at the time, was just glad that they'd missed their prey. The disappointment was etched all over their faces as they edged away on seeing that the owner had had the cheek to return on time. We could simply laugh these things off or say that they're only doing their job. Well I, for one, no longer find this funny, they've over stepped the mark. I cannot believe that this approach is doing Tonbridge shoppers, residents and indeed traders any good whatsoever. Time to get rid of these Goons and bring in traffic wardens/attendents, actually I don't care what they're called, just so long as they want to keep the main roads from being blocked but aren't interested in the easy pickings in the public car parks which, no doubt, keep their quotas up but, at the same time, help drive shoppers away from Tonbridge....

Anthony Horowitz'sVisit to Mr. Books....

WOW! That's the first word that springs to mind. Anthony Horowitz arrived at Mr. Books pretty much dead on the arranged time of 3pm. Even then there was quite a long queue forming up the High Street towards the Bank Street corner. (Almost to the old Mr. Books shop in fact.) After a quick cutting of the ribbon ceremony and a few pics for the local newspaper Anthony sat down just inside the back room of the bookshop. I'd arranged it so that everyone would have a brief one-on-one moment with the famous author, they deserved that after, in some cases, a two hour wait. Just about everyone posed for photos alongside him and many people brought their old favourites with them, as well as the books and graphic novels they bought on the day, to be signed. There were as many people in my shop yesterday than there would be in about two normal weeks. It was probably a shot in the arm for Tonbridge and certainly it was for Mr. Books Bookshop. Of that there can be no doubt. Of the nine or ten large boxes I ordered from my book wholesaler for the event only one small box, and that only half full, is being sent back as returns. In short it was amazingly successful. I think it demonstrates very much that real, tangible books with covers printed on real paper are far from dead. There wasn't a Kindle in sight. After all what would have been the point in Mr. Horowitz signing the Kindle down load edition!  The reason I wanted Anthony Horowitz in particular to do my 'Grand Opening' was because yes he is popular; but also he's an inspirational writer particularly to young people (and especially boys) between the ages of around 7 to 14 years. Precisely the age that they should be discovering books, reading new stories, working out complex plots and expanding their minds. Yesterday's event just goes to show how a great writer can still capture he imaginations of literally millions of readers. Long live the real book....

Anthony Horowitz is Coming to Tonbridge next Wednesday

Anthony Horowitz will be coming to Mr. Books Bookshop for the (okay somewhat belated) Grand Opening next Wednesday February 20th from 3-30pm to around 4-30pm. After a very short cutting of the ribbon type ceremony Anthony will then be signing his latest book, Oblivion, which is the final thrilling episode of his Power of Five series. On sale at the shop there'll also be a selection of his other popular books and graphic novels aimed at both children and adults. Recently I read his Sherlock Holmes book, The House of Silk, and was mightily impressed. The whole idea of Anthony coming to Tonbridge was sparked off when my family bumped into the man himself in a bookshop in Hay on Wye just before his talk at the town's annual literary festival. On and off, I've been badgering his marketing people ever since and that chance meeting was about four years ago. Social networking also played quite a big part as my recent cheeky comment on twitter asking AH to come and do my Grand Opening seems to have been what finally swung it. It seems that persistence and patience really can pay of sometimes! It's all happening next Wednesday at Mr. Books, 142 High Street. I can't wait.... Find out more about the event on Mr. Books website and about his fabulous books on Anthony Horowitz's 

Collectibles? Are we Yanks?...

I know this is really nit picky but I can't let it go. The new show case in the Post Office to help sell their many collectable coin and stamp first day covers looks lovely and I'm sure will catch the eye of many a collector. But you see the thing is it reads: "Collectibles" That is to say the American way of spelling it. Should it not read: "Collectables" since we are in England. Doesn't matter you say? The English language is evolving anyway, you cry. Poppycock, some of you may say, we should protect the English language from a slow demise into creeping Americanisms and hip hop, gangster slang, alrite. If only Inspector Morse were alive he'd put them straight! I'm not the only one to have commented on their linguistic error according to the lady who served me today and The Post Office has got some explaining to do....

Driving me potty....

If I ask very nicely can someone at the council or Highways or Sainsbury's or Beales or who ever the hell's responsibilty it is please fill in the two huge pot holes which are right in the front entrance to the Sainsbury's carpark. (Actually, come to think of it, which is the front and the back of Sainsbury's these days?) Anyway I mean the entrance with the mini roundabout opposite the store's petrol station. Three times now one of these pot holes has nearly taken my front axles off and I can't be the only one. If you don't respond to this kind request someone will sue very soon. Privided that they can work out who they should sue of course. They've been there a few weeks now and really there is no excuse for not getting them repaired quicker than this....

New Independent Butchers in Tonbridge....

It's absolutely marvellous that a traditional butchers has decided to open on Tonbridge High Street. They've been very industrious in telling people up and down the High Street that they are now open. Not just shoving a leaflet through the door but actually coming into my shop to talk about it. Actually I had noticed them already and had wondered what the shop was going to be just before they opened; thought it might be a poncey deli actually but rather pleased it isn't. They are situated right next to McDonald's but I'm hoping that their burgers are alot tastier and more generous than Maccie D's! I really really really will try to support them but I did say that about the greengrocers and look where that got them. Being married to a pescavegetarian (that's a new word I've just made up which means someone who eats fish and vegetables but definitely no meat from furry animals) I don't have a weekly meat shop but I am rather partial to nice meaty burgers, home made sausage rolls, and fine pork pies. I've already had me lunch and yet my mouth is watering at the mere thought of all this lovely food.  I've been saying for sometime that it's incredible that an old market town like Tonbridge can have a High Street with no butchers but I'm pleased to say that Ian Chatfield's have now put that right and good on em....

Get along to your Tonbridge Farmers Market....

A date for your diary especially if you like cooking seafood is the Tonbridge Farmers Market on Sunday February 10th. I can't believe that anyone hasn't yet been to this wonderful monthly market but, if you haven't, it's held on the second Sunday of every month on the car park area at to the back of Waitrose. Quite simply it's a foodie's delight. Here's the latest press release about "Scollop Sunday!" That's me calling it that not them but I don't mind if they nick the idea!

"Scallop Special

The market is always a great place to get your fresh local produce, but this time of year, with the cold water around our fabulous coast line, there's no better time to try our local sea food.

With this in mind, in conjunction with Enterprise Fisheries we are having a Scallop Special.

Gary Copeland from Enterprise said “Although most people are aware of the fabulous sea food we have it amazes me how few have cooked or eaten this fantastic Mollusca.”

To start the new season Gary will have an extra stall by his normal stall selling and giving advice about this local delicacy.

The market kitchen will also be serving up some wonderful dishes that will centre on this fantastic seafood. "

Of course if you don't care for seafood there will be around 59 other stalls to choose from. You'll probably find me over at the cheese of real ale stalls sampling their delights. If I'm honest, even for someone as supportative as me of local events, I do find the prices on some of some stalls a little on the pricey side but I think we sometimes forget just what work goes into proper food production and preparation. So actually, all things considered I don't mind paying the extra once a month because you simply cannot compare a lovingly produced, award winning pot of Seville marmalade with one bought from a well known brand at Sainsbury's. The branded one would no doubt be okay, alright, so so, average, passable but the other would be simply sublime and make you taste buds explode. Yes I'm talking about Kathy's Great Preservations stall again as partly I love her marmalades and also I love the name which has a distinctly literary flavour to it. It would be like comparing Maxwell House coffee granules in a jar, which might be quite pleasantly drinkable, with an espresso using freshly ground Arabicca beans and prepared by an experienced barista in a time honoured fashion, who knew precisely how finely to grind the beans, how evenly to tamp them and the exact moment to pull a perfect tasse. In other words no comparison....

Prince Harry, Doctor Who and Fun in the Snow....

It's been over a week since my last blog here, although not elsewhere, so I guess I'd better keep things going in case you all lose interest if you haven't already switched off or over to those other tame Tonbridge blogs. Stuff in the news at the moment? Now there's a topic if ever there was one. Any thoughts on the diplomacy of the lovely Prince Harry?! I enjoyed watching his candid interviews on BBC and Sky News but couldn't help thinking that his reference to X Box games, and him being handy with his thumbs, when talking about killing the enemy was more than a little tactless. Those were my thoughts but what about yours?
More local issues: did anyone attend the Jane Austen talk last night at the Angel Centre? I intended to go but couldn't make it in the end. Did they prove beyond doubt that Ms. Austen lived and breathed in our town? Or does it remain just frustratingly highly likely that she was here but no actual proof? If only I had a time machine!
And speaking of which I received my 11 ft Doctor Who style scarf yesterday in the post just in tie for another cold walk home. So if you think that you've seen Tom Baker walking along Tonbridge High Street, looking 30 years younger, it's probably just me. The best thing about this scarf, other than the sheer quality of it, is the supplier's name is Timelord Knitwear! Actually they supply lots of Doctor Who societies around the world and generally their scarves are 15 ft but I thought I'd go for a more manageable length.
The snow can be fun as I witnessed on my Sunday walk over to Lambs Bank near the back of Mabledon Farm. The sledges, boards and even sheets of cardboard were out in force as children and quite a few grown ups hurtled their way to near death collisions with the fence and stile at the foot of the hill! My kids are far too cool and teenager-like to bother these days so there was a side of me that felt quite sad and nostalgic as I watched the fun. I've pretty much had enough of the snow though now. Well not so much the snow as the slush and ice which go hand in hand with it. You see we just don't seem to be able to cope with it not being used to the cold weather and all. I for one feel very nervous driving anywhere in these conditions as most places off the beaten rack are like driving on an ice rink. The main roads are pretty much clear but what's the use in that if you glide into a neighbour's car while trying to get out of your own street?! Think I'll stick with Shank's Pony for a bit longer....

Looks a bit Saucy: Mr. Books window display #5

I don't normally go in for blatant advertising on this blog but worth mentioning that Mr. Books has another, potentially award winning, window display which, rather bravely, has a mannequin in it sporting a silk bra Shock horror! The girl from the chinese takeaway next door was tickled by this and asked me, jokingly, if it was Superwoman! (Which sounded very funny the way she said it.) But no it's actually part of a Haberdashery-themed window which was an idea my wife spun me. I must admit that I wouldn't have necessarily gone for this one without a little gentle persuasion on her part but, now I see it, I do think it's another triumph! (that's a bra joke in case you're a bit slow today!) I'd love to bring you pictures of this needleworking masterpiece but, alas, Google blogger is experiencing problems with picture uploading this week. Maybe you'll have to come along for a proper live look instead. I dunno, perhaps even buy a book or two while you're here! There's up to 50% thousands of books for another week or so as well....

Music to someone's ears in Tonbridge....

Will this shop unit ever open up again as a going concern?

HMV closing doesn't directly effect Tonbridge High Street you'd think, I guess other than the question of where now to go to buy a real music cd. Not that HMV were exclusively selling cd's. No, indeed they were selling all kinds of things the last time I looked in there. I actually went in to buy a couple of particular records if they had them; they were the sort that you'd have expected to find in a bigger record shop. But, oh no, they could order them in for sure. But then what's the point of that. In that case I may as well have sat at home and ordered it rather than have to raipse all the way back to Tunbridge Wells again. They did have a selection of music books, lots of chart dvd's, a headphones section, even some i-pods. I didn't realise that they stocked all those other things and it might have been handy if I'd needed any of them. But I didn't. In fact I left the store feeling a little let down and thinking that here was a once great store who seemed not to have a clue what its identity was. I'm not saying it was easy for them to survive in the current economic environment but those where my observations a few weeks ago. As far as Tonbridge is concerned though I'd say that HMV's troubles present someone with an opportunity. There's no record shop in the town since Bionic Records closed a couple of years ago and, surely, I cannot be alone in wanting an actual physical cd, rather than downloads, to play music with. I no longer want to rely on the dreaded amazon since finding out their position on payment (or, more accurately, non-payment) of British taxes so where do I go? You see, it's like books, many people still like to go out, shop and browse for their music. It's all about that moment when you find something you weren't expecting, a record you didn't necessarily go to the shop for, which strikes a chord, brings back a memory. You buy it and come out feeling good that you've obtained something which will give you hours of pleasure. I'd suggest a similar kind of business to the one Bionic had in fact as I know that they didn't close through lack of customers but, more, through not wanting the mill stone of having the shop around their necks for another five years of the lease; after 30 years in the business who can blame them? But for some twenty or thirty something with a love of music, who has a bit of a nose for trading (because you'll need one) I'd say give it a go. In fact I'm open to giving the right person a bit of advice and perhaps even backing the enterprise so convinced am I that it would be popular in Tonbridge. You wouldn't even have to call it Mr. Records alhough, I must say, it strikes the right note with me!...

Things are looking up despite Jessops closure....

No time for last minutes bargains to be swept up

Okay, I admit, I usually struggle to get going in the new year. It seems to take me a few weeks to get over the anti climax of the festive season and just get back into my normal stride. There's still loads of mince pies and Christmas cake left over and enough malt whiskey to last until the next general election. Come to think about it that may be sooner than we previously thought so I better get drinking! One thing that seems to never change though is the contsant threat of imminent shop closures. The latest of course being Jessops, the photographic retailer which was established in the 1930s. I remember buying my first proper camera from their New Oxford Street flagship store in the 1980s when I worked in that area. How proud I was of my Olympus compact and it rewarded me with loads of stunning prints. But in the 25 or so years which have passed times have changed for ever and customers seem to be happy to let household names go by the way side to let the new age retailers on the interweb take over. I passed Jessops this morning on my way into work because I felt sad for them, sad for the High Street in general and sad for the employees whose livelihoods are being effected. I also admit that a small part of me wanted to get in the shop and buy that Canon EOS 600D SLR, at a large discount of course, which I've been pondering over for far too long. It seems that I haven't been alone in my pondering; camera usage has increased dramatically over the last five years but this increase has largely been with inbuilt cameras on mobile phones and, more recently, so called smartphones. I'm afraid I am guilty of this and have thought how nice it would be to have an SLR but, then, would I have got my £600 worth of use out of it? Probably not, so I held off buying one until I could easily afford one; that turned out to be too late for Jessops. That said the recession clearly paid its part in the store group's sudden closure. Some of you may find it surprising that I'm ever the optimist though. Yes I really am. For what my opinion is worth, and this is based partly on my day to day observations of shoppers over the last few months compared with other years, I think we have seen the worst of this recessionary period. Shoppers are fed up with the doom and gloom and won't hold off buying things forever. Eventually you have to replace the dishwasher, the leaking kettle and the garden fencing. Then you'll go out and treat yourself to that pair of designer jeans or Nespresso coffee machine because, as economists say, in the long run we're all dead! So my predictions for New Year are: the economy will grow around 2%. Retail sales will be markedly up on 2012 full year by the end of 2013. The stock market, led by another tech shares surge, will rise by at least 20%. House prices will start to show a steady increase as more new buyers decide that they need somewhere permanent to live. Finally the printed book will make a resurgence as people realise that kindles and other electronic tablets are a souless way to read a beautifully created story. Well I can at least live in hope on that one!...

New Year Resolutions....

After a very refreshing New Year break on the beautiful wild Lincolnshire coast Tonbridge Blog is back in the Garden of England feeling enlivened (if a little hung over.) It wasn't all partying for me though over the festive period, oh no I won't be accused of that. In fact I worked for most of it. I also did alot of visiting of family and friends as is right and proper. Oh and I also dug deep and did quite a few grueling 4 or 5 mile runs. Actually rather pleasant ones along the seafront. That leads me on nicely to mention a couple of events for the diary this year. The Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon is on Sunday, February 24th and The Tonbridge Half is later in the year on September 22nd. Having lapsed a little in the second half of last year, I'm starting to train for these now although I'm not sure I fancy the TWells one as it is more than a bit hilly in places. The course record is just over 4 minutes but I'd be pleased if I cracked two hours. So New Year for me is about setting a few fitness challenges and personal goals and actually meaning it and setting an action plan in order to achieve my realistic objectives. On the other hand I might just go down the pub! Here's to you all meeting your own personal goals in Tonbridge and beyond . Realise your dreams in 2013. Hey, that (almost) rhymes....

Lucky for some....

Well here we are at the end of another year. For me it's been a very busy and eventful one. Just before Christmas my brother had a new baby which is always a nice thing to happen any time of year. I had been anticipating a move into new shop premises for Mr. Books for most of the first half of 2012 and was on tenterhooks for much of March and April. I got the go ahead from my landlord in March and signed a lease in May, opening the very new look Mr. Books on June 1st. What some of you may not know is that this was the shop I'd looked at almost as soon as I opened the old shop around the corner in Bank Street. I saw it in an old Tonbridge Guide from the 1950s advertised as Greg's Bookshop and Stationers. I looked through the window one day and saw its huge potential even back then seven years ago. In fact, as I later found out, 142 High Street was a bookshop and/or stationers for most of the 20th Century. So you see, in a way, I've restored it to it's traditional use. Sadly though the move was tinged with sadness as the owner of the previous business passed away just after I'd moved in. So a big thank you has to go to Christine Izzard for being so lovely, putting a strong word in for me to my new landlord and for putting up with my cheek! She always said that my business would do well in this location and, so far, touch wood, that is proving the case. The last six months have flown by for me but, right now, I'm really feel the need for a few days off having only taken Christmas Day itself. Even the serfs in Medieval times would have 12 days off!
So onwards to the brand new year of 2013. That sounds like a date well into the 21st Century. No longer can we say the dawn of the new millennium; we're in the teenage years already. Lets hope that those years are a sight more peaceful than the teenage years of the last century. 1913 was the dawn of an age far more frightening than most of us can still imagine. Here's hoping then that 13 is a lucky number for all of you....

Merry Christmas but Kids of Tonbridge don't read this.....

This has to be the most amusing, if cruel, story I've read this Christmas. It's the story of the Santa who was recently sacked from Notcutts Garden Centre for telling children that he wasn't real! I kid you not read it here if you don't believe me. On the face of it it seems somewhat inappropriate to tell children this particularly as their parents had just paid £5.99 for the privilege of meeting him but then he was, after all, only telling them the truth. So could he not have a good case at the North Pole industrial tribunal! Can someone be sacked for simply telling the harsh truth? I remember telling my son that there was no tooth fairy when he was about seven years old and he said, rather astutely, "Next you'll be telling me there's no Father Christmas." I managed to keep my job as a dad by staying silent for the next few minutes and the moment and the temptation to tell him was gone. You see kids aren't daft. Though, as my wife always says, they believe in him because they want the eggs. In other words it's in their interest to keep believing in Santa even when the story doesn't quite stack up and that face seems suddenly very familiar!  Anyway a very Merry Christmas to everyone in Tonbridge, with friends and family in Tonbridge or anyone who cares about our town. Whatever you believe in.....

Bob Ogley's Hurricane of Information....

Went along to the Tonbridge Civic Society Christmas talk yesterday evening to enjoy a mince pie (or two) and a glass of mulled wine (or three) followed by a talk by guest speaker, Bob Ogley. As he informed us Bob has been a writer since 1987 when his first book, In the Wake of the Hurricane, found immediate success nationally following the storms of that year which had such a devastating effect on Kent. Most of Bob's other books have not, by his own admission, found anything like the same sales success as his first but he's managed to produce over 20 books related to the county including famous ones like Biggin on the Bump, Ghosts of Biggin Hill and Kent A Chronicle of the Century. The last of these is chocca full of facts about Kent, its history and its people. Facts are Bob's stock in trade, if last night's talk was anything to go by, as a great blast of them came blowing over his audience. Indeed it was almost as if a great hurricane of information was hurling towards us. We were informed, and entertained, at gale force speed, about how Dickens had almost died on the railway track between Ashford and Tonbridge, how poet laureates had lived and worked nearby, how Van Gogh had lived, studied and worked on the Kent coast and how inmates of the infamous prison hulks were treated and how the only one who ever escaped from one alive was the fictitious character, Magwich, from Dickens' Great Expectations. The great author himself of course was from nearby Rochester. You get the idea. Ogley is clearly a man with huge passion and enthusiasm for Kent facts and history and an infectious desire to inform everyone about them. Indeed I and most of the rest of the evening's audience were swept up in Mr Ogley's tornado of information (that's enough wind metaphors now, Ed.) He wouldn't win any modern prizes for delivery and use of interactive aids to reinforce his lecture, but I very much enjoyed hearing him. And the mince pies and mulled wine went down a treat as well....

Jane Austen and Tonbridge....

I had a whole load of people buy tickets from me for the Jane Austen talk which was taking place this afternoon at the parish church. An Australian lady who was in the shop this morning had come all the way from Brisbane, or was it Bromley, especially for the talk and walk in the rain. I know that on other occasions people have travelled from the States, Canada and other far flung places for similar events. So what's the connection with Jane Austen and Tonbridge then? What's all the fuss about? Well, aparently she did visit Tonbridge since quite a few family members lived in the area. I believe that her father had been a master at Tonbridge School and that other close family had owned property in the Bordyke region of Tonbridge. The infuriating and frustrating bit though is that there doesn't appear to be any hard, historical evidence to say that she definitely did visit the town only a supposition that she must have. If only something would turn up, like a note book to give us a piece of hard fact, then people would flock from all over the world constantly. Interesting talk though I'm sure it would have been. I certainly managed to sell a dozen of so Pride and Prejudice (a book whot she wrote!) Penguin mugs and a few books on the back of it. So long may Jane Austen's association with Tonbridge flourish....

High Street Christmas Lights Worst for 45 Years....

That's the headline in the Courier this weekend and I think it's disgusting. I thought that they looked the best they've been since I moved into the town 23 years or so ago. They reflect off the river and, from the bridge, in the early evening, with the castle in the background, they look quite delightful, stunning in fact, romantic even. So where the heck does the local paper get off talking about them in this way. Come off it you Courier journos, have a heart printing this utter garbage about our dear old town.  What, what's that you say? They're speaking of Tunbridge Wells High Street, not Tonbridge. Well, Lord have mercy, I'll let them off then and agree with them; their's do look a bit crap. Okay now why can't they do a feature on how great our Christmas lights look then?!.

Town Team says TLC needed....

Tonbridge Town Team Loyalty Card or TLC for short could be launching soon. I have only one criticism of this scheme today: I'm afraid that it's just never going to catch on if the picture on the front page of the Kent and Sussex Courier, Tonbridge edition, is anything to go by. Too big you see. It'll never fit in anyone's handbag, let alone pocket, wallet or purse. You need to work on a credit card sized version guys!
Okay that was just a joke but I'm sure I'll be getting letters about my comments in any case. My more constructive comments are reserved for a future post which might be in a few minutes or it might be tomorrow or next week, depends how busy my shop gets. Feel free to add your twopenneth in the meantime....