Monday, November 30, 2009

Tonbridge Christmas Lights....

I'm amazed that the Tonbridge Christmas lights switch on went ahead last night in the appalling lashing rain and winds but, judging by the fireworks going off about 6-30pm just as I returned from exhibiting at the Dorking Book fair, I'm pretty sure it must have. Did anyone go along? Let's hear how it all went then and who was the celeb. I know that TonbridgeBlog usually has a better ear to the ground than this and that I should be telling you how it went, but I can't be everywhere at once you know!...

Thursday, November 26, 2009

More on the Tonbridge Arts Fest....

Here's a copy of Elaine Scutt's notice about the meeting this coming Monday. (Yes I know it's a bit lazy just copying and pasting, but it does save a great deal of time!) Go on get involved; you might even enjoy it!

Tonbridge Arts Festival 2010
A public, open meeting will be held on Monday 30th November at 5.30pm in the Riverside Suite at the Angel Centre in Tonbridge to discuss the Tonbridge Arts Festival. The proposal is to hold a week-long Arts Festival in October 2010 following discussions between West Kent College, Tonbridge Library, Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council and Tonbridge School, who all wished to establish a town-wide Festival. Hillview School for Girls have also confirmed their support for the event. The organisers are now inviting all interested parties, including residents, to attend the public meeting to update all members of the community on progress made to date. We intend that West Kent College will take a leading role in hosting events and in developing activities for students and the local community. If you have any ideas for the programme, or would like to participate and support the event in any way, please attend the meeting or contact Elaine Scutt to discuss further.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Don't mention John Adams Bookshop....

I'm not saying a word about John Adams having already had not one but two "Closing Down" sales in the last year and then staying open yet again. I could mention that this time they have changed their name to My Back Pages but the owner is the same and I know that they only have another six month lease anyway and presumably they'll have another closing down sale in March again next year. But I won't mention it! Afterall it doesn't really effect me now does it...

Kent Messenger Tonbridge community correspondent sacked....

I understand that the Tonbridge community correspondent in the Kent Messenger, Anthony Heywood, has been "sacked" (his words) from his position. Anthony, who also used to write the Tonbridge South column for the Courier told me last night that they hadn't really offered him an adequate explanation; that's the trouble with being a free lancer on a local rag Anthony they can hire and fire as they please. Anyone know any more?...

"The Credit Crunch" one of me poems....

Those nice people at the "Tonbridge Outsider" have published one of me poems about The Credit Crunch. It's a bit dated now cos I wrote it about a year and a half ago but still fairly current. They may also be publishing more local poetry which I'm sending to them (not all mine though mind.) How does it go? You'll just have to pick up a copy of the glossy little magazine won't you!...

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Tonbridge Civic Society talk tonight, Angel Centre....

If you want to get involved, or at least hear about town planning matters and particularly with regard to the conservation areas of Tonbridge, then tonight is your chance. Tonbridge Civic Society are holding a talk at the Angel Centre this evening. Non members can attend for a very small charge or you could even join up for £7 a year. Don't worry you'll coffee and biccies in that price and get to meet some very interesting people, ok a few boring ones as well (like me) but never the less.... The best way to tell you the details about tonight's talk is by copying Peter Charlton's email about it:

Particularly given the fact that we had to switch the talks for our October and November meetings, I thought that it would be helpful if I reminded everyone about the illustrated talk that will be given on Tuesday evening in the Angel Centre (coffee at 7.30pm, for an 8.00pm start)

LOOKING BACK TO LOOK FORWARD – THE ROLE OF CONSERVATION AREA APPRAISALS
Tony Fullwood is a very experienced Town Planner who has carried out the recent appraisals of the Tonbridge Conservation Areas on behalf of TMBC

He will be giving an extensively illustrated talk covering the Role of Conservation Area Appraisals

The Society has worked closely with Tony in the past, in relation to his work in Tonbridge, both on the Conservation Area Appraisals (central/North Tonbridge and the Quarry Hill areas) and on the more recent Character Area Assessments. We have been very impressed by his knowledge and professional abilities

We are looking forward to a very interesting and informative talk and do hope that you will be able to join us on Tuesday

With kind regards

Peter Charlton
Chairman

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Tonbridge (and Malling) council stop robbing Tonbridge shoppers....

I went shopping in Maidstone last Sunday. It not a crime so don't have a go! Anyway that's not the point of the story. I'm not sure whether all parking in Maidstone is charged in the same way but in the car park nearest the Fremlin Walk shopping street they let you take a ticket on the way in and pay at a machine just before you get back in your car to leave. As that annoying Compare the Meercat says: Simple! It worked for me, because I didn't know on arrival whether I'd stay two hours or five. As it turned out I stayed about four and the charge was £2.80. You see that to me is so much more sensible than having to guess how long you need, paying the charge, and then not having enough time to do all the shopping you need to do so rushing back to the car where if you're lucky you won't find one of those yellow sticky parking fine notices on your wind screen. So Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council my message is plain: Stop wasting resources on Civil Parking Enforcement Officers, or whatever the hell it is you call them now, if you're not going to make parking free in Tonbride then install exit-timed barriers so that shoppers can stay as long as they wish without fear of fines, stop discouraging shoppers from Tonbridge when the town needs them more badly than ever. Go on, take a long term view on things instead of taking the easy option, because £300,000 on parking fines, I'll wager mainly from overstays, at car parks is just not acceptable....

It's soooo unfair!...

I dunno the yoof of today! They just hang around intimidating old grannies and younger kids. What are we going to do with them? They get worse every year and society is to blame for the lower moral standards we see all around us. What bullshit! It's the same as it ever was. Older people just forget what it's like to be young, especially their teenage years. I'm pleased that the young people from Tonbridge schools have spoken out about the way they have been warned away from the play area at Tonbridge park (see the Courier page 3 this week.) I happen to know that at least one of the girl's schools in the town has told its children not to hang around the park after school because of the complaints by some parents of younger children who are feeling unable to get access to the equipment (Presumably because they're afraid to ask a 14 year old if they'd mind awfully if their toddler can have a go on the swings!) In my experience older folks are scared not by teenagers but by the popular media image of a hoody-wearing teenager, with knife concealed in jeans pocket ready to stab anyone at the mere mention of their spotty faces. Come off it, we live in Tonbridge, not Down Town Brooklyn for goodness sake. In any case where would these moaners have the teenagers go? There are precious few youth clubs and clubs for under 18s, There's really only McDonalds, the new shake bar, the street and oh yes the park. They are right when they say there should be a skate park and other facilities robust enough for their not quite adult, lumbering bodies. Why haven't these been provided when so much money has been squandered elsewhere? My guess is as good as their's. You see for a teenager it's a long time from year 8 to the day when you're alowed to legally enter a pub. Quite frankly, the lack of decent facilities is probably the main reasons why they turn to drinking and worse. Teenagers will always want to hang out with each other and share experiences, get things off their chests, tell their friends how unfair life is. So for Pete's sake give them places in which to do it, realise that actually they're just young people who like to be with their own kind. And, Old Fogies, just stop whining about it because, if you were their age you'd be doing the same thing!,,,

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Tonbridge Arts Festival update...

If you're of an artistic or literary disposition and have always thought that there should be more arts events going on in Tonbridge then now's your chance to get involved in something which could be an amazingly rich annual event in the town. If you don't wish to get involved make it a diary date for next October. Here is the press release from TMBC regarding the open meeting to be held a week on Monday at the Angel Centre:



NEWS RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE

Tonbridge Arts Festival


A public open meeting will be held on Monday 30 November at 5.30pm in the Riverside Suite at the Angel Centre in Tonbridge to discuss the Tonbridge Arts Festival.

The proposal to hold a week long Tonbridge Arts Festival in October 2010 came about following discussion between Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council with Tonbridge School, who wished to revive the school’s arts festival, and with West Kent College and Tonbridge Public Library, who wished to establish a Tonbridge Literary Festival. The Council has encouraged both parties to meet to see if, together, they could deliver one all-encompassing event for the good of the whole community.

Initial discussions took place between representatives from Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council, West Kent College, Tonbridge School and Tonbridge Library earlier this year and in June there was a meeting of various arts organisations and community groups. Following this meeting, Hillview School for Girls, Performing Arts College, have confirmed their support for the event. The organisers are now inviting all interested parties, including residents, to attend the public meeting to update all members of the community on progress made to date.

For further details about the festival and its plans, please contact Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council’s Leisure Services department on 01732 876161 or e-mail leisure.services@tmbc.gov.uk


Objectives of the festival:

Deliver a week-long arts festival encompassing a wide variety of art forms.

Deliver performances by world-class artists and local amateur groups in different venues across Tonbridge.

To bring the joy of the arts to the people of Tonbridge and beyond

Implement a ticket price policy which encourages “fair access for all”

Include free events where possible.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Tonbridge in 2029....

I've lived in Tonbridge for twenty years now, almost to the day, so I thought it might be an idea to share with you my vision for Tonbridge town centre in twenty years time. The obvious place to start is with the railway station. It is well overdue a total revamp and there's been much talk recently about making Tonbridge a South East transport hub; and why not? It's in a very good location both in terms of roads and rail networks and it has acres of space around the station which is ripe for redevelopment. I've never really thought of this before but, in a way, Tonbridge is a bit like Doctor Who: it has two hearts! So why not a huge new shopping centre right in the new heart of the town in and around the railway station complex. So that shoppers from many miles around can step off the train, bus or out of their cars and be right at the centre of a Blue Water sized 21st century shopping experience. Rather like Sheffield's Meadowhall shopping centre if anyone has ever been there. For those who fancy more of a Brighton Lanes type experience then Tonbridge would cater for that also with its oldy worldy cobbled streets around the North end of the High Street and the Castle with the new old-style shops of the Botany area complementing this and all within a ten minute walk of the new transport station. So no need to go to Tunbridge Wells or Maidstone or even Blue Water for your Christmas presents. Shoppers would be flocking to Tonbridge instead of Tonbridge shoppers flocking to other towns. The traffic problem would be sorted out by the new A21 duel carriage way having been completed and the, so called, missing link between, London Road and Canon Lane finally having been given approval and being built in time for the rejuvenated Tonbridge project. This would filter any traffic which did not require the town centre away from the shopping areas. There'd be a whole new restaurant quarter of the town around, and even on, the river and around the new town lock centre. There'd be a state-of-the-art multi screen cinema and leisure complex in the New Angel Centre and Tonbridge Juddians would finally have been awarded a grant to build it's new 5,000 seat stadium completed to time with their promotion to rugby's premier league! Just a pipe dream? Who knows it's all in our hands if we want it to happen we all have to do our bit even if it's just signing the odd petition or attending a meeting to put forward ideas. The council, TMBC and Kent County Council, must all play their part. But there's no doubt that it could be done, because it has been achieved elsewhere. With enough funding, and the right kind people behind it and with no small amount of good luck it could happen in Tonbridge....

Saturday, November 14, 2009

There's a hole in my roof....

Then fix it dear TonbridgeBlog; A hole fix it! Easier sang than done. You'd think it'd be simple enough wouldn't you. You've got rain water literally leaking into the bedroom, luckily onto the carpet, not the bed or, worst still, my wife's clothes! but still a puddle of water actually entering the house. I spent a good half hour up in the loft yesterday trying to work out where it was getting in and I think I've worked out that there's a tile missing from my gable, exposing a bit of felt which is catching the rain when there's heavy winds like the other night. I looked in the yellow pages for a roofer which really is total pot luck. (No doubt when this post appears there'll be about a thousand google ads for roofing services appearing below it.) How do you know what you're getting? Better to go on recommendation I thought and suddenly remembered that I had the number for the builder who has been doing some work for my landlord at the shop. I've met him and he seemed like a nice enough guy. When I spoke to him he said that he'd be able to get along and have a look and would come back to me within an hour to confirm a time. Two hours went by, no call, so I called him again. "Yes, I haven't been home yet and that's where my diary is! I'll get back to you before the end of the day," he said a bit sheepishly. Well the day and the night, luckily a relatively dry one, went by and still no call. Remember this is someone I've met, chatted to and have sort of on recommendation. So I called him again a few minutes ago, yes I know on a Saturday morning, but he was obviously too busy in the week wasn't he, and I do have a leaking roof. Now he's on answer machine, bugger what next...... He's just called me back and he's coming round on Monday afternoon so, hopefully I can eat my hat! And all of this proves what? You can't rely on tradesmen anymore? Maybe a little harsh. You should fix the roof when the sun is shining? Definitely!...

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Is it still sweet and proper to die for your country?...

DULCE ET DECORUM EST*
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod.
All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.
Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . .
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori.
(Wilfred Owen, 1917/18)
* DULCE ET DECORUM EST - the first words of a Latin saying (taken from an ode by Horace). The words were widely understood and often quoted at the start of the First World War. They mean "It is sweet and proper." The full saying ends the poem: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori - it is sweet and right to die for one's country.

Bang! it's 11am in Tonbridge....

I swear that I nearly jumped out of my skin today when a huge bang went off over Tonbridge Castle. It's okay it wasn't the Saxons coming to take back the fort after nearly 1,000 years in Norman hands! It was an air bomb going off at precisely 11am, to mark the beginning of the two minutes silence for the fallen of the Wars of the 20th and 21st centuries. My window cleaner who was out in the street at the time said that he had been equally shocked, especially since he had no idea what it was. He said that he was only too glad that he wasn't up his ladder when it went off. Two minutes of near silence later, apart from the brief conversation with the window cleaner, the passing cars, the people walking, the noise from the offices the radio playing in the background etc, and another massive bang went off. I watched the smoke in the air a hundred feet above the castle. "Was that strictly necessary?" a passer by remarked. Probably not but not bad to remind ourselves, even if only in that token way, how those poor young men in the trenches of Northern France suffered nearly a hundred years ago. Or would it be better to forget the whole sorry business?...

Monday, November 9, 2009

Grasp those business opportunities....

People of Tonbridge: look the recession is all but over so let's please have some business people, entrepreneurs, call them what you will, come forward with some bright ideas for shops to smarten up the High Street. We've recently had the opening of Sweets and Shakes that very bright candy coloured place next to McD's and the green grocers, but how about an electrical retailer, a smoothy bar, a new and dynamic sports and outdoor shop, a canoe centre (we are on a river after all) a camera shop. A mens clothes shop other than Burtons and Beales would be a start or do we just want more coffee shops, charity shops, estate agents and hairdressers? Come forward you people wherever you are, there are business opportunities out there waiting to be grasped....

Is forgetting to bow a crime?...

Did Sir John Stanley bow his head at the Tonbridge War memorial on Sunday? Did anyone notice? Does it matter if someone forgets the protocol at these events? Gordon Brown has certainly been getting some stick, albeit mainly from the Sun newspaper about forgetting to bow at the Cenotaph and making spelling errors on his hand written note to the bereaved mother of a soldier. Should he have had it typed? Should someone have checked it for him before it went out? Wouldn't that have made it less personal? Shouldn't we be grateful that the numbers of dead are still small enough for him to be able to personally write to each family....

Remember, Remember how bonfire night used to be?...

Remember remember the 5th of... or was it the 3rd, 4th, 6th or 10th. That's just the trouble these days you never know when the day is any more because of the trend towards weekend-only fireworks displays. This has the effect of it not being quite the same anymore, for me anyway. It hissed down with rain on Friday evening (the 6th November by the way) but apparently the Slade school display, which is always a good one, did still go ahead. I had intended to go along but, due to a sick daughter, decided wisely that it wasn't such a good idea. Apparently the Dunorlan Park spectacular event (on Saturday 7th November in case you were wondering) was just that: spectacular. Its a good location with it's natural amphitheatre; and over looking the lake with all the reflections of multicoloured stars and rockets adding to the spectacle. Rumour has it that the organisers spent about £9,ooo on gunpowder so that they could blow up Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and Kent County Council's offices, er sorry, no I mean so they could put on a wonderful display of pyrotechnics! Interestingly Thursday night, that is November 5th itself (remember!) was very quiet indeed as I drove home late from work. The air was still and actually it would have been a perfect night for a big fireworks display, but not an airbomb or a catherine wheel in sight. So this year, apart from the incessant whooshing, banging, whizzing, fizzing and cracking and the free displays from my upstairs windows, I haven't actually been to see any fireworks at all. Oh apart, that is, from the ones after every night of the festival of music and, of course, fireworks over Tonbridge Castle in the summer (remember, remember the 5th August... now that doesn't quite work does it!) and every time someone has a landmark birthday party. In fact firework night could just about be any night of the year these days and I for one think that that's a bit sad. I can just about still clearly remember my 5th November when I were a lad growing up in the wilds of Lincolnshire when we had a small display, always on Gut Fawkes night itself, in the back garden, whilst troughing down potatoes in their jackets, hot dogs and beans followed by parkin cake, toffee apples and my mum's special bonfire toffee, which these days would take out all my fillings. The 5th of November, let's remember has meaning and tradition. Can't we just leave it at that please people of Tonbridge....

Friday, November 6, 2009

Fridays will never be the same without Ian Carmichael....


For quite a few years I've been a regular at the Angel Friday Flea Market. It almost became part of my routine on a Friday morning to go there. I've probably mentioned it in a few posts before now and certainly used to give it a regular plug in my Courier Tonbridge Community Life column. My most memorable visit was the time when I picked up a 2,000 year old Roman coin, with the head of Emperor Augustus still clearly visible. I think I paid £3 for it. The great thing about visiting the Flea Market is that you never know what to expect there so it becomes almost like a drug. You know that most weeks you won't find much at all, but every so often you get a real high when you discover some object (or book) that you just have to have. One person I did always expect to see there was a real old gent called Ian Carmichael (please forgive me if the spelling is wrong I always did have a problem with that name for some obscure reason.) Every week I'd spot Ian, husband of Sue the organiser of the market, usually sitting down at the first table inside the main door. He often had an interesting array of items on his stall, antique bottle openers and cork screws, old name plates, playing cards, pen knives and more often than not books. In fact as I got to know Ian better over the last five or six years I discovered that he was also a bookseller on the quiet and had attended many local book fairs in his time; not that far back he used to organise one in Tonbridge which became the Sevenoaks book fair. So Ian and I had something in common, we both loved selling, buying and collecting books and I had gone on to organise the Tonbridge Book Fair, which Ian started to regularly attend. He very rarely directly paid for his stall preferring instead to wait until I was tempted to buy some of his excellent books by way of a barter deal against the cost of the stall. Ian became the only exhibitor at my fair who I, in effect, had to pay to be there! We had some great conversations over the years, usually about books and book people but often about just life in general. I didn't know him beyond that so I can't really say that I was a great frend of his but what I do know is that when I heard this morning that he'd passed away after apparently having recovered from a heart attack and stroke some months ago, I felt shocked and rather tearful. I think if the news of anyone's death has that kind of an effect on you then he must have touched me and become part of my life. I'm sure that what I feel today is nothing when compared to the grief of Sue and his family but Ian mate, if your listening, I'll miss seeing your warm friendly face and our little chats. Fridays won't be the same without you....

Thinking about buying a new van?...

When I was thinking of buying a new van a little while back I'm pleased that the brochure didn't echoe the Book of the Ford Van from 1920, which I've just acquired in my book shop. Under the section titled "Will it Pay?" it states: "You can get all sorts of estimates and actual records of the cost of running a Ford van.... The truth is that much depends on the driver, a good deal on the annual mileage run, and something on luck.... And luck becomes a factor for if your van runs over a broken bottle just after new tyres have been fitted, bang go a good many 'saxpences'!" I think manufacturers might have told it more as it was back in the 1920s!
Just thought I'd share that one with you....

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

9-24 to London Charing Cross....

Trip to London yesterday. I decided that, although I don't miss commuting to town every day like I used to in a previous life, I do miss the vibrancy of the place. I spent a really nice day on my own doing a bit of business in the morning, a bit of sight seeing (actually looking at the statues of Franklin, the artic explorer, Florence Nightingale, The Crimea soldiers and Edward VII on horseback on that square and steps which link The Mall with Pall Mall) a look around the wonderful (and free) National Portrait Gallery, a browse around several bookshops in Cecil Court and Charing Cross Road, only bought one book a signed copy of the new book by Aravind Adiga, author of last years superb booker prize winner, The White Tiger; a sandwich eaten outside Pret a Manger at the top of St. Martin's Lane sitting in the lovely warm unseasonal late autumn sunshine. Then a wander up through Covent Garden and up to the amazing James Smith Umbrellas and sticks shop on New Oxford Street. I've always wanted to go in there and did so yesterday and was left spellbound by the incredible array of every kind of walking stick, shooting stick, umbrella and cane you could possibly imagine. Is there a market for this old fashioned type of product? Well, judging by the brisk trade they seemed to be doing yesterday, I would say so. Was I tempted to part with my hard earned cash on a walking stick umbrella the same as that fella Nicholas Crane in the brilliant TV programme, Coast? Yes I was but came to my senses when I saw the £175 price tag. That's a whole £155 more than I paid for my fold up Fulton one, which seems to do the trick! I then legged it back to Charing Cross via the Camper shoe shop in Floral Street, decided that I'm not young and trendy enough for them these days, past the Lamb and Flag (alas no time for a pint of London Pride this time) onto St. Martin's Lane, up towards Trafalgar Square and jogged onto the platform to catch the 4-30 fast train back to Tonbridge in time for my daughter's birthday tea.) Now if only every Monday could be that packed full of interesting things. I must get up to London a bit more often....