A new Tonbridge blogger!!!!

There's a new blogger in Tonbridge called Tonbridge Daily which tries to give you a snippet, yes you've guessed it, daily about Tonbridge. I happen to know the author of this blog quite well and she certainly knows the town well. There's a nice piece about the newly refurbished Rose and Crown on the site which is worth a gander. I would add the blog to the useful list to the left but then she might take over from Tonbridge Blog in popularity and we couldn't have that!...

Tonbridge Twee up....

Apparently Tonbridge Blog missed the Tonbridgetweetup last night at the Rose and Crown Hotel. I think the idea was that all the twitter people from the Tonbridge area should get together and meet up (thus tweet up you see!) have a few drinks and generally socialise with each other. Well I thought about going but decided that I was washing my hair instead. It just sounded a bit too, well, twee for me. One of the best things about twitter for me is the anonymity of it all, if you go around actually physically meeting all your fellow tweeters (or is it twitterers, or just twitts maybe) then you might end up liking them and actually being nice to them all and that would certainly be too twee for me. If anyone especially does want to meet me then they can jolly well just come along to my twook shop at twoo Bank Stweeeet. That said, when is the next Tonbridgetweetup? I may just go along the once just to see how twee it could be....

Country Market saves the day....

I decided to walk down to work in the dreadful rain this morning across Tonbridge. It looked more like November than late August but that's the English summer for you! When I got as far as the High Street I realised that I had brought no lunch with me. Thoughts of a day starving at my desk were soon pushed away by the opportunities I remembered lay in front of me (the advantages of being on foot!) A sandwich from the Co-op would have been the obvious and quickest answer but I decided that this wouldn't be at all adventurous. Then there's always the Pepper Grinder sandwich bar which does a mighty fine Tuna mayo bagette. The day was saved though when I saw the sign next to Lamberts Yard advertising the Tonbridge Country Market. This is always worth a visit on a Friday morning for a choice of home made cakes, bread from Rusbridge Bakers of Southborough, fresh fruit and veg from a smallholder and lots of other treats. This visit I was purely interested in today's lunch so I opted for home made sausage rolls and an individual quishe, some shortbread biscuits (for elevensies) and a fudge brownie for afters. I could have bought so much more but then I'd have to keep it all day and carry it home in the evening so that was enough to be going on with.  Now I've made myself hungry so I'll have to go and eat them!...

Discovery apples give away....

The reason Mr. Books has been able to make the incredible offer of an apple and pad with every book sold is that I've had an absolutely amazing crop on my tree at home this season. I only have the one Discovery tree but, my word, has it produced some apples this year. Well we do live in the Garden of England. I must have lost as many on the ground as well but no matter, there's been plenty more where they came from. In fact I'm surprised the tree hasn't fallen over with the weight of them all! If I knew how to store the juicy beauties properly they'd probably last until 2013 but the truth is after the first two dozen or so you get a bit bored of eating them, even as sweet and delicious as they are. So you see I can spare a few apples to give away to loyal customers. Not quite an i pad but then you can't eat an i pad can you! (very easily anyway)

Free Apple + pad offer....

Apple + pad looks a bit like apple i-pad (geddit?!)

Ok my amazing offer of an apple + pad on the black board outside Mr. Books only fooled one or two folks yesterday and it was only a bit of fun. Laughter remember that. We used to do it before the recession!...

Crunch time for Mr. Books?...

Spotted this amazing offer whilst out and about in Tonbridge this morning. It's incredible what some retailers will do to drum up trade. Surely he'll be out of business in no time if he's serious with this one....

South Tonbridge Pub Crawl Part Two....

So the challenge of a half pint in each of the pubs in South Tonbridge on a Monday evening had been set and my wife and I had already been to three (see last post.) Walking in the vague direction of The Punch and Judy or maybe the Foresters it suddenly hit me that there was one pub in South Tonbridge I'd never been to in all of my 22 years living in the town. The Nelson, on the corner of Nelson Avenue and Cromer Street, nestled on, some say the right side of the nearby railway tracks. This establishment has the appearance of one of the those old Victorian  public houses more at home in the East End of London; big and imposing, a bit out dated but sometimes they can be the best places. When we eventually arrived there, having walked around the houses a few times to find it, I must confess to feeling a tad disappointed. Firstly it looked closed, as there didn't seem to be enough lights on from the angle we approached it. Then we entered to the scene which was becoming familiar: a barmaid looking very unbusy, being mostly ignored by the half dozen blokes in there sat around glued to football on the large sports screen. I'll be honest and say that my first reaction was to walk straight out again but my wife had already found out that the served Whitstable Brewery's Bay bitter and had put the order in for two halves. This turned out to be our best move of the evening. Teri, the bubbly barmaid, who confided in my wife that she was no footy fan, seemed positively delighted to have the company of some new customers and within a few minutes was swapping Jamie Oliver recipes for Salmon and roasted vegetable dishes! They had happy hour going until the first goal scored, which meant that we had enjoyed our first drink at a knock down price. Teri was good at selling the place too, saying that the new landlady was making a real effort by introducing music nights, food theme nights and interesting beers to try to turn the place round. We must have enjoyed it there as it became the first pub of the evening where we indulged in a second half (steady on now!) We had the same again as this was the only bitter they were serving last night and it was very enjoyable, although this time it was full price as one of the Man U players had, rather annoying, broken the deadlock on about 70 minutes. We left the Nelson with the distinct feeling that we'd discovered a hidden jewel of Tonbridge and that we'd definitely be back. We decided to make the last stop of the night the Punch and Judy, at the back of Tonbridge Police Station, probably the least adventurous of all the pubs we'd been to as we have had a few drinks in there fairly recently. We were glad we did though as the first thing I spotted when approaching the bar to order was the Tonbridge Brewery logo. What a delightful sight. I never understand why local pubs can't support local beers and here was one that was doing just that. The P&J isn't the most atmospheric or pubs in the area by any means and it was a Monday night, but, hey, I'm a sucker for good beer. Two halves of a very tasty Auburn Myth later and we were ready for setting off back home after a wonderful educational beer and pub tour of the South end of the town. Best pub of the night: The Nelson. Best beer of the night: without a doubt the Auburn Myth. Share your own thoughts on the best pubs in the town....

South Tonbridge Pub Crawl Part One....

I don't often go on a pub crawl in Tonbridge. Or anywhere else for that matter. So last night, on a crazy summertime whim, my wife and I set off on our optimistic tour to try the beers in the pubs of South Tonbridge on a Monday night! Full of hope (well we don't get out much!) our first stop was the Primrose Inn on Pembury Road, which could be described as my local, except I've only actually been in there maybe four times in my 22 years living in Tonbridge, which might tell a story in itself. The beer was a very passable Harvey's Best Bitter but I'm afraid the atmosphere was a near death experience as a handful of regulars sat around watching football on the large sport screen. Well I guess it was Man United vs Tottenham and the first home game of the Premier League title holder's season so I might have expected this. We sat and chatted in a quieter corner and might well have stayed longer but for the task we'd set ourselves of having a half pint in each of the pubs we hardly ever frequent.
Next stop was The Cardinal's Error, right on the far edge of town, an old, many say haunted, drinking establishment. The choice of beer was uninspiring so I'm afraid it was another Harvey's for me and, even worse, a John Smith's Smooth, for my wife. I always find Harvey's Best a little too hoppy but I must say this one was perfectly acceptable. Again though the atmosphere was completely killed by the football coverage which this time seemed to be on full volume. They did have a covered area outside mainly for the smokers but even there the sports screen dominated so we had to sit in the corner so we could talk a little over the Mancunian strains of Gary Neville's half time summary of a goaless period. The trouble is I am a bit of a fan but if I'd wanted to watch the game I probably would have stayed at home and drank cheaper and nicer beer, but it was hard to keep my eyes from drifting over to the action on the TV screens. So we stayed for just the one half, didn't see a ghostly image of a lady in wide a brimmed hat and moved on to our next destination, The New Drum down Lavender Hill way. This is the sort of pub where you just know that the regulars will look at you as you walk in and indeed that proved to be the case. It reminded me just a little of that scene from American Werewolf in London when the two young tourists walk into the Yorkshire pub and everything goes silent! I exaggerate of course but you get the idea. This pub always looks out of place to me, almost like it should just be a house, but I guess that's how all pubs once were. Here it was impossible to get away from the football as there seemed to be a large screen on every wall. All eyes, except the barmaid's (who said she couldn't stand the game) were on one of the screens. The beer was Harvey's again but also Green King IPA and, curiously, Doom Bar, a Cornish light bitter which I'd tried many times on my holidays in that part of the world and is normally very refreshing. Problem was that I think I was the only person who'd sampled it that evening as I'm pretty sure I got the beer that had been kept warm in the pipes. Consequently it wasn't very enjoyable so that half became the quickest downed of the evening so that we could move on. But where to go next....

£1.40 for a litre of diesel? That's a bit rough!...

Back in Tonbridge I spotted this magnificent looking Bedford Truck recently in Sainsbury's Petrol Station probably bound for a classic car show or some such thing. Naturally Tonbridge Blog had come prepared and was able to whip out his camera phone to get this shot (with the owner's approval of course.) As you can see the owner has taken a great deal of pride in his vehicle which looked absolutely immaculate. I bet it isn't half thirsty for gas though. I was particularly taken by the little pooch in the seat beside them which just looked so cute and out of place in such a macho looking lorry I just wish she'd have behaved herself and posed properly for the photo! Clever little thing though as when I asked her what she thought of the price of  litre of diesel these days she replied "Rough." I couldn't agree more!...

Tonbridge Weather Forecast: The Stone is dry today!...

I was tickled, tickled I was (that makes me sound like Ken Dodd!) to see this rather unusual way of forecasting the weather whilst down in Cornwall. Apparently they have a better success rate than Kaddy Lee Preston on BBC South East! Hang up your own stone and put it to the test....

Cornwall Blog. Now there's a thought!...

What a lovely sunset from our holiday flat balcony

Waxing down our surf boards: Surfing Cornwall eh!

 I promised I wouldn't bore you with all my holiday photos from Cornwall because we all know how tedious that can be. Come on we've all been invited round to see the family or neighbour's holiday slide show and had to sit through, sometimes literally, thousands of similar shots of their family on the beach with boats and different objects in the background! After all this is a Tonbridge Blog not a Cornwall Blog (although that is a thought!) In any case I spent most of my time in the sea body boarding or swimming so it would have been tricky with the camera. But anyway here are just a few choice ones:

The Cadgwith Sea Shanty Singers at the Fishermans Festival

Prize winning catch for the smallest fish of the day

The largest catch of the day at the weigh in

Abbey Funeral Directors Advertorial....

There now follows an advertorial by Abbey Funeral Directors who are based on Tonbridge High Street. They like Tonbridge Blog so much that they're prepared to pay to take a link on it:

In a society where, according to a poll commissioned by the Foresters Friendly Society, only about 39% of the population have made a will, it is surprising that so many people are now looking to purchase a funeral plan.  

Part of the reason may be to protect assets. In the event that residential care is paid for from an individual’s personal assets, ring fencing savings to pay for funeral expenses may not work. When they are means tested, savings are just savings and your plans for their use has no importance, where a funeral plan is a purchase; the money has been spent and can’t be counted as part of your financial assets.

Whilst there is clearly financial value is buying a plan, for many people the main reason is to remove that responsibility from their families when they die. This only works when the plan is one which performs well at the time of need.

Often people approach us who have made some provision. Regrettably, too often they come to us with a plan that we cannot accept. Some insurance based schemes restrict the plan holder to using a particular funeral group. These details are often in the small print and come as an unpleasant shock. Also insurance backed schemes only promise a sum of money, the value of which will be eroded by inflation and may be insufficient to fund the funeral

Christine Parker and her daughter Jo, directors of Abbey Funeral Services Ltd are happy to discuss either existing plans or the purchase of a new plan. Their plans are totally flexible and portable and can be used at any funeral directors. If the plan holder moves to another area the plan can move with them to a local firm.

Chris and Jo will be hosting a coffee morning at Christ Church in Tonbridge High Street on Saturday 1^st October 2011 when they will be available to answer any questions regarding funeral planning, both new and existing.

 

ChrisP

Christine Parker

Managing Director

Abbey Funeral Services Ltd           

01732 360328

mob.07887553467

www.abbeyfs.co.uk

Taste the difference at the Tonbridge Farmers Market....

Steve The Chilliman, organiser of the Tonbridge Farmers Market, came to see me today in my shop to give me some flyers for the markets and also to have a chat. The market held last Sunday, which I missed as I was still on my hols, apparently wasn't as busy as the July event but, according to Steve, people had come to buy rather than just out of interest which is an encouraging sign. The next one is on September 11th and then the second Sunday of every month thereafter. He's also starting some special themed events at some of the markets coming up, so watch this space. I love the whole concept of farmers markets and they are great for the town and  the community. The only thing is though we have to support them by going along and buying some of the produce which is usually a bit more expensive than the supermarket but so much more tastey....

Back from Cornwall....

PS. I was half expecting to come back to a burnt out shell of a shop and having to put the pieces together but it seems that thankfully the riots didn't get this far. Cornwall wasn't quite like being abroad but I didn't have a mobile phone reception for most of my stay there and I only found out about the city riots a few days after the worst of them were over. Probably for the best really as I'm not sure I could have stood the blanket 24 hour news coverage of it all in minute detail. I find you don't get nearly as stressed out about events in the news when you bury your head in the sand (almost literally in my case!)

Tonbridge Blog is back....

Yes it didn't take much to work out that Tonbridge Blog was on holiday last week and in fact up to yesterday. As a matter of fact I'm going to be on semi holiday this week as well as I feel a little cheated having only had about a week and a half off since last summer (get the violins out!) It's a hard life being self employed sometimes. Since you ask yes I had a lovely time in Cornwall which, these days, feels a bit like a second home I've been there so often in the last few years. Did loads of surfing (well body boarding actually but same sort of thrill) lots of eating simple food like fish and burgers and saw lots of beautiful coves and the like. In fact I've had a bit of a sea over-load and I'm just glad to be back on firm land in the Garden of England. On the other hand I could quite easily have spent the rest of the summer in the West where the weather is best. Who wants to see some photos?!..

August Tonbridge Insider Out Now....

Read all about it. Read Tonbridge LOG, the printed word extention of this Blog, in this month's Tonbridge Insider. Haven't got your copy? Can't find a copy? No matter you can read it online as a kind of virtual magazine....

Talk among yourselves for a bit....

Share your news with the people of Tonbridge, chat about something, give us some juicy gossip (obtained legally of course and preferably not through phone hacking!) get something off your chest. Go on try blogging it really can be quite liberating....

Come and see Mr. B....

No not Mr. Books but Mr. B! If anyone went to Tunbridge Wells Boys Grammar School when a certain Mr. Dereck Barnard was in charge now's you chance to get your own back. Visit Mr. Books next week (probably only on fine days when he feels like it!) have a chat, buy some books, test his product knowledge and generally put him through his paces! Dereck will be in charge for the week so make him feel welcome....

To Bee or Not to Bee?...

I love bees. They work hard, they get very little reward personally for their efforts and, so far as we know, they never complain; in fact they spend most of their lives waggle dancing. In many ways they are the living proof that The Big Society might just be successful! Best of all, in my view, they provide us with the most beautiful breakfast substance available HONEY. Winnie the Pooh, that bear of very little brain, was obsessed with the stuff and who could blame him?! I'm obsessed with the stuff. (Does that mean that I also have a tiny brain? (Not necessarily!) So what is it about this stuff. I don't really know but what I do know is that I love it spread on toast and, better still, drizzled over my fave summer breakfast of the moment: Greek yogurt mixed with sliced banana and a handful of crunchy oat cereal. Try it you'll love it, I'm not sure I invented this treat but I've certainly gone some way to perfecting it. (Works equally well with a dollop of summer fruits.) The honey just finishes it off nicely and gives it that lovely rich sweetness that only good quality honey can. I have no proof for this except my own personal experience but I'm now convinced that local honey cures you of your hay fever. A bold claim I know but I'm not the first to say this. Let's just say that the jar I purchased from the Bourne Valley Farm stall at the last Tonbridge Farmers Market, pictured, worked for me and no they're not paying me to say this although they can if they wish!...

More on Pedestrianising Tonbridge High Street....

There's quite a body of people who want to see Tonbridge High Street pedestrianised. I've said before in previous posts that I have mixd views on this subject. Most folk tend to vote for what's best for them personally so I suppose I ought to be all for it. Tonbridge Blog is certainly all for bringing more trade into the town if that's what it will achieve. Fran Long has sent me a link to an e petition so if anyone feels strongly enough about it you know what to do:

Tonbridge High street has air quality that does not meet EU standards, due to heavy traffic congestion.  This is bad for our health.  Please sign the petition for pedestrianisation, using the link http://www.petitiononline.co.uk/petition/pedestrianise-tonbridge-high-street/3310 You may use either home or work address, whichever is local. Please forward on to anyone else who you think would be interested.

Thank you

Fran Long

Damn those Midget Gems!...

Dentists again this morning. That's the fifth time in under a month. First it was a crown fitting, then back for some lovely root canal work and dealing with a tricky absess! About 3 hours in the dreaded chair in all. Then, just when I thought it was all over before going back for another crown to be fitted in November, I was eating a curry the other day and crunched down on something hard (most probably a peppercorn) then there was an awful grinding noise and the terrible realisation that about a quarter of my tooth had cracked off. Luckily I'd eaten most of the meal by this time so at least I didn't have to chew on further! The pudding course had to be postponed for another time. Thus the visit today to sort that out. Damed those midget gems (my fave choice of sweets when I were a lad) and thank heaven for National Health dentists. So far I've had around a thousand pounds worth of treatment for £204. Still a fair chunk of my hard earned cash but a snip in comparison....

Tonbridge Farmers Market Number 3 coming up....

I'm really looking forward to the next Tonbridge Farmers Market on Sunday August 14th. If the July one was anything to go by it really is not to be missed. Behind Waitrose car park is the venue, with free parking (cos it's a Sunday) right opposite. Don't forget to visit the organiser, Steve The Chilli Man's, stall but prepare your taste buds for an onslaught of spices first. I tell you those dipping sauces ought to come with a government health warning! People of Tonbridge this is a great addition to our town and we need to support this one. Over 50 stalls selling every type of local produce imaginable, a covered eating area where you can sample the delights from the market and some craft stalls as well. What's not to like?...