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....

Mr. Books Christmas Window display....

My creative director and head of  Mr. Books window designs, aka Mrs. Books, has been a very busy bee over the weekend. It's meant to be a typical 1940s (or is it 50s) Christmas scene. Back in the days when books were still our main presents instead of a just stocking fillers. You know the sort of thing. Anyway hope you like the results and, even better, come along for a browse at the shop. Perhaps buy the odd Christmas present in the shop. If you're really pushed for time its just possible to pick up all you presents here. I'll be happy to offer advice to tailor to your friends and family's needs!

For those with a keen eye maybe you'd like to enter the Town Team's Odd One Out competition. The idea is that there's something in the window display which doesn't fit in with the theme. There's a card in the window of each participating shop and you have to compile the results and take them to Gateway at the Castle to pick up your prizes and entry forms. Something along those lines. In Mr. Books window there are actually two odd ones out. No not me that would just be ridiculous. I may be a bit odd but not odd enough to be the odd one out surely!

It's the weekend

What to look forward to this weekend. I say weekend because for me the weekend starts now and not, as for most non-retail workers, Friday.
Phase II of the Christmas window dressing at Mr. Books tomorrow.
Tonbridge Farmers Market I reckon should be on Sunday morning being the second Sunday of the month. I'll pick up some lovely bread, cheeses, real ale bottled beers and maybe some Christmas crafty gifts.
Probably go for a run as I'm in training again. Perhaps I need a goal. Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon in Feb should do it. 13 miles of cold gruelling hills. Okay it's probably not that bad but, hey, I was a sprinter at school not a distance runner. My sinews just aren't the right length/shape!
I've been really enjoying reading Simon Armitage's "Walking Home- Travels With a Troubadour on the Pennine Way" Not that surprising really as (a) I too walked the Pennine Way not so long ago, inexperienced and on my own and (b) I love Simon Armitage's edgey poetry. Some people say it's not poetry at all but, frankly, what does it matter what you call it. Anyway at the very least he's poetic and the book is bringing back some beautiful memories for me....

Aleister Crowley's love of cats!...

Just heard a disturbing story about an old boy of Tonbridge School. If you know who I'm talking about then you'll realise that just the mere mention of his name is disturbing enough. I'm  talking about the famous poet, mountaineer, drug addict and devil worshipper, Aleister Crowley, who attended the Big School in the late Victorian period. By all accounts he didn't fit in all that well. In fact that's putting it very mildly indeed and it's nearer the truth to say that he most likely hated every moment of his few years there. He vented his frustrations one day, so the story goes, by skinning the then Head Master's cat! (Well the school was founded by The Skinners Company after all!) Whether this is true or not seems unlikely ever to be verified but the boys of the school seem to relish believing in this macabre tale....

Christmas lights look stunning....

Yes and I almost forgot to mention the Christmas lights in Tonbridge. Thanks to the comment by 'Outraged' for reminding me. The lights do look absolutely lovely; they're not at all tacky as so many are but instead they're really rather tasteful. I love the ones along River Walk especially as they make great use of the riverside. From the town bridge at night they look quite stunning as they illuminate the river. So, a big well done to Tonbridge and Malling Council (one assumes) Look at me I'm doing it again, praising the council, being positive about the town. It didn't even hurt me as well! Photos to follow at some point....