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.....