Happy Halloween everybody!...

Don't go falling asleep in the bath now!

Italian cuisne in Orpington anyone?...

Found myself in Orpington last night, for reasons I haven't got time to go into but wanted to mention the restaurant we ended up eating dinner in called Café Medi. Didn't look much from the outside and right on main drag of the High Street nearly put us off. But £12.95 for set priced menu sounded good to me so in we went (not before having walked the whole length of the street and back to see what the choice was.) Let me just say that it was really fabulous not just for the price but fabulous full stop. I think it's a popular place anyway but, if you are ever over that way pay them a visit and you almost certainly won't be disappointed. Apparently the head chef is a bit moody (aren't they all?!) but, hey, if the food's that good who cares so long as he stays in the kitchen! You can see their menu here

Ann Treneman at Mr. Books last Saturday....

And here is Ann Treneman during the book signing event at Mr. Books and standing proudly outside the shop just before.
"It was great of Ann to agree to come along last Saturday and it's not every day that you get The Time Political Sketch Writer, a journalist with such a fabulous reputation in my small independent bookshop in little old Tonbridge," said a thrilled Mr. Books! "Oh and there are still some signed copies left in stock in the shop." He added....

Jane Austen? Hardly recognisable....

I loved this story in The Telegraph about Jane Austen being given the "Katie Price treatment" as her face is to feature on the new £10 note. For a moment I thought it was referring to something else but that part of her anatomy appears not to be in view so I suppose it must be talking about the way she has been 'touched up' to use a photographer's parlance. As many of you will know Jane Austen's family come from around these parts and there is a very active Tonbridge branch of the Jane Austen Society. I'm sure they'll be tickled by the story....

Sweet smells....

Blimey those Drytec smells in Tonbridge can be a bit overpowering!...

Will it be 1987 Storms all over again?....

Let's hope not but it could be time to batten down the hatches if weather reports are anything to go by. Are you listening Michael Fish?! Bob Ogley, who found fame by writing In the Wake of the Hurricane and many other Kent history books, will have his pen at the ready!...

Ann Treneman at Mr. Books tomorrow....

She's The Times political sketch writer, she appeared on the Andrew Marr Show last Sunday to give her views on the stories in the Sunday papers. She's very approachable and I'm sure won't bite and she'll be signing books and talking to customers at Mr. Books from 2pm to 4pm tomorrow (that's Saturday.) This is a great chance to meet Ann and perhaps have her sign her latest book, Finding the Plot 100 Graves to Visit Before You Die, for you. It sounds a bit of a deadly topic but I assure you it it'll be worth getting hold of a copy.

"It's a slight departure from Ann's usual political sketches but it's still a great read and is written in her usual deadpan (geddit?) style!" Commented Mr. Books.....

Tonbridge People Power....

Thanks for the masses of comments coming through about the new Angel Centre development it shows that, when there is something major happening in the town, people really do start to get involved. Whether it changes the outcome remains to be seen but a bit of people power often goes a long way....

We pay our taxes: Amazon vs Hive.co.uk

This is my comment to the boss of Amazon who reckons that they are a benefit to the UK and that they do pay their taxes. Read the article here:

"I didn't hear any mention of the way his company has virtually destroyed the traditional bookshops in the UK and other countries. I didn't hear anything about how they have used tax advantages to undercut prices in order to create a virtual monopoly market for themselves. Use Hive.co.uk as a very competitive online bookseller. They are the initiative of Gardners Books who are a family run, large wholesaler who supply most of the independent bookshops in the South. Every book, cd or dvd you buy from them is similarly discounted and provides a small commission to your nearest or favourite independent bookshop. Oh and I believe that they do pay fair taxes...."

Sainsbridge!!..

I've just come back from the Regeneration exhibition at the Castle and can confirm that there is indeed great interest in this Sainsbury's project. In fact you'd be forgiven for thinking it was the church Christmas jumble sale there were so many people milling around and trying to get in. A right old scrum going on, so there was, for what is now the last hour of the exhibition. Having now seen the plans I repeat what I said earlier: What's not to like? Considering how busy it was in the Old Council Chambers the staff, who all sported Sainsbury's badges even though most worked for the architects involved, were all very helpful and informative. I probed a bit deeper by asking one of them a few questions about the parking issue, particularly at the proposed cinema, and he said that this had been the number one concern during the weekend's public consultation. He emphasized this by saying that he wished he could hold up a neon sign which says that there would be plenty of parking, in fact far more than there currently is across the two sites. Congestion in the town centre could be another issue but, it seems, parking is covered off. If you like your sports then the facilities at the new leisure centre will be right up your street, much better than the current ones on offer at the Angel Leisure Centre by all accounts. The cinema itself looks like it will be a much needed, state of the art, modern complex and a real asset to the town. Sainsbury's will be, well, a supermarket and a big one at that. You'll be able to buy lots of, er, food and drink in there and there'll be lots of parking right outside. In fact much like any other large super market. It may be the crucial thing so far as dear old Sainsbury's are concerned but, sorry, I just can't get too whooped up about that bit of the project.
I guess the only negative that I can think of, provided they are as good as their word on the parking front, is the loss of Beales which currently is Tonbridge's only department store. But then that might open a door for some other group to move in like M&S or House of Fraser, perhaps even a John Lewis. Overall Tonbridge Blog is very positive about this development and can only see it being a strong stimulus for the town....

New shopping environment, a cinema. What's not to like?...

Quite a few comments coming in on the so called Regeneration of Tonbridge Plans, being exhibited for public consultation at the Castle, which is not surprising since it is likely to be the biggest development in Tonbridge for the next decade or so. The loss of parking seems to be an issue and some are concerned about the effect of shops possibly wanting to move off the High Street into the new units around the Angel development. I've got mixed views on this. On the one hand I can understand fears about the loss of parking spaces but would this really stop shoppers coming into the town? I doubt it will make too much difference. Wouldn't they be more likely to come to Tonbridge if the quality of the shops and the shopping environment were improved? Perhaps we should be thinking about how we improve access into the town by bicycle and public transport as well as by car. I wholeheartedly agree with the suggestion that parking charges should be on exit from the car park. This simple measure would do away with the need to guess how long you were going to stay when buying a ticket and would usually mean shoppers would stay longer. Very simple and very effective. Incidentally it would also do away with the laughable sight of two or three traffic wardens hovering over cars in the Angel car park whose tickets are about to run out. (It happened to me on more than one occasion.) Less revenue from parking fines from the council though so maybe they'll stick with the current crazy system!
A cinema in the town would be a big plus and I for one would support it. Anyone with teenage children will know what an absolute pain it is having to drive over to the Odeon and then back again later in order to make sure they are safe and don't have to walk back to High Brooms across deserted retail parks late at night. So we shouldn't underestimate how good it will be having a cinema. That said it would have to be comfortable, state of the art and not some flea pit....

Tonbridge Town Centre "regeneration"

A note from Tonbridge Civic Society I thought I'd share as the proposed plans are pretty significant for Tonbridge. Plus here's a link to Tonbridge and Malling BC's information about the project 

 

"This note is to give you details of the Public Exhibition concerning Sainsbury’s and the Council’s plans for the town centre.

 

The Exhibition will be held in the Council Chamber at Tonbridge Castle:

·         from 10am to 8pm on Friday 11 October and

·         from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 12 October.

 

We have been informed that the Exhibition will be set out in two parts, with a common theme of economic regeneration for the town centre.

·         Sainsbury’s will be presenting proposals to develop new facilities including new shops and restaurants to complement the existing town centre, a new larger Sainsbury’s supermarket, and a multi-screen cinema.

·         The Council will be displaying its plans for a proposed new leisure and community centre on Bradford Street car park.

 

This public exhibition is intended to provide the opportunity for local residents and businesses to come and see the proposals and to discuss them with representatives of Sainsbury’s, the Borough Council and their advisers.

 

The Council has indicated that feedback received from the exhibition will be used to refine the plans before planning applications are submitted."

 

Anyone got any thoughts on this. Shall we just let Sainsbury's do whatever they like with their our town? Happy to lose Tonbridge's only department store, Beales??..

 

National Poetry Day is this Thurday....

Still some tickets left for National Poetry Day evening of poetry being held at the library this Thursday. Advanced tickets available at Mr. Books at £3 each or take your chances on the door. I think you might even get a glass of wine included in that price so it cannot be bad....
Poetry Society
Forward Arts Foundation