A Mad night....

Feeling very tired this morning. I now realise that getting home and making several energizing juice drinks, Jason Vale Juicemaster-style, with my new juicer machine, having a very late Chinese takeaway (their fault not ours) half a bottle of Pino Grigio whilst watching the first two episodes of Mad Men Series 5 on dvd and then, to cap it all, staying up till 2am to watch 10 Rillington Place, the story of serial killer Reginald Chrisitie does not a good night's kip make!...

Mr. Books Dilema....

This may sound a bit like a book title but actually this is no joke. Sometimes blogging can be a bit of fun. Sometimes it can be a way of breaking local and even occasional international news. Today I'm getting something off my chest.
I've been getting quite anxious over what to do with Mr. Books now for quite some time. Since moving from around the corner 16 months ago the shop has become a lot busier and, whilst not what I'd call thriving, the move has more than paid for itself. So why be anxious then? Well, you only have to pick up a newspaper or, as is increasing more likely, an i-pad, to see that bookshops have been closing at a rate of aprox. two per week across the country. So you might appreciate that it's not just my dilemma. The thought of struggling by for very little profit for another ten years or so is a little heart breaking. I love what I do but, as I always joke, this is the hardest I've ever worked, for the longest hours and for the least money! That's fine so long as your labour of love is occasionally rewarded. Those rewards are becoming less and less frequent as more and more people buy online, or cheap from supermarkets or, worst of all, down load e-books. Then there's the dreaded charity shops whose proliferation has choked the market still further. The rise of Oxfam Books, a dedicated charity bookshop with over 130 shops and a huge book barn in Huddersfield, might be the final nail in the coffin. There's little point in barking on, as many book dealers do, about how Oxfam pay little or no business rates, (Mr. Books pays around £3,000 a year btw) get all their stock free and have an army of volunteers. Little point really at all as it's all been said lots of times before. In short with all these combined forces it's becoming more and more difficult for it to make any kind of business sense having a bricks and mortar shop. You can only hold back the sea for so long. Eventually, inevitably it will break the defences and come crashing over you. Whilst new book sales have picked up a lot since moving onto the High Street one is still left with the feeling that you are being thrown the scraps from afew groups such as the lovely community minded folk, the older people who aren't computer savvy and those people who still like good old fashioned service. The problem is, and to a large extent I don't blame them, people will generally vote with their pockets and they have more and more opportunities to do so. Consequently the physical High Street bookshop is being hit from all angles and not really being helped very much by anyone. So what would I do instead? Well the obvious choice would be to do what 95% of book dealers do which is to trade online, by catalogue and at book fairs. The London Book Fair I often attend usually earns me more in a day than the shop does in a good week. That with no overheads, no lease agreement, no long term risk. Most book web sites charge around £30 per month and once again, there's no long term commitment. To be honest the only advantage of having a shop, apart from the sheer love of it, is the amount of books which get offered to you means you have constant supply. That said at present my storage is bursting at the seams. The books come in a lot faster than they go out!
The other possibility, and definitely my preferred solution, is to genuinely turn Mr. Books into a community shop with the community having a part share in the business. I haven't thought this through in any great depth yet or, for that matter, costed it out, but it might work something like this: several individuals, societies and interested bodies get together with myself and decide the value of the business, I keep half the business and they the other half between them. It could possibly be turned into a registered charity which becomes non profit making and gets all the benefits enjoyed by these organisations such as huge business rate relief. I myself would provide expertise and still help to run the shop along with volunteers and young work experience people helping out.  If anyone is interested in this idea then please do get in touch. I hope it wouldn't be too big an exaggeration if I said that it could help save part of the heart and soul of our little town....

Litter bugging me.....

Litter is a constant nuisance in Tonbridge and pretty much every other town up and down the land. Why don't people just put their cans, bottles, crisp packets, cigarette butts and, especially, kebab wrappers in a bin, or carry it home with them? It really is that simple. Other countries cope with litter by better education and instilling a sense of civic pride in people. The sign outside the Alms Houses on Pembury Road, next to the Police Station, sounds a bit of a desperate, feeble plea against the inevitable and just shows how big a problem this is. Will it make the slightest bit of difference though to the kind of selfish, ignorant morons who are either too drunk of stupid to care? I doubt it....

Heritage Weekend.....

I think the organisers of Heritage Weekend in Tonbridge were quite lucky in the end as they just about missed the worst of the storm which swept across England that day. I'm told that most of the strange folk dressed as medieval knights, merchants and peasants slept in their tents over night so they were even luckier to escape the eye of the storm. I did manage to go along briefly on Sunday to the Medieval Fayre and got to see this little fella. It's a Pygmy Owl and the cutest thing you've ever seen. Some people say that I have a bit of an owl-like face so maybe I have a soft spot for these nocturnal creatures being as they may be an ancient ancestor! Less cute was the open air toilet which made me wretch slightly even though it was clearly a fake; if you look closely you can just about make out the rat crawling among the foul mess. What's that? It wasn't a fake? The exhibitors had actually been using it? That's just disgusting!....

Number two 13th Century style!

Heritage Weekend....

Apparently it's Heritage Weekend today and tomorrow. Medieval events going on the Castle lawn, stuff happening at the parish church. Free entry to the Castle Gatehouse and probably other things. Please someone tell us more. I may even open up Mr. Books on Sunday to mark the occasion....

Tonbridge Blog & Tonbridge Mirror.....

Hope you like the new name. I thought about making it just The Tonbridge Mirror but considered this a step too far in one go so, depending on the reaction it gets, the name change could become a permanent fixture. I thought Tonbridge Mirror because this blog could be said to Reflect (geddit?) the events, views and opinions of it's readers. As you know TBlog always likes to take into account the views of its audience!...

A night out in Goudhurst....

Now I'm feeling a little groggy today after a bit of a late night. No not the sort of late night that my 19 year old son puts himself through. You know what I mean: pre-lash at his mate, Tom's, house, followed by Spoons till 10-30, Fusion till 4am and doner kebab on the way back to another mates house where he's crashing down for what little remains of the night. No not that sort of late night. My younger teenage daughter and her friends were going to a party in, of all places Goudhurst and my wife and I had, in a weak moment, offered to drive her there. So we thought, rather than drive there and back twice we'd spend the evening in Goudhurst or Cranbrook. Last night was a rotten night for driving with the rain lashing down all the way down the busy A21 so I was in a pretty irritable mood when we finally arrived. Dropped daughter and friends off in some quiet country lane at a stranger's house, gulp, and then had four hours to kill before the pick up time. Tried the Peacock, on the main road to Cranbrook, first but felt a little uneasy in there, you know like that scene from American Werewolf in London when the two back packers walk into the pub on the Yorkshire Moors and all the conversation stops whilst the regulars observe them. Well it wasn't quite that bad but getting somewhere close to that. There was no one eating in there even though the menu looked okay. It was a rainy night but that didn't excuse it so we went with our instincts and walked out. On to the Goudhurst Inn which looked very nice and plush indeed. The menu wasn't cheap but looked affordable enough. Posh Beer Battered Fish and Chips and mushy peas on the side for £13.25 that sort of thing. We'd noticed an Italian ristorante, as they say in Naples, on the way through so we asked in the pub about that and the reports were quite glowing so that's where we ended up. We made a mental note to go back to the Goudhurst Inn later for a night cap if we had time. The Italian is called La Zia Maria and it was lovely. Lovely food, even though we only had pizza, lovely friendly service, not over attentive or sucking up to you but just the right balance. It certainly seemed natural to the waiters. The spiciness of mine was a little too much though I have to admit so that'll teach me to go for the Piccante! Should have opted for the Quattro Staggioni probably. The deserts looked fab as well and we tried the tiramisu which was divine and, we were told, home made. The selection of beers, as is nearly always the case in this type of restaurant was a little limited and I can't really say much about the wine as I didn't have any but I'm sure that the list was fairly extensive. It would have been nice to have seen the odd micro brewery, craft bottled beer on the list but maybe that's just asking to much. The waiter even pointed out to me when I tried to leave a tip that we'd already paid a 10% discretionary service charge which was honest of him. Oh and he also brought a small glass of cold milk for me to cool down the mouth after that chilli pizza. All in all I would definitely recommend La Zia Maria and we will definitely return soon. Even the name of the place itself gives you a nice warm feeling. Doesn't quite have the same ring to it in English but it means The Auntie Mary and everyone has one of them don't they? Named after the owner's favourite Great Aunt with an old black and white photo of her given pride of place. We rounded off the evening with that night cap in the, now mostly empty, Goudhurst Inn in the outside covered area by an open fire. Then that drive back to Tonbridge in the rain....

Demise of the Post Office....

My comments on a Charles Moore's column today about Royal Mail privatization.... See article here on Telegraph web site  He points out that in less than a hundred years we've gone from 12 punctual deliveries every day to just one half hearted delivery six days a week. How did this happen? How did we get here??


"Sadly I have to agree with this. My experience of the postal service in recent times is mainly queuing up at the central post office in Tonbridge. You wait 5 or ten minutes to be called by a computerized voice to the relevant counter. You are then served by, usually a woman, who looks like she'd rather be any where else but serving you. As they used to say on Coronation Street "A face as long as Rosamund Street!" Being a bookseller I go to the PO at least twice a week and it's my least pleasurable part of the week.  Not so long ago I used to drive to a nice little sub Post Office which was on my way home. Olive was lovely and knew everyone by name; she'd often remind me to put "Printed Papers" on my boxes and envelopes. Of course they closed her down in the last round of sub PO closures. In fact when I moved to Tonbridge 20 odd years ago there were, I think, nine sub POs around the outskirts of the town. Now there are just two. Would privatization improve this situation? Let's hope so because, as you say Charles, a virtually monopoly means that, to paraphrase an old ad campaign, they try less harder!..."

And...

"I do hope that they keep the post boxes red. I still remember the great feeling of pride when my mum trusted me to run to the post box on the corner of the street. I was about six I suppose. Somehow the memory wouldn't be quite the same if it had been a clear plastic box!..."

New Harry Potter film....

Great news for Hogwarts and Harry Potter fans....read on using this link

That comment about the Castle Inn....

She is a bit naughty that Tonbridge reporter, Shams, on the Courier. She phones me up and asks me to comment about the closure of the Castle Inn on the bridge and I said that I didn't know it was to close. She then pushes me in her own special, innocent, quiet way to make some sort of comment and I think I said something, words to the effect, that it would make a nice bookshop café being in such a great location. "There..." I said, "...that's my comment." We then went on to chat about it and, before I know, my motor mouth has made reference to me being put off every time I walk past by the karaoke and the pool table and the feeling of it being a bit of a regular's place, I may have said estate- type pub. I thought about it after our phone call and wondered whether that would be the comment she'd use and, sure enough, it was. Next thing I know I've got people jokingly shouting You snob! through my shop doorway at me. Very sneaky Shams, very sneaky indeed. Still it's only what I'd do in her job so good look to her....

Filming Tonbridge....

Film crew out at the north end of Tonbridge High Street this morning. Anyone have a clue as to what they were filming? Perhaps it's another one of those documentaries about the demise of the tradition high street and how they're full of empty shops, hairdressers, estate agents, charity shops and cafes....

Strange Brew.....

Here's a subject that's closer to the hearts of a few T Blog readers. Beer. I've tried a number of bottle conditioned local (ish) ales over the summer and I particularly liked Hopsmack by Groombridge Brewery. That would be my winner. The draft beers I've particularly enjoyed have been Brew Dog and that one by Chapel Down called Curious Brew. I tasted these in Sankey's, Tunbridge Wells and will be back for more before the autumn leaves start to fall....

Edwin Apps back to haunt me!...

Edwin Apps was in Tonbridge recently for an exhibition and book signing. He was the guy who wrote All Gas and Gaiters, the long running comedy series with Dereck Nimmo as the bumbling clergyman. Edwin was a smashing chap and this is his latest exhibition if you happen to be near La Rochelle in the Vende area of France! There's something about his paintings I find fascinating and quite haunting. In fact I've got one on my wall at home and wouldn't mind this one as well....

Live book viewing with Skype on Mr. Books web site

Two new features on the Mr. Books multi coloured web site: You can now pay directly through the site on Paypal by simply clicking on the button. The other new feature is the Skype live viewing button. Customers can now click on the Skype button and view books live (and me for that matter) which is a lot quicker than trying to describe them on the phone. I think that you'll agree that this will revolutionize the book trade!...

Multi coloured bookshop....

MR. BOOKSBookshop

The new colourful Mr. Books website

Booker Prize coming up....

I've been at it again on the blogosphere. With this years awards coming up soon here are my thoughts about the Booker Prize in response to a Telegraph article:

"Bringing Up the Bodies? Haven't read and won't as I hated most of Wolf Hall. A Sense of an Ending I enjoyed v much; Finkler Question was superb; White Tiger was pretty damned good, The Gathering was good but wrist slashingly depressing; Line of Beauty was beautiful provided you don't mind copious gay sex descriptions; Vernon God Little I thoroughly enjoyed; Life of Pi was ace and a still haven't watched film which I've been meaning to all summer; The Blind Assassin wasn't too bad, Disgrace was harrowing but fabulous; God of Small things I couldn't get on with; Rites of Passage is a must read. That's not a bad record of the ones I've read. The one that I thought let them down (and this is controversial I know) was the supposed Booker of Bookers, Midnight's Children. Perhaps it was over my head as customers in my bookshop have said that it's their all time favourite book. Maybe I should stick to flogging them instead of trying to actually read them!!.."

Anyone have anything to add to that?...

On keeping up school standards....

I just posted this comment on an article in the Telegraph about how students are being chucked out of sixth forms half way through for performing poorly in their AS exams. Is it right that schools should be allowed to do this? Shouldn't they stand by the student instead since they have signed up for a two year course not a one year one? Does it raise the whole question of what our schools are there for?  Read the full article here

"It's high time someone in government put a stop to this nonsense situation. Many grammar schools are doing their communities a disservice and it has to stop. Highly selective schools have got themselves into a trap which they haven't got the guts to get out of. They push for ever higher standards, which seems a noble thing to do on the face of it, but that then has it's consequences further along which we are seeing now. In Tonbridge for example there is only one boys grammar school and it is super selective. That means that the vast majority of the boys from the town itself who pass their 11+ must go to nearby Tonbridge Wells a half hour bus ride away because they missed a few marks. Meanwhile the Tonbridge School in question, Judd School, takes in pupils from up to 1.5 hours journey time, in many cases well out of town, well out of county even. It's ludicrous that a school can leave students in the lurch instead of working out a solution and sticking by them. Yet it is allowed to happen. We hear the old excuse for this shocking treatment of young adults trying to make their way in the world that they don't want to let down the other students by lowering standards in the class. This is  just utter nonsense. We all know the real reasons so why pretend any different. What is required maybe is a rethink and a period of readjustment so that schools can reassess what it is that they are there for...."

More on Apostrophe Apprentice....

In reply to one or two of the comments to the earlier post, sparked off by The Apprentice runner up's well reported apostrophe debate, in fact Mr Books is short for Mark Richardson Books which complicates things even further. So it could even be Mr's Books and still be grammatically correct. Actually that should be M.R.'s Books. The Bookshop is in fact and entirely separate word just to indicate that it is in fact, if you didn't already know it by the name, a bookshop. That's why, on my instructions, the sign writer separated the Mr. Books from the Bookshop with a logo which is meant to be a couple of old fashioned tomes. So to be perfectly grammatical the name should be M.R.'s Bookshop.  All that said I'm still with Ms. Zissman on this. Just spell it how you like because (a) the language is allowed to evolve and (b)it is a trade name. BTW Mr. Books is in fact a registered trademark believe it or not, so no copy cats please.....

Summer Reading....

Also, I'm being all intellectual at the moment with my reading material. Well you're forced to do that sort of thing now and again when you have a bookshop even if just for appearances sake! I'm currently reading (well starting to read at any rate) Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse which seems quite appropriate in a way because a couple of weeks ago whilst in Cornwall I could see Godrevy Lighthouse, which is the lighthouse in question, most of the time in the distance and actually walked up onto the cliff tops to with a hundred yards of it. Quite spectacular views they are as well I can tell you. I'll report back on the goings on in the Ramsay family (in the book) when I've got further into it. If they're anything like the author and her fruity friends I reckon I'm in for a right old shocker.

Before this book I read Franz Kafka's famous Metamorphosis which, at only fifty odd pages, is more of a short story than a book but what a weird old carry on that was. I won't ruin it for you but this young bloke wakes up one morning and he's only gone and turned into a great big beetle. It takes him a little time to adjust and his family, not surprisingly, are a tad upset by the whole episode in Gregor Semsa's life. He dies of course after a few weeks or is it months and only finds true happiness right at the end.

I might try a James Patterson next or maybe a Danielle Steele. Having never read either author I really should....

Pretty Boy....

Some of the crazy stuff I post on twitter. Of course it's always a little abbreviated to fit in the allowable 140 characters. I find this is a bit limiting for a blabber mouth like me but it does keep you disciplined.  Anyway this is actually true. A man does keep coming in Mr. Books with a parrot on his shoulder.

"Man just came in shop with a parrot on his shoulder. The parrot said.... This is the third time in a few weeks. It has beautiful plumage btw"

Apostrophe Aprentice....

And here I go again. This time commenting on an article about the twitter debate raging about Aprentice runner up, Luisa Zissman's, lack of a grasp of punctuation.  Specifically correct use of the apostrophe. See the piece here Many of her followers on twitter would like her fired of course but here's my thoughts.

"You fools. She has been very clever by the look of it. No better way to court publicity than generating a debate even if at your own expense. In any case shouldn't it be "Bakers" Toolkit?! I have the same problem with my business. Should it be Mr. Books Bookshop (as it is) or Mr. Book's or Mr. Books' The young shrewd entrepreneur is right. At the end of the day it's a trade name so she should go with whatever looks right. Apostrophes are very over rated these days anyhow...."

What do you think?

BBC licence fee. Night light robbery?...

A customer in Mr. Books just mentioned that my blog has been quiet which is true. Even Tonbridge Blog needs a holiday now and again. To tell you the truth I have a severe case of the holiday blues this year having returned from an all to brief trip to North Cornwall a week or so ago. I normally find it quite hard to get going again after a break but that feeling usually only lasts a couple or three days. Could be another mid life crisis coming on. Oh God does that mean I'll have to buy another motor bike?!
Anyway, although I don't post a lot on this blog these days I am still pretty active blogging on newspaper web sites and twitter. Maybe I'll start sharing some of those with TBlog fans. For instance here's my comment against a Telegraph opinion column regarding whether or not the BBC should drop its licence fee at long last.

And here's my comment:
"In the current age it would be perfectly possible and reasonable for the BBC to ask customers to voluntarily pay for viewing it's channels in the same way as you might pay for Sky channels. The viewer should not be compelled to pay even if they decide not to watch BBC channels. Why should they? Once there was very little else to watch but now it is perfectly possible to avoid their channels altogether. If that means the Beeb having to run adverts then so be it. Often I'd rather see a limited number of commercials than the kind of self congratulatory links and ridiculous dancing number 3s and so on we are currently forced to endure...."

More on Baby news scoop...

You would expect Private Eye Magazine to put it better than TonbridgeBlog and they didn't disappoint!... (PS. I may even renew my subscription after seeing this!)

 

Man hurt by falling tree near Weatherspoons pub....

I did wonder what was going on last Friday when I saw a huge oak tree being chopped up and loaded onto the back of a huge lorry at the back of the Co op. The whole road was blocked off round that vicinity. I just assumed that a tree had been felled to make way for some new development or something along those lines. Someone just told me though that actually the tree had fallen down and crushed three cars, trapping and seriously injuring one man who was sitting in his. See story here on local news site....

Daphne Du Maurier's Study at Mr. Books?...

What is Daphne Du Maurier's study doing in Tonbridge? See the new window display at Mr. Books....

Best beers?...

As previously blogged about I missed out on the SIBA beer festival, held annually at Tonbridge Juddians Rugby Club. By way of consolation however I have been enjoying some of the lovely bottles of, seemingly, pure nectar which were left over from the event. This has been made possible by the bars manager taking pity on me and kindly invited me to inspect the surplus supplies with a view to sampling them. I've only tried one or two bottles so far out of the dozen I bought but a full report on my investigations will follow in due course....

News Scoop!...

A man and his wife, both in their late twenties, have just announced that they have had a baby boy. The couple, William and Kate from Wales are said to be delighted with the delivery and will choose a name very soon. I can't think of any more to say on this subject other than to wish the couple and their child a long and happy life....  (Their name is Wales and they're from central London, Ed.)

SIBA Festival....

What a superb weekend for the beer festival at the Rugby club. In complete contrast to last year's event which, can you believe it was flooded and was therefore cancelled, the organisers got their reward with an absolutely glorious weekend. Hot weather it seems is very good for beer sales. A little birdy tells me that on Friday night alone they'd sold over 1,400 pints of the lovely sticky nectar. Not really surprising when you consider that there were around 120 different beers and ciders on offer and all from independent brewers. Imagine how gutted I was therefore when I discovered that the event fell on the exact same weekend as my niece's wedding which I had little choice but to drive up on Friday night for and return Sunday evening thereby missing the whole festival. The wedding was lovely though so I guess it was just the way things go sometimes. I hear that the whole festival was a great success. I'm already looking forward to next year's and will have to have a word with my other niece's and nephews to make sure that the same clash is avoided!...

What Arts Festival?...

I wasn't going to say any of this publicly, but it's been bubbling up inside me for a while now and I feel that the time is right to speak....
The original Tonbridge Arts Festival started life as a literary festival which, granted, was a little too narrow. It morphed into a very decent ten day coordinated series of events held together by a common purpose: to bring the folk of Tonbridge out to appreciate some of the finer things in life and to be properly funded and supported by the community. Yes there were tribute bands and The Three Degrees but there were also evenings of orchestral music and projects like the Big Picture and Dancing in the Street which hit people in the face with wonderful images, involving them and giving them something to ponder on. There were very well attended poetry nights, a lovely evening of short films; art exhibitions, schools events, a literary day on the castle lawn with talks by great authors which was like a mini day at Hay on Wye Lit Fest right here in Tonbridge. There was pottery, ceramic arts, printing and demonstrations of other visual arts on the Lawn. K College, many local schools, Tonbridge School, and Tonbridge council were all among the many groups and hard working individuals involved. Last year's was a great effort but the momentum has perhaps been lost this year and it needn't have been so. Although I somehow doubt it, I do sincerely hope that this momentum is regained for next year's event because last weekend's effort was no Arts Festival, just a few sporadic events occurring over a weekend. Having a business is all about making a decent amount of money but you cannot judge an arts festival on how much profit it makes; that's not the point of it. The bigger events with mass appeal should fund the events which need to be encouraged like poetry, like local band nights and classical music and short film nights. The organisers may not ultimately achieve it but I believe it is their purpose to have a go at stretching the intellect and imaginations of the community. Isn't that after all what "The Arts" are all about. Oh yes and I'd even put up with a fake Freddie Mercury if they made a real effort towards that goal.... 

What we don't need is more Radio Gagga....

Some of you seem to have got in a bit of a tiz about my "pompous" comments regarding the Killer Queen concert. To coin a phrase some of you need to calm down a bit. You'll live longer if you do! That's the point of a blog you know to let people have their say. Just because my views don't always agree with your own doesn't mean you have to have a go. I'm sorry if I find Killer Queen and tribute bands a bit naff and clichéd. They have their place if you like that sort of thing and I've already admitted that I've seen a few in the past. I also cannot deny that it was a commercial success given that it was sold out. (the weather must have helped on that score though.) But as the centre piece of an Arts Festival? I'm sorry but lets not even grace it with that phrase. An arts festival should, in my opinion, be about lifting peoples expectations and making them think a bit deeper than a 30 year old song that they've heard a thousand times, sang by a saddo in a yellow jump suit, which they can shake their heads to while they get slowly drunk. So if thinking that makes me "pompous" then so be it. If the fella who runs the local indie bookshop doesn't push for a better appreciation of The Arts then what hope is there left?...

Watch out for Fake Fifties....

I tweeted about this yesterday but I'll post it here to make sure people know about it. Especially to shop keepers of Tonbridge: Watch out for fake fifty pound notes. I was very nearly  caught out yesterday and would have been £35 plus four books down if I'd fell for it. Even though he was friendly, chatty and smiley something did smell bad, I sensed something wasn't quite right so I didn't accept the note even though it passed the ultra violet light test (at least partially.) It wasn't just the note but the man himself: he was smartly turned out with a slightly well spoken accent but that didn't sit right with his tattoos and very shaven head. My good nature though was telling me not to judge people and, like I said he was a chirpy chappy. He was trying to pass himself off as a bit of a young professional, city trader type, going away for the weekend; so it was believable enough. He also chose his books rather too quickly which sent a signal to me that he hadn't really been too bothered what they were. Also he was interested in True Crime which maybe was his way of taking the micky, having one over on me! When it came to payment he then said he had a company credit card which he could use so the only note he had was the fifty! A bit too slick I thought, so made my excuses about not wanting to be wiped out of change which was sort of true anyway. There are quite a few checks retailers can make on banknotes to verify that they are genuine but most of the time we don't have time or don't think there's a problem. With a £50 note though that's a heck of a hit if it turns out to be a fake. I realised for certain afterwards that the note was a fake because, firstly, it felt too new and smooth (real ones have slightly raised print) and under ultra violet light it showed up a "50" which cannot be seen by the naked eye but, crucially, not the thick green line which should show up bright under the light. There are several other checks worth knowing about and the Bank of England web site illustrates them for each banknote in a very handy guide. I would urge every shop keeper to cram up on this because fakes are getting more like the real thing. Needless to say the fraudster/thief didn't return for the four books I saved for him while he went off "for some lunch" No doubt he went on to some other poor unsuspecting small trader to rip them off instead of me....

The Song of the Paddle....

Why I love canoeing. There are no better words to describe it and no wonder a canoeing enthusiast's web site took its name from this:

“Introduction:- Odysseus ordered his men to plug their ears when they sailed by the island of the Sirens so they would not be lured to their destruction on the offshore rocks by the sea nymphs' irresistible song. In order to hear the song, Odysseus asked his men to lash him to the mast. I know all about this sort of thing because I hear a song like that of the Sirens every spring when the ice on the rivers begins to break up.

Years ago in the heart of Winnipeg, Manitoba, I would be working at my desk in a commercial art studio, hear the song, hand in my two weeks' notice and get my outfit ready. My parents thought I would outgrow it but I never did. If anything, the song is becoming louder and more insistent with the passing years. Some people hear the song in the quiet mist of a cold morning; others hear it in the middle of a roaring rapids. Sometimes the excitement drowns out the song. The thrills become all that matter as we seek one rapid after another. Sleeping, eating and living outdoors become something we do between rapids. But for other people the song is loudest in the evening when they are sitting in front of the tent, basking in the camp fire's warmth. This is when I hear it loudest, after I have paddled and portaged for many miles to some distant, hidden place." 

From The Song of The Paddle by Bill Mason (Without the kind permission of the web site of the same name- but I'm sure they won't mind!)

Killer Joy....

Walking past the castle about 7 o'clock yesterday evening I noticed that the Killer Queen concert was sold out. I'm not sure how many the castle lawn holds but a couple of thousand I'd have thought or there abouts. That's a lot of people wanting to hang on to a lost era or Radio Gagga, Bohemian Rapsody and, well yes, Killer Queen. Don't get me wrong, Queen were an awesome band in their day but it always amazes me that people will pay good money to see a clichéd poor imitation of the real thing. Some of these tribute bands have been playing the same stuff for twice and three times as long as the original artists themselves. Now there is something rather sad about that fact alone. Freddie Mercury ain't coming back so just let him go!...

If you must buy books online try Hive....

Still, sort of, with independent retailer loyalty schemes in mind it's worth pointing out that, in my own business of books, there is a new scheme which is getting a very considerable following which is difficult to find anything wrong with it at all. If there is a catch I have yet to work out what it is. For those of you who insist on buying your books online, and you know who you are, there's a new way to do it and, at the same time, support your local or favourite bookshop. Instead of buying via the well known online book retailer whose name I can no longer bring myself to mention, go to Hive.co.uk and order online. The prices are discounted on thousands of titles and you have the choice of free delivery to your home or the convenience of picking up from your local participating bookshop which then gets a small commission on each sale. It's that simple and can be totally trusted as it was set up and ran by Gardners Books who are the family owned book wholesaler who supply most of the independent bookshops in the South of England and have millions of books listed. In fact Hive.co.uk stock pretty much every book in print and many print on demand titles can be ordered also. You can also order e-books, DVDs, stationary and music on the site. It's a far better experience still to actually go along and browse the books on the shelves at you local book store but, if you really must order online at least give us local indies a bite of the cake!

Even More on Tonbridge Loyalty Card....

The Tonbridge Town Team members responsible for the TLC would do well to read this article on the Guardian website before ploughing ahead with the current scheme being proposed. There are some interesting options which they may not have considered. Personally I'd be more in favour of a gift voucher scheme of the ones mentioned.

More on Tonbridge Loyalty Card....

This letter from Susan Adams of the Tonbridge Town Team tells us everything about how our town is to get some TLC (that's short for Tonbridge Loyalty Card.) Maybe I'm just an old cynic but I'm still not convinced that this initiative will save the town and that it's not all maybe just a bit too old hat. Or does every little help? Might it be worth 50 quid to find out? What do you reckon??
Here's the letter from Mrs. Adams:

 

 

Those businesses that opened two Sundays ago for the Taste of Tonbridge day did exceptionally well, with reported crowds in our town centre of over 20,000. 

I was surprised how many shops managed to find window space to advertise a show in Tunbridge Wells that was on at the same time, but not for this event that would keep the public in Tonbridge.

 

To build on the Taste of Tonbridge success, the Town Team aim to launch a Tonbridge Loyalty Card on 1st October.  A basic overview of the scheme is as follows (N.B.  IT IS NOT A DISCOUNT SCHEME) : 

• Cards are given out to shoppers at no cost (available from various locations in the town, from participating traders, shops, businesses)
• Participating shop, businesses, traders each have a unique Tonbridge rubber stamp
• Every time someone spends £10, their card is stamped (maximum of 3 cards/18 stamps in any one spend) - if participants collectively felt a £10 spend was not enough, or indeed too much, this could be tweaked
• Once a card is full (6 stamps in total) shoppers then "post" the completed card into prize boxes - these would be hosted at various town locations.
• Once a month there will be a prize draw, the owner of the winning card is issued with £50 of Tonbridge vouchers (issued in various denominations) to be redeemed in any of the participating shops and businesses.
• How the redemption works - for example someone buys a bike from you and has £50 of Tonbridge Loyalty vouchers - you would validate the vouchers and deduct £50 from their spend.  You then return the validated vouchers to the Town Team, who in turn refund you £50.  Therefore even though the vouchers have been redeemed in your shop, you are not at a loss.

That in a nutshell is how the proposed scheme would operate (there would have to be a set of rules and standards, ie any winning card agrees to have their picture in the local press, as a prize draw with no visual winner is not good promotion for the scheme) - it's not a discount scheme and businesses are not actually giving money away to customers, it's all about promoting shopping and using local shops and businesses and a networking means for participants.  There would be advertising in the local paper with a photo of the monthly winner being presented with their vouchers by a participating business, and underneath the article (how this works elsewhere) a list of the participating businesses.

 

The cost to each participating business would be £50 a year, and for this each would be issued with a unique Tonbridge rubber stamp, cards to go in their window and by the till, and also a number of cards for giving to customers for stamping.  The scheme would run January to December, so anyone joining in the first year would get 15 months for the price of 12 (ie October 2013 to December 2014).

 

Nothing is set in concrete. The prize draw figures could be altered and if the scheme grew we could then afford to have a number of monthly draws, a bumper month or could decide to say put on a late night shoppers event etc etc  Also this type of scheme is not limited just to High Street shops, we see it including all town trades, shops and businesses in Tonbridge.   

 

Members of the Town Team will call on you shortly to request your involvement.  Any questions, please do not hesitate to ask them, or email me.

 

Kind regards

Susan Adams

SARA. She's so 21st Century!...

I see that Slade Area Residents Association who are, in many ways the heart of the town, has finally launched itself into the 21th Century and gone and got a web site. I haven't had a peek yet so let Tonbridge Blog know what you think. Click on SARA

Roped in yet again!....

Sunday was set to be a bit of a dull day what with nothing being planned and the garden looking depressing over grown. That was a job I knew couldn't wait. So obviously I decided to let it wait and went for a bike ride along the Penshurst cycle trail instead. It been quite a while since I'd done it and I fancied a ride out across our beautiful countryside. So off I wobbled on my wife's bike which is a good one but a lady's one nonetheless and they are different you know. I'm not sure quite how, apart from the obvious cross bar missing, but they definite handle differently. Anyway after a very pleasant slowish ride along the river, across fields and through woodland, after a very steep climb I then descended down into the village with the majestic Penshurst Place looming in the foreground. After a little tootle through the village I noticed that the Leicester Arms was closed and up for sale which must be a sign of the times. Then I noticed that the village fete was on so decided to venture in. What a lovely setting for a village fete it is as well so I locked up the bike and headed over for the stalls to have a look. Moments later I was sitting in the shade on a glorious summers day drinking Chiddingstone Cider and watching the world go by and listening to a fairly competent singer who was doing a good job of entertaining the kids centre stage. He did remind me a little too much though of the cabaret singer on that bad but addictive comedy Benidorm; a very decent singer but a bit cliched and hammy. Incidentally they put ice in the glass which worked a treat making a really refreshing drink which I felt I'd earned what with all my cycling activities. I then rounded it off with a succulent burger from the barbe to get some energy for the ride back. Then came the announcement. The Leigh village team are the traditional challengers to the Penshurst team in the Tug Of War and they hadn't turned up so they were looking for volunteer team members. Must have been the effects of the Kent cider but, amazingly, I found myself raising my hand to offer my service. I must have inspired others to have a go because before too long a team of eight reasonably burly blokes was assembled and, do you know what, the scratch team made up of villages and dads who just fancied a go didn't half give the Spotted Dog team a tug for their money. We lost 2 1 but were by no means anihilated. Okay there was some cheating on the leg we won and we may have gained a couple of extra members but no one cared and it was all good, if not clean, fun. Next came the tyre lifting competition which again people seemed reluctant at first to join in the fun. As you can imagine, after the high adrenelin of Tug of War, I was feeling well up for it and managed to lift what must have been a small lorry tyre above my head a full 22 times which ain't bad for an old codger like me. I was pretty pleased with that and, for a time it looked like no one could beat it. Until, that was, the reigning champ traipsed up to the centre and nonchantly did 34 lifts. I almost had my moment of glory and a medal. So close!
So it only goes to show sometimes you're in for a dull day and turns out bright and cheerful....

Anyone else get these letters or is it just me?!..

....and just by way of contrast a very polite young lady, a Miss Dennis, from Ghana in Africa has written to me asking for my help. I'm not sure how she knows me but maybe she just likes booksellers and bloggers or something. Maria Dennis doesn't sound much like an African name come to think of it but who knows. She wants to send me some money which has been locked up in her uncle's bank account I think. What should I do?!

Dearest Beloved!

 

My name is Miss.Maria Dennis, from Republic of Ghana in West Africa. I am 23 years old and i am the only child of my parents, I lost my parents in a road accident in the year 2004. My father was a successful business man before he died. He had a large estate which he willed all to me but my uncle have  confiscated everything and subjected me into an unbearable pains since the death of my parents.He forced me to live in his house,he treats me like a slave to worsen all my movements and life is being restricted and monitored all day.

 

But i am glad to discover that he could not trace one of my father's assets which is a consignment deposited in one of the leading security companies in our country. This very CONSIGNMENT contains

($6.800,000,00) My father's lawyer which was my fathers close friend was able to move this CONSIGNMENT to a Finance Company in our neighboring country Togo and have been waiting all this while for me to get to this age before he reviel the infomation to me.

 

I want to ask you if you are capable to help me on this by receiving this fund in your account and also investing it into any business that can benefit both of us.Long as you we remain honest till we meet to gather.

 

Also i will connect you to my father's lawyer who will stand on your behalf to facilitate this transaction. Immediately this fund is transferred into your account i will come over to meet with you in your country for the investment of the funds to any tangible business that can benefit both of us.

 

I look forward to your feedback.

 

Best regards

Miss.Maria Dennis

 

PS. In all seriousness, if you don't know it already, never respond to one of these emails. I have spoken to some who have fallen for it and it has cleaned out their bank accounts. Instead talk to me first or, if you have spare cash click on the Donate button to the right and give Tonbridge Blog however much or little you can afford!!

Just Clegg it mate....

Some guy called Nick keeps writing to me on an almost weekly basis. I just can't seem to shake him off. He just will not get the message. I'm not interested in you babbling. It's all hollow lies:

Dear Mark, Money, jobs and investment dominated the agenda this week. On Wednesday, the chancellor set out details of the Spending Round: the last set of savings we will have to announce in this Parliament. On Thursday, Danny Alexander followed up by announcing massive new investment in our roads, rail, housing and infrastructure. And the moment he was finished, I rushed down the road to talk with the leaders of some of Britain's biggest cities about the next wave of "city deals", devolving financial and economic power to our great urban and industrial hubs. Creating jobs. Stopping the build up of Labour's unsustainable debts. Getting the economy back on track. That's the central purpose of this government: it was on the day we started and it will be right through to May 2015. And what about Labour? For three years their central purpose has been to accuse Liberal Democrats of betrayal for our determination to tackle the deficit and rebalance the economy. And now? They've effectively admitted we were right: they wouldn't reverse a single one of the cuts we have made. They finally accept that the difficult work we've done to set Britain back on the right path has been worth it. So if you've been on the receiving end of attacks from Labour supporters over the last three years, now's the time to fight back. They're the ones who crashed our economy and racked up unaffordable debts. They don't have a credible economic plan and it's no wonder people don't trust them with their money. Labour want us to be embarrassed about our record in government, but they couldn't be more wrong. We can be hugely proud of what we're achieving. Balancing the books and rebalancing the economy isn't easy - especially not for the millions of families still struggling to adjust after the collapse of our financial system in 2008. We haven't relished any of the difficult decisions we have had to take, but we know they were needed. Because even though progress is frustratingly slow sometimes, it is happening. More than a million new jobs created, and a million apprenticeships started, too. Tax cuts for every working person, with two million freed from paying any income tax at all. Better protections for pensioners, higher standards in our schools, and help for all those struggling to find work. We need to get out there and explain that story to everyone we meet. Labour don't have an alternative. They should be apologising to the country for the damage they did to the economy - and apologising to us for the brutal accusations they laid at our door while we were cleaning up their mess. Liberal Democrats have done the right thing, in the national interest: cut taxes, created jobs and invested in Britain's future. There are just two years until the next election so let's stand up and be proud of what we've done. Best wishes, Nick Clegg

Farmers Market in the High Street?...

Interesting how many people are commenting about how well the market in the High Street worked on last Sunday's Taste of Tonbridge day. Tonbridge Blog has always said that the railway carpark location for the Saturday market is not a good one and was only ever meant to temporarily house it. So why don't we grab the initiative, seize the moment and strongly request that at least the monthly Farmers Market be held along the High Street as a trial. That way shoppers would be drawn onto the street instead of a car park at the back of Waitrose and shops would have a reason to open up on Sundays. If it was a regular event car drivers would know where they stood and could plan around it. In any case the effect on traffic on Sundays would be minimal. This should be the moment to push for this. Are you reading this Steve the Farmers Market organiser and Tonbridge and Malling Council officer responsible and Highways department official at Kent County Council and Tonbridge Lions marshals. Actual this last sentence kind of highlights why it probably won't happen. Too many cooks spoiling the broth?!

Make Tonbridge Amazing!...

I've just discovered this YouTube link which I think may have been part of the Mary Portas pilot bidding. Can we make Tonbridge amazing? Have a watch and let's hear thoughts....

Dragon Boats in Tonbridge....

I hope the Dragon Boat racing goes well this weekend as part of A Taste of Tonbridge Day and just a quick reminder that I do loan myself out to boat crews. If they are short of a team member I'm your man. I do a bit of canoeing, I'm 6'2", I've even got my own paddle oh, and two strong arms. I'm reasonably fit for a bookseller I guess so how about it? I'll have my swimming trunks and nose clip on stand by! It's about time we made more use of the river running through our town and I'm looking forward to watching the races. In or outside the boat!! Might open up Mr. Books in the afternoon as well to enter into the spirit of things....

Tonbridge Open Studios....

I managed to visit several of the South East Open Studios in the Tonbridge area over the weekend and was mightily impressed with many of them. In fact it was a lovely peaceful way to spend my Fathers Day morning. I particularly enjoyed going to Hadlow as there is a little cluster of studios in the village centre which you can get round in less than an hour if you're pushed for time. A couple of them even had tea, coffee and cakes for sale at school fete type prices.  The studio which really stuck out for me, even if just for the beautiful garden, was Lucy Prescott at Natal House in the shadow of the Hadlow Castle tower. Even the drizzly rain didn't stop my enjoyment of looking at some really quite striking glass and metal sculptures majestically sprouting from the flower beds and hanging from tree branches. Open Studios is a smashing idea where the public can just visit without appointments at the allotted times in the programme (you can of course view them online if you prefer) see artists at work, get tips on how to improve techniques or even buy some of their works. Most are still open this weekend so go and take a peek for yourselves....

What's In the Tonbridge Mirror this week?

 

 Hope you like this new innovation. It is, quite literally, a Mirror of Tonbridge which is used in Mr. Books as a What's On type notice board. Originally it just happened to be a spare space in the shop but I thought it was quite appropriate to let it "mirror" what's going on in the town. I'll probably make this a regularly updated post. Oh look I see in the Tonbridge Mirror that it's A Taste of Tonbridge day this Sunday with Dragon Boat Racing and market stalls all up and down the High Street. Soon the Tonbridge Arts Festival will be upon us with it's shows on the Castle Lawn and talks at K College. Then in the Tonbridge Mirror there's a music Festival called Music on the Hill later in July. What's that you say? That's Kings Hill? Well it's still Tonbridge and Malling Borough isn't it?! Apparently it's worth the ten mile trek over that way as well so I'm told. Keep looking in the Tonbridge Mirror to see what you can see....

 

Do I enter again or not?

Tonbridge Half Marathon 2013 Sunday 22nd September   In support of the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust, Carers First and other local charities

Warning: Tunbridge Wells folk realise Tonbridge is better!....

Some fellow bloggers from over the border in the upstart daughter town,Tunbridge Wells, have written nice things about Tonbridge. The Anke's a couple, who each have an influential blog on their adopted town, sort of a His and Hers of the blogsphere, came a for a visit last week and Mrs. A has posted a lovely write up of their visit and some even lovelier photos including one of Yours Truely. The new Turkish Restaurant gets a big thumbs up as well. Yes it's true Mr. & Mrs A we have a park and a swimming pool, a castle and much older buildings than your quaint young town. We also have shops, some of them nice independent ones, and some very nice eateries.They are very welcome to come and visit our town any time they like but let's hope that they don't spread the word about Tonbridge too much. I mean we don't want a full scale invasion now do we! Read it here 

Favourite Takeaways anyone?...

Some of my favourite takeways like The Daily Rice and Avebury Avenue Fish and Chip shop have already been mentioned on Tonbridge Blog over the years but what are yours? Let's hear what the best are in Tonbridge. Are they charging too much or is it about right. How often can we afford them? Are they healthy or should we make the effort to cook every day so we know what we're eating? Are so called free deliveries really free if these food businesses give you a discount to collect or is this just a clever ruse? When you can easily spend £50 on a family curry or Chinese carry out isn't this stretching the budget too far? Nothing like putting businesses in the spotlight to improve services and quality!...

The Ghost of John Adams Bookshop!...

This is a letter sent by Doug Jeffers, who some readers will remember was for many years the owner of John Adams Bookshop which was opposite the Post Office, to Shepherds Directory which publishes an influential weekly newsletter for the rare and secondhand book trade. Although it is somewhat off the wall, to say the least, it does raise some serious questions which we are all aware the High Street is facing thanks to much publicized campaigns from the likes of Mary Portas. Doug closed down John Adams a few years ago sighting the opening of Oxfam Bookshop as his main reason for leaving Tonbridge. He decided instead to concentrate his efforts on his Balham bookshop which, sadly, he's now decided to close as well. Here's his letter to Shepherds:

Business Rates We are closing very soon after 23 years.
  The reasons are the depredations caused by large corporations, facilitated by the free-ride given them by governments of every stripe. The first lesson of the 'Free Market' is that that there is no such thing. The 'big battalions' which can do a job for government are given privileged status: financial institutions, private utilities, supermarkets, internet and phone companies all facilitate the retreat of the state and herald the 'Corporate State'. Mussolini must be smiling up or down as his dreams are being fulfilled!
  So I am closing down because:

  1. At my last rent review, coffee shops like Starbucks were mentioned as a comparator - this is a surprise as they are a struggling company which hasn't made a profit for 13 years! But they do useful work in giving our under-employed MPs somewhere to sit and wi-fi their John Lewis catalogue.

  2. The rent goes up, the rateable value goes-up. Landlord's profits go up and mine go down so illogically (curiouser and curiouser) I more tax and rates! If landlords had to pay this tax, it would slow their hand when it came to raising rents and their huge lobbying influence would stay the hand of government from raising rates. The rentier economy - the property boom - got us into this mess in the first place and now the present government is squeezing the last dregs out of retailers to make us pay the deficit. Something like 26 billion p.a. is paid in commercial rates!
  They have deliberately raised the multiplier to 45% and moved the revaluation back two years because businesses are prisoners of a lease-system where upward-only rent clauses are prevalent and tolerated in law and landlords costs are mitigated by service-charges and often a 'hidden rent'. Lease holding rate-payers are low-hanging fruit for the government, because unlike Starbucks and Amazon, and other privileged cosmopolitan aristocrats of the economy, the bailiffs can visit their address without a plane-ticket and international warrant.

3. But it's not that the government doesn't care. Tony Blair's 'sofa government' has been improved by feeling-down the back of the sofa for the TV remote control. Out-of-touch MPs - Eton, PPE at Oxford who have never had a proper job - can find out about today's Britain by watching reality TV (which amounts to about 75% of programmes these days) and then get the 'experts' (someone who's been on TV) to fix the country for them - Jamie Oliver, Sir Alan (three bags full!) or Mary Portas. Poor Mary - the unscrupulous con-men in government pushed her out into the tumbleweed 'high streets' with a few pantomime horse outfits and a whole Million Pounds in her little purse. As Noel Edmunds would say "a life-changing amount of money." (compare 25 billion).  Our pantomime horse outfit never arrived (and anyway I'm not going to be the back-end and that's final!) so we are shutting-down.
  Did I mention my rates have increase by 125% in three years and that I pay considerably more per square metre than the Sainsbury superstore next door?
  Wouldn't starting zoning from the back of the shop be closer to a progressive taxation- system especially in these days of 'click and collect' which is making warehouse space as valuable as high street frontage?

4. I'm so angry about the insult of the rates I nearly forgot 'Oxazon'! Amazon, as it is widely known as, struggled for more than eight years before they made a profit. Yes, I know, us booksellers are pushing for that record at the moment.
  Someone up there in the great candy floss machine of the money market kept dipping their stick in to keep them going until they achieved monopoly position. Meanwhile, they trailed the great wooden horse of internet bookselling up to our ramparts and we all rushed and pulled the necrotic parasitic beast inside.
  For us 'second-handers' while Amazon was delivering crushing volleys of lefts and rights to the body a new corporate giant arose from an unexpected quarter: the Big Society.
  Oxfam fervently abandoned its conscience domestically and joined the capitalism game. They employing a big-hitter from the city who rolled out a chain of 'Conranised white cubes' which chimed with the minimalised modernity of middle-class culture - more and more of less an less. If they claim innocence of delivering the knock-out blow to second-hand bookselling, they are at least guilty of holding the bully's coat and delivering sly and sickening kicks to our ankles.

5. Apart from the weather having a nervous break-down this year, our shop has had other severe environmental problems. As soon as the snow clears or torrential rain stops, the privatised utilities, or the railway, or TFL, or somebody arrives to dig up the pavement outside, and palisade the shop against passing trade. Obligingly, at quiet times - like Christmas.
  As TV cook fans will know, freshly-dug trenches have to be 'proved' like dough for several weeks before they can be worked on, and allowed to settle for a similar period afterwards before they can be filled-in. This gives the prisoner time to try to claim for collateral damages such as broken windows and ringing up Paris to find out when the hole might be filled in. Isn't business so cosmopolitan these days? They even have a French phrase for the powers that these organisations have over you - 'droits de seigneur' which, I believe, has vulgar sexual connotations.

5. Mrs Thatcher abolished UBR to stop Commie-councils from raping business with exploitative business rates to pay for the feckless poor. And so our story ends where we began, except that it's the government that is raping businesses to bail-out the feckless rich.

6. So if the government would only start looking after the voting-tax payer and stop playing little boys games: if it could lose its fascination with things 'big'; big funerals, big Olympics, big London, big 'small wars', big society, big business, big ideologies (yes, free-market is an ideology) and provide some bigger government for small business, perhaps, as even Lord Young has recently claimed, we could start to cure our economic woes from the bottom-up by soaking-up unemployment. The 'clones' might get less of a kicking from the 'clowns'.

To booksellers everywhere 'Good-bye and Good luck'. Doug Jeffers - MY Back Pages, Balham - and yes Closing sale Now On!

Dragon Boat Racer anyone??..

Love the sound of the Tonbridge Taster Day and especially the Dragon Boat race. If only I had a crew to latch on to. Me being an experienced canoeist, veteran of at least three dragon boat regattas 6' 2" and built like a brick, er hem, out house and all. Any takers? Or are you scared of the competition?!..

PS. Have the Town Team got a web site? If so can they let me know it and I'll post a link....