The great storm....

"....So terrific was the wind that houses and barns were blown down., trees uprooted, and no glass facing South but was broken. Crops of hops and wheat in that year were utterly destroyed, while immense hailstones, many inches in circumference, caused the sad loss of life to both man and beast..." The great storm of 1987? Global warming causing calamitous climate change like an apocolyptic American movie? No, for I refer of course to that great destructive storm which swept across Tonbridge and the Weald of Kent in the year 1763!...

Druids alive and well in Tonbridge?...

Some readers of this blog will recall the Bull Hotel in Tonbridge High Street. Perhaps a few of you will even recall having eaten or drank in there. I bet not many of you realised that it was once home to the meeting of Druids. I discovered this extract from an 1896 guide to the town called "Tonbridge for the Resident, The Holiday maker and the Angler A Descriptive and Historical Handbook" (They had long titles in those days!)

 "...At the Bull Hotel the local branch of the Ancient Order of Druids meets, and weekly congratulates itself upon being one of the strongest and most important lodges in the kingdom...."

I've never seen anything else written about this before; anyone care to shed any light on this?...

Father Michael found dead.

I have to report some sad news which has been confirmed to me by reporters at the Kent and Sussex Courier. Father Michael, who has been the subject of some rather serious allegations and had to be reliquished of his position at Corpus Christi, has died. Early indications are that he was discovered dead by his elderly mother yesterday morning. There are rumours of a possible drugs overdose. I'm sure that Tonbridge and in particular the Catholic community of the town will be in shock over this. We may never know whether or not the allegations leading to his arrest late last year would have ever been substantiated but it's probably best for everyone to draw a line under the whole episode and move on. When I posted the original item simply expressing that it had appeared on that week's Courier front page I had absolutely no idea of what was to come. Well over 300 comments and still coming in. If Tonbridge Blog gets 20 comments then usually that's on the high side so 300 is a phenomenal number. I've read most, if not all, of them and have been quite shocked, disturbed and at times even a bit scared by the depth of feeling it had clearly caused. Early comments suggested that I should take the post down and not help to spread gossip but I chose not to and, after a while, it was clear that to do so would have left others with no means of replying. Whether that was wise or not I'm not quite sure; but one thing's for sure this blog does seem to have served as the unofficial forum for people's views. If nothing else it has served to let people get their thoughts off their chests, to vent their spleens. Yes most of that has been anonymously but sometimes that's when you find people speaking the truth. I'm sure that the community will all pull together and help each other through this difficult period. It's an easy thing to say but time does heal everything eventually. I have never expressed a personal opinion on the subject and neither will I now

Ghostly Norman in Tonbridge Castle!...

Ghostly Norman or Creepy Tim?

It's not very often that Tonbridge Blog is lazy enough just to directly quote what a reader has sent in but I just couldn't resist this one from Tim Ton (who I guess is someone called Tim who lives in Tonbridge!) I love the comment about the ghostly face on the wall of Tonbridge Castle. Personally I think creeping around in the dark in Tonbridge has possibly sent Tim slightly off his rocker. Or maybe he has spotted something that the ghost whisperers couldn't. And yes I do happen to know that paranormal tests for orbs and other such phenomena have been carried out on at least one occasion within the depths of the Castle gatehouse over night. Don't think they discovered anything other than a few creepy shadows. (Perhaps it was Tim Ton crawling around!) Have a look at Tim's picture and see if you think this is evidence. This is what he said:

"In case you run out of things to say on your blog (yes well obviously I did run out!) I enclose a few photos I took of Tonbridge. I have a habit of creeping around town at night with my camera.
The picture called "Ghostly Norman" is a little spooky because if you look at my head..or the shadow of my head on the right of the picture, there appears to be a strangely "Normanesque" face peering out."

A £7,900 slap for Tonbridge Blog!

Someone who lives in Rose Street, Tonbridge (you know who you are!) cost me £1.58 this morning. A great start to my Saturday I must say! I got a Royal Mail unpaid postage slip through my shop door the other day and had to go to the post depot this morning. This hardly ever happens so I was curious to know what it could be; maybe someone requesting a book had just forgotten to stick his stamps on the letter. But actually no. Once I'd coughed up my money which, by the way, included a £1 "handling fee" by our dear post office I opened it to discover a copy of the Tonbridge Insider and scrawled across the front in no uncertain terms the recipient had written that they did not want to receive their free copy any more. If they were so bothered wouldn't it have been far easier just to put it in the bin rather than go to all the effort of posting it? Or does this person have a right to demand not to receive the magazine? If so surely we'd have to apply the same rights to every other bit of junk mail that landed on our door mats wouldn't we? As far as I know it would be quite a problem, if not impossible, stopping one household receiving their copy. Just in case anyone else is thinking of playing this same trick on TonbridgeBlog spare a thought for me as you see I only write for the magazine I don't run it! The editor's details are in the back of the magazine if you feel that strongly. I'll be suprised if there are many more people who don't think it worth at least a quick read as there is, after all, quite a lot of information about local events in there if nothing else. If all 5,000 of the circulation don't like it though that £1.58 extra postage could turn out to be a rather hefty £7,900. I'd better steer clear of the post depot for a bit!...

Get something off your chest on Tonbridge Blog....

Did any stories in the local papers niggle you this week? If so make a comment below and share it with the rest of Tonbridge. Some of the Articles on Tonbridge Blog have a staggering 10,000 page impressions so you'll be letting quite a few people know your views....

Tonbridge Then and Now....

High Street (Not sure quite where)

Barden Park

Outside the Chequers Inn



Top of Quarry Hill



I've just bought a lovely old photo album called Pictureque Views of Tonbridge published by R.J. Garton which apparently was an Art, Needlework and Fancy Goods shop at 50 High Street, Tonbridge according to the title page. (Not sure what's there now?) I paid far too much for it on ebay but I'm glad I did because it has taken me momentarily back in time. Back to a time when life seems to have been much less hectic, when people sent postcards instead of emails and texts, when everything didn't have to be done so quickly. Maybe in reality it wasn't so idyllic but I bet people were far less stressed out in those days at the turn of the century. Here are some of the pictures which Tonbridge Blog can bring to you because presumably no one still holds the copyright on them. If they do then show me the proof and sue me! In the meantime I thought I'd share them with the town and Tonbridge expats the world over. They show long forgotten shops, lost pastimes like boating along the river and swimming in the Medway bathing pool (basically the river!) There's Barden Park which is now a housing estate and was once the seat of Andrew Judd the founder of Tonridge School and Lord Mayor of London. I love the simple one of the cyclists at the top of Quarry Hill and the view of the Public Hall looking towards the bridge. How different it all looks now....



The unofficial Bathing Pool in the Medway









The Public Hall near where Mr. Books is now



Gay old town....

There's a story in the press today about a gay couple who were ejected from a pub in the heart of usually very liberated Soho. They protest that they were doing nothing but snogging (that is to say that it wasn't heavy petting.) So were they doing anything wrong? Personally I find it mildly embarrassing when anyone, gay or straight, old or young, openly snogs in front of me. That said I wouldn't throw them out of my bookshop for doing so, let alone a bar in Soho late in the evening. I might shout "Get a room!" or words to that effect but I would leave it at that. So is Tonbridge ready for such open shows of sexuality. What would the landlord of the P&J or the New Drum have to say about it. Maybe it already happens and they think there's nothing bad about it in the 21st Century....

A brand new bright tomorrow for Tonbridge?...

So what is happiness? Is it possible to measure it? Can money bring it? We all want it, we all talk about it, we all enjoy songs about it. There's a great deal about happiness from the current government and well known journalists writing about it. Policians, philosophers and businessmen have tried to break down the causes of it almost from the beginning of recorded time to try to find out whether it is defineable and measureable. And yet I doubt whether we even know ourselves whether or not we truely are HAPPY. We can feel happy on a night out with friends, or if we win a bet at the bookies, even after a nice meal; but does that make us deep down contented. I often look miserable and deep in thought but feel happy inside. Does any of this matter? So Tonbridge Blog this week asks the question: is Tonbridge an up town or a down town? Are the people happy or just muddling along.

As Morcambe and Wise put it:
"In this world where we live, there should be more happiness,
So much joy you can give, to each brand new bright tomorrow....

Let your arms be as warm as the sun from up above,
Bring me fun, bring me sunshine, bring me love."

Or maybe you prefer Ken Dodd's version:
"Happiness, happiness, the greatest gift that I posses
I thank the Lord I've been blessed
With more than my share of happiness

To me this old world is a wonderful place
And I'm just about the luckiest human in the whole human race
I've got no silver and I've got no gold
Just a whole lot of happiness in my soul...."

Potter about....

A guy called Mike (didn't get his surname) just came into the shop to see if I could mention Open Studios on the blog or in The Tonbridge Insider. I said maybe if he promised to give me a go on his potters wheel, teach me how to throw a pot. (Think that's the expression.)  He's going to take me up on that so watch out for flying clay if you are walking down Shipbourne Road near his studio. It'd be funny if his surname is Potter wouldn't it! (Yeah halarious!)

Comment here on stories in the news...

If you have views on any stories in the news, either local or national, this week and want to get a debate going with the people of Tonbridge then use the comment box below. Go on get something off your chest right now! Keep it fairly clean and inoffensive though please....

It's official: Council policies a load of rubbish.....

Revealing piece in the the Telegraph today about councils up and down the country imposing draconian fines of up to £1,000 for people contravening the regulations on household waste. The Tory Government intends to clamp down on councils imposing fines for such petty offences calling some of the charges "immoral." Apparently some naughty people have been daring to put out extra black plastic sacks next to their wheelie bins. Tut tut smack on wrists! The council officials are being referred to as the "Bin Police" or, in at least one case, the "Rubbish Gestapo." Is this fair? Are these just the most extreme of cases? Has anyone in Tonbridge been the victim of such over zealous enforcement?

Sometimes on Sunday....

Mr. Books open? On a Sunday? What's going on? Just fancied it really. Lots of people out in Sunny Tonny, garden done this morning. Family out shopping. Anyway it does say on my opening times: "Sunday Sometimes"

Hello Mrs. Resch....

And speaking of people I bumped into today in the Spring sunshine. On my way over to Bronsons newsagents earlier I met Mrs. Resch, the Head Teacher of Slade Primary School. Now there's a lady who has a lovely smile and always brightens up your day whenever you see her. She just seems to genuinely ooze enthusiasm and happiness. The kids of Slade are extremely lucky to have her in charge. They have a great simple motto at Slade which is Best Team Happy; it's the first thing the children learn when they walk through the doors of the school and I'm sure that sentiment remains with many of them for years to come....

The Spring Sunshine in Tonbridge....

Isn't Spring lovely. I just nipped out to Bronsons newsagents for some milk and a paper and bumped into several people I haven't seen in months. It's as if we've all been hibernating and now we can all pop our heads out into the sunshine. Bright colours abound and yellow daffodils bob their heads as if bowing to greet us all. Now look what's happened: I've come all over poetic. Must be that fresh Spring air!...

Tonbridge Farmers Market....

I see in the Courier this week that a local vegetable producer has been given permission in principle to hold a monthly Sunday farmers market in Tonbridge. As regular readers will know Tonbridge Blog has been campaigning for such a market in the town for quite some time, so this can only be good news for the town. The people from the council in the article who say that they are baffled that previous attempts at regular farmers markets haven't worked, when there are successful ones in neighbouring Shipbourne, Hildenborough and West Malling, obviously don't live in Tonbridge. The first two are run by village enthusiasts and are, crucially, weekly so they become part of the shopping routine of the community. The other market is right in the town centre and in a town which is more cut off than Tonbridge and one which has a lovely centre with a very wide road through it which isn't too busy and again has a real sense of community. Good luck to Steve Wood, who is prepared to give it a bash, but I remain convinced that the Tonbridge farmers market needs to be on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday; it needs to be weekly and it needs to be either in the old market square next to the Chequers Inn or around the Castle, which has had a market there for around a thousand years (apart from the last nine years that is.) If I'm not proved right then I'll eat my straw hat!...

The David Cameron/Mr. Books look....

I see in the papers today that David Cameron is sporting the Mr. Books look. Baggy arsed pair of jeans with Polo shirt that's two sizes too small with un-ironed collars, undone to reveal pasty bit of skin at the neck line. And that my friends is just about the only thing that me and Call Me Dave have in common. Mind you his shirt is probably Armani with the label replaced for a Marks and Sparks one for PR purposes, mine is most probably from Peacocks in Tonbridge!

April Insider out now....

Good issue of The Tonbridge Insider this month. There's Tonbridge Log, which is a kind of in-print version of T Blog, and there's a piece about the first ever Tonbridge Half Marathon. Lots of other little snippets and titbits. Well worth a read I'd say. Even though I haven't actually seen my copy yet it's available online like a virtual magazine; so it's almost, but not quite, like having it in your hands. Look out for it sliding through your letter box any day now....

Mr. Books too ugly for Kent Life Magazine?

Great piece in Kent Life's March issue about old bookshops in Kent. If you can be bothered to wade through all the property ads it starts on page 50. It has some great pictures of bookshop owners and a piece about their thoughts on books and the book trade. There's the Chaucer Bookshop in Canterbury, Baggins Book Bazaar in Rochester, Michael's Bookshop in Ramsgate and The Edenbridge Bookshop. All very well and good and I'm sure they are all worthy of a mention. But, hang on, there is one notable exception, and I think you all know where I'm going with this!.... Actually Mr. Books and the Tunbridge Wells bookshops do get a small mention in the "Other bookshops in Kent" side bar. Being as the editor of the magazine is Tonbridge based then gee thanks Kent Life!...

With these hands....

I've had a busy Saturday afternoon making the most of a rare bit of free time. Before wandering down to watch the TJs play on the park I had a little look in the parish church where the Easter "Eggstravaganza" (geddit!) was taking place. There were lots and lots of things going on mainly with young children in mind but also some interesting bits of art by local artist Christine Highland and also some craft bits and pieces. But being a shallow minded, superficial kind of bloke I was naturally drawn to the small display by Tonbridge's very own sculpting celebrity, Guy Portelli. I think the idea was that his works were all of an Easter theme, so there were hands that could be interpreted as fish (with a bit of imagination,) silver egg boxey-looking objects with crowns fitted on top and, the centre piece a curvey, warped, cross inlaid with glass mosiac. Very impressive stuff actually in my opinion (not that I have any qualifications to say this other than knowing what I like to see. He's certainly got something and the Dragons of BBCs brilliant series Dragon's Den could also spot this as they invested around 90 grand 'of their children's inheritance' in his business. Small wonder then that some of Guy's works are selling for over £20,000 each. And they aren't even exclusive originals; he normally does them in small edition batches of about ten copies. If I had the money Guy I'd have bought the hands one there and then. Ah well at least I've got the photo to remember them by. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I was trying to be creative myself and just wanted his hands in shot without him posing behind like he did. Good picture though none-the-less.... 

TJs Romp it again!...

For regulars down at Tonbridge Juddians rugby club this sort of figure on the scoreboard has become rather a familiar sight. The game finished nearer to fifty points but I left their Kent Cup semi final game against Blackheath with a few minutes to go. I very much enjoyed my Saturday afternoon treat of a pint of Larkins Ale also. Looking forward to next season when the TJs will be facing some really quite stiff opposition in the national league. I may even stay to the end of those matches....
PS. Just a small nit picky point to the person responsible for the scoreboard though. Should there be an apostrophe before the S of TJs or not? Opinions are divided on the correct use of the apostrophe but, in this case, there seems no justification for it. It doesn't refer to the TJs belonging to anyone or anything; neither has there been a word or letter missed. Actually there has, if you count the rest of the word 'uddians after the J, but I doubt whether that is the reason it's been used and in any case that would mean that there should also be one after the T in place of the 'onbridge. (That apostrophe in the word it's, by the way, was used correctly to replace the ha' in the word has.) That's enough on correct use of English grammar; let's (let us) have another pint of Larkins! Or should that be Larkin's?!

Parking attendant finds a useful role....

I spotted a traffic warden earlier this afternoon, by his hideout in the Castle, busying himself cleaning the Parking Fines Mobile. He was certainly giving it a good old hose down getting all that grime off taking rather a long time over it, probably to run down the last hour or so of his shift. Still at least while he was there he wasn't slapping a £30 quid ticket on some poor unsuspecting shopper's hatchback car for being ten minutes late back! They'd probably do the town a favour if they just cleaned our cars full time instead....

Last Post....

Well that's it then my friends. Tonbridge Blog is off. Someone has just left a very valuable book on my doorstep and I'm off straight to Sotherby's auction house. It's actually a copy of a book I've only ever dreamt about before. I never thought I'd see a copy let alone own one. It's the First Folio of Shakespeare's works and I can hardly contain myself. If it's the real thing, and I'm 99.9% certain it is then it will fetch between £10 and £15 million. Unbelieveable! A just reward for all that hard work I've done over the past seven years shifting books around, moving them in and out of the shop, getting up at 6am on a Sunday to do book fairs. Working every Saturday for the last six years, being an unofficial tourist information office. Well, no more, it's the high life for Mr. Books now. Off he goes into the sunset with a glass of champagne in his hand. See you all then everyone. This will be the last ever post on TBlog....

Tonbridge Mayor's Blog....

During her closing speech at last night's Tonbridge Film Makers show of the Tonbridge Arts Fest our Lady Mayor, Councillor Sue Murray, slipped in that she had been writing a blog during her year in office. Obviously Tonbridge Blog's ears pricked up at this mention and, naturally I've taken a look to see if there's any juicey scandal on there. I'm sorry to disappoint you on this but there didn't seem to be from my brief read. However I can tell you that she went to the dentists recently and that she's been on antibiotics, which led to a bout of ,er hum, the runs. Now that's too much information Lady Mayor. What we really want to know is has the power of being the Mayor attracted the advances of any young men? Have any dangerous liaisons began with dignitaries from our German twin town? Has she uncovered any great financial corruption in the last few months? That sort of thing. Being as the Mayor's Blog is on the council's own web site I should think it highly unlikely. If anyone can be bothered to pour over the months of events, council meetings and centre openings in order to find out more then please do tell....

Filming the Arts Festival....

And still reflecting on my arty day yesterday I went on to a sub committee meeting for the Tonbridge Arts Festival to help put together the programme for literary events for the next festival. If you're interested it's highly likely that it will take place at the back end of June into early July 2012, which seems a long way off but, in planning terms, the more time the better. We went over last year's programme and came up with some innovative new ideas some of which, no doubt, will eventually fall by the wayside but there'll be a few that may make it all the way to next year's festival.
As if that wasn't enough, after dashing home for a hastily eaten dinner, I rushed over to the Angel Centre for the Tonbridge Film Makers presentation of The Film Show of the Tonbridge Arts Festival 2010. We were even graced with the presence of the Lady Mayor who had been a keen supporter of last year's festival and was clearly feeling nostaligic and wanted to be reminded just how good some of the events were. The film club had put together a slickly edited montage of the event split into the two main sections of Literary and Visual Arts and, in the second half of their show after a very welcome coffee and choccy biccie, Performing Arts. I managed to attend quite a few events but obviously it was impossible to go to everything so last night's show served as a timely reminder of just how rewarding the whole project had been. I felt really quite proud to have been involved in some of the organising and also having been compere at a few of the events. I knew that, in my own small way,I'd done my bit.  I'm sure the club secretary won't mind me saying that DVD's of their show are available for a £5 donation. The evening served to remind me of the spirit of the festival. The Flash Mob's fabulous version of Dancing in the Street, where the High Street was suddenly transformed into a scene from Fame on a busy Saturday afternoon to the stunned amazement of shoppers; the Big Picture, a giant installation on the Castle wall; The Fish project with their giant weird and colourful fishy sculptures along the riverside; Rob Parkinson's superbly musical traditional story time; the talk by the author of Heist, about the security depot robbery just a hundred yards or so from where it actually took place; and local-up-and-coming magician, Jonathan Shotton's, wonderful Las Vegas style show were just a few examples of memories which came flooding back to me thanks to Tonbridge Film Makers show....

Just Joe in The Last Bookshop....

Reflecting on yesterday it turned out to be quite an arty kind of day. Pretty much all afternoon The Bakery, a small inde production company, were filming in Mr. Books while customers mingled amongst them. I gather that they've been filming in Halls, Tunbridge Wells, and Baggins in Rochester as well for various scenes in the film. In my shop they seemed to be mainly filming close up shots of Joe, the small boy in the story who is amazed by these things called books which he's never encounted before. (Joe bears more than a passing resemblence to William in the Just William stories which is probably appropriate.) They had him peeping round bookshelves, walking past childrens books, holding big piles of magestic tomes. I even added to the content of the film as the crew took me up on my suggestion to discover JR. Harley's Fly Fishing in among a pile of old books. When the film is released (June this year I think) you probably won't even have a clue that some of the scenes were filmed here but I'll know and that's good enough for me. Good luck to them and I hope they win prizes at the Cannes Film Festival. You never know! Either way I'm certainly looking forward to seeing the final version....

Life without books!...

Twenty five years, six months and two days. This is the length of time it has been since The Last Bookshop has had a customer. The Bakery, a small independent film production company, are filming some scenes right now in my shop. A small boy called Joe, who has never heard of a bookshop, let alone been in one, stumbles across the shop which is, quite literally, the last bookshop in the world. That's about as much as I've managed to glean about the plot but it sounds like an excellent theme for a slightly surreal, futuristic fantasy. It's kind of the ultimate consequence of the internet's effect on the world of books. That's an awfully long time between customers but sometimes I know how the old bookseller in the story feels!...

The Last Bookshop update...

The film crew from the small production company called The Bakery have actually called my bluff and arrived to do some filming. In typical media luvvy style they arrived only to tell me that they were off to grab a spot of lunch before they start filming. So that's a three hour lunch and half an hour's filming and they'll call that a day's work! Still I'm looking forward to seeing Mr. Books shop in the final version of the film which will be called The Last Bookshop. See it in all good cinemas, er, never!...

Invasion of Teddy Bears at Angel Centre....

As well as the usual treasures and bric a brac at the Angel Centre flea market there was an invasion of teddy bears of all shapes and sizes last Friday. I dare say that some of them were quite collectable and probably a bit pricey but wonderful to see none-the-less.

Chickens: Eggstremely good value?...

And still talking about Nottcuts garden centre in Pembury I noticed yesterday that you can now buy chickens there. The coup and gear will set you back an arm and a leg but the chickens themselves are very reasonably priced at £25 each. I think you have to buy at least a pair (or is it a brace in poultry talk?) so that's fifty quid. Two eggs a day at about 20p each you'd have you money back in well less than a year even allowing for chicken food. Sounds like a good deal to me. Might even give it a go. Mind you there are more foxes about these days and then there's bird flu; so maybe not....

In search of the perfect plants....

I'm feeling a bit achey today but also a bit satisfied and smug. You see yesterday on my day off instead of doing yet more boring painting, as I have been doing the last few weekends, I went over to Nottcuts at Pembury to see if I could buy some nice plants to go in four very different specific places in my garden. I think if I'd put a bit more effort into it then I probably could have alot greener fingers than I do but, up to now, gardening as a hobby has never really interested me enough to learn all those strange latin names. So yesterday morning, when I wheeled my huge trolley through the narrow isles full of barbeque equipment, bird seeds, spades, forks, small tools, outdoor furniture and all manner of shiney new things for the garden and then out into the huge area of bedding plants, fruit trees and wonderful colours, I thought I'd be inspired and would instinctively know what the right choices would be. But not a bit of it; in fact I felt myself getting more and more confused and the heat of the sun was getting more and more intense as I stripped off layers to try to keep calm and make a rational choice. I felt myself misting over and nearly just went home empty handed. Then I saw the sign for the Plant Advice Centre, which was really just a big hut plonked in the middle of the garden centre, so went in hoping that there wouldn't be a queue. In fact at first there didn't seem to be anyone there but I could hear the voice from behind a partition of a man on the phone. I rang the bell to make it obvious that I was waiting. Sure enough after a couple of minutes out popped a sprightly young man who, straight away, seemed to seize upon my quest for the perfect plants as a kind of personal challenge. I explained that I needed four plants for four entirely separate purposes. I realise that this might sound a bit functional; a bit like buying books to fill a space on a shelf or a picture to match a colour scheme in a room you've just decorated (come on we've all done it!) but sometimes you need this.  Anyway this plant adviser couldn't have been more helpful; we spent a good twenty minutes looking at climbers, roses, screening plants, fruit tree, bamboos and evergreens until eventually he left me to have time to think alone so that I could make my choices. If you're not a gardener you've probably stopped reading this post by now so for the green fingered among you these were my choices:
Hydrangea petiolaris which is a climber and will cover a rather ugly wall to the side of my house.
Choisya ternata Sundance which is to now planted in front of my porch which has quite a stark looking tiled area with a three foot drop; so this yellow and golden leaved shrub will camoflage it.
Photina fraseri (Red Robin) an evergreen which will eventually grow to about seven feet tall and will act as a partial screen between my house and the neighbours with its red new foliage which turns green.
Ceanothus arb. Trewit which will make a stark looking side fence in my back garden look more colourful and interesting.
I listened to the Nottcuts man's good advice about how to plant them out and the instructions on the labels and followed them to the letter, mixing in more than enough compost and new top soil in order to give my new infants their best start in life. Now all I have to do is water them occasionally and watch them grow. The only thing is it might take two or three years before I see much change and I'll probably have moved house before we see their full effect. Yesterday I was reminded that gardening can be a lot more rewarding than just cutting the grass and trimming the edges. I'm aching from all that digging, bending and lifting but boy do I feel smug....

Award winning marmalade....

In the latest Slade Area Residents Association (SARA) newsletter it tells us that Kathie Foster Smith's award winning maramalades are available in "a local farm shop" BUT WHICH ONE? I'm now informed that Kathie's skill in the kitchen also extends to making chutney. You see I love marmalade in the morning on my toast and I'm rather partial to a nice generous spreading of chutney on my crumbly extra mature cheddar. Come on Kathie you know where I am you can always sneak me a couple of jars in when no one's looking. I won't tell anyone (well, ok, just the whole of Tonbridge but that'll be good for next year's sales!)

Pigeon Pie!...

Tonbridge Blog wrote about the pigeons around the castle and how people encouraged them by feeding them tasty tit bits of bread and bird seed (scroll down the Pecking Pigeons.) There were some rather cruel comments about what to do with them and the words Winged rats, vermin, filthy feathered things were mentioned more than once. Here is a recipe from Eliza Acton, the famous Tonbridge poet and cookery writer which may help with a useful perhaps even environmentally friendly solution!

Pigeon Pie (As published in Modern Cookery for Private Families by Eliza Acton, 1845. Reprint copies available from Mr. Books by the way!)
Lay a border of fine puff paste round a large dish, and cover the bottom with a veal cutlet or tender rump steak, free from fat and bone, and seasoned with salt, cayenne, and nutmeg or pounded mace; prepare with great nicety as many freshly-killed young pigeons as the dish will contain in one layer; put into each a slice or ball of butter, seasoned with a little cayenne and mace, lay them into a dish with breasts downwards, and between and over them put the yolks of half a dozen or more of hard-boiled eggs; stick plenty of butter on them, season the whole well with salt and spice, pour in some cold water or veal broth for the gravy, roll out the cover three-quarters of an inch thick,secure it well round the edge, ornament it highly, and bake a pie for an hour or more in a well-heated oven. It is a great improvement to fill the birds with small mushroom-buttons, prepared as for partridges; their livers also may be put into them.

Food from a different age perhaps but the quality of her writing and that eloquent Jane Austenesque use of language make me want to go right down to the castle in search of some fresh pigeons. Someone get the stove on....

Tonbridge Cookery writer Eliza Acton....

In her day, which was the middle of the 19th Century, she was bigger than Mrs. Beeton (late 19th Century) perhaps even than Delia Smith in hers. The best thing is that she lived in part of the house which is now known as The Priory in Bordyke, Tonbridge, only a couple of hundred yards from where I now sit. Even better a few of the recipes in her famous book, Modern Cookery For Private Families, immortalize Tonbridge with tastey ideas like Bordyke Veal Cake, Tonbridge Cake and Tonbridge Ginger Wine. I won't say too much more about her because I'm probably going over old ground. I've had trouble in the past tracking down a copy of the book, which was the first to list ingredients and provide an easy to follow method, but now it has been reprinted so you can buy a copy from your favourite Tonbridge book store. No not WH Smith but Mr. Books! There are a number of copies in stock priced £16.99 in hardback which, when you see the size of it, you'll know is good value. You could pay over £100 for a first edition of the book but why do that if you only want to read it....

Turner in Tonbridge talk....

I hear that The Civic Society talk about famous painter Turner at the Angel Centre yesterday evening was, sadly, not a resounding success. There used to be a problem at the meetings when speakers were asked (often rather bluntly) to speak up. This was partly due to the noise of the air con in the Riverside Lounge of the Angel Centre but also due to the lack of a microphone. So the committee of the society invested in a decent mic which has been put to use for most of this season's talks. However it seems that at last night's talk they experienced a few problems getting the sound levels right. I understand that hearing aids were being turned down all across the packed room! The subject matter at these talks is usually extremely interesting and I'm sure that last night's would have been no exception. That said it obviously helps to get the balance right between quality of sound, content and quality of speaker. It would be interesting to read comments from people who were actually at the talk....

Turner in Tonbridge?...

Tonbridge Civic Society are meeting at the Angel Centre Riverside Lounge which, curiously, is not on the riverside by the way, tonight at 7-30 for coffee, tea and biccies for an 8pm start. The talk will be all about Turner the artist, who I bet you didn't know painted quite a few pictures of the area including the landscape around Summerhill House. Go tonight to find out more; it's free to members. If you're not a member you can pay £2 on the door but why be so tight with your money? Just join it's only £7 for the whole year and you get to meet some new people and go to some very interesting talks and trips....

Tonbridge Arts Festival Update....

A meeting of some of the committee for last year's arts fest was held yesterday evening at K college to decide on a future direction. The overwhelming feeling in the meeting seems to have been very positive that the festival can be built up and the best bits from last time round can be used to make a bigger and better event probably early summer next year. One thing everyone agreed on was that availability of tickets should be better publicized and available from a variety of sources and, especially, that a secure and trusted online booking facility should be developed sooner rather than later. That way, with a bit of luck and a following wind, most of the events will be half booked well in advance of the festival. Should anyone wish to become involved in the festival as volunteers in whatever capacity then it would be a good idea to come along to one of the open meetings which will be held in the not too distant future most probably at the Angel Centre. Tonbridge Blog will do his best to keep you informed but look out for announcements in the local paper also. If this was twitter I'd say Retweet it! But since it's not then I'll just say Spread the word and tell all your friends....

Free parking in West Malling!!!!

On BBC Radio Kent this morning, which is usually a drone in the background as I drive to work, they were talking about parking charges in Kent. Judging by some of the disgruntled callers it seems that people of Tonbridge are not alone in their distaste for the greed of councils when it comes to this. There also seems to be much disparity between various towns in the county, often ones which are close together, Broadstairs and Ramsgate were mentioned, where different borough councils have different ideas and nearly always different machines for charging. But what really made my ears prick up while listening to this phone-in debate was that there are different charges even within our own borough, Tonbridge and Malling. A lady from Wrotham had quite a lengthy conversation with the show's presenter and informed us that she had the choice of various different towns to shop, due to her geographical location, but her favourite was always West Malling where she gets the first two hours of her parking free, right in the town centre. Two hours is enough for most people to get the bulk of their every day shopping done, or have a coffee with friends or maybe lunch. It doesn't allow commuters to park there all day free because after the two hours are up charges come into play. I know they do the same in Paddock Wood and it's always a bonus when you go shopping there. Quite frankly I probably wouldn't bother otherwise. So you can see that free parking must be good for traders. Paddock Wood of course isn't in Tonbridge and Malling so that's just by the way. But West Malling quite clearly is (the clue's in the name!) So is it fair that they should be able to encourage shoppers into the town with this advantage over Tonbridge. If you lived half way between the two which one would you choose? No wonder West Malling has a thriving little community with a nice choice of independent shops. Surely it's rather short sighted of TMBC to just take ever more money at the parking ticket machines in. Is it time for a big rethink on parking charges in Tonbridge before yet more shops decide to put down their shutters for the last time?...

Tonbridge weights watchers....

I'm all for young people getting fit. There's no doubt that some of them could do with it. As one commenter on this blog very unkindly put it: Tonbridge does seem to have its fair share of porkers! But then again probably no more than most towns in these over indulgant days. So it should have been a good thing to see the new outdoor gym that has just sprung up next to the basketball/football pitch and skate park where the old lawn tennis courts used to be on Tonbridge Park. So why then, as I cycled past it a couple of days ago, did I almost fall off my bike with laughter? Why did it provoke this reaction in me? I should really have a go on it to assess whether or not its possible to have outdoor, unsupervised gym equipment that's safe before I'm so quick to judge. On first glance it all seems to work with springs and tension rather than with loose weights, which could trap children's fingers, so maybe alot has been put into the design of it. However I can't help thinking that this is another example of something which was budgetted for in the days before the credit crunch and recession and I don't know whether many people will seriously use it before it gets wrecked by teenagers. It's more likely to become a hang-out area than it ever is to be used to get youngsters fit; and there are a lot cheaper ways of giving youths space to do that. Anyway couldn't they just run and skip and play football or tennis and stuff like that. Why is it always necessary to spoon feed people with these white elephants?...

Pecking Pidgeons....

You see signs in some towns and city centres requesting that people don't feed the pidgeons. You see it encourages them to be there. I spotted this lady feeding the feathered creatures by the river in Tonbridge this very morning; there she was in a world of her own (planet pidgeon possibly) throwing them clumps of bread. Didn't they all just love her as well. You can see that by the way they are clucking and squarking around her feet as they peck away at the bread on the ground. But what damage do they do to the nearby buildings and castle walls with their claws and beaks and droppings? Personally I don't much care for clucking things but I don't mind them that much either. Rats with wings some people call them. Is this just a harmless way to spend your Wednesday mornings or wouldn't it be better if we put them in a pie?!..

Get you car squirted fo Charity....

I hear that the Tonbridge Fire Station is having a charidee car wash day tomorrow. Drive along Cannon Lane, pull over at the station, get your car squirted by a fireman's hose, get all that winter grime off, give a few quid for a good cause and away you go looking gleaming and new again. Sounds like a good idea to me....

Allow Tonbridge cyclists on the pavements?...

The Courier front page today is banging on about the number of cyclists on the pavement in Tonbridge town centre. I must say that I haven't noticed many, if any, and there certainly doesn't seem to have been a huge recent upsurge in the incidence of this petty crime. So is this just media hype or is it a big problem in the town? You have to remember that  the roads are actually an awful lot more dangerous than they were in the Sixties and Seventies when I was growing up. Maybe the rules are out of date. In some countries, like Denmark for example, it's very common to see pedestrians and cyclists quite happily sharing the pavement. Perhaps the problem isn't whether they should be allowed of not but, more, whether cyclists should just show more consideration. When my kids were younger I wouldn't have dreamt of encouraging them to cycle on the main roads around the town. Yes I did tell them to go on the pavements but to do so slowly and safely. You can't blame young people for not wanting to risk their lives by taking their chances on the A26 to Tunbridge Wells for example, or Pembury Road. What about the A21? No way and there's not a cycle lane or a pavement there at all. Cycle lanes are often ill thought out (probably by car-loving non-cyclists) with absurd crossings from one side of the road to the other, they're very expensive to lay, badly maintained and what's more hardly even used. So why not let people ride on the pavements? After all bikes are probably less of a hazard than the growing number of mobilty scooters which don't have any restrictions at all; they are a lot heavier than your average push bike and can shoot along at a fair old rate of knots....

Will Mr. Books be the Last Bookshop?...

A little while back you may recall Tonbridge Blog mentioned that some trendily dressed young people had wandered into my shop complete with video camera and microphone saying that they were a film production company. Well they liked Mr. Books so much that they are now thinking of using the interior for some scenes in the film they are making called The Last Bookshop. As far as I can make out it's a fantasy/futuristic story set in a world with only one remaining bookshop. Even that doesn't actually sell any books because the internet has completely taken over and people have forgotten about the beauty of books. Sounds interesting? Then find out more. You'll also see the edited version of the impromptu interview of me about my thoughts on how the world wide web has effected the book trade. (Not necessarily all bad by the way.) It always makes you feel self conscious when you see yourself on video doesn't it. What the heck was I thinking wearing that jumper? And that designer stubble? That's going to have to go! I'm thinking of growing my hair long, having a goaty beard and wearing a trilby hat. Waddaya reckon?...

Feedback....

Starting to get quite a few nice comments about the Tonbridge Insider column. It's on my mind as I've just finished writing the Log for the April issue and it's always good to get it out of the way for another month (so that I can concentate on Tonbridge Blog of course.) You'll have to wait an see what's in store in the next issue. By the way if anyone has any stories or tit bits of gossip they'd like to see included then just let me know or maybe just post it below. It's often good to get something off yer chest....

Sevilleized hobby....

I notice in the Courier that local lass Kathie Foster Smith has surprised herself by coming third place in a national marmalade making competition. I haven't got the full facts in front of me so perhaps some one can post the details below but it seems that Kathie, who is better known to me, as being a prominent Slade residents association committee member, was staggered to discover that her preserves had made it to the final which Guardian journalists were judging. She's pictured in the paper grinning proudly behind a huge stack of her orangey produce which just made me feel incredibly hungry as I absolutely love the marmalade. So I hope that you're listening Kathie as I'd love to try a jar or two so that I can tell the good readers of TBlog and The Tonbridge Insider all about it. She certainly kept this hobby of hers quiet all these years. How about a part exchange for a few paperbacks before you become too famous?!

Tonbridge Half Marathon: update on training schedule....

My training session for the Tonbridge Half Marathon hasn't exactly got off to a flying start. You might even say that I've managed to go backwards! I did manage, as mentioned earlier this week, to get along to see some of the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon last Sunday. What I got out of that was that there was clearly a requirement for sheer dedication and determination and also the sense that there was much cammeraderie in the whole experience. This, I kidded myself, might well carry me along on the day. Then I remembered just how little excercise I've done in the last five years and just how much work I need to put in to get anywhere near the magic 2 hours mark. You see I'm very confident that I could walk it with very little training. So that means that I could do it tomorrow in well under 5 hours by walking at a fairly comfortable pace. Running some and walking some would almost certainly get that time down to three and a half. So the training is all about shaving off those one and a half hours to achive the target I've sort of set myelf. My schedule so far then:

Sunday: watched part of T. Wells Half M
Monday: had lay in as it was my first chance for weeks. Then spent about four hours clearing out my loft and taking most of it to the council dump.
Tuesday: at work, feeling a little cold and under the weather.
Wednesday ditto
Thursday felt the urge to do some running but instead speed walked to work and then back again later. (A start possibly!)
Friday Big setback. Had a very dodgy tummy and felt terrible. Had the runs of a different kind! (Sorry but it's true.)
Saturday: Still feeling slightly dodgy so didn't even walk to work as I often do. Decided that my old moped needed a run out (and anyway it's much quicker and I was running late!)

Fortunately the race isn't until September; perhaps I should employ the services of a personal trainer. Waddaya think?...

Tonbridge Insider....

The Tonbridge Insider is a great name for a local magazine. I wish I'd thought of that! Anyway the March issue is out now so make sure you see a copy. If you don't have it pushed through your letterbox at home then go to the library and get a copy. There's this new page in there called Tonbridge Log which some say is worth a read....

Money for old ads....

You see those ads on this page in the top left hand corner and below the latest Tonbridge Blog posting. Well they are Google ads which have been, mostly quietly, sitting there changing and refreshing for the past year and a half. TBlog got a fair amount of criticism for "selling out" when I signed up to have them appear on this site but I figured that you'd hardly notice them after a while and they mght even enhance the look of it. Now I was never under the illusion that I'd make my millions from introducing these ads, or even make enough to buy a decent secondhand car but I did think maybe I'd make enough to buy a meal out once in a while, a little bonus shall we say. I've just received my first payment of £61.21 which has only taken from June 2009 until now to come through. You see the thing is, when you read the small print of the agreement you see that, rather cunningly and sneakily, they don't pay you at all unless the amount owed goes over £60 which is a bit tight of them but then that's probably why they are one of the most profitable companies in the world these days. Still it's enough for a nice Chinese takeaway from the Daily Rice this weekend and I didn't really have to do much to earn it....

TJ's give Tunbridge Wells a sound thrashing....

I popped along to see the Tonbridge Juddians give Tunbridge Wells a good sound thrashing at the local derby game held at the Slade ground on Saturday. On a crisply cold afternoon I missed the kick off but arrived about ten minutes into the match to hear the familiar sound of the refs whistle blowing, followed by applause from the sizeable crowd, which marked a TJs try. "Damn it!" I thought, "I've missed it!" Then I realised that this was the Tonbridge Juddians and there would probably be lots more. And do you know what, I was right. I forget the final score but it was of the order of about 45 points to 5. That five for T. Wells, by the way ,was well worked but completely against the run of play, more a result of the opposition's determination and probably a momentary lapse of concentration on TJ's part. Let's be under no illusions Tonbridge are now a club with ambitions, they believe in themselves and it shows. The word "match" would be a misnomer to describe the meeting of these two sides because, from where I was standing, (behind the posts at the club house end, near the score board) this looked like a total mis-match. The men versus the boys. Tonbridge are simply outstandingly strong when faced with lesser opposition like this and I mean no disrespect to Wells who I'm sure fought hard throughout the whole game even when they must have sensed early on that the best they could hope for was damage limitation. TJ's will be in the national league next season; having only lost one or two games in two seasons they deserve to be. So next season there will be many much more closely fought matches and, believe me, it will be worth going along for . I mean what more do you want on a Saturday afternoon? First rate rugby, free pitch side viewing, no pushing and shoving at the turnstile, no traffic jams, good wholesome food, witty conversation and of course lashings of Larkins ale. The only dampener on Saturday afternoon was the weather: with around 15 minutes to go, with the game pretty much in the bag for TJs, the heavens opened up and lashed down on the, mostly unprepared, 200 strong crowd. Most braved it to the final whistle though, including myself who ended up sharing my minuscule foldaway umbrella with some 15 stone ex- winger who said he'd left his in the car! Thanks Chris!...

Marathons....

And still with marathons, well actually half marathons. I was across the border in Tunbridge Wells on Sunday and chanced upon the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon. This one has been going for some years now and attracts nearly two thousand entrants. I know I've said that I've entered the inaugural Tonbridge one this September and that it is going to give me the excuse I need to get fit again but the truth is, other than that, I could never really see the point of these events. Yes a lot of people do great things for charities and I'm sure a lot of cash was raised for several well chosen such charities at the Tunbridge Wells event. But is that enough? Is that really the reason that several hundred people got themselves up out of bed early on Sunday, when they could otherwise have had a nice lay in? Isn't there more to it than that? Standing about half a mile from the finish on the St. Johns Road on Sunday gave me part of the answer to that question. For it was in those few minutes that I saw the skill, the fitness and the commitment of the serious runners; but also the determination, the sense of pride and the cammaraderie of the runners who just wanted to get round the course to say that they'd done it. To say that on Sunday February 27th I did something, I helped make a difference, I was part of something bigger than just my own world. And it struck me that that must be a good thing. I saw some runners helping those who had pushed themselves so hard that they looked like they might collapse before the finish line, I heard many people clapping and egging each other on to get to the finish line inside the magic two hour time and I saw people high fiving young kids who were cheering them on from the cars which were stuck in the traffic jam that their event had caused. It felt good to watch let alone be apart of. I was struggling to understand why people enter these large events; now I sort of get it....