Visiting Home in Pictures

Our beautiful family cat, Daisy (her sister, Chloe, isn't as good at posing)

Tonbridge Town, Kent

Have you ever heard of Tonbridge in Kent? No, not Tunbridge Wells, TONBRIDGE!

This conversation is all too familiar when someone asks where you're from when you grew up in a little place like this.

RIP Dorothy Perkins

It is certainly a town of contradictions and it is very different to Tunbridge Wells. For a start, Tunbridge Wells boasts a decent shopping precinct, the historic Pantiles, and a decent enough night life; Tonbridge, on the other hand, has few of the pluses of its sister-town. Having lived in Hampshire for over ten years, when I return to the 'bridge, I am able to see what has changed a lot more clearly. One disappointing feature (and a sign of the times) is the state of the High Street shops. There wasn't much in the way of a shopping experience growing up, but it is a sad sight to see so many shops closed that have been a staple part of the town for years.

Matt Berry and the Maypoles, Tunbridge Wells April 4th

Having been a lover of Matt Berry's music since his first album, Opium, I had tickets to see him live a few years back on his Witchazel tour. Unfortunately, the show at Heaven Under the Arches was cancelled. I resigned myself to not being able to see him live, until a few months ago I came across the announcement that he was playing on a Friday night in Tunbridge Wells in Kent! It couldn't have been more perfect, as my family live in Tonbridge (Wells' not-so-popular sister town, situated nearby). I booked there and then!