The whole picture: September 2020

What I've done in September

I'm still on furlough from my day job, and autumn's coming, so my attention's turned more to indoor pursuits, such as knitting and crafting. I've got a couple of projects on the go, and though none of them are finished yet, I hope to be showing one off on my Instagram in the next couple of days... watch this space.

That's not to say I haven't had my share of fresh air too. I've taken up a new hobby in the form of roller skating, and let me tell you, it's a heck of a lot harder to roller skate as an adult than it was as a child. My friends and I used to spend hours on our skates doing laps of 'The Green' near where we grew up. 

These days, I'm puffed out two minutes in, and wobbling like Bambi. I don't think it helps that I've been a fairly keen ice skater in recent years - people tend to assume that if you're good at one, you're good at the other, but I've found the opposite to be true. They require completely different actions, so if you're used to doing one, the other becomes a lot harder.

As always this summer, there's been a lot of walking and a little bit of cycling too. My new-found enthusiasm for photographing scenic villages had me walking out to Shipbourne and back from Tonbridge one warm afternoon, and I took a socially distanced walk with a friend around Bidborough Ridge - stunning views all the way across Tonbridge from that one. If you're in the area, I thoroughly recommend Walk Tonbridge,  a website full of walking routes which was started in lockdown by a local man.

Where I've been in September

A leopard at Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens

I broke free of Kent for a few days in Norfolk, seeing as though foreign holidays are a no-go right now. We hired a chalet on the coast just north of Great Yarmouth and used it as a base to explore the local area. A happy morning was spent indulging my love of animal photography at Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens, and we also took a boat trip to see the seals at Blakeney Point, as well as spending an afternoon on the beach, and taking a whistlestop tour of Cromer.

Seal watching at Blakeney Point

But for me, the highlight of the trip was stopping at Southwold, on the Suffolk coast. It's been on my UK bucket list for years, and even more so when someone I know opened a shop there.  After lunch at Tiptree Tea Rooms, we wandered briefly around the high street, which is full of beautiful buildings and independent shops, but the current one-way system and social distancing guidelines made browsing more of a stress than a delight. 

So we headed to the seafront, where sights include pastel beach huts, a beautiful light house, and, on our visit, a cruise ship we believe to be P&O's Aurora, anchored just off the coast while not in use due to the pandemic. We also spotted Fred Sireix filming on the beach.

What I've eaten in September

Ice cream in Southwold

I'm still not big on the whole eating-out-in-restaurants thing following lockdown, so not much to report on this front, though we did end up eating out a couple of times in Norfolk, out of necessity. 

The East Coast Restaurant close to where we were staying didn't look like much from the outside, but the food was so good, and the service so friendly (and safe!) that we ended up returning there a second night. We were so hungry after our days exploring that we scarfed the lot before I had a chance to take a photo, but think huge portions of comfort food such as lasagne and scampi and chips.

Another night, we tried The Smokehouse, an American diner-grill place, serving fries, burgers, and milkshakes - exactly my kind of food. We didn't see much of the restaurant as it's split into several rooms across an old house, and wandering around isn't allowed right now, but if you're into Americana, you'd probably like it. As we left, hundreds of bikers were pulling up into the grounds for their weekly meet-up, which made for quite a sight.

What I've been watching in September

The Babysitters Club on Netflix is a dose of nostalgia

Well done to regular readers (all two of you) of the The Whole Picture, who've spotted that I've added a couple of extra sections this month, as somewhere to record and share what I've been watching and reading.

After a rocky start with a couple of below-par romcoms on Netflix, I stumbled upon A Simple Favor. Having just watched Gossip Girl, I pressed play when I saw Blake Lively in the trailer, and though I wasn't expecting anything more than an average romcom, it turned out to be much better than that. Yes, it's a comedy, but it's brilliantly dark, with a bit of a Gone Girl-eque mystery thrown in. Would recommend, and would be keen to hear recommendations of similar films.

Lots of people were talking about The Social Dilemma, a Netflix documentary about how social media is controlling our lives. While I found it interesting, I wasn't as shocked as others seemed to be by what it revealed - perhaps working in the industry I do means I've always been more aware of the inner workings of social media than the average user. If you're finding yourself a little too addicted to Instagram though, do give it a watch.

If you're my age, you may remember reading The Babysitters Club books growing up. The American YA novels have now been made into a Netflix series, and while it's weird seeing Kristy, Mary-Anne and co, who belong firmly in the '90s, referencing things like Instagram, it's a fun, easy watch. And Claudia is a SERIOUS style icon.

What I've been reading in September

I've been terrible at reading recently. Seriously, when lockdown and furlough first became a part of my life, I thought I'd be charging through several books a week. But I'm barely getting through a couple a month at the moment, and friends have said the same thing. Apparently it's hard to concentrate on works of fiction when the world's going to hell in a handcart in the background. Who knew? Anyway, here's what I did manage to read this month:

• Still Friends by Saul Austerlitz - I'm not usually drawn to non-fiction, but a friend bought me this one knowing how much I love the TV show Friends, and I really enjoyed it. I expected a lightweight, half-hearted book of trivia, most of which has been released before in various Buzzfeed articles. What I actually got was an indepth, fascinating and thoroughly researched biography of the show, from conception through to final episode, explaining how decisions from casting to set design were made. Read it, and you'll definitely look a lot more closely at the props and set next time you catch an episode.
•  The Holiday by T.M. Logan - Exactly my kind of book, a mystery thriller set among a group of friends renting a villa in France, with a couple of twists at the end. The first few pages require a bit of wading through, as many characters from different families are introduced all at once, but stick with it as it gets easier to follow.
• The Guilty Party by Mel McGrath - I wasn't as keen on this one as I thought I'd be. It's a bit trippy, and as my nan always says, if you don't care about what happens to the characters, there's no point in finishing the book. I did persevere, but my life is none the richer for it.
• I Spy by Claire Kendal - This one takes a while to warm up, and had I been reading it a time when my concentration was better, I probably would have got through it a lot faster. However, once a certain mystery is introduced, the plot is intriguing enough to draw you in, though be aware that chapters alternate between two time periods, with the same character central to both, which can get confusing. Still would recommend if you like mystery thrillers.

What I've written in September

Yep, another new section, and while it's looking a bit light this month, I'm hoping to be back writing in my day job soon, and sharing my articles here. In the mean time, I'll just remind you of the blog post I wrote earlier this month, when I finally flipped about people not knowing the difference between Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells. I'm nicer in person than online, honest.

What's next?

At this point, I could just copy and paste this paragraph from the last two editions of my monthly update. Anything could happen - right now, vast swathes of north-east England, Scotland and Wales are back in lockdown, and London might be next. I'm crossing my fingers that it doesn't come to that here in Kent, but I'm also not making any big plans for the rest of the year.

October's my last month of flexible furlough, so I've got a few craft projects that I want to make some headway on. If the weather stays decent, more walks and bike rides are on the cards, though I write this staring down the business end of five consecutive storms, so who knows.

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter to keep up with my latest (local) adventures.

See also - what I got up to in:

• August 2020: Cream tea, rooftop jaunts and sunflowers.
• July 2020: Castles, wildflowers, and a return to blogging.

What's the difference between Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells?

Tonbridge Castle. Photo: Laura Reynolds

Are Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells the same place?

No. They are two separate towns in Kent, which sit about five miles apart, depending who you ask and where you're measuring from. And technically, that's Royal Tunbridge Wells to you.

Why is this important? Well, if you're not from the area, it's probably never made that much of a difference to your life. The only time you're likely to give it brain space is if you're planning to visit one of them, in which case you definitely want to input the right one to your sat nav/buy a train ticket to the right place. But other than that, it probably won't affect your daily life that much, so store the info away for future pub quiz reference, and feel free to be on your way.

But as someone who grew up in Tonbridge, it's a constant bugbear of mine when people confuse the two. It never used to happen that often, and when it did, I'd laugh it off claiming that Tunbridge Wells was the posher of the two. A few months ago, I found out that someone I've worked with for more than six years has incorrectly believed me to be a Tunbridge Wells dweller all this time (the fact that the mistake came out when we were comparing the Wetherspoons branches of the separate towns tells you all you need to know about my office...).

View over Tunbridge Wells. Image: Shutterstock

Over the last few months, I've been typing 'Tonbridge' into the search bar on Twitter a couple of times a week, mainly to track Covid-19 stats and news in my area. And what a mistake that was. It's clear that most people consider the two to be the same place, with misnomered references to 'Disgusted of Tonbridge', shortening Tunbridge Wells to simply 'Tunbridge' or, in my opinion the most heinous crime, conflating the two into 'Tonbridge Wells'. 

Annoying, but easily ignored, until last night when 'Kexit' kicked off, Tunbridge Wells was trending nationally on Twitter, and SO MANY PEOPLE were not grasping that Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells are not the same place. I tweeted a gentle reminder, and so many people liked the tweet that I thought it worth reiterating the sentiment in a blog post.

Who was 'Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells'?

Ugh. Tunbridge Wells is a beautiful spa town with royal connections, fascinating history, and a wealth of culture (well, in normal years...). Yet most of the rest of the country only know it for the 'Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells' stereotype of wealthy, conservative, middle class people writing letters of complaint to newspapers. The origin is debated, but the lazy stereotype has stuck - and spread its reach to nearby Tonbridge, when people mistakenly lump them together.

What's the difference between Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells?

Tonbridge High Street. Photo: Laura Reynolds

If you find yourself standing in an anonymous Kent town, unsure whether you're in Tonbridge or Tunbridge Wells - well, first of all, consider drinking less - but also, there are a few ways to decipher your location.

1) Can you see a castle? If so, you're in Tonbridge, ogling the motte and bailey wonder of Tonbridge Castle. Unlike its northerly counterpart, Tunbridge Wells doesn't have a castle.

2) Can you see a Waitrose? If so, you're in Tonbridge - though I dare you to ask for directions to Waitrose if you're in Tunbridge Wells. The high-end supermarket has been a point of contention between the two towns for years, given that the traditionally posher Tunbridge Wells doesn't have one, while the people of Tonbridge have a large Waitrose right in the centre of town. A couple of years ago, a tiny Waitrose opened in a petrol station on the outskirts of town, but it did little to quell the middle-class urges of Tunbridge Wells dwellers. Apparently, Richard Osman's recent book The Thursday Murder Club has fanned those particular flames, by making reference to a Waitrose in Tunbridge Wells, though I've not yet read it myself.

3) Can you get to lots of places on the train? If so, you're in Tonbridge. It's the busiest railway station in Kent, with trains operating in multiple directions, to Paddock Wood or Tunbridge Wells in one direction, and London or Redhill in the other. By contrast, Tunbridge Wells station has a single line running through it - travel north to London, or south to Hastings.

4) Are you in a fancy Wetherspoons? If so, you're in Tunbridge Wells. Though both towns boast a sizeable 'Spoons (and Tonbridge 'Spoons has a garden), the The Opera House in Tunbridge Wells is a thing of beauty, retaining the gallery seating and many of the features from its original function.

5) Did you walk up a huge hill from the station? That'd be Tunbridge Wells.

6) Can you see a train? Actually, this is where we'd probably need a flow diagram. If it's a full-size steam train, you're probably at the Spa Valley Railway in Tunbridge Wells. If it's a smaller, sit-on train offering rides to the public, you're at Tonbridge Model Engineering Society.

7) Can you afford to buy property here? (No, me neither). Tunbridge Wells is often thought of as the posher of the two, with property prices to reflect it, but its position as the larger of the two towns means that it has a wider range of properties, so there are more affordable properties too. By contrast, Tonbridge became the most in-demand town in the whole country for house hunters following lockdown - which probably means I've been priced out.

I jest, of course. Both Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells have their own merits and are wonderful towns in their own right - so much so that I've written about the  reasons to visit both Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells as part of my day job. My heart is with Tonbridge though.

How did Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells get their names?

Sunrise over Tonbridge. Photo: Laura Reynolds

Tonbridge - the smaller and older of the two towns, was originally spelt Tunbridge (or Tonebridge, as far back as the Domesday Book), and named after a bridge crossing the River Medway in the town.  

Then, in the 17th century, the Chalybeate Spring was discovered in what is now Tunbridge Wells, and the town grew up around it, the name positioning it as the well belonging to the closest existing settlement, Tunbridge. It was the existence of Tunbridge Wells that gave Tonbridge its modern spelling - there was too much confusion between Tunbridge and Tunbridge Wells, so the older town was renamed Tonbridge in the 1870s.

Why is Tunbridge Wells 'Royal'?

Royal Tunbridge Wells is one of only three towns in England to be given official Royal status. It was awarded its regal moniker in 1909 by King Edward VII, to acknowledge the enjoyment its spa waters had given to members of the Royal Family over the years. I've still never seen the Queen out shopping on The Pantiles - though Lulu did film a Morrison's Christmas advert there one year, and that's basically the same thing - right?

Where is Tonbridge Wells?

Tonbridge Wells doesn't exist. Pick either Tonbridge, or Tunbridge Wells, and stick to it.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.