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Disgusted of Tunbridge Wels

September 9th, 2007 · Posted by Skuds in Politics · 2 Comments · Politics

This morning we went across to Tunbridge Wells to help deliver some leaflets for a by-election there. The election is taking place because a councillor elected in May did not sign the declaration of acceptance within two months and therefore became a non-councillor.

I can’t really understand why anyone would do that. It is even stranger as the individual in question was not a paper candidate who unexpectedly won – she was a sitting councillor going for re-election in a safe seat. I have heard that her attendance before the election was appalling: just the bare minimum to avoid disqualification, which didn’t stop her getting re-selected and re-elected but indicates a certain lack of enthusiasm for the job. But why not just stand down instead of all this fuss?

The plan was to go across and help, then pop down the road to visit Jayne’s parents but it turned out they were going to be away, so we ended up going to visit Penshurst instead.

I don’t know if Labour will stand any chance of winning the by-election in Pantiles & St Marks war, thus increasing the number of Labour councillors to one, but it was good to be out somewhere different for a change. I didn’t get the feeling that the 4-storey houses I was delivering leaflets to were necessarily our heartland, but you never know.

After all that we went across to Penshurst, purely to visit the Quaintways tea rooms. The last couple of times we went they had been closed and I remembered it providing fantastic cream teas. Today it was open and we had a slightly surreal ordering process.

Jayne and I asked for a cream tea and we were told that they don’t do it any more, however they could do us home-made scones with butter, jam and clotted cream and a pot of tea. (?)

I have probably said it before, and I will certainly say it again, but I think that the traditional cream tea should be Britain’s distinctive contribution to world cuisine and not roast beef. Its brilliant!

While we were in Tunbridge Wells we saw cyclists turning up at churches there, stay for a couple of minutes and set off again. I thought it was a bit strange. When we got to Penshurst and loked around the church there was a lady sitting outside in a folding chair and the bench in the porch was loaded with water containers and orange squash. Other churches we passed had a tables and chairs outside.

It turned out that there was a charity bike ride/walk going on in aid of Kent churches. The idea was to walk or cycle and visit as many churches in Kent as possible. What a neat idea.

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2 Comments so far ↓

  • Roy Vandersande

    To clarify the misunderstanding regarding your request for a ‘cream tea’ from Quaintways Tearooms in Penshurst;
    Our menu no longer lists a ‘Cream Tea’ as a single item. You simply select from a range of teas, and decide how many scones you would like.
    Thank You,
    Roy Vandersande
    Proprietor
    Quaintways Tearooms
    Penshurst.

  • Skuds

    I was more amused than confused.

    Still one of the best places I know for a cream tea, whatever its called!