So getting a flyer home from school for Robot Wars coming to the Leisure Centre in Maidstone, Kent – and the final, no less – was well received, and he didn’t have to beg too much!

Saturday November 22nd – two shows – 2pm and 5pm – and you can book tickets online.

So tickets booked and hopefully it will be as much fun as the show used to be.

My girl and I will find something else to do – I’ve suggested a parachute jump, but that was scoffed at – she’s still laughing…

It’s obvious that UK poverty is a different thing altogether from poverty in the third world – but regardless of this, it is indeed unacceptable and not necessary.

Just this month, Sinead Hanna’s article appears at KM Online – “One in four Kent children lives in poverty” and provides a list that shows 48% of children in Thanet are in low income families, across to the other side of the county with 24% of children in Sevenoaks.

The Campaign to End Child Poverty website states:

3.9 million children – one in three – are currently living in poverty in the UK, one of the highest rates in the industrialised world. This is a shocking figure given the wealth of our nation.

But I have to admit that stating that almost 1 in 4 children in Sevenoaks are living in or close to poverty has me wondering just how that is measured, I’m afraid.  I certainly do not intend to dispute that there is real poverty around and close to us, but it concerns me that if the figures are not reflecting the real life situation, then are the people that need help the most going to get it first?

So more research to do on this, I think – it’s important and that’s my pledge for Blog Action Day as editor of Kent View – to understand just what poverty in Kent means…

My friend, Sarah, across the bridge in Essex, for some reason thought I’d like to know that Richard Madeley is visiting Bluewater – apparently women of a certain age find him appealing – cheeky young whippersnapper!

Actually I popped to the Bluewater website to see what was actually going on and came across news of a few celebs a-visiting:

Julie Walter's new book

On Saturday, 4th October we have the wonderful Julie Walters at Waterstones between 12.30 and 1.30, signing her new book – That’s Another Story – her autobiography.  I must admit that it would be a treat to meet one of our most loved and endearing actresses in the flesh.

And then at 2.00pm you can hotfoot it over to M&S where Twiggy will be visiting – and she has a new book too – her’s is all about being fabulous over forty – hmmm – tempting!

Then on Friday 17th October at 5.30pm we have Sir Roger Moore at Waterstones signing his new autobiography.

Martina Cole visits on Thursday 30th at 5.30pm for her new book, The Business.

And those fans of Richard Madeley will be pleased to see him on Saturday 1st November at 12 noon for his new book “Fathers and Sons”.

I’m sure that Bluewater is not the only hotspot for celebrity visitors – time to go see what else is about around the county…

So – the September 2008 issue includes an impressive array of cover stories with articles ranging across the county – Sevenoaks to Reculver and all over the place in between.  And these are good articles – I actually read them.  Plenty of interesting and varied information; I defy anyone to not learn something in this issue.

Now I don’t “do” magazines.  I subscribe to Gardeners’ World, occasionally treat myself to Good Housekeeping, but that’s it, apart from forcing myself to try and keep on top of the weekly New Scientist (that’s pretty interesting too), I just don’t really have time.  But while I’m not quite ready to subscribe, I will get the October issue – which is already out, it seems, and we’re offered:

• AUTUMN HARVEST
  Why Kent is the Garden of England
• NAVAL TRADITIONS
  The origins of Trafalgar Day, Nelson’s legacy
• FROM SOURCE TO SEA
  Tracking the River Darent
• CHAPEL DOWN AND ME
  Frazer Thompson on English wines
• SPOTLIGHT ON
  Canterbury, West Malling & Kings Hill, Tenterden

Someone’s done wonders with this magazine – thank you. We even have a regularly updated blog from not only the editor, Sarah Sturt, but also the assistant editor – and he’s blogging through his holiday, it seems.  Goodness!

I can see that this will be a monthly must-read for me – the final test will be to see what my 8-year-old thinks of it – he’s keen on local geography (would love to find a dinosaur himself and bring the fossil focus back to Maidstone), so will see how appealing this is for the kids.  The school will surely enjoy having the back issues for classes too.

Have I sold it to myself yet?

This is a great find; we’ve been made aware of the potential effect on our environment from the reported declining numbers of bees, so I’m more than happy to spread the word.  Perhaps we can get a report on how this year has actually turned out to be for our bees in Kent.

There’s some useful information for us there, for instance, a list of who to call if you come across a swarm of bees, details of bee-keeping courses, local newsletters, and all kinds of invaluable bee-keeping information.  Wonderful stuff!

This is great fun, coming across such gems – I’ll seek out something new at least twice a month.  Suggestions welcome, and guest bloggers.

Don’t forget the fish change with the season, what you might get lots of in the summer, you may get very few of in the winter. It’s always worth asking in the local tackle shops what people are catching and what people are using.

Dungeness is good for Sole, along with Dover – everyone has heard of Dover Sole, right? Whiting, Dabs, and Pout can be regularly caught, Cod into double figures (this must have been the bin liners I recall ). I hear the fishing  is phenomenal after a storm, have yet to do that myself.

Hythe Beach for Mackerel and Bass in my opinion, the rocks between Folkestone and Dover are good for bigger Bass, Scad and school Bass.

The ideal spot is one that has some current and deep water. Get a map of the coast / waters and look for rocky outcrops, piers, jetties and buoys with deep water nearby. Deep water wrecks are excellent for eels.

Whitstable is always good for small cod and dabs. If the fishing is bad, you can always get excellent shellfish from the local restaurants. Is Pearsons still there? Is Wheelers? I am long overdue a visit, if I don’t know if they are still there!

All the Kent waters seem to be good for fish and the wrecks and piers, eels. I can recall my disappointment from catching lots of eels off the coast of Herne Bay and Reculver, but my grandfathers being thrilled with my bucket of them. I also recall the old dock cat they had ‘miaowing ‘ her head off with the smell of the eels as they cooked. Reculver always produced the odd Ray or three as well as the odd Bass. Plenty of crabs for bait at Reculver and I think I must take my children crabbing next year, so they can grow up with the love of fishing like I did.