Archive for the ‘My life & thoughts’ Category


I always like to have a project

February 10th, 2024 by Roger Darlington

Last year, my project was to write a memoir in time for circulation at my 75th birthday on 25 June 2023. I did it. It’s called “Roger And (Not) Out” and you can find it in Amazon. This year, my project is to curate a series of interviews of staff and residents at the apartment […]

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Why we should spend more time talking to strangers

November 7th, 2023 by Roger Darlington

When I took my granddaughters for lunch in a restaurant and I asked the waitress where she was from, my eldest granddaughter said: “Granddad, you talk to everyone.” I guess she’s right. When my son was speaking at my 75th birthday event and the launch of my memoir, he joked that I wanted to know […]

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How long can you stand on one leg? How often should you try?

October 31st, 2023 by Roger Darlington

In the last few weeks, three different friends have advocated to me the health benefits of standing on one leg, especially if one is a senior citizen. So I’ve decided to give it a go. A couple of my friends do it while brushing their teeth. I don’t know how they manage this. I do […]

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A review of the philosophy book “How To Be Good” by John Harris (2016)

October 24th, 2023 by Roger Darlington

I don’t read books about philosophy very often because I find them too abstract and removed from the real world, but this book was given me by the author (Emeritus Professor of Bioethics at the University of Manchester), it is commendably short (less than 200 pages), and the title intrigued me. It is a thoughtful […]

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Holiday in the Caucasus (17): conclusion

July 23rd, 2023 by Roger Darlington

Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia have a common 20th century history as parts of the former Soviet Union and are all modestly-sized countries with small populations in a minor and compact region of the world. Yet they are so different politically, culturally, religiously, linguistically.   Azerbaijan is the most modern and confident, aided by plentiful oil […]

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Holiday in the Caucasus (16): more in and round Yerevan, Armenia

July 23rd, 2023 by Roger Darlington

On the last day of our tour of the Caucasus, again there was much less travelling because we were either in or around Yerevan. We made a late start of 9.30 am and drove around the city centre while Garik pointed out key locations such as the parliament building and the presidential palace.  Since we […]

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Holiday in the Caucasus (15): in and around Yerevan, Armenia

July 21st, 2023 by Roger Darlington

On the penultimate day of our tour of the Caucasus, there was much less travelling because we were either in Yerevan or in the district about an hour to the east of the city. Over a period of centuries, Armenia has had no less than 14 capitals. The current capital – since the Soviet days […]

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Holiday in the Caucasus (14): more Armenia

July 20th, 2023 by Roger Darlington

It was a very long day (almost 12 hours) and very hot (up to 34C), but it was much more interesting than yesterday. If only our guide could talk less and plan more. We commenced the day by driving south to the Noratus Cemetery. Located at a height of around 2,000 metres (some 6,500 feet), […]

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Holiday in the Caucasus (13): Tsaghkadzor, Armenia

July 19th, 2023 by Roger Darlington

Our second day in Armenia involved very little travel as we stayed in and out the town of Tsaghkadzor. Our minivan was a slightly larger one with three more seats providing a bit more room. At this height, the temperature was a comfortable 22C. Our problem was our guide who seemed to have improvisation as […]

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Holiday in the Caucasus (12): into Armenia

July 18th, 2023 by Roger Darlington

The tour moved on to Armenia, the third and last country of the holiday and the 88th nation that I have visited. Armenia is the smallest of the three countries in the Caucasus. It is just under half the size of the other two nations. With just 3M people, it is also the least populated […]

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