Archive for the ‘My life & thoughts’ Category
The Charmed Generation
December 30th, 2006 by Roger Darlington
According to a media release from Royal Mail this week, I am a member of “the Charmed Generation” – said to be “a group of two million over 55 year olds with the highest disposable income of any other consumer age group”. Royal Mail states: “This group of cash-rich consumers has evolved as a result […]
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The core of the family
December 28th, 2006 by Roger Darlington
Both my parents are dead, but I have a younger sister Silvia (who lives in Leicester) and a younger brother Ralph (who lives in Manchester). My sister is the emotional core of the family who ensures that we regularly all get together, typically at some point between Christmas and New Year. So yesterday Vee and […]
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The trouble with atheism
December 24th, 2006 by Roger Darlington
This was the title of an interesting, if irritating, programme shown earlier this week on Channel 4 which was presented by the supercilious Rod Liddle. In fact, in my view, there is no problem with atheism and all the programme demonstrated was that there is a problem with a small number of atheists who tend […]
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100 days to go
December 20th, 2006 by Roger Darlington
My wife Vee has now done more than six years at Harrow College – a further education establishment – where she is PA to the Head of Human Resources. However, she has now made definite retirement plans and will stop work on 31 March 2007. She intends to do all sorts of projects in the […]
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Christmas lunch with the Chancellor
December 15th, 2006 by Roger Darlington
My half brother Chris works as an official at the Treasury (for non- British readers, that is the UK equivalent to other countries’ Ministry of Finance). We have a little tradition that each year he invites me to have Christmas lunch in the building’s excellent canteen. I was there this lunchtime for turkey and six […]
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Christmas has started
December 9th, 2006 by Roger Darlington
It’s two weeks to Christmas and this year we’re doing quite well at getting prepared. We’ve bought a new artificial Christmas tree from John Lewis with built-in eco-friendly lights. This afternoon, I put it all together and Vee decorated it. No presents yet, but it’s a good start … Next we have to start writing […]
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I agree absolutely
December 8th, 2006 by Roger Darlington
I saw this sign and photographed it this morning outside Treadwell’s book shop in London’s Covent Garden.
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A tornado down the road
December 7th, 2006 by Roger Darlington
Like most people living in Britain, I tend to think of this as a country which doesn’t have tornadoes – but today I was reminded how wrong I am. In the Lodon borough in which I live (Brent), this morning there was a tornado that damaged around 150 homes and injured six people. In fact, […]
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Our new home?
December 5th, 2006 by Roger Darlington
I was brought up by a single parent in one privately-rented place after another in Manchester and I would happily never move house again. In fact, we have lived in our present home in Sudbury Hill for 22 years and done a lot to improve it, so I have no wish whatsoever to move. But […]
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Rich & Em’s engagement party
November 30th, 2006 by Roger Darlington
Last night saw a very special family event, the engagement party of our son Richard and his partner Emily. The venue was a basement room of the Cinnamon Club near Westminster Abbey in central London. Emily & Rich – a winning team Since Rich works at the Institute for Public Policy Research and Em works […]
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