Archive for the ‘My life & thoughts’ Category
Holiday in Japan (4): Mount Fuji
April 9th, 2025 by Roger Darlington
Wednesday was all about Mount Fuji. This is an active volcano – it last erupted in 1707/8 – that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its size, symmetry and prominence have given it almost a spiritual status in Japan. Standing 12,389 feet (3,776 metres) tall and surrounded by picturesque lakes, it is a fabulous site […]
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Holiday in Japan (3): Hakone
April 8th, 2025 by Roger Darlington
On our final morning in Tokyo (Tuesday), at breakfast I was excited to see a bowl of fruit with a banana waiting for me, only to find that the whole display was plastic. Greater success occurred when Jenny & I decided to use the hour between the conclusion of our breakfast and the departure of […]
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Holiday in Japan (2): Tokyo
April 7th, 2025 by Roger Darlington
The journey out was straightforward but l-o-n-g. When I went to Japan in 1998, it was a direct flight over Russia, especially Siberia, which took about about 12 hours. But now we have the Russian invasion of Ukraine and no flying by the shortest route. We flew with Emirates: London to Dubai (three hours ahead) […]
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Holiday in Japan (1): introduction
April 5th, 2025 by Roger Darlington
On 3-14 October 1998, I visited Japan as a member of a delegation from three British trade unions, including the Communication Workers Union where I was then Head of Research, to visit colleagues from the five postal and telecommunications trade unions of Japan. The delegation had meetings in Tokyo and we were shown around Tokyo […]
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When and where was the world’s first railway line?
January 18th, 2025 by Roger Darlington
The world’s first public railway to use steam locomotives ran between Stockton and Darlington in the north-east of England. Since my family name is Darlington (although I’ve only visited the town once – in 1983), this historical event has always had a special resonance for me. The line was officially opened on 27 September 1825. […]
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Which British politician was responsible for the introduction of the world’s first zebra crossing?
January 12th, 2025 by Roger Darlington
The answer might surprise you – as it did me when the question was recently put to me by a friend over dinner. The answer is Jim Callaghan who, at the time, was a junior minister in the Ministry of Transport in Clement Attlee’s postwar Labour Government and subsequently became Prime Minister himself. In 1948, […]
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Normal service will now be resumed
January 6th, 2025 by Roger Darlington
I’ve had a personal blog called NightHawk for 22 years now but, for the last three weeks, I’ve had a technical problem which has prevented me from blogging. This has been one of the longest down times in the life of my blog and it has been deeply frustrating. But, thanks to an IT wizard, […]
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Need a suggestion for a Christmas present?
December 2nd, 2024 by Roger Darlington
This Christmas, if you’re looking for a modestly-priced and personal gift for family and friends, please consider one of these books which are available on Amazon. You can tell them that you know the author.
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Holiday in India & Bhutan (14): back to Kolkata
October 16th, 2024 by Roger Darlington
On Tuesday, we started the return home by leaving Bhutan for India, so it was another early start as we left our hotel at 7 am. In all my years of travel, I’ve never experienced an airport which is so calm and so beautifully decorated and so gloriously located as Paro in Bhutan. It was […]
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Holiday in India & Bhutan (13): Thimphu
October 15th, 2024 by Roger Darlington
Monday was the day of the least travel and the most sightseeing of the entire trip. All our day was spent in Thimphu and we had no less than eight events. We started with the Memorial Chorten which was built in 1974 in memory of Bhutan’s third king, Druk Gyalpo, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck (1928-1972) who […]
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