Archive for the ‘My life & thoughts’ Category
Why I visit Snodland so often
July 15th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
You’ve probably never heard of Snodland which sounds like somewhere in a story of Noddy and Big Ears. In fact, Snodland is a village in Kent where the company South East Water is headquartered. For the last four or so years, I have chaired the company’s Customer Challenge Group – now called Customer Panel – […]
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The weather – like our politics – has gone mad
June 20th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Technically, today is the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere as explained in this short note. But it seems that nobody told the weather. Here in London, we have grey skies and heavy rain and a temperature of 15C. On Thursday, the UK holds a referendum to decide whether the country will remain a […]
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10 of the best films about fathers
June 18th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
I’ve been a father for 40 years now and a movie fan for around 60 years, so I was attracted to a piece in today’s “Guardian” newspaper headlined “10 of the best films about fathers”. Which of the film characters would I like to think best represented me? No contest: Atticus Finch in “To Kill […]
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One less thing to worry about in this troubled world
June 16th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
I drink a lot of coffee – especially cappuccino. Since 1991, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, has classed coffee as “possibly” carcinogenic. But the expert group has now decided there is insufficient evidence to say whether it causes cancer or not. I’ll drink to that. More information here.
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Two birthdays in the family today
May 30th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Two members of our family have birthdays today: Lucas is 8 and Peter is 78 – which has a certain symmetry. Now, I’m guessing, dear reader, that you’re aged somewhere between 8 and 78, so I have two questions for you: do you remember what it was like to be 8 and can you imagine […]
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Visit to Sark (4): Little Sark and sunshine (at last)
May 22nd, 2016 by Roger Darlington
There’s not much that is smaller than Sark – but there is Little Sark. Actually Little Sark is not an island in its own right but an extension of the main island connected by a narrow causeway called La Coupee with some breathtaking views. Our walk out to Little Sark started in even more rain. […]
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Visit to Sark (3): the launch of “Operation Basalt”
May 21st, 2016 by Roger Darlington
It rained literally ALL day for the official launch here on the island of Sark of Eric Lee’s new book on the 1942 commando raid on the island. It kind of added to the atmosphere, since one could not help thinking, if trudging along narrow paths and through heavy gorse in wet and slippery conditions […]
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Visit to Sark (2): first experience of the island
May 21st, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Our journey started with a 6.30 am pick-up by a cab to take us all the way round the North Circular Road from Wembley to London City Airport. There we boarded an ATR 42 turboprop aircraft for the one hour flight to Guernsey. We had a few hours before our ferry, so Vee and I […]
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Visit to Sark (1): our group of 23
May 20th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
In my near 68 years of travel to 69 countries, I’ve only been to the Channel Islands (which I don’t count as a country for my list) once when I attended a trade union conference on Jersey. Today though, I travel to the tiny island of Sark (population just 550), which is located next to Guernsey, […]
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What are the differences between American and British politics?
May 17th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Earlier this week, I spent almost four hours in discussion – much of it recorded – with an American academic visiting London: Professor Gerald Sussman. He is the author of six books and is currently researching for a seventh. As he explained in an introductory e-mail: “I’m a professor of international politics at Portland State […]
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