Archive for the ‘My life & thoughts’ Category
My new appointment: Chair of the Essential Services Access Network
January 28th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Since I took early retirement from the Communications Workers Union 14 years ago, I have worked part-time, sitting on various bodies representing consumers in regulated sectors, especially communications. This week, I took on another such appointment, that of Chair of a body called the Essential Services Access Network (ESAN). The object of ESAN is to […]
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How good is the quality of your water?
January 16th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
This week, in my capacity as Chair of the South East Water Customer Panel, together with other Panel colleagues, I visited one of the company’s water treatment works at Bewl in Kent to learn more about how water is treated before it is of the right quality for customers. Many customers think that running a […]
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How to remember things
January 15th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
After a break for the Christmas/New Year period, I return to my Friday postings of advice from the Life Skills section of my web site. Do you ever have trouble remembering things? If so, you might like to learn about some techniques for remembering different information. You can check out the various techniques here.
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Another really enjoyable visit to Prague
January 12th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Vee and I have now returned to London after a long weekend (four nights) in Prague. We have both been there more than 20 times so this was not a trip to see sights but to catch up with very close friends. We managed to see a total of 20 which included a new boyfriend […]
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A little story from Prague
January 8th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
At the start of a long weekend in Prague, Vee and I did what we always do which is walk and walk around this beautiful city. The snowfall of the last few days is melting and the Christmas tree in the Old Town Square was being taken down, but we are here for friends not […]
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Another visit to beautiful Prague
January 7th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
In the late 1980s, Vee (whose father was a Czech pilot in the war) re-established contact with her family – the Kuttelwaschers – in what was then Czechoslovakia and, about the same time, we first met the Czech doctor Pavel whose wife and children – the Horvaths – became as close as family to us. […]
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Christmas is too much fun to have only once a year
December 26th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
So, that’s it: another Christmas over. Forget the presents; what’s really special about Christmas is seeing family and friends and all that delicious food and drink with some time off work. It’s a pity that we only do this sort of thing once a year. But, wait … The Americans effectively do it twice a […]
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A Christmas performance of Handlel’s “Messiah”
December 19th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
This weekend, Vee and I went along to the Royal Albert hall in London for a splendid performance of “Messiah” composed by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759). Amazingly Handel wrote this oratorio over the course of just 24 days in the summer of 1741. The work consists of 53 pieces which take over two hours to […]
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How to use time well
December 18th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
People often ask me how I manage to do so much – and I answer simply that “I plan”. This Friday’s visit to the Life Skills section of my web site is a highlight of my advice on “How to use time well” which you can read here. Even I will be taking it easy […]
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The Darlington Christmas letter 2015
December 14th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Each year, Vee and I send out a Christmas letter with our Christmas card to those with whom we have been in too little touch in the course of the previous 12 months. It’s a way of keeping friends up-to-date with our lives and activities and seems to be popular. You can now read this […]
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