Happy New Year everyone!
January 1st, 2011 by Roger Darlington
After the coldest December in the UK since 1890, Vee and I spent New Year’s Eve quietly at home and watched on BBC television as up to 250,000 in central London enjoyed a spectacular fireworks display.
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What can we expect on the international front in 2011?
December 31st, 2010 by Roger Darlington
“Politically speaking, not a lot changed and not a lot was solved in 2010. Economic hard times, disappointment with an underachieving Barack Obama, the familiar bloody slog in Afghanistan, lack of progress on climate change, sabre-rattling in east Asia and stalemate in the Middle East made it a year many will be happy to forget. But because so many problems will carry over, 2010 was also a year of living dangerously. It ends with the uncomfortable thought: that was bad, but 2011 could be worse.”
This is the introduction to an article in today’s “Guardian” on what we can expect in 2011. I noted particularly the warning about the Lebanon since, in the Spring, I will be visiting Syria and Lebanon.
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I start my 50th diary
December 30th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
After several failed attempts, I managed to start keeping a diary when I was 12 and my first entry was on Sunday 31 December 1961. Since then, I’ve never missed a single day which means that I’ve written around 18,000 entries and that in the New Year I’ll start my 50th diary. Why do I do it? I’ve tried to explain that here.
To my surprise, a journalist – Steven Bowron of the “Sunday Post” newspaper in Scotland – picked up on my diary-writing marathon from my web site and plans to write a feature on it at the turn of the year when people sometimes think of starting a diary. This morning, we had a friendly half-hour conversation about how and why I write my diary and the sort of material that it covers. I will now send him some selected entries.
Roger and his 50 diaries
Now, what happened today?
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I see my 2,000th film
December 30th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
I have a lifelong love of the cinema which I’ve explained here. Throughout the nearly 50 years that I’ve kept a daily diary, I’ve recorded all the films that I’ve seen at the cinema, on television, and on VCR or DVD and maintained a card index system to note when I’ve seen (or re-seen) each film.
Over Christmas, I always see more movies and this festive season I saw my 2,000th film. The choice was accidental: “The Other Boleyn Girl” [my review here]. You can access many hundreds of my other film reviews here.
I don’t know that I see that many more films than many other people – around one a week – but I’ve done that consistently for five decades and recorded and remembered each one. It would be good to think that I could clock up another 1,000 before I visit that great cinema in the sky.
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What do celebrities know about science?
December 29th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
The short answer is: “Not very much”. But their fame can lead them to have a real influence over the take-up by credulous people of all sorts of nonsense devices or techniques.
The organisation Sense About Science has just published its annual round-up of some of the weird advice offered by various celebrities in 2010.
The one that really riles me is the so-called Power Balance bracelet about which I blogged here.
Why do people believe such weird things? I’ve offered some suggestions here.
I suspect that celebrities are particularly prone to fads and fashions for things that they think will make them thinner of healthier or stronger because they are often insecure individuals under such public pressure to be special and even prefect.
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How much do you give?
December 29th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
It’s easy to be cynical about the Coalition Government’s idea of the Big Society, but it’s hard to disagree with the main themes behind the Cabinet Office Green Paper on “Giving” which is published today.
Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet Office, said:
“Big Society is about creating a country in which people are in control. People giving time, money, assets, skills and knowledge all drive social action and help make life better for all. This Green Paper offers practical common sense ways we can boost charitable giving.”
Vee and I donate regularly to support various people we know and charities we support and I’ve volunteered to be a London Ambassador for the 2012 Olympics. But we can all do more.
More information on the Green Paper here.
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Four days of families and fun
December 28th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
Effectively Christmas 2010 is now over for us.
On Christmas Day and Boxing Day, at home in London Vee and I hosted a visit by eight members of her family, six of whom stayed overnight. Two of them were little ones which added to the fun.
Then yesterday we drove up to Leicester for a gathering of 17 relatives on my side of the family including my brothers and my sister. Again two of them were little ones and that meant more fun.
Today, back in London, we saw our son and daughter-in-law. She is very pregnant and is due to deliver our first grandchild in less than two weeks time. Then the real fun will begin.
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Eight shepherds and two angels
December 26th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
All our eight Christmas Day/Boxing Day family guests have now left; a great time was had by all; and here’s a shot of the Christmas lunch:
Can you spot the two angels?
[Photo by David Rowe]
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The calm before the (welcome) storm
December 25th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
The table is laid for Christmas lunch for 10 people; not one but two turkeys have been cooked; Christmas pudding, Christmas cake and mince pies are all ready.
Now Vee and I await the arrival of eight of her closest relatives: twin sister Mari and husband Derek; their sons Martin and David; their wives Isobel and Sharon; and Martin & Isobel’s children Yasmin (5 in a few days) and Lucas (2.5).
As soon as they arrive, we’ll open all the presents and then we’ll tuck into lunch before we play games with the children. It will be manic but fun.
Happy Christmas everyone!
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Friends at the Frenkels
December 24th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
Almost four years ago, Vee and I spent a fantastic week travelling round Israeli [my account here] with our special friend Eric, who once lived in the country for 18 years, and his son Yonatan. One of the places where we stayed was a wonderful bed and breakfast place [click here] run by Erwin and Etha Frenkel in a town called Korazim [click here].
Eric is over in Israel now where Yonatan has just enlisted with the Israeli Defence Force. He has been joined for a few days by his new partner Cindy who has become a dear friend to us as well over the past year. I heard today that they are now staying at the Frenkels in the same room which Vee and I occupied.
Don’t you love the serendipity of life?
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