Archive for June, 2011
Forgotten World (244): Tristan da Cunha
June 23rd, 2011 by Roger Darlington
Tristan da Cunha was at one time on the main trading route between Europe and the Indian Ocean, but the tiny community of 275 living there is now extremely isolated. It is situated 2,800 km west of Cape Town, South Africa, and is part of a group of islands which includes Inaccessible, Nightingale, Middle, Stoltenhoff, […]
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A review of “X-Men: First Class”
June 23rd, 2011 by Roger Darlington
You can check out my take on the fifth film in the franchise here.
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Forgotten World (243): St Kitts-Nevis
June 22nd, 2011 by Roger Darlington
The islands of St Kitts and Nevis have been in an uneasy federation since independence from Britain in 1983, with some politicians in Nevis saying the federal government in St Kitts (also known as St Christopher) – home to a majority of the population of around 50,000 – have ignored the needs of Nevisians. But […]
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How many are killed on the roads each year?
June 21st, 2011 by Roger Darlington
This week, I attended a meeting at the BT Centre in central London as a guest of the Chair of the BT Ethnic Minority Network Malcolm Weston. The subject of the meeting was infrastructure. Most of the prese4ntations related to the UK but one looked at the topic from a world perspective and I was […]
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Forgotten World (242): Faroe Islands
June 20th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
The Faroes, an archipelago of 18 islands in the North Atlantic with a population of only 50,000, constitute an autonomous region of Denmark. While the islands’ rugged coastlines and extensive bird life are a draw for some, the Faroes also offer the prospect of major offshore reserves of oil and gas. These potential resources have […]
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Why is it called bubble and squeak?
June 20th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
Last night, Vee and I took a young Czech woman out to dinner on Harrow-on-the-Hill. She was keen to be introduced to typically English food so we identified for her suitable items on the menu. In the end, she chose roast beef and Yorkshire pudding followed by bread and butter pudding. But she was fascinated […]
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Forgotten World (241): Cayman Islands
June 20th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
It’s time for one of the regular weeks of postings in my long-running series called Forgotten World – a look at parts of the world that too rarely feature in our media or thoughts. You can check the previous 240 entries here. I think we’ll make this the last batch for a series which has […]
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Goodbye to “Brothers & Sisters”
June 19th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
I like television series that deal with relationships. I used to love “Thirtysomething” and I enjoy “Desperate Housewives”. I’ve been a devoted fan of “Brothers & Sisters” and watched the last ever episode this week since the series has been cancelled after five seasons. It was running out of original plot lines, but I loved […]
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Vee and I mark 30 years together
June 19th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
Today is the 30th anniversary of my first date with Vee. I invited her round to my place and cooked her a meal. It was pork chops and treacle tart – I know the way to a girl’s heart. Three decades later, we are are still together and still happy. In a case of role […]
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Is there anything as British as the umbrella?
June 18th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
Now that the long dry spell of weather here in Britain has given way to regular showers, I thought that I would draw your attention to a quintessential British establishment: a shop that essentially sells nothing but umbrellas. It’s located in central London and has been operated as a family-run business for 175 years. Check […]
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