Archive for September, 2016


Visit to Athens (3)

September 30th, 2016 by Roger Darlington

This morning, we visited Lykavittos Hill for the finest panoramic views of the city and an especially impressive view of the Acropolis through the urban haze created by the heat and the traffic. The name ‘lykavittos’ means ‘Hill of Wolves’ and in ancient times the location was covered in pines and inhabited by wolves. Silvia […]

Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)


Visit to Athens (2)

September 29th, 2016 by Roger Darlington

It’s been 40 years since I visited Athens and much has stayed the same – after all, this is a city with 2,500 years of history. So it is still somewhat rough and raw with uneven pavements and  crazy traffic –  not a city that everyone would love. But a lot has changed: the city […]

Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (3)


Visit to Athens (1)

September 28th, 2016 by Roger Darlington

Since my mother died in 1999, my sister Silvia and I have created a tradition of going abroad for a short trip without our spouses. We’re just about to set off for our 10th such venture and this time our destination is Athens. Silvia has never been there and my only previous visit was 40 […]

Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)


A review of the new version of “The Magnificent Seven”

September 26th, 2016 by Roger Darlington

Like almost everyone, I loved the 1960 version of “The Magnificent Seven” and I’ve seen it at least four times. But the new remake of the classic is a decent work that deserves to be enjoyed. I’ve written a review here.

Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)


One of the most beautiful songs ever recorded

September 25th, 2016 by Roger Darlington

I refer to the Italian song “Con Te Partiro” as sung by the tenor Andrea Bocelli. You can hear and watch him perform this classic here:

Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)


A review of the 1979 Woody Allen movie “Manhattan”

September 24th, 2016 by Roger Darlington

Of course, I have seen it before, but this weekend I was round with friends and we revisited this Woody Allen classic, leading me to review it here.

Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)


Watch Mustafa Suleyman at FutureFest 2016

September 24th, 2016 by Roger Darlington

I’m very interested in the future – it’s where I intend to spend the rest of my life. Last weekend, I attended an event called FutureFest and this is one of the talks – a discussion of artificial intelligence –  that I heard: Mustafa Suleyman, Co-founder of Google DeepMind at FutureFest 2016 from Nesta UK […]

Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)


A review of the Jordanian film “Theeb”

September 23rd, 2016 by Roger Darlington

In 60 years of watching movies, I think that my all-time favourite film is still “Lawrence Of Arabia” (1962) – see my review here. Surprisingly, I’ve just seen a film set and shot in the same location and rooted in the same point of history. It is the Jordanian work “Theeb” which I found moving […]

Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)


The 100th anniversary of the birth of Karel Kuttelwascher, the RAF’s greatest night intruder pilot

September 23rd, 2016 by Roger Darlington

Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of my wife’s father, a Czech pilot with the wartime RAF whose story I wrote in the book “Night Hawk” published by William Kimber in 1985 and to be reprinted by Fonthill Media in 2017. Flight Lieutenant Karel Kuttelwascher, DFC and BarKarel Kuttelwascher – or Kut as […]

Posted in History | Comments (0)


From Moscow to Mexico: a father-and-son’s 2,000 mile voyage by bicycle from northern Idaho to the Mexican border

September 22nd, 2016 by Roger Darlington

A colleague of mine has just done something remarkable. Together with his teenage son, he raised over £5,000 for the cancer charity Macmillan by cycling some 2,000 miles in the United States over a period of seven weeks. I made a small contribution to the cause which which is why I followed the journey on […]

Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)