Thirty-six years ago tomorrow, 11 July 1981, Noreen and I moved into our present house, and in that time a lot of water has flowed under the bridge — and the house has acquired a lot of “silt”. So for this month’s Ten Things I thought we should have a look at some of the things that have happened to me over those years.
10 Things I’ve Done Since July 1981 (in no special sequence):
- Started (with others) the Anthony Powell Society
- Taken early retirement and got my state pension
- Had 7 cats (not all at once)
- Had 3 months off work with glandular fever
- Built a koi pond
- Got the local council to plant a tree in the pavement outside the house
- Had an affair (yes, it’s OK, it’s public knowledge)
- Planted at least 12 trees in our suburban garden (much to the bewilderment of the neighbours)
- Lost both my parents
- Developed Type 2 Diabetes
And here is another view …
10 World Events that have Happened since July 1981 (again in no special sequence):
- America’s first black President (Barak Obama) (2009)
- Iraq War (2003 and years following)
- IBM PC announced (1981)
- Fall of Berlin Wall (1989)
- Chernobyl Disaster (1986)
- Tiananmen Square demonstrations in Beijing (1989)
- Introduction of the Euro (1999)
- 9/11 “bombing” of World Trade Centre (2001)
- Queen Elizabeth II becomes the UK’s longest reigning monarch (2015)
- Worldwide banking collapse (2008)
Interesting times we live in, but I wonder how many of those (or what events I’ve excluded) will be remembered in 100 or 200 years!