To infinity & beyond: 2010-2019

So for the third & final post I have to predict the future, right?  Personally I'm hoping for more babies, a puppy, probably a move to some rural idyll where I can keep chickens (but still find a decent 'latte').  I'd love to build a house designed by my husband - he has some great ideas for an eco-house so I can imagine us getting quite heavily into sustainability & self sufficiency!  

I'd really like to take another big trip with my family - perhaps back to Iran or maybe a road trip across the US - we'll see.  Career-wise, a couple of music projects to get my teeth into, perhaps starting a small classical music festival somewhere.  

Politically I fear we may see a Conservative government in power before too long.  Seeing how any government deals with climate change will be key - how will our energy needs be met and how will this effect the environment locally & globally?  What legislation will be brought in to force change?  Sadly I've no idea who will shape the next decade politically but I hope they introduce themselves pretty soon!

I'm not quite sure where the Olympics will fit into all this.  We're led to believe that our huge spend will leave a great legacy, that the event will be wonderful for London and the rest of the UK, but I can't help thinking the budget cannot be justified.

I suppose our economy will recover from the recent collapse over the next few years but I hope that there will be a growing trend for sustainability in economic terms too.  There's been a huge emphasis in our country (as well as others) on economic growth and the production of wealth, but what's it for?  If we all lived with more of a social conscience then perhaps people's lives and our stewardship of the planet would be more secure.  

Finding solutions for the issues around climate change must surely be high on the list with regards to technological innovation.  Can we find solutions for feeding our growing population without further compromising the environment?  Can we reduce or even reverse the effects of deforestation?  Can we develop viable energy solutions?   What about Peak Oil?  This seems to be a massive issue for us - the recent news from whistleblowers at the IEA is really worrying - this isn't just an economical issue but very much sociopolictical one too.  

http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/ 

I read an article on genetically modified microbes which ate biomass and excreted crude oil - the stuff of science fiction it would seem but if it's true, this kind of development will surely shape our future?  

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4133668.ece

I suppose there's hope!

2000-2009

Predictably I suppose this decade (my late twenties, early thirties) has been dominated by weddings, births following weddings, births followed by weddings and a few births with categoric refusals to enter into marriage!  All pretty conventional stuff really...but no less inspiring & joyous!

Otherwise, and more generally, my memories are less positive - the decade seems to be dominated by war & a growing distrust of our government.  I guess my real disappointment began when so many people voiced their concerns and disapproval for the war in Afghanistan (and later in Iraq) and yet  this seemed to have little or no impact on the policies made by government (who are after all - supposed to be representing us).  The Stop the War march stands out in my mind.

http://www.stopwar.org.uk/ 

Tony Blair's will be bound up in people's memories of this decade I think.  Many will have shared my feelings of optimism when he first came into power, only to be increasingly horrified by his spin.  And our growing dependence upon the US...

Climate change also features heavily but I almost don't know where to begin & end in writing about that - suffice it to say that it is probably the single biggest issue for most of us these days.

As far as our economy goes, I guess the decade has probably seen the most extraordinary growth & collapse ever - the so-called boom & bust.  Whilst I would never claim to have predicted the current economical failing, I do think many people had a sense that the growth (particularly in the banking sector & the housing market) was unsustainable.  It's hard to get away from the consumerism typified in the so-called developed world, but I hope we might try!  

Technological developments & brands?  Apple probably stand out in my mind - the ipod (all those poor CDs relegated to the cupboards!), the almost uncontrollable explosion of the internet, both in terms of availability/ubiquity & its capability, just the increasingly 'technologically dominated' environment that we live in.  

Trends?  Does X-Factor count?    We've just got rid of our TV to stop me watching it...

http://xfactor.itv.com/2009/

And a p.s

Excuse the weird text layout but it seems beyond me to correct this...  

Here goes...my first official post

My name is Andrea & I'm soon to be 35 (it's my birthday next week in fact).  I live in East London with Richard (my wonderful husband) & Ottoline (my adorable one-year old daughter).  Her name is a strange one, I know - it's pronounced Otta-leen, and is an old French/German name.  I sometimes fear I have relegated her to a life of spelling her name over the phone to confused call centre staff & correcting the pronunciation  - but you don't really think these things through in those heady first days of motherhood.   

So, my passions;  I love classical music & studied at the Royal College of Music.  I don't really perform these days (nerves got the better of me) but I love going to concerts & spent several years as a Tour Manager for orchestras & dance companies, travelling all over the world.  Travel is another passion - before we became responsible(ish) parents, Richard & I converted a landrover into an expedition vehicle, and took a year off work.  We drove across Turkey where I developed a worrying addiction to baklava, and then into Iran where I promptly rolled our landrover twice & wrote it off!  

We were fine - I like to blame the fact that I had to wear a hijab, but really I just lost concentration at the wheel.  

Once Richard started talking to me again, we continued to Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan & Krygyzstan where we spent lots of time living in yurts & drinking fermented mare's milk (not to be recommended!)

Apart from my immediate family, I have 2 gorgeous sisters, a Mum, a Dad (with wanderlust, who is somewhere in Australia these days) & an amazing grandmother of 90.  Add to this, my lovely inlaws and you see that I have a great family who are very important to me.  I hate the fact that we all live all over the place & would love to be around the corner from each of them (at least most of the time!)

Personally, I guess we've been pretty fortunate during this economic downturn, so far.  I'm on maternity leave but work freelance.  Rich is an architect and although the construction industry has been quite badly affected, his job is fairly secure for now.  Seeing a few friends lose their jobs & hearing about the collapse of some key organisations has definitely made us feel that we need a robust plan for our future.  And it's made us think a lot about sustainability generally - both in terms of our own lifestyle & more widely.  Afterall the growth & financial boom we've experienced in many parts of the world in the last decade was surely never going to last?  

Politically, it's hard to see how Labour will survive this (amongst other key issues in their 3 terms of power) so I think it's inevitable that we'll look back on this period as the 'nail in the coffin' for Gordon Brown & the Labour party.  Whilst I think they've made some appalling decisions, particularly under the leadership of Tony Blair, I worry about the country being run by the Conservative party again.  I hope that our changed relationship with the ecomony might yield some positive developments too - perhaps making people more modest in their spending habits and giving people more perspective on life.

Testing, testing

Hey Alice - seems to be working so I'm ready to blog!  Looking forward to my first question of the day.

Hello

Hi Andrea and welcome to your blog.
This blog is private between you and Omnicom Media Group so feel free to express yourself freely and add personal pictures.
Enjoy blogging !

Alice