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These may be my last 20 years but I am looking forward to them. Why? Because I have 70 years of experience, knowledge and insight to see me through! How will my last 20 compare with the first 20? How have the intervening 50 years helped me? Can people in their first 20 years benefit from my experience?
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My writing explores how knowledge, experience and insight from 70 years could help me get through the last 20 years. I have collected them together under headings to make it easier to find individual articles.
I was born here of an old Newtonian family and look likely to spend the next 20 years in the town. What it used to be like and what it could look like.
I lived in London from 1975 to 2004, including 22 years in a council flat in a tower block, and enjoyed it immensely; a greater contrast than Newton Abbot would be difficult to imagine. Clubs, theatre, cinema, gigs – I made good use of what London had to offer.
My university education and work in the field of energy, climate change and sustainability have given me insights into one of the most difficult challenges of the next 20 years, together with an ability to explain complex matters in a way that can easily be understood – and acted upon.
I worked on the fringes of the music business in the 70s and 80s and keep uo to date with music; what will I be watching, reading and listening to in the next 20 years?
My daily diary that will record how my life changes over the next 20 years; my health, income, well-being, coping with housework, paying the bills and so on. What will it be like to grow old?
I consider myself an enthusiastic amateur and have taken photos since the mid-70s, including of my life in Devon and London and of my trips to places like France, the USA and the West Indies.
What was it like to be a student in London in the 70s? Vintage diary transcripts, thoughts and lessons learned from my time at the London School of Economics.
Recent NOTES
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How will you cope with laundry in retirement?
Now that I am in my 70s I must be careful with money, but that does not mean I should skimp on washing clothes. How did I prepare for doing the laundry in retirement? And what have I learned from the past that will help me save money?
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A nightmare in the suburbs?
Looking forward to a quiet day ahead – and which horror film series to watch this evening: Nun I & II? Insidious I, II & III? I suspect it might be A Nightmare On Elm Street…
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My energy bill is reducing!
Looking forward to getting out of the house for the first time in a fortnight, and concerned with all the negativity out there about energy prices. I will benefit enormously from the removal of the gas standing charge.
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Coffee: an affordable luxury?
One of the savings I have made at the beginning of my last 20 years is coffee but I still enjoy three cups a day at home. I am hopeful that I can continue to enjoy it for many years to come, but income – and coffee machines on the verge of breakdown – are…
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Trinidad garden
A tropical garden in Sangre Grande, Trinidad. I loved it but made the mistake of picking an extremely hot chilli with bare hands – and eating it! Needless to say I was forced to repair to the only bar in the village for a Stag.
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Gas fires: turn off the pilot light – it may be using more gas than you think
Is using the gas fire a sensible use of my money in my last 20 years? What about my well-being? In October 2026 I undertook an experiment: during the chillier days of autumn would I be better off having the gas fire on during the day and the central heating on only in the evening?
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Homes: does size matter?
I haven’t left home in ten days and in my diary this morning I found myself considering the well-being benefits of living in a home that is in some ways too big for me. This could be important in the next 20 years. But I learned in my working life that under-occupation is best avoided…
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Good health for the next 20 years?
Despite a mild cold I reflect on my understanding of my general health from 70 years of experience, and it bodes well for the next 20 years. I have learned that I respond well – and quickly – to medication. It seems to me that the last 20 years could be quite good from a…
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Hello Autumn! But Are Seasons Still Relevant?
It is likely that over the next 20 years the seasons as we have known them will become a thing of the past, but let’s hold onto them while we can. Almost every day this last week has confirmed that autumn has started – for me at least.
50 YEARS OF PHOTOS
No.16: Fingle Bridge Inn
1989: The Inn at Drewsteignton, Dartmoor, with the River Teign in full flood.
So who is Colin Anderson?
A Devonian with stories to tell and a love of history, science, philosophy, environment, & entertainment.
An increasing number of people I know are either down the rabbit hole or caught in its event horizon, which I find distressing. I prefer the real world and, like a frantic sponge, I cannot help but soak up knowledge, insight & quality.
Which I like to share…
USA 2016 travelogue
Scotland 2022 travelogue
