The blog of photographer Kim Ayres

Still trying to get my head around the year 2000 being history rather than futuristic

.
It was widely predicted that the world was going to end 10 years ago, both by religious zealots, and those in charge of computing systems (anyone remember the millennium bug?).

A decade later and we’re still here. In fact there are ¾ of a billion more of us than there were at the turn of the millennium.

While reflecting on this surprising survival story, I thought I’d look back at my diaries since the year 2000 and see what themes would leap out.

There have been tragedies and there have been triumphs.

I have had a collapsed business, a new built business, a sold business, a failed new direction and a new, new direction - the outcome of which has still to be determined.

There has been the birth of one nephew, 6 great-nephews and nieces, and three grandchildren

I have lived in 3 different houses, owned 3 different cars and had 6 different mobile phones in my pocket.

There have been deaths. Too many, of course.

I have had an on-off battle with Depression, 2½ years of group therapy, 2 different 18 month periods spent on anti-depressants, time spent with a life coach and a stint with a cognitive behavioural therapist

There have been times of money, times of no money and times of near homelessness.

I have been given the rather useless diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

There have been changes in weight, discovery of a vitamin B12 deficiency, discovery of a genetic mutation causing haemochromatosis, and the discovery I have abnormally small pupils.

I have created 5 different blogs with over 1,200 posts between them.

But through all this, two things have remained absolutely consistent across the whole decade.

One is the love Maggie and I have for each other has only ever grown stronger.

The other is I am horrifically bad at predicting the future. There has been no point in my life where I have been able to say with even vague accuracy how my life was going to go over the next year or two.

So who knows how the coming year or decade is going to turn out. I only hope it’s a good one for you.
.

42 comments

Anonymous said...

It's all about the journey, anyways, right Kim?

Health, wealth, and happiness to you and yours. : )

Falak said...

Now they have come up with a new theory that the world will end in the year 2012. Wonder how true this prediction is going to turn out to be. Happy new year!

Brindy said...

I'll make one prediction - you'll still be blogging and we'll still reading it & enjoying it.

Happy New Year to you all.

savannah said...

happy new year, kim! i'll see all y'all next year, sugar! ;~D xoxoxox

emma said...

Hope the next year and next decade will turn out to be a good one for you too! You certainly saw and did a lot in the past 10 (I'm racking my brains as to what has happened other than the appearance of the sprog - What have I been doing???)

Happy New Year

hope said...

I just find it hard to believe that it went by that fast!

And you know, love from the right person will get you through anything. Glad you and Maggie have each other.

Best to you and yours in the new year!

debra said...

(o)
xo

Kim Ayres said...

~:C:~ - it has to be about the journey - we all end up at the same destination... and all the best to you and yours :)

Falak - I will now predict that every single end of the world date will be wrong! Now I can only be wrong with this prediction once at the most, but I will be right with it thousands of times :)

Jacqui - the continued blogging isn't a given. There are times when I seriously consider stopping. It's more of a wait and see scenario. Happy New Year to you too :)

Savannah - and a very happy birthday to you!!! Hope it's a good one :)

Emma - loads will have happened to you - not least, how much has your art developed? It's all about where we decide to place the emphasis. Happy New Year to you too :)

Hope - Maggie is a natural survivor. I realised many years ago that if I clung on to her, there was a better chance of me surviving too... And the best to you and yours too :)

Debra - :)

Whitney Lee said...

Life's an adventure, right? It's interesting to look back and see where you've been but it doesn't necessarily give you any idea where you're going, does it?

I wish you a very Happy New Year!

Now my little adventure needs a diaper change...

karatemom said...

all I know is ..we are still here . all the best KIM

Katie Roberts said...

Glad we're all still here Kim, and hope you keep writing for a long time. Whatever the form.

Charlie said...

No platitudes, Kim, because I'm lousy at them. I can, however, wish you, Maggie, Rogan, and Meg a good 2010.

6 mobile phones in one pocket. That's quite amazing.

Fay Campbell said...

All I can say is, this too shall change.
Have a groovaceous moment!

Anonymous said...

I think this post would make a wonderful anniversary or birthday gift Kim! Happy,less depressed New Year to you sir. It's been a pleasure.

Cinda said...

Just found your blog and look forward to reading more. Life, isn't it interesting? One just never knows. Remember the old saying, "The more you know the less of which you are certain" (or something reasonably close)? Happy New Year to you and Maggie.

Helen said...

Hey Bearded One - I have a stuffed green, blue and red caterpillar-thingy with the words "Millie the Millenium Bug" embroidered down the side. (Told you I was a marketing sucker!)Keep holding tight to Maggie! (How many cars????!!!)

Cindy said...

Happy New Year, neat number on your followers, 888! A LOT better than 666.

erika said...

I remember art and creative writing projects in elementary school in which we had to imagine and depict 'the year 2000'. Ha! I am horrible at predicting the future too, because we don't have any flying cars and we are still not able to teleport. On the other hand, the past couple decades haven't been a complete waste, as mobil phones have become considerably smaller and we are able to video chat :)

I wish you and your family a wonderful, joyous new year and I also wish that you and Maggie would have each other for a long long time. Sending some new year's hugs to you :)

mapstew said...

If only we could predict the future eh? And would we want to know?

Loathed as I am to qoute Ronan Keating, 'Life is a rollercoaster'!

And we have no choice but to ride it!

A happy one pal. You know what you got!

:¬)

Jason Murdoch said...

I hope 2010 is everything you want it to be, Kim.

Barney

St Jude said...

Here's to the next decade, still rolling on and finding the path. Happy New Year.

Kim Ayres said...

Whitney - I might be wrong, but I'm sure I read once there's a tribal belief somewhere that we move through time backwards - the point being we can only see the past, never the future - like walking backwards. Happy New Year :)

KarateMom - we are, and sometimes I get surprised by that... all the best to you and yours too :)

Katie - thank you :)

Charlie - the secret is, big pockets... wishing you & Martha all the best :)

Fay - groovaceous shall now be added to my dictionary. However, it may well get challenged next time I try and use it in a Scrabble match...

Starrlife - and my your mood drops be not so low, yourself :)

Cinda - welcome to my ramblings :) Do check the sidebar under "Find Your Favourite Topics" for any areas of interest - I do get made aware of any comments posted on old posts and have been known to respond to some of them too :) Happy New Year to you too :)

Helen - is 3 cars in 10 years that unusual? Our current one we've had for 5, and will keep for as long as it lasts - I can't see us being able to afford another one any time soon.

Cindy - I did reach 901 at one point, but it looks like I'm now heading in the other direction. I wonder how long it will take to get back down to single figures? Happy New Year to you too :)

Erika - 2 years ago I wrote a blog post called Welcome to the Future where I mentioned my surprise at how the future turned out, but also how the past is now as bizarre a place as I used to think the future would be. New Year Hugs aplenty to you an your family :)

Maptew - other than the winning lottery tickets, I wouldn't want to know anything else. Have a good one :) BTW - what are you doing leaving comments at 5am? I can forgive those in other time zones, but you've only across the Irish sea, for goodness sake!

BJHM - thank you Barney, and the same for you :)

St Jude - cheers!

Pat said...

You're still standing! And I'm so happy about that. Love to all the family and a happy healthy 2010.

Suz said...

Kim -

Thank you for sharing your journey over the past 10 years. What a ride! It amde me reflect on mine as well. So much happens that we kind of forget, doesn't it?

I have enjoyed your blogs during the few months I have been following. I hope you continue. It is probably theraputic in some way, yes?

May you have a blessed and happy New Year.

Anonymous said...

Thank you and the same to you, Kim.

Barbara

Zaedah said...

I'm still wondering what happened to the space odyssey I was expecting in 2001. Now it's 2010 and I'm trying to fathom where our Jetsons cars got off to.

Tiffin said...

Kim, I was just thinking this very thought about 2000 (I get very contemplative in the bath). I have no idea where any of it is going or how long I've got before the train leaves the station but despite the bumps, cliff-hangers, and pratfalls, I'm loving the journey. Funny how the older I get, the more precious it all becomes.

So here's to life and the living of it, as best we can. Good health and a bit of good luck to you and yours.

The Brokendown Barman said...

to quote Idlewild - Love steals us from loneliness

Happy new year and a belated merry xmas. ive got a big fat spliff and a bottle of 18yr old Deerstalker waiting if you ever need a pick me up pal......

Cindy said...

Interesting review of the decade! I'm inspired by your love and hope to one day find that connection. Much love and happiness in this new adventure! xoxoxo

Daphne Wayne-Bough said...

They Promised Us Jetpacks.

I urge you to go back to the very earliest episodes of Star Trek, where they appear to be using not-yet-invented tiny mobile phones and reading off a not-yet-publicly-available computer. Gene Roddenberry was more of a visionary than H.G.Wells.

It doesn't feel futuristic because we've got here day by day. But somebody who'd just arrived from 1970 would probably be impressed. They'd be gobsmacked at Dr Who, for a start.

New Year's Eve 1999 I was in the British Embassy club in Warsaw drinking cheap Russian champanskaya out of paper cups after seeing Boney M live in the Castle Square. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then.

Here's to the next 10 years! May we all make it that far.

Apex Zombie said...

I hope it's a great one for you too, mate. You deserve it. Looking forward to your 2015 post when Marty McFly visits us from 1985 :D

Anonymous said...

I hope it's a good year (and decade) for you, too. The last decade has gone by in a bit of a blur, it has to be said, but some of it I'd rather forget.

Bock the Robber said...

Happy new year, Mr Ayres

Dan said...

Happy new year to you big man. Did you know that yours was the first blog I ever read and joined up too?

It’s been a good ride so far.

I hope that 2010 sees you well and happy matey, I honestly do.

And that midget porn is still on hand whenever you need it.

Just email me.

Mary Witzl said...

It really is all about the journey; the destination isn't something any of us can really control.

2000 still seems like the future to me. In fact, 1984 still seems like the future. Odd, really...

Mary Witzl said...

And Happy New Year!

Stella said...

Happy New Year Kim, may it be a good one. And don't worry about the time you're wrong about the "end of the world prediction" cos no-one will be around to gloat : )

mapstew said...

Kim, 'leaving coments at 5AM'? That's part and parcel of the entertainment job! Depends on what the gig is, and how far I have to travel. Part of my 'wind-down' when I get home is having something to eat/drink and checking me blogs!

The Hangar Queen said...

I remember reading 'Harrier Squadron' in 'Warlord' in the 70s. It was set in the mid 1990s during WW3 and what struck me about it most was how we all really expected that to happen.

So we don't have flying cars yet.Boo!

Neither did we all perish in a nuclear holocaust. Hooray!

The last decade has been one of tremendous ups and downs for my family and I and despite the abyssal depths I've sometimes plunged to I survived it. Most of me anyway :)

All the very best to you and your family for 2010 Kim.

I'll be checking now

Anonymous said...

Upon reading I had to sigh & smile. Life's worth living.

Kim Ayres said...

Pat - and all the very best for the new year and decade to you and yours :)

Suz - I used to wonder about the theraputic nature of blogging for me, but now I'm not so sure. Somtimes I find myself holding back from blogging about certain things now precisely because of the kinds of comments I know I will end up getting from a few people. Anway, a very happy New year to you too :)

Barbara - thank you, and the same to you too :)

Zaedah - and don't forget the baco-foil suits...

Tiffin - you were typing your comment from the bath? :)

BD Barman - I appreciate the offer, but spliffs give me terrible munchies, which is not a good thing when I'm already dealing with over eating problems, and alcohol gives me hangovers that far outweigh any possible enjoyment I might get from it. But thank you anyway :)

Cindy - I wish you all the best in your search for a soul mate :)

Daphne - I'll raise a glass to that (of fizzy water, anyway)!

FLG - and in 2019 we can be looking out for Replicants too (see Blade Runner) :)

Digibirder - if you can remember the past decade, it means senility hasn't set in yet...

Bock - and a very happy New Year to you, Mr Robber!

Dan - Really? I didn't know that. And yet there's nothing on this blog about midget porn, so I wonder what attracted you? Hope 2010 is good for you too :)

Mary - there's only one destination we all reach, and I'm not ready for it yet. Happy New Year to you and all the family :)

Stella - good point! Happy New year :)

Mapstew - I forgot about the fact you work night shifts :)

HQ - Hooray! All the very best to you and the kids :)

Kim Ayres said...

Allen - whoops, missed you in the ether there! Glad life makes you smile :)

All content copyright of Kim Ayres. Powered by Blogger.