Harrow Stabbing

Five police cars, two ambulances and an air ambulance overhead. Not something you expect to see every day, especially when it's all but next door to the school your son attends. So I stopped to take some photos and post them on twitter. It wasn't long before I was being tweeted by the local newspaper asking if they can use my photos. I told them they could and answered a few questions. It wasn't long before my name was being used in the online article which I have copied and pasted here, along with the photos that I posted on twitter.

Murder detectives at scene of Harrow stabbing

Jul 8 2013 By Ian Proctor

MURDER detectives are present at a house where a man and a woman were discovered with serious injuries believed to be sustained in a stabbing.

Police were called at 9.30am to a report of an assault at a property in Hindes Road, and paramedics responded to a 999 call about a stabbing at the address.

The house is a corner home at the junction of Hindes Road and Headstone Road. 

A police spokeswoman said a man and a woman were found "suffering injuries" and a London Ambulance Service spokeswoman confirmed the pair, both believed to be in their 30s, were alive at that time.

The woman was in a critical condition and both were taken to hospital.

Police have been unable to provide an update on their condition but Trinity Church in Hides Road is being used as a base by murder detectives.

Lee Smyth, 40, of Radnor Avenue, who was picking up his son from a pre-school in Radnor Road, said: "I can tell you that the road is still closed from Welldon Crescent to Harrow View. 

"It is blocked off completely. Apparently there was a murder in a house on Hindes Road and I asked an officer and he told me it was nothing to worry about.

"Now is the time we would normally pick up our kids from pre-school and the teacher let them out the back way."

Hindes Road remains closed off and there are delays on Headstone Road.Norbury School, in nearby Welldon Crescent, Harrow, remains open while Quainton Hall School, next to Trinity Church, had already closed to pupils on Friday.

Did you see or hear anything or take any photographs of the incident? Call the newsdesk on 01895 451054 or e-mail hannah.bewley@trinitymirror.com

Le Mans 2013

I have never watched the Le Mans 24 hour race before today but about an hour ago I was flicking through the channels and there it was. Ok, I thought, lets take a look at this and see what's what. Having raced on the track within the Gran Turismo Playstation game I thought I knew what to expect. How wrong could I be? It looks absolutely terrifying at those speeds in the dark! Those drivers have to be incredibly courageous in order to compete at this level of motorsport.


Unfortunately, accidents still happen. While searching twitter for whatever information I could glean about the race I discovered that the leading driver, Allan Simonsen, crashed his Aston Martin on lap 4 and lost his life. According to the commentators, his family urged the teams to continue racing as that's what they thought he would have wanted. Much respect.


Having next to no knowledge about the sport, except that it's held in France over a 24 hour period, I'm finding the commentary to be very informative. It feels like when I started watching Formula 1 over a decade ago, desperate to learn as much as I could about the on track action. I'm pleasantly surprised that I even recognise a few names of ex-F1 drivers in the race, such as Alan McNish, Lucas Di Grasi, Kamui Kobayashi and Giancarlo Fisichella.

If my wife lets me, I may even watch an hour or two in the morning.

30 Day Drawing Challenge

I tried getting back into drawing a while back with little success. It's much easier to edit a photo on my iPhone with a couple of well chosen apps than to put pencil to paper these days. However, chatting to a friend on Twitter, she suggested the 30 Day Drawing Challenge.




Brilliant! Just what I was looking for to kick my arse into gear. I'll be posting the fruits of my labours here, a few at a time. If you're on twitter, search the hashtag #TDDC for daily drawings. Or even join in.

Scribble, scribble, scribble, etc.

Sharing is caring

Thank you.

That was for everybody that read, liked and commented on my last post. It has since become my most viewed post to date. I believe this was due, in part, to the fact that my wife, amongst others, shared it on Facebook, etc.




This blog is almost a diary of my depression, how I cope with it and how it is being treated, by professionals and friends, alike. Because mental health issues are being more publicly addressed (#TimeToChange), I ask you all to share these posts online, via Facebook, Twitter or the social network of your choice.

It only takes a click of your mouse or a tap on your smartphone but it's a moment taken out of your day that is greatly appreciated. If you won't do it for me, do it for someone you know.



Thank you.

Day 101: The kindness of a stranger

Regular readers of this blog will know that I've been going through some tough times lately. Years, actually, but I only admitted it to anybody else within the last few months. Now I'm happy (if you can call it that) to tell anyone that wants to listen that I suffer from depression.
For the previous two Mondays I've been talking to a psychologist (and a trainee) about it. I'm hoping that after a few more sessions they'll be able to tell me what the actual cause of the problem may be and, hopefully, offer a solution that doesn't involve taking more drugs.

In the meantime, I've been getting by with a little help from my friends (gotta love The Beatles) and family. Each one has eased my burden in their own way, some phone me, others give me a hug and one (I won't mention her name, she knows who she is) tweets me.
I've never met her, face to face, and I seriously doubt I ever will but every day we have a little chat on Twitter and my day is made a little brighter. I only recently told her of my condition and how much she helps me cope with it.
I was able to return the favour recently (again, I won't mention her situation, that's her business and not for me to broadcast online). We can't solve each others problems but it's good to know we can still help in some small way.
Thank you for being there, my friend.
That goes for all of you ;) x

Thoughts before bed

I should have been asleep a while ago but I was watching Donnie Darko on TV. It's a great movie. It was also trending on Twitter so I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Anyway, those were my thoughts before bed. Goodnight.

Fake Tweeter

Well, well, well, who would have thought my Fake Twitter account would turn out to be more popular than me? But it's true, it has nearly 50% more followers than I do. And not only that, many fellow tweeters like to have a conversation with my alter ego, chatting about personal details, likes/dislikes and having a laugh.

Allow me to introduce Sleeps All Winter, my teddy bear.




He can be found on Twitter as @SleepsAllWinter and uses the hashtag #FollowTheBear.

Surprisingly, he is not alone. There are many other soft toys and pets accounts on Twitter, half of which are barking(!) Sleeps All Winter has befriended lots of new Anipals (soft toys are the best) as well as following ordinary people, which Sleepy likes to call Humates.

If you have a Twitter account, take the time to say hello to @SleepsAllWinter and #FollowTheBear ;)

#FollowTheBear

Ok. So, my Twitter alter-ego thing is working out quite well. I'm enjoying being someone else. Does that sound a bit creepy? Well, it's not!
I'm only having a little fun and sharing a laugh with other tweeters. Many of them are also fake and I think if you're up front about it then there isn't any harm. In fact, I really like the fake tweeters. They put a smile on my face.

Anyway, time for clue 3:
#FollowTheBear
(And that's as close as you'll get without actually knowing my @name)

F1 BlogTwit

#f1 Waiting for the race to get going at the Korean Grand Prix.
Twitter for iPhone • 24/10/2010 07:24


Sums up the moment... http://twitpic.com/30dfn4
Twitpic • 24/10/2010 07:26
retweeted by @LeesMyth
24/10/2010 07:36


#f1 The Korean fans are having fun with the TV cameras *waves & smiles*
Twitter for iPhone • 24/10/2010 07:38


LMAO RT @charlie_whiting:Sigh. Rubens is now complaining that Michael blocked him on the way to the toilet. Stewards are looking into it #F1
Echofon • 24/10/2010 07:41
retweeted by @LeesMyth
24/10/2010 07:42


#f1 I could have been tucked up in bed instead of this!
Twitter for iPhone • 24/10/2010 07:46


“@charlie_whiting: Ok, raise your hand if you want me to bring in the Safety Car? #F1” Consider my hand raised.
Twitter for iPhone • 24/10/2010 08:25


#f1 Safety car in this lap. Yaaaaay!!!
Twitter for iPhone • 24/10/2010 08:41


Webber & Rosberg both out of the Korean Grand Prix. #f1
Twitter for iPhone • 24/10/2010 08:47


#f1 More safety car action(!) at the Korean Grand Prix.
Twitter for iPhone • 24/10/2010 08:52


One of the title contenders was always going to do that...
web • 24/10/2010 08:48
retweeted by @LeesMyth
24/10/2010 08:53


“@eddstrawF1: What Vettel just said is German for "Now I've got full points stop this race asap"” ha ha ha.
Twitter for iPhone • 24/10/2010 10:22