The road less surfaced

Three days ago some huge roadwork vehicles arrived in a street around the corner, you know the kind I mean, diggers and steamrollers, etc. I had been expecting them because a week before signs had been posted in the neighbourhood stating that some road surfacing was due to take place.

Two days ago the road had been completely torn up, signs regarding uneven surfaces and ramps gave drivers fair warning what to expect.

Yesterday a lovely new road, smooth as a baby's bum, had been laid and painted and there was no sign of the industrial vehicles anywhere. That was quick, I was expecting it to take at least a week for them to finish. I shall find an excuse to take my bike for a spin, I thought, and waited patiently for an opportunity to present itself.
 

Today I needed to pop to the shop for some basics (tobacco and Coke) and seized upon the chance to ride the new road. With a smile upon my face and a helmet on my head I rode my bike up an adjoining alley to where the fresh surface awaited. Here we go and here I come.

I was not disappointed. A sigh actually escaped between my lips. Bliss. Heaven. Everything every road should be (I would be happy to pay some form of road tax if this was the standard of London's Roads). It was a pleasure almost beyond measure. Almost, because as I took a bend in the road I noticed that the eutopian surface suddenly ended a short distance ahead of me!

What?
What's going on here? How can this be? Where is the rest of the loveliness? The road workers had only resurfaced a third of the actual road! No wonder they were finished so quickly.
 

 

 

Day 316: Temptation

Getting the proverbial monkey off your back isn't easy. Making sure that it stays that way is much harder to achieve. For me, the monkey's name is Mary Jane and for the past 12 months I've  managed to keep her off my back by simply avoiding her and not giving her an opportunity to climb back on again. Until last night...

 

She strolled in nonchalantly, "Don't mind me, I'm not here for you". And she wasn't. But I kept her in my sights all the while, very much aware of her presence in the room. Seeing her is one thing, I could cope with that, it was her scent that made me feel uncomfortable. I found myself not breathing simply to avoid it. It wasn't a conscious decision, it was a reflex, it was self preservation. Fortunately, she didn't hang around for long and I could relax again.

Until someone else started to miss her.

"Where is she? Why isn't she answering her phone?" And even when she replied and said she was on her way, because she wasn't there soon enough it became "Where is she? Why isn't she answering her phone?" again. I began to feel tense. This is exactly the way I used to behave when I let her rule my life. Now I was watching someone else under her spell and I didn't like it one little bit. From now on she can do what she likes as long as she doesn't come anywhere near me. I thought I could cope with being in her presence.

I was wrong.

And I won't be putting myself in that position again.

Day 312: All by myself

It's been a little over a week since I last saw my psychologist and it's also the last time I would see my psychologist. My course of treatment came to an end and I have been set adrift, left to fend for myself, in a world that isn't much different from the one I came from when it began.

 

Do I feel any great benefit from our time together? On the whole I would have to say, not really, although in her eyes I have made some progress. I guess you would have to ask the people around me if they think there is any real difference.

I'm still taking the Sertraline that I was prescribed way back in November 2012, although I'm not taking it religiously every day. Instead, I'll miss a day here and there as and when I feel I can cope without it. But again, I don't feel that it has made much difference to the way I feel or behave, partly because I used to smoke weed nearly every day for the best part of twenty years and therefore have no real reference for what normal is.

So what happens next? Where do I go from here?

 

 

All the action of (after) the Italian Grand Prix

The Italian Grand Prix is always a bit special with a huge number of Ferrari fans in attendance. Everywhere you look, you will see the famous prancing horse and a sea of red flags but this year there was a slightly different shade of red on show. It's known as rocket red and it's the winning colour of McLaren. So why, when they haven't won a single race this year, was it so prominent? Quite simply, it was because this September marks the 50th anniversary since founder Bruce McLaren gave his name to this multi-championship winning team.

On race day it was the Red Bulls and Ferraris that dominated the front of the pack with Sebastian Vettel leading from pole to take yet another dominating win during his campaign to win a forth consecutive world title. After the opening stint in which Paul di Resta crashed his Force India at the second chicane ending his race prematurely, for the second time in a row, and Kimi Raikkonen pitting his Lotus for a new nose cone, after running into the back of Sergio Perez's McLaren at the first chicane. The Grand Prix was a pretty hum drum affair. It wasn't until the last ten or so laps that it began to get exciting again with Lewis Hamilton, having lost radio communication with the Mercedes team early on, and Raikkonen battling with team mates Jenson Button and Perez for the last points paying positions. Ultimately, it was Kimi and Checo that lost out, with Hamilton and Button crossing the line in 9th and 10th respectively. Vettel stood on the top step of the podium after the GP flanked by Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso and Red Bull team mate Mark Webber. Driver of the day has to be Sauber driver, Nico Hulkenberg who qualified in a very respectable 3rd place and went on to finish in 5th, after only being passed by the two Ferraris at the start of the race.

Two days after the Italian Grand Prix, 4th place finisher, Felipe Massa announced via Twitter that he would be leaving Ferrari at the end of the season. At the time of writing it is unconfirmed who would be taking his place but rumours abound that Kimi Raikkonen is most likely to be partnering Alonso next year. Me, I have my doubts, but I'm betting it won't be long before Ferrari reveal their 2014 driver line up.

UPDATE: Three days after the Italian Grand Prix and I thought I'd better have a peek on Twitter before posting to my blog. Just as well that I did as Ferrari have announced that Kimi Raikkonen WILL be Fernando's team mate next year. Shows what I know!

Changing Fortunes at the Belgian GP

It's been a long four weeks since the Hungarian Grand Prix and Formula 1 couldn't have returned a day too soon. Nor could it have returned to a better racetrack than the classic Belgian circuit of Spa-Francorchamps. It's a firm favourite of drivers and fans alike and has appeared consistently on the F1 calendar since the very first season, way back in 1950. Due to it's unique location it has it's own micro climate and owing to it's length, can often have rain on one part of the track while being simultaneously dry on another, which often makes for an unpredictable race weekend.

This was highlighted during qualifying on Saturday when Force India driver, Paul Di Resta, claimed provisional pole position early in Q3 by being the only driver on wet tyres as rain started to fall. Unfortunately for him the track began to dry very quickly and in the dying moments of the session had his time beaten by the Red Bull and Mercedes teammates with Lewis Hamilton, in the last car to cross the line, securing pole position.

Starting from 5th on the grid would at least give di Resta a good chance of scoring some points come race day. Sadly, this was not to be. Going through the Bus Stop chicane on lap 27 Pastor Maldonado's Williams got caught in a Force India sandwich, bounced off Adrian Sutil's car and ended Paul's race by shunting him off the track with extensive car damage.

Another driver that had a change of fortune was ex-World Champion, Kimi Raikkonen. His record run of 27 consecutive race finishes ended with brake failure, forcing him to retire at the end of lap 24. This is only his second non-points scoring race since joining Lotus and I think I'm right in saying that he was the only driver to complete every lap of the 2012 season.

In contrast, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso started from 9th place, due to the rain affected qualifying session, yet managed a great start when the lights went out and set a blistering pace allowing him to carve his way through the field in spectacular fashion to finish on the podium in 2nd place. The only man able to fend him off was Red Bull driver and Championship leader, Sebastian Vettel. Unless Fernando, Lewis or Kimi can pull off a few more race wins it looks like Vettel will take his fourth consecutive title.

 

Farewell my friend

In the week since Becky Kennett left us, we have each dealt with it in our own way. Many of us (and believe me, there were MANY) left a message on Becky's Facebook page. I have decided to quote as many as I could in my blog. This is what little I can do to show my respect for a woman that lived every moment of her life to the fullest and never gave up.

"You are a beautiful soul Becky and know you will be missed by many."
"Cannot believe that heaven has taken another beautiful angel way too early."
"I can't express how much you will be missed... You have left a huge whole in the world, loved by so many, you will be missed more then you will ever know."
"...glad your out of pain now. R.I.P Angel."
"I hope you have found peace in heaven. Goodbye for now until we one day meet again..."
"...you have touched so many people's life's. You will be missed."
"I didn't even know about your battle Becky. Way way way too young"
"Live life to the full, let go of hatred and be compassionate to others. The people you love and care about may not be here tomorrow."
"Sorry I didn't get a chance to say goodbye, Becky."
"You stayed so strong throughout your battle...every time I saw you, you never failed to have a beaming smile on your face."
"It was a great pleasure to have known you!"
"You have been taken way to soon, I only hope you know how much you touched my life and everyone who knows you!"
"This has made me realise life is too short to wait for things and plan ahead, we must live for the now!"
"In the words of my 5 year old! Don't be upset mummy, u can't go for dinner or lunch with Becky anymore but u can always talk to her in heaven whenever u want."
"Life can be very unfair but, looking at what everyone has written, you definitely left your mark."
"What a terrible loss to the world, a beautiful light has gone out."
"...always made me smile, and a pleasure to have known you...""You have been so brave & I now hope you are at peace."
"...we had a lot of laughs and good times...that is something that I will treasure..."
"...one of the most beautiful, kind, funny girl I've ever had the pleasure of meeting..."
"...such an amazing person, not just a beautiful girl outside but inside as well. so happy to have met u and call u a friend."
"There was never a dull moment with U around Always Smiling Laughing..."
"I've got nothing but fond memories of you..."
"You will be most stunningly missed."
"You were one in a million, who always made everyone smile with your infectious personality. So glad I had you in my life."
"Shine brightly in the sky always."
"You brightened up everyone's lives who were fortunate enough to meet you."
"...such a laugh and joy to be with..."
"Will always remember the good times."
"I want to hear your infectious laugh just one more time."
"You were always the life of the party, I will remember you as bubbly and happy. One of the kindest people I've known."
"Friends are like stars, you don't always see them but you know they are always there."

My own personal memory of Becky was when she danced with me when nobody else would. To put it into perspective, the music that was playing at the time was I Don't Feel Like Dancing by Scissor Sisters and I was totally camping out. As has already been mentioned, she was very brave.

Goodbye, Becky ;) xx

Formula 1 - The silly season

It's usually around this time of year, about halfway through the F1 calendar, that the silly season begins. It's a time of guesswork and prediction, speculation and rumour. Which driver will be driving for which team next year? Who will be moving up the order, who will be moving down? Which rising star will get their first race seat and which driver has decided enough is enough, time to move on and retire from the pinnacle of motorsport?

That last question can easily be answered but it's an answer which throws up many more questions. Australian, Mark Webber, currently team mate to Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull Racing, will hang up his horns at the end of this season. There are two drivers waiting in the wings at Toro Rosso, the RBR junior team, ready to jump into his race seat. I believe both Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne are part of the young driver programme and joining the big boys would be a natural progression. But the natural choice isn't always the best choice as Kimi Raikkonen's contract with Lotus expires soon. Could he be the next Red Bull driver? Kimi will have to decide whether he wants to re-sign with the team that brought him back into Formula 1 or make a move to fill Webber's vacant seat.

Personally, I think that Raikkonen should stay at Lotus as it's a team that are gradually improving, year on year, and that as successful as RBR have been over the last four years, it's a success that won't be easy to maintain. Kimi could find himself being passed on track by his current team if he jumps ship too soon. History has shown that F1 teams tend to evolve in cycles, a few years of growth and winning followed by a few more declining and fighting to claw their way back to the top.

It's at this stage that teams like Williams and McLaren now find themselves. Williams have failed to score a single point so far this season, an unprecedented position for this multi championship winning team and McLaren, celebrating 50 years in F1 later this year, haven't had a driver anywhere near the podium. It's this information which leads me to believe that Kimi Raikkonen should stay with a team that are on the upswing rather then joining an already waning Red Bull. Although they are still leading both championships it's not anything like the domination they showed in previous years.

That still leaves the question unanswered and is likely to remain that way until a driver or team confirms it's intent for the following year. Until then, enjoy the silly season.

Harrow stabbing: update

Since posting on this blog yesterday about the stabbing which took place in Harrow, I have learned a little more through the grapevine. Don't take it as gospel but I have no reason to doubt the information as I heard the same details from more than one source.

At about 9:30 on Monday morning the police were called to a house on Hindes road and were joined by various medical teams including an air ambulance which landed nearby in the Harrow recreation ground. Two adults, one male and one female, were taken to Northwick Park hospital. Apparently, this was due to a domestic dispute which seriously got out of hand. As I understand it, during the argument the male had attacked the female with a knife and then turned it on himself. It is unconfirmed at this time whether there had been a fatality or not but at least one, if not both, are in a critical condition.

With the exception of a solitary police officer standing outside the address, everything appeared quite normal this morning. The crime scene tape had been removed and both Hindes road and Harrow View were open again. 

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

Tyred Out

The British Grand Prix started off well with Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes leading the race from pole position, closely followed by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and fellow Mercedes driver, Nico Rosberg. It was not to last though as, within a handful of laps, Hamilton's left rear tyre disintegrated coming out of turn 5. Having only just passed the start/finish straight he was forced to limp around the rest of the lap before he could enter the pits for fresh rubber, dropping him from first to last.

This was not to be the only tyre issue during the race as Felipe Massa (Ferrari), Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso) and Sergi Perez (McLaren) all had major blow outs, some quite spectacularly, while battling for position at high speed. The amount of debris from these tyres required the deployment of a pair of road sweepers under safety car conditions. There was much debate about the reason for the tyre failures during the GP. If it wasn't from a sharp kerb/circuit issue then Pirelli will need to get its act together pretty quickly.

Toward the end of the race Vettel's Red Bull suddenly lost power, cruising to a standstill on the racetrack. A huge cheer went up from the pit straight grandstand, not, I feel, from any sense of dislike for the triple world champion himself but more for the fact that, like myself, the predominately British crowd knew that this would blunt his lead over the other drivers.

I don't know about you but I like a championship to be decided at the last Grand Prix of the season between two or three drivers, under immense pressure to claim the title of Formula 1 World Champion. How exciting was it when Lewis and Sebastian won their first titles? Nobody could have guessed the final outcome until the final lap had been completed by each of the drivers in the hunt. That's when F1 is at its best.

Rosberg claimed victory on this day, flanked on the podium byRed Bull's Mark Webber, who had a tough but determined race after being knocked off track at the first corner, and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, second in the championship and desperate for his third title.

As a McLaren fan I wasn't impressed to see Sergio Perez retire close to the end of the race with car damage from his high speed blowout or Jenson Button crawling across the line in an unlucky 13th place. The twitter hashtag #BelieveInMcLaren has been adopted by the team in recent weeks. I haven't given up on them but it isn't easy to watch such a successful team failing so miserably.