Thread by @magnatom, The year is coming to a close and so it's time to [...]

The year is coming to a close and so it's time to take stock. Personally it's been a bit of a humdinger. I started the year like everyone else hoping for a good year, but then, well, then 2020 happened.
Personally my fun began back in January one morning, when I was cycling...

...to work along Balmore Road. I had a really horrible overtake by an HGV driver, very closely followed by a very, VERY close call on a roundabout. That was not fun.

Then in February after having complained publicly about a police response to an incident where driver had driven at me and assaulted me, the police phoned me up to come and talk to me about the 'further criminality' that they perceived in the video. They came to my house...

..at 10pm one evening and rather than take matters further against the driver, decided to give me an official warning for a section 38 offence (effectively breach of the peace). I did 'cause fear and alarm to others with my shouting and swearing', apparently....

...Here is the video, make up your own mind...

I appealed the warning, which meant the police passed the case to the Procurator Fiscal. It sat with them for a good chunk of the year. It caused me a great deal of stress, as you can imagine. Oh and that also meant I had to go through a 'Fitness to Practice' process...

...at work (via my professional body). More stress, and more later...
Then in March I had a crash on the bike. I slipped on ice and was run over by a following cyclist. Ouch.

...fortunately a driver behind was a doctor and worked at the same hospital as me. Also fortunately, I suffered only some skin rash and a bit of a sore ankle, and I managed to get to work that day. The bike needed a bit of TLC, but was back and running in a day or two...

Then lockdown came. Whilst I work in the NHS I could do a fair chunk of my work from home, so I joined many working from home whilst trying to home-school 3 kids. That was fun! It did mean that my cycling reduced significantly. Fortunately the weather was good for the...

...start of lockdown and I managed quite a bit of local walking with the family. We discovered a lot of new local walks which was pretty cool. Still despite all the walking my fitness was definitely dropping. That culminated in me developing sciatica. That seemed to get...

..better after a private physio session, but took a major step back when we did our one and only Munro walk this year (when we were allowed to). That stopped any significant walks.
Then two significant things happened in August. The first was a case I was a witness on fell...

...apart on the day of the trial. A driver who overtook me into oncoming traffic, forcing the oncoming driver to swerve out of the way, did not have to face any justice. Apparently that driver had failed to correctly nominate the identity of the driver. Normally that would...

...lead to a separate charge. Not on this occasion. The driver responded to the section 72 requirement asking for the drivers identity by stating that, 'it might have been him'. The police did not go back to him to clarify that answer as they should have. I haven't...

...revealed it until now, but that may have had something to do with the fact that the driver was actually a 'well respected' retired, senior police officer. This is the incident,

Around about the same time I contacted the Procurator Fiscal to find out what was happening to my section 38. After looking further into it they dropped the case against me stating that it was disproportionate. That was obviously a big relief. I informed my professional...

...body, but once again, more on that later... Cycling UK Scotland had helped me though the ordeal of my charge, of which I am forever grateful. They also worked with me to start a campaign, which is ongoing with more news in the new year https://www.cyclinguk.org/news/cycling-uk-demands-reform-after-assaulted-cyclist-warned-swearing

Oh and then later still I found out about a Radio Scotland 'comedy' that just so happened to have a cyclist called 'Brennan' who happened to use a helmet camera, who happened to film incidents, who happened have slapped a car, who happened....etc. You get the picture.

Many suggested I should sue them, however with everything else going on, I just haven't the energy or the willpower to do that. It's just another mad episode in my life!
Anyway with the New Year upon us, and all the madness that awaits us in 2021, where do I stand? Well...

I obviously have the campaign with @CyclingUKScot that will hopefully bring results. Watch this space. I am still having sciatica issues. Hopefully that will be solved next year. I've put on weight, and have lost a fair amount of fitness, oh and my professional body...

...is still pursuing a 'Freedom to Practice' case against me. Yes they are still investigating my police charge, despite it being dropped months ago, and for some reason they are also investigating my use of social media. I have yet to be told what issue they have with that...

...To say that the progress of their 'case' has been glacially slow is an absolutely massive understatement. More on that when I can.
So yeah, it's been quite the year for me, and that's not even taking into account COVID and Brexit! However, I've got through it because of...

...the support I have. My wonderful family (and I'm not just saying that, it is entirely true), my friends and wider family, and you guys. I really do consider many of you as friends. Thanks for all your help and support this year. It has truly been appreciated. Anyway,...

...as I often say, and despite the rocky road ahead of us...Onwards and upwards!!

Oh and hope you have a great New Year!!

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