Wrong Place, Wrong time...

I’ve been quiet these past few weeks as it’s fair to say my month hasn’t exactly been brilliant.

It started with a call at midnight from an ambulance technician telling me my dad had had a heart attack. He was an hour and a half away, and that drive in the dark, through back roads, your mind just runs to the inevitable. Thankfully, with the skill and effort of the NHS, he pulled through. They saved his life – and I’ll be forever thankful for that.

A week later I was on my own in the Borders, starting a recent commission. Out of nowhere, a guy I’d never met before pulled up right beside me. He was clearly high, had been drinking, and started into one of the weirdest and, at times, most disgusting conversations I’ve ever been part of. I’m not rude, so I slowly started to back away, but I also had the sense of mind to hit record audio on my phone as I was getting increasingly uncomfortable.

Then he mumbled something, looked straight at me with glazed eyes and said he was going to prove a point and kill his dad – and then turned it on me, saying I was next. He started getting out of his car. My reaction? Run. I wasn’t going to wait to see what he’d do. He chased me down the road all 6ft 2 of him. I’d left my gear behind in the bag – all I could think about was how to get away. I ended up falling into a ditch trying to flag down a car, shouting for help, but he caught me and started pummeling me in a fit of rage. Luckily two passing cars stopped – one blaring their horn – and he finally pulled back.

He then ran to his car, saw my gear, grabbed it and drove off. Both drivers called the police. I locked myself in my own car, which was tucked away behind trees, but he came back looking for me. I called the police as he circled around, before finally heading down to a farm where six officers managed to arrest him.

Later he told police he’d thrown my bag over a bridge. A week later, almost to the hour, I got a call from a fisherman who’d found it in the River Tweed. I was grateful to have it back, but after a week in the river, the gear was ruined. To top it off, I made the mistake of trusting my insurance – the policy said business equipment was covered, but not if it left the house for business purposes. If I’d been out as a hobbyist, it would have been covered. Punch number three.

So, this is where I ask for your help. I’ve managed to borrow and sell enough to replace some kit and keep working, but it’s come at a cost. I need to build the work back up to get back on an even keel – so if you hear of opportunities, be it events, staff headshots, PR, or case study videos, please think of me. I will be hugely grateful.

It’s been, frankly, a shite month.

He’s been charged with assault and theft – googling his name it appears this isn’t his first time.

Wrong time, wrong place.