First Swallow

Today has been all about the car crash I had at the beginning of March. We got back from shopping to find a letter from the police, which was a summons, saying I have been charged with driving without due care and attention. I was somewhat shocked by this, as I was having a mini-stroke at the time of the accident.

I began making phone calls to get some advice, and will be getting a letter from the doctor, confirming that I had a mini stroke; my solicitor advised me to write to the police station from which the letter came with a copy of the doctor's letter and ask them to reconsider the decision in the light of that evidence, so there is some hope that I won't have to go to court.

If it does go to court and I plead not guilty, then it will have to go to a trial. I find that difficult to believe in the circumstances. The solicitor told me that if it does go to trial, it will cost me between £1000 and £1500 - of which I will get only a small amount back, even if found not guilty. I still need to check the insurance policy to see if it covers legal fees in this situation.

After I'd done as much a I could on this, I went to retrieve the contents of the car from the garage which cleared it away from the crash scene. That is one more part of it behind me now.

On the way back, I stopped off at Kit Hill, which is a local landmark and has been extensively mined over the centuries. There are superb views all around from the top - across to Dartmoor one way and into deepest Cornwall the other. This shot I took when I saw the first swallows of the year winging their way in. It looks across one of the spoil heaps and west towards Cornwall. I saw another half dozen swallows as I reached the outskirts of the village. I hope it stays warm enough for them to find enough to eat.