Llanddew

The watercolour sketch above is of the little church in Llanddew near Brecon. We lived in Brecon for a number of years before moving to Carmarthen some 20years ago? We quite often return there to exhibit or camp in the Beacons.

Some very long time ago when I was a police officer I was sent to a Road Accident. When I arrived there I found that two cars had collided on a narrow hump back bridge. They had pretty well met on at the centre of the hump of the bridge colliding head on.

Both drivers had fortunately been wearing seat belts and it obviously hadn’t been a high-speed collision. If the cars had kissed each other though it had been a fairly passionate affair. Their bumpers were hooked together and both had some frontal damage. An ambulance had been called as both drivers had minor injuries and probably shock.

The traffic was on hold in both directions with long queues beginning to form.

One car was a brand new Rover the other was an oldish Austin 1100. I spoke to both drivers and saw them safely to the ambulance then concerned myself with the vehicles. I took a few measurements and details. A tow truck then had arrived and we needed to clear the bridge. As the vehicles had locked bumpers like a pair of stags it was suggested bouncing the front ends of the cars to release them. We energetically bounced the front ends until like magic them separated. Unfortunately we hadn’t taken account of the fact that it was a hump back bridge. The Rover which apparently was neither in gear nor had its handbrake applied started to roll backwards down the hill.

I looked on with increasing anxiety as it gathered speed towards the first vehicle in the queue at the end of the bridge. This was a Crossville bus. The bus driver was in a worse position as there was nothing he could do. I could see my vaguely promising career being cut very short. Fate intervened however or more probably the steering lock did and the car turned and collided rear first into the end bridge pillar making a horrible noise. The rear of the Rover had been  remodelled. The stone pillar had stood there for years and was unmoved.  It was the best we could have hoped for especially as the driver was no longer there.

I had both vehicles towed away and completed my accident report including the accident with the rear of the car. I wondered how the puzzled driver would react when he saw his Rover again. He had left it with a damaged front now it was equally mauled to the rear. How he would explain it to his insurance company? I waited for several weeks for an inquiry into the circumstances of the accident and its subsequent events but strangely I heard nothing . Being a small community I did get the odd barbed comment from the recovery men now and then, which I shook off with good humour. 

Yes I have started a painting today so things are looking up.