(no subject)

[llywela]

1. Had the police on the phone first thing Friday morning asking about the car smash I saw the night before. They are sending me a questionnaire to fill in as an independent witness. I knew I shouldn't have left my name and number, but nobody else stopped to help at all and I thought someone should.

2. Marchlands came to an end this week. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole mini-series - it held me absolutely gripped from first till last, couldn't take my eyes off the screen. The production values were amazing, the direction and cinematography absolutely beautiful and the cast excellent. I want to watch the whole thing all over again now!

3. The residence hearing for the children down in Cornwall is on Tuesday. Goodness only knows what's going to happen. There have been all kinds of shenanigans down there since they went home at Christmas. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see.

4. It's gone very cold again these last few days, but it feels lovely and springlike - I've got all kinds of plants coming back to life in my garden...although also quite a number that sadly don't seem to have survived their second harsh winter in a row.

5. This fire seems to have been pretty spectacular - you could see the smoke from my house, on the other side of the city!

Comments

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed Marchlands, but I did guess a lot of it from early on.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

I figured a fair bit of it out along the way, but that didn't affect my enjoyment of the show at all as it was such a thrill ride watching the ploy unfold and seeing how cleverly the story had been constructed.

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

Not as obvious as most, granted.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Well, I will always be eternally grateful to the two people who stopped to make sure I was alright when my car was smashed into, and gave me their names and addresses in case I needed them, because I did. It was bad enough going through the pain and the stress and the upset and spending hundreds - in fact well over a thousand pounds, when I added it up - because the guy hit my car, but if it hadn't been for the witnesses being prepared to stand up and state honestly what had happened, he would have got away with his later lies about it, with saying that I'd pulled out in front of him, when it turned out he'd actually tried to manouevre dangerously around me and caused an accident because he was in a hurry to get home. He lied about it and about me, and I would have been out of pocket by over £1000, and punished by my own car insurance company, if not for the decency of those witnesses. I dread to think what would have happened if they'd slunk off because they didn't want to be bothered about it later on... So yes, someone should always stop and help, and it should always be you (and me, and everyone else!) because people really do need each other, and we should help each other! So just in case whoever was involved didn't say a proper thank you at the time, I'll say it on a kind of pay-it-forward basis - thank you for helping out, as other people helped me!

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

I think it's just a knee-jerk instinct that says 'nooo, I don't want to be involved, don't ask me!' but I was there, I saw what happened, I was the only person out of the many present who bothered to stop and see if anyone needed help, so I figured leaving my details was the right thing to do. It's just a bit worrying to get drawn into someone else's problem - I don't want them relying on me and my poor memory because I really wasn't paying all that much attention! They did manage to say thanks at the time, despite being so shell-shocked - and certainly latched on and clung to me until the ambulance arrived! I was just glad I had my sensible head on that night.

[(Anonymous)]

It is very difficult to know whether to get involved though. Some years ago we witnessed an accident where a car swerved into a coach on a dual carriageway - not entirely their fault as a car trying to turn right (legally) across it didn't look like they were stopping. Anyway, I said the other half should leave his details with the coach driver as it could be his livelihood at stake. Some weeks later he was contacted with a bog-standard letter regarding 'his accident' and demanding insurance details. I phoned and told them we hadn't been involved and were witnesses only and thankfully nothing further came of it, but it has made me wary to get involved in future, particularly now when insurance companies don't care whether they get it right and it's incredibly difficult to get things corrected.

Carol

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

I was torn over leaving my details, but felt that I should. With any luck it'll be a straightforward thing where I just have to fill in the form and that'll be it, job done and case closed.

[justwolf.livejournal.com]

It was really good of you to stop and help out. I hope it doesn't end up being too much bother having to be a witness.

I hope things go well on Tuesday.

<3

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Ros - hopefully all I'll have to do is fill in this questionnaire detailing what I remember of the incident and that should be it.

[kelzies.livejournal.com]

They send out questionnaires out? Ah the age we live in. It's good on you to have helped out. Hopefully being a witness won't be too much of a hassle, and you won't get called into court or anything.

Fingers crossed with the hearing. Hope that the outcome is what's best for the children.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Yep, apparently witness statements are taken by questionnaire these days! I'm still waiting for it to arrive, though, to know what it actually involves.

[femsc.livejournal.com]

I'll be thinking of you and your family tomorrow. It's a ghastly thing for anyone to have to go through, and especially nasty for the children. I hope the older ones at least will be able to have their say (probably through a Guardian Ad Litem, though it would be better if they could be seen and heard in person), though knowing something of how such things work I fear common sense may not prevail.

Hugs to Deb and Ray, and of course to you.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Cheers. I haven't posted about the stuff that's been going on down there since the children went home - I only get third-hand reports, anyway, and even D&R only know bits and pieces rather than having a complete picture. Anthony does seem to be coping with them much better this time around...but is also now on a suspended 2 year prison sentence after being caught driving without a licence 4 times in 6 months (that court case was February's drama...)

I won't go into their mother's activities, as there just isn't room in a short comment like this!

Well, we'll see what happens.

[femsc.livejournal.com]

Hope I didn't say too much.
Whatever the outcome, I hope the children are satisfied that it's the best one.