[john charlton]

I know the feeling . It was strawberry season and I had bought some from the local farm outlet plus some thick cream . I drove to my buddy Brian and sat in his back garden and had strawberries and cream . We heard a loud bang then a knock on the front door . An elderly gentleman informs me he has just hit my 1930 68B cabriolet . My car was parked on the street half on the road and half on the grass verge .He was driving a 3 ton Ford truck and had hit my car on the left rear so hard it had torn his right front tyre clean off the rim .He demolished the left rear fender tore up the running board and braces and damaged the front fender and door .Left rear wheel buckled and the axle bent .I was sincerely very unpleased . His excuse was he did not see me because the setting sun was in his eye ,he only had one eye would you believe . He was moving the truck for his son who was a builder . He admitted full responsibility and my car was surveyed by his insurance company and after a lot of haggling I accepted equiv $ 17000 and kept the car . So with a heavy heart I repaired the car ,the door which is wood framed was very difficult and still not quite right but as good as it will ever be . The problem is you never look at the car in the same light, prior to the accident it was a solid nice driver but it has been spoilt for me now somehow .At least no one was injured but it did give me a nasty bout of very high blood pressure !!!

John in warm humid sunny morning Suffolk County England .