16th January
I do not remember the impact.
My first recollection was of being carried by a fireman from my house into the cold night air and being helped to sit down on the step at the back of a waiting ambulance.
I had a headache. I touched my forehead, which resulted in a sudden, stabbing pain. I then became aware of wetness on my fingers, which the internal lights of the ambulance revealed to be blood.
‘You were knocked out when your ceiling came down,’ said a paramedic. ‘How many fingers am I holding up?’
‘Three,’ I replied. ‘How many did you have to start with?’
‘And you’re not joking,’ he responded. ‘You’ve got concussion. We’ll take you to the General Hospital for a proper check-over.’
‘Rubbish!’ I replied indignantly as I rose to my feet, ‘I’ve never had concussion in my life!’
I took a step, fell forwards onto the tarmac, and everything went black.