THE DAY I NEARLY LOST AN ARM

I walked back to work (after lunch) today in such a way that my rucksack cut off the circulation to my right arm. I could feel my hand tingling.

I was about to stop and have a breather when Eloi, a colleague of mine, spotted me by the lake. It was only polite to rush across the road (he was waiting for me) and walk back with him, chatting about the Autumns in Catalonia, while my arm grew dizzy. I waggled my fingers and my shoulder twitched. As Eloi told me how the summer overtakes the Spring, and the Winter sometimes arrives all at once on a single day, I looked at my palm and saw that my skin was slowly turning a sort of mottled blue.

There wasn't far to go. I was sure I'd make it. Part of the reason I was in survival mode, was that my rucksack was carrying two laptops, two power cables, a folder full of house-related paperwork and an empty plastic tub. I need all of these items today and they had made my bag quite heavy.

Now that I'm back, my coat is draped over the chair, the bag is dumped under my desk and my arm has pins and needles. Blood is coursing through each vein, pulsating and pumping its way to my fingers, and the adrenaline is flowing through my system. It's quite a relief - I thought my piano-playing days might be in jeopardy for a while there.

I bet Bear Grylls has never done this. The one-arm-two-laptop challenge ought to be part of the SAS training syllabus, I reckon.