Reading about the truck that flipped while coming down Patong Hill earlier today, I was thinking to myself, 'Wow, that was a close call', since I had just driven down the hill ten minutes before. For any variety of reasons, I could have been there right at the time it flipped. But does that qualify for a 'close call'? Not really, I suppose. Reflecting upon my life, I realised that there are quite a few occasions in my past in which I was lucky not to have died. My earliest memory of such an event was jumping off a tram (aged nine or ten) and then running behind it to run across the road. Miraculously, my mother grabbed my by my arm and stopped me dead in my tracks. Had she not, I would have been collected by a speeding car that whizzed past a second after she grabbed me. To this day, I can't fathom how she came to be in sufficient proximity to grab hold of me.

But there have been many other occasions over the years where good luck or a matter of seconds made all the difference. There again, there are probably other occasions in which I never realised I was in danger. So, in best Bedlamic style, let's start on the subject of close calls and then move totally off-topic from there...

They only stop being close calls when they kill you

I was walking down Bridge Street in Warrington mere minutes before a bomb exploded in a roadside litter bin (killed two young boys)

I was in the Arndale Centre in Manchester just before that got blown up.

I dropped a friend off in Toxteth Liverpool, got home just in time to see live TV coverage of the riots.

I spent years worrying if I was a jinx or just plain lucky, but nothing much else happened during that time.

Then I moved to Thailand and bought a car.

unable to count the number of close calls i encountered when "holidaying" twice 7 months (1966/67) in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam.

At work at I.C.I Huddersfield., being taken through red and white safety tape, by the plant supervisor, to be shown a bare cable he wanted replacing. We recrossed the tape, and woosh. The area where we had been stood was a ball of flame. A welder up above was cutting with an acetylene torch, and there was a solvent leak nearby. I was only around 20 and still a bit green, but that was the last time I trusted these supervisors, who I discovered were just smarter shit shovelers.

You worked for Icky ..... must have cost you a small fortune for clean underwear.

You worked for Icky ..... must have cost you a small fortune for clean underwear.

It was their underwear, they provided overalls, a shirt and underwear, and an on site laundry.

Bugger, I only worked for them indirectly, all I got was lunch ...... top quality lunch it was though.

unable to count the number of close calls i encountered when "holidaying" twice 7 months (1966/67) in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam.

Fond memories of Khe Sanh?

unable to count the number of close calls i encountered when "holidaying" twice 7 months (1966/67) in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam.

Fond memories of Khe Sanh?

most of the time too fond

unable to count the number of close calls i encountered when "holidaying" twice 7 months (1966/67) in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam.

Fond memories of Khe Sanh?

most of the time too fond

At the moment in Can Tho it is raining - heavily. (How else?)

So, find a slope with trees, sit and wrap your legs round the tree, pull your poncho up high and sit it out.

I'm in the middle of negotiations to build a power plant here and it's as tiring as a 10km patrol, but less lethal.

I rolled a car, 25 years ago. Almost killed my boyfriend and myself. Never driven a car since. We got out ok.