On the way home in the cab tonight Fran and I were talking about holidays we’d been on. I suddenly had a strong memory of walking round a hotel I’d been staying at several years ago.

What was unusual about this was that it was the walking, not the holiday that I was remembering. I could recall vividly what I could see as I walked around, but what I couldn’t remember was the sensation of taking normal steps.

The holiday was before my leg tics became a problem and before my mobility deteriorated. As I sat in the cab I searched my mind, trying to remember what walking felt like in my body. But I couldn’t.

I’m very aware of the sensation of my current wobbly walk but I can’t remember what it felt like to take a normal step.