The roof fell in

Yesterday, I came home from work to find that the garage had imploded. The roof had collapsed inwards and was now partly on the garage floor and mostly on the garage contents. The few feet at one end still intact, ended in a serpentine curve, sweeping majestically towards a jagged edge with the rest a jumble of tiles and timber. 

With an empty house and no-one answering my shouts or phone calls I confess to a momentary panic at first sight and my irrational stomach reacted violently. Once all had been located safe and well away from the building I fell apart. I cannot begin to imagine how it must feel for this to happen to a home and am still almost overpowered with feeling for those who have lost people and property in earthquakes, explosions or other collapses.

Fortunately, no-one was hurt, and the only car anywhere near at the time, a beat-up "classic" Saab has been out on the driveway awaiting refurbishment for many years so a bit of dust didn't do any damage.

Today, more tiles have slithered down to the floor, as well as what was left of the guttering. The top row of bricks has a few casualties too. Viewing from the bedroom window, it's an odd sight; it could almost have had a large impact from above. The walls and doors standing proud, looking more or less normal, but with devastation inside.

We still don't really know what caused it but the man of the house is a practical sort with his own property refurbishment business so I do know who will sort it out. In fact the gleam in his eye indicates there may be something more than a new roof happening here.

With not a little dread, I sense a project.