Another long delay between blog entries and so much has happened! As we entered the New Year we decided to head back to our home in France as the prospect of remaining on the boat in Falmouth throughout the winter was not enticing. We were glued to the news of travel embargoes from the UK into France and massive lorry-jams. As the new rules became apparent, and as travel was allowed, we decided to book the required Covid PCR tests and a Eurotunnel ticket. We departed from Falmouth on 4th January but, as we crossed the border from Cornwall to Devon, we received a call from colleagues asking if we would consider returning to work on the intensive care unit as the number of admissions started to rise. We turned the car around – yet another plan bites the dust!
After completing all the required paperwork we returned to work the following week. The hospital was very busy and clearly all the staff were working incredibly hard. Nonetheless, we received a warm welcome and it was delightful to see and work alongside our old colleagues and friends. As many of our friends have said about lockdown, work has been a saviour, allowing some social interaction as well as a sense of doing something useful, when so many people have been forced to remain completely isolated.
In between shifts we made the most of the good weather days exploring the southern Cornish coast and regaining some fitness after being isolated on the boat late last year. All the pictures here are of the southern coastal path and we had spectacular walks from Lamorna to St Loy’s Cove and back via the Merry Maidens, Mullion to Predannack, stunning Kynance Cove, Lizard Point and all the history of Wireless transmission, and on towards Cadgwith Cove and its remaining tiny fleet of fishing boats.
As March approached it became clear that thankfully the number of Covid infections was starting to diminish and that our services were no longer needed on intensive care. We completed all the winter work on the boat ready for the summer season and watched the French and UK news closely to gauge whether it might be possible for us to return home to Ste Foy. Happily, on March 12th, the French government announced that people could travel freely from the UK to France provided that they had a negative Covid PCR test, so we completed all the required paperwork and departed from Falmouth hoping that this time we might travel without any hitches.
