Homecoming

A lovely sunny Sunday morning with something of an autumn chill in the air already. We went to the Eucharist at St Catherine's. We were just two dozen worshippers again, because of the Bank Holiday weekend, with families taking a last opportunity to take a break before the schools re-start, with the burden of so many uncertainties to come about how this will work in the face of still rising covid-19 infections in Britain and in many European countries too.

The Association of University and College teachers is voicing its concern about the return of students to campus for the autumn term, advocating making as much use of on-line courses as possible, despite the government insisting they should return. Concern surrounds the movement of a million students from a home to a college environment, amplifying the risk of a second wave of infections, as bad if not worse than the first. Mass movement of people certainly helps spread infection. I remember how the relatively low number of infections in Ibiza began to increase actually began to increase when students returned to their homes from mainland colleges in cities where infection rates were far higher. 

In the two and a half months since I left there, new infections have risen steeply from three hundred to over seven thousand. It's not necessarily the influx of thousands of tourists, less likely to travel if they are suspected of infection, but casual seasonal workers arriving to work in the holiday industry, if not young people socialising without any precaution against infection, just like in Britain. Covid-19 may be less of a danger to the young, especially as the virus evolves into less lethal strains, but youngsters who are unaware they are infected can infect older people who are much more vulnerable 

After lunch I walked up to Llandaff Cathedral, and then on to the weir. I was surprised to see a couple with six young children and a granny walking through the fast moving waters up to their knees below the weir to reach an island of alluvial stones and silt - for a picnic? I'm not sure? O thought it was a reckless risk to take with several quite small young children in such uneven terrain. Another reminder of how some folk take risks without regard for the consequences for others.

At tea time Owain arrived to spend the night with us and to visit friends as well, Monday is usually his non work day, as he works his full hours in four days, but Monday is a bank holiday, so hopefully he'll have two free days instead of one. It was good to see him again. It's the first time he has been free to see us at home since February. It's just great to have his company again.