End in tiers

I feel very fortunate to have arrived in Devon before this tier malarkey kicked in, as it’s given me more freedom to enjoy the Christmas break. However it has presented a quandary about when / if to return to Cambridge, where it may be better to be stationed in the longer term.

Weighing it all up, and receiving confirmation that my colleague’s flat is empty for me to lodge in for the moment, I headed back to Cambridge today. I’m not wild about the prospect of spending more time there, as limbo is approaching the 10-month mark. However the lockdown rules permit outdoor meets with friends, and this is the saving grace.

I lugged my bag to the station, past the Charles Church. This was destroyed by fire during the 1941 Plymouth Blitz and now stands as a memorial to the city’s losses. Behind it is Drake Circus Shopping Centre and the frontage of Primark. I’m sure the World War II dead would be happy that bargain hunters can snap up cheap t-shirts for £1.99 mere metres from the symbol of Plymouth’s losses. Maybe this was part of the freedom people sacrificed their lives for.

Plymouth station was very quiet, and staff were dismantling the Christmas tree.