Beach Life

This morning I went to a photography exhibition at Cley by one of the camera club members. As I was waiting for the centre to open, H arrived and was also visiting the exhibition. Beautiful photos, I bought one and just have to find somewhere to put it now. H and I had a lovely catch up with L who was looking after the exhibition today. Then H and I had a quick look at some birds of prey that were being displayed outside, please see the Extra for a photo of a magnificent Red Kite. Then we did a circular walk round the marshes and to the beach. I love the old tractors used to move the fishing boats. The sun appeared briefly and it felt quite warm, but it didn't last long.

Day 526 / Day 37 of Step 4 of Roadmap Easing (for my record only)
Covid cases in Scotland have more than doubled in the last week to a record high, the test positivity rate is 14.5% and the First Minister says she cannot rule out re-imposing some restrictions. 174 Covid deaths were reported in the UK today, not looking good for this time of year given that so many people are vaccinated. Researchers in South Korea say the Delta variant is about twice as transmissible as the original version of the virus, but with a viral load 300 times higher. About 4,700 cases in the UK have been linked to a surf and music festival in Cornwall, despite attendees having to demonstrate their COVID status on the NHS app showing that they were either double jabbed, had a negative lateral flow test within the last 24 hours, or had natural immunity as shown in a positive PCR test at least 10 days earlier. (As lateral flow tests are self-reported, this is a very weak control). Cornwall is asking visitors to only visit if pre-booked and to take a lateral flow test before and after their stay. The Octave study has shown that some people with impaired immune systems have a low or absent antibody response despite being double jabbed (but the study didn't look at T Cells, which are key to avoiding serious illness). The Paralympics started today in Tokyo, I'm more concerned about this than the Olympics as Covid rates are substantially higher now.