TPR sat on a bar stool at the other end of the café. While chatting away to some random woman, he glanced in my direction and winked the message “Don’t worry, I know I’m yours. I’ll be over to you soon”.

While I waited for him I helped a family rearrange some tables so that they could sit together. Then we all watched with a growing sense of alarm as yet another film star’s name was added to the list on the café’s whiteboard. How many more would die on that Devon beach?

Later the same day TPR and I walked down to the sea ourselves, taking a route through the potato field. The entire shoreline was lined with dead seals.