The slow unconfining

 I am finally, finally starting to have the feeling that we are leaving lockdown. It's taken me a while. But this past week I have been on the tube, got a haircut, had a work meeting in person (masked, distanced, much quicker than usual), and sat on a bench with a friend after an admittedly accidental meeting. Though she had just come from the pub, so she's way ahead of me. Tomorrow I got into London *again*, this time for a purposeful meet up with a friend *and* a cup of tea together, maybe, *and* a bookshop. 

I have to believe this is it. Reopening, unconfining, slowly and cautiously but getting back some comfort with other people, moving about, making actual plans... 

Let us drink to that: Confined Cocktails, 7pm tonight

 Terrible photo of amazing, sinister drink. From yesterday's The Spirits, this is a Trinidad Sour, using orgeat, bourbon, lemon and a *terrifying quantity* of Angostura bitters. Spicy and sour and sweet and heady. It was a fabulous thing. (This is from last night. Tonight I have just got wine, albeit nice wine.) 

I'm planning on continuing Confined Cocktails till 19 June at least (assuming great reopening goes ahead on 21st), but will be guided by you lot thereafter. Semi-confinement, partial-unconfinement, feelings of freedom seem to be the order of the day. But it's all a bit fragile, and strange. And stuff I definitely would have done (viz so many European trips) are just not happening. I still feel like online community has a big place for a while. Also, I have a load of orgeat to use up. Maybe we'll just need an updated hashtag...

I have been remiss in food blogging this week. Mostly because not cooking that much interesting stuff. This was nice, but slicing up small potatoes, shaking dill over them, plus lemon and oil, roasting them a bit and then putting some fish fillets on top doesn't seem like much of a story. Even allowing for the additional slosh of Pernod over them.

Was nice, mind you. No regrets. Especially with asparagus on the side.