So the UK begins to unlock again and so far, so good. With 47% of the population having received at least one vaccine dose, the numbers across cases, deaths and hospitalisations continue to fall. It’s early days. After more than a year of this nightmare it doesn’t feel realistic to breathe entirely easy yet, but I dare to hope we’re headed in the right direction. It’s self protection, of course, this caution in letting my dreams get out of hand. The disappointment would be too much to bear, and I don’t want to jinx things. Nonetheless, this week I packed away the heavy winter clothes and switched my wardrobe to lighter items, imagining I was packing for a perfect weekend away.

A decidedly mixed week. One minute wild storms, the next brilliant spring sunshine. Activities this week included a virtual visit to Winnipeg for the live launch of the world’s first purpose-built Inuit Art Centre. In between reviewing a new garden book for publication next month and popping into Monmouthshire to meet artisan food producers, I also spent time choosing British cheeses for an Easter family get together on Zoom. Today, Mother’s Day in the UK and spent solo in lockdown, I opened a bottle of bubbly and treated myself to smoked wild salmon and scrambled eggs for brunch. Silver linings.