Nicky Bond's Blog, page 14

Advice for my mate, Hannah...

Hannah Waddingham winning
stuff and being brill.Ted Lasso aired it's (probable) final episode on Wednesday and Eurovision's been over for three weeks. What's the common link? Why, it's Hannah Waddingham, of course. Apart from Cha Cha Cha, there was one clear talking point that came from the Eurovision discourse. Wasn't Hannah Waddingham ICONIC?  Yep, that was the main takeaway from anyone that watched the televised shows. 
She walked past my actual seat.
I managed to get a photo well
after it mattere...

Self-Love and Butter Beans...

Last week I self-loved
via moisturiser.

Netflix has dropped a new series of Queer Eye . Woohoo. Ordinarily, that'd be mentioned under Culture News, but this week we're opening with it. Have you seen it? No? You defo should. It's so much more than a makeover show. Sure, it gives the featured person a new wardrobe and hair cut, but it does this whilst gently digging into the underlying reasons they're in a rut. By the end, as they model an overshirt and fresh 'do, they've shed the baggage of their pa...

Monologues, Milestones, and Mofo Baked Goods...

No shade to anyone having one-sided 
conversations in coffee shops. I 
can't even imagine.I totally get it. I get why, when you're a solo parent with a baby in a coffee shop, the conversation will be wholly one-sided. But the woman currently sitting to my left in Costa, is on a whole other level. I'm listening to a monologue worthy of Alan Bennet. With not a word uttered by her baby (I'm pretty sure they're asleep - and also a baby) she's giving anyone in earshot a detailed rundown of their mornin...

Spent and Happy...

Kalush Orchestra - last year's 
Eurovision winners.I've got an overflowing inbox, a glut of unlistened to podcasts, and I've not eaten a vegetable since Tuesday. Why? You know why. It was Eurovision week. THAT'S why. I cleared my calendar, put on my comfiest trainers, and did my equivalent of an SAS endurance exercise - I walked, stood, and danced every day. 
Liverpool looked amazing. The crowds flocked, the sun shone, and the Mersey twinkled. By Wednesday I did a Mordaunt and took paracetamol for...

Love, Love, Peace, Peace...

Welcome to your latest Bank Holiday. Excited, yeah? No? What's that? You're bored? Well look no further. Use the time off to prepare for the days ahead. Because - and I'm sure you're already on this - IT'S EUROVISION WEEK.
Kalush Orchestra, last year's
winners, doing their set at the
Pier Head. Liverpool is alive
with the sound of (free) music.We've got thirty-seven runners and riders. On Tuesday night, five of those will be ditched, and a further six will be bumped on Thursday. Then it's full st...

Clumsy Prose, Back to Basics, and Overwhelmed by FOMO...

The only photo I have of
Copenhagen 2014 due to
a non-backed up phone
swap. Boooo.The year was 2014. I'd managed to get Eurovision tickets and flew to Copenhagen for five days. Other than the night of the final, I had no plans. I explored the city. I ate and drank well. On the night of the second semi, I stumbled across a market square to find it being broadcast on a big screen. It was great. The final was on the Saturday. I had a marvellous time.
Ahh the good old days. Life was well simpler. There ...

Stop and Smell the Sweet Spot...

The sweet spot, baby!

We're in the sweet spot right now. Or at least I am. Tbf, it's a highly personalised sweet spot that can't possibly apply to everyone. Basically, we're post-Winter, with whole days that are rain-free, but the annual joy of the hay fever season (insert sarcastic side-eye here) hasn't yet kicked in. The beauty of that means I get to enjoy a beer garden or two. My most recent one was a German Kraft place that had excellent beers, big outdoor tables, and on a day with perfectly ...

Actual Maths, Tofu Virginity, and Dust...

Live scenes from my bedroom.Spring continues to blast all cobwebs from their crevices. In the latest energetic news, a new decorating project has begun. Shit's got real. I'm doing up my bedroom. In order to realise my artistic vision, I've started clearing out fourteen years of shite. But folks, the dust. Oh, the dust. And did I mention the shite? I did? Oh good. Unfiled bank statements, twelve bin bags for the charity shop, and a condom that expired in 2013. Alert the British Museum. I know at ...

Are You There Judy? It's Me, Nicky?..

I'm terrible at pitching. Not tents, not baseballs (hey US readers!) but ideas. Pitching ideas is how stories get told. Someone has an idea, they pitch it to someone else, and together they create a beautiful project. My inability to convince people of my fabulous vision is the main reason I chose the indie-publishing route. 
Tonight the roles of Nicky Bond and
 Steven Spielberg will be played by
 Jennifer Aniston and Ralph Lauren.A few years ago I was on a course. Part of it was how to pitch and w...

Extra Light, Teen Pursuits, and Is Right Laaaaad...

Snow White cleaning the stench
of corruption. Perhaps.Hey there, April! We're here! Were you ready for guests? OK if we make ourselves at home? Excellent. It's all change in the UK. We've just received an extra hour of daily sunlight, and there are a couple of  Bank Holidays in the offing. Exciting times. In wider seasonal news - and in the vaguest of terms - it's as if there's been a spring clean in some of the murkier crevices of the powers that be. You always hope that corrupt politicians are ...