Nicky Bond's Blog, page 27

Unto Us a Radio Times is Available...

I do love a generic cover, 
rather than a TV show-specific
one. This cover is ideal.

Pssst. I bring you news of great joy. The 2020 Christmas Radio Times is in the shops. Pass it on. 

It was released on 8th December. By 1pm the following day I had purchased, read, and circled my highlights. (I waited a day, for added tingles.) It was everything I knew it would be. Nostalgic, traditional, and full-on old-skool. The daft thing is, it's not like I can't access quality drama, comedy, or...

Songs For You...

Yes he is, Buddy. And the excitement
and expectation of that, happily fills the
 preceding three months. Just one day,
my arse.'It's just a day.' 
Have you heard this sentiment recently? It seems when anyone is getting a little bit giddy with the joys of the season, the phrase, 'it's just a day' is the steadying voice of reason from someone with far more sense and control. 
Well, booooo to them. I'm not having it. Christmas Day might be just a day. But the season is...

Zooming into Christmas

Any excuse to post
THE BEST MUSIC VIDEO EVER.

We've finally done it. We've had the conversation. The Bond family has tackled the thorny problem of Christmas. It wasn't too tricky in the end. The 'rule of three households' is pointless for an eight household shebang. Besides, having five days off virus-watch is stupid, and would mean old(ish) parents, front-line pharmacists, and school attendees mixing it up in a confined space. Forget CV, think of the nits! There's been a variety of chats, WhatsA...

The Trellis of Fact and Fiction...

I've been watching The Crown. Again. Netflix dropped the fourth series last week just it time for me to binge it in my PJs. It's always been a cracking show (IMHO...other opinions are valid...blah blah blah) but now that the action has reached my lifetime, I'm finding it especially fascinating. Seeing news footage that I remember, reenacted realistically, is boss. Whether it's Diana being papped as a nineteen year old, Charles looking like Charles, or Thatcher leaving office, watching my youthfu...

Good News is Assembling...

So it looks like I'm some sort of influencer now. Yep. That's what I said. What's that? Am I try to sell you lifestyle must-haves through the medium of my socials? Well, no. Not really. Please feel free to copy my scruffy-chic-with-not-much-chic style any time you like. You're welcome. But that's not what I'm talking about. It appears I'm able to influence world events. Honestly. It's been a surprise to me too.

Two weeks ago I wrote about how I'd searched for good news and struggled to come up wi...

Time to Remove the CNN Drip...

There was a point on Thursday afternoon, after two days of watching election coverage, when I suddenly remembered it was Bommy Night. It didn't matter that I'd forgotten, but it surprised me that we'd got well into the 5th before I realised. Some time after that, it dawned on me that I'd missed the start of lockdown too. 

My hazy grasp of time was my own fault. Mine and America's. I stayed up on the 3rd, powering through on adrenaline and anxiety until midnight on the 4th. Eight hours sleep later...

Desperately Seeking Good News...

I'm having that love/hate relationship with the news again. Last Thursday I found myself simultaneously glued to and repelled by the constant headlines that pinged onto my phone. That particular day's news included the horrific story of the killings in Nice, the release of the EHRC's report into the Labour Party, Bobby Ball's death, and then Jeremy Corbyn's suspension. All that was before I'd had my lunch. I found myself tweeting Too. Much. News. from my gut. It was visceral. I couldn't keep up....

The Agony of Creation...

I forgot to take a proper
before photo. But imagine
a fairly light curtain on  
that wall, that's broken
 so looks bad, and with 
photos pegged onto it.

There's that thing that happens when someone has given birth. Having survived the trauma of excreting a small human from their body, they vehemently utter statements like NEVER AGAIN or OVER MY DEAD BODY only to announce they are expecting their next child a few years later. Do they forget their immediate thoughts in the months and years that follow? ...

The Struggle is Teal...

Me neither. But I DO know how much
5 litres of Valspar paint will set me back.
#latenightcostings

I've got it into to my head that I want to decorate my spare room.

This isn't like me. I'm rarely up for home-renovation unless someone else is doing it. But after a recent sleepless night, where all I could think was how beautiful teal paint looks, I've thought of nothing else since.

I know I don't have the personality for taking on projects that require effort. Especially physical effort which is the w...

I Feel Bad About My Hat...

Just so you know, I've bought a hat. 

More of that later. But doesn't that sound like the opening to a poem? You know the kind I mean. A lament on the changes that middle age ushers in. Something along the lines of Jenny Joseph's Warning*, or Nora Ephron's conversational essay I Feel Bad About My Neck. It seems when women reach an interesting age, they revel in sharing their continuing insecurities whilst making it clear they hold no truck in what lesser mortals think. Jenny Joseph's protagonist ...