Nicky Bond's Blog, page 3

For the Love of Air Con...

We're currently in the 'three-weeks-out-of-fifty-two' period of the year, where I consider spending gazillions to kit out the house with air-con. 
Live scenes from my living roomThose thoughts will pass. Soon, a whisper of a breeze will remind me that, over the course of the year, my heating bill is where the money goes. Annoyingly, these brief, stifling weeks simply need to be endured. 
It's useful, in these sweaty, red-faced times, to consider how much worse I could have it. I could live in Lond...

Choose Live Aid...

Forget grey hair. Forget aching when you wake up. Forget HRT. The real marker that highlights age is remembering stuff from years ago. Forty years ago, for example. And not just vague memories. Not brief flashbacks, mental snap shots, or the fuzzy recognition that other people's stories create in your head. I'm talking honest to God memories. Of things you experienced in the flesh. Where you were present and mindful, even though it'd be decades before you understood what being present and mindfu...

How Much Culture Do You Want FFS?

My Aussie cousin's month-long visit is over. Thank you for coming! Safe travels back! Stay open, Qatari airspace! 
Over the past decade or so, my geographically-distant relatives have popped over at regular intervals. It's always top fun. Catching up with people that share my actual genes, but who grew up thousands of miles away, is a thrill. What do we have in common? What memories do you have of our Gran? Oh, you have the same face as my sister - cool! It's wild.
The other brilliant thing, of co...

I'm Not One to Moan...

Right then, Pop Pickers. Let's take a look at the charts to see what's hot and what's not in Bond World this week.
Going up... Alevia antihistamine tablets Nasal sprayTissues Eye dropsAntihistamine face wipesPaved over gardensSeaside areas with no plants or flowersIndoor activitiesClosed windowsAny other time of year  Going down...FlowersGrassTreesWashing hung outsideCountry walks through fieldsSports' daysThe flower section in supermarketsAn itchy nose forever on the edge of a sneezeA stingy thro...

Hemispheres, Beatles, and the Joy of Dips...

It's nearly here, folks. Had you realised? The longest day of the year is almost upon us. At this point I should clarify, I'm talking about the Northern Hemisphere. Having a real-life Australian person staying here, reminds me not to be so Northern-Hemisphere-centric. I can only apologise to the south of the globe, and send my warmest wishes for your own longest days in six months time. But I digress.
Me, on 21st June.You know me by now. You know I hate the summer. I hate the warmth, the light, a...

You Shall Find Me a Grave Woman...

There's a writer whose Substack I like. Ella Risbridger. She writes about food, but alongside that, all of life. Her writing is phenomenal and I treat her weekly newsletters like a cosy catchup with a friend. She's younger than me and currently living with the unpredictability of the rental market. A couple of months ago, she had to relocate again. This was not the first time since I've been reading her stuff. Someone my age and with my privilege simply cannot imagine this. Back in the day, it w...

Marmite Films and Name-Dropped Poems...

June is busting out all over! (That IS a song, right? Otherwise I've never sounded more inappropriate.) But here we are! 
We've reached an official summery month, folks. Those of you who keep a close eye on my socials know there's now newly-sewn grass seed on my barren-mudpit of a garden. This is supposedly exciting. I don't find it exciting in the slightest, and the phrase 'watching grass grow' has never been more pertinent. Still, this is where we find ourselves. One day, I'll be back amidst th...

Off You Pop, Self-Doubt...

Did you catch my TikTok? No, of course you didn't. What a question! If I used TikTok like the younguns do, I'd know that posting a short video once a week won't get me anywhere. Instead I should be recording every single thing I do, uploading willy nilly, and following a gazillion people back. But here we are. I'm forty-seven, don't need more responsibility in my life and - long story short -  I can't be arsed.  Just me banging on.
Find me on my socials.But wait! It's not that simple. Last week, m...

The Highs, the Lows...

Did you watch? Did you see? Are you OK?
Lovely JJ,
who won for Austria.Eurovision 2025 has been and gone. I had a marvellous week, thanks for asking. From the first semi on Tuesday, I was giddy. The sparkles! The dance moves! The ear worms! It was electric. On Saturday morning, I had the pleasure of talking to Martin Adams on Riverside Radio. This is an annual treat. We talk Eurovision, disagree on our favourites, and I defend the UK song while he's largely critical. What I always hope to convey, ...

Teaching You To Eurovision...

Dust off your VE Day flags, restring your bunting, and prepare your Swiss cheese platter... it's Eurovision! 
Last year's winner, Nemo. They won for 
Switzerland with The Code.For clarity, let's be, well, clear. Tomorrow (Tuesday 13th May) is the first semi-final, Thursday (15th May) is the second, and then there's the main event. On Saturday night at 8pm BST, it's the Grand Final. Whoop-de-whoop-woooooo!
As is now a long established and, I can only assume, beloved tradition, I'm using the Monday m...