I’m liking nearly everything today already. I even liked Latvia, heaven help us all – they seem to have smoothed most of the rough edges off that I’ve so despised every time it’s come up on random play on t’iPod over the last couple of months, and it’s really quite a nice, soothing little performance. It also has cute boys for those hobnobs among us who like that kind of thing, and it also has a really insane gimmick where they spend the performance building a cute little Robbie the Robot to join them for the finale. I can’t decide whether it looks good-stupid or bad-stupid – either way, I have to remember that I’m jaded and that it’s the first reasonable gimmick that Europe will see next Saturday night.
I even liked Norway. First rehearsal outfits at least were little floaty dresses in pure virginal white, (like Samantha Janus, according to a member of the Irish delegation who will remain nameless), the backdrops were all Tolkien-esque forests and golden rings and yeah, it looks nice. It’s still a woman singing Ay-ay-ay-ay-ay at me over and over again which still makes me nervous, but it’s the kind of performance that looks very telegenic and…
… I’ve hit that moment, haven’t I? I’ve been out in the sun too long, and in the arena too long, and just like every year at about this time it’s everybody to da wonning. Seriously, the sun’s getting hotter and stronger by the day, and I’m starting to see some sun-ripened tomatoes appearing among the assembled throng. If you’re headed out to these parts in the next few days, bring sunscreen. Seriously. You WILL need it.