There is nothing you can do about it. Before you know it, it will be here amongst us.
No I'm not talking about Easter but the Eurovision Song Contest which this year takes place on 14th May in Turin.
My other threequarters loathes it. This is the other threequarters that slavishly watches Casualty on a Saturday night - the programme with wooden actors and storylines and, without doubt, one of the worst television programmes ever (imho). Ok go on tell me you like Casualty and wouldn't miss it for the world.
Well on 14th May, you will have to miss Casualty because its Eurovision and stand by your beds because it's going to be the most politically charged ever. Yes Ukraine are strong favourites. Not because their song is any good (it certainly isn't) but because of the war.
If Ukraine wins it will turn the competition into a farce as a singing content (ok you will claim this has already happened over numerous years), but this will be worse. It will make a mockery of the whole thing. Yes in some ways I hope that Ukraine do win as it will be a show of solidarity with Europe fully behind them. But giving them the trophy from a song contest isn't going to stop the war. Vladimir Putin will still be a homicidal butcher and it will just be tokenism.
Katrina (who has an unmemorable surname) was being interviewed on television this morning and got it spot on when she was asked why the UK has done so badly in the last many years. Despite the fact that Katrina is quite obviously American she should know what she's talking about because she won the competition under the name Katrina and the Waves in the days when 1/ the UK produced decent pop songs and 2/ stood an actual chance of winning. Wrong singer and wrong song all too often she opined before adding that Eurovision is glitz and glamour and so entrants need to be imposing and even over the top and certainly very colourful which lends another lie to the idea that the best song wins (although it often does). The problem of course is two-fold. Yes nobody likes old blighty but the songs from the past few years have been inexecrable rubbish or as Katrina puts it - the organisers seem to be at a loss to understand what is needed and keep coming up with the same old same old.
So if Ukraine wins this year, we have to develop a way to make the rest of Europe (and Australia for some reason who are now allowed to take part) feel sorry for us in the UK. Perhaps keeping Boris as our Prime Minister would do it. If they win they might have some problems holding the contest in Ukraine next year although let's hope the war is over long before that time.
Yesterday was a sad day as we attended the funeral of Jean Larner who I mentioned before. Jean was a glowing light in village life and a very talented artist who had a deep Christian faith. Jean herself had chosen all the hymns/songs and readings for the service which started with the very powerful and moving song "Prayer" as sung by Rhydian Roberts (he of the X Factor from many years ago who looked like Heinz from the Tornadoes). That takes me onto another diversion because Heinz's name really was Heinz. His full name was actually Heinz Burt and he was German. He had a big hit with Telstar which was recorded by The Tornadoes. He then had a fits and starts career as a solo singer before dying in his fifties, I believe from Motor Neurone Disease.
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Here's hoping it's going to be a sunny and warm Easter break. Today I will be out with my camera to take photos of the procession of witness in the village for both the Good News and Hethersett Herald magazines.