I really struggle with all the passwords and logins and so on, and the apps I can usually set to biometric login and don't have to remember. I just used contactless payment on the bus when I was in London the other day.

Oh, just adding that it's many, many years since I've been on a London bus (I usually use the underground) and now they have a display showing which stop is coming up next: it's the best thing!

If I'm on my phone, I have three bars on the top left and if I press them I get the option to log in. But it maybe depends what browser and what phone. I struggle to do most things on my phone! I hope we do get the chance to meet up if you have some free time on one of your trips!

Nice to hear that all is OK at Speedy's. I have never been. I really should go sometime. I was in London the other day for a flying visit but busy navigating train strikes and had no time for anything other than what I was there for!
 

Yes, it's odd: I was watching a review about something he was in recently and the reviewer was trying to remember his name and calling him the "hot priest"! It seems he made more impact in Fleabag than Sherlock!

 

So just some comments on some that were maybe, stand out, better than expected, worse than expected, something happened, etc.
Ireland Bambie Thug Doomsday Blues
I'm mentioning this first as I think this was the standout for me. I already liked the song, but their performance was so good. Out of all of the artists this was the one I felt was connecting with the audience the most. They also had the best outfit, I think: a kind of Lovecraftian tentacle thing.
Norway Gate Ulveham
Another song that I love, and this was a great, exciting performance. However, the singer does not move about on the stage as much as Bambie does and I didn't feel she was looking in my direction. Not that that will matter at Eurovision. The rest of the band were also good, energetic performers.
Finland Windows 95 Man No Rules
I wondered how this would go down without the stage set, but it was great. Henri in particular seemed to be having the time of his life, and his singing seemed better than the national final performance.
Croatia Baby Lasagna Rim Tim Tagi Dim
An audience favourite and I think he is more used to performing it now, his voice was good.
San Marino Megara 11:11
This song was close to bottom for me, but has moved up quite a lot after this performance: very energetic, lots of movement around the stage, lots of fun!
France Slimane Mon Amour
I loved this performance! He sang some in English and I was a bit disappointed (I like the French) but it turns out he has been singing some in the language of the country he is visiting, so had been singing in Spanish the night before! At one point he stepped away from the mic and kept singing without it: what a powerful voice!
Georgia Nutsa Firefighter
She was really good and this went down very well, so I'm mentioning it but I still don't like the song that much.
Austria Kaleen[i] We

Yes, here's the news here, unless I'm reading it wrong https://eurovision.tv/story/big-five-sweden-perform-semi-finalsOn Saturday 11 May, voting will open just before the first song is performed. Viewers at home will be able to cast their votes as the songs are performed, rather than waiting until all entries have been presented, as has been the case since public voting was introduced in 1997 (except in 2010 and 2011 when voting also began at the start of the show).Additionally, fans in non-participating countries (Rest of The World) will now have nearly 24 hours to vote for their favourite songs before each of the live shows begin. Online voting will open for the Rest of The World immediately after the second dress rehearsal for each Semi-Final and Grand Final has finished the previous night, and will stay open until the live shows begin.

So it looks like people can vote before as soon as the first performance starts, so yes before they've finished performing. And the ROTW can actually vote before the performance starts.  (I'm not clear if they can continue to vote after the performance starts, I presume so).

I don't see how you can vote before seeing the performances. What if, god forbid, a performer gets taken ill and the performance never even happens? Or somebody ends up just being phenomenal on the night, unexpectedly?

At least with the changes with the big five, we'll have seen all the performances before the final if we want to, so will have something to base the votes on. And I suppose the juries vote on a different performance anyway (i.e. the jury show, not the actual Eurovision final show), so maybe this isn't so different and we are really being invited to vote on the semi-final performances again?

Just adding that there are some major changes this year. The big five and Sweden will be performing in the semi-finals (which is good, I think. It's nice to see them properly before the final). And the Rest Of The World can vote in advance, and the others can vote from the beginning of the contest. I'm not sure at all that I'm happy with that change!

Wow, things move on quickly! All the acts are confirmed now. Konstrakta didn't make it through for Serbia. I've watched a few of the national finals, and hopefully will see some of the acts lives soon, rail strikes permitting!



The video with clips of all the songs is out. It feels a bit overwhelming now there's 37 but I've got them all ranked! I have a few favourites, I think I've already mentioned Norway which is often at the top of my list. Switzerland is really interesting this year. One song that always makes me smile is Spain, and it's fun seeing an older performer. Australia makes me smile too, so although those ones are lower in odds, I'm kind of rooting for them.  Spain's stage performance was great, and Australia tend to put on a good show!

The Croatian national final was great and Baby Lasagne won by a massive landslide, over 50% of the total votes! It was fun seeing Let 3 dancing and cheering him on, even though they were competing against him!  It's a really good song and performance and is another one that creeps into my number one.

I also like the UK entry. It's not blowing me away but it's nice to listen to. Netherlands isn't high on my list at the moment, but it's very popular, and has a moving story behind it. It might move up my list.

It's a shame that this year, the Eurovision final is on the same day as Doctor Who!
 

That must have been so hard for you both.
I think it's strange was well that when somebody has died, you also have to do all your other stuff and most of the people you are interacting with don't even know. I don't know if that makes it better, being famous like Andrew and most people will know, or if it's better not. And I say most people will know, but possibly not everybody: I didn't know until you posted here. So maybe the average shop assistant, charity collector, other people that he interacts with in day to day life, don't know and will say inappropriate things anyway.
 

I'm just aware that I'm really lucky that I still have my dad, and seeing that decline is inevitable if they live long enough. It's sad that my mum didn't see my son grow up, but I'm expecting a grandchild and it's possible my dad will be there to see that next generation.

That's so sad. It's so difficult to see parents lose their abilities. Happy Birthday to you, though. And happy retirement when it comes.