Nicky Bond's Blog

Did you see that Adrian Mole is getting rebooted? This is fab news but I've been unable to reread Sue Townsend's original books for some time now. When you spend your days writing the diary of your own fictional character, you try to avoid anything that'll accidentally make you plagiarise a better work.
Except I didn't copy anything!It last happened with Matilda . I read the book as a child, saw the film as a teen, attended the musical as a thirty-something, and watched the film of the musical a f...

Now, don't have a go at me. It's not my fault. If it hadn't been for my Bruges trip last week, I'd have held out for longer. They were all over the place, you see. Every outdoor restaurant, every window... the whole of Bruges was covered. What in? I hear you cry. Why, fairy lights, of course. Everywhere was a-glimmer. How can I have experienced all that twinkle, then come back home to boring old  grey?
It's Bruges' faultThat's why, as of Friday 14th November, the landing fairy lights have been on...

Here's some serendipity for you. A few months ago, my brother messaged, 'You'd really like Bruges, Nicky.' (He was in Bruges at the time.) Out of mild curiosity, I idled over to the Eurostar website, just to see the logistics of getting there at some point. Can you believe? It was only the last day of a Eurostar sale, with slashed prices and top notch deals. I booked a return train there and then. Bruges, here I come!
Actually, that should read, Bruges, here I came! Because, just to make clear, I...

Now we're cooking on gas. Welcome back, Greenwich Mean Time! Hello dark nights! Come in, winter chill!
Yeah, yeah, we ALL know this is my time. Summer lovers everywhere are shivering into their cardigans and dusting off their SAD lamps. I'm genuinely sorry you're feeling that way, and you KNOW this time will pass. I try to limit my joy when I'm with people who I know are struggling. No one wants to hear me banging on about the joys of something that causes them pain. But here, on my own blog, jus...

To my absolute surprise, it appears I'm a morning person.
Me as a youthThis was not the case when I was a youth. Whether it was childhood, Uni, or my early working years, when that alarm sounded, I'd be pissed off. I'd lie there for as long as humanely possibly before eventually dragging myself/getting dragged out of bed and embracing the day.
I'm not sure when, but at some point, that changed. Look, I love a lie in. Come the weekend, that's exactly what I'll be doing. But when it comes to the wee...

It's that time of year when we attempt to create  a cosy autumnal ambience using plastic tat and a selection of mini supermarket pumpkins. Just me?
I say 'attempt' but there's not much to it. After stringing up the fake-leafed garland, I've placed the pumpkins at either side of the fire place. It's fine. Does it scream AMBIANCE to you? You don't need to answer. In fact, what with the quickly-rotting peel on the little pale pumpkin to the right of the picture, the ambience is nearer rotting veg th...

Like many other writers, I didn't win the Nobel Prize for Literature last week. Congratulations to Làszló Krasznahorkai on his much-deserved accolade. 
I say 'much deserved' but the truth is, I haven't read any Làszló Krasznahorkai books to my knowledge. I'm sure they're marvellous. In fact, when I scroll his Wikipedia, it's clear he knows what he's doing. He's won a bunch of stuff, including the 2025 Man Booker International Prize and the 2013 Best Translated Book Award. He's obviously brilliant...

When it comes to the Archbishop of Canterbury, I have zero skin in the game. I'm not religious, wasn't bought up in the Church of England, and I find it increasingly dodge that representatives of a faith have seats in the House of Lords. And yet... the new Archbishop of Canterbury was announced on Friday and she's a woman! Hurrah! Congratulations to Sarah Mullalley on her new gig.
Fake-smiling through nonsenseWhen events like this happen, I'm torn. It shouldn't be a big deal that a woman has earn...

I'm currently waiting to enter a Ticketmaster queue. Send snacks.
Seriously, I HATE the ticket-buying process. I've been forever scarred by Eurovision 2023. The combination of adrenaline, pressure, and crashing disappointment provided the fraughtest morning of my life. It was my own fault for wanting to attend something popular. 
My normal gig choices are less high-profile. I stumble across an event, check out what's left, then buy tickets months after release. I like it that way. Easy peasy, lemo...

There's nothing like a good protest to clear your head. 
After weeks of both avoiding the news and doomscrolling 'til late, enough was enough. It was time to put down the screen and get some fresh air. Last Wednesday, that's exactly what I did. I got the train to London and joined thousands of others incensed at the fascist rhetoric being spewed on the daily, at the Stop Tr*mp march.
Here are my thoughts from being on the ground. 

1. People are lovely.2. The mood was positive, upbeat, and passionat...