Eurovision 2014, Semi final 1

Yes, kids, it's that time of year again, and this is late because the telecast is delayed in Australia, and also because last night was Mr Brammers's birthday and we had guests. Who I introduced to Eurovision. They loved it. He called it one of his more surreal birthdays.

Anyway, on with the recap!

( All the crazy. )

The finals will be screened in a few hours in Europe, while I am asleep. PLEASE put your posts behind a cut, because it's better to not be spoiled and there is no way I am going to get my act together to watch it online before the Aussie telecast. But I'll understand if you don't and just swear quietly at you under my breath.

Eurovision 2014, Semi final 2

My kitten is very unimpressed that I have the laptop in my lap and would like to know where he is meant to sit. 'Silly kitty,' I tell him. 'It's Eurovision weekend! Normal service is suspended! Crazy cakes are the order of the weekend!' Claw in my thigh for my troubles.

We open with Danish interpretive dance and light shows, and then it's straight into the contest!

( 15 acts, two hours of my life … )

Plane with a parachute

That is not a metaphor. In the Blue Mountains, just west of Sydney, where many of my favourite people live, a light plane got into terrible trouble this afternoon and started spiralling towards the ground. And then it deployed its parachute. And it floated to the ground with no serious injuries and only a fence and the plane's tail as casualties.



My favourite part of the story is a quote regarding a chap at the Sydney Flying Club who was describing how the chutes are deployed and what the pilot would have done: He said it was most likely that Saturday afternoon would have been the first time this pilot would have ever used this system.

I think that is simply brilliant.