One day in the land of Eurovision and it feels like I’ve been here for weeks! The contest is very well organised and the Austrians are clearly proud to be hosting the show this year. Last night I was honoured to be invited to a reception hosted by the Georgian delegation. I really would like to visit Georgia one day – please win Eurovision soon!

Rehearsals are in full swing and as ever people are making their predictions of qualifiers, winners and losers. Politics is never far from the surface and Russia is one of the main talking points with their power ballad, “A Million Voices”. It’ll be interesting to watch the reception for this one. Disability is perhaps the final frontier when it comes to Eurovision “taboos” – Finland’s group have received the majority of pre-contest publicity on that front. Poland’s singer, Monika, is a wheelchair user however the backdrop features scenes of her before her accident; it all seems a little misjudged and perhaps even patronising.

Eurovision is a bizarre place – it’s the only space where you can leave your phone or laptop in the press centre and nobody will touch it, leave a CD or a party invitation and they’ll be gone in seconds! The whirlwind that is Eurovision has begun and I love it!