Time for crab apples jelly

My parents made these jars of crab apples jelly, from the crab apple tree they have, which produces a lot of fruits. It is harvest time now. The jelly will last for the rest of the year, easily. This pic just shows a small part of the production. I love crap abble jelly, but also what it represents: as you know, it is for me one of the first autumn harvests. When we start making the jelly, or spread the content of a new jar on our toasts for breakfast, it means autumn is either here, or at least very, very close.

Le ciel se marie avec la mer

Aujourd'hui, c'est notre anniversaire de mariage. Nous n'aurons guère l'occasion de le célébrer aujourd'hui, mais nous avons pris le temps de le faire hier, avec les grand-parents maternels de petit loup et petit loup lui même (quand on a des enfants, les anniversaires tournent autour d'eux, forcément). Sur Vraie Fiction, je partage cette chanson de Lucille Dumont. Je l'ai toujours beaucoup aimée.

One observation about walking with a young child

We went on a little family walk in the evening recently, with Wolfie's maternal grandparents and us. Something struck me about it, which I wanted to share here: Wolfie, who is nearly three, ended up in our arms for most of the walk. He does not always do that, but for some reason was eager for us to carry him.

Les champignons sauvages

Photo prise par mon père, encore une fois sur le lot de mes oncles. Il faut peut-être chaud, mais c'est un signe indubitable que l'automne est en chemin. J'ai hâte.

Meatloaf

Sorry I could not take any better picture, but this is the meatloaf my mother-in-law made for us a few days ago. My wife is vegetarian, so she had something else. I suspect my in-laws to think that I am being deprived of meaty food all year round. Wolfie and I loved it. Before last year, when Wolfie's maternal grandmother made me rediscover it, I hadn't had meatloaf since childhood and I had forgotten how good it was. In fact, I don't remember the meatloafs my babysitters made tasting as nice as this one. I kind of wonder why it took me so long to rediscover it, because mhis is the kind of hearty dish which I love to have. I think it is becoming some kind of tradition for our visits here. I will not complain.

De l'eau au moulin

Photo prises il y a quelques jours, au début de nos vacances en Bretagne. C'est bien entendu la roue d'un moulin à eau qui est encore utilisé (enfin parfois utilisé). On a eu droit à une démonstration et c'était très impressionnant. J'aime bien les moulins, je ne sais pas trop pourquoi. J'aime plus les moulins à vent que les moulins à eau (allez encore savoir pourquoi), mais quand même, j'ai vraiment aimé voir la machine fonctionner et surtout cette grande roue activée par l'eau. Petit loup a aussi été très impressionné. Il a même déduit que c'était l'eau du lac qui faisait fonctionner le moulin. J'étais fier.

A visit to the dolmen

I haven't really shared any "typical"picture of Brittany since the beginning of our holiday. Here is one of a nearby dolmen. We had visited it before (and you probably saw a few pictures of the dolmen if you have been visiting this blog in the last few years), but this time it was with little Wolfie. I had wanted to show the dolmen to him for a long while. I try to explain to him what it was (well, what little we know about it) and its folkloric aspects (mainly that it is a gathering point for korrigans). What he got from it is that it was "a big rock". And he really was eager to walk in the surrounding woods. It was a short visit, but a lovely one and I hope a memorable one for our little Wolfie.

Un castor est passé par là

Photo prise par mon père dans le lot de mes oncles. Je n'ai jamais, autant que je me souvienne, vu de castors dans leur habitat naturel. Je n'en ai jamais vu sur leur lot, mais je savais qu'il y en avait dans le lac. C'est la première fois que je vois un signe de leur présence et je trouve ça très impressionnant.

Wolfie the barista

Unlike my wife, I hate coffee, but today I will have to blog about coffee and with a good dash of paternal pride to top it up My mother-in-law received yesterday some coffee making machine. Little WOlfie was really curious about it, asking the machine to be unwrapped and taken off its box asap. When the machine was out, he was absolutely fascinated by it. So his grandmother decided to make coffee for herself and her daughter and had her grandson participate in the process. Safely of course. Wolfie is the one who poured the milk in this mug for instance. So what you see on this picture is the first cup of coffee prepared by my son. I guess that is the first step for him to become a barista. I am a very proud dad.

Le sorbier en fruits

Mon père m'a envoyé cette photo du sorbier familial. Les feuilles sont encore vertes, mais les fruits sont mûrs. Autre signe de l'automne qui s'en vient. Ces temps-ci, ce n'est pas trop automnal là où nous sommes, alors je me mets dans l'esprit de la saison qui arrive comme je peux, avec cette photo par exemple. Et dans tous les cas, c'est beau un sorbier.

Shadow of a Panama hat

Well, summertime is back and with a proper heatwave. I hope it does not last long. So to try to endure the hot weather, we all wore hats yesterday. I borrowed from my in-laws a Panama hat. I know it's a Panama hat because it says so on the label. With shades, it makes me look properly badass, like a character from a spaghetti western or something. Well, maybe not that much, but it does look cool, even for me who does not have a "suitable" head for hats of any kind. So anyway, I took this picture of my shadow yesterday. I couldn't resist. This gives the most mundane setting and circumstances some sense of drama.

Coucher de soleil sur le Lac-St-Jean

Autre photo envoyée par mon père, d'un coucher de soleil sur le Lac. Je la partage ici juste parce que. J'espère que vous ne faites pas grand-chose et que c'est beau comme ça aussi par chez vous.

Seasoned travelers

We are on holidays to visit my wife`s parents and Wolfie`s grandparents. Yesterday evening, after hearing the story of our long journey to them, with three changes of train until we reached the airport, my mother-in-law said the sweetest: "You are now seasoned travelers, taking very long journeys with many connections and all this with a little boy." This was very kind, although I don`t find us that admirable: we only have one child, some families have to take the same kind of journeys with a whole troop of children. Nevertheless, there is some truth in what she said and I wanted to share it here as a new great unknown line.

En direct de Bretagne

Comme le titire du billet l'indique, nous sommes donc en Bretagne, pour la première fois depuis un an. Au moment où je tape ces lignes, petit loup est en train d'accaparer l'attention de ses grand-parents maternels, ça me permet quelques minutes pour bloguer. Je ne suis guère imaginatif en accompagnant mon billet de drapeau de la Bretagne, mais je le trouve plutôt joli dans sa simplicité (le noir et blanc) et puis je n'ai pas encore de photos de notre séjour ici. Je compte bien entendu partager nos découvertes et expériences sur Vraie Fiction dès que je peux.

How far is Winnipeg from Montreal?

The answer is 1424 miles. At least according to Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps. Something we learn on the very first scene, set in a music-hall. In the movie adaptation, Richard Hannay is no longer a Scottish returning to the UK from South Africa, but a Canadian, probably because John Buchan who of course wrote the original novel was then General Governor of Canada. It felt strange and actually quite pleasant hearing my city being mentioned (I mean Montreal of course, not Winnipeg) at the start of the film, and in a Hitchcock movie on top of that.

"Patience dans l'azur..."

"Patient, patience,
Patience dans l’azur!
Chaque atome de silence
Est la chance d’un fruit mûr!"

Je cite Paul Valéry. C'est mon frère PJ qui m'a rappelé ces vers, pour me dire de patienter sur certaines choses qui n'arrivent pas. Je mets la sagesse de Valéry à l'épreuve et je n'en dis pas plus pour le moment. On verra bien à quel point c'est véridique.

Mushrooms

Here is another post in the autumnal chronicles that is my blog. I saw these mushrooms recently in the park near my work. It is a new sign of the upcoming autumn. I am not saying it arbitrarily, it is true: read this article from the Woodland Trust for evidence. Mushrooms grow more when autumn comes. So every time I see them, especially when I see a lot of them and often in places such as this park, I get excited. Apparently, unlike what I had predicted, we are soon going to have one last blast of summertime and I don't know for how long. But at least, mushrooms are already here and they are already plentiful. Now if only the rest would follow and follow quickly.

Aller-retour au grenier

J'ai assez souvent blogué sur les greniers en général et parfois sur notre grenier en particulier. J'ai mentionné dès 2008 à quel point j'aimais les greniers. Maintenant, nous en avons un bien à nous, mais j'y vais peu: c'est un espace de rangement. J'y vais pour y ranger des choses (livres, décorations) et pour y ranger ou chercher la valise avant et après les vacances. Quand c'est avant des vacances, j'ai toujours un moment de trépidation quand je vais chercher la valise. Le grenier, c'est peut-être un coin isolé de la maison, il est rempli de choses que l'on n'utilise plus ou pas, mais je trouve qu'il a le charme d'une caverne d'Ali Baba et qu'il est le point de départ de bien des aventures.

It's No Time to Die

Well, I had stopped hoping that Bond 25 would get any kind of title, but here it is, it has been revealed today: it's No Time to Die. And that is a great title. I love it. Far better than most of what I have seen in rumours. It has a ring of urgency and menace to it, it is also a neat little allegory of what a secret agent's duty is in a nutshell. When you work for Queen and Country, you literally have no time to die. Anyway, here is the title reveal. I'm very excited:

"C'est fête aujourd'hui..."

"C'est fête aujourd'hui
Pour tous les amis
Qui ont répondu
À l'appel de Cthulhu"

Comme j'ai gaffé hier avec la date de sa fête, j'ai voulu au moins fêter l'anniversaire de naissance de Lovecraft avec cette chanson parodique sur laquelle j'ai déjà blogué. Je l'ai eue en tête toute la journée, sans rire. Enfin oui, en riant.

I saw the local Travelodge

Before I start this post, a quick disclaimer: H.P. Lovecraft was born on this date and not on the 19th of August, as I mistakenly blogged yesterday. No idea how I made such error. I knew the exact date. Moral of the story: I need holidays. Talking of holidays, I saw last weekend the new local Travelodge. I blogged about it about a month ago. I did not go in it, just quickly had a look at the outside. It is further away from the train station than I thought, right by a business estate. Not the most picturesque setting for a hotel, but it is a Travelodge and thus the rooms will be cheap and it is still at a reasonable walking distance from the centre of town. I slept in a Travelodge once in my life. It was not the fanciest hotel, but I have seen far worse. At least the room was clean and comfortable. I kind of hope that the presence of this new Travelodge at a few minutes walk from our home will convince some friends to visit us.

Trouvez le hibou (la chouette?)

J'ai pris cette photo dans le Derbyshire, dans une réserve pour animaux, dont des hiboux et des chouettes. Les photos n'étaient pas toutes bonnes, mais celles qui sont floues me permettent de faire un petit jeu d'observation ici. Il y a un hibou ou une chouette sur cette photo. Essayez de trouver.

Celebrating Cosmic Horror

Let's get this out of the way now: today is the birthday of H.P. Lovecraft. Every year, I try to commemorate it on this blog. This is a fitting time to celebrate the inventor of cosmic horror as we have been having quite a few gloomy days recently, often cloudy, cool and rainy. The ideal kind of day for playing the role-playing game Call of Cthulhu, based on Lovecraft's work. Back in my late teenage and early twenties, this is what my brothers, my friends and I used to do on such days, around this time of year. As we are slowly getting closer to Halloween, I wish playing the game was part of my countdown's ritual. But I still have the horror stories of Lovecraft.

Salon du livre (informations)

Je sais qu'il est encore un peu tôt, mais petit rappel pour ceux qui seront au Saguenay en septembre: le Salon du livre s'y tiendra du 26 au 29. Laissez-vous tenter, comme le dit le slogan de cette année. Vous avez sur la bannière plus haut les horaires, l'adresse du site web, le numéro de téléphone pour les rejoindre, ainsi que les prix d'entrée. Moi je ne profiterai toujours pas de mon laisser-passer à vie catégorie cégep, qui m'aurait permis d'y aller gratos et d'économiser un gros 5$. Si vous êtes du Saguenay et que vous y allez, dites-moi dans les commentaires ce que vous pensez de la campagne de promotion de 2019, avec son serpent et son fruit défendu. Ou dites-moi ce que vous pensez de l'évènement en général, de vos souvenirs, etc. Je suis curieux.

Signs of an early autumn?

I thought I would blog about something else, but sometimes circumstances force me to stick to the same subject. In any case, today I have seen many signs of a coming autumn. The weather was going from warm to cool, in a matter of minutes, to the point where we did not know what to wear. Then, walking in town, I saw this tree, which had already changing colours. This is no longer wishful thinking. Everyday, there is a new sign that autumn is on its way and that it will be early this year. Well, it always comes at the same time, but it will look and feel like autumn early. So Vraie Fiction is pretty much from now on an autumnal chronicle. I'm glad.

L'ostie d'chat, l'intégrale

Vous savez sans doute que j'ai vraiment adoré la série de bandes dessinées L'ostie d'chat, qui était d'abord une série de bédés sur le web, avant de disparaître (sans doute parce que ça décourageait l'achat). Grosso modo, c'était une saga racontant l'histoire de jeunes adultes (avec des flashback sur leur enfance et adolescence) à Montréal sur le Plateau, parfois aussi ça tournait autour de leur chat. Je suis sans doute en retard dans les nouvelles, mais l'intégrale est maintenant disponible. Je ne l'achèterai pas, ayant déjà la série complète, avec les bonus. Mais je vous recommande de l'acheter et de lire la série. C'est épique.

Arctic char

My dad sent me this picture recently, it is of an Arctic char. With bok choy and roasted potatoes. I did not know this kind of fish, I don't think I ever had one. But it looks delicious. On the Wikipedia entry, and from the other pictures I have seen on the internet, it looks kind of nasty. Like many fishes, the Arctic char has an ugly face. Which would fit the general rule one of my cousin told me about fishes: the uglier the fish, the tastier it is.

Pas le pouce vert

Photo prise au Totnes Museum dans le Devon. Comme d'habitude elle illustre mon propos. Je regardais notre jardin ce soir, et je trouvaisqu'il manquait de... ben de tout. Je suis capable d'enlever les mauvaises herbes, mais ça ne va pas plus loin. Je manque de temps, d'énergie, de volonté, mais aussi il faut se rendre à l'évidence: à la quarantaine, si tu sais pas jardiner, ben c'est un peu tard pour apprendre. En d'autres mots, je n'ai pas le pouce vert.

"An air of autumn"

Before I tell this anecdotal story, I want to say one disclaimer: I swear I did not made it up, or put words in someone else's mouth. So yesterday, as I was chit-chatting with my boss and a colleague about the weather (that's what happens when you live in the UK, you talk about the weather a lot), my boss said that the day had "an air of autumn". So I am not the only one feeling the season coming. There is nothing more to say. The days have an air of autumn to them. Autumn is coming and I am very happy about this.

Une alarme

Hier soir, juste après souper, l'alarme antivol (je crois que c'est le nom qu'on lui donne) de l'un des voisins a sonné. Ça a duré quelques minutes et puis elle s'est arrêtée. Ce n'est pas la première fois. Ça m'a rappelé un incident semblable durant l'un de nos étés à Chicout, je devais avoir dans la vingtaine. L'alarme antivol d'un voisin a sonné des heures de temps, alors que lui et sa famille étaient absents. La police était venue et même eux ne pouvaient rien faire. Ça nous avait tous irrité pas mal, déjà qu'on n'aimait pas trop le voisin en question. Je ne sais plus s'il reste toujours près de chez mes parents, j'espère qu'il a déménagé depuis, parce qu'il était pénible. Morale de l'histoire: les voisins emmerdants, ils le sont même absents.

Wolfie playing in the rain

It rained a lot yesterday, all day. My wife was wondering what to do with Wolfie to keep him entertained,she even considered opening a sand bag and put it in a bowl... in the living room. I thought this was a terrible idea: Wolfie brings enough sand in as it is! So I said: "It's not raining too hard, keep him warm, put his best raincoat on and wellies and have him play in the garden!" Which, as you can see on the picture, is what she did. I wish I had been there. Playing outside is one of the little pleasures of childhood and one I want my son to know. There is nothing I find more depressing than kids staying in all day playing video games or watching the television because it is a bit wet outside.

Pas de photo du mois pour moi

Une chose m'a frappé récemment: ça fera bientôt trois ans que je ne participe plus officiellement à la photo du mois. J'avais pris une pause en septembre 2016 parce que je suis devenu papa, puis pour une raison quelconque lorsque j'ai publié des photos par la suite, le quinze du mois, je n'ai quasiment personne pour commenter. Je croyais pourtant avoir simplement demandé de passer mon tour un mois. Dans tous les cas, j'ai donc fini par arrêter de publier. Ma dernière officielle était en août 2016. Comme à chaque 15 du mois, je me demande si je devrais me réinscrire officiellement.

You too, Placido?

This news really devastated me: tenor Placido Domingo has been accused of sexual harassment. Unlike most of the many public figures and celebrities condemned in the wake of the #metoo movement, Ialways admired Domingo. He is one of the first famous opera singers I discovered as a child. If other kids were fans of pop stars, I was a fan of Placido Domingo. At the top of his game, he was the greatest tenor ever recorded, and maybe the greatest of all time. With a greater voice than Pavarotti and, unlike him, capable to be a convincing being the lead on stage. I recent years, I remember him being interviewed by the BBC and I always thought he came off as a kind, elderly gentleman, with many fascinating anecdotes in the world of music he knew so well. Now he may be a sex fiend. I am speechless. You too, Placido?

Coudriers

Mon père m'a envoyé des photos de noisettiers, que l'on appelle aussi, plus rarement coudriers. Joli nom, coudrier, dommage que ce soit tombé en désuétude. Ce sera notre mot du jour. Je ne sais pas où mon père les a prises. Dans le lot de ses frères? Toujours est-il que j'apprends qu'on a des arbres à noisettes par chez nous. Ils plient sous le poids, semble-t-il. Et il faut les ramasser avec des gants. Dans tous les cas, le temps des récoltes est bel et bien commencé.

Travel Journal

I took this picture at the National Railway Museum in York, I share it tonight as it illustrates my topic. In our next holidays, we will be traveling by train for part of the journey. This made me think of one family tradition we had when I was a child. My parents always brought with us a travel journal, which we all wrote in every night, sometimes in the train itself, or whatever means of transport we used. Of course, at no moment we had the luxury to write down in a cabin on such old fashioned secretary, as sadly trains that offer such amenities are extremely rare. Even though they remain the comfiest means of transport, I don't think I will ever have the chance to write down my traveling experiences on such desk, in such place. And I guess now, my blog has replaced the travel journals of my childhood. Still, this picture reminded me of this old family tradition, which I hope to recreate one day with Wolfie.

Bleuets brouillés

Je sais, je sais, encore un billet sur la bouffe. Je vais essayer de varier dans les prochains jours. Mais celui-ci, il porte sur l'emblême de ma région: le bleuet sauvage. Pactole de mon père cette année: il a acheté tous ces bleuets.La photo est brouillée, mais vous avez une idée de la quantité toute saguenéenne. Rien n'est petit au Saguenay.

Pot roast

You might notice that I often blog about food these days, but there you go. So my parents recently made a pot roast and they sent me this picture. Because they really make on hell of a tasty, delicious pot roast. I love pot roasts, because it's a simple dish, yet very tasty and hearty like I love them. And for me, the pot roast is the sign that harvest has started. It is the meal for the ending summer and the starting autumn.
 Even Wolfie, who is never very keen on vegetables (except sweet pea and tomatoes, and tomatoes are fruits) said when he saw this picture: "Daddy, want to eat it!" Maybe I should make one.

Le 12 août... (édition 2019)

Je tiens à vous rappeler que le 12 août, si vous êtes au Québec, bien vous devriez acheter un livre québécois dans votre plus proche librairie. La page Facebook est ici. Je le manque, comme je suis expatrié. Mais si je vivais encore au Québec, je le ferais aussi.

News from Ancient Egypt

Picture taken in Totnes in Devon. We are far from Egypt, but the image kind of goes with this post's topic. It is now old news, without making a bad pun, but I wanted to mention it here: they have reopened the sarcophagus of "cursed" Pharao Tutankhamun so they can save the coffin which is falling apart. I have always been into ancient history, but not nearly as fascinated into Ancient Egypt as I was with Ancient Greece, or even Ancient Rome. Yet I had some interest in Egyptian history: when there was a Ramesses II exhibit in Montreal back in 1980 something (I visited it) and it did trigger some interest from me. I learned a thing or two about the Egyptians following this visit. So I hope the millennial sleep of the forever young King Tut is not too troubled by the recent events and that they manage to restore his coffin.

Putois

Photo prise dans un refuge pour animaux du Derbyshire. C'est un putois. Enfin, je crois. Je connais assez peu les putois, je les ai souvent confondus avecles mouffettes à cause de Pépé le Putois,tu parles d'une triste réputation que ce stupide personnage ainsi que d'autres leur ont donnée. Les putois ont donc une mauvaise réputation "empruntée" à un autre animal, qui plus est ont un nom répugnant, qui pue, littéralement. Mais ils sont plutôt mignons quand on les voit en personne, pour ainsi dire. Ils ont même un air timide, qui va bien avec leur mode de vie nocturne.

A cat sitter for Domino

Here is Domino napping in one of Wolfie's toy boxes and isn't he adorable. We seldom see our cat these days: he spent a lot of time outside hunting mice, when he comes back in it is to eat or to sleep. But however independent he is (and wary of Wolfie's affection for him) he's still our cat and we are responsible for him, so as we are preparing for the upcoming holidays we need to make sure he is okay. We thought about putting him in a cattery, but the ones near us are either booked already, out of price or sadly closing down. Then we had a stroke of genius: we will pay Blonde Tickler to look after him, feed him, clean his litter and so on. She will be our cat-sitter. She has a cat of her own and loves cats, so it makes sense. And she always got along well with Domino. That will give her a bit of pocket money, a bit of responsibility and we know our Domi will be in good hands.

Rhubarbe en rose et vert

Ma mère a fait de la compote (ou confiture, en fait je crois que c'est plus de la confiture) de rhubarbe. Deux versions différentes, car elle avait deux sortes de rhubarbe différentes: de la rose et de la verte. Enfant, j'aimais beaucoup la confiture de rhubarbe sur mes toasts pour le déjeuner. Je ne me rappelle pas en avoir mangé de la rose, mais de la verte oui. J'aimais bien son goût assez acide.

"Write what you know"

You probably heard that one before: when you want to become a writer, write what you know. I never agreed with it, and I could write a long essay debunking this claim, but I think this line by scifi writer Joe Haldeman (whom I never read), sums up perfectly in a single one example why this is a rubbish advice: "Bad books on writing tell you to "WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW", a solemn and totally false adage that is the reason there exist so many mediocre novels about English professors contemplating adultery." That's spot on.

Les galettes aux raisins

Nous avons passé l'après-midi ensemble, petit loup et moi, maman étant allée chez une amie pour la fête de celle-ci. Nous avons fait des galettes aux raisins. Elles sont pas mal meixu réussies que la dernière fois. J'ai été plus précis dans le dosage des ingrédients et dans le temps et la température de cuisson. Mais j'ai pris du sucre au lieu de la cassonnade, parce que j'en avais pas. Alors elles ne sont pas aplaties comme la dernière fois. Mes parents font mieux, mais petit loup et moi, nous étions fiers du résultat.

"Yellow warning of wind"

This is what I read on the BBC weather webpage for our area. We therefore have a yellow warning of wind. Which means this:

"Strong winds are expected to cause some disruption, particularly during Saturday daytime.

- Coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities affected by spray and/or large waves
- Delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges, with some bus and train services affected, with some journeys taking longer
- Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport expected with fallen trees possible
- Some short term loss of power and other services"

Well, for once, I don't mind (except the potential loss of power). It means a quieter weekend in the comfort of our home spent relaxing. And listening to the wind blowing. I love strong wind blowing, as long as we are in a safe place. I find it very atmospheric.

Pour remplacer les anglicismes

Un ancien prof de cégep, maintenant à la retraite, a partagé cet article du Figaro sur sa page Facebook. Il y a une chose qui m'agace en France comme au Québec, c'est cette utilisation systématique de mots anglais quand des mots français (ou des québécismes dans notre cas) existent et décrivent aussi bien (sinon mieux) une réalité. Avec l'avènement des médias sociaux, ça s'est empiré. Alors je partage l'article sur Vraie Fiction.

My son's obsession for tractors...

As you may know, Wolfie loves a lot of engines: trains, trucks, cars, construction machinery and... tractors. He loves tractors. He has tractor toys, he loves watching real tractors when we are on the countryside, he is obsessed by them. So much so, in fact, that at his last visit at the local library, he asked (loudly) his mother to borrow Tractors of the World. The book you see on the picture. I knew you could write books on anything, I never thought such book could interest a little boy who is not even three yet. The librarian was not sure borrowing this book was such a great idea, but my son was adamant that he wanted this one and no other. And he really loves it. He now can tell the difference between a new tractor and an old tractor. I just wish I could share his enthusiasm.

Merci Félix

C'est le 31e anniversaire de la mort de Félix Leclerc. Le 2 août, c'était l'anniversaire de sa naissance. Comme d'habitude lorsque je lui rends hommage, je commémore avec une de ses chansons: Le Bal. Je la connais moins, mais c'est ce qui est bien avec Félix: on fait de belles découvertes grâce à une oeuvre imposante. Merci Félix.

Autumn in the evening air

We had dinner in the garden this evening, because it was lovely evening and not too hot. There was a breeze that was fairly strong and cooling down the air. And Wolfie wanted to play outside. But at some point as the sun was slowly setting, we started feeling cold and I had to get some fleeces and jackets for everyone. Then it was quite comfy. I know it is still very early, but it felt quite autumnal, as if the coming season was on its way. This is the second autumnal sign in less than a week. Maybe it is wishful thinking, but I think autumn will come early this year. We don't have very long to wait now...

Mercredi: le pire et le meilleur

Je déteste le mercredi lorsqu'il commence. C'est le milieu de la semaine, c'est là où la journée est à son plus pénible, mais une fois le mercredi terminé, on a plus de la moitié de la semaine passée. Je n'ai jamais beauoup aimé le mercredi, sauf peut-être durant mes années de cégep. Et au bacc aussi, parfois, à bien y penser: durant la première session de ma troisième année de bacc, je terminais la semaine le mercredi (!) avec trois cours (je crois), des cours qui m'intéressaient en plus et c'était le bonheur. C'est sans doute la dernière époque de ma vie où j'aimais vraiment le mercredi. Maintenant, avec un travail que je commence sérieusement à détester, je trouve que le mercredi est un long, long, long calvaire. Au moins, lorsqu'il se termine, j'ai l'impression (parfois à tort) que le pire de la semaine est passé.

Marlow or Medellin?

There are news headlines sometimes that make you jump, because the title seem so absurd. Here is one I saw last night from a local newspaper: a cottage the quiet little town of Marlow has been part of an international £17m cocaine smuggling operation. A cottage. In quaint Marlow. Sometimes I wonder if it has been twinned with Medellin. In any case, this headline is potentially great source of inspiration for crime fiction.

Question existentielle (349)

Tiens ça fait longtemps que je n'ai pas posé de question existentielle (depuis le 2 juillet), alors en voici une nouvelle. En espérant que je ne l'ai jamais posée:

-Que faire pour passer le temps et relaxer quand on est fatigué un soir de semaine?

Wolfie and the spider

Yesterday, right after his bath, I was drying little Wolfie with a towel when he started pointing nervously behind me saying: "Daddy, daddy, spider! Look daddy, spider!" I turned around, saw nothing. I thought he saw a piece of tangled hair, which he often confuse with spiders. Wolfie hates spiders, he fears them like his mother does and gets nervous every time he sees one near him. But I told him I could see nothing. He kept saying: "Look, daddy, spider!" I still could not see anything, so he finally said, with impatience: "Daddy hold Wolfie!" A sign that he feels insecure and wants reassurance that he is safe with me. So I did hold him, he pointed again and then I saw it, a spider walking on the rug fast pace, big, black one. It disappeared. behind a bedside table and we could not find it afterwards. Moral of the story: always trust your child's judgment and eyesight when he says he sees a spider. Especially when you are not wearing your glasses.

Trouvez la coccinelle

Bon, petit jeu bête et facile, mais le voici: trouvez la coccinelle sur cette photo. Mon petit loup a eu bien du plaisir hier à l'observer. Allez savoir pourquoi, il déteste toutes les autres sortes d'insectes et de bibittes (j'en dirai plus dans le prochain billet), mais semble adorer les coccinelles. Ça doit être la couleur rouge tomate. Moi, je ne les aime guère. Mais enfin bref, la petite bête du Bon Dieu ou la bibitte à patates l'a fasciné pendant un bout de temps.

Old Peculier (a beer and a crime)

Sometimes you discover new things in the most unexpected times and places. So recently, I had decided to drink an Old Peculier from Theakston for my evening's poison. It is my kind of ale: dark (supposed to be rich ruby red, but on this picture it is almost black), strong flavoured, not too high in alcohol (at 5.6%, it is juuust below 6, so it does not taste too much of liqueur). It would more fitting for colder winter days, but hey, I was eager to rediscover it. Because I had the beer before, of that I am almost certain of. But since I drank a wide variety of beers in my twenty years in the UK, I cannot remember precisely all of them. Also, I was sometimes not sober enough to truly taste them.

So I was enjoying the beer when I saw that sign on the side of the bottle, next to the label: a bloody fingerprint and this statement: "sponsor of the old peculier crime writing festival".This Crime Writing Festival. Now how cool is that? I was not aware of its existence and from the website I see no mention of a 2019 edition and the previous ones seem to have been in July, so this does not look good, however if the Festival still exists I'd like to attend it one day, if it still goes on. Real ales and crime fiction, the Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival seems to be made for me.

La cueillette des framboises

Mon père est allé cueillir des framboises chez son frère, mon oncle. Lequel est aussi le père de ma cousine Amy la photographe et donc le grand-père du cousin au second degré de mon fils. Cela vous situe. Et il a rapporté tout ça de la cueillette. Mais cela dit, cueillir les framboises, on le faisait chaque année chez mon oncle, justement dans ce temps de l'année. Mes frères et moi adorions. C'était un moment doux-amer pour moi: je savais que ça signifiait que l'été et les vacances allaient se terminer dans un avenir qui n'était plus si lointain. Ça demeurait un des moments forts de mes vacances, et un de mes préférés, justement parce que c'était l'un des derniers.

Silver lining

I haven't had holidays in ages, not since the last Easter bank holiday. I have very little leave allowance at work (one of the things that sucks there), barely more than the strict legal minimum in fact. So I choose my time off carefully. It has been all work and no play for a while and will be for a few weeks still. But I have book a few holidays soon and some more for later and we are getting closer and closer to them every day. So I can finally start seeing the silver lining. Well, that might sound a bit too dramatic, but it will be a much needed break, if nothing else.

Le nouveau look du chocolat aux bleuets

Mon père m'a envoyé cette photo de la nouvelle boîte des chocolats aux bleuets des Pères trappistes. J'imagine que maintenant, chaque nouvelle année ou à peu près amène son nouveau design de boîte. Je ne devrais pas me plaindre: tant que ça a le même goût. Enfin, à peu près le même goût: les bleuets ne goûtent jamais exactement pareil d'une année à l'autre et d'un endroit à l'autre. Mais vous savez ce que je veux dire. Cela dit, que pensez-vous d ces nouvelles boîtes?

The local bookshop's new bags

We went to the local bookshop yesterday, the first time in a few weeks. I mostly behaved myself: I only bought one book, although I saw at least three I was interested about. And I did not even buy their new bags. New bags might not be the accurate way to put it: they have new colours for their old brand of bags: blue and grey. Big, solid, sturdy bags capable to take many books. We already have plenty of bags bought at or given by the local bookshop and I had no excuse to buy new bags if I only purchased one single book. Not bags this size anyway. So it will be for another time. I might get them for friends and family. They look really good. And it is always good to encourage local businesses.

Marcher tout seul

Mon fils marche depuis un bout de temps déjà, mais  comme tous les petits enfants, il aime se faire transporter dans les bras de papa et maman. Ou alors, pour les longues promenades de chez nous au centre-ville, on le met encore dans une poussette. Mais hier, il a insisté pour marcher du centre-ville à la maison sur le chemin du retour, comme un grand. Vingt minutes. Enfin, vingt minutes et un peu plus, car il lambinait un peu parfois. Quand même. Je suis partagé entre la fierté et l'inquiétude.

First sign of the coming autumn

We were walking home from town earlier on this afternoon and I saw this on a tree. I cannot identify the tree, you tell me if you know, but it had three leaves that had indubitably changed colours, and not in a small way. It cannot be the drought, as we had our fair share of rain these last few weeks. The weather, apart from a few hot days, has been warm or cool overall. So I think these red leaves are the first sign of the autumn to come. Not so long to wait now.

Fleurs en feuilles

J'ai pensé partager ici ce soir une photo prise par mon père il y a quelques années de cela déjà lors de sa visite aux Mosaïcultures, parce que ça fait longtemps que je ne l'avais pas fait. La moins impressionnante du lot, peut-être. Quand même mieux qu'une cannette. Non, plus sérieusement, on parle souvent de plantes en fleurs, mais jamais de fleurs en feuilles, ce qui rend celles-ci au moins singulières.

Cherryade

I blogged last week (heck, last month now) about a soft drink of A.G. Barr I bought in Londis. Well, since then I tried a new one: their Cherryade. Which is, you guessed it, cherry flavoured. Like the (in)famous Cherry Coke, which I always found vile. That said, when I was a child, I did drink plenty of soft drinks with fruit flavours, mainly strawberry and orange, and I quite enjoyed them, so out of pure nostalgia I decided to try this one too. And it was... Nice in a disgusting, too sweet way. But I did enjoy it. One thing I noticed about these soft drinks, is that they taste exactly like you'd expect just looking at the can.

Le vendredi

Je ne suis pas le seul travailleur à aimer le vendredi, mais je me réjouis seulement arrivé chez moi. Avant ça, je crains toujours qu'une tuile va me tomber sur la tête à l'ouvrage. C'est un peu parce que je n'aime pas beaucoup mon milieu de travail (cela dit en toute confidence). C'est aussi que d'expérience, les mauvaises expériences professionnelles arrivent surtout le vendredi, dans tous les emplois que j'ai eus. Le vendredi, je commence à l'aimer à 5:30, je l'aime encore plus une fois la porte de la maison ouverte.

August and me

Today is the first of August. A month I used to dislike as a child, like I disliked Sundays: because it was an ominous time. August was the last month of summertime and of holidays. Now, I still feel a similar melancholy, but I don't dislike the month as I used to. It took me a while and a few years as an adult to discover some fondness for it. Now my holidays are not necessarily in August (although I often end up with a holiday break in that month) and as I don't really like summer. This year, I find the month rather promising. And you, how do you feel about August?

Se laisser tenter par le Salon du Livre

Petite nouvelle de ma région: le Salon du livre du Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean a révélé ses dates et sorti son affiche promotionnelle, notamment sur sa page Facebook. Je dois dire que j'aime vraiment beaucoup le design cette année: le serpent, la pomme, l'idée de la tentation de la lecture. C'est vraiment inspiré. Et puis les dessins ne sont pas grossiers comme dans certaines années précédentes. Je me laiserais bien tenter d'y aller, surtout que je pourrais utiliser mon laisser-passer à vie catégorie cégep (que j'ai retrouvé, si, si!), mais malheureusement, je vis un peu loin pour ça.

How much caffeine in tea?

Say what you will about David's Tea, I know not all their teas are good, I know they have been struggling financiall, but they do have their use. I found this picture and guide on their on their Facebook page. Now I can have a pretty good idea on how much caffeine content there is in what sort of tea. They also have an article on the subject on their website. Of course, it is calculated their brews, but one can easily extrapolate on their model. This will prove very useful when I want to know what I should drink as tea at what time of the day. It is also good to expand on my (rather poor) tea culture.

Pizza sur le grill

Mon père a fait des pizzas cette semaine, sur le "big green egg". Je n'ai jamais vu de pizza faite sur le grill, mais ça a l'air réussi. Et ça me rend envieux, rien que de penser aux pizzas que l'on mange ici, toutes surgelées ou achetées dans els commerces. Ça fait un bout de temps qu'on n'en a pas faite une à partir de rien.