Japanese tea-bowl

On the treasures one can find on the Facebook page of the British Museum. This one, shared a few days ago, caught my attention. It is a te-bowl from Japan and it dates back to the 17th century. More information about it here. Not only is it beautiful, but it shows how refined and civilised tea drinking can be. As long as you drink it during a proper ritual, in a carefully designed bowl, not a common mug. And not a drop of milk in it.

Mon mars (et le vôtre)

Bon, ben mars se termine aujourd'hui (cliché retentissant ici). Comment a été votre mois de mars? Moi, assez ordinaire: je perds mon emploi (c'est ma dernière journée de travail aujourd'hui). Au moins il y a du mouvement dans ma recherche d'emploi et ma femme va commencer un nouvel emploi au cours du mois d'avril. Mais mettons que ça n'a pas été un mois facile et que je suis bien content qu'il finisse. Et vous?

About Michelangealo's David (from The Simpsons)

There is a certain stupid controversy in the US at the mooment. I will not comment on it, I will just leave here this clip from The Simpsons. In this episode. Yes, they were prophetic. And I'm not the only one saying it. I hope the clip makes you feel a little bit better.

L'escoufle sur le chemin de l'école

Dans notre petite ville, nous avons comme voisins ailés des  milans royaux (mais je préfère les appeler escoufles). On les voit souvent voler, parfois se percher sur les arbres, mais il est plus rare de les voir au sol. Or, c'est ce qui est arrivé, lorsque nous marchions de retour de l'école de petit loup. Nous sommes tombés presque nez à bec avec cet escoufle, qui mangeait je ne sais pas quoi sur l'asphalte. Il s'est envolé avant que l'on puisse s'en approcher plus, mais j'ai eu le temps de prendre cette photo.

Waterstones and me

 Something struck me recently, I don't know why: it has been ages since I set foot in a Waterstones bookshop. There is one relatively close, in a nearby town, but I try to avoid said town because, well, it's ugly and dodgy. The Waterstones there is maybe the only place I love, with the library. Last time I went to this particular franchise. was probably two years ago or so, before going to the cinema, I only went briefly and did not buy anything. I used to love going to Waterstones, used to do it fairly often. I think our local bookshop really reduced my need to go there. Unless it is a big shop of the franchise, the choice isn't that different and I always prefer to encourage local businesses. All the same, I'd like to revisit a Waterstones at some point.

Le sable et l'eau

Photo prise par mon père il y a deux ans, afin d'impressionner son petit fils, qui aime les gros véhicules. Je la partage aujourd'hui parce qu'elle représente un peu le printemps dans ce qu'il a de plus laid et de plus salissant. En tout cas au Québec, surtout au Saguenay: bien du sable et de l'eau sale. Ici, on a plutôt et surtout de la boue, beaucoup moins de sable.

A Milwaukee stand?

Last week, my wife noticed something in the parking of the business behind our house: this Milwaukee stand, with a wide screen on top. For a moment, I thought it was promoting the beer, but no, it's a tool company. Now I have two questions regarding this: 1)why does a British company take the name of an American city in Wisconsin? and 2)what the heck was this stand doing there?

Le Colporteur

 Je blogue encore une fois une figurine trouvée sur la page Facebook sur les Santons de Charlevoix. C'est un autre personnage du folklore québécois, le colporteur. Un personnage bien réel, mais qui a pas mal disparu de nos jours. Y a-t-il encore des colporteurs qui sonnent aux portes, au Québec ou ailleurs? Avec Amazon et la vente en ligne, je crois que c'est un métier sans doute déjà disparu. Et puis répondre quand on frappe à la porte, ça demeure un peu imprudent, en tout cas si on n'attend personne. Dans tous les cas, voici un autre santon que je veux avoir. Et dire que je n'en ai pas un seul dans ma collection.

Railway reading in a nutshell

 I found this picture on the Facebook page of Rovos Rail, the South African luxury train company. Now this is my idea of heaven. I have almost everything to get there. I have the book(s) for it anyway. Now all I need is the right train and a picturesque scenery.

Tintin: qui a enlevé le Professeur Tournesol?

J'ai toujours beaucoup aimé Tintin, que j'ai fait découvrir à petit loup il y a peu de temps. Quand mes frères et moi étions enfants on passait nos temps libres à jouer à des jeux de société. Nous avions un jeu de société de Tintin. Le principe était le même que Clue: trouver où le Professeur Tournesol était prisonnier et identifier le ravisseur. C'était donc un jeu d'enquête de facture assez classique, mais justement c'est ce qui le rendait intéressant. Comme bien des jeux de société que l'on aimait, il y avait une dimension de jeu de rôle à ce Tintin, avec une situation dramatique comme point de départ (l'enlèvement de Tournesol) et des personnages à jouer. Je crois que lors de notre prochain séjour, je vais essayer d'y jouer avec Wolfie. On pourrait réinventer une tradition familiale.

Updates on the work front

 As you may remember, I am being made redundant. It came off as a bit of a surprise and since then I have been job hunting. I have been to some interviews, but so far none have worked out, either I didn't suit the role or the role didn't suit me. Thankfully, things are nevertheless looking better. First, because my wife got a job last Friday. It will start in the middle of April. It's only a temping job, but it will keep pressure off me for a few months. Also, I will have at least one interview this week and I am fairly confident about this one: the role suits my background pretty much perfectly and I have a pretty good feeling about it. And I know I am getting noticed for other roles. So yes, things are looking better.

Maux printaniers

 Bon, petit loup a été malade la semaine dernière. Pas beaucoup, mais une petite fièvre bien vilaine, qui l'a gardé à la maison le vendredi. Bien entendu, je l'ai chopé tout de suite après: dès samedi soir, j'avais le frisson et je ne me sens toujours pas tout à fait remis. Chaque année, c'est pareil: aux alentours du mois de mars je me tape une fièvre ou un rhume. Souvent, ça arrive au changement d'heure. C'est pire depuis que je suis papa. Je crois que le printemps est une saison plus porteuse de virus et de contagion que toutes les autres. Enfin, c'est mon expérience.

Essential torches

 I blogged back in January about the two torches my wife bought me for Christmas, to replace my old one that had broken now. I said how useful torches are, essential even. Well, yesterday I was reminded of another way a torch can be useful: when you walk out at night, especially when you are alone. My wife went to celebrate the birthday of a friend and our neighbourhood does not have very good street lights. So she borrowed one of my torches. She felt much safer and I felt reassured. I always carry a torch when I am out and about and I know I will have to walk back home at night time. I think you should never leave without one.

Le vieux foyer

Bon, j'ai déjà blogué sur le sujet, mais je le fais encore. Photo du foyer que mes parents ont au sous-sol, notre "vieux" foyer. Avec la tête de chevreuil empaillée dessus. Je dis vieux, mais il a été construit après celui de l'étage au dessus. Je ne sais pas lequel des deux je préfère. Celle-ci, on l'utilise beaucoup moins, en fait je crois que ça fait des années que l'on n'a pas fait de feu. Mais j'aime son air plus primitif. Je me rappelle encore quand le foyer a été construit. Ca m'avait fait une forte impression.

The Guinness Cake gentrified

 Looking in my old pictures, I found out one that my wife took years ago in a restaurant. It was the very first piece she had of Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Guinness cake.The one we made last week for Saint Paddy's. That is how much we loved it: she even took a picture of her dessert. I am surprised it took us that long to make one ourselves. Presented like this, with chocolate sauce and a thicker icing, the cake looks way fancier than our version, somewhat gentrified, but I think I prefer our homemade one.

Mercedes en bois de grange

Mon père m'a envoyé il y a quelques mois cette photo prise au Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec. Enfin je crois. Une Mercedes en bois de grange. Je la partage rien que parce que.

Orange Clothes

 Well, maybe it is a strange case of synchronicity, maybe I have just become more aware of that. So I blogged on Wednesday about orange vehicles. In January 2022, I blogged about orange coats. And since last Wednesday, I see orange everywhere. Particularly in pieces of clothing: coats, yes, but also woolie hats. Sometimes they are bright orange, more often the kind of dark, fiery, almost red, ochre type of orange. You know the one. It seems that orange clothes are everywhere, a sort of quiet fashion statement. I love orange as a colour, so I don't complain, but I just find it strange that I notice its omnipresence nowadays.

Hurlevent

Au moment où j'écris ces lignes, il vente très fort dehors. Genre à écorner les boeufs. À chaque fois qu'il vente dans ce pays, j'ai une pensée pour le classique Wuthering Heights d'Emily Brontë, connu en français comme Les Hauts de Hurlevent. Le tire original, je n'arrive pas à le prononcer, soit dit en passant. Je l'ai lu au cégep, ça fai de cela plus de 25 ans. Je ne l'ai jamais relu depuis, il faudrait peut-être. Le nom Hurlevent prend tout son sens lorsqu'il vente dans ce pays. Ca devrait être un terme.

Crime fiction from South Africa (and elsewhere)

 You may know that my wife's father is South African. He is not a fan of Deon Meyer like me, although he does enjoy reading his work, but he loves crime fiction and he is always happy to make me discover more abouthis country. So when I told him that I had read all of Meyer's books, that I could not wait until his next novel is published and translated and thus I wanted to discover more crime writers from his country, my in-law happily obliged and sent me this article about 12 South African crime writers. So now I have a pool where I can look into to quench thirst for violence in an exotic setting. In the meantime, I discovered the website Crime Fiction Lovers, which I will revisit to find crime fic from all over the world.

Coquille St-Jacques

En cherchant au hasard de mes photos alors que je faisais le ménage, j'ai retrouvé celle-ci, une coquille Saint-Jacques que mon père a fait il y a quelques temps. Je n'ai pas mangé de coquilles St-Jacques depuis des années, enfant c'était l'un de mes repas préférés. Et je m'en ennuie.

Orange Vehicles

You may remember when I blogged about a trend I had observed: people wearing orange coats. Well I found another trend, kind of weirder: the orange vehicles. I have seen in our little town a very distinctive orange Jeep and an orange... Porsche. The Porsche I have seen only once, during the school run. At first I was not sure it was a Porsche. But the Jeep I have seen a couple of times, if it is indeed the same Jeep. In both cases, they were the darker side of orange, the kind of orange I generally love. Although maybe not on vehicles. It made me wonder: what's up with the orange colour? I guess it makes them stand out more, but I'm not sure if I find it cool or tacky. I love orange though (guess why). Just maybe not for a car.

Outarde

Je suis en train de faire le ménage des photos que j'ai accumulées depuis des décennies. Et j'ai décidé de partager certaines que je ne veux pas perdre, de les laisser sur le blogue. Celle-ci c'est la bernache en bois grandeur nature de chez mes parents. Je l'ai montrée souvent ici, je le refais rien que pour le plaisir.

Stock Ticker

During one of my nostalgic daydream sessions, I thought about Stock Ticker, a board game that is now out-of-print. Back when I was a child and I was obsessing about board games, my dad had bought it among other ones, I think as a Christmas present. It's one of these capitalist, business based game, like Monopoly, where the aim is to accumulate wealth. In Stock Ticker, you play the stock market, buying and selling commodities and getting dividendes from them. Or not. Why my brothers and I ended up liking this game is a bit of a mystery: we usually liked board games that had a dramatic premise, like Cluedo or Scotland Yard, premise that could be developed and expanded into make-belief games. Stock Ticker did not really have a plot, characters, setting or atmosphere. And on top of that I was never very good playing money games, lacking the business mind for it. I think the board and equipment had an appealing aesthetic, maybe the idea of dealing with gold and silver did stimulate our imagination too. be that as it may, we did not play Stock Ticker very often, but we enjoyed it. And years later we use its cash to play poker. But that is another story for another post.

Un bateau à La Baie

 Photo prise par à La Baie, l'an dernier dans l'une de ses expéditions pour voir les bateaux qui y mettent l'ancre. Je la partage rien que parce que.

Equinox

Quick post for those who forgot (I know I wish I had): today was the vernal equinox. There is no way to deny it: it is the first official day of spring. Although it felt like spring since last week at least. Now, usually in March it still does not change all that much, especially not in this country. Nevertheless, the nights are getting shorter and evening falls much later. I used to love spring, but this is not the case anymore. I just dread long days and warmer weather. So yeah, I was not very happy today, to tell the truth.

Loup errant

 Photo qui date et que j'ai retrouvée dans mes archives. Un loup qui errait sur les terres de mes oncles. Je ne crois pas l'avoir partagé avant aujourd'hui.

About English snakes

 Last week during our school run, waiting for Wolfie's day to be over, we were chatting with the mother of one his best friends. She was mentioning that her son was obsessed about snakes and for special days out they go to see snakes in zoos and other places. I then said: "Thankfully, there are no venomous snakes in the wild in England." She corrected me: "Apparently, adders are poisonous." I replied: "Well, that is not reassuring." which made her laugh. I think it deserves to be a new great unknown line. Later on, I checked on the NHS website and she was right: the adder is indeed poisonous, thankfully it is also the only one.

Le train de Chicoutimi

Les choses que l'on apprend grâce à internet. Dont ce petit moment d'histoire: le 2 août 1893 est arrivé le premier train à Chicoutimi, avec 800 passagers. Dommage qu'il n'y en ait plus. Cette photo date de 1910.

A train themed birthday?

My father took this picture at the National Railway Museum in York. Rewatching them and chatting about our time there with my wife, she had a sudden inspiration: she suggested we went to the museum for my birthday weekend. Her arguments for it: it would be a different experience than just a meal out, it would be fun for Wolfie too, there are exciting events at the museum around my birthday, we could meet friends of ours (and Wolfie's best friend Uber) who don't live very far from York and, well, there are two people who love everything train in this household. Now I say two and she is not one of these two. So I'm very moved that she thinks about the men in the family before thinking about her, as I know she finds trains and the NRM rather boring. That said, I don't think we can do it, for a number of reasons. But maybe for one birthday in the future, Wolfie's or mine we could celebrate it at the NRM. Until then, I hope my birthday this year will be train themed somehow.

Fondants à l'érable

 Photo trouvée sur la page Facebook des Pères trappistes. C'est la preuve que les Pères ne font pas que des chocolats de Pâques et du chocolat aux bleuets. Non mais blague à part, il y a encore un peu de temps d'ici Pâques et si vous voulez vous sucrer le bec, vu que le printemps s'en vient et tout ça, ben j'essaierais ça, si je pouvais.

The Guinness Cake

I blogged on the 14th of March about Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Guinness cake. Well, my wife baked one so we ate it for  Saint-Patrick's Day. And for the day before, because we could not wait and because it is oh so very edible. The presentation was not perfect, she had to make two smaller cakes instead of a tall one that would look like a pint of Guinness, the icing was a bit liquid, but it still looked pretty good. And it tasted absolutely yummy. We just need to wait a bit longer until it cools down before adding the icing on. I am very tempted to have this as my birthday cake.

Un colibri

Photo envoyée par mon père en 2010, elle date de très longtemps. C'est un colibri. Il y en a qui viennent parfois se nourrir avec les fleurs du jardin chez mes parents.

Something to read for Saint Paddy's

 Happy Saint Patrick's Day everyone! One of my favourite holidays since I reached adult age. Because it is drinking time and because it is Irish. Now that I am a father I cannot drink nearly as much as I used to on the day, so instead I read Irish related works. I have a literary Saint Paddy's, so to speak. The Twitter account of the Irwell Edition shared this picture recently and I think I will try to get my hands on this book for next year. The preface is by Anthony Burgess, my favourite author and incidentally half Irish on his father's side. I think he could almost be considered an Irish writer. I would buy it for the preface alone, but also I think I really need to read more Irish authors. Because there is far more to Ireland than whiskey and beer.

Corto Maltese et l'Irlande

Bonne Saint-Patrick à tous. Pour célébrer, je suggère une lecture, une aventure de Corto Maltese d'Hugo Pratt. Je l'ai fait en 2018, mais je me répète cette année. Vous le trouverez dans Les Celtiques. L'histoire s'appelle Concert en O mineur pour harpe et nitroglycérine. C'est l'une des premières aventures de Corto que j'ai lues et j'ai vraiment trippé. J'ai découvert l'Irlande grâce à cette histoire et un peu de son histoire. J'aimerais l'avoir sous la main aujourd'hui. En anglais, en français ou en italien. Peut-être l'an prochain.

"I remember Dublin City..."

Tomorrow is Saint Paddy's Day and to get myself and my family in the mood I have been listening to a lot of Irish music, particularly the Dubliners. I thought this blog needed a bit more music, so I am sharing one Irish song here. I have been to Dublin only once in my life, for a week, I did not know it "in the rare old times", nevertheless it must have changed since. And in any case, I can relate to the nostalgic aspects of this song. We all have a Dublin somewhere, it may not be a town or a city, it may not be anywhere in particular, but it haunts us.

Les Ides de mars hier à Montréal

Je pensais hier aux Ides de mars, me demandant si je ne devrais pas bloguer sur le sujet. Puis je me suis dit que non, que j'avais fait le tour de l'assassinat de Jules César, en tout cas pour le moment. Je pensais que je trouverais une nouvelle approche pour en parler une autre année, quand j'ai vu que Leonardo Rizzuto a été victime d'une tentative de meurtre. Un 15 mars. Il semble être hors de danger, mais quand même, ça fait drôle (je n'oserai pas dire "approprié"). Des fois, il y a des coïncidences qui ne s'inventent pas.

Scotland Yard in Hamleys

We did not buy much during our trip to Hamleys, but it had a lot of very temping toys and games. I was so happy to see Scotland Yard among the board games on sale. It may be my favourite board game, ex aequo with Clue/Cluedo. More details about my story with Scotland Yard here. I even invented a make-belief game based on it, I was that obsessed with it as a child!  The one I found in Hamleys is the original gameplay, set in London, on the chase of the elusive  Mr X. But I did not want to carry the whole thing through London and back home, and at £35, I thought it was a bit much. Nevertheless, I was tempted, for no better reason than to buy it in London would have made it extra special. All the same, it's on my list of birthday presents.

Chekoutimi

J'ai trouvé dans les internets une photo de la toute première carte de Chicoutimi, avant même que ce soit une ville. Elle s'appelait alors "Chekoutimi". J'ai entendu cette prononciation dans mon enfance. Je n'ai rien d'autre à dire, sinon que je trouve cettecarte fascinante.

A Guinness Cake for Saint Paddy's

 I haven't blogged about the upcoming Saint-Patrick's Day yet, which is a bit of a shame, as it is one of my best holidays. That doesn't mean we are not preparing it. I say we, as this year my wife took the initiative with a great idea. For many of us, myself included, Saint Paddy's means drinking Guinness. Well, she suggested that we bake Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Guinness cake. We never made one, but enjoyed it a few times in cafés and restaurants. It is just so delicious. We bought alcohol free Guinness so Wolfie can have some too. We might fail miserably, but even if it looks terrible, it should be edible.

Felipe siempre!

Je partage un gag (re)trouvé sur la page Facebook officielle de Mafalda. Felipe me fait souvent penser à moi: j'ai l'imagination fertile et au lieu de faire des corvées il m'arrive souvent de rêvasser. C'était le cas à l'école, ou quand je devais faire des devoirs, c'est encore le cas aujourd'hui. Cela dit, malgré ses tendances à la paresse, Felipe a de l'éducation et celle-ci nourrit ses rêveries, ce qui n'est déjà pas si mal.

Cate Blanchett, Tar and Oscar

You must have read the news already, if you've been following it a bit. But anyway, my favourite actress Cate Blanchett was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in Tar. She did not win. I have neither seen the movie nor its competition, so sue me for that and say that I don't have sufficient information to make a judgment, but the fan in me can't help but suspect that she got robbed again, just like in 1999. Anyway, I will watch it and the other films/performances, I promise.

Il vente

Aujourd'hui, il vente. Il a venté toute la journée, à écorner les boeufs. Ca s'est calmé un peu dans la dernière heure et ça sera plus tranquille demain, mais c'était impressionnant d'entendre et de voir ça aujourd'hui. J'adore le temps venteux, en autant que je puisse rester pépère chez moi. J'adore l'atmosphère que les bourrasques donnent à une journée, comme si elles annonçaient un certain drame qui va mettre fin à la monotonie ambiante.

The Bernina Express

 My laptop has Windows 10 and recently, the screen saver showed this image. I fell in love with it right away. It's the Bernina Express, a Swiss train. Apparently, Swiss trains are the very best in the world, comfy, classy, efficient, just like the country's greatest gift to transport. As a railway afficionado, I want to revisit the country just to take its trains. And I know this picture is pure and utter scenery porn, with the snowy landscape and everything, but I had to find it and share it.

La Tour de Londres, vue de haut

Photo prise samedi à Sky Garden, de la Tour de Londres. J'ai envie de la revisiter.

The world's most expensive teddy bear?

We went to London yesterday. We did not visit many places, but at the last minute we decided to make a quick trip to Hamleys, one of its most famous toy shops. Wolfie loved it. I did too, although I found it a tad too crowded. One of their floors had lots of plush toys and I stumbled upon this man size, or maybe should I say bear size teddy bear. I was very impressed at first glance, then I had a good look at it and I was scared. Not because he looks nasty, but because of the price tag: £4,000. That might be the world's most expensive teddy bear. Be that as it may, he's very impressive.

Tower Bridge vu de haut

 Nous sommes allés à Londres hier. Nous n'avons pas fait beaucoup de visites, mais nous avons passé la plupart de l'après-midi à Sky Garden, où on peut voir la ville de très haut. À défaut de visiter les hauts lieux historiques (et touristiques), on peut les admirer à vol d'oiseau. Et puis ça nous donne des idées pour les prochaines visites. Parmi les attraits que l'on peut y voir, il y a Tower Bridge, qui est mon pont préféré de Londres (je ne suis pas bien original), juste parce que, ben, il y a des tours dessus.

Things to do on a train journey

I blogged last year about 100 Things to do on a Journey, which I bought for Wolfie for our future holidays. It is a gamebook meant to keep children busy when they travel. We used it on our last holiday, but I intend to use it again soon on our next day trip by railway, as there are still plenty of activities to get through. I love planning train journeys, I get excited for them, often more than the destination. Books and train journeys always go well together, but this specific book is also interactive, which is a blessing when you travel with a young child. As any train lover knows, the journey is part of the fun, but it is sometimes less obvious for a young boy, so this book should come in handy.

Question existentielle (380)

 Nouvelle question existentielle, ça faisait longtemps:

-Les bouteilles de vin sans bouchon de liège, pour ou contre?

Monstrum on Bloody Mary

YouTube/PBS series Monstrum has released a new video recently, about the folkloric character of Bloody Mary. I really loved it (as always) and I decided to share it tonight. Bloody Mary and divination in front of a mirror used to be a staple of Halloween, so all the more reason for us to enjoy this video.

Neige

Il a neigé cette semaine. Pas les neiges d'antan, pas ce qu'on a au Québec, mais quand même. Je ne bouderai pas mon plaisir.

A Scotsman in the snow

I saw this picture on the Facebook page  of the National Railway Museum in York. It's been snowing recently, so they had the inspiration of taking a picture of the Flying Scotsman while it was falling.There's just something about a train in the snow, even if it is melting snow that does not stay. Especially when it is a classic steam train like the Scotsman. So I had to share it.

L'Étape d'hier

J'ai trouvé une vieille photo de L'Étape qui date des années 60. C'est bien entendu l'ancien bâtiment. Je me rappelle encore y avoir été, quand j'étais tout jeune. Ca ne rajeunit personne. Le vieux bâtiment avait beaucoup plus de cachet que la patente construite par après. Tout ça pour dire que je m'ennuie de l'Étape, surtout de cette Étape.

Komodo Dragons

I recently found on BBC iPlayer an old documentary series, in black and white, with David Attenborough. When I say old, it dated back from 1956. A piece of anthology. I only watched one episode, the one about Komodo dragons. When I was a child, my brother PJ had a book about dragons in general, and the Komodo dragon was mentioned in passing. It got me fascinated. The idea of a gigantic lizard with a venomour bite living in a remote part of the world seemed both thrilling and exotic. Like a mythical creature that turned out to be real. Seeing Komodo dragons in a black and white video, they seemed even more mysterious and strange. It reminded me of my old childhood fascination for them.

L'hiver chez nous et chez vous

 Photo que mon père m'a envoyé l'année dernière, prise le 8 mars 2022, un an et un jour exactement. Le solarium chez mes parents, tout enneigé et couronné de glaçons. Mars, c'est supposé être le début du printemps, mais ici c'est souvent le moment où l'hiver fait un dernier tour de piste remarqué. Au moment où j'écris ces lignes, on prévoit de la neige. Ironiquement, mars est souvent le mois le plus hivernal ici. Enfin, comment est l'hiver chez vous?

Hawks (the police)

 As I mentioned a month ago, I am starting a series of posts about army, police and intelligence services around the globe, just because I find the topic kind of cool. Today I would like to tell you about the South African Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, DPCI for short, nicknamed the Hawks. Made famous through the crime novels of Deon Meyer. This is how I learned about the Hawks anyway. They fight organised crime, economic crime, corruption and other serious matters. Also, they have a really cool logo and an even cooler name. So yeah, albeit I only know them from crime fiction, I find them cool and badass.

Concours de Pâques des Pères trappistes

Voici un message d'intérêt public, glâné sur la page Facebook des Pères trappistes. Il y a un concours de Pâques pour gagner beaucoup, beaucoup de chocolat. Sept figurines de Pâques, ou une des sept, je ne suis pas certain, livrées directement chez vous. Et c'est du bon chocolat, je peux en témoigner. Pour participer, veuillez remplir ce formulaire avant le 23 mars. Bonne chance.

Mysterious "Panther"

I will start this post by a disclaimer: I love a bit of cryptozoology, however I know it is a pseudoscience. I will therefore relay this piece of news with caution: I remain very skeptical regarding the conclusions people have drawn from it. But anyway, a "panther" was caught on camera in a field in Gloucestershire. Or at least what looks like a black panther, or a rather large cat. The animal, maybe a feline, appears to be as large as a Labrador dog, but twice as long, or so says the article. Now I have seen the video, it is quite short and the image does not show all that much, so I don't think it is quite clear at all. I suspect an optical illusion and a mundane explanation. All the same, large cats sighting has been a staple of this country's folklore, so the news set my imagination on fire.

La cafétéria de l'UQAC(!)

 L'avantage des réseaux sociaux et de l'internet, pour un expatrié, c'est qu'on peut en apprendre sur les enjeux de ta région même à distance. Ainsi donc, voici une petite nouvelle régionale: l'UQAC a un nouveau service de cafétéria. Il n'y en avait plus depuis... septembre 2020. Un ami qui enseigne à l'UQAC m'a mis au parfum. Franchement, un service de restauration dans une université, c'est pas mal le minimum syndical. je le dis sans méchanceté, mais des fois, le Saguenay a de la difficulté à demeurer civilisé.

ATV(?)

We live in a small town here. We love it, that is why we remained where we are for nearly 16 years now. We saw a few strange signs in the years we have been here. Especially on the road. Old, vintage vehicles,mainly, and some other kinds of vehicles that simply have no place in town, however small. Last week, we saw an all-terrain vehicle on one of the main roads. It's not the first time. At least there was only one: last year I saw (and heard) three of them. And my question every time I see one is: what they is it doing here? I mean we are not a big city, but we're not exactly a remote little hamlet in the middle of nowhere. These things are from what I understand quite polluting. They are certainly noisy as hell, in any case (and noise is another form of pollution). I always found them kind of chavy too, in any circumstances, but especially in town. And I don't think they are very safe or driven by very safe people, for a town with lots of families and young children. So who is the genius who  thinks it is a good, sensible idea to drive them here as if they were in the middle of the tundra? I really want to know.

Le bogue de l'an 2000 (Bruno Blanchet)

Pour vous mettre de bonne humeur ce lundi, voici un petit numéro d'humour, un classique, tiré de La fin du monde est à sept heures. Avec bien entendu le génial et inimitable Bruno Blanchet, qui fait le fameux bogue. Vous vous rappelez du bogue de l'an 2000? J'imagine que je fais mon âge en disant cela.

Brunch wisdom

I love brunch, I always have. When I was younger, from childhood well into my twenties, we used to go for brunches on special occasions, in my family. Especially on Sunday. It is the day for brunching. There is just something so very satisfying about a brunch on a Sunday, both at a physical and emotional level. So yes, anyway, a somewhat famous person I am following on social media shared not so long ago a picture of her brunch a few days ago. Cannot remember what it was exactly, but it looked very filling and very decadent. I commented that "If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, brunch is the most important meal of the weekend."I think this describes brunch in a nutshell and it deserves to be a great unknown line. I can be such a wise man when it comes to trivial matters.

Les goélands, les mouettes

 Photo prise par mon père à La Baie, en automne, en octobre 2022 pour être plus précis. Ce sont des goélands et/ou des mouettes, je ne sais pas faire la différence. Je sais que ce n'est pas mon genre de publier des photos hors saison, mais parfois je fais un exception pour l'automne, ma saison préférée.

Nerf Guns on sale

I went downtown yesterday, stopping at WHSmith for a few minutes. I did not buy anything, but I noticed that Nerf Guns were on sale. Well, the sale got quite successful, as you can see on this picture. I don't think I would have bought one, but if they re-stock, I might put it on my list of birthday presents. Wolfie and I played played with Nerf Guns at one of his friends' birthday party and we had a blast (no pun intended). I think it lacks to our weaponry here. And by "weaponry", I mean the cheap plastic toy guns and swords I bought him over the years.

Pâtisseries

 Je suis tombé sur une photo envoyée par mon père. Des pâtisseries achetées je ne sais plus où, dans un commerce de Montréal je crois. Je reconnais le macaron, une sorte d'éclair, ensuite je ne sais pas trop. Je partage la photo rien que pour le plaisir. Je n'ai pas mangé de pâtisserie artisanale depuis un bon bout de temps, notamment parce que le café local qui en faisait a fermé ses portes, à mon grand chagrin.

The Flying Scotsman's Centenary

Oh the things you learn thanks to the National Railway Museum in York.I found out, checking their social media pages, that the Flying Scotsman is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. It might be my favourite steam train. More importantly, the online shop of the museum is full of cool articles to celebrate: socks, caps, shirts, watches, mugs, tea towels, many sporting the trademark green colour of the train. Everything looks so nice. It is going to be my birthday next month, just in time for the celebrations. It is unlikely that we will be able to go to York, but I will put some of the things in the shop on my wish list. Maybe I will receive some as presents.

Albator

Mon billet d'il y a une semaine ainsi que la mort récente de Leiji Matsumoto m'ont fait penser à une chose: ça fait un bail que je ne me suis pas retapé la série Albator. Je parle du dessin animé de 1978, mais il y aussi la série manga originale, que je n'ai jamais lu au complet. J'ai le premier volume en français, que j'ai lu il y a plus de dix ans. Il faudrait que je m'y remette. Le capitaine Albator a été l'un des plus importants héros de mon enfance, certainement mon préfér de tous les héros de mangas. Il y avait beaucoup du héros romantique chez lui et puis l'idée d'un corsaire de l'espace résolument anarchiste affrontant tant un establishment corrompu que des envahisseurs d'une autre planète quasi-démoniaques me plaisait beaucoup. Enfin bref, je crois que je vais me retaper ce bouquin aussi, essayer de trouver le reste de la série et essayer de trouver la série originale en ligne.

Rediscovering Dead at Daybreak

I have been reading very slowly since the beginning of the year. I have also been reading very little crime fiction. I intend to change this soon. A few months ago, I bought Dead at Daybreak, by South African crime writer Deon Meyer. The very first novel I read of him, read this post for details about it. It will be almost 20 years since I first (and last) read it, so it will be a rediscovery. I remember the plot and characters pretty well, or at least I think I do. It will nevertheless be a pleasure to binge into some unapologetic violence. Until he publishes his new novel next year, I was thinking of finding other South African crime authors. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Guille siempre!

Je partage un gag de Mafalda, rien que parce que. De tous les personnages entourant Mafalda, c'est Guille mon préféré. Un peu parce qu'il me fait penser à mon fils, un peu parce qu'il me fait penser à moi (il a d'ailleurs le même nom).

World Book Day

 It was World Book Day today, which of course promotes reading. So here children went to school disguised as book characters. Wolfie went to school disguised as a Dalmatian. As per, well, you might have an idea. We might go to the local bokshop this weekend and buy a book or two. And English Heritage shared an article about historical places with literary links, which I thoroughly enjoyed and I am sharing it now. If you're wondering what to read where, this is the article for you. Anyway, I try to commemorate it every year, as I love all things books and literature.

Les parfums insidieux du vapotage

 Excellente nouvelle: le gouvernement du Québec va finalement sévir contre les vapoteurs et interdire les parfums dans leurs produits. Vous savez, ce qui rendait ça plus attrayantpour les jeunes. Il était temps. J'exècre le tabagisme depuis toujours et pour moi les vapoteuses c'était une stratégie cynique pour rendre accro une nouvelle génération à la nicotine. On va se le dire: les producteurs de tabac, ce sont des barons de la drogue. Et puis on va se dire autre chose: les vapoteuses ont l'air de gros dildos. Fa que...

Redundancy again

Oh darnit, it happened again: I am going to be redundant at the end of this month. Through no fault of my own, thankfully: my (soon to be ex) employer subcontracts work and the client I am working for has suddenly and unexpectedly ended his contract. So the account is shutting down and I cannot be moved on a different project. Henceforth, I am being made redundant. I am of two minds about it. I was not really expecting it and my personal performance was great, so on the one end, I am not too happy. Especially since I liked that job. And my wife is also looking for a job, so that makes me a bit nervous. But on the other end, my still employers are being very nice and helpful. They even told me they would definitely rehire me should new accounts open. Furthermore, I already rose the interest of some recruiters. So I don't feel as bitter as I felt when I lost the job I hated, in fact while I am nervous I remain positive that I should get something fairly quickly (touch wood). It's just frustrating that it happened so suddenly.

Saguenay Dry

J'ai trouvé cette photo en ligne. Les Saguenéens comme moi, s'ils sont de mon âge ou plus vieux, vont sans doute identifier le Saguenay Dry, surtout sur les deux dernières bouteilles de droite. Pas besoin de lire l'étiquette: le "S" rouge ballonné est un signe iconique. On n'en fait plus et c'est vraiment dommage.

Of Saint David's Day and Welsh Cakes

Today is the first of March, the the Feast of Saint David, patron saint of Wales. There is not a single Welsh in this household, howeverI do like to celebrate it a bit. You can find the reason why in this post from 2011 and in the meantime find out what my Welsh connections are. Wolfie loves one thing about Wales: since a fairly early age he got very fond of Welsh cakes. So we might eat some today. We made some for a school project one day, but they were really ugly and I cannot find a picture of it, so instead I'm sharing a picture I shared a few months ago of Welsh cakes made perfectly by my mother-in-law. So happy Saint David's Day everyone, Welsh or not, and I hope you enjoy some Welsh cakes today.

Raton laveur empaillé

Voici une autre photo prise à à Amazon World lors de nos vacances à l'Isle of Wight. J,ai été je l'avoue assez surpris de voir un raton laveur parmi les espèces natives empaillées. Les ratons laveurs, c'est bien entendu un animal nord américain. Que j'ai plus vu empaillé ou en captivité  en Europe que vivant et libre au Québec, ironiquement. En passant, y a-t-il une autre sorte de raton que le raton laveur? Cela dit, c'est une bien jolie tête, elle a même l'air vivante. J'en ai vu des plus maganés, des animaux empaillés.