The family's Christmas Tree

 I shared it in a post in French yesterday, but here it is today, night time version. My parents' Christmas tree. With the train and the Christmas village at its foot. The greatest Christmas tree. Wolfie and I really want to go there next year.

"J'ai dans la tête un vieux sapin..."

Vous savez le reste de 23 Décembre de Beau Dommage. LA chanson québécoise de Noël et LA chanson de Noël nostalgique en ce qui me concerne. Je la partage à chaque année, bien entendu.

The end of Christmas movies?

 I recently read in The Independent an article titled What Killed the Christmas Movie?. About, well, the end of new quality and/or successful Christmas films. Apparently, there aren't so many, if any. It struck me that, yes, the Christmas movies I watch mostly date back from a few decades. The most recent ones must have been from 1999. Then again, most of the so-called Christmas films I watch usually only have the season as a backdrop. I don't really like romcoms in general, whatever the time and setting of them. But I digress. In any case, I was wondering what you thought about it. And one thing I would like to add, is that whileI don't watch "new" Christmas movies, I discovered and enjoyed plenty of "Christmas ceentered" tv series in the last few years. Maybe this is the new trend: Christmas dramas.

L'arbre de Noël, 2024

Mes frères et mes neveux sont chez nos parents (et leurs grand-parents) depuis hier. Le sapin familial est donc monté et je partage une photo ici. Wolfie et moi nous aimerions y être.

Three Wise Men

 'Tis the season to be reading. Tonight's reading suggestion for Yuletide: Three Wise Men, by Carol Ann Duffy. Illustrations by Julia Klenovsky. It is of course her annual Christmas poem. A poem that is in fact a dream like tale. Or rather, three tales, told by three people (the Three Wise Men of the title), to a Traveler, on the twelfth night of Christmas. The Traveller (and the reader) has to decide which tale is true. There's wassail, miracle soup, there's also the Twelve Days of Christmas, told with the sincerity of a true story. I enjoyed it, although maybe not as much as her last two ones. But then again, maybe it is too fresh in my mind. But it's still a quality tale in verse and, well, I also happen to have purchased a signed copy. Which is always nice.

Solstice

Mon frère PJ a pris cette photo hier en traversant le Parc pour se rendre chez mes parents. Au moins ça a l'air de l'hiver. Enfin bref, ils auront un Noël blanc, les chanceux, touchons du bois. Et c'est le solstice d'hiver aujourd'hui.

Piz Gloria exists

 'Tis the season to be... spying? Those who have been following this blog for a while may know that one of my favourite James Bond novels and one of my favourite Christmas novels (as in, set during Christmas) is  of On Her Majesty's Secret Service . I try to revisit it every year, not read the full thing, but some chapters from it, just to get me in a darker seasonal mood. Anyway, I was reminded recently that Piz Gloria, the headquarters of Blofeld in both the book and the film, does exist. They even have an official website. Okay, so it was constructed with the help of the movie's funding, and thus did not exist when Ian Fleming wrote his novel, but still. I hope I can go there one day, on a Bondian pilgrimage. Probably not during Christmastime, but one can dream.

Les vertus des pâtés à la viande

Photo prise par mes parents des stocks de pâtés à la viande qu'ils ont fait cette année. J'y pensais parce que mon fils me disait ce soir qu'il n'aime pas vraiment le repas de Noël, avec la dinde et tout. Mais il a beaucoup aimé les pâtés à la viande les deux fois où il a célébré Noël au Québec. Avec beaucoup de ketchup, bien entendu. Mais ça m'a fait penser qu'au Québec, il aimait le repas du réveillon et les repas traditionnels de Noël, grâce aux pâtés à la viande. Alors voilà: les pâtés à la viande ont notamment cette vertu qu'ils rendent les repas de Noël plus agréables pour mon fils.

Mariä Wiegenlied (sung by Golda Schultz)

It struck me recently that I don't put enough Christmas music in this blog since the beginning of December. So here is the (maybe) lesser known Mariä Wiegenlied, sung by South African soprano Golda Schultz. Hope you enjoy.

Compter les moutons

 Photo de la crèche prise par ma mère à ma demande. Elle m'a dit qu'elle ne savait toujours pas combien de moutons ils avaient accumulé au fil des années. Et il m'est venu à l'esprit que compter les moutons, c'est ce que l'on fait tous pour essayer de passer au travers les jours avant Noël. Mon fils compte les moutons pour dormir, je compte les moutons pour domir, je compte les jours d'ici aux vacances. Demain, c'est la dernière journée d'école pour mon fils. Demi-journée en fait. Et mon dernier jour de travail d'ici aux vacances des Fêtes. Et il est temps que ça arrive.

The Bookshop's Christmas Window

 'Tis the season to be reading and it also means bookshopping. Every time I go downtown, I try to stop at the local bookshop. I have mostly behaved, but I did stop all the same, if only to enjoy the seasonal atmosphere so unique to bookshops come Christmastime. I took a picture of one of its windows. Not as elaborate as other bookshops I know, you can only see the snowflakes, but it's nice all the same. If only it was real snow...

Spirou pour Noël

 Petit billet souvenir des Noëls de jadis. Enfant, j'adorais la série de bande dessinée Spirou et Fantasio. Je n'avais pas beaucoup d'albums, allez savoir pourquoi, en fait la plupart des albums que je lisais étaient empruntés à la bibliothèque de l'école. C'est une série que j'aimerais bien revisiter. Enfin bref, je me souvient d'un Noël, 87 je crois, nous avions reçu plusieurs albums, dont Virus. L'histoire est banale, un genre de techno thriller avec l'humour bon enfant propre à Spirou, avec un peu moins de la naïveté charmante des albums précédents. Mais c'est une bédé parfaite pour Noël, d'abord parce que ça se passe l'hiver, ensuite parce que le gros de l'action se passe en Antarctique. Enfin bref, je crois que c'est un ouvrage à revisiter ces temps-ci.

Black Doves for Christmas(!)

 'Tis the season to be watching and I am not into soppy, sentimental and sugary romcoms. So what is a man to do when he wants to watch something seasonal, but not the usual romantic comedies? Well, he goes for somethign dark, violent, yet set during Yuletide. Recently, I found on Netflix a British spy thriller, called Black Doves, which fits the bill perfectly. The story is utterly unbelievable and frankly at times ridiculous, yet it keeps me entertained and I like the atesthetic if nothing else. Because let's face it, for all its flaws, you can't go wrong with blood, guns and Christmas decorations in the background. I say background, but not really. The show's creators certainly pushed the Christmas aspect to eleven: it's everywhere. They know there is a sub-genre of crime, spy and action thrillers set during Yuletide and viewers eager to watch it. And I'm not complaining.

La crèche (et un pianiste)

 Ma mère m'a envoyé des photos de la crèche familiale. Remarquez un anachronisme: un enfant de choeur pianiste. Acheté lors de notre premier voyage en Angleterre à la Cathédrale Saint Paul. Drôle d'endroit (et d'époque!) pour mettre un pianiste.

Radio Times ('tis the season to be watching)

 'Tis the season to be watching, fa, la, la, lala. Yesterday, I went to the show and saw the Christmas' Radio Times! I bought it immediately. I don't watch all that much television during the holidays, but I do like to take some time to watch some seasonal programming, I want to know what's on, and besides I enjoy Radio Times for its many articles and interviews. It's just a way for me to embrace British culture this time of year. We don't have snow during Christmastime, or very rarely, but at least we have quality television.

La Binerie fête Noël

Photo prise de la page Facebook de la Binerie Mont-Royal.Ils font un repas de Noël qui me semble fort honnête, en tout cas copieux: dinde, pointe de pâté à la viande (jamais mangé, ils appellent ça de la tourtière, la honte), ragoût de boulettes et pas mal plus de légumes que l'on nous sert lors du réveillon chez mes parents. Mais nos pâtés et notre dinde, enfin celle de chez mes parents, ils ont l'air meilleurs que ce que fait la Binerie. Quand même, j'essaierais bien une fois.

The Christmas Steam Train

 We received this Christmas card from one of my wife's cousins. I feel almost bad that this card is so me and so Wolfie. My wife's cousin is the daughter of an engineer who loves trains just as much as Wolfie and I do. So yeah, this card got straight to my heart and it is already my favourite Christmas card this year, maybe ever.

Les bûches de Première Moisson

Photo prise sur la page Facebook de Première Moisson. Ils font aussi des bûches de Noël. Je suis vraiment trop loin parfois.

Kallikantzaros (Christmas Monster)

I learn something new every day. Concretely, Monstrum has released a video about Kallikantzaros, a monster from Greece, associated with Christmas. Because Christmas can be spooky. And what a cool critter it is. Anyway, Kallikantzaros may be a mouthful(it took me a few tries to spell it and pronounce it), but this is our word of the day.

Tourtière VS Pâté

 J'ai vu ce meme il y a quelques jours et ça m'a bien fait rire. Vous savez à quelle adresse je loge sur cette question, alors je n'en dirai pas plus.

The Arctic Railway Assassin

 'Tis the season to be reading... And I got a freebie at the last Christmas fayre we went to. It was organised by Wolfie's school and I should not say it was something I got. Technically, it is Wolfie's. Anyway, they were selling second hand books and, as we helped tidy up and pack things up, we received a few of them asfree as a thank you present. Among them there was The Artic Railway Assassin. It is book 6 of a series called Adventures on a Train. But yeah, an adventure on a train, during Christmastime (I checked) I had to have it. Errmm, I mean Wolfie had to. We haven't started it yet, as he is finishing reading a book with his mum, but I think it is going to be next on our reading list for this Christmas. If not this one, then next Christmas.

Des bonhommes de neige en ski

 Quand vient Noël, je suis toujours à la recherche de décorations pour le sapin. Des décorations originales et de préférence artisanales. Alors donc, il y avait un marché de Noël il y a une semaine dans notre petite ville et un artisan vendait des ornements en bois, notamment des gnomes (Pères Noël?) en ski et des bonhommes de neige. J'ai acheté un des bonhommes, parce que c'étaient les plus mignons. J'aurais pu en acheter plus, chacun était unique. J'espère revoir cet artisan aux prochaines Fêtes.

Our Christmas Wreath

 It is turning inti a new Christmas tradition in this family: like last year, my wife made a Christmas wreath at a craft workshop. She says she finds it rather average looking, at best, but Wolfie and I are proud of her. My father always put a (huge) wreath on display outside the family home. I thought it would be fitting to have our own. It brings the Christmas spirit outside the house. And it smells nice too, as it's real greenery.

Les stocks de pâtés à la viande

 Mes parents ont cuisiné les stocks de pâtés la la viande pour les Fêtes. Quand vient Noël, c'est pas mal la principale part de notre alimentation dans la famille et ce, depuis l'enfance. Petit loup a adopté cette tradition gastronomique avec enthousiasme lors de son séjour chez ses grand-parents.

Christmas Anthologies

'Tis the season to be reading and I know I have not been giving any reading suggestions for Christmas as of yet. It's because I am only reading at a snail's pace and have been reading too many books simultaneously. One of them is Fill My Stocking, by Alan Titchmarsh. Who was in the news recently, but I digress. I struck me that, like for most seasonal reads I have now, my Christmas reads are mostly anthologies. They're not really demanding, this one isn't anyway, but they put you right in the Christmas spirit. The cover is quite cute too.

La bûche Lulu

J'ai piqué cette photo sur la page Facebook de la Chocolaterie Lulu. Je sais qu'ils font des bûches de Noël depuis au moins 2015, mais je n'ai pas encore eu la chance d'y goûter. Même lors de nos deux séjours durant les Fêtes depuis que l'on a petit loup, en 2017 et 2019, je n'ai pas pensé à saisir l'opportunité. Et je m'en mords les doigts. La bûche, c'est pour moi LE dessert de Noël.

Early Christmas Roast

Last weekend, we had a family gathering on my wife's side. So her parents, her brother and sister, their respective partners and our nephew and niece were all there. We had lunch in a pub and it counted as a Christmastime gathering, so we had a Christmas menu. As my eife is vegetarian, I took this opportunity to have a traditional English Christmas meal. Not exactly like the ones of my childhood, but close enough: turkey, gravy, pigs in blankets and roasted potatoes.And some vegs, including Brussellssprouts, which for some reason is considered a treat in this country. All the same, I enjoyed it. First Christmas meal of the season.

Le Parc l'hiver

 Ma cousine Amy l'artiste photographe m'a envoyé cette photo du Parc des Laurentides. Je la partage, parce que c'est beau et hivernal. Noël a vraiment l'air de Noël par chez nous.

Christmas at the National Railway Museum

 'Tis the season to be... errr... railwaying? Anyway, I love trains every time of year, but I associate them with Christmas a lot, because this. My Christmas is never whole without trains playing a role in it. So I was happy to see on the Facebook page  of the National Railway Museum in York that they have a whole range of Christmas themed things in their shop that would make very good presents to yours truly. This jumper, for instance. So yeah, it is on my list.

Les rennes du Père Noël

 Nous sommes allés à un marché de Noël il y a quelques jours. Nous avons eu du plaisir, malgré la pluie et le vent. Il y avait bien des attractions, dont, bien entendu, des rennes. Enfin, je dis des rennes, je veux bien entendu dire les vrais de vrais rennes du Père Noël. Ils sont peut-être encore jeunes pour tirer le traîneau, mais ils sont bien quand même. J'imagine qu'il y a un apprentissage pour ce genre de travail: ils doivent non seulement tirer un engin lourd, mais en plus, ils doivent s'envoler avec. J'ai pris quelques photos, loin d'être parfaites, mais celle-ci n'est pas mal, quoiqu'un peu floue.

Christmas Books Guide

 Among all the things I have yet to do before Christmas comes, is pick up this freebie. I try to get my hands on it every time I see it, just to see what books I could add to my to be read list. We went to the local bookshop yesterday, Sadly I didn't see it. Maybe they were all gone, maybe I didn't look hard enough. Be that as it may, I hope to find one before long.

La Saint-Nicolas (et Saint Nicolas)

C'est la Saint-Nicolas aujourd'hui. Au lieu de partager, comme je le fais d'habitude, la célèbre chanson basée sur l'une des légendes associées au saint, je partage une vidéo sortie récemment sur YouTube, qui nous explique son histoire et son association au Père Noël. J'ai bien aimé.

Mozart: Requiem Aeternam

Today, I take a short break from my seasonal Christmas post to commemorate am anniversary: the death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. As per a musical tradition among Mozart's lovers around the world, I will listen to his Requiem. I am also sharing it on this blog. It's been 233 years and I'm still grieving.

Bûche de Noël

 Ma mère a fait sa première (sa seule?) bûche de Noël et m'a envoyé une photo. Pour moi, c'est LE dessert de Noël. Elle est différente chaque année, avec des variations. Cette année, ce sont les sapins de Noël dessus. Trois pour ses trois petits-enfants?

Christmas with Brio

 We put up the Christmas tree this weekend. Yesterday, Wolfie decided that he needed to build the Christmas village at its foot, which means adding Brio's tracks, trains and other Xmas accessories from the previous Advent calendars we bought our son in the past years. Sadly, he didn't want any this year, he just wanted one with chocolates in it. Then I saw that they made a limited edition this year, which looks gorgeous, and full of new accessories. I could have cried. My son does not know what he's missing sometimes. Because yes, I am totally not self-interested and absolutely not thinking about having it for myself.

La neige

 Photo envoyée par mon père de la neige au Saguenay. J'espère qu'ils auront un Noël blanc.

First Mulled Wine

One of the things I did to put myself in the Christmas spirit this weekend was have my very first mulled wine of the season. Because 'tis the season to be drinking. Nothing too fancy, it looked pretty bare in fact, no orange, no elegant cup or mug. But it tasted good. There was a local Christmas fayre and a stand that was selling it, I had to have one, which I shared with my wife. Mulled wine is one of the few alcohols she genuinely loves. So yeah, it warmed us up while Wolfie was queing to see Santa.

Observations sur les calendriers de l'Avent

J'ai vu ce calendrier de l'Avent à M&S, mais je ne l'ai pas acheté, hélas. Ma femme en avait déjà acheté d'autres, un pour chaque membre de la famille. Avec des chocolats, bien entendu. Cela dit, j'aimerais parfois en avoir avec d'autres choses. Comme, mettons, un polar, comme l'an dernier. Je discutais de cela avec mon frère PJ hier: nous nous rappelions comment nous avons commencé à avoir des calendriers de l'Avent. C'était dans les années 80, quand ils recommençaient à être populaires. À l'école, nous en avions des religieux, mais nos parents en avaient acheté qui avaient des bébelles en plastique cheap à chaque jour. Et un chocolat à un moment donné, qui était lui aussi dégueulasse. Ces calendriers ont fait place à ceux plus connus maintenant. Mais ce que j'aime dans celui-ci, c'est la couverture festive et élégante. Et puis, c'est cute un ours à Noël. J'espère que je reverrai Spencer l'Avent prochain.

Choose Bookshops This Christmas

Today is the first day of December, so it's officially Advent, Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat and 'tis the season to be reading. So I would like to ask you all to purchase the books you will buy as presents for your loved ones or yourself in bookshops, preferably local ones. I took this image from ted by Books Are My Bag, which promotes this every year here. I think they hit the mark with that one, big time. I should myself make a few seasonal reading suggestions in the following days and weeks.

La Marche des Rois

De bon matin j'ai rencontré le train
De trois grands Rois qui allaient en voyage,
De bon matin j'ai rencontré le train
De trois grands Rois dessus le grand chemin.

Nous sommes le premier jour de l'Avent, c'est une tradition sur ce blogue de mettre sur ce blogue une version La marche des rois. Sans doute mon cantique préféré.

Aquila on Vikings

There's something aout being a parent I did not expect: it means that Wolfie receives more and better mail than me. So yeah, the postman came a few days ago and lo and behold, there was one big envelope in the mail: December's issue of Aquila, the magazine of "big ideas for inquisitive kids". This month's topic is... Vikings. In case you hadn't noticed looking at the gorgeous cover. Also, incidentally, or maybe it's fate, Wolfie's new obsession, because it's their topic at school. I associate Norse mythology with Christmas, because, well, this is pretty much where all its imagery and tropes come from anyway. So this issue is all the more fitting. Wolfie is already reading it eagerly.

La neige au Saguenay

Mon père m'a envoyé des photos de la neige qui est tombée au Saguenay. C'est vraiment l'hiver...

The Marlow Christmas/Winter Bookmark

As you may know, I sort of collect bookmarks. I collect books too, of course. But anyway, I love buying or finding bookmarks (as they are often free) for different occasions and use them for different occasions too. So last time we went to Marlow, a picturesque little town, I found this seasonal bookmark, which I bought immediately. It's rare to see a single English town that looks that snowy during Christmastime, but if there was snow over Marlow, it would very likely look like this. It just puts you in the mood for the season. I haven't decided yet of the first book I will use it on (your suggestions are welcome). But all the same, I have a cool new bookmark for Christmas.

Les stocks de beignes

Petite annonce: mes parents ont fait des beignes pour les Fêtes. Je ne sais pas combien de recettes, mais ça devrait faire des heureux dans ma famille. Les beignes, c'est le dessert de Noël chez nous.

News about The Flying Bean Café

 You might remember (or not) that, in June this year, I was wondering and worrying about the Flying Bean Café. I used to love the van that was visiting the business estate where I worked, back when I had a job I hated and an office I hated even more. Visiting the van allowed me to forget about my worries for a moment and indulge myself. Well, I was happy to find out that they are still in business, as I saw one of their vans again during the school run. Better, I learned on the news that new coffee shops are opening in the High Wycombe and Aylesbury train stations. So the company is not only doing well: it is thriving. And I am glad. Especially about the train stations: everything gets better if you add trains to it. I visited one of their station cafés before. I hope to do it again in one of my future train journeys. Who knows.

Parlons de la cuvée 2024 de Ciné-cadeau

 Bon, alors, petit billet sur l'horaire de Ciné-cadeau. Je n'ai pas eu l'occasion de l'analyser beaucoup.Sinon pour une chose: il y a de moins en moins de trucs très modernes et très mainstream, comme des films de Disney. Et c'est tant mieux. Autre chose: quelqu'un a vu des courts métrages animés, comme il y en avait dans le temps? Ce serait bien qu'ils en remettent un jour, ou qu'ils intègrent les courts métrages pour enfants que je vois dans la programmation des Fêtes à Radio-Québec au coeur de Ciné-cadeau même. Une idée comme ça. Et je vais faire deux prédictions: Astro et Capitaine Bobettes pourraient bien devenir des nouveaux classiques.

Dark and Stormy Times

 You know the phrase "It was a dark and stormy night". It is a phrase often mocked as silly, that said this is what we have been having recently. These last weekend, day and night, to be precise. Rain, sometimes heavy rain, and very windy wind. They even gave us some weather warnings. And I must say, as long as we experienced it from the comfort of our home, I found it extremely enjoyable. My wife does not like it one bit, but I find it relaxing. Anyway, we had typical November weather and I am not complaining.

Complainte Pour Sainte Catherine

Bon, c'est la Sainte-Catherine aujourd'hui, alors, tradition sur ce blogue... Célébrons une Sainte Catherine qui n'est pas la sainte elle-même, ainsi qu'une certaine idée de Montréal.

A #Noirvember Game?

As the month is ending, I wanted to ask my readers one thing: how's your #Noirvember so far? For those who celebrate it of course. Mine has been slow, as I have been reading crime fiction at a snail's pace. However, I discovered a different way to do Noirvember: through make belief games. Wolfie loves his "Secret War" game, where we play a tea of secret police and/or spies and/or soldiers, battling baddies and doing covert operations. He has a whole arsenal here. And, like last year, it struck me that this is afitting game for November and Noirvember.

À propos de Ciné-cadeau 2024

 Ainsi donc, l'horaire de Ciné-cadeau est maintenant disponible. Je ne le verrai pas, mais je me ferai une filmographie ici à la maison, à voir avec petit loup. Il y aura sans doute plus de vieux trucs obscurs. Mais sinon, Souvenirs de Ciné-cadeau est maintenant sur Facebook. Je crois que le gars qui tenait ça a déménagé le blogue en permanence sur Facebook pour joindre plus de monde. Pas mal plus de monde. Dans l'un de ces posts récents, il dit ceci: 

"Dans la programmation de Ciné-Cadeau, on découvre que beaucoup de films ont été retirés cette année en ramenant des anciens films que les gens voulait réellement voir, moins de Disney, plus de classique."

 

J'ai fait un peu la même observatione et j'en suis très heureux. Et vous? Ce n'est pas encore parfait, mais c'est un pas dans la bonne direction cette année.

Mince Pies (an anniversary)

 Who likes mince pies? I don't like them particularly, yet I always have some this time of year, and on this very date. You may know why, but for the people who are new to this blog, let me tell you the story again. So this evening 22 years ago, after spending ages on my PhD thesis, I went to the kitchen on my hall of residence to eat a mince pie, because I was feeling peckish. Why did I buy mince pie? I can't remember, because it's not my kind of dessert. Maybe I was curious, because they're everywhere in England this time of year. Anyway, as I was indulging my Québecois sweet tooth, in walked Veggie Carrie. In the kitchen and in my life. So since then, I have a mince pie to celebrate.

Le passage secret

J'ai pris il y a quelques jours cette photo de l'allée qui mène de notre jardin à la rue. Comme je l'ai dit déjà mentionné par le passé, j'ai surnommé l'allée notre "passage secret". Enfant, j'aurais adoré en avoir un comme ça. Nous avions certains passages entre la clôture de la piscine et les cèdres, ou entre les cèdres et la remise, qui étaient utilisés comme des passages secrets chez nous. Enfin bref, le passage secret fait encore très automnal.

First Snow (don't laugh)

Well, I was hoping for it, but I was skeptical. However, to my surprise, it did arrived, and sooner than expected: we had our first snow on Monday morning. Barely any, as it melted when it touched the ground, but it did fall. I took this picture the way back from the school run. You cansee some. Don't laugh, I know it is barely any. Still, we are still in November, we are still in autumn. An autumn that is looking more and more like winter, at least when it comes to this country: it is cold in the morning, it went below zero in the last few days. So yes, I am quite happy at the way things are shaping.

Verre de Noël

 Bon, on dirait bien que Noël s'en vient, même dans cette maison. Je trouve ça encore tôt un peu mais bon, ma femme a acheté ce verre de Noël. Avec des Pères Noëls, ou en tout cas des gnomes de Noël (des petits lutins?), du gui et des arbres de Noël. Ma femme s'en sert maintenant à chaque fois qu'elle veut boire un verre d'eau. Je crois que nos décorations des Fêtes vont sortir avant peu de temps.

Gingerbread Jewellery

 It is sitll far too early for Christmas, but I hope you won't mind me publishing of Yuletide today. Anyway, we went to the little town of Marlow recently and its main street was already full of Christmas decorations. Some businesses were rather impressive. This was the case of a jewellery shop. I could not resist and I had to take a picture. I am not a big fan of gingerbread as food, I mean I can eat it, but it is not my go-to sweet. But I love the atesthetic of gingerbread men, gingerbread houses and the likes. It's old-fashioned and not tacky. Anyway, here it is, I hope you enjoy.

La cuvée Ciné-cadeau 2024

 Je bloguais samedi dernier sur Ciné-cadeau, m'inquiétant un peu de l'absence de nouvelles. L'an dernier, l'horaire était connu dès le le milieu de novembre. Un lecteur, TeddyBeer, que je salue, m'a rassuré dans les commentaires, donnant une réponse à un courriel envoyé à Télé-Québec. Et le hasard fait bien les choses, la programmation de Ciné-cadeau a été dévoilée pas plus tard qu'hier. Ce que j'appelle la cuvée Ciné-cadeau. Je bloguerai plus avant sur le sujet, mais je trouve que c'est une bonne cuvée cette année, somme toute. Beaucoup de classiques, bien entendu, mais aussi quelques nouveautés susceptibles de plaire à petit loup. Oui, les films plus obscurs et marginaux me manquent, ceux qui venaient d'Europe de l'Est par exemple, mais malheureusement je crois que cette époque est révolue.

Getting Cold

As November goes on, temperatures here are slowly turning from autumnal into wintery. Slowly, but surely: there should be a serious drop this week and we should get to the freezing point. But no snow has been forecast, sadly. My wife is not too keen about the cold weather, but I love it. Time to wear layers and layers of warm clothes. I find winter to be comfortable and comforting. Sometimes, I step outside for a few minutes just to feel the cold air. So yeah, I am looking forward to properly cold days and I am tempted to almost hope for snow. Almost...

Plus de détails sur le Cinéma de 17 heures

J'ai écrit en mars 2019 un billet sur Le Cinéma de 17 heures de Radio-Canada. Je m'en rappelle beaucoup et peu à la fois, puisque ça passait alors que j'étas très jeune. Mais j'adorais. Enfin bref, quelqu'un a commenté sur le sujet la semaine dernière, de manière anonyme. Voici son commentaire: "Moi je m en rapelle très bien, avec Jean Ducharme et les 2 roues, une rouge et une bleue, mais je ne sais plus à quoi elles servaient 😅 il y avait les dents de la mer, à la recherche de la perle noire (film de pirate je crois? ) et des westerns". J'espère qu'il va commenter à nouveau et donner plus de détails. Anonyme, si vous me lisez, laissez-le moi savoir. Et en passant, les deux roues servaient à gagner des montants d'argent, si je me rappelle 100 dollars était le gros lot.

Secrets of Salamonis

Oh the treasures you can find in bookshops! During our last visit to the local bookshop, I stumbled upon Secrets of Salamonis, a Fighting Fantasy Gamebook. As far as I understand, the latest Fightning Fantasy Gamebook, published to celebrate their 40th anniversary. Which doesn't make anyone any younger. Be that as it may, I had to buy it, if only because I love gamebooks since I was a child. And because I need inspiration for our current D&Dr campaign. I haven't started it, but will do it soon.

Pain choco-canneberges

Nouvelle gastronomique d'importance trouvée sur la page Facebook de Première Moisson: le pain choco-canneberges est de retour. Autrement dit, ils font du crack. Dans les semaines avant Noël, c'est pas mal un de mes desserts préférés.

D&Dr for November

November means a lot of things to me: autumn turning into winter, Noirvember (thus crime fiction), but it also means medieval fantasy. And also playing Dungeons & Dragons. Back when Iwas a teenager, November might have been our busiest month, because none of our friends were on holiday and we had little family obligations during weekends, not to mention that the weather was often auspicious to it. So we spent most of our afternoons and some of our evenings playing D&Dr. This is a pleasure that I am rediscovering, as Wolfie has started playing too this year. So for the first time in decades, I am playing D&Dr in November.

Qu'en est-il de Ciné-cadeau 2024?

 J'ai fait un peu de recherche et je ne trouve nulle part, pour le moment, la cuvée Ciné-cadeau de 2024. En tout cas, pas au moment où j'écris ces lignes. C'est peut-être un peu tôt pour s'en inquiéter ou s'y intéresser, après tout je ne suis pas très porté sur Noël au milieu de novembre. Mais l'an dernier, la filmographie était sortie dès le 15 novembre. Alors donc, que se passe-t-il avec Ciné-cadeau?

Rooikat (word of the day)

The things you learn when you read crime fiction, particularly crime fiction from a different continent. So as you may know, I am currently reading South African  Deon Meyer's last novel, Leo. So I learned the existence of a wild cat called caracal or, in Afrikaans, rooikat. Which sounds darn cool. It's also the name they give to a South African tank. Now I love all cats, including wild cats, and I just love the name rooikat. I don't remember hearing about them before reading the novel, maybe I did, but did not notice, but anyway, I feel more cultured now. And rooikat (or caracal) is the word of the day.

Neiges de novembre (2)

 Autre photo de la neige tombée chez mes parents. Quand novembre annonce l'hiver.