I learned something recently: our local library hosts a group of Italian speakers every Tuesday afternoon. Sadly, this is the wrong day and the wrong time, as I am at work then. Which is a darn shame: I have been wanting to improve my Italian for years and this could be the right opportunity for it. I say improve, but mine is extremely limited, even though I have allegedly a great pronunciation (and a native accent, at least sometimes). Anyway, maybe I would be out of place there because I have little vocabulary and know barely anything of its grammar, but all the same, it would be a start. Not full immersion, but a start.
Blogue d'un québécois expatrié en Angleterre. Comme toute forme d'autobiographie est constituée d'une large part de fiction, j'ai décidé de nommer le blogue Vraie Fiction.
Friday 20 September 2024
Speaking Italian in the library
Bach Illustrations et l'Halloween
Thursday 19 September 2024
Mozart: Rise of a Genius
An annoucement for people, like me, who love Mozart: there is a documentary series on BBC 2, aptly titles Mozart: Rise of a Genius. It's in three parts and, while you might not learn anything new about his life, you will most definitely find some interesting analysis that will give you new perspectives on his work. Various people talk, musicians, actors, all Mozart lovers, among them South African soprano Golda Schultz. And Schultz just gets Mozart. These commentators are both instructive and moving. I don't know if it is accessible outside the UK, but do check it out if you can.
Concerto pour bûcherons
Vous savez sans doute que nous vivons près d'une forêt, enfin d'un grand boisé, de l'autre bord de la route. Entre ladite route et notre rue, il y a aussi un bosquet qui longe notre rue. Il y a aussi des arbres derrière chez nous, pas loin du stationnement d'un édifice à bureaux. Or, depuis quelques jours, à mon grand désarroi, on entend le bruit des scies toute la matinée, parfois en après-midi aussi. Les arbres, en tout cas leurs branches, se font couper. C'est assez détestable, même si je concède que ce soit peut-être nécessaire. J'espère que ça ne durera pas trop longtemps et qu'ils ne déboiseront pas trop.
Wednesday 18 September 2024
"Sweater Morning Weather"
Les Catacombes: un passage secret?
Tuesday 17 September 2024
100 Autumn Leaves
Last week, Wolfie received a special math homework: bring to school something to represent a hundred. I suggested to bring this book, or to print a Snakes and Ladders board. But no, Wolfie had another idea already: to pick up... a hundred autumn leaves. And he was adamant this was the project he wanted to do. So last Sunday afternoon, right after lunch, Wolfie and I picked up a bag and we went on a walk through the neighbourhood to pick up the leaves that had fallen on the ground. On our street at first, but since we are still early autumn, there weren't many good ones (I mean good looking ones, because of course you need pretty leaves), we went to the streets nearby. It didn't take us that long to fill the bag with leaves. And a nice variety of them. I had brought the Woodland Trust's swatch book so we could identify the trees, for further educational purpose. I wasn't very good at it, but it was fun. In the end, it was an excuse to be outside and to have an autumnal walk. And Wolfie is now the proud owner of a hundred autumn leaves.
Frites (2)
Monday 16 September 2024
"Monday the whatever"
Club Asimov/Catacombes
Sunday 15 September 2024
Tank Trivia
Les cadeaux de petit loup
Saturday 14 September 2024
Officious Autumn Fayre
Today, if everything goes well, we will go to the local carnival. It's officially called a carnival, but it truly is a fayre and, as it is set in the middle of September, generally in or around the equinox, I consider it an autumn fayre (well of course). It is in a park and, when the weather is right, like it should be today, it feels so perfectly autumnal. We have been going there every September since we started living here. I think the only exceptions were when we were invited at the birthday of one of Wolfie's friends. Thankflly, not this year. Today, we will go with some friends, as we often do. I love going there, it is one of my favourite activities in September, a special event that marks the arrival of my favourite season.
Frites
Friday 13 September 2024
Happy Friday the 13th!
Poulet chasseur
Le Chef Michel Dumas a récemment fait une vidéo sur le poulet chasseur. Je ne suis pas un grand fan du mélange poulet et champignons, mais j'ai toujours aimé le poulet chasseur (même si je n'en ai mangé que très souvent) Je ne sais pas pourquoi, je trouve ça automnal. Peut-être parce que la chasse est surtout une activité de l'automne, peut-être parce que c'est un repas consistant qui se prend bien à l'automne. Mais dans tous les cas, voici la vidéo.
Friday the 13th
Today, we are Friday the 13th of September 2024. The first of the year. And so...? So nothing. I'm not superstitious. But I do have some interest in superstitions and I like to mention it on the blog. 13th or not, I always liked Fridays, so I should enjoy this one. When I was a child, I had a feeling of dread every Friday the 13th, but a pleasant one, it gave me a certain frisson of undefined fear. I daydreamed about being scared of something. One of my acquaintances, a friend of a friend, used to imagine imminent zombie Apocalypses or kaiju attacks every Friday the 13th. I'm not sure why, but we just chit chatted inventing all sorts of horrors on that day and we really enjoyed it. Sadly, nothing ever happened. Nothing exciting like what we imagined anyway. So yeah, that was back then anyway. Any memories of Friday the 13th?
Gâteau en 8
Thursday 12 September 2024
Wolfie's New Grey Hoodie
Les "Catacombes"
Wednesday 11 September 2024
Fragments of 9/11
Today is the anniversary of 9/11. I always commemorate it on the blog.I once used to blog about deeper stuff, when I started blogging in fact, and I gave this date a lot of thoughts back in the days, As you can read in this post from 2008 and that post from 2009. In the latter, I said that I remembered the most trivial thing about it. What I ate that evening for instance: shepherd's pie, or pâté chinois as we call it, with beetroots on the side, and a chocolate cake for dessert, which my mum made as a goodbye treat because I was going back to England a week or two later. I remember reading the morning newspapers and just stopping, because it felt absurd to read old news. I went to the bar that night, but did not get drunk. I discussed this with my wife a few days ago: she was then living at her parents' house, she had walked the family dog and in the park where she walked, she saw people doing tai chi, which she thought was a strange activity to do in a park. Then she walked home and she learned the news. That night, she thought that if the terrorist attack had not happened, she would have thought the 11th of September 2001 to be a day like just any other. Now she remembers these people doing tai chi. And I find it strange and a little bit eerie that for so many people this date in history has been crystallised like this, with every single trivial detail of their day forever in their memory.
Pizzédélic
Tuesday 10 September 2024
Wolfie in Autumn
Well, I am not the only one in the family to consider the beginning of September with the beginning of autumn. We went downtown last Saturday, my wife, our son and me. And Wolfie said: "It's a beautiful autumn walk." Which could be considered a new Wolfism. Anyway, he kept stressing how autumnal the day was, even though it was fairly mild: he picked up leaves on the ground, for us to keep as a souvenir. My wife said that my son is turning more and more like me: same tastes, same likes and dislikes. It surprises her a little more every day. But anyway, I'm glad he embraced the season so much: too many children just see autumn, or at least its beginning, as the end of the holidays. Wolfie can see that it is also a beautiful time.
Huître
Monday 9 September 2024
The Guillotine in the Classroom
Le Stade olympique
Sunday 8 September 2024
Little Scarecrows
Guédille au homard
Saturday 7 September 2024
Bookshop Day (Upcoming)
Question existentielle (391)
Nous sommes le premier samedi de septembre, autant dire le premier vrai samedi de l'année, enfin pour un enfant, puisque l'on compte le temps à partir de l'année scolaire. J'ai souvent blogué sur le premier samedi de septembre. Je bloguerai sans encore sur le sujet, mais je veux d'abord poser une question existentielle:
-Quels sont vos souvenirs d'enfance des premiers samedis de septembre?
Things to do this September
Well, September is already a week in, but it is still early enough to mention do some planning and find inspiration for activities, in family or with friends. Just like every year (and, indeed, every month), the English Heritage published a post titled Top 5 Things To Do in September. I just wanted to mention a few things about it. Firstly, going on historical sites during autumn is always a great idea. Also, the post mentions uncovering sites with literary links including... Dracula. Because yes, it is not too early to get into a spooky mood. I am not the only one who thinks that September is Halloween Eve. And I really love it, especially since the trees are already getting colours. So anyway, what are you going to do this September?
Gelée de pommettes
Friday 6 September 2024
Pumpkins in Montreal
Les Cahiers Canada
Thursday 5 September 2024
Well this cheered me up...
I know nothing is certain, I tend to be pessimistic about human nature and decency or lack of, because I don't dare to have broken hopes, but this video got me in a good mood for the evening...
Jardin chinois
Autumnal Chronicle
First, I want to make a statement before getting on this post's topic: yes, yes, we are in autumn. Because it starts on the first of September, all right? Meterologically, it does. It might not always feel like it, it might not be a perfect autumn, but we are already in autumn. Now I am glad I have cleared things out. And yes, this is another post about my favourite season. This blog will often be an autumnal chronicle. And so far, I am not too unhappy of how things are turning out. Maximum tmperatures are in their lower 20s. Not ideal, but exactly a year ago we had a heatwave. Now, it is just cool enough for me to wear a jacket morning and evening. I have not been able to wear a thick jumper, but it should come. The leaves have started to change colours, I mean more than I had expected. And there is of course the light. Evening comes down earlier and earlier. And the lights, in the mornign and especially the evenings are definitely autumnal. Anyway, that's my September so far.
Un tremblement de terre au Québec
Petite nouvelle québécoise que je voulais commenter: il y a quelques jours, un tremblement de terre de 4.5 a secoué le Québec dans la nuit. L'épicentre était à Pierreville, mais on l'a ressenti à Montréal. Je dis ça, et je n'en ai pas eu connaissance: je dormais. Mais ça a réveillé ma femme, qui s'est demandé ce qui se passait. Quand même, 4.5, c'est une bonne secousse. Bien entendu, ça m'a rappelé mes propres souvenirs. lesquels étaient plus impressionnants.
Wednesday 4 September 2024
"Back to school" today
Salon du Livre (rappel)
Petit rappel pour vous rappeler que le Salon du Livre du Saguenay Lac-Saint-Jean tiendra sa 60 édition du 26 an 29 septembre. Une des raisons d'aimer septembre quand tu es saguenéen.
Tuesday 3 September 2024
September is Halloween Eve
L'épluchette de petit loup
Monday 2 September 2024
About Mary Shelley and her offspring
Marque-page gratos
Sunday 1 September 2024
September At Last!
Dicton sur septembre
C'est le premier septembre, je veux donc vous partager un dicton que j'ai appris récemment sur le mois. Dicton poétique et évocateur, mais aux origines obscures. Le voici: "Septembre se nomme, le mai de l'automne." Je ne sais pas si je suis entièrement d'accord, mais c'est joli dans tous les cas. Dites-moi ce que vous en pensez. Au moins, on montre le mois sur un jour positif et même charmant.