Bracing Myself

 Well, I guess it could not stay like this forever. Up until this point, summer had been fairly cool, or at least reasonably warm. Nothing to cry home about, everything very bearble. Well, not anymore. Yesterday was hot, today will be hotter, in fact, they are forecasting a heatwave. I checked on the BBC and the region we are in will not be spared. Thankfully, there is no amber warning... for now. We should stay just below 30 degrees. Then if we are lucky, it will go a few degrees down and be tolerable again this weekend. I hope so... Until then I am bracing myself for the next few days and the heat from the pit of hell we will have to live through.

Hymne à Québec

Puisque nous sommes un jour de Saint-Jean, je passe mon temps libre à écouter de la musique québécoise. Avec un peu de Loco Locass et un hymne à notre capitale nationale.

A poutine in London

As you may know, today is Saint John the Baptist's Day, also the Fête nationale of Quebeckers. I am celebrating today, but celebrated a few days ago in London, with a few Quebec expats gathering in a gastro pub. It was organised by the DGQL. An overwhelmed staff was serving various dishes, including and especially poutine. A Québec specialty which has achieved some fame abroad, including here in the UK. I even heard some colleagues sing its praises. I hope I don't have to explain what poutine is. You have a picture of the one I had here in any case. It was a decent one, just filling enough.

C'est notre tour...

Bonne Fête nationale à tous les Québécois et Québécoises, avec une pensée spéciale pour ceux qui comme moi sont expatriés. J'ai d'ailleurs eu le plaisir d'en voir certains à Londres samedi dernier, dans ma première vraie célébration comme expatrié depuis mon arrivée en Angleterre il y a une vingtaine d'années. des détails ici. C'est d'ailleurs là où j'ai pu récupérer ces deux fleurdelisés. Toute célébration de la Saint-Jean commence avec Gens du pays, que je partage encore une fois aujourd'hui.

The Notting Hill Bookmark

 I blogged on Friday about the Notting Hill Bookshop. Made famour because of, well, this. My wife has always been curious about it, so we visited it yesterday. I will tell you about my experience one day in another post. Suffice to say for now that a quaint little English bookshop was spoiled forever by a Hollywood romcom, and so was my shopping experience. Maybe it was because of this, but I surprised myself behaving in there. Well, sort of behaving: I bought four books, but all of them were for Wolfie, none was for me. I did, however, buy a bookmark. Because if you buy books, you need more bookmarks. And because I collect them. It's a good hobby to have, it's fairly cheap and it is useful. I love the green colour on it. They were available in red and blue as well, but I preferred green. So does Wolfie. I guess it is now his bookmark.

Le Québec à Londres

 J'avais blogué sur le sujet il y a quelques jours. Mais il y a longtemps que je voulais le faire. Enfin bref, grâce à la page Facebook de la Délégation générale du Québec à Londres , j'ai célébré la Fête nationale hier. Le 24 est tombé le 22... C'était un peu surréaliste de voir des Québécois en si grand nombre à Londres, de pouvoir parler français et d'entendre l'accent. J'ai piqué quelques jasettes, pas assez à mon goût, mais petit loup a pu avoir une idée du peuple d'où il vient. Il a aussi pu brandir le fleurdelisé, ce qui m'a ému. Morale de l'histoire: on est une belle gang d'expatriés.

Three Assassins in the Bookshop

 I blogged here and there about Japanese crime writer Kotaro Isaka, who wrote the novel that inspired Bullet Train, a wacky film which I enjoyed thoroughly. I enjoyed it enough to want to buy the source novel and, while I wasat it, the first novel of what is a trilogy. So I ordered Three Assassins from... the bookshop. I could have gone through Amazon, but I wanted to support my favourite local business. So... yeah. I received a phone call from the bookshop two days ago, saying the book had arrived. I don't know when I will be able to go there and get my hands on it, but I'm am happily surprised it arrived so quickly, in less than a week.

Olives farcies

Mes parents sont, comme moi et comme petit loup, friands d'olives. En fait, non,  pas autant, mon fils et moi, on exagère quand on mange des olives, ma femme doit nous arrêter. Mais enfin bref, nous tenons de mes parents pour notre goût des olives. Ils ont donc acheté des olives farcies il y a quelques jours. Farcies au fromage feta (mes préférées), au citron et aux oranges. Et, bien entendu, ma mère m'a envoyé des photos pour le blogue.

About the Notting Hill Bookshop

 We were discussing, my wife and I, about future trips to London. We live fairly close to the city and we seldom go there. Anyway,during our conversation, checking at all the places in London we have never been to, she mentioned the Notting Hill Bookshop. Made famous by a certain romcom movie, which I have never seen or cared to see. But she got me at the word bookshop. My wife asked, enthusiastically: "Oh, wouldn't you like to go there? Imagine how much fun you would have." I said: "Are you sure you want to let me roam free in a bookshop?" She said: "Oh you're right, that could be dangerous." So, yeah, I don't know if we are going to visit the famous (legendary?) bookshop any time soon, but my wife's reply deserves to be a new great unknown line.

À propos de la Saint-Jean...

 Bon, je vais faire mon petit laïus à props de notre Fête nationale qui est imminente et que je fête en expatrié depuis une quinzaine d'années. Cette année, je vais faire participer ma famille. Ma femme et surtout mon fils. Je vais vous donner plus de détails dans les jours qui viennent, mais surveillez Vraie Fiction.

Summer Books 2024

Quick post today, just as a quick reminder. One reminder and one quick moment of musing. First, the reminder: it is still Independent Bookshop Week, until tomorrow. Second, as summertime isofficially here, it is time to get some summer books. It may not be my favourite season, but I still enjoy a good summer read. Although my summer reads rarely go beyond July. Sometimes I finish them sooner. But that's just me. In any case, I will get my hand the free guide provided by Books Are My Bag as soon as possible. Anyway, if you have any suggestions for summer reads, please put them in the comments. I might do the same in future posts.

Mafalda: Esprit de famille

J'apprends, grâce à la page Facebook officielle de Mafalda, que l'on a publié un nouveau recueil en France. Enfin, un nouveau recueil, un livre des gags que l'on connaît tous, mais quand même. Le titre du recueil est Mafalda: Esprit de famille et je vous laisse deviner de quoi ça parle.

A Solstice Wolfism

Okay, so we are not the 21st of June, but apparently from what I read today is the summer solstice. The first day of summer, officially, although for me it starts with the month. Moreimportantly, it is the longest day of the year and one I usually dislike. Because yes, a day that never seems to end is kind of the stuff of nightmare for me. But I see the silver lining and the glass one quarter full: it means days are getting shorter, although we will not see it (or feel it) until a long time. Last year, Wolfie gave us his own take on the solstice, which I thought was brilliant. It is worth mentioning it here as a new Wolfism: "I like it because it means school days are getting shorter." That may not be strictly accurate, it is nevertheless quite sweet and the right attitude to have.

Vague de chaleur au Québec

 Oh, il y a parfois des moments comme celui-ci où je suis content d'être expatrié. J'apprends dans la grosse Presse qu'il y a une vague de chaleur au Québec. Une sans précédent en juin. Ici, il fait chaud, mais ce n'est pas encore insoutenable: en fait, le mercure ne monte pas beaucoup au dessus de 20. Et c'est le solstice aujourd'hui, même si on n'est pas encore le 21... J'espère que les températures vont baisser d'ici à ce que juin finisse. Au Québec comme ailleurs.

Spy Thriller in the Bookshop

As this is Independent Bookshop Week, we went to the local bookshop recently. I love to support local businesses, especially local bookshops. I love our local bookshop for another reason: I always find some book I did not know existed, but worth checking. So yes, I found A Spy Alone by Charles Beaumont. I have no idea if it is going to be good or not, but I have been in the mood for a spy thriller. And Beaumont being a former MI6 operative, it should be well documented if nothing else.

Des Santons pour la Saint-Jean?

Je cherchais sur la page Facebook sur les Santons de Charlevoix un Santon de Saint Jean Baptiste. Je n'en ai pas trouvé jusqu'ici. Cela dit, j'ai pensé que ceux-ci feront l'affaire, avec les jigeux et les musiciens.

I saw a Rolls-Royce

 The topic of this post is pretty much what it says on the tin: I saw a Rolls-Royce recently. We were walking back from downtown, crossing the street, and I saw the Rolls-Royce in question, waiting for us the get through the zebra crossing. I have seen plenty of BMWs round here, a few Alpha Romeos, a few Jaguars, and a couple of other luxury cars too, but this was the first Rolls-Royce I spotted in this town since I came here. As a child, growing up on the other side of the Atlantic and being ridiculously anglophile for some reason, I always loved that brand. For me, it was the quintessential, Britishest of all British cars. Rolls-Royce looked and sounded elegant, strong, fancy, gentlemanly. I remember the very first time I saw one in the flesh (metal?), during my first trip to England. It got me so excited. So yes, I recognised it right away. And I sitll got a shiver of excitement seeing one so close.

Porte blessante

 Petite anecdote douloureuse datant d'hier: je sortais les vêtements du sac de linge sale pour faire une brassée de lavage. Le sac de linge sale se situe juste à côté d'une porte, laquelle était ouverte. Un faux mouvement trop proche du loquet et je me suis fait une vilaine égratignure le long du bras gauche, dans le coin du coude. Comme si quelqu'un m'avait faitune estafilade avec un couteau. Ouch. Ayoye, je dirais même. Blessé par une porte. "Tire la chevillette..." Tu parles. Morale de l'histoire: faire la lessive est une corvée dangereuse.

Tea for Father's Day

 I blogged late in May about New English Teas. My wife bought me a metal box of it, just for the image on the tin. But the tea turned out to taste great. And I drank it all within a month. So she bought me this for Father's Day. And two jars of them, as it was a two for one. I am stocked in tea for a while. But I'm not going to complain: this is my fuel. I found the present inspired, not only because I am a tea drinker, but because I am the father of a little Englishman who is very proud of it. For now, Wolfie is too young to drink tea with me, but it should come soon enough.

Un gâteau bleu et blanc pour la St-Jean?

La fin de semaine dernière, nous sommes allés à une fête d'enfants tenue par l'école de petit loup. Il y avait dans un kiosque de dessets ce gâteau aux bleuets. J'ai pris la photo, mais quand j'ai voulu y goûter il était tout parti. Mais ça m'a inspiré: je crois que je vais faire un gâteau bleu et blanc lors de la Saint-Jean-Baptiste. En fait,je l'ai promis à petit loup, qui me le rappelle à chaque jour. Il n'y aura sans doute pas de bleuets frais, mais un glaçage bleu et blanc. Si j'ose, je lui donnerai non seulement les couleurs du Québec, mais je vais essayer d'en faire un fleurdelisé.

Looking for Three Assassins

Don't panic reading the title of this post, I mean figuratively speaking, of course. If you read this post from earlier this month, you know that I recently watched and enjoyed d Bullet Train. Which is based on a novel by Kotaro Isaka. it is actually the second book of a trilogy, starting with Three Assassins (or 3 Assassins, I have seen the title spelled both ways). Okay, so this novel will not feature extensively a train, which is one of the appeals of the film, but all the same, I love crime fiction and I want to read the trilogy in order. I could order it on Amazon, but I think I will buy it at the local bookshop.

Marine marchande

C'est la Saint-Jean bientôt, alors autant mettre de la musique québécoise sur ce blogue d'ici au 24. En voici une des Cowboys Fringants, une découverte récente pour moi.

Krav Maga in a nutshell

 As I blogged back in April, I am reading Fight Write, by Carla Hoch, to help me work on the violent scenes of my crime fiction stories. I am learning a lot of useful stuff, but I digress. At some point, she makes a list and description of martial arts and fighting techniques. This is what she says about Krav Maga: "Basically if you could put all the martial arts and fighting styles in the world into a blender and pour out a bit into a camo print coffee cup with the word peace on it, what you'd be sipping is Krav Maga." I love it. It is Krav Maga in a nutshell. On a side note, I really need to get back into training. I need to get back into shape, being far too sedentary, but alsoI think it is such a useful technique to know and to learn to master.

Fêter le Québec à Londres?

Je pense finalement avoir trouvé où fêter notre Fête nationale. Ce sera le 22 juin, donc le samedi d'avant, mais qu'importe. Car j'apprends sur la page Facebook de la Délégation générale du Québec à Londres qu'ils organisent quelque chose dans un bar/pub. L'évènement est gratuit et semble être à la bonne franquette. Ils font tirer des cadeaux, alors c'est ma façon de convaincre petit loup et ma femme d'y être. Je veux depuis longtemps développer le côté québécois de petit loup, c'est sans doute l'occasion où jamais. Ca fait un bout de temps que je songe à fêter proprement avec d'autres expatriés, je crois que cette année, c'est la bonne. Morale de l'histoire: les réseaux sociaux ont du bon.

Regatta, accursed regatta

There is a regatta in our quiet English tow this weekend, along the River Thames.. Sounds high class and sophisticated, right? Wrong! It's a pandemonium of drunken people, from teenagers to the elderly. Our uiet little town often end up into a pandemonium. I call it Sodom and Regatta. Sometimes things get nasty. Thankfully, there is generally a heavy police presence, which always feel surreal. When we lived near the town centre, we used to spend the whole Saturday in. Sunday is more family friendly, I guess because everybody is hungover. All the same, I still don't like it much.

Domino et Amy

 J'ai déjà blogué sur Amy, la chatte de la voisine et la seule chatte résidant dans notre rue à part Domino. Domino, qui n'aime pas les autres chats d'habitude. Il est vraiment hostile en fait. Mais pour une raison quelconque, pas Amy, avec laquelle il s'entend bien. J'appelle même Amy sa copine ou sa fiancée. Ils passent beaucoup de temps chez la voisine, puisqu'Amy ne sort guère. Je ne les avais pas vus ensemble depuis longtemps. Mais, il y a quelques jours, ils ont joué ensemble dans le jardin. J'ai pu prendre cette photo.

Simplified puttanesca

A few weeks ago, while I was alone at home, I cooked a spaghetti alla puttanesca, the first in a long time. I keep it simple: I don't add anchovies but sardines and I only put olives because I did not have capers. It was still delicious. I showed it to Wolfie via Facetime. As you may know, Wolfie loves olives just as much as I do. So he asked me to cook some for when he got back. So I made another batch of puttanesca, but without the sardines, so my vegetarian wife could eat it. And also because my son is not too keen on sardines. It was not as flavoursome, but he loved it anyway. Veggie Carrie, who is less fond of olives, less so. But all the same, it's a new family classic. Or father and son classic: simplified puttanesca. Although from what I read, this is pretty close to the original Neapolitan version, which is itself very simple.

L'histoire de deux drapeaux

Mon père m'a envoyé cet article à propos des deux drapeaux de la région: celui du Saglac et celui des Jeannois. Je ne savais pas tout. En fait, je vais vous faire un aveu: je ne me souvenais pas qu'il en avait un du Lac-Saint-Jean. Lequel est je dois l'avouer sans doute plus joli, même si forcément je m'identifie plus à celui du Saguenay. Enfin bref, je vous conseille de lire l'article, c'est instructif.

A railway in the garden

Here is a bit of anecdotal news which I have been wanting to comment on. My wife recently found this article about a home in Oxfordshire that has a railway in its garden. It is up for sale. The railway has been built by a railway enthusiast, obviously, in a country that is full of them and thankfully full of engineers (professional or amateurs) too. The tracks were built in 2007. Anyway, you read the article. Sadly, while we are not far from Oxfordshire, we are not nearby either and at more than a million of course we cannot afford it, but doesn't that sound like a dream house? Well, dream garden, more like. That garden is a proper playground. If I had the house, it would encourage me to tend its garden, even though I am lousy at gardening. Anyway, I know it won't happen, but one can dream.

Les fraises de l'Ile

 Mes parents, lorsqu'ils sont retournés au Saguenay, sont passés par Québec. Ils y ont acheté des fraises de l'Ile d'Orléans. Enfin, je crois que ce sont des fraises de l'Ile, je me trompe peut-être. Moi qui n'aime guère l'été, les fraises en sont quand même l'aspect le plus agréable. Enfin, l'aspect le plus agréable du mois de juin. Et je ne veux pas être chauvin, mais je le serai quand même: il n'existe pas de bonnes fraises comme au Québec. Même et surtout en Angleterre, même si les Anglais se targent de produire de bonnes fraises. Voilà c'est dit.

Skull Island

 Oh the many things we enjoy as family (well, as father and son) on Netflix. You might remember that I blogged last year about an animated series freely based on King Kong.Since then, Wolfie has developed a fascination for big apes in general and King Kong in particular. We were happily surprised to find out this year a new animated series called Skull Island, apparently based on Kong: Skull Island, which I haven't seen. As Wolfie and I are always in need of monkey action, especially with giant apes (gorillas?), we watched it and pretty much binged it in a week or so. We enjoyed it a lot. I was hesitant at first, because some of it is surprisingly gory for a kids show, but Wolfie didn't get scared and wanted to see it all. And we did. Sadly, the first season ends on a cliffhanger with lots of loose ends. And there is no second season in sight for now. Apparently the second season has been scripted, but I have no idea what will be the release date, if there is one. Still, we have enough to keep us busy: I have yet to show Wolfie the original movie.

Les truites dans le lac

 Vous savez peut-être que mes oncles, les frères de mon père, ont un lot dans le bois, avec un lac en prime. Un lac où on peut pêcher la truite. J'ai souvent partagé des photos des pêches, souvent abondantes, parfois miraculeuses. Enfin, miraculeuses, non: la population de poissons dans le lac est en fait alimentée par mes oncles. Mon père m'a d'ailleurs envoyé des photos des truites en question.

Camo Green Water Bottle

 As I mentioned last Thursday, I had to go to the local Mountain Warehouse to buy a new water bottle to Wolfie. He had forgotten his "old" army green one at his grandparents' place and the spare one he has isn't great. I decided not to take any chance: there was a 3 for 2 sale, I bought three. Including this cool looking camo coloued one. Like his original one, only more military looking. But Wolfie told me one of his friends has one just like that, so he will have another one. He generously told me I should have it instead. So I am the happy new owner of this camo green water bottle. Good, I needed one. And say what you will, but this bottle has style.

Les desserts d'Ô Petit Paris

C'était la fête de mon frère Andrew il y a quelques jours. Au lieu d'un gâteau, mes parents ont décidé d,acheter des petits gâteaux d'Ô Petit Paris, la pâtisserie française sur le Plateau. Enfin, l'une d'entre elles. Quand j'ai entendu ça, je me suis dit que ça n'avait pas de bon sens: il faut un gâteau pour célébrer une fête. Mais mon père m'a envoyé des photos des pâtisseries en question. Et je dois dire que ça ne me choquerait pas trop d'avoir ça.

Sharing Mozart and chocolates

I received this bag of Mozartkugelns (or maybe Mozartkugels? I never know for sure) for my birthday. A good idea of my wife. So this is my stock of special Mozart chocolates. Which I decided to share with Wolfie. Well, no, to be frank, Wolfie decided that sharing them with him would be a swell idea. However, there is a condition to it: whenever we eat them, we must listen to Mozart's music. He is getting quite cultured. Anyway, I thought I cannot share this picture without sharing a bit of music to go with it. Here is a lesser known aria of Amadeus, Voi avete un cor fedele, sung by Regula Mühlemann. I hope you enjoy.

Microdistilleries

Mon frère Andrew a reçu en cadeau pour sa fête cette boîte de spiritueux de différentes distilleries du Québec. Enfin, de microdistilleries, comme dans "partez à la découverte des microdistilleries du Québec". Je crois que c'est un cadeau de mes parents, peut-être de sa femme. Dans tous les cas, c'est une excellente idée de cadeau et microdistillerie est le mot du jour.

An afternoon at the fayre

Today was the school fayre. My wife was volunteering. I could not go there from the beginning, as I had my writing workshop. Which went well. But Wolfie waited for me to have lunch as he wanted to have some father and son time with me. We love all fayres, don't know why. I enjoyed this one a lot, even though I did not stay as long, coming in late and all.Mainly because it was not scorching hot. In any case, I can't wait for the next one.

Les fraises du Marché Jean-Talon

 Mes parents ont acheté des fraises au Marché Jean-Talon. C'est tout.

Titanic on the bookshelves

During our trip holiday in Belfast, our favourite part was probably the time we spent at Titanic Belfast. Espeically Wolfie, who grew obsessed about the Titanic. Of course, we bought a few souvenirs, including this model of the ship, which I placed on the bookshelves. It just gives it so much style.

Guimauve au chocolat

J'ai trouvé cette photo sur la page Facebook des Pères trappistes. J'ai déjà blogué sur leurs barres de guimauve enrobées de chocolat en 2022. Tout cela pour dire qu'ils ne font pas que du chocolat aux bleuets. Et que leurs guimauves sont maintenant en vente.

Whatever happened to the Flying Bean Café?

 You may remember that I blogged from time to time about the Flying Bean Café. It's the coffee company with coffee shops and more importantly coffee vans. I used to go buy treats from these vans visiting the business estate where I worked when I had a office job I hated. Spending a few minutes there also allowed me to briefly escape my toxic work environment. it was borderline therapeutic. I haven't been to one for years, however I used to spot one of its vans during the morning school run. Well, it struck me recently that I had not seen the van since 2022 or so. Their website is still online, so I assume (I hope I am right) that they are still in business. I promise, if I ever see one parked somewhere, I will make a stop and buy a few things. I really feel like I owe them one.

Nouvelle information sur le Manoir

Je blogue parfois sur Manoir du Saguenay. Parce que c'est un lieu d'une certaine importance dans ma région, mais aussi parce que j'y ai eu d'excellents (quoique vagues) souvenirs. Et petit loup étant obsédé par les manoirs (j'étais pareil à son âge), il veut voir celui-ci un jour. J'ai appris récemment que le Manoir du Saguenay fait un peu partie de l'histoire familiale: c'est là que mes parents ont fêté leurs noces. Apprenant ça, Wolfie a décuplé d'enthousiasme: il veut visiter le Manoir. Si ça continue, il va vouloir y célébrer ses propres noces.

New Water Bottles?

 Remember Wolfie's army green water bottle? I bought it for him last March at the Mountain Warehouse. Well, he forgot it at his grandparents' place during his last stay there a week ago. We found out on Sunday. Thankfully, we have spare bottles, but they are not as practical. So a new visit to the local Mountain Warehouse is in order to buy a new water bottle. It might be army green coloured, it might not. As silly as it sounds, I really love the design of the water bottles at the Mountain Warehouse. And they are always discounted. I think I will also buy an extra one for me: we never have enough. I also love to spend a few minutes at the Mountain Warehouse, they always have something useful for us on sale.

Lire autochtone

Petite annonce pour les gens du Québec et surtout du Saguenay. J'apprends sur la page Facebook du Salon du Livre du Saguenay Lac-Saint-Jean que le mois de juin est le Mois national de l'histoire autochtone. Vous pouvez y participer en vous rendant dans les bibliothèques du Saglac, les détails sur la page facebook du Salon du Livre. J'avoue n'avoir guère lu autochtone moi-même, mais je compte corriger ça un jour.

News about Amadeus

 I blogged before and again about a new adaptation of Amadeus by Peter Shaffer. I keep my ears to the ground for any development and casting updates. Anyway, I read this article a few days ago and thought I would mention it here. New actors have been added to the cast, among them Rory Kinnear. It is the one I know the most, having played Bill Tanner in the latest Bond movies. He will be playing the role of the Emperor, which I think is very fitting. So far I am quite happy about how the project is shaping up.

De quoi me plaignais-je?

Je relisais ce billet datant de juin 2013. Oui, je sais, il m'arrive de me relire, ce blogue étant aussi un peu un journal. Et je trouve que je me plaignais pas mal d'un été frais, misérable et pluvieux. Or, maintenant, je préfère qu'il fasse frais et pluvieux l'été. Le mois de juin 2024 semble être du même acabit que le mois de juin 2013: beaucoup plus frais que ce à quoi on devrait s'attendre. Il est vrai que c'est encore tôt pour se prononcer. Mais quand même: je me lève chaque matin en poussant un soupir de soulagement. Ce qui me fait me questionner: de quoi je me plaignais il y a onze ans? J'ai l'impression de lire les propos d'une autre personne.

Midsummer Ghost Stories

Even when it is summer, lovers of spooky stories and Halloween like myself know that it is still time to prepare yourself mentally to the darker season. To prepare yourself spiritually, so to speak. Anyway, I learned through social media that there is an activity in a month's time, called Midsummer Ghost Stories, held in West Wycombe Village Hall. It is not too far from here. I don't think we can go, because I doubt it is a family activity, but it would be fun. I love public reading of ghost stories. It just enhances the experience. And on a side note, what a lovely, perfectly eerie and atmospheric image.

Mafalda et le tabagisme

Une fois de plus, j'ai (re)trouvé ce gag sur la page Facebook officielle de Mafalda.Elle a été partagée lors de la Journée mondiale sans tabac, que j'ai manqué. je déteste le tabagisme en général et l'odeur de la cigarette en particulier. Et je trouve que Mafalda, de manière très simple, illustre tout ce qui est toxique dans le tabac.

About Liverpool and Ireland

I recently reread Tremor of Intent by Anthony Burgess, my favourite writer. Subtitled An Eschatological Spy Novel, it goes beyond the spy thriller genre or the satire of spy thrillers to become a Cold War philosophical tale about guilt, Catholicism, good and evil, identity, well, a lot of things making our human condition. When I first read it, I hadn't lived in England yet, so this it gave me a new appreciation of the novel. And there is a quite I wanted to share today:

"The best Catholic schools are in the North, since the English Reformation, like blood from the feet when the arteries harden, could not be push so far so easily. And, of course, you have Catholic Liverpool, a kind of debased Dublin."

Now, I lived a year in Liverpool, before I got married. It was a long time ago, almost twenty years. Obviously, I don't know how the city is now. But at its core, when I was there, it sure was exactly that: a Catholic Irish city lost in England. Debased Dublin sounds right, although Liverpool does not look as nice. Then again, I haven't been to Dublin in nearly twenty-five years and I never lived there, so who knows. Anyway, I love that quote.

Mettez vot' parka

Parce que ce sera la Saint-R'ean (je sais, je l'écris comme on le prononce) bientôt, je mets un peu de musique québécoise sur le blogue. J'ai pensé à cette chanson de Gilles Vigneault, que je connaissais peu. Chanté avec les Charbonniers de l'Enfer, que je ne connais que de nom. Dans tous les cas, Mettez vot' parka est mon coup de coeur musical cette année.

Medusa in a Zoom meeting

You may know that I love all things regarding Greek mythology and that Medusais by far my favourite Greek monster. So when I saw this meme, it really made me laugh. I thought I could share it today to brighten up your Monday. Although, I must say, from a pure geeky point of you, I don't think this is accurate at all: Medusa's reflection is harmless, in fact this is how Perseus kills her, using the back of his shield as a mirror to find her and chop her head off. But anyway, what do you think about it? Worth the risk?

La belle étoile...

Retournons un instant sur la Saint-Jean-Baptiste, enfin la Fête nationale qui s'en vient. Le thème cette année est "Retrouvons-nous à la belle étoile". C'est vraiment un bon thème, je trouve: le 24 juin se passe beaucoup le soir, à la belle étoile. Parfois toute la nuit même: je me rappelle avoir veillé jusqu'aux petites heures du matin.

A Boar's Head

 You know how much I enjoyed our last holiday in Belfast. Sometimes it's not the big tourist sights that catch my attention, but the small things. One evenening, we had dinner at the Italian restaurant Fratelli, which goes really heavy, for some reason, on boar's imagery. Better than that: they actually have a true stuffed boar's head near the entrance. I loved it. I don't know why, but I always loved taxidermy and this beast looks deliciously sinister. And alive. Anyway, what do you think?

Viennoiserie aux camerises

Petite nouvelle bouffe trouvée sur la page Facebook de Première Moisson: ils ont une nouveauté, un pain roulé aux camerises et caramel. Je ne connaissais pas les camerises, ça manquait à ma culture. ce sera donc notre mot du jour. J'apprends grâce à eux que la camerise est une baie unique au Québec, riche en antioxidants. Par conséquent, ce dessert doit être bon pour la santé.

Bullet Train (the book)

I recently watched Bullet Train on Netflix. And I loved it. Because it was a wacky action movie set in a train with just enough silliness and heart to be enjoyable. And in spite of the sillier elements, I did not feel like a complete braindead idiot watching it. I mean death and violence in a Japanese train, what's not to like? And I was happily surprised tosee that it was adapted from a novel by Kotaro Isaka. It is the second book of a series actually, so I am thinking, in spite of my TBR list, to buy it and maybe the first book as well. I read crime fiction from all around the world, so it would be nice to add Japan to the list of exotic crime location.

Le mois de la Saint-Jean

 Nous sommes le premier juin. Pour bien du monde, ça veut dire bien des choses. Pour moi, c'est d'abord et avant tout le mois de la Saint-Jean-Baptiste, notre Fête nationale. Attendez-vous donc à ce que mes billets soient un brin patriotiques ce mois-ci. D'autant plus que je suis expatrié, il faut bien exprimer ma québécitude.

Ending May

Today is the very last day of May? The last day of Spring, by any practical means, even though some people think summer starts with the solstice, it really starts tomorrow. How was your May? Mine was fairly okay, because it was never too hot. It felt sometimes almost autumnal, which is of course my idea of heaven. My appreciation of May is dependent of the weather, as you can guess, but there are a lot of things I actually like about the month, as there are a few celebrations and anniversaries I have this month. You probably have seen some of them mentioned on this blog. In any case, this was my May 2024: not too hot, overall pleasant. Tell me in the comment how was yours and what the month represents for you.

Le jeu de l'oie

Y a-t-il un parmi mes lecteurs qui ait déjà joué au jeu de l'oie? C'est un jeu de société très ancien, datant sans doute de l'antiquité. Je me rappelle vaguement qu'un ami en avait une version quand j'étais jeune, dans une boîte pleine de jeux de société classiques. Je ne me rappelle cependant pas y avoir joué. Cela dit, comme j'aime les jeux de société, même ceux qui n'ont pas vraiment de stratégie et dont la victoire tient de la chance, je crois que je devrais m'en procurer une version. J'ai regardé sur Amazon et il y en a plusieurs, dont certaines en bois très esthétiques. C'est ce que j'aime avec les jeux de l'oie que j'ai vus: ce sont pour la plupart de beaux objets. L'ennui, c'est que j'ai déjà beaucoup de jeux de société dont je ne sais plus quoi faire.

Of Teas and Trains

 You may remember last month, when I blogged about my wife buying me for my birthday a tin box of teabags with the the Flying Scotsman on it. She bought it for the train, not the teabags, but it turned out the tea is delicious as well. So I wanted to know what brand of tea it is (lots of alliterations here). My wife found out that it was New English Teas. They also have loads of boxes like this, with other gorgeous images. That said, I don't think you can beat the Flying Scotsman. Drinking tea goes well with every mean of transport, for every journey. But it always tastes better on a train.

"Les piquants"

J'ai pris cette photo en juillet 2021. Elle date un peu, je sais. Je ne sais pas trop où je l'ai prise, sans doute lors de l'une de nos promenades (on marchait beaucoup à l'époque), mais je sais pourquoi: elle a des chardons. Ou, comme nous les appelions lorsque j'étais enfant, des "piquants". Sans dire qu'on les voyait comme des plantes carnivores, les chardons étaient comme nos cactus locaux, en un brin plus effrayants. Tirer des "piquants" sur quelqu'un était vu comme dangereux et cruel, ils collaient sur les vêtements comme des dards empoisonnés. Enfin bref, nous en avions très peur.

House of Hell

No, I don't mean this house, or any house I lived in. I mean the Fighting Fantasy Gamebook aptly titled House of Hell. I said aptly titled not only because it was a horror game story, but because it was notoriously difficult to complete. When I was a child, it was meant to be the gamebook from Hell. In fact, I failed miserably to get through it numerous time, until my brother PJ bought it for me for my birthday. I just Googled the gameplay that got me to victory. And I did not bother with dices (but who ever did with Fighting Fantasy Gamebook?). I believe my copy is somewhere at my parents' place. For all its many flaws, House of Hell was still full of nice little spooky atmsphere and one of the first dip I had into the horror genre. So I was thinking maybe it could be a good gamebook to have during my countdown to Halloween. Just a thought. And you, ever played this one? What did you think of it?

Le gazon qui pousse (observations)

Bon an, mal an, l'été arrive, même s'il ne fait guère très chaud pour le moment. Avant-hier, au moment où j'ai pris cette photo, il faisait même un peu frais, malgré le soleil. Qu'à cela ne tienne, le gazon pousse, d'autant plus que c'est "No Mo May". Sur le terrain commun dans notre voisinage, personne n'a passé la tondeuse depuis des semaines. Je ne m'en plains pas: j'aime le gazon quand il est long, surtout s'il y a des fleurs avec comme ici, ce qui fait joli, et je n'aime pas les concerts de tondeuse. Le seul ennui, c'est le rhume des foins. Pour moi, passe encore, j'en souffre assez peu, mais ma femme y est sujette.

Flackwell Heath and its pubs

 I wanted to blog about a bit of sad news I read recently, that got me thinking. I have rarely been to the village of Flackwell Heath and I never spent much time there, I never ever been to their pubs, but three of them were closing down recently. One lost pub in a small village is bad enough, but three of them closing down, it's like a death warrant to the community. I have been in none of these pubs, but saw The Stag from outside and I always thought it looked lovely. Then again, I just love the name. Well, I read the news on the Bucks Free Press on the 17th of May and since then, things have been looking up. Since then, I learned that the staff managed to save two of the three pubs, including The Stag. The other one is The Green Dragon (another great pub name, by the way). I don't know when we will go to Flackwell Heath, probably not any time soon, but I do hope we will visit these pubs one day. For no better reason than to encourage local businesses. But also because I love village pubs.

Sabler le champagne

 Comme vous le savez déjà, j'ai reçu de mon employeur une bouteille de Veuve Clicquot. Parce que je travaille pour eux depuis trois ans. C'était donc pour fêter mon anniversaire de travail et en reconnaissance de mes loyaux services. J'ai donc pu sabler le champagne en fin de semaine. Je ne sais pas si c'est l'âge ou si c'est parce que j'avais envie de célébrer, mais j'avais oublié à quel point c'est bon du vrai de vrai champagne. Je dirais même que ça se boit comme de l'eau, mais en plus savoureux.

Almost a storm

It was stormy yesterday. Well, it almost was, anyway: for a few minutes it got dark, it rained, it thundered. And it was windy for most of the afternoon. Sadly, it did not last. I love storms, I mean proper thunderstorms, that's one of the few things I love about summertime. Wolfie, on the other hand, isn't too keen on it yet, but I try to make him change his mind. He got quite scared yesterday when he heard thunder. So he cuddled up to me when it started thundering. Which I'm not complaining about. I find thuderstorms so much fun, like a free light and sound show. They are so atmospheric.

Parlons pétanque

Petite anecdote qui n'est pas inintéressante: je viens d'apprendre qu'il y a un club de pétanque local. Bon, rien de très spécial jusqu'ici et non, je ne joue pas à la pétanque, en tout cas je ne suis pas amateur. J'ai joué (très mal) quelquefois, mais sans plus. Le club se réunit dans un pub une ou deux fois par semaine. Je le mentionne ici parce que la pétanque est le "sport" le plus franchouillard qui existe, en tout cas le plus provençal. Donc ça m'étonne qu'il y ait des amateurs ici, assez pour se regrouper dans un club, assez pour avoir des réunions hebdomadaires. Bon, sinon c'est tout ce dont je voulais parler. Des amateurs de pétanque parmi vous? Faites-moi savoir dans les commentaires. Parlons pétanque.

History of Britain's Railway

I don't like WHSmith much, I refuse to call it a bookshop even. I think it is pretty much a glorified stationary shop, with some books on sales here and there. That said, sometimes, just sometimes, you find something worth your attention. So last time we went to one, I saw this History of Britain's Railway. I did not buy it, even though it was "only" £10. I already have a big pile of TBR books. However, I will keep this book in mind for future birthday present lists.

Chevreuil géant préhistorique

Photo prise à l'Ulster Museum lors de nos vacances à Belfast. Un squelette de chevreuil géant, je crois qu'il est préhistorique.

Irish Lager?

I tried quite a few beers during our last holiday in Belfast. Beers I drank time and again in the past, when I was a student here in England (more on that in a future post) and beers I never tried before. Including the Clonmel. I ordered it not knowing anything about it, except that it was Irish. It turned out to be a... lager. I don't drink lager, usually, it is against my most profound beliefs. I was surprised to enjoy it, it is very tasty for a lager, probably because it is Irish. Still, I think it's kind of weird, Ireland now producing lagers.

Marie-Ève Munger dans La Chauve-Souris

Petite annonce pour les amoureux de l'opéra et les gens du Saguenay fiers de nos artistes. Je suis les deux, mais enfin bref. La soprano Marie-Ève Munger va jouer Adèle dans La Chauve-Souris de Johann Strauss à l'Opéra de Lille. J'ai vu l'opérette à plusieurs reprises, toujours avec un plaisir renouvelé. C'est très drôle et les airs sone entraînants. Enfin bref, pour ceux qui veulent encourager une fille d'ici (enfin, de chez moi) et l'une de nos meilleures sopranos, si jamais vous vous trouvez à Lille, bien je vous conseille d'aller la voir. Marie-Ève a parlé sur les réseaux sociaux d'une production "complètement éclatée", alors ça promet.

The Dover Demon and Me

The things one learns thanks to the internet and to social media. I am a member of a few horror pages on Facebook, and I discovered on one of them the Dover Demon. From Dover, Massachusetts, not the English Dover. The Dover Demon is a creature that looks like a Grey Alien who was sighted on the 21st of April 1977. Okay, so far, so nothing special. I'm skeptical about the existence of aliens or weird creatures and I think there is most likely a natural explanation about it. But what I found kind of funny is that the Dover Demon was seen on the exact date when I was born. Well, that's all, really, I just thought it was a funny coincidence. It also has quite a cool name.

Le Manoir du Saguenay

 Je suis tombé un peu par hasard sur un document à propos du Manoir du Saguenay. LE lieu que Wolfie veut visiter lors de notre prochain séjour, parce qu'il est obsédé par les manoirs. Fascination que j'avais à son âge, et c'est d'ailleurs pour cette raison que je trouvais notre "manoir" local à la fois glamour et exotique. J'ai blogué sur le sujet à maintes reprises. J'espère que le public y aura accès à nouveau un jour.

BAERskin?

 Okay, internet algorithms are often scary. Eerily efficient. So anyway, for the last few months, when I watch something on YouTube, I get video adverts for BAERskin. They sell hoodies, apparently, not the type of clothes I really like or look for. But I mean, the design on theirs. I kind of like it, the colours, outdoorsy, badass design. And the label, with the badass bear. It looks very much like something I would like to have. I mean, any clothe with THAT bear label. I won't, at least I don't think I will buy anything from them. But it scares me, knowing that I can be such a sucker, that I can be so receptive to aggressive advertisement.

Des truites

 Mon père a encore une fois pêché des truites. C'est tout.

Locomotion in Shildon

Oh the things you learn thanks to the internet and social media. I stumbled upon this piece of info, which I intend to work on. Anyway, yesterday, I found out that there is a railway museum called Locomotion (fitting name if there is one) in the town of Shildon. I did not know about this town or its museum before yesterday. However, as I love old English towns almost as much as I love trains, I intend to learn more about both. I am not sure how they are easy of access, but I think they could make for a nice visit in our next holidays in the country. Just a thought. Anyway, if there are any railway lovers among you who visited Locomotion, tell me in the comments if it is worth a look. And those who know Shildon itself (either as visitors or even locals), please let me know in the comments. Worth a visit?

Question existentielle (388)

 Une question existentielle inspirée de certaines circonstances (j'ai du champagne à boire):

-Quoi manger avec du champagne, plus particulièrement du Veuve Clicquot?

Je suis philistin, mais j'ai de quoi boire.

Yuenyeung: coffee with tea

 Oh the things you find sometimes just browsing the internet because a trivial question pops into your head. It happened to me recently: I was wondering if there was any people that drank tea with coffee, I mean together, in the same cup. I was wondering if it was a thing or just some abomination that existed in my twisted, imaginative mind. Well, a quick Google search made me discover that it is actually a real thing: it's called yuenyeung, as in ying and yang. Apparently, it originates from Hong Kong, where it is popular. I love tea, but loathe coffee, so for me this sounds like the stuff of nightmare, a Frankenstein's Monster of a drink, a brewing mutation. I'm not sure I would dare to try it, even out of curiosity. Be that as it may, yuenyueng is the word of the day.

Le Kiosque du Quartier

 Bon j'apprends totalementpar hasard qu'il y a une librairie à Arvida et ce, depuis 2023. Comment se fait-il que je ne le savais pas? Elle s'appelle Le Kiosque du Quartier et elle a une page Facebook. Mais sinon, j'en sais très peu sur son sujet. Sauf que ce sera un nouveau commerce à visiter lors de notre retour au Saguenay.

Sweater Weather VS Sweaty Weather

I saw this meme recently on one of the many Halloween and autumnal pages I follow. It showed up numerous times. It was calling me, I guess. We have been having a spell of cold, or at least colder, weather recently. Not enough to wear thick jumpers, but enough to wear long sleeve shirts. Otherwise, the meme says it all, doesn't it?

"Crevettes sauce mangue gingembre"

 Des fois, mon père m'envoie des photos du souper qu'il a cuisiné avec ma mère, rien que pour m'envoyer des photos. Ce qui me rappelle que je suis médiocre chef. Mais enfin bref, mes parents ont cuisiné hier des crevettes sauce mangue et gingembre. Sur un lit de riz. C'est juste ce qu'il faut d'exotique, je dois dire. Ils en font assez souvent ces temps-ci parce qu'ils ont des stocks de crevettes. Bon, enfin bref, voici la photo.

#CosyReadingNight

 Mark your calendar, at least if you live in the UK: in a month's time, for Independent Bookshop Week, a special event has been organised to mark its end: #CosyReadingNight. I don't know what kind of activities there will be, but I guess the name is pretty much self-explanatory. And I am all for a quiet night spent reading in a comfy chair. So yeah, I have one Saturday evening sorted out.

Bouteilles de Saguenay Dry

Les choses que l'on trouve dans les internets: j'ai appris que quelqu'un avait une collection de bouteilles de le Saguenay Dry. Des antiquités. Je n'ai jamais été un grand fan de ginger ale, mais pour une raison quelconque, j'ai toujours aimé le Saguenay Dry. Mon côté Bleuet chauvin qui aime tous les produits de la région, j'imagine. Mais sinon, j'aimerais vraiment qu'ils en fassent encore. Parce que je suis un incorrigible nostalgique.

The New Italian Connection?

Last Sunday, late afternoon, Wolfie and I went outside so I could teach him to ride a bike. He is getting better, although he needs to build his confidence. But I digress. Outside the house in the corner, there were our neighbours, with some friends. These neighbours, I didn't know much about them, except that they are having their house extended. They are a couple in their thirties. So anyway, they had visitors, another couple and their child, a little boy of two or thereabout. When he saw Wolfie, he was drawn to him, as if he found a new friend. I asked Wolfie to say hello. I could tell they were speaking another language, but it didn't struck me it was Italian. Then the mum told me her little boy didn't speak English yet. And then I could hear they were Italian. So I introduced myself and Wolfie to them, and to the little boy, in Italian. We had a quick chat, mixing English and Italian, Wolfie spoke a few words of French because well, why the heck not. I didn't spend much time chatting, mind you, it was all an impromptu talk due to circumstances. I didn't even properly introduce myself to my neighbours. But I do hope to find time speaking to them and learn to know them better. They seem quite friendly. Being a foreigner, it is nice to see people in the same boat as you, so to speak. And I also hope to improve my Italian.

Pain au fromage

 Mon frère PJ a fait un pain au fromage. Je n'ai pas la patience pour faire du pain, encore moins du pain au fromage, mais enfant, j'adorais ce rituel familial. C'était une tradition chez nous. J'ai blogué sur le sujet en 2022. PJ m'a rappelé qu'on faisait des soupers de pain au fromage, une fois qu'il était sorti du four et frais. On invitait ma grand-mère et ça faisait des célébrations impromptues à la bonne franquette. Il m'arrivait aussi d'acheter du pain au fromage à Montréal et d'en faire un souper le vendredi soir. Mais enfin bref, tout ça pour dire que j'aimerais vraiment être capable de pétrir du pain.