The Season of the Witch

For today's countdown to Halloween post, a meme I saw a few days ago, which I thought looked so good I had to share it. Halloween and the month of October is truly the season of the witch. I also find this autumnal picture both beautiful and eerie. It looks like a perfect setting for a horror story. And witches make for great antagonists in horror stories, although maybe seldom used these days. Because we now find them sympathetic characters? I don't know, but I wouldn't want to cross path with one. I did write a scary story about a witch, if it gets published, I will tell you where you can buy it. Until then, watch this image and give yourself a good chill.

Une Hobgoblin d'antan pour PJ

C'est aujourd'hui la fête de mon frère PJ. Le chanceux a sa fête en octobre. Ce qui veut dire que sa fête a souvent une dimension un peu Halloweenesque. Pour souligner, je partage une photo de la Hobgoblin Gold de  Wychwood Brewery. Parce que sa fête arrive proche de l'Halloween, parce que les produits de Wychwood sont, ou en tout cas étaient, associés à l'Halloween et parce que c'est la bière qu'il a bue lors de son dernier séjour en Angleterre en 2017, quand il est venu célébrer la fête de son neveu.  dans le temps, les étiquettes avaient des couleurs spéciales pour l'Halloween. Plus maintenant. Le goût de la bière a aussi changé, mais c'est une autre histoire. Je ne boirai sans doute pas de Hobgoblin à sa santé aujourd'hui, mais je lui en envoie une virtuelle, dans l'étiquette d'antan.

The Pumpkin and the Goose

 My parents bought their pumpkin to carve their jack o'lantern this year. IEvery year, they put it by the fireplace next to the wooden goose they have. I love the look of it, it's both very Halloweenee and very autumnal. The pumpkin is unusually oval, I thought, I wonder how it will look like with a face.

L'Halloween aux Bouquinistes

Photo prise sur la page Facebook des Bouquinistes. Ils ont l'air de fêter l'Halloween en grand. On dirait surtout de mettre l'accent sur la fête des enfants qu'est l'Halloween, mais ils ont peut-être une autre section pour les adultes comme moi. Dans tous les cas, je ne leur en veux pas: j'ai acheté quelques classiques d'épouvante grâce à eux. Et puis je vois parmi les livres ici au moins un titre qui m'intrigue et que je veux absolument acheter.Je vais sans doute demander à ma mère. Vous avez deviné lequel?

Baobhan Sith

For today's countdown to Halloween post, a new critter I learned about recently. In one of the pages I follow on social media, I saw this meme about the baobhan sith, a sort of Scottish fairy vampire. Read this and tell me if you find it perfectly sinister. The baobhan sith deserves to be better known and deserves to be featured in modern horror stories (is it in any?). So does Scotland, come to think of it: it's a perfect setting for scary stories. In any case, baobhan sith is the word of the day.

Ale à la citrouille

Je reviens sur la bière à la citrouille de McAuslan. Photo prise par mon frère PJ, qui est de retour à Montréal en permanence et en profite pour renouer avec les produits locaux. Je voulais parler du rebranding de la bière. D'abord, il me semblait que la cannette était plus belle avant, avec un orange plus sombre, du noir qui se marie bien avec l'orange. C'était un look pour ainsi dire plus approprié à l'Halloween et l'automne que ce qu'on a maintenant, plus neutre. Enfin, je trouve. Mais changer de nom pour ale à la citrouille, ce n'est peut-être pas une si mauvaise idée que ça.

October Screams (what to read this month)

For today's countdown to Halloween post, a reading suggestion, October Screams. A Halloween Anthology. Another one, I know, but a solid one all the same, with many big names and Bram Stoker award winners. It's one of the darkest anthologies I have read, giving me a few nightmares (no, seriously). There's ghosts, haunted/possessed creepy dolls, creepy neighbours, sympathetic monsters, less sympathetic ones, wannabe vampires, bogeymen, they really throw the kitchen sink with this one. There's also, maybe not so surprisingly, a lot of nostalgia, even amidst the terror. The writers here truly love Halloween and all its seasonal rituals and it shows.

Clown diabolique

Photo prise l'an dernier par mon père. Le clown démoniaque est maintenant une figure incontournable de l'Halloween, tant dans ses histoires que dans ses décorations.

Dracula climbing up a wall

 For today's countdown to Halloween post, a bit more about Count Dracula. Again. Be warned: I am obsessed about the novel (if you haven't noticed) and every Halloween I blog about it. This year, expect to see even more, because I read a lot of Bram Stoker and I want to share my discoveries. Anyway, I saw this in Vienna, from this ferris wheel. Which of course reminds me of a scene in the novel, when the count climbs down the walls of his castle. Climbs down head first and at night, but I suspect the display was inspired by the novel anyway. Fitting, as Stoker had initially wanted to have what would become Dracula set in Austria. Anyway, it looks very cool and scary.

Bière à la citrouille

Mon frère PJ est de retour à Montréal et a donc acheté la St-Ambroise à la citrouille de McAuslan, laquelle est aussi de retour sur les étagères. Elle est plus sombre que dans mon souvenir, en fait je voudrais vérifier dans mes vieilles photos, si je peux en trouver, si elle était comme ça il y a quelques années. Sinon, le verdict de PJ rejoint le mien: ce n'est pas leur meilleure et elle ne goûte pas beaucoup, en fin de compte. Mais à Montréal, ça demeure ma bière de l'automne et de l'Halloween.

Beautiful Day for a Ghost Story

 For today's countdown to Halloween post, a... meme. Which I found a few weeks ago. I am sharing it now because today is a beautiful day for a ghost story: it is autumnal, cool, cloudy, windy, with just that kind of eerie light that makes it very spooky. We have had a few beautiful days like this one for ghost stories recently, I try to spend as many afternoons as I can reading them,liatening to the wind blowing for enhance experience. So I will read some ghost stories, I will try to write ghost stories and i hope you do too, wherever you are.

Les tartes aux pommes de Première Moisson

 Je commence ce billet avec une confession vraiment honteuse, pour quelqu'un qui adore l'automne: je ne suis pas un fan de tarte aux pommes. Je sais, je sais, c'est honteux. Les pommes, ce sont les récoltes, les fruits, enfin bref, c'est toute la saison. La tarte, c'est la civilisation qui transforme la saison. Le pire, c'est littéralement le seul dessert aux pommes qui me laisse froid. Cela dit, je compte un jour me réconcilier avec les tartes aux pommes. Et je vois sur la page Facebook de Première Moisson qu'ils ont pleins de variétés de tartes aux pommes. Alors c'est décidé: je vais me bourrer la fraise de tarte aux pommes de Première Moisson si je reviens au Québec quand elles sont en vente.

Ghosts in the Church

 For today's countdown to Halloween post, I present an anthology of ghost stories. It is a suggestion, not technically a recommendation, because I haven't read it all. That said, as it is for all anthologies, I have already read a few of these ghost stories in elsewhere. So anyway, I started among my many reads Holy Ghosts: Classic Tales of the Ecclesastical Uncanny. Because there's something paticularly eerie about a ghost in an church. In fact, no Halloween season is fully completed without a visit to a spooky old church, or at least a walk by one. A macabre pilgrimage, if you will. Ironically enough, I started reading this book in a train. I did look at the window hoping to see a church, I did not notice any. I will however walk around our little town and when I see a church, I will most definitely look for ghosts.

Araignée géante

Photo d'une araignée géante (je crois) prise par mon père l'an dernier. Ce n'est pas l'Halloween sans quelques araignées.

Ghosts on the Train

I blogged before (and a few times) about The Signal-Man, one of the ghost stories written by Charles Dickens. But I saw it on display in the National Railway Museum in York, and this inspired me this post. This book looked gorgeous, but as I already have it in various anthologies, I did not buy it. Anyway, I recommend it this time of year, especially when you are on a train journey. The mix of supernatural and horror with a modern way of transport like trains always brings a special type of atmosphere. Especially since the train has something that is kind of old-fashioned and and elegant that also mixes so well with horror.

Les squelettes encore

Autre photo prise durant la promenade de mon père... Mettons-nous dans l'ambiance de l'Halloween et du surnaturel.

Crab, Mayonnaise and Vampires

 This may come as a surprise, but this post is another one for my countdown to Halloween. Because allegedly, crab mayonnaise and horror are somewhat related. Or rather, a famous horror classic. Because there is a claim that Bram Stoker found the inspiration to write Dracula after a nightmare caused by an indigestion of crab mayonnaise. It is only a claim and everything leads to believe that is unfounded. Be that as it may, I ordered crab mayonnaise a month ago for our wedding anniversary meal. Because why take a chance? It was delicious, but unfortunately gave me no nightmare to work on. To my wife's dismay, however, it made me snore.

Brume d'octobre

 L'été, il y a les orages. L'hiver, la neige. L'automne, surtout en octobre, il y a la brume, ou le brouillard, enfin il devrait idéalement y en avoir au moins une fois dans la saison, sinon dans le mois. C'est ce qu'il y a eu ce matin, lorsque nous avons amené petit loup à l'école: une belle brume d'octobre, vraiment jolie. Une journée comme celle-ci, c'est l'endroit idéal pour une histoire d'horreur. Parce que les jours de brouillard et de brume sont souvent d'une beauté sinistre, surtout en automne.

Aquila about Halloween

For today's countdown to Halloween post, something that came to the post for Wolfie. Because my son receives the best mail. He is very fond of Aquila Magazine. For October, they really outdo themselves with their issue. It's of course all about Halloween. It has a few spooky stories (although not so scary, as it is after all for children), a lot of fun and games, a lot of information about both the holiday and spooky folklore. I must confess, sometimes I get envious of his childhood. In any case, if you have children, please buy yourself a copy of this month's issue of Aquila.

La St-Ambroise à la citrouille

Bonne nouvelle de McAuslan, tirée de leur page Facebook: leur bière à la citrouille est de retour. Je ne suis pas certain du design de leurs cannettes, moins beau que par les années passées, mais on ne boudera pas son plaisir. Je dis ça et n'étant pas à Montréal, je ne peux pas vraiment en profiter. Je bois leur bière à la citrouille pas tant que j'aime sa saveur (la citrouille ne goûte pas grand-chose), mais parce que c'est une bière d'automne et aussi une bière d'Halloween. Mais enfin bref, pour ceux qui peuvent, buvez-en une.

Countdown to Halloween

 We are the first of October, which is, of course, the official starting date for the countdown to Halloween. I took this picture in Vienna. A proper display dating back from August., with elements of macabre and also looking very autumnal. This is the favourite window display I have seen in years. And it is proof that Halloween is getting popular everywhere. On a side note, Austria is a perfect setting for Halloween and horror stories. Speaking of horror stories, a lot of my countdown to Halloween posts will be about horror stories in some way. In any case, happy countdown!

Fantômes et squelettes

Autre photo prise des décorations d'Halloween vues à Chicoutimi par mon père lors de ses promenades. Ce sera l'Halloween dans moins d'un mois, préparez-vous à voir beaucoup de références à la fête sur ce blogue d'ici là.

The Haunted House Game

As Halloween is getting closer and closer, I am getting into a spooky mood and I have been reading scary stories, some I have never read, some personal classics that I want to revisit. As I do every year, I have already (re)read All About Ghosts, the old Usborne book which inspired many of our childhood make belief games and inspire my writing to this day (because yes, I do try to write horror from time to time). As I mentioned before, one of the differences between the original English and the translated French version was the presence in the latter of a game, a sort of board game on the last page. It was called "The Great Ghost Game". My brothers and I never properly played it, as the rules were unclear. But we liked the setting, even though the house looked a tad modern for a haunted house. The setting and the ghosts doing the haunting inspired our make-belief games.

La Bouquinerie fermée

Triste nouvelle apprise de mon frère PJ et confirmée sur la page Facebook de la Bouquinerie du Plateau: elle est fermée jusqu'à nouvel ordre. Pourtant, sa page Facebook avait pris encore tout récemment les couleurs de l'automne (cette photo date du 14 septembre). Je ne sais pas ce qui se passe, mais j'espère que la durée indéterminée sera courte. Ou, au moins, que ce ne sera pas une fermeture permanente. La Bouquinerie est une institution sur le Plateau et on y trouve vraiment des trésors.

Upcoming Bookshop Day

I have been wanting to mention this for a while, but got caught up in other things (read my last post), so anyway, little announcement for the people living in the UK: there will be a Bookshop Day on the 11th of October. Kind of perfect time in the year for a bookshop day, as it is my favourite time in the year. Anyway, even though I am not short on books, I will go to our nearest indie bookshop and buy a few. There are worse ways to spend Saturday.

L'escoufle dans les feuilles

Bon, petit billet aviaire et saisonnier en même temps: nous sommes après tout le dernier jour de septembre. Nous avons des milans royaux ici, aussi appelés escoufles. Je les prends en photo parfois. Il y en a un qui vient se percher dans un arbre derrière chez nous. On le voit très mal, mais on le voit mieux depuis que les feuilles ont commencé à tomber. Bien qu'elles soient encore très vertes sur cette photo. En fait, quand je l'ai prise, je croyais les couleurs plus jaunes un peu. Mais bon, ça compte quand meême pour une photo automnale.

Unemployed again

 Okay, as you guessed it from this post's title, I am suddenly unemployed again. My new job was short lived: I started early June and did not even make it through probation. No, I did not get fired for gross miconduct or insubordination. It was just a bad match from the start. After a few weeks, I could tell that things were not working, even though I got along well with my colleagues and was giving my all. To be honest, I had a nagging feeling this would be a bad match even at the second interview, but I thought this was due to stress. Anyway, they thought I would do good, I needed somehting then and there, so I accepted the offer. Last Friday, my employers and I mutually agreed that this was not working out. I am disappointed, but on the plus side, I should have a good deal of free time in October, when Halloween is coming, in the heart of autumn. I can spend more time outside, when I am not being interviewed or job hunting. There definitely could be worse moments, especially since we are okay financially.

Des squelettes géants

Je partage une nouvelle photo que mon père a prise lorsqu'il marchait à Chicoutimi. Je dis nouvelle photo, mais elle date de quelques semaines, les décorations se sont multipliées sur ce terrain depuis. J'adore ces squelettes géants et je voulais les partager.

Pumpkin Spice Chai

I love tea, but I love to drink tea even more in autumn. Hence, I love autumn tea. So I was happily surprised to discover that Teapigs has its own blend of autumn tea, the Pumpkin Spice Chai. And it's naturally caffeine free as well, so this will be my go-to hot drink in the evening. That should last me until Halloween, maybe after. Which is fitting, as it is a pumpkin tea. And if you have more suggestions for autumn teas, please let me know in the comments.

Salon du livre: dernière chance

Message pour ceux de ma région, ou qui s'y trouvent: c'est le dernier jour du Salon du Livre du Saguenay Lac-Saint-Jean. J'y allais surtout le samedi, plus rarement le dimanche ou en semaine. C'est le temps de l'année où la région est à son plus beau et le plus atmosphérique. Je n'ai que des bons souvenirs du Salon du livre du Saguenay. Si vous pouvez y aller, allez-y, je vous assure que ce sera une journée de pur plaisir.

Bat House

We went to a local fayre about two weeks ago, one of my favourite ones because it's in my favourite time of the year. In one of the stands, they were selling various bird houses as well as bat houses. I love bats, for many reasons, one of them is that they eat insects. And I know we have them around here, I oftens ee them flying in the evening. I don't see them much, they are very elusive. But I considered buyingone house for them. The only problem is that I don't think I would be able to install the house properly. So I decided not to buy it. But I regret it now.

Paté chinois et betteraves

Des fois, ça m'arrive, je fais un pâté chinois. Je le fais à la québécoise, pas comme les shepherd's ou cottage pies anglais: je mets du maïs entre le pas viande et les patates et pour accompagner c'est toujours des betteraves. Ma femme n'est jamais trop sûre pour les betteraves, mais mon fils les a adoptées. J'en suis très fier, d'ailleurs. Cela dit, nous réserves de (pas)steak, de blé d'inde, de patates et de betteraves, alors il me faudra faire des provisions avant la prochaine fois, qui ne saurait tarder: je trouve que ce temps de l'année est propice au pâté chinois.

Autumnal Chronicle

 This year, I really cannot complain about autumn: since the beginning of September it has been truly great, like I did not hope it would be. Here is a list of the things I enjoyed these last few days:

• Almost every afternoon when we pick up Wolfie from school, it smells of bonfire. I thought it was a one off, but no.
• While it can get warmer in the afternoon, it nevertheless remains cool enough to warrant long sleeve shirts, if not jumpers and fleece.
• In fact, I have started wearing my thick jumpers in the evening.
• I also wear thick socks and sometimes gloves.
• Evening is falling earlier and earlier every day. The light is absolutely gorgeous.
• It's still sunny, yet cool. Pure bliss.
• The leaves on the trees are showing colours earlier this year. 

Anyway, that's my autumn so far. What about yours? 

Un parc gentrifié

Je reviens sur le billet que j'ai écrit le 17 septembre sur le Parc Chopin. Ou le Parc de la Clé de Sol, comme on l'appelait communément jadis. C'était un parc pour enfants qui a été rapidement envahi par des adolescents, souvent les enfants devenus plus grands. Et dans les photos envoyées par mon père, une chose me frappe: il n'y a pas de terrain de jeux, pas d'espace pour jouer en fait, seulement une table. C'est devenu un parc pour adultes. Et je trouve que c'est un peu triste.

September Witches

 I am not the only one thinking about Halloween already: my father took this picture recently, someone is my home town of Chicoutimi has decided to go grand for Halloween and to start early. But September is, after all, Halloween eve. I also read somewhere (in this book, to be more specific) that one of the dates for witches' sabbath is the 23rd of September. So here it is, I think that's what it was. Do you see the witches, raising the dead and greeting the dead? Ghosts and skeletons, there's even a ghostly Jack O'Lantern in the background. I love this display. Anyway, I must remember to do something special every 23rd of September to remember that witches gather on that date.

Le Salon du livre, 2025

Annonce pour tous ceux qui sont au Saglac: c'est aujourd'hui que commence la 61e édition du Salon du Livre du Saguenay Lac-Saint-Jean. Je partage la nouvelle avec leur vieux logo, que j'aime tant. Et j'aimerais vraiment y être.

Farewell to the River & Rowing Museum

I blogged about it before, back in early July: the River & Rowing Museum in Henley will close down this weekend. As we live fairly close to we went there a few times, obviously not often enough. I had bought a year pass in January 2020, thinking I would make my return on investment within three visits, I only used it once, for obvious reasons. I don't think we will visit it before it closes, but I hope something nice and available to the general public will open in its stead. Because the venue was really lovely too.

Mafalda et l'ONU

J'ai trouvé ce gag sur la page Facebook de Mafalda hier. Parce que c'était le début de la 80e session de l'Assemblée générale des nations unies. Si vous vous rappelez, Mafalda voulait y travailler comme interprète. Je ne sais pas si elle a pu suivre ses rêves d'enfants. Parfois je me dis que oui, mais à voir l'état du monde, je n'en suis vraiment pas certain: je crois que le monde se porterait mieux si elle travaillait à l'ONU. Quoiqu'elle n'aurait sans doute pas assez d'influence comme interprète, même avec l'éthique de travail espiègle qu'elle projetait d'avoir. Même comme Secrétaire générale des Nations Unies, je pense que son influence aurait hélas été limitée. Cela dit, elle ferait une excellente Secrétaire générale.

Caffè Nero is here

 I blogged about it before and then again, but I heard the news from my wife yesterday: there is a Caffè Nero in our little town. I thought it was a good news at first, but then I thought again: we didn't always have good experiences there and last time we went into a Caffè Nero was pretty catastrophic. Also, it will be about the third big coffee chain that will have a franchise here. And that never fare wells for the small independent cafés we love. Not that I like coffee anyway, mind you, but I love the atmosphere of such places. So maybe, instead of going to Caffè Nero, we will encourage the long standing independent local businesses.

Pâté chinois

Des fois, il me viens une rage de pâté chinois. Ce fût le cas en fin de semaine. On avait des cannes de maïs (en grains, hélas, pas en crème), de la pas-viande hachée et des patates. En plus, il fait frais dehors, c'est vraiment le bon temps pour en manger. Donc, je n'y suis pas allé avec le dos de la main morte en cuillère, j'ai fait un pâté chinois. Et je dois dire que, même sans maïs en crème, ce fût sans doute l'un de mes meilleurs pâtés chinois depuis que je suis expatrié.

"Welcome Autumn"

 Today is the equinox, which means, well, that we are officially in autumn, by any standards and measurement, and that nobody, and I mean nobody, can claim otherwise. For me, of course, it doesn't start on the 22nd of September, but the first, as it should anywhere. Be that as it may, summer is gone, dusted, buried until next year. And to celebrate, I am sharing a photo of a decoration my wife bought me last year. With a pumpkin on it to remind us of harvests and of Halloween which is getting closer.

Le 22 septembre, c'est aujourd'hui

Bon, plus personne ne pourra dire que nous ne sommes pas en automne: nous sommes le jour de l'équinoxe. Comme c'est la tradition, je partage Le vingt-deux septembre de Georges Brassens. Petit air automnal bien mélancolique qui devrait vous mettre dans l'ambiance.

 

The Dracula Game (a memory)

 Long time readers may remember that I blog from time to time about the Dracula Game. This was a make belief game my brothers and I played with some friends back in 1989, freely inspired by J.H. Brennan's gamebook Dracula's Castle, before I read the original novel. We only truly played it once, but it was one of the most exciting games we ever played, one that got us in an early Halloween mood, and I remember it fondly to this day. I am mentioning it again because after doing a bit of research I can say with a fairly strong amount of certainty that today is the anniversary of the day we played. It might sound silly to keep track of time like this, for one afternoon in our childhood, but that fateful day was important: my brothers and I made a new friend (read the original post for more details) and it was my first proper introduction to classic horror and to my favourite horror story.

Des nouvelles de McAuslan

Vous savez comme j'aime les bières de McAuslan. Et je me désolais il y a quelques jours de l'absence de leur bière à la citrouille sur leurs publications sur les réseaux sociaux. Comme si elle n'existait plus. Cette photo, par exemple, date de... 2023. Alors je me demandais si l'une de mes bières d'automne et d'Halloween (quand je suis au Québec) avait été abandonnée. J'ai donc contacté la Brasserie pour en avoir le coeur net. On respire: elle sera bientôt de retour. Bon, je sais que je ne pourrai pas en profiter cette année, mais c'est quand même rassurant.

Codename: Cool Man

 Yesterday, coming back from school, Wolfie was holding a little piece of paper with a look that I could qualify as both conspiratory and proud. I wondered at first if it was a sweet message from one of the girls who has a crush on him (I suspect a few have a crush on him), but to my wife's relief, it was not the case. It was one of his male friends from school who had written down the codename he had chosen for Wolfie for one of their spy games they take very seriously. Because yes, make belief games, when you are a young boy like Wolfie, are very serious business. I know, I was the same at his age. His codename is Cool Man. Well, of course it is. Because my son is very cool. Is it silly to be proud of him?

Mafalda et le printemps en Argentine

Comme pour l'an dernier, la page Facebook officielle de Mafalda me rappelle que c'est le printemps en Argentine. Je trouve toujours ça surréaliste, étant habitué aux saisons de l'hémisphère nord, mais enfin bref, je partage un gag de Mafalda aujourd'hui.

The smell of bonfire

 We were going to pick up our son yesterday. It was a tad cool and the colours had started showing in the trees on our way. It was feeling very autumnal, then it went up a notch: we could smell bonfire in the air. We did not see where it came from, we could not see any smoke, but the smell was very distinctive. I love it. Today was way too warm, but it should go down dramatically this weekend. So I am in a happy, borderline blissful, autumnal mood.

Déjà l'Halloween à Chicoutimi

Mon père m'a envoyé es photos de sa dernière promenade à Chicoutimi. Il semblerait que pour des citoyens de ma ville d'origine, l'Halloween est déjà arrivé. Je suis d'accord et très heureux.

Spiced Pumpkin Pie

As for every autumn (because yes, it is already autumn now, even though it is way too warm at the moment), I stocked myself in the Spiced Pumpkin Pie Tea from Bird & Blend. Some people drink Pumpkin Spice Latte, I don't drink coffee, so I pumpkin flavoured tea is my autumn and Halloween tea. So, I bought a big pack of loose leaf tea. I received it and a few freebies, including this tea bag of the same brew. If you feel like making it yourself, you now have the whole list of ingredients.

L'escargot de Prévert?

 Nous allions chercher notre fils à l'école il y a quelques jours. Comme d'habitude, nous faisons attention de ne pas piler sur les escargots sur le sol. J'ai donc dû en déplacer un hors de la chaussée, je l'ai mis sur une feuille morte et je l'ai pris en photo. Ce qui m'a fait penser au fammeux poème de Jacques Prévert, Chanson des escargots qui vont à l'enterrement, que vous pouvez lire ici. Je suis plus familier avec ses dérivés et ses mentions dans d'autres oeuvres. Cela dit, grâce à Prévert, j'associe les escargots à l'automne... et à Prévert.

KitKat Ghost Toast

A few days ago, I found in the local sweet shop a new sign of Halloween and I did not want to wait until october to show it. So yeah, what did I see? a KitKat Ghost Toast. It was kind of expensive for its size and I am not always into variants of a winning formula, but all the same, I bought it for my wife. I regret nothing. Because I love Halloween that much and yes, it is already time to get yourself into a spooky mood. And sweets and desserts are an integral part of the spooky holiday.

Pavillon du 9e art

J'apprends via la page Facebook des Bouquinistes, d'où j'ai pris cette image, qu'ils tiendront un pavillon sur la bédé lors du Salon du Livre du Saguenay Lac-Saint-Jean. Si seulement j'y étais.

Windy and Autumnal September Day

 It is getting a bit warmer and it should get borderline Indian summery soon (albeit we did not really have a frosty day), however, I cannot complain too much, as we have been blessed so far with a very autumnal September. It has been suitably cool and we even had two days ago a very windy day, enough so there was a yellow warning of winds. Nothing to worry about, it was just really nice and it allowed me to wear for the very first time a thick jumper, because temperatures had gone down with the wind. We had a perfectly autumnal September day and I was in seasonal heaven.

Le Parc Chopin modernisé

J'ai déjà blogué sur ce parc de Chicoutimi, celui qui était le plus proche de chez nous. Un parc presqu'entièrement condamné, devenu un trottoir entre deux quartiers. Bien, il semblerait qu'il soit redevenu un parc,mais en plus modeste et en plus sobre. Mon père m'a envoyé des photos. Un peu triste que ce ne soit pas conçu pour des enfants, mais bon, c'est mieux que rien. Et autre détail: je me suis rappelé que son nom officiel est (était?) le Parc Chopin. On l'appelait le Parc de la Clé de Sol, parce qu'il y avait une emblème avec une clé de sol à son entrée.

Cat’s Eye

Well, I didn't expect that. Have you ever heard of the manga series Cat's Eye? It's a caper series about a trio of sisters who are also cat burglars, one of them in love with a young police officer who is bound to catch their cat burglars alter ego. I never read it, but when I was a kid I did watch its anime adaptation. Growing up on Japanese anime, I was bound to come up with it, but I enjoyed it far less than other animes. In fact, I borderline hate watched it at times: too over the top, even for an anime, with a bumbling cop heroic antagonist who was seriously stupid, burglars who did not wear gloves... Well, I wasn't a fan. A few years later, I rewatched a few episodes on YouTube, and frankly it didn't change my mind. Of all the Japanese cartoons we young Quebeckers had, Cat's Eye was one of the silliest. So why am I blogging about it tonight? Because it got adapted again. You can see the trailer below. I might give this one a chance, if only because it's a new adaptation and I (re)discovered recently with Wolfie that I enjoy Japanese cartoons. Worst case scenario, this Cat's Eye will be as bad as the 80s one. Anyway, did any of you ever watched the old anime or read the manga? Tell me in the comments.

Question existentielle (399)

 Une question existentielle inédite jusqu'ici, enfin je crois:

-Qu'aimez-vous faire en septembre? 

J'aime faire bien des choses en septembre, mais je suis curieux de lire vos réponses.

Pot Roast

 My dad sent me this picture of a family classic this time of year: the pot roast. I remember having one every year, either in August or in September, but truly this is a proper September meal. I consider it an autumnal meal in any case, because you eat the products of early harvest; parsnip, carrots, cabbages (surprisingly tasty with plain white vinegar), sweet corn (a staple for autumn if there is one) and some meat to give it a bit of proteins and taste. There's more, but as long as you have your root vegs, your cabbage, sweet corn and a bit of meat, you are set, you have a pot roast.

Le programme du Salon du Livre

Je suis en retard sur la nouvelle, mais je tenais à donner l'information ici: j'ai appris via la page Facebook du Salon du Livre du Saguenay Lac-Saint-Jean que leur programme est maintenant disponible. Je n'y suis jamais vraiment allé au programme, en fait j'y allais quand je pouvais, la plupart du temps le samedi en famille, ou lors d'une sortie scolaire. Mais bon, toujours utile d'avoir la programmation.

"Bokke"

 A few days ago, my wife and I were on our way to pick up Wolfie from school when I saw a man walking on the other side of the street. He was wearing a green hoodie with the words Bokk printed on it. So I recognised right away the nickname of the Springboks. I was happy that I picked it up. I know nothing about rugby, far too little for my taste in fact, but at least I know about the Springboks. It's sort of my team, even though I don't follow rugby: my father-in-law is South African and he is of course a massive Springboks supporter. So is his son. Therefore out of family solidarity, I support the South African team. To my wife's dismay, as she is English and, well, she supports the English team. So anyway, I did not shout "Go Bokke!" to him. Maybe I should have had.

Le Viennois de Chicoutimi

 Question pour mes lecteurs qui vivent à Chicoutimi ou au Saguenay: quelqu'un a déjà visité la pâtisserie Le Viennois? So oui, c'est comment? Ils ont aussi une page Facebook, ui semble alimentée (ha, ha, ha!) de façon très sporadique. Enfin bref, depuis que ma femme a vu qu'il y avait une pâtisserie de ce nom à Chicoutimi, elle se demande comment ça se fait qu'on n'y a jamais mis les pieds. Et ça m'a frappé: moi non plus, je ne pense pas y être jamais allé. Je me rappelle de la défunte pâtisserie Allard, qui était dans le même coin, sinon la même bâtisse. Mais après, je n'ai jamais vu de quoi avait l'air son successeur. Parce que je n'étais plus dans la région sauf durant les vacances, sans doute un peu, mais aussi parce que j'étais encore en deuil de la pâtisserie Allard. Il faudra d'ailleurs que je blogue sur le sujet un jour. Mais sinon, si vous savez quoi que ce soit sur le Viennois, dites-le moi.

The Manchurian Candidate... again

 I went downtown recently to buy a few things, I stopped in a gifts shop. The shop sells a few books without being a bookshop, mostly coffee table books and whodunits. So I was surprised to find The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon on display. I have it, I read it, I watched the movie so often I cannot count. In fact I loved it so much that I made a reocmmendation to read it back in 2017. I don't know if you are like me, but sometimes I just wished I could discover a book all over again for the first time.