Post-Easter Blues?

 Okay, so Easter is now over, but here it is a bank holiday. How was your Easter? How are you feeling? I am of two minds about it: I am always sad after any big holiday, feeling like it came and went way too soon for my taste. For Easter specifically, while I do feel a bit melancholic, I find solace in the fact that there's a lot (and I mean, a lot) of chocolate to go through, we have one Monday that will feel like a Sunday and that in the coming weeks we will have more reasons to celebrate: it will my one of my wife's cousins' birthday and then it will be mine. We literally have no time to feel melancholic, we already need to get ready for the next celebrations. And, in my case, get mentally ready to become older. That is one aspect of the post-Easrer blues I like: it's generally short-lived.

La vieille, vieille tortue

Mon frère PJ m'a envoyé une photo d'un de nos premiers toutous. En fait, je crois que le toutou apaprtenait à ma mère avant nous. C'est une vieille, vielle tortue, faite de manière artisanale, peut-être par un membre de la famille. Je crois qu'elle est plus âgée que moi.

One Easter Bunny

You may remember that I was getting desperate, as there are no Easter Bunny this year at M&S, which is patently absurd. Well, there are some elsewhere. Not many, to my chagrin, not very big, but some all the same. Anyway, last week I went to the local Lidl and I bought this one, which I shared today with Wolfie. As you can see, I can hold it in my hands and it's really a far cry from what I am used to, but it tasted delicious all the same. Maybe I went there too late and bigger models were gone, I don't know. But hey, it's a proper Easter chocolate rabbit, he even holds a basket of eggs.

Les paniers des poussins

Ma mère a acheté ces paniers (ces sacs?) pour ses petits-enfants, les cousins de petit loup. C'était bien entendu pour utiliser lors de la chasse aux oeufs de Pâques. Un vert et un bleu, avec des petits poussins. Nous faisons ici aussi une chasse aux cocos chaque année, mais les paniers que je donne à mon fils ne sont pas aussi jolis que ceux-ci. Bon, il n'est pas jaloux, c'est pas comme s'il n'avait pas beaucoup de chocolat à manger depuis ce matin. Mais j'aimerais bien trouver quelque chose d'aussi joli ici.

Mozart for Easter (Et incarnatus est)

 Happy Easter everyone! As usual, I share some music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. I shared his Et incarnatus est from his Great Mass in C Minor more than once, but it's just so fitting for today. Performed here by French soprano Julie Fuchs (Wolfie's favourite, because he finds her cute). And to accompany this post, a picture I took in Vienna. If you think it's not Easter-y enough, well, I think Mozart is always Easter-y enough, because it's his music I listen to at Easter and because he was the Christ of music.

Pâques sous la neige

 Mon frère PJ a pris cette photo. Il est à Chicoutimi chez mes parents pour Pâques, avec le reste de ma famille. Il n'y a que la branche anglaise qui est ailleurs. Le printemps au Saguenay, c'est parfois souvent enneigé. Pâques est donc sous la neige cette année et peut-être plus que d'habitude.

Goddess Fortuna

I took this picture at the aux Roman Baths in York. If you want to celebrate Easter in an English city, York might actually be the best one, because of its history with the Roman Empire. And let's face it, who does not associate Easter with Ancient Rome somehow? I know I do. The Romans are both the villains of the Biblical story (or at least often depicted as such) and the originators of many of the Pagan elements of Easter. Anyway, you can find in York's Roman Baths a shrine to Fortuna, the goddess of luck and fortune. You could make an offering of 30p, which we did. Hey, you never know! No but more seriously, seeing this shrine made me feel like in another time altogether, both familiar and exotic.

Pâques au Saguenay

 Photo prise sur la page Facebook des Pères trappistes. Je fais un appel à tous ceux qui peuvent: leur boutique est ouverte jusqu'à 16:00 h auhourd'hui, si vous avez encore besoin de temps pour vous acheter quelque chose. Ici, c'est le désert côté chocolats: y'a même pas de lapins des fois, misère!

Fish & Chips for Good Friday

Can one wish a happy Good Friday? I love Good Friday, sometimes just as much as Easter. Because it's a bank holiday, at least in this country. And because every year I commemorate by "fasting". And by fasting, I mean I eat fish and chips.It has become a tradition since I live in England. We spent last year's Good Friday in York.It was our last night in the city. I bought these fish and chips in the nearest chippy. It tasted absolutely perfect, even though it stank up the place. I'm not sure where I will eat my next Fish and chips from.

La chasse aux oeufs des Bouquinistes

J'ai prise cette image sur la page Facebook des Bouquinistes. Je tenais à vous faire un rappel: ils font une chasse aux oeufs, du 30 amrs au 4 avril. Et vous pouvez gagner des prix de commerces régionaux, voire l'image plus haut. Et puis vous pouvez toujours vous acheter un livre ou deux, une fois que vous êtes là.

No Easter Bunny at M&S

Two days ago, I stopped at the local Marks and Spencer to stock up on food for Easter. They have plenty of goodies, but something struck me when I went in their Easter chocolates section: I could not see any rabbit. Not a single one. So I asked one of the staff member if there was a shortage and if they were expecting more to come before Sunday. Her answer: there is no Easter chocolate bunny this year. No. Easter. Chocolate. Bunny. I was shocked. I mean, it's THE emblematic Easter animal, you must have at least one Easter bunny in your chocolates for the big day. And they have all sorts of creatures: ponies, sloths (?), cats, dogs... But no bunny. Well, it means that I will have to go somewhere else.

Des moutons à la fenêtre

Lors de mon dernier atelier d'écriture, je suis allé chez l'un des participants, qui vit dans le coin perdu d'un village. La fenêtre de sa cuisine donne sur un champ et on peut y voir des moutons. J'ai pris cette photo, parce que j'aimais la vue de la fenêtre. Pâques approche à grands pas, le mouton (et l'agneau, il ne faut pas l'oublier) est l'un de ses animaux emblématiques, alors je partage aujourd'hui la photo. Je la trouve pascale.

A book for Spy Wednesday

Today is Holy Wednesday, which is also called Spy Wednesday. I prefer to call it Spy Wednesday, because it's a much cooler name. And every Spy Wednesday, I try to commemorate by blogging something espionage related. This year, I thought that I would start reading a spy thriller to mark the date. So I bought William Boyd's Gabriel Moon at some point last year, I'm not even sure where. I think I might give it a go today, as I am between books. Okay, not between books, but between novels, most definitely. And Spy Wednesday is a good excuse as any to read a spy novel.

(D'autres sirotent leur) Boisson d'avril

Nous sommes le premier avril, donc je partage Boisson d'avril de Groovy Aardvark. C'est une tradition sur ce blogue.

KitKat Burglars

 Well, after stealing violins, now it seems that criminals come after chocolate. I read the news a few days ago: more than 12 tons of KitKat chocolate has been stolen in Italy. Twelve tons! Of yummy KitKat chocolates, their new F1 line bar. This is a despicable crime on so many levels. And just before Easter on top of it, which according to the article could cause shortage for customers. When I said it is despicable, I really mean it... Anyway, once the investigation is over and hopefully the thieves are behind bars (sorry for the bad pun), it might be a great starting point for a crime fiction story.

Dernier jour de mars

 Nous sommes le dernier jour de mars (lieu commun ici). Je pensais le souligner en une photo, comme je le fais parfois pour chaque mois. Mars, c'est le printemps, c'est le retour des oiseaux, c'est la végétation qui commence timidement à reprendre ses droits, j'ai donc pensé prendre une photo de la mangeoire dans le jardin chez mes beaux-parents, photo prise en mars 2025.

Sherlock Holmes on the Moors

 I blogged back in February about the first edition I read of The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I took this image from the book. You can see Sherlock Holmes in his iconographic if apocryphal clothes, with a deerstalker hat, but an ordinary coat and not an Inverness cape, for some reason. Still, the hat gives him away immediately. In this image, it makes some sense that he is wearing this, as he is on the Devon's moors. Some illustrators and movies have Holmes dressed like this in the middle London, which is patently absurd. Anyway, I think it would be nice to revisit Devon, but more inland this time. Follow the footsteps of Sherlock Homes, when he investigated an old legend who turned into a murder conspiracy.

Première Moisson en mode pascal

Photo trouvée sur la page Facebook de Première Moisson: la boulangerie/pâtisserie se met en mode pascal. Si j'étais à Montréal, j'y ferais un tour. Si seulement ils pouvaient ouvrir une succursale en Angleterre! On n'est pas aussi bien servi ici en desserts de Pâques, pas plus en chocolat qu'en gâteaux.

A Praise Of Our Neighbourhood

Yesterday, I went to my writing workshop. It was a great time, but this is not what I wanted to blog about. As it was in a different place as usual, I got a lift from some of my fellow writers. After the fairly short journey from my house to our host's house, my lift told me that he really liked my neighbourhood. At the end of a quiet road with lots of trees, surrounded by them in fact, he really thought it was a great place, just far enough from the centre. Oh, and from a walking distance of a country pub he likes. I knew of the pub, I had been there a few times, but didn't know it was from a walking distance from us. Good to know. I never thought someone would say this of our neighbourhood, which we always thought wa slower middle class at best, so it felt good to hear it.

Dimanche des Rameaux

Nous sommes aujourd'hui le Dimanche des Rameaux. La dernière ligne droite avant Pâques et une assez grosse affaire quand j'étais un petit enfant catholique. Maintenant, c'est plus un moment d'anticipation. Pâques, ce n'est pas Noël, il n'y a pas la même fébrilité, ce n'est pas la même ambiance non plus, mais j'ai quand même beaucoup de plaisir à attendre Pâques et à faire des plans. Sinon, que faites-vous aujourd'hui? Quelques chose de pascal? Ou c'est juste un dimanche comme un autre?

Tea Collections in a Bookshop?

During my last time at home, I went ao couple of time to the local Archambault. I used to love the bookstore chain, I am not really a fan anymore: it now sells too much of everything besides books. It used to feel like a proper bookshop, now it feels a bit tacky. So I was not surprised when I noticed they were also selling tea boxsets. One from an English company, of all things, the English Tea Shop. Very fancy. I live in England, so I thought it would be pointless to buy teas from England, even though my parents don't have much tea at home. So I didn't. And then, I thought I was being a grouch. Because buying tea and books together kind of makes sense: you get something to read and you have some tea with it. I mean drinking tea and reading a book are activities that go so well together. They are blissful, even. So yes, if there is anything else besides books, book bags and bookmarks that is suitable to buy in  a bookshop, it might actually be tea.

L'architecture de Salzbourg

 J'ai pris cette photo lors de nos vacances en Autriche l'an passé, à Salzbourg. Vous voyez un commerce, en tout cas un édifice, qui date de quelques siècles, R.F. Azwanger. Ce que j'aime dans l'architecture de Salzbourg, c'est justement qu'elle a l'air figée dans le temps, comme je le disais dans ce billet. Même avec l'apparition des stands et des réclames plus modernes, comme on voit ici. Et avec les couleurs parfois pastel, parfois vives, on dirait souvent des maisons de poupées géantes. Il y a quelque chose de délicat dans cette ville.

An Evening of Murder

A long, long time ago, I blogged about a murder party series we used to love, called An Evening of Murder. Back in the eighties and nineties, it was all the rage among adults, teenagers and, well, sometimes also "old" children. The first we ever played was Forever Friends, localised into (Qébec) French as Éternellement Vôtre, or Eternally Yours. A better title, IMO. I mention localisation, as the character names and the places were all adapted to québécois culture, but for simplicity I will refer to the original English. The setting was a hotel called "the Old Lodge", where a group of college friends reunited, to find one of them murdered. I got hooked. Everybody had something to hide, was guilty of something. A cassette gave you the sounds of the murder, pretty gruesome stuff, introduced by Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor and a rather dark and sinister voice. You could also find in the box set invitation letters, characters sheets, also a booklet with suggestions of disguise, of décor, even a menu for the evening. Sure, the resolution owe nothing to anyone's deductive powers, but oh the atmosphere! And the role play! The fun we had. I will always treasure it.

Ale à l'érable (un conseil)

Photo prise de la page Facebook de McAuslan. Ils font grand cas de leur bière à l'érable. J'en profite pour revenir sur la critique qu'a faite mon frère PJ. Il m'a aussi donné un conseil, que je partage ici: "vu que ça se vend à l'unité, achètes-en une pour célébrer le printemps, tu la bois un peu déçu d'avoir manqué un autre hiver, pis tu remets ça à l'année prochaine." Bonne idée.

The Violin Thief

 I blogged last year about the theft of a 285-year-old violin worth £150,000 in a London pub. Well, there has been some development to the story since the man was arrested: he has been charged with theft. It was about time. As a music lover, the stealing of a rare and ancient musical instrument is to me both morally and aesthetically repellent. Hell, you could argue it is a crime against our civilisation's memory. That said, it could be the subject of a great crime story. Everything about it makes for a great drama. An atmospheric one too: he stole the violin in a London pub, after all. I'm sure there is a scriptweriter working on it at the moment. I'm kind of tempted to try my luck at it and write a short story on the subject.

Ours polaire viennois?

 Photo prise au Zoo de Vienne lors de nos vacances l'an dernier. Je ne tenais pas tant à y aller (au zoo je veux dire). Mais ce fût quand même agréable. Et puis c'est toujours plaisant de voir (notamment) des ours polaires, tant qu'ils ne puissent pas vous atteindre. Je trouve toujours ça un peu surréaliste de voir un animal polaire dans un zoo européen. Je ne sais pas trop pourquoi.

Devious March

 Since the vernal equinox and even before (see this post for instance), this springtime had been rather idyllic. For those who love when it gets warmer during spring, that is. Because I am not one of them. I far prefer cold weather and when it gets warmer, I start dreading the hot days of summer to come. Thankfully, March is a treacherous month and he proved himself to be again: since yesterday, the temperature dropped, it's overcast and sometimes rainy, furthermore it gets quite windy. Oh I love when March gets cold and windy! I know it will not last, but I am feeling oh so comfy right now and I am making the most of it.

Le synopsis de Cendrillon

 Un rappel pour les amateurs: l'Opéra du Royaume présentera Cendrillon de Jules Massenet du 28 mars au 2 avril. Ils ont présenté le synopsis de l'opéra, si vous êtes curieux d'en savoir plus.

Mexican Train Dominoes

I am always on the lookout for new games to play, especially new board games, even though we don't have much room here to store them. Or play them. All the same, I go to the local toys shop sometimes and I get curious. I found one a few months ago, Mexican Train Dominoes. Now, I only played dominoes a few times. I do like the aesthetic of it, but that's not what I like here. It has trains in it. Trains. So... yeah. I might put it on my birthday list.

Ale à l'érable (nouvelle critique)

 Je reviens sur la bière/l'ale à l'érable de McAuslan, leur bière du printemps, parce que mon frère PJ l'a essayée. La photo est de lui. Voici sa critique: "C'est effectivement so-so, ça goûte pas grand-chose, avec un petit goût sucré." J'essaierais quand même.

The Hunter

Sometimes, there are dreams that I don't have that come true. So a few days ago, I learn in this Variety article that the crime novel The Last Hunt by South African writer Deon Meyer will be adapted into a TV series. But that's not all: Israeli scriptwriter Noah Stollman, who is also one of the scriptwriters of the spy thriller series Fauda, will do the adaptation. And you know how much I love Fauda. So for me, it is like the meeting of two great creative minds, from two cultures I love. Now Meyer has been adapted before and I have rarely been able to find these adaptations on streaming or on television, but it's good news all the same. The article says it is a spy thriller, which is true of this novel and many other works of Deon Meyer. Anyway, the adaptation is titled The Hunter (working title?) and I will be on the lookout for it. If you are interested, watch this space.

Les Bouquinistes en mode pascal

 J'ai pris cette photo sur la page Facebook des Bouquinistes. Elle date du 11 mars, je ne l'avais pas remarquée. Tout ça pour dire que, comme je le mentionnais un peu le 21 mars, ma librairie régionale préférée. Pour ceux qui peuvent s'y rendre, je vous envie.

Kukri (word of the day)

As I blogged last Saturday, I am reading Fight Write, by Carla Hoch and it made me wonder about weapons in crime fiction and thrillers in general, particularly signature weapons, either for heroes or villains. There is a small entry about the kukri, an Indian knife that is sometimes seen as just a variant of the machete and not a distinct weapon itself. I am no expert, so I cannot comment too much about it, but I do find the kukri to have a very distinctive shape and look, so it is easily identifiable. All knives are lethal, however this one looks even more lethal than others. It is just very impressive, yet elegant in an exotic way, and I am wondering if it would suit more a hero or a villain. Be that as it may, kukri is the word of the day.

Mille/1000 Bornes

Une petite nouvelle sans vraie importance: j'ai retrouvé le jeu de Mille Bornes que ma femme m'avait acheté pour ma fête en 2022. C'est bien, je vais pouvoir jouer avec petit loup. Je crois qu'il comprendra mieux les règles et aura plus de plaisir à jouer qu'il y a quatre ans. Mille Bornes a été l'un des jeux de société de mon enfance. Bien que je n'aie pas autant joué avec que d'autres, notamment parce que l'on n'avait pas notre propre Mille Bornes, j'ai quand même de bons souvenirs. Lire ce billet pour plus de détails. Il serait temps de le revisiter, notamment lors des vacances de Pâques de petit loup.

Irish Breakfast Tea

 The thing one can find sometimes, away from England. During my last time in Québec, I found a box of Twinings' Irish Breakfast Tea. Twinings is everywhere here, but I cannot remember any Irish breakfast blend. It's all about English Breakfast (well, of course). As my parents don't have much tea, I bought a box. What I did not drink there, I brought back here, so I had my last teabag of Irish Breakfast tea on Saint-Patrick's Day. To be honest, my palate is not sophisticated enough to taste the difference, but apparently it is stronger than English Breakfast. Anyway, I'm just glad I could drink something Irish for breakfast, on that special day.

RIP les cretons Bilopage

 Triste nouvelle que j'ai apprise via mon frère PJ: les cretons Bilopage n'existent plus. Je ne sais pas trop pourquoi, je ne trouve même pas de site (y en a-t-il eu un?) de la marque Bilopage. C'était antique à ce point-là. Je n'ai jamais été très porté sur les cretons, j'en mangeais parfois pour déjeuner, mais plus souvent pour le dîner quand je me sentais d'appétit pour des cretons. En fait, c'est mon frère PJ qui est le grand amateur de cretons dans la famille. Il n'est pas chanceux: dans le temps, il aimait les Quatre Étoiles (Quatrétoiles?), qui ont disparu, puis ce fût les Bilopage. Cette photo, c'est lui qui l'a prise, pour la postérité. Maintenant, je ne sais pas quelle marque il met sur ses toasts. J'espère seulement que la tradition ne se perde pas et que les cretons ne disparaîtront pas de l'univers gastronomique québécois.

Signature Weapons

After a fairly long hiatus (mainly the Halloween, then Christmas season, then other books), I have started reading Fight Write, by Carla Hoch again. You can read my first blog post about the book here. It's a guide on ow to write fight scenes written by a professional martial artist. As I wannabe crime writer, it's really useful. Anyway, I got now into the chapter on weapons and it really got me to see the use of weapons in another light. All the practical things one needs to think about: the weight, the size, how easy or difficult to conceal them, all sorts of things you tend to forget as a reader, but that you need to keep in mind as a writer. And what impact does the mere presence or display of a wepon has on the characters. And I am also obsessed about signature weapons, for both my heroes and villains. Even though almost any weapon is potential lethal, they are not entirely interchangeable: they say something about the person wielding it, about his or her background, environment, culture. That's why I find this chapter particularly interesting. I blogged before about some potential signature weapons: the assegai, the navaja and the swordstick for instance. Expect to find more posts on the subject of weaponry and signature weapons in upcoming weeks.

Pâques aux Bouquinistes

Nouvelle apprise sur la page Facebook des Bouquinistes: ils font une chasse aux oeufs de Pâques. Une chasse aux oeufs dans une librairie? Quelle excellente idée! Je sais que j'ai quelques lecteurs vivant au Saguenay, dont certains ont des enfants, alors je plogue.

The God Pan

Because today is the Spring equinox and because Easter is coming (both being related), I thought I would share a picture that I associate with either. I took it from a book we have at my parents' home, a book on Greek mythology. I always associate Greek myths with Easter and spring. Might be my Pagan side. Anyway, you can see here the god Pan, surrounded by nymphs. He is not my favourite Greek god, but Pan is associated with fertility and spring, so he is just perfect for today.

Un cadran solaire pour l'équinoxe

 Nous sommes aujourd'hui le jour de l'équinoxe, officiellement le premier jour du printemps. Bon, pour moi il commence avec le mois de mars, mais bon. Enfin bref, c'est l'équinoxe du printemps et j'ai pensé que le soulignerais la date ici en partageant une photo prrise récemment. C'est un cadran solaire, pris dans un jardin pas si loin d'ici, et quoi de plus représentatif pour souligner les jours qui rallongent ainsi que le changement d'heure qui s'en vient (ayoye!).

Geneva, city of espionage

 Carrying on from my promise made in my post from the 25th of February, I am blogging again about a city associated with espionage, in fiction and in history. So today, I wanted to blog about Geneva. I have been to Switzerland once in ym life, more than 25 years ago, a very short stay, but I never set foot in its capital. However, I have seen it featured in many spy thrillers, as well as a few documentaries about espionage. Being a center of finance, diplomacy and international politics, it makes sense that Geneva has been a key setting for secret business, before and after the Cold War. I want to go to Switzerland and have a long stay there for a number of reasons (okay, mainly its trains). If we ever go to Geneva on holiday, I will keep this in mind, and maybe bring with me a spy thriller novel set there to read in my spare time.

Pâté chinois et betteraves

 Cette photo date de décembre 2025, chez mes parents. Comme nous ne trouvions pas de maïs en crème à ce moment-là de ce côté de l'Atlantique, ils ont eu l'idée de nous cuisiner un authentique pâté chinois. Une bonne nouvelle depuis: on a trouvé où s'acheter du maïs en crème, enfin. Mais bref, il y a quand même des choses que l'on ne retrouve pas ici: les betteraves faites maison. J'en achète ici, des "pickled beetroots", mais elles ne goûtent pas la même chose. Il faudra que j'apprenne à les mettre en conserve moi même, je crois.

Thriller Writing Workshop

 Okay so, there is something I have been wanting to blog about, but haven't had the occasion yet: I have been going to a thriller writing workshop in the library, done by a published author. Not a bestselling author, but still. It's £25 for the whole course, two hours per session, three sessions all in all, so six hours in total. Momney well spent, I'd say, and I might even add, or hope, money well invested. It is really helping me focus and stay disciplined in my writing, it provided a lot of useful tips already, as well as giving me a lot of inspiration. Furthermore, the quick story draft I wrote and then presented to the teacher/author was really well received. So I will be taking more writing workshops when I can.

Question existentielle (403)

 Question existentielle plus profonde et plus complexe qu'il n'y paraît:

-Devrait-on aimer ou détester le printemps?

Soyez honnête...

Paddy for Saint Paddy's

 I went to a local pub today for a drink and more to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day. There was only one pub somewhat decorated for the day, so I went in that one. I asked if they had any Irish whiskey to go with my pint of Guinness. They had one: Paddy. The barman was enthusiastic about giving me some, I mean he was surprisingly really happy about it, as if I was the one keeping tradition alive or something. So I had some. End of the story. But I have another anecdote about today: I did really well at work today. Like, really well. So my wife said: "Today you truly had the luck of the Irish." Which deserves to be a great unknown line.

Corto Maltese en Irlande

Comme c'est la Saint-Patrick pour encore quelques heures, une suggestion de lecture, une aventure de Corto Maltese d'Hugo Pratt. Je parle bien entendu de Concert en O mineur pour harpe et nitroglycérine.Vous la trouverez dans Les Celtiques.Je la plogue à chaque année.

Bushmills for Saint Paddy's?

 "McNulty: Can I get a Jameson?
Bartender: Bushmills OK?
McNulty: That’s Protestant whiskey.
Bartender: Price is right, ain’t it?
McNulty: Make it neat."

Well, first thing first: happy Saint Patrick's Day to you all. I will make time to drink today and, at some point, I might even accompany my usual pint with a shot of some Irish spirit. It might be Bushmills, even though it would be ironic to drink a Protestant whiskey on the day of a Catholic saint. But when we went to Belfast, we visited their distillery briefly. Could be a nice way to remember the trip. Oh and for those who don't know where the exchange above is from, it's from The Wire. You can watch the scene here. I've been wanting to say the reply next time they offer me some in a pub. Haven't had the chance since the local Irish pub shut down, but maybe today is my lucky day. Luck of the Irish, as they say.

La Saint-Pat au Cambio (rappel)

Tout d'abord, joyeuse Saint-Patrick à tous. Ensuite, veuillez noter pour ceux qui vivent au Saguenay que le Café Cambio la célèbre.Détails sur leur page Facebook, j'imagine.

Guinness (the crisps)

Tomorrow is Saint Patrick's Day, so I am preparing myself to it. I bought a few pints of Guinness and... and, well, that's it so far. No food for the special day. The Irish make the best crisps (see my post here). And you may be aware, if not please keep it in mind for tomorrow, that Guinness is also a flavour of crisps by Keogh's. I discovered them when we went to Belfast. There's Guinness and Flame Grill Steak, which I tried, and Guinness and Oyster, which I did not, because I didn't know it existed. Anyway, these crisps go well with, well, a pint of Guinness. I hope I can find some tomorrow (you never know).

Bière à l'érable (une critique)

 J'ai blogué le 6 mars sur la bière à l'érable de McAuslan, leur bière du printemps. Mon père en a fait une critique, que je partage ici: "Saveur de vanille et caramel. Mousse persistante et dense. Belle couleur ambrée. Accompagnerait peut-être un dessert. Se marie difficilement avec les chips." Ne me remerciez pas.

"Beware the Ides of March"

 Today is the 15th of March, therefore, this is the Ides of March. Which means that it is the anniversary of the assassination of Julius Caesar.A rather gruesome anniversary, but it shapes the world like not many others did, for centuries to come. I blog about it every year, it's a sort of tradition, because I love history and I get in an Ancient Rome mood round this time of year. That and an Irish mood, too, but I digress. So yeah, as you probably, we owe to Shakespeare the line "Beware the Ides of March," you can hear it in Julius Caesar. I have yet to see the whole play, shame on me. For me, it reminds me of this scene from the HBO series Rome. I am going to watch it. If you do, fair warning: it is very bloody.

Pâques chez les Pères trappistes

 Photo prise sur la page Facebook des Pères trappistes.Juste pour vous rappeler que Pâques c'est dans trois semaines. Je l'ai déjà dit je crois, il n'y a pas de meilleur endroit pour célébrer Pâques qu'au Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean. En tout cas, on y trouve sans doute le meilleur chocolat de Pâques.

An Irish Harp for Saint Paddy's?

Well, Saint Paddy's Day is coming and I thought it was about time that I blogged about it this year and prepare for it. Because as I am typing this, I haven't purchased a single Irish beer and I haven't really prepared anything for the 17th. Shame on me. Anyway, I will head on the nearest off license asap and sort things out. It struck me that there are more than one brand of Irish beer available. I drank this beer in Belfast, but I know I can buy Harp here too. Although I have strong opinion against drinking lager on St Patrick's Day and I still can't get my head around the very existence of Irish lagers, they exist and I could maybe add them to the drink menu. Just maybe. Like at the end of the evening. I will see what I can find.

Rhinoccino?

 Des fois, en revenant de l'école, mon fils et moi nous nous arrêtons dans un café pour manger un morceau et boire quelque chose. Je prends du thé ou du rooibos, il prend souvent un piccoloccino ou babyccino. J'aime bien le premier terme, le second beaucoup moins. Du lait chaud moussé avec un peu de cacao dessus pour faire joli. Servi dans une tasse toujours spéciale. La dernière fois, elle avait un  rhinocéros (rose) dessus. Ce qui fait du breuvage un rhinoccino? Je trouve que ça sonne bien.

Second Friday the 13th

For those among you who are superstitious, I am offering my commiseration as I have to remind you that we are Friday the 13th of March. And, to make matters worse, we are the second Friday of the year already. And, to make it even worse, 2026 has three Friday the 13th. For those among you suffering from triskaidekaphobia or paraskevidekatriaphobia, or both (I guess it's always both when you have such phobia), well, this is not your year. But on the plus side, after today, there will be only one Friday the 13th to go. For me, any Friday the 13th is just like any other Friday. I love when evening comes, and it is pretty much the weekend, however, it's a day out at the madhouse, whatever the date Friday falls on.

La Saint-Patrick au Café Cambio

Pour les Saguenéens qui se demandent où célébrer la Saint-Patrick, j'ai une bonne nouvelle: : j'apprends sur la page Facebook du Café Cambio qu'ils vont fêter ça en grand. Cool. Je savais qu'ils l'ont soulignée en 2024 et, j'imagine, l'année suivante. Mais il semblent vraiment créer une tradition. Bon, ce ne sera pas celles du défunt pub irlandais ici ou celles de Liverpool, mais quand même.

Vienna, city of espionnage

 You may remember back on the 25th of February, I had made the project of starting a number of posts here about cities and places associated with espionage, in fiction and/or in history. Well, I haven't forgotten it and today is the fitst post of I hope a new series. The first city I wanted to blog about came as a no brainer: I am talking of course of Vienna. Because it is not only the City of Music, it could easily qualify as the City of Espionage, and way before the Cold War. Of course it was one of those places at the center of the conflict between East and West, but it has always been the convergence point for both worlds, both Europes so to speak. Also, I suspect that due to its picturesque look, many spies would rather meet there than anywhere else in the world. For the writer, it makes for a great backdrop for a gripping drama, the beauty of Vienna a sharp contrast to the ruthless game of cloaks and daggers being played. Should you visit it, keep that in mind. I know I will next time.

"Pas grand-chose, c'est quelque chose."

 Je suis en train de lire (et, je l'espère, de terminer, car je lis trop lentement) le polar Entre deux mondes d'Olivier Norek. Un excellent roman noir comme ils en font de l'autre côté de la Manche. Et il y a de grandes répliques dans ce livre, je voulais en partager une. Le héros Adam Sarkis, ancien flic syrien devenu réfugié dans la Jungle de Calais, se fait demander par sa nouvelle connaissance Ousmane s'il a de l'argent. Il répond pas grand-chose, croyant être prudent. Ousmane lui dit alors: "Pas grand-chose pour qui? Pas grand-chose, c'est quelque chose. Je sais que tu as de l'argent, puisque tu viens d'arriver. (...) Mais tu dois toujours répondre non." Et voilà, c'est tout, je crois que ça peut s'appliquer à bien des situations, pas seulement celles des réfugiés. On a toujours quelque chose pour les gens mal intentionnés. Et sinon, lisez le livre, c'est vraiment un grand roman policier, une grande découverte dans le genre pour moi.

Pumpkin Spice Latte at the Yellow Ladder

 I am posting again about Yellow Ladder Coffee, the coffee shop we found out in London last month and which we really liked (well, I really liked it). You can find my original post here. I had forgotten to mention one other reason why I really liked this little known chain. They offered to my wife a pumpkin spice latte, which was the daily special brew, if I remember correctly. Now, I don't drink coffee, I actually hate the taste of coffee, I don't enjoy the effect it has on me, and it's the same with lattes. However, as an autumn and Halloween lover, I am glad I live in a world where pumpkin spice latte exists. It's one of those signs of my favourite season and my favourite holiday. I blogged yesterday about a possible early sign of Halloween to come. Well, this brew is the exact same thing: a reminder of autumn and Halloween. On a cold winter day, it also makes perfect sense to enjoy such brew, if you like coffee. In any case, Yellow Ladder Coffee just won themselves a new customer.

Guille et moi

Petite anecdote à propos de ma nouvelle job et de mon nom. Comme d'habitude, quand j'ai un nouvel employeur, mon nom se fait maganer un peu par mes collègues. Et parfois modifier. Un collègue hispanophone a décidé de m'appeler Guille. Le nom du petit frère de Mafalda. Ce n'est pas farfelu: Guille est le diminutif de Guillermo, l'équivalent espagnol de Guillaume. Et ça me plait bien, car Guille a toujours été mon personnage préféré de la bédé. Je crois que même ma mère m'appelait Guille parfois, quand j'étais jeune. Il partage aussi certains de traits de caractère avec petit loup.

"First" sign of Halloween?

There is something I forgot to blog about last month: during an afternoon trip to a nearby town, I stopped at the WHSmith near the station (and yes, I am well aware that it has been rebranded, but I don't care, it's WH Smith for me). And what did I see, by the till? This. These things. Halloween stuff. In freaking February. Granted, it was most likely stock from last week. All the same, it reminds me of the Halloween to come and, although I try to enjoy the present time, I do like to think of my favourite holiday way in advance. It put me in a good mood.

Les deux escoufles

Je blogue parfois sur les milans royaux qui sont nombreux dans le coin de pays où nous vivons. Je les appelle de leur vieux nom, escoufles. On les voit souvent voler au-dessus de nous. On les voit aussi perchés aux branches. Nous avons souvent un visiteur qui s'installe sur l'arbre derrière chez nous. Hier matin, nous en avions deux. J'ai eu le temps de les prendre en photo.

Truth Serum (The Night Agent)

 I am blogging again about the spy series The Night Agent. Because I really enjoy it, first and foremost. Also, because it renews with a number of old tropes that we seldom see nowadays in the genre, as far as I know. So yes, not to give too much away, but instead of using "proper" torture, ome of the antagonists (not sure if I can say villain) uses a truth serum to gather intel from an uncooperative person of interest. And it is also used, from what I read, fairly reastically. As I am typing this, the use of a truth serum in the episode has not been listed yet in the TV Tropes entry, to my surprise. Anyway, to me it shows that sometimes, to be original and creative, you need to revisit old tropes that have been discarted as clichés.

Le thermostat québécois (printemps VS automne)

Il y a quelques jours, une amie a posté ce meme dans un chat que nous avons. Il m'a bien fait rire. C'est bien entendu authentique. C'est drôle parce que c'est vrai. Bon, j'ai vu des memes semblables ailleurs, enfin qui parlaient du même sujet, ce n'est pas exclusivement une réalité québécoise, mais quand même. C'est vrai que notre rapport à la température dépend des circonstances. Même ici, j'ai souvent un sentiment d'horreur quand la température monte jusqu'à 15 degrés. Bon, je ne porte pas de t-shirt, mais je m'habille plus légèrement. Plus légèrement, dans tous les cas, que lorsque la température tombe à 15 degrés pour la première fois en automne. Mais c'est lorsque c'est trois degrés que c'est le plus frappant: si ça monte à trois degrés au printemps, après un long hiver, j'ai (trop) chaud. À l'automne, c'est un bonheur incomparable.

Farewell to the local autumn fayre

 I learned some sad news recently, which I wanted to blog about: as you may know, there is a local carnival held every year in September, the third or fourth Saturday of the month, in the biggest park in town. I blogged about it often before, like here. To me, it's like an officious autumn fayre. Sadly, for whatever reason (not sure if they were made public) the organisers cannot organise it this year, so there will be no local September carnival. No autumn fayre. This is one of the public event in our community I look forward to the most in the year. I'm really gutted.

Pâques chez les Pères trappistes

Je bloguais hier sur le compte-à-rebours vers Pâques, qui est commencé (c'est dans moins d'un mois). Je ne suis bien entendu pas le seul à le penser. Signe que la fête arrive: cette photo prise de la page Facebook des Pères trappistes. L'écureuil est l'animal de Pâques que j'ai choisi pendant des années pour mon chocolat, surtout parce que c'était l'un des plus gros. ici il n'ont pas d'écureuils. Ils n'ont rien d'approchant non plus, d'ailleurs.

Leo (crime fiction in a local shop)

There are times I am just happy to see that my favourite writers' novels are available locally, and in the most unexpected places. It happened a few months ago: I went to a local gifts shop and lo and behold, I saw Deon Meyer's Leo, in paperback format. I was very surprised: it usually only sells children classics, travel guides and the odd whodunit. But this proper gritty crime fiction. I should not have been surprised: it's the same gift shop where I found another dark thriller. Still, if I hadn't have bought it already, I might have had done it then. And I can always buy it as a present to a friend or family to encourage a local business.

Le calendrier vers Pâques

Nous sommes en plein Carême, ce qui veut dire que la prochaine vraie célébration dans le calendrier sera Pâques. Je sais, je sais, il y a d'abord la Saint-Patrick, mais ce n'est pas un jour férié et ce n'est pas non plus une fête essentiellement familiale. Ici, il y a aussi la Fête des mères en mars, mais encore une fois c'est moins observé et elle est en décalage par rapport à la Fête des mères ailleurs. Alors donc, il reste un peu moins d'un mois avant Pâques, je vais par conséquent passer du temps à me préparer à la fête, à faire de ce blogue (certains de ses billets) ainsi qu'une partie de mes temps libres une sorte de compte à rebours vers Pâques.

Is it spring already?

You know I consider that a season starts with the beginning of the month it starts, not on the day of the equinox or the solstice. Ergo, March marks the start of spring. And it seems that this year, the weather has been proving me right: since the beginning of March, it has been overall (and suddenly) quite warm. Warm and sunny. Added to this that we can notice the sun coming down later and later (it's easier to notice when it's not cloudy) and it seems that spring is here. Everybody is happy about it, except me. I know, I know, I'm a miserable grouch. But I prefer colder weather, for one, and I find shorter days more relaxing. But people should not be too enthusiastic: March is a notoriously treacherous month and things can look and feel gloomy quickly. Nevertheless, spring came early this year and I might as well get used to it.

St-Ambroise à l'érable

 Signe que c'est déjà le printemps (oui, oui): McAuslan a sorti sa "ale à l'érable". Je ne suis vraiment pas habitué au nouveau marketing, soit dit en passant. Enfin bref, mon père a acheté quelques cannettes de leur bière à l'érable. Je ne sais pas s'il a aimé la bière, mais il m'a envoyé des photos pour le blogue.

World Book Day (2026)

We are the first Thursday of March, so today is World Book Day. It's celebrated a lot here, at least at school, where many special activities are made. As I love reading, I try to commemorate it every year on this blog. And by trying to read more than usual AND making Wolfie read more too. He should come back home with a voucher to spend in a bookshop. A good excuse as any to visit our local one this weekend, or maybe even tomorrow afternoon. And you, what do you do for World Book Day? Anything at all?

Montréal souterrain

 J'ai lu brièvement cet article dans la Presse, à propos du Montréal souterrain. On est moins conscient de son existence, ironiquement, lorsqu'on vit à Montréal. C'est ma femme qui en a fait grand cas lors de son premier séjour et les subséquents. Moi, je le traversais de temps en temps, surtout pour mon magasinage des Fêtes après un matin de travail, ou ppour acheter un cadeau à celle qui allait devenir ma femme, mais j'ai assez peu connu le RESO. Et vous? Dans tous les cas, c'est sur notre liste d'activités lorsque nous retournerons à Montréal. Je verrai si ça a changé depuis le temps.

Yellow Ladder Coffee

 For those visiting London and looking for a decent coffee shop when you are on the go, I have a recommendation for you, especially if you stop at Whitechapel station on the tube: Yellow Ladder Coffee. We stopped there at random during our last family trip to London, the staff was so very nice and helpful and Wolfie even got a free babyccino. After a stressful journey to and through London, it was very much appreciated. We will stop back there when we can.

Conseil pour la Relâche

C'est la Relâche au Québec. Chez nous c'était il y a deux semaines, je suis donc un peu en décalage. Cela dit, j'en profite pour vous donner un conseil pour votre Relâche, surtout si vous avez des enfants. C'était une tradition que nous avions lorsque nous étions jeunes, j'en ai déjà parlé, notamment en 2024. Enfin bref, le conseil est le suivant: achetez à vos enfants un livre pour célébrer la Relâche. Au moins un. Allez à la librairie la plus proche et faites-le.

Useful Yeti

I wanted to blog about it for a while: Wolfie has a Yeti. I am not talking about his jumper. A few months ago, before school started, my wife bought him a rubber (and by that I mean erasor) with a Yeti on its plastic cover. This Yeti (or "the Yeti", as it is labelled) looks kind of strange, he looks more like a goat than ape-like, but still, it's kind of cool that my son has such critter on his schoolbag. Moral of the story: I am easily amused.

Un ours en "forêt"

J'ai pris cette photo en 2024 à l'Ulster Museum de Belfast. Vous connaissez sans doute ma fascination pour la taxidermie, j'ai donc passé beaucoup de temps à regarder des bêtes empaillées, comme cet ours. Sur ses deux pattes, il a l'air presque vivant et, si on ne voyait pas les angles de la photo d'arrière-plan, on le croirait vraiment en forêt. C'est ce que j'aime aussi des animaux empaillés: avec le bon décor, on se croirait vraiment dans un autre environnement.

Hunting Lodge (The Night Agent)

As you know, I have been (binge) watching the third season of the spy thriller The Night Agent on Netflix. It's great fun and very gripping, even though it's often derivative. But I think that sometimes, for certain genres, such as spy fiction, revisiting commonplaces and common tropes is part of the fun. So in one episode, the hero ends up in a hunting lodge. I love a good hunting lodge in adventure and spy stories. It's a perfect setting to put the hero in danger and for him to become a prey. Also, Hunter's Lodge was the name of a historical secret organisation (which I read researching to blog this post), so it works on a thematical/symbolic level too. In any case, I always get excited when I see that a spy or a crime story as a sort of hunting lodge as one of its settings.

La garde-robe

Bon, ben, il faut se rendre à l'évidence; le contenu de ma garde-robe commence à se faire vieux, voire ancien. J'ai reçu un gilet à Noël de ma mère, acheté une chemise en septembre dernier, autrement mes derniers vêtements datent pour la plupart des semaines avant la pandémie. Sauf les bas: je les use à la semelle, alors j'en achète plus régulièrement. Mais enfin bref, moi qui déteste magasiner du linge, je vais devoir le faire bientôt.

Penguin Books Vending Machine

 I stumbled on this picture on social media. At first, I thought it was a fake picture created by AI. Apparently, not, books vending machine are actually a thing, and not only from Penguin Books. A quick Google search helped me found a number of companies offering this service. And I find this very cool. Obviously, I haven't seen any of them around, but I will look for them from now on. Maybe during my next trip to London? They should be more frequent there. And you, have you seen any? Have you made a purchase (or more) from one? Let me know in the comments.