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.

Une souche de chêne

 J'ai pris cette photo l'an dernier, lorsque nous étions à la réception d'un mariage, au début d'avril. C'était dans le jardin d'un pub, qui hélas n'existe plus. Il a fermé quelques mois plus tard. Vous l'avez sans doute vue avant sur ce blogue, je prenais la souche en photo à chaque fois que j'allais au pub. Avec les années, elle a pris un coup de vieux, sa base se brisant en miettes. Un peu comme ce qui est arrivé à l'établissement lui-même: il a cessé d'attirer du monde. J'espère qu'il va rouvrir un jour.

Saint David's Day (and Welsh cakes)

Ttoday is the first of March, which means it is the Feast of Saint David, AKA the patron saint of Wales. I am conscious of its existence since 2000, when fellow actors threw daffodils at the end of a performance at uni, on the first of March, all wearing the iconic Welsh flag on their shoulders, as if it was a cape. Since then, I commemorate their national day. Since Wolfie is fond of Welsh cakes, we eat Welsh cakes together and that's pretty much it. I also mention it on this blog.

Co(q)uilles sur Duolingo

 Des fois, ma femme choque Duolingo. Il y a quelques semaines, elle essayait de faire la conversation à un bot et elle a mal prononcé "cuisine", confondant le "u" et le "ou". Alors ça a donné... Ben, ca a donné ça, ce que vous voyez sur l'image ici. Elle ne savait pas trop pourquoi le bot était soudainement choqué et a scoupé la conversation. J'ai dû lui expliquer. Bon, elle se doutait un peu de la raison, ce  n'était pas la première fois que sa prononciation et son accent lui jouent des tours. Enfin bref, ça m'a bien fait rire. Ce qui est encore plus amusant, c'est que c'est littéralement une coquille.