Black and Blue

 Yesterday, when we picked up Wolfie from school, we saw that the dad of one of his classmate was wearing a suit instead of the usual sloppy dad clothes we dads all wear on school runs. A black suit and a blue shirt, no tie. I said to my wife he probably went to a job interview. I was brave (or reckless?) enough to ask him: "Black suit, blue shirt, that's a dead giveaway that you went to a job interview, am I right?" I was right. Thankfully, I was right and he was not back from a funeral or something else. Anyway, I think that deserves to be a great unknown line. I knew he was wearing a suit for a job interview because I did the exact same thing last week, also a black suit with a blue shirt. It's perfect for interviews ad you appear professional, but the blue is not an agressive colour, so you come off as friendly. It's also perfect for all formal occasions: funerals, weddings, baptisms, first communions, etc. But especially for job interviews. Oh, and for the record, he got the job. I didn't.

Les brouillards de janvier

 Je veux revenir sur mon billet d'hier, à propos du brouillard (ou parfois de la brûme) qui a été le lot de ce mois de janvier. Le brouillard est assez fréquent en janvier, mais il l'a été encore plus cette année. On en a encore eu hier lorsqu'on a mené Wolfie à l'école. Le brouillard apparaît au moins une fois par semaine. Cette photo date du 16 janvier. C'est vraiment magnifique, on dirait que l'on passe dans un autre monde hors du temps. Si je pouvais, je passerais tout le matin à marcher jusqu'à ce qu'il se dissipe.

Mozart, music and chocolate

Yes, yes, Mozart's birthday was yesterday, I know it came and it's gone. However, as it is still Mozart Week, this household will spend it listening to Wolferl's music and we will stuff ourselves with Mozartkugeln. We made stocks during our time in Austria and we are still getting through them. I tookthis picture in Salzburg, where Mozart as born 270 years ago and one day. They sell the stuff everywhere, in all sorts of varieties. But more on that in another post. I thought it would be fitting to share a bit of Cosi fan tutte. One of my operatic obsessions. It's about love and, yes, sometimes it is also about chocolate.

Mon globe terrestre

Lors de mon dernier séjour au Québec, j'ai retrouvé dans un coin du salon d'en bas mon globe terrestre. Je dis mong lobe terrestre, parce que c'est un cadeau de mon parrain, de Noël 1985, 1986 ou 1987, je crois. On pouvait le brancher et une ampoule à l'intérieur l'éclairait. Sans lumière, on voit les montagnes, les plaines, etc. Avec lumière, on peut voir les pays et leurs frontières, de différentes couleurs. Enfin, les pays du temps de la Guerre froide. J'étais fasciné par ce globe et je pouvais passer des heures à le consulter. Je ne sais pas si la lumière fonctionne encore.

A Sherlock Holmes Guide

I found this book in a thrift sales, it cost me a quid or something. So even though my bookshelves are packed, I regret nothing. Its full title is The Sherlock Holmes Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained. It's a guide to all the canonical adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I love reading Sherlock Holmes, but I am not an expert. I do hope that with this book, if I take time to read it, I will become more knowledgeable and learn to appreciate even more the stories I read and loved and see them in a new light.

Janvier et le brouillard

Il n'y a pas de neige ici depuis notre retour et ça me manque. Cela dit, janvier a été jusqu'ici un mois de brouillard, parfois de brume. J'essaie de prendre des photos autant que je peux, parce que c'est vraiment joli. Il y aura d'autres photos d'ici à la fin du mois.

The Birthday of Amadeus

As you probably know by now, today is the birthday of of Wolfgang Johannes Chrysostome Amadeus Mozart, the heart of Mozart Week. I commemorate it a picture with his most famous (although not his most accurate) portrait, which I took in Vienna. I am also sharing a bit of his music, the Concerto for Flute, Harp and Orchestra. I thought I would give you a break from opera. And that a birthday needed something joyful and youthful.

Gâtastrophe à l'érable

Des fois, je fais des gâteaux, juste pour que l'on puisse manger un dessert frais maison. J'avais cuisiné un gâteau à l'érable l'an dernier, j'ai décidé de faire la même chose en fin de semaine. Le résultat a été moins convaincant, en tout cas en ce qui concerne la présentation. J'ai été trop impatient à le sortir du moule. Mais sinon, il était très mangeable quand même.

Safari Outfits in South Africa

At the moment, I am rereading South African crime writer Deon Meyer's novel Blood Safari. I know I have a huge pile of TBR, however I was in the mood to revisit this novel as it features one of my favourite characters of Meyer, troubled bodyguard and sort of private eye Martin Lemmer. And sometimes rediscovering novels you enjoyed years ago (more than a decade for this particular one) is just what you need. Anyway, so rereading Blood Safari, I discovered that one of the characters, a middle aged barmaid who is attracted to Lemmer, makes an observation about tourists in South Africa, the very same another character of Meyer made in another novel (more details in this post from 2016). She notices that among tourists, "(...) the foreigners wear safari outfits." Ouch. If I ever visit South Africa, which I hope to do one day, I swear I will not commit that faux pas.

Mafalda et le futur

Cette image a été prise il y a quelques jours sur la page Facebook officielle de Mafalda. Je ne me rappelais plus de ce gag. Il prend une toute autre dimension de nos jours, sachant de quoi l'avenir a l'air. Je crois que beaucoup ont envie de faire comme ce crabe.

Don Giovanni for Mozart Week

Because it is Mozart Week, I think it is proper to share more of Mozart's music. I took this picture in Salzburg, the city of his birth. As you can read beneath, it is a drawing of a stage design Don Giovanni, my favourite opera of Wolfgang. My favourite opera, period, in fact. I haven't shared an aria from DG for a long while, not since 2022, so it was about time. This is Mi tradi wuell alma ingrata, sung by Alexandra Lowe (a soprano I don't know all that much) and I hope you enjoy.

Première Moisson en mode Saint-Valentin

Photo prise de la page Facebook de Première Moisson. Février n'est pas encore arrivé qu'ils sont déjà en mode Saint-Valentin. Je trouve que c'est un peu tôt, mais si je vivais à Montréal, c'est là que j'achèterais mon chocolat et mes desserts.

Baijiu

Fairly recently, I was made aware of another alcohol I did not know about: the Chinese liquor baijiu. (By the way, baijiu is the word of the day.) Ironically enough, I heard about it through the Japanese anime programs I have been watching recently on Netflix (more on that another day). Japanese anime, even aimed at children, tend to be rather less strict, if not downright permissive, about display of alcohol and drinking in their stories. Anyway, so baijiu is a traditional alcohol and I am getting curious about it. I wonder if it is easy to find here. Anybody tried it? How does it taste like? What's the best way to enjoy it? Please let me know in the comments.

Canards de bois

J'ai déjà je crois partagé cette photo il y a dix ans, mais je suis retombé dessus hier. Les canards de bois de notre foyer.

Cherubs and Cherubino

As you know if you are following this blog, we are during Mozart Week, a festival held in his native Salzburg to celebrate his birth and his life. As I am a big fan of Mozart, I'm celebrating it here too. I took this picture in Salzburg, during our last holiday in Austria. Which was, to me, a pilgrimage. It is a ridiculously allegorical portrait of Amadeus, but I thought it would be fitting for the aria I am sharing today. As there are cherubs visiting him from heaven (maybe to make sure he doesn't get naughty with the lady he is playing to?), I thought it would be fitting to put an aria from Le Nozze di Figaro. Sang of course by Cherubino, who here takes the voice and face of Israeli mezzosoprano Rinat Shaham. There are subtitles for your convenience.

Pâté chinois (authentique)

Mes parents nous ont gâtés lors de notre dernier séjour chez eux: ils ont fait un vrai de vrai pâté chinois. C'est pas mal le meilleur que j'aie mangé depuis des années. Ce qui fait la différence, c'est le maïs en crème.

The Return of the Night Agent

As you may know, I have enjoyed in the past watching the Netflix spy TV series The Night Agent. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it's a solid thriller that kept me entertained. It has a few ineresting enough characters, a lot of suspense and it is not too ridiculously far-fetched. I am even curious about the novel it is based on, although I might not buy it any time soon: too many books on my TBR list already. But anyway, there's been two seasons of the series and a third one is coming. It's going to be aired next month. I am really looking forward to it. Have you seen the series? What do you think of it? Tell me in the comments.

Manicouagan (le thé)

 Lors de notre dernier séjour au Québec, j'ai eu la chance d'acheter des produits locaux. J'ai découvert La Route du Thé, enfin j'ai acheté un de leurs produits la veille de notre départ. J'ai donc acheté le (la?) Manicouagan. Nommé en l'honneur de l'autre Manicouagan (l'endroit, pas la chanson). Un thé noir pas mauvais qui est solide quand je veux me réveiller le matin. Enfin bref, je suis heureux de voir que des compagnies de thé voient le jour au Québec.

Queens of the Night

Today is the start of Mozart Week, a music festival celebrating his work held in his native city of Salzburg. And I thought, what better way to show this blogger's love for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart than to share a picture of our last holiday in Austria and sharing an aria for good measure. So yeah, I took this photo in his birthday house, now a museum. These are two mannequins dressed like the Queen of the Night, one of the many emblematic characters in Die Zauberflöte. I also share her most famous aria, sung by Diana Damrau. One of its most iconic interpretations. Side note: which costume do you prefer?

Pêche blanche (je crois)

 Photo prise par ma femme lors de notre retour de La Baie. Ils faisaient déjà de la pêche blanche au début de janvier. Enfin je crois que c'est de la pêche blanche.