Christmas at the Bookshop

 I went to the local bookshop today for some Christmas shopping. There was so many books stacked that I made a few fall. But the staff was very understanding. One of them told me: "Oh don't worry, books are jumping all over the place today, they're very lively." This deserves to be a great unknown line. I bought nothing for myself. I suspect my wife made a few purchases there anyway. So I behaved.

Ourson de Noël

J'ai acheté cet ourson pour petit loup. En fait non, j'ai acheté une boîte, avec dedans le toutou, la rembourrure pour le toutou, une aiguille, du fil et un manuel d'instructions simples pour le construire. Avec son foulard rouge carreauté, il est supossé être un ourson de Noël. Enfants, mes frères et moi nous avions des petits oursons avec des foulards rouges et une tuque rouge comme celle du Père Noël. L'ourson de Wolfie me fait un peu penser à ceux de mon enfance.

Christmas Gin

During my last time at the Christmas fayre, I had the chance to taste the products of The Marlow Distillery. The town doesn't only have a brewery, it also had a distillery that makes dry gin. Among them, a Christmas gin that is now sold out, which is a shame as it is really a delight. It tastes spicy and festive. I suspect Santa Claus has a few on his big night out, to get through the job. I'd leave him a shot if I could. Anyway, I am not a connoisseur, but I might buy their products one day.

Bûche et bonhommes de neige

Photo prise encore une fois sur la page Facebook de Première Moisson. Ils font des bûches avec des bonhommes de neige choco-vanille. Bon, des bûches carrées, je ne suis pas encore un fan du design, mais j'essaierais.

Radio Times ('Tis the season to be watching)

 It is a sight I always look for in shops this time of year: the Christmas edition of Radio Times! Because, as I said it before and as I am saying it again now: 'tis the season to be watching, falala lalaaaa... I buy it every year, except when we don't celebrate it in the UK, although even then I would be tempted to buy it anyway, just for the sheer pleasure of owning it and reading it. There are always interesting festive articles and interviews. This year, you may be surprised to know that I will not buy it. Because yes, we are going away. All the same, I love seeing Radio Times in the shops. It makes me feel Christmasssee.

Pain sandwich orange

 Photo prise sur la page Facebook de la Fromagerie Boivin. Un pain sandwich fait avec du Petit Crémeux, recette de Ricardo. Le pain sandwich est un classique des Fêtes. Pas pour Noël même, mais pour les jours avant ou les jours après. J'ai des opinions ambivalents envers le pain sandwich. Cela dit, j'essaierais bien celui-ci.

Gingerbread Man Babyccino

Sometimes, after I pick up Wolfie from school, we stop by one of the local coffee shops and we have a drink and a cake together. I have tea, he goes for babyccino. And, as Christmas is coming, it seems that they have special figures for their babyccino. Now, there is no gingerbread or ginger at all in this drink. It's just literally a figure made of cocoa powder, like you often see on real coffee. All the same, it'svery cute and festive and worth the price of the babyccino. Which is very reasonable, by the way.

Le futur TGV Québec-Toronto

Des nouvelles à propos du TGV Québec-Toronto, un projet de transport en commun et plus précisément de transport ferroviaire qui m'intéresse beaucoup. Parce que j'aime les trains et parce que le transport ferroviaire, au Québec et au Canada, en, il fait vraiment dur et faudrait que ça change. Toujours est-il que j'apprends que le premier tronçon sera construit entre Montréal et Ottawa au plus tard en 2030. C'est une bonne nouvelle, si ça se concrétise (je demeure prudemment optimiste). Et j'ajouterais, sans raison précise: jolie image promo dans l'article de la grosse Presse.

First presents wrapped

Here is a quick post about Christmas preparations. I am being slow, but yesterday, Wolfie and I wrapped together the presents to his cousins, my nephews, aka my brother Andrew's sons. I'm not going to blog pictures of the presents, because I am terrible at wrapping, even Wolfie told me I was hopeless. But it gets me in the mood for Christmas. Anyway, what about you, dear readers? Did you start wrapping the presents, or you leave it to the last minute?

Festin de Noël

J'ai blogué une photo similaire l'an dernier, ma mère l'avait prise dans la résidence d'une de mes tantes. C'est une représentation artistique d'un festin des Fêtes. Noël s'en vient et j'avoue que je commence à avoir hâte de me goinfrer.

A Thriller on the Swedish Railway

You may remember last year, I got my hands on  The Arctic Railway Assassin. It's part of the Adventures on a Train series, some crime fiction and adventure novel for children. Of course, I thought it would be for Wolfie, but it's really a book to be enjoyed together, father and son. It has a lot of things I love: a crime story, set in a train, during Christmastime and in a wintery landscape. What more can I ask for? We didn't have time to read it last Christmas, but we have started now. And there's another thing I discovered about it that makes me really like it: it's actually set in Sweden. What more can one want for a Christmas thriller?

Les bûches de Première moisson

 Photo prise sur la page Facebook de Première Moisson. Ils ont bien entendu sorti leurs bûches de Noël, qui sont un peu carrées à mon goût, mais bon. J'aimerais quand même y goûter. Je ne sais pas si je vais avoir l'occasion cette année.

Christmas Activities

Sometimes, I buy things for Wolfie, but truly, I buy them for me. I went to town a few days ago, and I saw Usborne Christmas Activities in a shop. I bought it right away. It is a great book of games for the Christmas holidays, but it can also be used as a sort of Advent calendar. It should keep us entertained until Christmas, in any case.

Village de Noël

 Nous sommes allés dans un magasin la fin de semaine dernière et nous y avons vu bien des patentes de Noël, dont ce village de Noël. C'est une condition quand vient le temps des Fêtes: les commerces montrent des scènes hivernales hyper typiques, montrant un Noël qui n'existe pas ou plus, avec de la neige, des sapins de Noël et, dans ce cas-ci, des skieurs (ou des gens qui se prêtent à d'autres activités hivernales). C'est une nécessité au pied de l'arbre de Noël également, d'ailleurs j'essaie de convaincre petit loup de bâtir le nôtre.

White the Husky Dog

 No, no, we didn't buy a dog. Last year, when we went to the petting zoo and visited Santa's Grotto in the North Pole, Wolfie had the right to build one plush toy for Christmas. It's the same every year: one toy, one plush toy, which he builds himself. Every year he goes for a different teddy. As the family's menagerie is full of bears already (and bears of all sorts), he went for the husky dog, As it seemed both original and fitting with Christmas somehow. He called him White because his belly is all white.

Les Bouquinistes durant Noël

 Photo prise sur la page Facebook des Bouquinistes. J'espère pouvoir y aller durant les Fêtes...

Everything Train for Christmas

You may remember that last year I blogged about the Christmas presents you could buy at the shop of the the National Railway Museum in York. My wife spoiled me last Christmas with, well, lots of train related gifts, among them a Christmas train jumper (which you can see on this picture) and scarf. I think most of the presents she bought me were from the NRM, actually. You know how much I associate Christmas with trains. It is even more so now.

Ciné-cadeau est commencé

Je veux faire un petit rappel pour mes lecteurs du Québec, surtout ceux qui ont des enfants: Ciné-cadeau est commencé depuis le 5 décembre. Il me semble, je me trompe peut-être, que ça commence beaucoup plus tôt que quand j'étais jeune. Pas que je m'en plaigne (ou pas que je m'en plaindrais si je vivais au Québec): ça fait durer le plaisir et ça nous permet aussi de patienter d'ici à Noël. Mais sinon, dites-moi ce que vous pensez de la cuvée 2025 et si vous regardez Ciné-cadeau déjà.

Spiced Mulled Wine

I went to a local Christmas fayre recently. Our little town has one every year, I try to go there if I can. It's pretty much the same every year mostly a night of shopping for Christmas, but it is also the opportunity to eat and drink. And, often, to drink the first cup of mulled wine. There were stalls selling it everywhere. I took a glass from The Spiced Wine Company. Not sure why this one or another, as it was a quid more expensive, but I enjoyed the drink anyway. All warm and spicy and seasonal.

Neige encore

 Une autre photo de la neige à Chicoutimi, rien que parce que.