The hare on the bottle

I blogged before about the Gem from Bath Ales, a beer I really like and drink far too seldom. That said, it was yesterday evening's poison. What is interesting is that it was actually Wolfie's choice: I showed him the two beers I bought and asked him which one I should have. He enthusiastically pointed at the Gem. Then tried to grab it, then got grumpy because I wouldn't let him take it. Must be the hare on its label. And the colour: Wolfie, just like me, loves darkish orange and amber colours. I don't want to get him too enthusiastic about beer at such tender age, but this was a funny little moment.

A gem of an ale

I often blog about beers, but I seldom blog about Bath, which is a lovely city. It is also the hometown of Bath Ales, a microbrewery that sells its products all around England, if not in the whole of UK. With the hare on its label (yes, it's an hare, not a rabbit). And if you try one, you will not regret it. Like the Gem, which is one of its main beers. This was tonight's poison and is always a pleasure to drink. Dark as an ale should be, and just bitter enough. On a rainy and/or cool day, this is the perfect drink. Or any day for those of you who, like me, don't like blonde beers much. It is truly, excuse the bad pun, a gem of an ale.

Les feuilles d'automne (encore)

Voici une autre photo de Bath en automne, pour illustrer le sujet de ce billet. Bien sûr, tout les endroits ici ne sont pas aussi magnifiques que Bath peut l'être en automne. En fait, à n'importe quelle saison, je me demande si quelqu'endroit que ce soit est aussi magnifique que Bath, à quelque saison que ce soit.

Enfin bref, je m'ennuyais au travail aujourd'hui. C'était une journée tranquille. Quand je m'ennuie, il m'arrive de jeter un coup d'oeil à la fenêtre (ça vous arrive aussi?). Et puis j'ai remarqué une autre fois les arbres couverts de feuilles flamboyantes. Jaune et rouge ne sont jamais aussi jaune et rouge qu'en automne. et même les feuilles brunes et desséchées ont quelque chose de vivant. Il y a surtout du jaune là où je travaille. L'entreprise où je travaille est dans un parc industriel, au milieu d'un quartier qui a l'air passablement débâclé, tout est brique, verre et impersonnel. Pourtant, les arbres en automne donnent de l'âme à des endroits qui n'en ont pas. Et j'ai pensé aux villes où j'ai vécu ici, les villes que j'ai connues. Même les moins jolies, comme disons Liverpool (j'adore Liverpool, mais elle n'était pas jolie partout), Reading ou Milton Keynes, ont un certain cachet en automne. Je me rappelle avoir marché dans les quartiers des affaires à Milton Keynes, tout briques et béton aussi, et c'était presque joli en automne. Bien sûr, quand une ville est déjà belle (disons Bath), elle devient irrésistible en automne.

Un jeu d'ombre et de lumière

Cette photo a été prise à Bath en 2009, un 30 octobre pour être plus précis, lors de ma dernière visite dans la ville. je voulais la publier depuis un bout de temps, j'ai même considéré l'utiliser pour la photo du mois, mais comme elle a déjà été prise il y a deux ans je croyais que ce n'était pas approprié. Mais qu'importe maintenant, j'ai décidé de la mettre ici. C'est l'Halloween très bientôt et cette photo est pleine d'atmosphère saisonnière.

Ce que j'aime dans cette photo, c'est le mélange d'ombre et lumière, qui n'est pas contrastée: la pénombre s'installe, absorbe pour ainsi dire la lumière, le feuillage a des teintes de feu qui meurt, les oiseaux (des black birds comme dans la chanson des Beatles, je crois) sont une présence vaguement inquiétante. On ne voit pas le diable mais son oeuvre, commme j'aime à le répéter (même si ce n'est pas de moi).

Autumn is back

I just want to reassure my readership about this season that was starting to feel out of season recently, and in particular all those autumn aficionados (among them my mum) and of course all my fellow Halloween lovers: today, autumn was back. Well, it was back yesterday, but since today was supposed to be hot and it was not, since it was rather cool, windy a little bit miserable (but just miserable enough to be bearable), since I know that tomorrow will be colder, I can safely assume that autumn is definitely settled here. Touch wood. It felt good. Sure, those sudden changes of temperature gave me a sore throat and I had a tickly cough from time to time, but nothing I cannot take.

This photo was taken in Bath, in October 2009. My mother didn't like Bath as much as she thought she would when she visited it. I find it difficult not to adore Bath, but maybe her expectations were too high. I find the city particularly beautiful in autumn (yes, I blogged about it before). This is not the greatest pic, actually it is pretty common and could have been taken anywhere, but it is fitting enough for this post.

Nature froide

Il faisait un froid de canard aujourd'hui, un temps d'octobre typique. Même s'il faisait chaud il n'y a pas si longtemps, on gelait aujourd'hui on gelait. Cela dit, il faisait soleil. Les couleurs étaient splendides, il va sans dire. Comme je l'ai déjà dit à quelques reprises, la nature n'est jamais aussi belle que lorsqu'elle meurt en automne. Le froid intensifie cette impression.

Et cette photo a été prise à Bath. Ce n'est pas aussi beau ici, mais toutes les excuses sont bonnes pour publier mes photos de Bath.

Lire dehors en automne

Il a fait un temps splendide hier et aujourd'hui et il semblerait que ce sera encore le cas demain, vendredi et toute la fin de semaine. Il fait doux, il fait soleil, mais la brise et les couleurs dans les arbres nous rappellent que l'automne est bien arrivé.

J'ai déjà dit ici à quel point j'aime lire dehors durant l'été. Aujourd'hui, j'ai eu une soudaine envie de lire dehors. Après tout, une journée d'automne s'y prête aussi bien. Aujourd'hui, j'ai lu un peu en attendant le train, des histoires de fantômes bien sûr. Avec les arbres et la brise fraîche, l'atmosphère est saisissante et parfaite pour ce genre de lecture. Dans un monde idéal, j'aurais un jardin où je pourrais m'asseoir avec une tasse de thé brûlant ou une bière et je pourrais lire mes histoires d'épouvante, mais je me contenterai d'un banc de parc ou de gare.

Ah oui, cette photo a été prise à Bath. Je la mets ici un peu arbitrairement, mais j'aime Bath, elle a été prise en automne et on peut y voir des bancs publics.

Terrifying image

This picture was taken in Bath, almost a year ago, on the 30th of October. I cannot remember exactly where. I cannot remember what this statue was or why it was there. I think it was in the Royal Victoria Park. In any case, I think it is a terrifying sight.

In the documentary I put here on M.R. James, one of the persons interviewed mentioned that James's type of terror he created in his writings was subtle, at the corner of the eye, barely perceptible, which was enough to create dread. That is what struck me about this statue in the woods: there is something malevolent about the expression of its face, with the darkness coming, the autumn colours, it simply looked really threatening. I read once a scary Transylvanian tale that spoke of a guardian spirit of the forest, who murdered a few careless lumberjacks. The spirit could take many forms, but I always pictured him like this statue.

Octobre

Nous sommes le premier jour d'octobre aujourd'hui. C'est à peine si j'ai septembre passer, ayant été très occupé au travail. Aujourd'hui, le temps était misérable, horriblement pluvieux et morne. Pour moi, octobre est le mois qui mène à l'Halloween, le mois où je lis sérieusement des histoires d'horreur et où j'essaie de marcher dans les bois aussi souvent que possible. Cette photo a été prise à Bath l'année dernière, le 30 octobre. Le feuillage des arbres n'est pas aussi magnifique ici, pas pour le moment en tout cas, et il n'y a pas de ville qui ait la beauté intemporelle de Bath, mais j'ai pensé mettre la photo ici pour souligner le début d'octobre.

Where could I live?

I thought about this yesterday: I have seen a number of places in my life, towns and cities, both as a resident and as a tourist. I was wondering in which one of them I could live and be happy, if I had the opportunity to move there. Loving a place depends of emotional factors much more than objectives ones. I thought I would make the list here of the places I would most gladly move to:

-There is Montreal. Well of course. This is where I feel most at home and where I feel most local. Even though I am from Saguenay, which a Montrealer easily identifies the moment I open my mouth (it appears that I kept my accent), I feel Montrealer. It is true that many Bleuets expats end up in Montreal, so it's like a second home for us. Strangely enough, I do not feel the need to go back and live in Chicoutimi.
-There is also Liverpool, my city of adoption (albeit for a relatively short period of time). It might not be a beautiful place, but neither is Montreal and Liverpool, probably more than Montreal, has character. I never felt local, but I never felt like a stranger either. Maybe it is because Liverpool has a long tradition of welcoming immigrants, which makes it a city where one feels naturally at home, maybe it is because there are cultural similarities between the Scousers and the Québec Northerner I am, maybe it is because Liverpool was the city where I got my favourite job so far. I probably idealise it more than I should, but there you go.
-Bath I think I could appreciate living there, although I might find the history of the city a bit heavy on a daily basis. But it is just so beautiful a place, I wouldn't miss the chance of trying it as a resident.
-Same thing with Cambridge, which I find beautiful, but maybe with too much history. I would certainly try it if I had the chance. I might feel intimidated by the presence of its university, but I would sure spend lots of time in its bookstores.
-Dublin. I have been there once, ten years ago, and for only one week, but I loved it to bits. I did not feel the presence of history at all, even though I saw many tourists. I had a thing for Ireland before I went there, it only got stronger after I left. And I could live on Guinness easily.
-I always thought I would feel comfortable living in Bergamo. But then I would need to improve my Italian. Bergamo is another city I really loved. It is heavy with history, but I did not feel the tourist's presence much, if at all. I have a thing for Italian culture and a personal bound with the country, which I blogged about often. I could develop this relationship in Bergamo. The fact that it is in the North of Italy makes it a natural choice. Like in Liverpool, I would be a Northerner there too. I have one vivid image of Bergamo: I was at the top of a tower (can't remember the name, but it has a history) and I could hear a baritone singing Mozart from the Music faculty of their university nearby. Idyllic. There are one or two other anecdotes about me and the place, which I might blog about one day.

The jury is still out for Vancouver and Manchester, which I loved but as a tourist (and in Manchester as a pilgrim) and I am not sure I could apppreciate these particular cities as much as a resident. Anyway, where could you, my readership, live, if you were given the choice?

Autumn day in Bath

My wife and I had a short weekend break in Bath recently. Bath is a lovely city, one of my favourite in England. I had visited it once, but during the end of Summertime, not when Autumn was in full force, with the trees in fiery colours. The city was beautiful then, it is even more now, by this time of year. But Bath is beautiful anytime, any day, even when it is pouring rain. I don't know why exactly. Maybe it is the architecture, maybe it is the serene atmosphere, maybe it is its particular history. Bath is famous for its... baths and its water which has the reputation to have medicinal properties. This dates back to the legend of King Bladud, who was cured from leprosy by bathing in it. I sometimes joke to my wife that I managed to lose weight because I drank of that special water after visiting the Roman baths. The pump room gives a glass of spa water freely for those who purchased a ticket for the tour, so I drank it fresh from the pump. "Fresh" was a figure of speech: it was warm and not very good or refreshing. That said, I lost weight afterwards so maybe it has miraculous properties after all. I should thank Goddess Minerva, to whom King Bladud dedicated the city. This is something else I love about Bath: this is maybe the most ancient multicultural city in Britain, where Celtic and Roman civilisations met. They are still present in the city and live harmoniously with Christian culture which of course came afterwards. You can see a perfect illustration of this on the bottom right picture, which shows a statue of Minerva in front of the Bath Abbey.