Dernier jour de février

 Bon, lieu commun abominable: c'est le dernier jour de février. Fin du mois, une fin de semaine, un samedi. Je l'apprécierai d'autant plus que j'ai recommencé à travailler. Donc, pour moi, février a été un mois plutôt positif, somme toute. Je sais que février fait partie d'un des mois les moins populaires de l'année, c'est même parfois considéré comme le mois le plus déprimant de l'année, je suis moi-même ambivalent à son sujet, mais j'ai lentement appris à l'apprécier. Et vous, comment a été votre mois de février?

Dites-le avec des sucreries

 Photo prise sur la page Facebook de Première Moisson. Si j'étais au Québec aujourd'hui, c'est leur Coeur framboise amandes pistaches que j'aurais acheté pour la famille afin de célébrer la Saint-Valentin. Parce que les roses fanent, les sucreries se savourent. Sinon, bonne Saint-Valentin à tous.

Friday the 13th: a Doomsday Memory

So, as you probably have noticed, today is Friday the 13th. We have three this year, so the superstitious among you better brace themselves: it's going to be a heavy year. I never was superstitious, except maybe when I was a child, and then it was more for fun than anything else. I always had a certain shiver of fear, of playful uncertainty, when it was Friday the 13th. When we were walking back from school, we sometimes walked along the way with a fellow pupil, not a friend but a friend of a friend. He had a wild imagination and had invented a sort of Doomsday calendar for Friday the 13th. He used to say that this particular day was Zombie Day, or Axe Wielding Maniacs Day, or some such things. He started saying whatever horror Apocalyptic things was meant to happen on this specific Friday the 13th we were on. Then he carried on for the rest of the week. It might have sounded scary, but I found it entertaining in its sinister way. So yeah, this is my most vivid childhood memory of Friday the 13th. What is yours?

About Diamonds

Who said that local magazines were only about coffee shops, church sales and makeup. They can have quite interesting articles on hot topics. In this specific case, hot ice. I mean of course diamonds. So anyway, in February's editionof Round & About, they talk about diamonds. The excuse is Valentine's Day, nevertheless I learned a few things about mined and synthetic diamonds. Well, about diamonds in general. It's quite fascinating really. Anyway, did you ever buy diamonds? I think I only ever did it when I bought my wife her engagement ring.

Early February

 I will start this post by a shameful cliché: today is the first of February, in case you didn't notice it. A month mostly known for Valentine's Day and, well, that's pretty much it. Oh yes, there's Candlemas tomorrow, but it tends to be forgotten as well. Anybody doing something for Candlemas? Anyone? Anyone? I thought so. Anyway, I am not a big fan of February, but here it is, I'd like to know your opinion in the comments section.

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.

Friday, Gloomy Friday

 Okay, so we are the very end of the month and it's Friday. February is a difficult month in my line of work, end of months are always difficult, when they come on a Friday they re generally worse. Accursed, accursed 28th of February. I never liked the month all that much, because it seems that every rubbish that happens at work always fall in late February, or thereabout. So two years ago I was at risk of being made redundant. In the end, I managed to get my job back at the last minute. I have been doing well since then, except in the last few months, where it has become more difficult, for various reasons. And now I am again at risk of redundancy. It's not as dire as before, because my wife has a job as well, so we don't depend of my salary. And I have learned to be prepared for the worst, since I got made redundant by the employer I hated during the Covid year. I know how to job hunt in difficult times and I am generally good at interviews. But it makes things a little bit more stressful all the same. I'd rather skip February sometimes.

"Un deux, test": un anniversaire

C'est un anniversaire d'une certaine importance aujourd'hui: le tapais "Un deux, test" le 25 février 2008, commençant ainsi Vraie Fiction. Il était 21:41 quand mon tout premier billet a été publié. Je sais que bloguer est un art assez oublié de nos jours, c'est un peu perdu dans tous les réseaux sociaux, mais je ne m'en lasse pas, même quand je manque un peu d'inspiration.

Dites-le avec un chocolat chaud

Tout d'abord: joyeuse Saint-Valentin à tous. Cette photo a été prise de la page Facebook de Première Moisson: un chocolat chaud choco-framboises. Vendu bien entendu pour la St-Valentin. Ils offrent vraiment des belles affaires pour la journée. Ma femme est une chocolique avouée et je trouve qu'ici le choix pour la Saint-Valentin n'est pas vargeux. Il faudrait vraiment que je célèbre à Montréal un jour.

Aquila and Sherlock

I said it before and I will say it again: Wolfie receives the best mail. A few days ago, he got the latest edition of Aquila Magazine, the magazine with "big ideas for inquisitive kids". So yeah, the February issue is all about forensics, crime investigation and, well, crime fiction, with  Sherlock Holmes on the cover (because well of course). I need to teach him about Sherlock Holmes, by the way, he barey knows him. But anyway, it has lots of fun stuff and it's a pleasure to read together.

Pain aux trois chocolats

Petite nouvelle bouffe et amoureuse sur la page Facebook de Première Moisson: ils ont un pain aux trois chocolats pour février et la St-Valentin. C'est décadent en tab...

Lego Magazine

 Boy the things Wolfie receives by mail. I mean, we don't get all that much mail, but when we do, it is often for Wolfie and, in any case, he receives the coolest mail. So anyway, he received at the beginning of January a Lego magazine. This issue covers January, February and March. Enough, one would hope, to keep him interested for the next two months. But I just like that my son keeps the old and kind of forgotten tradition of receiving a magazine in the mail. It's just nice, you know.

The 29th

 Okay, here we are, today is the 29th of February. A first in.. four years. I don't have much to say about it, except that we are a leap year. February is not my favourite month of the year, not by a long stretch, it usually my worst month job-wise, or at least this is the month I find most difficult. It is also often in February that I receive work-related bad news (or at least it did when I had that job I hated). So yeah, February is short, but I often find it a bit too long for my taste. That said, February is also the month when I started blogging, back in 2008, also on a leap year. So I guess it is not all bad. But anyway, how do you feel about the 29th of February? Does it mean anything to you?

Missed blogging anniversary

 Quick post today, just to mention one thing: I missed my blogging anniversary, which was yesterday. I missed another birthday, then another from the day before, but these two are for two different posts. So anyway, it baffles me, but I missed my blogging anniversary. I have been blogging since the 25th of February 2008. Blogging is a lost art, on social media it looks bleeding ancient, but I happen to love it, so I try to feed Vraie Fiction regularly. So yes, that's it really.I feel like I missed my own birthday.

Le long mois de février

Nous sommes le premier février aujourd'hui et ce sera un long mois de février. Enfin, je parle ici en des termes relatifs: cette année étant bissextile, il aura un jour de plus. Même si le mois est court, je le trouve souvent un peu long. Suis-je seul à le trouver (la plupart du temps) morne et ennuyeux? Cela dit, je vais me répéter: je le préfère aux mois d'été. Toujours est-il qu'un jour de plus à février, ça me permet de vieillir un peu moins vite, alors c'est déjà ça de pris.

15 years of blogging

I forgot to mention something two days ago:the 25th of February was the date of my first post on this blog. I have been blogging for 15 years. To say that I enjoy it is an understatement: I love blogging. Not sure why. There are more modern channels/mediums on social media, but this is the one I love the most. It's like having a personal journal, but for anybody to read, if they are so inclined. When I started Vraie Fiction, I was unemployed, bored and thought I could use my free time like this. It was also a dreary, depressing February, like February often is, so I thought this could cheer me up. I guess it did. In any case, I have been blogging ever since and I try to write two posts daily, one in English and one in French, even if it is for trivial matters. So yeah, I hope you enjoy Vraie Fiction, in any case.

Things to do in February

 Well it's the beginning of the month and English Heritage wrote a post about five things to do in February. They had done the same in January, I am sure we'll have the same in the upcoming months. Anyway, we are always looking for things to keep Wolfie entertained, so I will be reading these suggestions eagerly. It will also be inspiring for some February walks. We are not very close for any site of the English Heritage, but I am sure we can find something at a decent distance we can go to.

Février

Je vais commencer mon billet par mon lieu commun: nous sommes le premier février. Un mois que je n'aime pas particulièrement, mais au moins il est court. J'aimerais que le soit autant. Je n'ai pas de vacances, selon mon expérience ce sera sans doute un peu lent au travail de toutes façons, il y a quelques célébrations et anniversaires à souligner (j'y reviendrai), mais en général, c'est plutôt tranquille. Et vous, comment prévoyez-vous votre moisde février? Que pensez-vous du mois en général?

Rebellion Beer's Rocket

My stocks of beer were running short, so I recently ordered some from the Marlow Brewery, or  Rebellion Beer. Yesterday, I had for the night's poison the beer of the month (I managed to buy it in the nick of time before February ended): the Rocket. Named after Stephenson's Rocket. It is not a very dark ale, but it is not a light one either, just dark enough for me. I enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the name: Rocket, named after the very first train. Trains and beer, two things I love.

Février

Bon ben, commençons par les clichés et lieux communs habituels: février est arrivé, c'est le mois le plus court, etc. Je suis de retour à l'ouvrage après une semaine et un jour de vacances. Comment trouvez-vous le mois de février d'habitude? C'est l'un des mois que j'aime le moins, personnellement. L'objection habituelle quand on dit ça, c'est qu'il ne dure pas longtemps. Ce qui n'arrange pas vraiment les choses, puisqu'il faudra subir février malgré tout. Qu'espérez-vous de février cette année? Ou que craignez-vous?