Dernier jour de mars

 Nous sommes le dernier jour de mars (lieu commun ici). Je pensais le souligner en une photo, comme je le fais parfois pour chaque mois. Mars, c'est le printemps, c'est le retour des oiseaux, c'est la végétation qui commence timidement à reprendre ses droits, j'ai donc pensé prendre une photo de la mangeoire dans le jardin chez mes beaux-parents, photo prise en mars 2025.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

About this last day of March

 Today is the last day of March, in case you haven't noticed. It is also a Monday, which generally makes it all the more frantic at work, at least when you work directly or indirectly in sales, which is my case. I never liked the last day of the month if it is a working day, especially when it falls on a Monday. But as I am being made redundant, it should be quieter. And I have interviews to keep me busy today and fairly upbeat about my situation. That's on the positive side of things. Unfortunately, today is not my last day of work: I still have to show up until Thursday. Then I will be on a sort of enforced holiday, until I find a new job. So it is a bittersweet end of the month for me.

Changement d'heure (misère!)

Je déteste ce moment dans l'année: à partir d'aujourd'hui, nous sommes à l'heure avancée. Au moins, ça arrive plus tard qu'en Amérique. On dit souvent "l'heure d'été", pour lui donner un nom plus positif, même si le changement vient au printemps. Pour moi, ça veut dire qu'il fait soleil trop tard et que je perds une heure de sommeil. En plus, ça me pousse à souffrir d'insomnie pour quelques semaines, le temps de m'ajuster. Mais dans les faits, je commence à me réajuster au mois de septembre, quand l'automne arrive et que l'on se rapproche de l'heure normale. Alors oui, en résumé je déteste cordialement l'heure avancée.

Hailstorm

Last weekend, on Saturday we had our first storm of the year, with thunder and everything. And not just any storm: a proper hailstorm. It is fitting for March, a month that tends to have bad weather. Even downright nasty weather, one would say. But I actually don't mind storms, as long as I can be dry and warm inside. I love how powerful and dramatic storms can be, I thoroughly enjoy them. I can spend ages just watching the rain or, in this particular case, the hail fall down, with the thunder rumbling. So yes, I enjoyed the one we had last Saturday and I hope we have more in the coming days.

Les Rhumes de mars

 Depuis la fin de semaine dernière, j'ai le rhume: mal de gorge, éternuements, toux, la totale, comme disent les Français. Il fallait que ça arrive: j'ai passé des mois en parfaite santé, il fallait donc que je me tape un rhume. En général, j'en ai un solide en janvier, juste après les Fêtes, et un en mars, juste parce que c'est un mois traître à la température changeante. Ou alors je l'ai attrapé de mon fils, qui pourtant n'a pas été malade, lui. Pas de chance, j'imagine que j'étais dû. Sinon, suis-je le seul à trouver que le mois de mars, c'est le mois du rhume et parfois de la grippe?

"Beware the Ides of March"

 Today is the 15th of March, the Ides of March. People who are into history will of course know that this is the anniversary of the assassination of Julius Caesar. That's how the Ides of March are most (in)famous for. The expression "Beware the Ides of March" is taken from Julius Caesar. Which I haven't seen, to my great shame. But anyway, every year, I go full on Roman and I blog about it. And I try to remember the lesson of that fateful date. I mentioned them in 2022 and again in 2024. I am sharing them again: "1)even the most powerful man in the world is vulnerable, especially when he made himself enemies, however subservient they may appear to be. 2)we must be wary of the power vacuum created after a coup d'état." So yeah, enjoy your 15th of March.

Aquila on Books

 I said it before, I will say it again: Wolfie received the best post in the family. You might know what it means. Yes, he received the March edition of Aquila Magazine a week ago already. I have wanted to blog about it since. This month's topic is books. Maybe because of World Book Day, which happens in March? In any case, it not only encourages literacy, but creativity as well. We didn't read much of it yet, but this will change this weekend. Oh how I wish I had grown up reading Aquila!

Est-ce le printemps?

 À l'automne, je considère que la saison commence avec le mois de septembre, pas avec l'équinoxe. En général, c'est la même chose pour le printemps: il commence avec mars, pas avec l'équinoxe. Mais cela dépend du mois de mars que l'on a. S'il est très froid et s'il neige (en Angleterre c'est rare, mais ça arrive), alors je dis que le printemps n'est pas encore arrivé et que l'hiver fait du temps supplémentaire. S'il fait plus doux, alors c'est bien le printemps, même avant l'équinoxe. Ces le cas ces temps-ci, à une nuance près: les nuits sont froides. La température se réchauffe en matinée. Morale de l'histoire: mars est un mois traître.

Feeling (almost) Welsh

 Today is the first of March, which you are most likely aware of. It is the Feast of Saint David, which you may or may not know about. Saint David is, as you may or may not know, the patron saint of Wales. So this is Wales' national day. It's a special day for me, as I truly discovered Welsh culture during my first year in the UK and I have very fond memories of the first of March. See see this post for more details. So yeah, although I don't think I have an ounce of Welsh blood in my veins, on this day I often feel a tad Welsh, or at least (and most certainly) Celtic.

Arctic Explorer Ship (Lego)

There is one of Wolfie's Christmas presents he received last year which I have been wanting to blog about for a while: this Lego Arctic Explorer Ship.  We didn't get nice toys like these when I was a child, not even Lego toys. I mean it has everything in it: action figures of various professions, a Viking sunken ship, a helicopter, a crane, a little robotic submarine and a killer whale. It can even float on water, like a real ship. It's maybe the best Lego set we ever had (well, as a family, I mean, I know it's not mine) and it really stimulates imagination. But what got me happy about it, more than anything else, is that Wolfie finished it in two days, all by himself. Except for the string on the crane, which mummy helped setting up (because you have to put the string in a tiny hole). But otherwise, it is all my son's natural engineering skills and patience. Two things I am utterly devoided of. I am a very proud father.

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.

Psalm Sunday

It is Palm Sunday today, which for the ex-Catholic turned Godless heathen that I am means diddly squat, except that Easter is coming. Like very soon: in a week. This year, Easter comes far too early, as it is always the case when it comes in March. I prefer in April, but I digress. The date on the religious calendar reminds me that I have to prepare for Easter, ans get on with it, as I have barely done anything. It will be a blitz this week. I say this, and it is easier to prepare for Easter than maybe any other holiday in the year. Anyway, what does Psalm Sunday mean to you? If it means anything.

Beware the Ides of March (always)

Today is the 15th of March, day of the Ides of March. It is also and therefore the anniversary of the assassination of Julius Caesar.When you love history like me, you ought to remember it. So I try to commemorate it every year on this blog. The line "Beware the Ides of March" comes from Julius Caesar by Shakespeare. Anyway, we beware the Ides of March and not only on the 15th of March. I mentioned why back in 2022. I will sum up again the lessons we must learn from Caesar's murder: 1)even the most powerful man in the world is vulnerable, especially when he made himself enemies, however subservient they may appear to be. 2)we must be wary of the power vacuum created after a coup d'état. Or whenever a tyrant, or a dictator dies or fall from power. I am well aware that these are not cheerful thoughts, but the lessons of history seldom are.

Saint David's Day

As you may know, today is the first of March, the the Feast of Saint David, patron saint of Wales.Iam not Welsh, do not have Welsh blood, but I have some Welsh friends and try to sort of celebrate Saint David's Day every year. Read in this post from 2011 of my history with Saint David's Day. This year, I will eat Welsh cakes with Wolfie. For some reason, my son loves them. Not sure why he got so fond of them, I should ask him. He does not have Welsh blood, as far as I know, but maybe he has a bit of a Welsh soul.

Mars attaque

 On me pardonnera ce calembour atroce pour souligner que nous sommes le premier mars. J'ai des sentiments ambivalents envers le mois de mars: c'est un mois traître côté température, c'est le printemps et je n'aime plus leprintemps comme je l'aimais enfant, cela dit il y a bien des célébrations que j'aime en mars. Plus de détails sur le sujet dans d'autres billets, mais disons pour le moment que je me prépare pour ce mois-ci avec autant d'appréhension que de plaisir anticipé. Et vous, le mois de mars, c'est comment?