Ending May

Today is the very last day of May? The last day of Spring, by any practical means, even though some people think summer starts with the solstice, it really starts tomorrow. How was your May? Mine was fairly okay, because it was never too hot. It felt sometimes almost autumnal, which is of course my idea of heaven. My appreciation of May is dependent of the weather, as you can guess, but there are a lot of things I actually like about the month, as there are a few celebrations and anniversaries I have this month. You probably have seen some of them mentioned on this blog. In any case, this was my May 2024: not too hot, overall pleasant. Tell me in the comment how was yours and what the month represents for you.

Le jeu de l'oie

Y a-t-il un parmi mes lecteurs qui ait déjà joué au jeu de l'oie? C'est un jeu de société très ancien, datant sans doute de l'antiquité. Je me rappelle vaguement qu'un ami en avait une version quand j'étais jeune, dans une boîte pleine de jeux de société classiques. Je ne me rappelle cependant pas y avoir joué. Cela dit, comme j'aime les jeux de société, même ceux qui n'ont pas vraiment de stratégie et dont la victoire tient de la chance, je crois que je devrais m'en procurer une version. J'ai regardé sur Amazon et il y en a plusieurs, dont certaines en bois très esthétiques. C'est ce que j'aime avec les jeux de l'oie que j'ai vus: ce sont pour la plupart de beaux objets. L'ennui, c'est que j'ai déjà beaucoup de jeux de société dont je ne sais plus quoi faire.

Of Teas and Trains

 You may remember last month, when I blogged about my wife buying me for my birthday a tin box of teabags with the the Flying Scotsman on it. She bought it for the train, not the teabags, but it turned out the tea is delicious as well. So I wanted to know what brand of tea it is (lots of alliterations here). My wife found out that it was New English Teas. They also have loads of boxes like this, with other gorgeous images. That said, I don't think you can beat the Flying Scotsman. Drinking tea goes well with every mean of transport, for every journey. But it always tastes better on a train.

"Les piquants"

J'ai pris cette photo en juillet 2021. Elle date un peu, je sais. Je ne sais pas trop où je l'ai prise, sans doute lors de l'une de nos promenades (on marchait beaucoup à l'époque), mais je sais pourquoi: elle a des chardons. Ou, comme nous les appelions lorsque j'étais enfant, des "piquants". Sans dire qu'on les voyait comme des plantes carnivores, les chardons étaient comme nos cactus locaux, en un brin plus effrayants. Tirer des "piquants" sur quelqu'un était vu comme dangereux et cruel, ils collaient sur les vêtements comme des dards empoisonnés. Enfin bref, nous en avions très peur.

House of Hell

No, I don't mean this house, or any house I lived in. I mean the Fighting Fantasy Gamebook aptly titled House of Hell. I said aptly titled not only because it was a horror game story, but because it was notoriously difficult to complete. When I was a child, it was meant to be the gamebook from Hell. In fact, I failed miserably to get through it numerous time, until my brother PJ bought it for me for my birthday. I just Googled the gameplay that got me to victory. And I did not bother with dices (but who ever did with Fighting Fantasy Gamebook?). I believe my copy is somewhere at my parents' place. For all its many flaws, House of Hell was still full of nice little spooky atmsphere and one of the first dip I had into the horror genre. So I was thinking maybe it could be a good gamebook to have during my countdown to Halloween. Just a thought. And you, ever played this one? What did you think of it?

Le gazon qui pousse (observations)

Bon an, mal an, l'été arrive, même s'il ne fait guère très chaud pour le moment. Avant-hier, au moment où j'ai pris cette photo, il faisait même un peu frais, malgré le soleil. Qu'à cela ne tienne, le gazon pousse, d'autant plus que c'est "No Mo May". Sur le terrain commun dans notre voisinage, personne n'a passé la tondeuse depuis des semaines. Je ne m'en plains pas: j'aime le gazon quand il est long, surtout s'il y a des fleurs avec comme ici, ce qui fait joli, et je n'aime pas les concerts de tondeuse. Le seul ennui, c'est le rhume des foins. Pour moi, passe encore, j'en souffre assez peu, mais ma femme y est sujette.

Flackwell Heath and its pubs

 I wanted to blog about a bit of sad news I read recently, that got me thinking. I have rarely been to the village of Flackwell Heath and I never spent much time there, I never ever been to their pubs, but three of them were closing down recently. One lost pub in a small village is bad enough, but three of them closing down, it's like a death warrant to the community. I have been in none of these pubs, but saw The Stag from outside and I always thought it looked lovely. Then again, I just love the name. Well, I read the news on the Bucks Free Press on the 17th of May and since then, things have been looking up. Since then, I learned that the staff managed to save two of the three pubs, including The Stag. The other one is The Green Dragon (another great pub name, by the way). I don't know when we will go to Flackwell Heath, probably not any time soon, but I do hope we will visit these pubs one day. For no better reason than to encourage local businesses. But also because I love village pubs.

Sabler le champagne

 Comme vous le savez déjà, j'ai reçu de mon employeur une bouteille de Veuve Clicquot. Parce que je travaille pour eux depuis trois ans. C'était donc pour fêter mon anniversaire de travail et en reconnaissance de mes loyaux services. J'ai donc pu sabler le champagne en fin de semaine. Je ne sais pas si c'est l'âge ou si c'est parce que j'avais envie de célébrer, mais j'avais oublié à quel point c'est bon du vrai de vrai champagne. Je dirais même que ça se boit comme de l'eau, mais en plus savoureux.

Almost a storm

It was stormy yesterday. Well, it almost was, anyway: for a few minutes it got dark, it rained, it thundered. And it was windy for most of the afternoon. Sadly, it did not last. I love storms, I mean proper thunderstorms, that's one of the few things I love about summertime. Wolfie, on the other hand, isn't too keen on it yet, but I try to make him change his mind. He got quite scared yesterday when he heard thunder. So he cuddled up to me when it started thundering. Which I'm not complaining about. I find thuderstorms so much fun, like a free light and sound show. They are so atmospheric.

Parlons pétanque

Petite anecdote qui n'est pas inintéressante: je viens d'apprendre qu'il y a un club de pétanque local. Bon, rien de très spécial jusqu'ici et non, je ne joue pas à la pétanque, en tout cas je ne suis pas amateur. J'ai joué (très mal) quelquefois, mais sans plus. Le club se réunit dans un pub une ou deux fois par semaine. Je le mentionne ici parce que la pétanque est le "sport" le plus franchouillard qui existe, en tout cas le plus provençal. Donc ça m'étonne qu'il y ait des amateurs ici, assez pour se regrouper dans un club, assez pour avoir des réunions hebdomadaires. Bon, sinon c'est tout ce dont je voulais parler. Des amateurs de pétanque parmi vous? Faites-moi savoir dans les commentaires. Parlons pétanque.

History of Britain's Railway

I don't like WHSmith much, I refuse to call it a bookshop even. I think it is pretty much a glorified stationary shop, with some books on sales here and there. That said, sometimes, just sometimes, you find something worth your attention. So last time we went to one, I saw this History of Britain's Railway. I did not buy it, even though it was "only" £10. I already have a big pile of TBR books. However, I will keep this book in mind for future birthday present lists.

Chevreuil géant préhistorique

Photo prise à l'Ulster Museum lors de nos vacances à Belfast. Un squelette de chevreuil géant, je crois qu'il est préhistorique.

Irish Lager?

I tried quite a few beers during our last holiday in Belfast. Beers I drank time and again in the past, when I was a student here in England (more on that in a future post) and beers I never tried before. Including the Clonmel. I ordered it not knowing anything about it, except that it was Irish. It turned out to be a... lager. I don't drink lager, usually, it is against my most profound beliefs. I was surprised to enjoy it, it is very tasty for a lager, probably because it is Irish. Still, I think it's kind of weird, Ireland now producing lagers.

Marie-Ève Munger dans La Chauve-Souris

Petite annonce pour les amoureux de l'opéra et les gens du Saguenay fiers de nos artistes. Je suis les deux, mais enfin bref. La soprano Marie-Ève Munger va jouer Adèle dans La Chauve-Souris de Johann Strauss à l'Opéra de Lille. J'ai vu l'opérette à plusieurs reprises, toujours avec un plaisir renouvelé. C'est très drôle et les airs sone entraînants. Enfin bref, pour ceux qui veulent encourager une fille d'ici (enfin, de chez moi) et l'une de nos meilleures sopranos, si jamais vous vous trouvez à Lille, bien je vous conseille d'aller la voir. Marie-Ève a parlé sur les réseaux sociaux d'une production "complètement éclatée", alors ça promet.

The Dover Demon and Me

The things one learns thanks to the internet and to social media. I am a member of a few horror pages on Facebook, and I discovered on one of them the Dover Demon. From Dover, Massachusetts, not the English Dover. The Dover Demon is a creature that looks like a Grey Alien who was sighted on the 21st of April 1977. Okay, so far, so nothing special. I'm skeptical about the existence of aliens or weird creatures and I think there is most likely a natural explanation about it. But what I found kind of funny is that the Dover Demon was seen on the exact date when I was born. Well, that's all, really, I just thought it was a funny coincidence. It also has quite a cool name.

Le Manoir du Saguenay

 Je suis tombé un peu par hasard sur un document à propos du Manoir du Saguenay. LE lieu que Wolfie veut visiter lors de notre prochain séjour, parce qu'il est obsédé par les manoirs. Fascination que j'avais à son âge, et c'est d'ailleurs pour cette raison que je trouvais notre "manoir" local à la fois glamour et exotique. J'ai blogué sur le sujet à maintes reprises. J'espère que le public y aura accès à nouveau un jour.

BAERskin?

 Okay, internet algorithms are often scary. Eerily efficient. So anyway, for the last few months, when I watch something on YouTube, I get video adverts for BAERskin. They sell hoodies, apparently, not the type of clothes I really like or look for. But I mean, the design on theirs. I kind of like it, the colours, outdoorsy, badass design. And the label, with the badass bear. It looks very much like something I would like to have. I mean, any clothe with THAT bear label. I won't, at least I don't think I will buy anything from them. But it scares me, knowing that I can be such a sucker, that I can be so receptive to aggressive advertisement.

Des truites

 Mon père a encore une fois pêché des truites. C'est tout.

Locomotion in Shildon

Oh the things you learn thanks to the internet and social media. I stumbled upon this piece of info, which I intend to work on. Anyway, yesterday, I found out that there is a railway museum called Locomotion (fitting name if there is one) in the town of Shildon. I did not know about this town or its museum before yesterday. However, as I love old English towns almost as much as I love trains, I intend to learn more about both. I am not sure how they are easy of access, but I think they could make for a nice visit in our next holidays in the country. Just a thought. Anyway, if there are any railway lovers among you who visited Locomotion, tell me in the comments if it is worth a look. And those who know Shildon itself (either as visitors or even locals), please let me know in the comments. Worth a visit?

Question existentielle (388)

 Une question existentielle inspirée de certaines circonstances (j'ai du champagne à boire):

-Quoi manger avec du champagne, plus particulièrement du Veuve Clicquot?

Je suis philistin, mais j'ai de quoi boire.