La Maison Anglaise - English Bookstore event

Sunny, high near 8 degrees celcius. I've decided to start each blog entry with the days forecast.

I'm off to Quebec City this morning for an event at 1pm at La Maison Anglaise, a small but wonderful English bookstore in the city. Indeed, the only English bookstore east of Montreal in this predominently French province. The store is owned by Guy Dubois, a francophone with a love of all things literary no matter the language, and managed by Heather Croft. Two more effective or funnier people would be hard to find and if you visit Quebec City I encourage you to visit their store.

It's about a three hour drive, half along windy and beautiful country roads and half along a flat and uninspiring highway, what we call an Autoroute in Quebec.

I always get speeding tickets. Last time I visited La Maison I was clocked on the Autoroute at doing 120 in a 100 kilometre an hour zone. I tried to sweet-talk the Surete officer but I think the middle-aged flirty anglo just turned his stomache and he ticketed me anyway. But, he forgot to write in the amount of the fine! Ha, my finest legal brain kicked in, which is on par with my medical brain as Michael can attest. I'll send it back without payment, I thought, since they didn't demand one.

I then forgot about it until two days before our world book tour launched at the end of August, when I got a court summons. Smarty-pants had to show up in mid-September in Quebec City or - ? Well, my finest drama queen brain kicked in and I imagined all sorts of things, mostly Singaporian police rounding me up and executing me. Or at the very least embarassing me in front of everyone at Raffles Hotel. Worst than death. Or denying me entry to British Airway First Class Lounge, though I suspect I wouldn"t be the first felon there.

I caved and immediately sent the money they wanted which was the original fine plus a penalty for making them ask for it twice.

As punishment I intend to assign Agent Nichol to the Surete in Quebec City, highway department. God help them. Fingers crossed I either don't speed, which between us is unlikely, or I don't get caught. Happily the weather forecast is perfect, sunny and mild. Not always a given in Quebec in November.

See you tomorrow.

Louise