mainly sunny - but rain expected later - temps 27
Beautiful morning! Am in Montreal, heading to the airport later today. Our flight isn't until tomorrow morning, but since it's a fairly early flight we've decided to treat ourselves to a night at the new hotel, built right over the Air Canada terminal that goes to the states - so we can pretty much roll out of bed and board in our pajamas. If we prefer to spend the next few says in Security World rather than Harry Potter World.
The 'we' I'm talking about are my friends Linda and Bethany. Bethany has just turned 16 and she wanted one thing - to go to Harry Potter world. Bethany's one of those amazing young women who is beautiful, smart, a terrific singer and very kind. And very aware of how lucky she is so she asks for very little. As a result, when she actually asks for something it tends to happen. Because people want to be kind to someone so selfless.
To be honest - while I might pretend this is a kindness we're doing for Bethany - if she announced tonight she no longer wanted to go, her mother Linda and would still go! We've been emailing and admitting we're almost sick with excitement ourselves! poor Bethany. What will she do with us? double the cringe factor.
So - the party starts tonight at the Montreal hotel. I have to return Sunday (Michael and I are off to Hovey Manor to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary - so you see, it's a soft landing)...but they'll stay on. Swimming with dolphins - then Disney World.
One of Michael's sons is coming to stay with him - a guys long weekend. It's the Saint Jean Baptiste weekend here in Quebec. The major holiday. Saint Jean Baptiste is the patron saint of Quebec.
I'll try to blog from Florida - bring you along. Pack sunblock. And money.
Showing posts with label St Jean Baptiste. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St Jean Baptiste. Show all posts
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Tuesday, 24 June 2008
Joyeux Fete
sunny, cloudy, drizzle, temps 20
Happy St Jean Baptiste! The patron saint of Quebec. This is the major holiday here. Fireworks, bonfires, concerts. The streets of Sutton are festooned with Fleurs de Lys flags (flag of Quebec). This is the unofficial start of holidays. And, actually - the week between St Jean Baptiste (the major French celebration) and Canada Day (July 1st - the major anglo celebration) is the timing for the fourth book in the series. THE MURDER STONE/A RULE AGAINST MURDER is set in that week.
Thunderstorm out now. too bad - always feel sorry for the organizors of all the events. Still, it will probably pass soon.
We don't really celebrate it - we do have a celebration on Canada Day, though. We have my brother Doug and four kids (ages 9-11) arriving on Friday. We bought (besides aspirin) a bunch of sparklers for the kids, and Michael. Used to be such fun writing our names (what else?) in light.
We have Monopoly and Checkers, Backgammon and I plan to buy Mad Magazine and a whole lot of comic books. I used to love all that as a kid. These kids might prefer the DVD's though. Oh well. We figure coming here is like visiting Grandpa and Grandma...lots of treats. And we go to bed early.
Edited two more chapters of book 5 today. My critics cap is firmly on and I have no idea anymore if it's crap or brilliant or anywhere in between - though I have my suspicions.
Had a very nice exchange of emails with another author at St Martin's Minotaur, Chris Grabenstein. He's not only a lovely man, he's a wonderful writer. His latest book is called Hell Hole and it's coming out this summer. He's won the Anthony and is extremely talented. As you know, I don't recommend all that many authors, but he's one. I haven't read his latest, but the whole series of Ceepak books are worth checking out.
We have chicken ready for the barbecue. Our trick (given to us by a friend) is to cook them in the oven first, then put on the sauce and barbecue them for the last 5-10 minutes, just for flavour. Otherwise, if we try to BBQ them from raw they come out carbonized on the outside and raw on the inside. Pretty good way to committ murder, actually.
Had a terrific book club talk with Lynn Kaczmarek and 16 others - by phone. I really wished I could have been there in person, and hope to be one day. They're about 4 hours outside Chicago, so who knows.
Made plane reservations back to England, for September. This time it's on Michael's business - he's been invited back to Cambridge (he's a grad of Christs College) for the inaugural meeting of a society of medical grads. It's a 'secret' society (as I kid him) so I'm not invited, but I am invited to tea in the Fellow's Garden and dinner in the Great Hall. Can you imagine how much fun that'll be?
And I have to say, Michael has spent 3 years schlepping all over the place with me and my books - it's so much fun to once again be the 'accompanied' for him.
We're at 131,000 words and dropping in the book 5 edit! It might be crap, but it's at least a small pile.
Happy St Jean Baptiste! The patron saint of Quebec. This is the major holiday here. Fireworks, bonfires, concerts. The streets of Sutton are festooned with Fleurs de Lys flags (flag of Quebec). This is the unofficial start of holidays. And, actually - the week between St Jean Baptiste (the major French celebration) and Canada Day (July 1st - the major anglo celebration) is the timing for the fourth book in the series. THE MURDER STONE/A RULE AGAINST MURDER is set in that week.
Thunderstorm out now. too bad - always feel sorry for the organizors of all the events. Still, it will probably pass soon.
We don't really celebrate it - we do have a celebration on Canada Day, though. We have my brother Doug and four kids (ages 9-11) arriving on Friday. We bought (besides aspirin) a bunch of sparklers for the kids, and Michael. Used to be such fun writing our names (what else?) in light.
We have Monopoly and Checkers, Backgammon and I plan to buy Mad Magazine and a whole lot of comic books. I used to love all that as a kid. These kids might prefer the DVD's though. Oh well. We figure coming here is like visiting Grandpa and Grandma...lots of treats. And we go to bed early.
Edited two more chapters of book 5 today. My critics cap is firmly on and I have no idea anymore if it's crap or brilliant or anywhere in between - though I have my suspicions.
Had a very nice exchange of emails with another author at St Martin's Minotaur, Chris Grabenstein. He's not only a lovely man, he's a wonderful writer. His latest book is called Hell Hole and it's coming out this summer. He's won the Anthony and is extremely talented. As you know, I don't recommend all that many authors, but he's one. I haven't read his latest, but the whole series of Ceepak books are worth checking out.
We have chicken ready for the barbecue. Our trick (given to us by a friend) is to cook them in the oven first, then put on the sauce and barbecue them for the last 5-10 minutes, just for flavour. Otherwise, if we try to BBQ them from raw they come out carbonized on the outside and raw on the inside. Pretty good way to committ murder, actually.
Had a terrific book club talk with Lynn Kaczmarek and 16 others - by phone. I really wished I could have been there in person, and hope to be one day. They're about 4 hours outside Chicago, so who knows.
Made plane reservations back to England, for September. This time it's on Michael's business - he's been invited back to Cambridge (he's a grad of Christs College) for the inaugural meeting of a society of medical grads. It's a 'secret' society (as I kid him) so I'm not invited, but I am invited to tea in the Fellow's Garden and dinner in the Great Hall. Can you imagine how much fun that'll be?
And I have to say, Michael has spent 3 years schlepping all over the place with me and my books - it's so much fun to once again be the 'accompanied' for him.
We're at 131,000 words and dropping in the book 5 edit! It might be crap, but it's at least a small pile.
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