Saucier, Nothomb

I finished two books in the last weeks. Neither of them were long to read, I just picked them up and read them both in a couple of hours, sitting in my backyard, in the last of the warm summer days we had. It feels surreal how cold it is right now, when I think of the heat of the last weeks. This is Abitibi for you: you can never plan temperature in advance and changes of temperature, made in super short lenght of time, happen randomly and drastically.

So I give you "Il pleuvait des oiseaux" (lit. it was raining birds) by Jacqueline Saucier.

The story follows the lives of elderly people who decided to start their lives anew in the forest, with the fewest of modern facilities, and living up their old age considering Death a creepy friend of theirs. Comes along an elderly angel of a lady, whom they called Marie-Desneige, that changes their little daily routine. Marie-Desneige was brought to them about at the same time as a photographer came into their lives to take pictures of the survivors of the Great Fires that had had killed the people of many villages in Canada more than a couple decades ago. 

Mrs. Saucier's writing is slow paced, making it easy to slide in the story and you come to the end of it fairly quickly. After reading it, I stayed in a strange feeling of awe a trace of melancholy fading slowly away...

It is one of those books that makes you both at peace of mind and lost in thoughts at the same time. It brought me tears to the eyes, but not so much tears of sadness as tears of relief. You follow all those people "shedding layers of their own skin, their lives, until only what really matters remains" as would say my sister. Not so much a sad story, but the story of making peace with everything that was, and is no more.

"Tuer le père"(lit. Kill the father) by Amélie Nothomb is a completely different kind of read. The story is the story of three people: a couple and a boy, who evolve in the wicked environment of Burning Man in the states with the odd art that magic is. Two magicians, a master, a pupil. Two different background and two different perspectives on what things really are, the book has this quality to it that makes everything flow and seem peaceful, while the story, if one actually think much into it, is intense and almost creepy. Mrs. Nothomb has this talent, as I saw in Stupeur et Tremblement for example, of telling really twisted stories and making them seem light and happy. The end was a surprise, and I found myself dumbfounded: do I like the story, or not?

What I like about her writing, is that it is clever enough not to be boring, but simple and clear enough, so you can stop reading for a long time, then start again and know exactly where you left, and remember everything that matters to keep reading. 

LinoHandMade

When I was young, my friend's mother had a little store - actually I cannot remember well the place, so I am still unsure whether if it was her house that had many things she made on sale, or an actual store so I apologize if I end up lying without knowing - where she sold tons of really pretty things that she hand made herself. It would go from simple knitted stuff to complicated house decorations made of different material. Being one that likes hand made detailed stuff, seeing the things she made always made me very happy. One day she stopped her store however, probably because while looking at nicely done hand made stuff, the price to pay for all those hours of work is often high enough so that in the end there are not enough buyers in a small town to keep a business like this.

I lost sight of my childhood friend for some ten years after this, so I don't really know what her mother had been up to meanwhile, but when I got in touch with her again, her mother mostly did seasonal hand work: some knit work in the winter and some hand made stuff in the summer, mostly as a hobby.

In the last years however, she started selling on ETSY. What started with the making of handbags, makeup pouches and wallets turned into crochet work key holders, knitted work and now fine jewelry. I really like her work a lot and whenever I have a crush on one of them I buy it from her. I did so with a hand knit neck warmer earlier this year, and last week I got a pair of earrings.

My childhood friend and I met up last week to grab breakfast in a restaurant and she brought me the earrings - instead of having to wait after the mail :P. The things her mother makes are always made with such care and even the wrapping is really pretty. I strongly encourage you guys to go see her work and let yourself be tempted if something in there gets your attention!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Linohandmade

There is a place in my hometown, a place we call "La Ressourcerie", where everyone can bring stuff they don't use anymore. Anything, I mean anything, is fine. Upon receiving the used stuff, the place picks out what is still fine and usable, cleans or restore it to the best they can, and sell them at really really cheap prices. This place is technically meant to be used by people without much money, but is open to anyone. When I left for Montreal for University, I got all my kitchen ware from there. I got a pretty white/cream set with light green and brown stripes. The wholes set included some 9 cups, 4-5 small plates, 8 large plates, 10 bowls all in good shape. All this for $11.

While most of the stuff they have is quite old, me and my mother really enjoy going there in the hope of finding some cute treasure. The other day, my mom brought back a baby size white wicker rocking chair matching the desk and chair I have in my bedroom and when I came back from work, I found out that my huge teddy bear now had a seat - I might upload a picture of the chair sometime later...

Last Wednesday thus, I found a really pretty milk holder in japanese porcelain with a very detailes drawing on the side and golden lines. Isn't it really pretty? I just love finding this kind of little surprise. It was $1 for the set with the little plate.

On our way back from the Ressourcerie, my mother and I stopped by a bookstore and I bought a book by Christian Dior. While I am biaised by all that concerns brands I like, what attracted me first was the book itself, an old style fabric covered neat grey book with a mirror and a bow engraved in silver color. I read a couple of lines and I was seduced by the author's pen: simple, straight forward with a knack of sarcasm. While the books is by no means great literature, it picked my curiosity so I got it, regardless if the price, that I judge a bit expensive for a non-translated work (about $40). When I am done I might do a review on it if it is worth it...

 While Christmas is over since a while already, we never had the time to open our new year surprise socks. Yesterday, after a supper with my brother and his little family, we all got our gifts and mine was a very detailed pretty Camée, in delicate pink tones and gold casting. It can either turn into a brooch, by folding the chain loop down, or into a pendant. I love it so much!!!!

 

January Shopping

The other day I had an awesome dessert <3 My aunty made some hm.... how would I call this. It's like a pickled apple recipe, save that it's a bit like apple jelly... but with whole baby apples. Basically it's got nothing to do with pickles. Save the fact they're put in similar pots. Oh well. 

We had those with Coaticook's maple ice cream - a delightful ice cream, one of the only brand of ice cream we can buy that is actually made with 'milk' and 'cream' instead of powdered milk and water (IMO, we are stupid to make ice cream with the transformed product of the milk we sell to the US, and that they sell it back to us in powder, for cheaper: I mean, where's the logic in that? I don't blame the US for this, especially if Canadian companies are too stupid to take advantage of our rich milk production right here in our own country... really, some tings really don't make sense).

The mix of sweetened apples with the maple ice cream was quite too sweet, so we ate it with a delicious old cheddar. Really, people should all know about the bliss of mixing sweet and salty things. Not trying it is, IMO, missing out on an important blissful pleasure of the senses.

My boss is, with two other people, starting to build a food catering (?) - I'll need some feed-back on this term, I do not know if this one is accurate. It is basically what we call "Traiteur d'alimentation" in French, meaning we provide prepared meals to events and special occasions. We had a very busy Christmas time at Bistro Jezz, so the preparation took long enough to put itself together, but now the restaurant has its own food catering cart, with images of the awesomeness of our food on it. It's all shiny and really well made - refrigerated compartments, drawers and very easy to use to transport the various plates 

 I love how much energy my boss has, putting in place all sorts of projects. She is full of ideas and I respect her straightforwardness - is that a word? Anyways. I am happy of all the things she brings to my hometown, we really had a need for this kind of business. Plus, the food she makes is pure bliss. Do I use this word too much?

My mother and I are still waiting for the missing material we need to make frills, so while waiting for a call from the store we put together a piece of cork to practice basic points and get aquainted with the concept of working with those small bobbins. It's interesting how you pin up the thread all along the work. I still cannot picture how to use these to make flowers, fruits, and detailes frills, but I feel like I am on the right way teh he...

Talking about warm drinks I'll talk about coffee. Coffee is a monster. Coffee will, in time rule the world, I am sure. Coffee is probably worse than most drugs and addictions, for it is a recognized 'necessary good', and people don't see it as what it really is: a monster. 

Try not to take coffee for a day when you are used to drinking it everyday. You know what I mean. You know, that stupid headache you don't know where it's from? Yeah, exactly. Get my drift? 

Coffee is evil. 

Now that we are clear on this point... I went to have a cappuccino with my mommy this afternoon at a bakery close to my place. In the cold weather, the bakery was a good compromise between the really close Abstracto - where I think there is not enough light to go during the day - and the Chocolaterie le Gisement - much farther away, and full of too sweet stuff for the line :P. So we went to have a coffee, bringing a book, but in the end we just talked and the reading period that was planned did not happen. There will be other times.

La Pâtisserie Saint-Honoré has been open here for quite some time now, and it has awesome fresh breads and cute small cake, plus a variety of sweet delicacies and home-made jams. The owner of the bakery, a French guy from Alsace, earned the title of 'Sir' from the French Embassy last fall, for the extent of his work here and what he brought from his country to Quebec.

I love the colors of the Bakery/restaurant - here is a little screenshot of the place, sadly enough,
they did not have many cakes in the display today, as they don't make too many of them in advance

I went to do some shopping today, to look for small gifts to send to some friends living away from here - like, everyone I know, basically - but whose birthday are close, or who I'd told I'd send them gifts for Xmas and the like. I stopped at a kid toy shop I love particularly, owned my a friend of my brother. I am a big baby basically. But there is this one brand of dolls that I love, that has scented dolls, with different ethnicities - they even have read-heads :3... I think they did not need to... ha ha, but that must be why they got so many prices: they show love where other people show hatred :). I love the middle one <3 so cuuuuute the baby asian :)

So here is my accomplishment of the day! I put all the things together and will go post them tomorrow. I still have to Xmas cards to answer as well. But my mom has some as well so I'll write them when she does, so we can have tea together at the same time. Me loves spending time with mommy. Right now she is putting up wallpaper upstairs in the room beside my bedroom with my daddy. I'll take some pictures when we finish it and put the decoration altogether.

Hot Summer day...

 I did not post yesterday because of a big thunderstorm we had at night, and the electricity went off on me twice so I thought it to be wiser just to give up on using the computer, least it should break on me.

 While I did not do anything much lately I bought a very interesting book, written by the Dinouart Abbot in the 18th C. on the 'Art of Shutting up' (free direct translation). What got me interested to this book is quite funny actually.