beer – OldPlaidCamper

Totally square

Hey kids, wanna hear what the old folks have been up to on their day off? Yeah, I know, being kinda retired, every day is a day off, but anyway, here’s what these old squares did the other day.

We shrugged off our blankets, shucked our slippers, then jumped on the bus and headed into town. Once there, on a sunny day – possibly the sunniest in recent PlaidCamper memory (he of the unreliable memory, and tendency to whine about stuff like that – it’s been sunny before, pay no heed) – we wandered from square to square, enjoying the quiet and enjoying the sunshine. Oh, that sunshine!

Then we did what we almost always do, and went for lunch. Out to lunch you ask? Possibly…

Then it was off to the Palais Montcalm to listen to some baroque chamber orchestra stuff, from Purcell to Vivaldi as interpreted by a chap called Milos with his guitar, and another chap called Johnny Cohen and his harpsichord, with stringed instrument friends providing support.

It was all very good. Mrs PC loves Milos, for his guitar playing, not his smouldering intensity and good looks, and I love the baroque period, mostly for the wigs. I believe I would smoulder beneath a baroque wig, I really do. Our seats were suspiciously front and centre, to the point where if I’d had feelings for Milos, he would have known…

“Wiggy?! How dare you, sir – this is my own hair!” (Image of Henry Purcell from Wikipedia)

“And then we zipped home on our”— no, we didn’t. Could be tempted, though…

Wiggy music, a pub lunch, old squares, and all on a sunny day? Hey kids, you might love reaching early middle age, it’s not so bad…

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

So close!

To spring! There have been one or two days this past week where the air has felt almost warm, with a softness or mildness that is more than just strong sunshine on a cold winter day. Yes, I think spring might be right around the corner! (Let’s ignore the forecast for tomorrow – Thursday, at the time of writing – where it’s likely we’ll delight in a high of 1C and somewhere between 5-10 cm of snow. Nothing more than a seasonal blip…)

Seasonal (luckily, the maple wasnt too strong a flavour)

In recent days we’ve enjoyed a cup of coffee or two on the deck, wavering between do we need a jacket – yes we do – and/or we don’t really need a jacket, do we – yes, you really do. Give it another week or three, and maybe then lose the jackets.

There has been a steady increase in birdsong, along with the almost ceaseless sound of snowmelt and surface water dripping from roof tops and gurgling into drains. The edges of gradually reappearing grassy areas are showing just a hint or two of green as the sunshine melts the last of the ice banks.

Goodness, have we time to finish the Easter chocolate before finding time to start cutting the lawn? (Lawn? Steady on, OldPlaidCamper – I think small patch of grass is closer to the mark. Lawn…)

I’ll leave it here for now, feeling optimistic about spring as we look past the next few days towards a weekend and beyond that promises something positively balmy. In the meantime, where’s that jacket? And, oh no, the snow shovels?

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Forgot the chocolate!

We went to the market to buy some chocolate. Got distracted:

We’ll get by…

Enjoy the long weekend!

It’s not chocolate, but it is good! Moderation…

Spring paws

Oops, I mean pause… Anyway, here’s Scout enjoying an almost warm and sunny spring morning earlier this week:

She, like us, was surprised late Saturday and through Sunday, when just as we were finished organizing our spring camping plans, the snow began to fall. And fall. And fall! Not too sure of the final amounts, but it was close to a record for a March snowfall in Quebec.

It was certainly pretty, although it might have been the wettest and heaviest snow I’ve ever shovelled. More like weighty sorbet rather than light fluff. Temperatures have climbed since the weekend, so when we were enjoying the fruits of my snow shoveling labour by sitting on the cleared and sunny deck, the noisiest sounds were those of running and dripping water as the sorbet defrosted.

“Good job, old boy – but have you missed a bit?”

We took a walk out around the neighborhood once the storm passed, and it looked more like mid-January than it did back in mid-January:

Looks like January, but feels much warmer!

The snow was too claggy for us to walk on or through to access the woods, so we made do with looking at the edges. Pretty enough:

After all our exertions, we went home and enjoyed a well earned glass of something good!

Splendid – spring notes of pine resin, and not too bitter – yum!

The next week or two looks set to follow a similar pattern, with another small spring forward and hints of warmth, followed by a drop in temperatures and more snow. Is it jumper or jacket, or both?!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Spring forward!

Let’s do that!

We spent an enjoyable weekend celebrating a friend’s 60th birthday. Some of us are slightly older, some of us (me) are much younger, but we mostly all agreed we’d hardly changed from the vibrant young things we all were last week, or last century.

Celebrating something, and why not? How about still being here?!

It’s likely we have fewer springs and summers ahead than we’ve already enjoyed, so each one left to us is one to look forward to but not rush. With that in mind, we’ve been planning a few spring and summer camping trips. Unbelievably, at least for someone who likes to pretend he knows a bit about camping and being outdoors, I don’t think I’ve slept in a tent since autumn 2022. Goodness!

Part of the preparation – it’s getting to mud season here, no more skiing or snowshoeing so we might as well look ahead and be prepared – is checking out what equipment we have and what state it is in. We’ve had to acquire a new tent – our palatial green one seems to have gone missing. Hopefully it’s getting well used out on the wilder parts of the west coast of Vancouver Island!

I do have and absolutely love my “work” tent, a tiny one person camping miracle perfect for backpacking and carrying onto small boats, but not one for two people and a dog. So a new tent it is.

For this coming season, we’ll be front country camping in sites accessible by truck. It’ll be sometimes somewhat remote, but not the remote remoteness we enjoyed on the coast. My brother has a new tiny teardrop trailer, and we’ll be meeting up somewhere twelve hours north of him and twelve hours west of us, to test out his new rig. I don’t think he’s done too much camping in the past, so I did mention there’ll be at least three (and maybe as many as five) mosquitoes where we’re headed. There, now he can’t complain about not knowing…

Find us here – twelve hours north and twelve hours west – you know the place!

So do your worst, mud season, we’ll get through whatever you throw at us the next few weeks – late season snow or rain or late season snow and rain – because we’re almost prepared to spring forward and land right side up, ready for the big outdoors! Boing! Squelch! Smile! Why, we’re hardly any older than the last time we were hardly any older…

Let’s wait a few more weeks. No need to rush…

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Rascal

Rascal! I like saying this word. It’s one where, with repetition, meaning fades and the sounds emerge, so you hear the language without engagement – like listening to a song or piece of music that isn’t in your mother tongue but you enjoy anyway. You’re engaged, but not concerned with the literal.

We met this rascal last week, along with a few others. Why not be a (good natured) rascal through carnaval? The Carnaval de Québec is a high spirited event that celebrates winter, good times and good people sharing those good times. If the number of pop up bars are anything to go by, plenty of good spirits are downed to keep the cold at bay and cover up that you might not know any of the words to the drinking songs. Are we back to being engaged without worrying about the literal? Just let it wash over you…

We enjoyed the upbeat atmosphere – yup, it is winter, so why not celebrate it?! Even if it was unseasonably mild to the point where the ice sculptures were struggling to maintain shape. Maintaining shape a struggle? I know how that feels after a carnival beer or three. Or I would if I did…

Rascals? Yup! Bonhomme? Yup – everywhere! He’s a good fellow, a busy fellow and popular too. So many people wanted to be seen with him that he had to have a minder or two to see him safe. No, really!

Pis sors! My inner grade 8 could not get enough of seeing the posters around town with pis sors all over them. As it were. I sent an image to my brother to confirm pronunciation (he understands French about as well as I do – so not that well) and he assured me it is p*ss sauce, and, in this particular case, not to let it wash over you. Sound advice! (I think it’s a genetic thing, us both being stuck in grade 8?)

We didn’t stick around for the late night parties, but I do hope those that were there had a good time. I’m fairly sure I’d fail the drink a yard of ale test, and what a waste of beer that would be. Still, there’s always next year and the twelve months to train for it.

Two rascally fellows, and so very well maintained

Let’s finish with another phrase I like to repeat. Soyez doux – be gentle! I think I read it in relation to the ice sculptures, but maybe it was a nudge as to how to behave in general? Soyez doux, soyez doux, soyez doux – I like the sounds and the meaning. Given the state of the world right now, I’m all for a bit more soyez doux, and a laugh and a drink or two with good natured rascals and bonhommes. Seems quite sensible.

Déguédine pis sors! Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Play time

A short post this week, a mini-celebration of winter, with something of a dog’s eye view on embracing the season! At least, she would if she could get out there…

“Looks great out there. Why am I stuck in here?”

Scout likes to get outside whatever the weather, and, when I wasn’t feeling too well not so long ago, we still had to go out – one of us needed to burn off some energy.

“I’m bored. You look fine. Can we go now? Can we? You’ll feel better – please, please, please…”

“I knew that would work! Yeah! Let’s go!”

“Might not be doing that headlong no look thing again…“

Eventually we managed to go a little further afield, and Scout was even happier than her normal state of happy!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

A (medicinal) glass half full? Of course, and half at the very least…

“Are you forgetting someone, PlaidCamper?”

The snow no show season continues…

…and, fortunately, you’ve not been able to hear me complain about it! But I have been, don’t you worry!

We’d planned, overconfidently as it turned out, to be spending the past week or two on snowshoes or skis, enjoying the thrill of a Quebec winter. That hasn’t happened – yet!

Scout earlier this week, enjoying the thrills of a Quebec winter. Look at that snow!

Going for glass half full, I can be excited all over again if and when proper winter returns. I hope that is soon, because as much as I like mince pies and beer, we might be approaching the point where I can’t see my feet or be able to reach down to said skis… I’m becoming a contender for Santa employment next year if things don’t change. Ho ho ho.

So as 2023 meanders to a slightly grey/green and no snow end, I’ll sign off for this year by thanking you for taking the time to read and comment on this blog. It’s always a delight to know that thoughts are being shared and we’re not going slightly mad all alone as the world takes a few strange turns.

Wishing you all the very best for 2024! Who knows, perhaps the flat earthers, election deniers, populists and other assorted liars will come to their senses in the next twelve months? You have to hope… and in the meantime, there are outdoor concerns and pursuits to follow while we still can! Let’s get out there (just have to finish this mince pie…)

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Holidays!

Enjoy the season if you choose to celebrate!

We were planning to spend chunks of the long weekend on snowshoes or xc skis, but the strangely warm weather through last weekend – it rained and washed away most of the snow pack – means waiting for fresh snow and the return of proper winter sometime around year end. Here’s hoping…

In the meantime, we’re fully engaged with mince pies, winter beers and a good book/good movie or two!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a great (long) weekend!

Holiday spirit…

We’ve been searching…

Looking in the old town, there were some bright sparks:

I think this old fella might know a thing or two about it:

The chap above seemed to have some competition from the chap below (we’ve been keeping an eye on him, looks the sort that might attempt a chimney-based home invasion, and he’d be tough to spot…)

“Come back, young fella – I can tell you where to find ho-ho-holiday spirit – I’ll drop in later!”

Yikes, I found him a little scary and way over my head. I turned to these friendly looking types, but to be honest, whilst they seemed to be in good spirits, it was all rather wheezy and too smoky to get to what they were saying:

Before the big glitter of the big town got too much for me, we retreated into the woods:

“Follow us, OPC, you’ll be fine!” They seemed friendly enough…

I have to say, for me, it was a touch more manageable. A breezy day, so the wind whistled through the treetops, and if I couldn’t make out the words, well I was happy enough with the tenor and tone:

In fact, with a whisper of light snow, and the rattle and rustling of dry leaves, I’d say there were plenty of spirits in the woods. Holiday spirits? Who knows, but it was pretty and peaceful:

To finish, we absolutely found some holiday spirit:

Full(ers) of good things

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

	Sherry Felix on Station to (service) stat…
	Miriam on Station to (service) stat…
	plaidcamper on Scout, inside out
	plaidcamper on Scout, inside out
	plaidcamper on Scout, inside out