Saturday 20 November 2010

Salon du Livres

cloudy, snow, windy, sunny - temps 10 to minus 5

God - it's good to be back! And I know I'm home in Canada because while having coffee at Nick's this morning - having walked over through a mild Saturday morning - we looked out the window to a snow storm. Unbelievable. it suddenly blew up. And sideways. Very dramatic. Indeed, a port-a-potty across the street was blown over. Thankfully it was empty.

and then it was over, and now the sun is out.

Santa claus parade through downtown Montreal this morning. Glad the storms have passed. Apparently the biggest Santa Claus parade in the world is in Toronto - and that's also today.

Flight home Thursday from London was so easy. Through security in no time - the plane boarded quickly (almost empty actually) left the gate, taxied and - took off! No delay, not even a pause. Amazing. And we arrived (after 6 hours) half an hour early.

This was the last flight after almost 20 flights in two months. It's going to be amazing to get back to Sutton tomorrow, and unpack. And put the suitcases away.

Yesterday we were up early - breakfast at Nick's - then off to the car dealership to have the winter tires put on. It's illegal in Quebec to drive after Dec 1st without winter tires. Then I went off to the Salon du Livres to do two book signings...one english, then one french.

Off again today to the Salon du Livres...which is a massive and exciting book fair. tons of people, lots of kids which is wonderful to see.

Tomorrow we're stopping on the way home to have lunch with Louise in Granby - then visit our friend Joan who has just had her second hip replacement. She's in the Cowansville hospital.

then home. And Trudy. I'm dreaming of lighting the fire, making a hot chocolate, reading. having a bath. Slowly unpacking and doing the laundry. Wow.

6 comments:

VTSlajer said...

Hi Louise, I was so happy that I finally found your stand at Le Salon du livre yesterday. It took me quite a while and I was concerned that you would leave and I would have to wait another hour for the second chance. Even though, in life, we do not always get a second chance...

Thanks for signing a copy of 'Still Life' to be given to my friend in Prague at Christmas. It will help him study English, he is already at that level. I started to read 'Dead Cold' that you signed for myself. That CC de Poitiers is quite a character! I cannot wait to find more this afternoon. Would any man really care to meet her in real life - that remains to be seen.

VT

Jeanine said...

Dear Louise & Michael,

Welcome, welcome home! Trudy is probably wiggling herself into a frenzy!

I have just returned home after spending a month in Illinois (I live in New Hampshire). while there I got my sister situated in an Assisted Living apartment and cleaned out my father's house and put it on the market. So I sympathize with you for your extended time away from home. However, I am enjoying reading all your back-blogs about your exciting tour.

Here's to Home Sweet Home!

lil Gluckstern said...

What an event-full two months you have had. Today, it struck me (again) how rich a life is when you take notice of things the way you do, how you honor your friends. Welcome home, and hug Trudy for us.

Diane said...

How wonderful it will be for you to be back in your own home and see Trudy again. And thanks for taking the time to keep us all posted on the tour. I don't know about anyone else but I got a lot of vicarious thrills from it! And there were no complaints, it couldn't have been easy all those 20 flights, missing home but you are a gem, not a grump out of you. Amazing!

Liz said...

Love travelling with you; quite possibly it is better than the real thing--less expensive and much less exhausting! Do you think Gamache will travel abroad?

Louise Penny Author said...

Hi all,

you are magnificent travel companions! Jeanine - sounds like a stressful and wrenching month. As happy as I am to be home I bet you're even more so.

And I wonder every now and then if Gamache might go back to Cambridge to investigate a mystery. Not sure. So many terrific books already have academic settings, not sure I need to enter that territory too. But I might. or he could visit his son and family in Paris. Hmmmm.

But no imminent plans.