Can't you read ?

I'm up early this morning. There is the mother of all thunderstorms banging away just off the coast. The sound is remarkable but the sight of the lightning dancing around the offshore wind farms even more so. London may be suffering from a heatwave but up here 18C is the forecast high for the day. It will seem like 14C adds the forecaster on the pre-dawn bulletin. From my window I can see that there's a group of young rabbits sitting in a flower bed. Are they too young to be afraid or are they just not worried about the lightning ? Perhaps the foxgloves are such  tempting breakfast fare they don't notice the banshee wailing.

We liked Quebec City. It was easy to get around and had a lively ( but not too lively ) nightlife. 

The tee shirts for sale in the souvenir shops tell you events south of the border have not gone unrecognized.

At times you could almost believe you were in some small French town in Brittany. The weather was changeable in that sunny one minute rainy the next sort of way that you also find in that part of France. The old stone houses were well restored and very attractive.

Our hotel was large and iconic. In places it was also like a zoo. Noisy ( and exceptionally colourful ) Indian weddings battled with visiting coach tours in the lobby. We spent three nights there but after battling the crowds we could have happily left after one.

The purpose of the trip was  a birthday dinner in a restaurant down on the river side. Angus had some doubts as to whether flying to Canada for 'The Fonts' birthday celebration could have been justified but it was. We were the only non-local group in the dining room as it seems reservations are hard to come by. Someone scored a lot of brownie points in arranging it.

I'd have to say the meal was exceptional and my qualms misplaced. Clavalier d'amerique was an ingredient I'd never heard of either in French or English. The meal was unusual in being both light and exquisitely prepared. We drank Canadian wine with dinner which also ( pleasantly ) surprised us. Angus would willingly return to try some of the Pomerols on the list.

The view from the hotel window ( in between downpours ) was attractive rather than stunning. In the lift down to the lobby we meet an American man who tells us that as recently as 1945 more than 98% of Australians could trace their  lineage back to Britain or Ireland. He also tells us there are more Catholics in Scotland than there are Presbyterians for the first time since 1560. Wherever you go in the world there's a chance you'll meet someone like this in an elevator.

Our only mishap was finding ourselves in the middle of the changing of the guard at the Citadel. The young soldier who wondered what we were doing and whether we could read the 'No entry'  signs might have more politely restricted himself to describing Angus as a moron. The addition of a somewhat forceful qualification before the word moron was - I thought - unnecessary. He was surprised to be replied to in French.  'The Font' was of the opinion that communications with soldiers armed with a rifle and bayonet should be conducted in a less 'direct' manner.

A part of London the tourists never see :https://www.fashionablylatetakes.com/p/architectural-studies-02

Talking of tee shirts :https://yashenghuang.substack.com/p/china-as-an-absolute-advantage-economy

Mozart discovered :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Faygkp0ssck

The worlds longest flight. Sydney to London over the North Pole :https://x.com/_ZachGriff/status/2068662944301195662

1776 links :https://www.coolidgereview.com/articles/forgotten-scot-declaration-independence

I am due my booster next week. Had a bad reaction to the first dose but this makes me determined to have the second :https://erictopol.substack.com/p/spotlight-on-the-shingles-vaccineagain