what a swell party...

Didier's Birthday continues...

* but what's in the box?

What frills, what frocks! What furs, what rocks! What gaiety! It's all to exquis!

(l-r) Graham, Franco, Jason.



(l-r) Jean-Francois(Jeff), Mikael, Stephane, Kenny, Richard, John.


(l-r) Martin, Didier, Adam, Tony, Francis, Robert.



That French champagne! So good for the brain! That bands, it's the end! Kindly don't fall down my friend.

(l-r) Jeff, my hand, Stef, Didier.



(l-r) Mikael, Didier and my hand (again)



It's great, it's grand! It's wonderland! What soup, what fish! That beef, what a dish! That grouse, so rare! That aged camembert! That bab au rhum! Will you please move over chum?

Yes there were THREE cheesecakes... Grand Marnier, Orange-Chocolat, Double Chocolate...


The man of the hour (make that day) makes the first cut...



...and enjoys all the chocolaty goodness... And you can see what was in the Box * (A gold teddy bear pendant and chain from Paris)


What a swellagent, elagent party this was!

The Weekend in Review (Didier's Birthday Weekend)

Friday night I was alone, it was the night of Didier's Association of French something something something's BBQ. so Misster-Kitty was Stag. And what does M-K do when left to his own devises? He goes to the Jean-Talon Market, then to the Gym, then to McDo and then home. He watches some TV and does a little posting and then goes out for a beer, goes back home and waits for his man.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

- - - - - - - - -

Saturday started off with a nice breakfast of home made blueberry pancakes, coffee and juice on the balcony. With Ste-Catherine St closed in the village to pedestrian traffic only we strolled around a bit, saw a few of our friends singing with the Gay Men's Chorus...




We sat watched and listened to them perform and then when they went on a break we headed off to the gym... the clouds were getting dark and the thunder had already begun to compete with their singing...

Once out of the gym we went for a stroll through some of the Just For Laughs festival. We walked around a bit and then caught a quick bite to eat at Frits Alors! Damn they do good Fries! Then back to the street and a bit more people watching. We went to walk up St-Denis to the Big balloon of Victor (the festival mascot) and his lady friend, Rose de Nantes. We didn't even make it up the one block from Ontario to Sherbrooke before the skies opened. So instead of looking at Victor and Rose we stood under them for about 10 minutes. When the rain lessened we snapped a few pics and then headed back in for refuge.

We went into La Capoterie and dare I say it was all just a little too tame... although there Was this really nice cook's apron with muscle man nude torso and scantily clad leopard print loin cloth. I might have to go back for that! Then a few more stops back down to the main festival and soon the rain stopped.

We thought we'd stick around a bit longer but well, good intentions , and a lame hypnotist... need I say more.

As it was, we got home about 5 minutes before it started raining again! We watched an episode of the 4400, Then rested a few minutes and then got dressed for dinner. Then took a walk in the rain. Didier still didn't know where I was taking him . Fun! Even better was on the walk we passed about 12 other restos and every once in a while I'd head directly for one of them, then psych him out. He finally guessed about 2 blocks away, but only because there was only the one restaurant left. LA MER. We are both from the Atlantic Coast, (Halifax, Nova Scotia and Nantes, France) We know good seafood, and this place has it! It was or first time there, but won't be our last. We both took the Lobster on their Table d'Hote. He took the Calamari starter, I took the chilled cucumber soup. (I've been burnt a few too many times with tough calamari so only order it once I know it's good) I had a couple of Didier's and I can tell you this, next time I'm there, that's all I want! I've NEVER had such good Calamari before in my life! We had a wonderful dinner, save for the heat in the resto, (it was a bit uncomfortable actually.)

We strolled home again, it was still raining... And then 10 minutes Graham and Tony arrived, brought a bottle of Pommery Champagne for Didier's Birthday... Champagne is the never fail gift for un vrai Français. Just time to toast the birthday boy...

... and have a little ice cream cake and it was time for the Fireworks. (See Saturday's Post) Then back in to look at the guy's wedding pictures.

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Sunday was relaxing. We had another leisurely breakfast, then we watched an episode of the 4400 (I HAVE to blog about this show!) and then a little reality... house cleaning. Then we went out for a walk around the village, chatted with some friends here and there and then had a bite to eat and a little bakery in the village La Tour du Pain - Great bread and pastries... and delicious simple sandwiches.

And then, yup you guessed it, back to the JFL.

(Me and Victor)

They had the floats form the Thursday night parade out on display (Here is Didier with the Mr Bean float)

... and it seems one of them at least, the Charlie Chaplin float was built in Nantes, Didier's home town!

(on the back of the float)...

We walked around again and them played from Checkers. Apparently there are many 'international rules' I'd never heard of before and lost readily to Didier. Never in all my years could you move in reverse and even when you were 'kinged' you could only jump to two squares away. Seems I was never taught the full set of rules. (Thanks for Nothing Nanny!)

Another walk around the festival and we headed back towards home. Picked up some Chinese take out and took a bottle of wine up to our roof, had a nice meal then wound down the night with one last episode of the 4400.
Not a bad weekend aver all.

Acrobats, Knife-Swallowers and Strippers, oh my!

Take one part, Burlesque, one part Vaudeville, one part Circus, one part Freak-Show, shake and stir and you get ...

This ain't your parent circus... (unless they were slightly sexually deviant and into freakshows and fringe society.)

Do yourselves a favor, and if you get the chance, go see them!

OH MY GOD! What a night!

It started with a Cabaret singer Michelangelo. The lyrics to his song were sexually explicit. We were off to a good start and the audience was soon well aware this was going to be a fun night. After his song the next act was a male duo of acrobats. Doing impossible poses and lifts including one where the 2nd guy was doing a one handed hand stand on the first guys head! for their encore they both stripped down to their Union Jack undies. WHAT BODS! wow!After them was a hula hoop act. She was amazing! at one point she had 4 hoops all going in different directions on different planes. Amazing!The came one of my favourite parts. Miss Behave...

She's a Sword Swollewer, also does a bit of slap stick and generally teases the audience. she came out 4 times in total, in a skin tight yellow and black latex dress! Among some of her routine, she swallows a pair of scissors, sticks a rose through the piercing hole in her tongue, swallows the leg of a bar stool and generally flirts and drinks too muck! I LOVE HER!

After Miss Behaves first routine, out came Frodo. He is what you can only describe as 100% freak!. He is a contortionist. Completely double jointed. She has a standard size tennis racquet and one with a diameter 2 inches smaller. Ho basically puts his entire body through the racquets. He has to dis-locate his shoulder to do this. Gross and yet riveting You can't HELP but watch...

Among the other acts, was a magic act. A sexy Spanish women basically strips while doing a little 'slight of hand' that involved a little red scarf that ended up in her skirt, bra, thong panty and well, her um... 'suzy' as I prefer to call it. ;-)Also in the show was another acrobat spinning and spiraling above the audience. The Spanish magician comes back and sings Guantanamera, Frodo the double jointed freak also does a balancing act. There's more singing, and audience teasing.

And then the favourite (for at least the four of us) a hunky guy in nothing but a pair of skin tight jeans that does an acrobatic act out of a tub. He spins around and above the audience, the front row is given a sheet of plastic to protect them from the water. The 2nd row gets nothing! Didier got a little drenched from the acts first spin over the audience. I also got splashed more than a few times, but when you see where the water is falling from you just don't mind! HAWT!

...now would you be upset if he got you a little bit... wet?


There was more but really, you gotta go yourself!


I actually want to go back again! It was a truly amazing show. Who wants to join me?