Hemingway And His Cats Have Nothing on Me

So I was writing in the study (a beautiful book-lined room with the requisite desk, computer, reading chair and comfy love-seat coach, not to mention some skulls and a great painting of Hemingway writing for good measure) the other day.

As I looked up from my writing, I realized that all four of the animals were lounging in the room with me.

After a slight heart-warming pause, I snapped some quick pics of the little fellows and posted it to Instagram with the following note:

"I’ve always loved this #jameslumbers painting of Hemingway called “The Sun Never Set” that hangs in my writing space. Love Papa’s cats in the image, and now have two similarly coloured ones PLUS a couple of puppies too!"

Left to Right: The Sun Never Set by James Lumbers, Meredith, Indie, Atticus and Maya

I have always loved that particular James Lumbers painting (among so many of his other works because of the beautiful "Moments in Time" that he captures using ghostly figures -- go figure that a writer of ghost stories and thrillers might enjoy that), but now this painting has an additional heart-warming feel to it, given the furry friends that I spend most of my days with lately.

I noticed, recently, that two of the cats in the Hemingway painting have the exact same coloring as Meredith and Atticus (the pair of mother and son cats in our home). Yes, Hemingway might have an additional cat in this painting, a Siamese cat, but we have two cats and two dogs: a golden retriever and a labradoodle.

So there! ;)

I finished three chapters on Macabre Montreal this week. I think I earned a celebratory drink of scotch. Thinking about Hemingway has, for some reason, put me in the mood for that . . .

Left: Papa Hemingway. Right: My Hemingway scotch glass: "Write drunk, edit sober."

Beer, Books & Booze

Three really fun things I got for Christmas last week were beer, books and booze. Three of my favourite things.

First, the beer: Hobgoblin beer.

This traditionally crafted legendary full bodied ruby red coloured beer from Wychwood Brewery is strong in roasted malt with a moderate hoppy bitterness, a delicious chocolate toffee malt flavour and slight fruity character. But, most importantly it's the unofficial beer of Halloween. Cool. I enjoyed a glass of it last night with supper. Quite enjoyable.

Next, the books:

Linwood Barclay - Too Close To Home
Michael Connelly - The Brass Verdict
Stephen King - Just After Sunset
J.K. Rowling - The Tales of Beedle the Bard



I started with Barclay's latest thriller, which I finished on New Year's Day. It was incredible. Yes, Barclay, who used to be a columnist for The Toronto Star wrote hilarious satirical essays, but man can he even pen a fantastic thriller. This is his sixth mystery/thriller and they just keep getting better. I've moved on to Connelly's novel now and am about 100 pages into it. Harry Bosch meets the Lincoln Lawyer. So far, excellent.

And now, the booze: Johnnie Walker Blue Label Scotch



Renowned for its perfect balance, this well rounded and velvety smooth scotch with a startlingly complex finish comes in individually numbered bottles. While it is a blend rather than a single malt scotch, it is truly the finest blend I have ever tasted, made from a blend of Johnnie Walker's rarest whiskies. And you can tell this is one of the more treasured scotches available not just from the taste, the individually serial number on the bottle, or the fact my brother in law said is was locked up at the LCBO and had to be walked to the front cash. No, you can tell because it comes cradled in a satin-lined box that is absolutely gorgeous and likely far more luxurious than the casket I end up being buried in.