Ghosts In the Pub

For today's countdown to Halloween post, a British classic, inspired by the sight of a Halloween decoration. So I was walking down town a few days ago and I saw this ghost at a pub's entrance. Okay, so it's not a real ghost and the pub is most likely not haunted, but it was cool to see all the same. Maybe it was just a regular punter who had one drink too many ("Kids, that's what alcohol does to you!"). No, but more seriously, I always thought pubs were great settings for ghost stories. Obviously, they were the starting point of many of them, especially after a few pints. But ethylic hallucinations aside, the pub being the place of gathering of locals, as well as a place of discovery for visitors, full of dark corners and centuries old dramas, it's no wonder haunted pubs are still nowadays a source of attraction. I even been in a few. I hope one day to write a scary story set in a pub.

L'Halloween chez Première Moisson

Bon, je désespérais un peu, mais je suis enfin rassuré: l'Halloween est arrivé chez Première Moisson.C'est à dire qu'ils ont montré sur leur page Facebook cette photo de leurs créations de la saison. Il était à peu près temps. Je savais déjà qu'ils avaient leur propre version du latté à la citrouille épicée, mais quand même, c'est bien qu'ils aient des sucreries qui font dans le macabre et dans l'épouvante. Je crois que ma préférée, de sucreries, c'est le fantôme. Il est même trop beau pour être mangé. Et vous?

Care for a Danse Macabre?

 When Halloween season comes, it's time to enjoy a special kind of music and a special kind of party. So anyway, this time of year, I always share a rendition of the Danse macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. I found this truncated animated version, found online. It is suitably sinister, but not devoir of humour, albeit of the darker kind.

Gâteau chocolat et menthe

 Inspiré par notre initiative le jour de son anniversaire, mon frère PJ a fait son propre gâteau au chocolat avec glaçage à la menthe. Il a ajouté des pépites de chocolat, pour faire plus décadent.

A Coven

For today's countdown to Halloween post, I wanted to blog about witches again. I love them both as Halloween characters/critters and as antagonists in horror stories. I think our horror stories need more witches. And what is scarier than a witch? A gathering of witches, aka a coven. During on eof his walks in the neighbourhood, my father took a picture of one of them. At least I think it was meant to represent a coven, albeit a small one. Maybe they are the Weird Sisters, but I think three is a crowd. I have written a few horror stories, most of them involving a witch, one day I want to write about a whole coven. In any case, I find this display both terrifying and inspiring. And you, what do you think of it?

Un arbre en automne

 Photo prise par mon frère PJ au Parc Lafontaine, lors d'une de ses promenades. Je la publie rien que pour le plaisir, parce que les couleurs sont plus vives qu'ici. Je suis un grand amateur de promenades automnales, beau temps mauvais temps. La dernière fois que j'ai marché dans le Parc Lafontaine en automne, c'était en 2015, c'est vous dire que ça me manque. Surtout que c'était plus tôt dans la saison et qu'il y avait donc moins de couleurs.

New Ghost In The House

For today's countdown to Halloween post, I wanted to show my readers a new decoration, which I bought last weekend at an artisan market. Cute isn't it? My wife thinks we have a lot of Halloween stuff already, but I regret nothing. I even think I will let this little ghost live permanently on the bookshelves, unlike most of the Halloween decorations I own. It's made of pottery and I wouldn't want it to break you know. No but seriously, I am always on the lookout to get our home haunted, so I gladly get my hands on more ghosts.

"Blast-À-Citrouille"

Mon frère PJ m'a envoyé cette photo d'une bière de saison du Prospecteur, une microbrasserie de l'Abitibi. Elle a pour nom Blast-À-Citrouille et c'est une bière de type belge (pas mes favorites) forte en alcool (pas certain non plus) et, ben, à saveur de citrouille et d'épices. Je trouve dans tous les cas que la bière a une belle couleur et qu'elle a vraiment une belle image sur sa cannette. Non mais on va se le dire: c'est beau en tab avec les citrouilles dessus. Dans les bonnes circonstances, bien automnales, disons une soirée froide d'octobre, ça doit assez bien se prendre. Et tu garde la cannette pour décorer.

Mummy (Terror at the British Museum)

For today's countdown to Halloween, an old horror classic. It's not Halloween without at least one mummy. This one comes from the gamebook Terrors Out of Time, one of my go-to book for interactive horror stories. But truly, the creature comes from the British Museum and has been animated by Baron Ausbach to cover his escape from the hero (hero played of course by the reader). The mummy here is little more than a glorified zombie, an undead doing its master's bidding. Nevertheless, it's always cool to have a mummy in a horror story, especially in a cool setting like the British Museum. Tactical advice if you ever play the book: use the knobkerrie against it, not the sword-stick. Otherwise, the blade might get stuck in it and you end up weaponless.

Sloshe (mot du jour)

 Il a neigé au Saguenay et à Chicoutimi, comme vous le savez si vous suivez ce blogue. En automne, c'est maintenant relativement rare, une première neige, mais ça arrive encore. Mon père m'a envoyé des photos, dont celle-ci. De la sloshe. Au Québec, on a deux mots pour la neige: neige et sloshe. Ou sloche. Ou slush. Enfin bref, sloshe est donc notre mot du jour.

"Ghosts And How to See Them"

Oh the treasures one can find in charity shops sometimes. For today's countdown to Halloween, I wanted to share one of these discoveries I made last weekend. Now a disclaimer: I am not a believer in the paranormal and I do not think ghosts exists. I wouldn't buy this kind of book new, because I have no intention of becoming a ghost hunter, a pointless activity for a skeptic if you'd ask me. That said, I love horror and ghost stories and I even try to write in the genre. As such, books like Ghosts And How to See Them can be an invaluable source of inspiration. This is why I bought it last Saturday, at £3.49, a bargain. Also, because I love the cover, worth the purchase in itself. It's eerie, it's atmospheric, it's absolutely perfect for Halloween.

L'Halloween macabre sur le Plateau

Mon frère PJ a pris cette photo sur le Plateau Mont-Royal. C'est l'Halloween tôt là-bas et ils ne font pas les choses à moitié. J'adore ces deux figures spectrales, avec la tête de citrouille sur l'une d'elle qui sourit de manière maiveillante. Et puis le haut de forme et l'habit noir, classique. Deux morts vivants démoniaques et macabres. Même de nos jours, laors que l'Halloween est de plus en plus populaire et fêtée en grand en Angleterre, on trouve rarement de pareilles décorations.

Trick or Treat Preparartion

I took this picture last year, after we had put out the Jack O'Lanterns late in the afternoon, for trick or treat. I love this time of the day on the 31st, when there are still daylights and everything is all about anticipation. I had "only" six pumpkins, not counting the electric lanterns in the window. You can see salt around them: I poured it to protect them from slugs and snails. I bought some more this year. I hope I will have more pumpkins this year, I really love carving them. But we have a bot of a logistics challenge: one parent must stay here for the children who will come, and the other must go with Wolfie. This year, we might switch: WOlfie will go with his mum for the nearby houses, then we will do another round with me. Halloween is on a Saturday this year, so we should have more time. I want to make the most of it: one day my son will have outgrown trick or treat.

Neiges en automne

Il a neigé sur Chicoutimi et ailleurs au Saguenay et au Québec. Mon père m'a envoyé des photos. C'est un peu tôt, même pour le Saguenay, mais à tout prendre je préfère un octobre froid qu'un octobre trop chaud. Je ne crois pas qu'on aura un Halloween blanc au Québec pour autant: la neige devrait avoir fondu d'ici là.

"Bad Apples" (Five Slices of Halloween Horror)

For today's countdown to Halloween post, more literary horror, this time very topical one. As I have mentioned recently, I like to vary the types of horror I read come this time of year, mixing Gothic ghost stories with modern horror. I also like to read at least Halloween anthologies. As I had finished all my Halloween books and was eager to read new ones, I recently purchased Bad Apples, the first book of a series. I understand Evans Light edited it and I had really enjoyed Doorbells at Dusk, which he also edited. You can find my post on Doorbells here. I go back to it every year. So anyway, long story short, I started reading Bad Apples. It has five stories in it, a bit long to be short stories, more like novelettes or even novellas. And so far, it's a blast.

L'automne au Parc Lafontaine

Mon frère PJ m'a envoyé des photos du Parc Lafontaine, lors d'une de ses promenades. L'automne n'est pas aussi flamboyant à Montréal qu'au Saguenay, mais c'est beau quand même.

About Night Terrors

For today's countdown to Halloween, I wanted to blog about Night Terrors, the anthology E.F. Benson's ghost stories. I blogged about it briefly in Augtober last year. No, I haven't read it all yet, it's a solid 705 pages book. I think it has all his stories. That said, I have read some of them this month, because I like to have variety in the writers and the writing in my Halloween reading list, and every year I need a healthy those of Gothic horror. And some of his stories are really short, so they make for a quick read. Anyway, if you can get your hands on this book, you won't regret it. If not, you can find at least some of the ghost stories of Benson online. I might find them for you in future posts.

Les bateaux à La Baie en automne

Je partage encore une fois une photo prise par mon père à La Baie il y a quelques semaines. Je veux donner à mon blogue les couleurs de la saison, du moins dans ses photos.

Folkloric Halloween Horror

As you may remember, I started reading Halloween Folklore and Ghost Stories last year. I am still reading it, kind of slowly, because I have a pile of Halloween books to read and reread, not to mention horror stories that are not directly Halloween related.I am also reading it slowly because there is a rather substantial portion of the book is actually about Bonfire Night. A bit too much for my taste, but I digress. What I like particularly about this book is old obscure, sometimes almost forgotten English legends and superstitions based around Halloween and this time of year. There are amazing sources of inspiration for the aspiring horror writer that I am sometimes. I should blog about some of them soon, but until then, I suggest you take a look at this book. It's not flawless, but it's very educational in a spooky way.

Un gâteau et une tradition

C'était la fête de mon frère PJ il y a une semaine et son neveu et moi même avons décidé de faire un gâteau en son honneur. Un gâteau au chocolat avec un glaçage à la menthe. Il y a une raison sur ce choix: enfants, mes frères et moi avions décidé d'avoir des gâteaux plus originaux, uniques pour nos fêtes, avec des glaçages de couleurs différentes à chaque fois. C'est donc une tradition familiale que Wolfie et moi avons repris.