Une Hobgoblin pour PJ

C'est aujourd'hui la fête de mon frère PJ. Comme c'est la tradition sur ce blogue, je partage une photo de la a  Hobgoblin de  Wychwood Brewery. Une vieille bouteille, qui date de 2018, dans le temps qu'ils avaient des étiquettes spéciales pour l'Halloween, dont ils se déclaraient la bière officieuse. Et ils ne faisaient pas dans les demi-mesures, comme vous pouvez le constater sur cette photo. PJ a bu de la Hobgoblin lors de son dernier voyage ici en 2017, c'est une des raisons pour laquelle je souligne son anniversaire avec cette photo. Mais c'est aussi que, la fête de mon frère étant en octobre, je l'ai toujours associée avec l'Halloween.

The Dracula Game Anniversary

Today is a special day for the nostalgic man that I am: some thirty odd years ago, around this time, my brothers, my friends and I invented and played what I call to this day the Dracula Game. I sometimes blog about it. Long story short, on the last day of a teachers strike, while we were bored stiff, we met an acquaintance, friend of a friend, and we decided to spend time with him and fight boredom together. We discovered that, like us, he enjoyed make belief games. So we drew inspiration from J.H. Brennan's gamebook Dracula's Castle, which our new friend had, and we created a make belief game where we were vampire hunters trying to vanquish Count Dracula. We explored his castle and the surroundings, fighting various monsters among his minions, vampires of course, but also zombies, wolves, demons, ghouls, what have you. I was thinking about it recently and thinking about why I was so fond of it and remember it fondly to this day. First, because Halloween was already on my mind when we played it, so I was in a spooky mood. Also, this improvised make-belief game triggered our interest to many things: role-playing games and classical horror especially. I hadn't even read the original novel, but getting my hands on it became my new literary obsession. Finally, we made a new friend that day, a true kindred spirit, one that would remain friend with us for years and years. So we owed the Dracula Game quite a lot.

The Big One-O

As you know if you read yesterday's post, it was our son's birthday recently. I wanted to get back to it, as Wolfie has reached the age of ten this year, which is, well, a new decade. It means we have been parents for ten years, of course, it also means our son is growing way too fast for my taste. A decade is always an important benchmark, at any age, but for a child, ten years old is maybe the stepping stone, the one that officially makes you a big kid instead of a little one. That's what I got from Wolfie anyway. For a parent, it might be an even bigger step, because it makes you realise that your child will not be a child forever and that he will eventually become an adult. It made me miss for a moment the first few months of being a parent, when everything was so hard, yet so simple. It also makes me feel melancholic. In any case, Wolfie is now ten years old.

Three Layers Birthday Cake

So it was Wolfie's birthday recently and he had a very special request for me: a three layers cake. But that wa snot all: he asked for blueberry flavoured icing between layers and a chocolate ganache on top, covered with Smarties and Maltesers (milk and white chocolate). As I never back from a cake baking challenge and I never refuse my son's birthday cake requests, well, I did it. Thankfully, it wasn't too wobbly. Very rich, gigantic, indulgent, but presentable and it stood up. All the same, my wife was somewhat horrified. "A heart attack on a plate," she said about it. Which deserves to be a great unknown line. I shall blog more about my son's birthday soon, but I thought I would show you his birthday cake.

25 Years of 9/11

In case you haven't noticed, today is the anniversary of 9/11.We tend to forget, what with what is happening in the US or because of the US at the moment, but there you are. Once upon a time, Islamofascism was the greatest threat Western civilisation seemed to have. Nowadays it is still a major threat, mind you, but Christian fundamentalism proved to be at least as dangerous. But I digress. For my memories and thoughts (rambling?) on the subject, read this post from 2008 and that post from 2009. This post from 2024 isn't too bad either. So yes, I commemorate it every year on Vraie Fiction.

Bronze Anniversary

Today, my wife and I are celebrating our 19th wedding anniversary. Which is our bronze anniversary, unless I am mistaken. I checked online before blogging, of course. Suggestion for gifts: something in bronze (duh!), or some jewel with an aquamarine (for whatever reason it is the gemstone of 19th wedding anniversary), or something else. We do celebrate it the same way every year: dinner out in some nice restaurant or pub (more rarely a pub). Now that we are parents, it ends up being all about Wolfie and a bit of a rehearsal for his birthday. And there is nothing wrong with that.

Frankenstein's Mother

Today is a benchmark in my countdown to the official countdown to Halloween. It is the birthday of Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. One of my favourite horror classics and one of the very first I read, some forty odd years ago. You can read my "review" (more like a praise) of the novel in this post. And on my birthday this year, my wife bought me this illustrated edition of Frankenstein, with 3D images and interactive elements. I might give it a try today, although I have a substantial TBR list to go through. It's a gorgeous edition, in any case. But whatever version you have at hand, even if it's just an abridged edition, or a comic book adaptation, I suggest you read it today. 

H.P. Lovecraft and Cosmic Horror

Today is an important date in my countdown to Halloween. Because yes, it has started. It's a benchmark, because it is the birthday of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. I discovered him thanks to the role-playing game Call of Cthulhu, inspired by his writing. I used to play it a lot, and read Lovecraft so I could draw inspiration for the campaign I was doing. You can read about my first reading experience of Lovecraft in this post. Today, I will try to make time to revisit some of his stories and maybe discover new ones. And you, do you know Lovecraft? Have you played Call of Cthulhu?

Dungeons & Dragons (about an anniversary)

I try to mark the time every year, even though I don't know the exact date. But anyway: my brothers and I, as well as some friends who were playing with us at the time, started our Dungeons & Dragons campaign back in August 1992. The world we had invented wasn't as developed as it became, but he already had potential. Now decades later, my brothers and I don't play together anymore, however I have started a new campaign in the same world with Wolfie. So the world lives on and helps develop someone else's imagination.

Il y a trente ans, le Déluge

Bon, je suis en retard d'un jour dans les anniversaires, mais je me devais de le souligner: c'est depuis hier le trentième anniversaire du Déluge du Saguenay. Je l'ai vécu, ce qui ne rajeunit personne. Je m'en rappelle encore. Pour mes souvenirs, vous pouvez lire ce billet qui date de 2016, pour les anecdotes des membres de ma famille, vous pouvez aussi lire cet autre billet du vingtième anniversaire. Ah oui, et pour ce que je pense du journaliste maintenant politicien Louis Lemieux, vous pouvez lire ce billet de 2017. Le Déluge, c'est aussi son avènement comme célébrité journalistique ("Godzilla régional surgi des eaux," j'ai quand même parfois une belle plume bien acérée). Des fois la tragédie prend des allures de farce.

Dix ans ici (Jour du Déménagement)

Photo prise à Brighton. Cest l'Upside Down House et je la partage ici parce qu'elle illustre un peu le sujet du billet. Nous avons emménagé dans notre maison il y a dix ans cette année. En fait non, ce n'est pas tout à fait vrai. Pour être exact, nous sommes devenus propriétaires le 1er juillet 2016. Nous avons emménagé le lendemain. J'ai toujours trouvé ça amusant que le hasard fasse que nous devenions propriétaires ce qui au Québec est le Jour du Déménagement. Notre maison n'est bien entendu pas à l'envers, enfin pas comme la maison de Brighton. Dans un autre sens, oui, elle l'est. Ouch. Désolé, il fallait que je commette ce calembour.

Gâteaux

 Photo prise il y a plus d'un mois, en avril, lors de la réunion familiale chez la cousine de ma femme. C'était dans un pub de village. Nous célébrions deux choses: 1)les cinquante ans de la cousine et 2)son second mariage. Il y avait donc deux gâteaux: un à la mangue et un autre au Biscoff ou au caramel (ou les deux?), je ne sais plus trop. J'ai essayé de ne pas trop exagérer, j'ai eu un morceau de chaque et c'était délicieux.

Dracula Day

 Today is World Dracula Day, as it is the anniversary of the publication of Dracula by Bram Stoker. It is by far my favourite horror novel ever and also one of my favourite novels all labels aside. I have lost count on how many times I read it. So I find it important that I commemorate today. Also, in my long countdown to Halloween, or my countdown to the countdown, today is also a stepping stone. Stoker's novel is an essential read for any horror fan ans it remains to this day the greatest vampire story ever told.

Sherlock Holmes Day

Today is Sherlock Holmes Day .I missed it last year, but I knew I needed to commemorate it this year. I haven't read enough Sherlock Holmes stories, but I enjoy every one I have read, and of course for any crime fiction fan Holmes is an archetypal reference, THE archetypal reference for any investigator in crime fiction, and even beyond the genre. So I have one book of his adventures on my to be read list and once I read it, I will buy more. I also have a reference guide which I might read a bit today. And to accompany this post, I am sharing this image taken from this edition of The Hound of the Baskervilles. So happy birthday Sherlock. You remain to this day the greatest detective of all time.

Epic Train Trips of the World

 I hope you can forgive me to blog yet again about trains. Maybe I am experiencing wanderlust, but of a specific kind, maybe it is just that since my last train trip, I have developed an appetite for it, as well as a realisation that I don't travel by train often enough. Anyway, be that as it may, my wife knows my tastes, so she bought me for my birthday Epic Train Trips of the World. She knows my tastes. My birthday often end up train related in some way. It is a beautiful book, with beautiful pictures and it really makes me want to experience all these journeys. I might never be able to, nevertheless it gives me inspiration for future holidays.

The Waiting Game (A Birthday Memory)

As it is often the case, my last birthday and recent celebration made me think of the birthdays of my past, from a long time ago. The birthdays of yesteryear, if you will. When I was a child, we I  often celebrated our birthdays the weekend before or after it, generally the weekend after. We had a small celebration on the date itself, but the big party was at the weekend. We invited family, especially our cousins. That was before the internet, before the overbearing presence of screens, before the multiple television channels. After breakfast and the morning cartoons, my brothers and I waited for the guests to come. But we were not bored. We played a sort of waiting game, hiding behind the living room sofa by the window, often with toy guns, as if we were secret agents, smugglers or mercenary soldiers in a secret hideout, waiting for our contacts or allies to show up. We used to peak out, checking through the window that was facing the street, checking every car driving by. The excitement and anticipation of this "Waiting Game" were just as entertaining as the party itself. In fact, it's a ritual I now remember more than many birthday parties we hosted.

Le gâteau de mes 49 ans

J'ai pensé partager de mon gâteau de fête d'il y a deux jours. Je l'ai cuisiné. Faire des gâteaux est une entreprise hasardeuse pour moi: j'en ai raté plus souvent qu'à mon tour. Même celui-ci est abîmé à sa base et il penche d'un côté, comme la Tour de Pise. Mais vous ne le croiriez pas à le voir, j'ai caché avec le glaçage. Bon, petit loup l'a décoré, c'est lui qui a mis les Smarties dessus. Le glaçage est à l'érable, parce que j'ai eu l'idée de ramener de l'essence d'érable de mon dernier séjour au Québec. Je trouve que ça lui donne une touche toute québécoise. Dans tous les cas, je suis assez content du résultat. 

Still in my forties (for now...)

 Happy birthday to, well, me. I am 49 today. I am not getting any younger, but I am okay. Like I said to my wife last week, at least I'm still in my forties, for now at least. But yes, it goes way too fast. And at least I know my son and my wife have prepared something special for me. They always have something exciting prepared for me, a few really cool presents, something to make me forget that I am only one year away from being fifty and that times flies really quickly. It gets faster as you get older. Thankfully, I'm a father. It also makes it more bearable, because in the end, every celebration we do in this family revolves pretty much around Wolfie.

Marquise, si mon visage, etc, etc.

Bon ben, c'est ma fête aujourd'hui, j'ai 49 ans (aaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!). Tradition sur le blogue, je partage les Stances à Marquise, version chantée par Georges Brassens. Mes traits un peu vieux se font de plus en plus nombreux et de plus en plus tout court. "Un peu" commence à être franchement un euphémisme. Dans trois ans, j'aurai le même âge que Pierre Corneille quand il a écrit le poème. Il me reste encore du temps, mais il file.

Post-Easter Blues?

 Okay, so Easter is now over, but here it is a bank holiday. How was your Easter? How are you feeling? I am of two minds about it: I am always sad after any big holiday, feeling like it came and went way too soon for my taste. For Easter specifically, while I do feel a bit melancholic, I find solace in the fact that there's a lot (and I mean, a lot) of chocolate to go through, we have one Monday that will feel like a Sunday and that in the coming weeks we will have more reasons to celebrate: it will my one of my wife's cousins' birthday and then it will be mine. We literally have no time to feel melancholic, we already need to get ready for the next celebrations. And, in my case, get mentally ready to become older. That is one aspect of the post-Easrer blues I like: it's generally short-lived.