Summerween is a thing

A few days ago, while she was doing a grocery shop online, my wife saw some Halloween articles on sale: Jack O'Lantern cushions or something. It must be a manifestation of Summerween. Yes I know the term, which is our word of the day. Do I think it's too early to think about Halloween? No. Do I do Summerween? Well, yes and no. I don't really put any Halloween decorations out, but some of my autumnal ornaments remain on display all year round. And I do long for Halloween all year, so I make a countdown to the countdown. I start reading horror stories in summertime (albeit maybe not that early) and watch horror related stuff. It helps me cope with the heat and the long days. Be that as it may, I'm glad I'm not the only one to be in a spooky mood already.

Chinoiseries (mot du jour)

 Photo prise au Royal Pavilion à Brighton. Vous y trouverez pleins d'exemples de chinoiseries, ces objets d'art européens qui évoquent la Chine. C'est une sorte d'exotisme qui est perçu comme un peu quétaine maintenant. Cela dit, tout exostisme est par définition quétaine, parce que c'est tout sauf authentique. J'imagine que les visiteurs du pavillon devaient trouver qu'ils plongeaient dans un autre monde. J'en avais aussi un peu l'impression, je le confesse, même si je sais que c'est un peu tomber dans un piège. Dans tous les cas, chinoiserie est le mot du jour.

Yawara (Signature Weapon)

This post is part of my Signature Weapons series, which I only officially started this year. Although there were a few older posts that could be considered officiously part of the series, such as this one. Anyway, so I am reading at a slow pace Fight Write, by Carla Hoch, to help me depict fights and violence in my own crime fiction writing. And the book made me discover one exotic weapon from Japan, called the yawara, or yawara stick. It looks like nothing, it is as it says a short stick, a blunt instrument that is barely bigger than the palm of your hand. Yet apparently it can be quite effective and is even used by Japanese police forces. I checked a few videos on YouTube and I must say I am a bit skeptical. Sometimes people praise a thing only because it is exotic and think the world of a weapon simply because it's use by martial artists in the Far East. But since Japanese police officers use it, it must have some utility. In any case, it's a simple device and from what I understand fairly easy to make weapon, so I might add it to some of my character's arsenal. Heroes or villains? I'm not sure yet. So yawara is the word of the day, as well as today's signature weapon. If you have used one, or seen one (if you visited Japan, for instance), please let me know in the comments.

Wanderlust (word of the day)

As you may know, I have started reading William Boyd's Gabriel's Moon. So far it is a solid spy thriller set in the sixties. And it made me discover a term, which I have seen before, but never paid attention to it: wanderlust. It is our word of the day. It means "a strong desire to wander, to travel and explore the world". I have ambivalent feelings about it: I do experience it sometimes and I suspect it is because of wanderlust that I ended up in England. Wanderlust made me an expat, if you will. Anyway, I am not complaining and whether you experience wanderlust or not, it's a feeling that comes in handy when your are writing an adventure novel or... a spy thriller. And reading a spy thriller, or indeed any other novel where the protagnist travels, might make you feel wanderlust yourself. Anyway, that's the word of the day and my take on it. What do you think about wanderlust? Did you ever experience it?

Kukri (word of the day)

As I blogged last Saturday, I am reading Fight Write, by Carla Hoch and it made me wonder about weapons in crime fiction and thrillers in general, particularly signature weapons, either for heroes or villains. There is a small entry about the kukri, an Indian knife that is sometimes seen as just a variant of the machete and not a distinct weapon itself. I am no expert, so I cannot comment too much about it, but I do find the kukri to have a very distinctive shape and look, so it is easily identifiable. All knives are lethal, however this one looks even more lethal than others. It is just very impressive, yet elegant in an exotic way, and I am wondering if it would suit more a hero or a villain. Be that as it may, kukri is the word of the day.

Samovar

I took this picture in Vienna at the hotel we were staying. It is of course a samovar, and so samovar this is the word of the day. They had it in the dining room for breakfast. It is, as far as I can remember, the very first samovar I ever saw. Certainly the first proper samovar I ever used. I was so grateful to find out that they do tea properly in Austria. Well, at least in one place in Austria anyway. And making tea with this made me feel all posh and fancy, like a true gentleman. It's also very exotic. Anyway, I must have drunk three cuppas every morning, just for the sheer pleasure of using this samovar. But the tea was nice too.

Rafistoler (mot du jour)

Je ne sais pas pourquoi, mais j'ai un mot en tête, qui sera notre mot du jour aujourd'hui: rafistoler. ce qui veut dire réparer grossièrement ou réparer de manière imparfaite. Synonyme québécois: renipper. Vous aurez deux mots du jour pour le prix d'un. L'étymologie est incertaine, il serait un dérivé de afistoler, qui voulait dire parer ou orner. Je ne savais pas et je me coucherai moins niaiseux ce soir.

Baijiu

Fairly recently, I was made aware of another alcohol I did not know about: the Chinese liquor baijiu. (By the way, baijiu is the word of the day.) Ironically enough, I heard about it through the Japanese anime programs I have been watching recently on Netflix (more on that another day). Japanese anime, even aimed at children, tend to be rather less strict, if not downright permissive, about display of alcohol and drinking in their stories. Anyway, so baijiu is a traditional alcohol and I am getting curious about it. I wonder if it is easy to find here. Anybody tried it? How does it taste like? What's the best way to enjoy it? Please let me know in the comments.

Glögg (word of the day)

 Don't judge me, but I have been watching a Christmas romcom series on Netflix, called Home for Christmas. Not exactly groundbreaking, but while not original it can be genuinely cute at times and reasonably clever. But I watch it because it's set in Norway and it looks perfect for the holidays. Oh, and it's the same team that made A Storm for Christmas, which I really loved. Anyway, I discovered thanks to the third season a sort of mulled wine (or spirit) called glögg. Originally from Sweden, or so the Wikipedia entry says. I love to discover new Yuletide traditions and I hope to try glögg one day. Anyone ever drank it? Leave me a comment. And glögg is the word of the day.

Bier-Balk and Corpse-Gate

 One of the traditions during my countdown to Halloween is the reading of  Edith Nesbit's Man-Size in Marble, a ghost story set on Halloween night. Since I first read it in The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories back in 2006 (I know, a long time ago), I have been fascinated by it. Now, I have at least four books with the story in it, most of them anthologies. And I have also been reading a good deal of critical analysis of the story. Recently, I watched its adaptation on BBC, stupidly retitled Woman of Stone, which was absolutely rubbish (no but seriously, it was bad and they just didn't get it). But I digress. From Man-Size in Marble, I also learned two terms that should be in the vocabulary of every fan of Halloween and Gothic horror: bier-balk and corpse-gate. A bier-balk or bierbalk is a path across a road to a church, sometimes across a field, taken by the funeral march. A corpse-gate, or lychgate (which is a way cooler and sinister sounding term) is the roof under which you put a corpse before the arrival of the clergyman. I often see lychgates near churches here in England. I will see them in a different light from now on, and will try to find bierbalks nearby too. And I hope one day to visit in a sort of Halloween pilgrimage the village of Brenzett, which inspired Edith Nesbit to write this most excellent ghost story and where the real ghostly statues are. Be that as it may, bier-balk and corpse-gate are your words of the day.

Baobhan Sith

For today's countdown to Halloween post, a new critter I learned about recently. In one of the pages I follow on social media, I saw this meme about the baobhan sith, a sort of Scottish fairy vampire. Read this and tell me if you find it perfectly sinister. The baobhan sith deserves to be better known and deserves to be featured in modern horror stories (is it in any?). So does Scotland, come to think of it: it's a perfect setting for scary stories. In any case, baobhan sith is the word of the day.

Kidult

 My wife sent me this YouGov article about kidult behaviours and activities, thinking it sounds very much like me. In case you don't know (and I sure did not until I rea the article), a kidult is an adult whose interests are ore aligned to the ones of a child, among other things his medias consumption. Yes, I agree, it does fit me, but I always thought it was due to my natural nostalgic temperament. Because I am nostalgic, guilty as charged. In case you haven't noticed. Anyway, maybe this blog is an extension of my so called kidulting. Be that as it may, kidult is the word of the day. And on a final note, I am wondering what are your thoughts on kidulting. Please leave a comment.

Un chemin de fer à Val-Jalbert?

Mon père a pris cette photo à Val-Jalbert.La patente à gosse que vous voyez est, je crois, une draisine. C'est le mot du jour. J'en ai vu par le passé, mais je ne ne savais pas le nom jusqu'à ce que je fasse une recherche hier. Enfin bref, s'il y a une draisine sur des rails, c'est qu'il devait y avoir un chemin de fer, c'est donc qu'il y avait un train qui passait par Val-Jalbert. Enfin, qu'on me dise si j'ai tort. Si c'est le cas, le village est encore plus cool que je pensais.

Augtober

 I came across this neologism, Auctober, on various social media recently. From what I read, it means when temperatures in August feel more like October. It is the case now. It might not last, but it does feel cooler and very autumnal for August. In extension, it also means the state of mind and the way autumn and Halloween lovers deal with the month of August, like a big, long countdown to Halloween. I was embracing it before I knew the term existed, unconsciously. But now, I have decided that Augtober will be part of my vocabulary and my official state of mind this month. I am now reading horror stories. And Augtober is also, as you have guessed, the word of the day.

Coolcation

Sometimes I discover new concepts, thanks to internet algorithms. A few days, I stumbled upon an article about the best coolcation destinationsin Europe. The term coolcation is self-explanatory, but I think it's the first time I ever came across it. According to AI, a coolcation is "vacation taken in a cooler climate to escape the summer heat". Which is exactly what I need right now. It is exactly what I need every summer, come to think of it. Anyway, be that as it may, it is a nice concept and the word of the day. I might come back to this article in the future. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions for coolcation destinations, please tell me in the comments. I need them.

Lincoln Green

I recently learned something new recently, reading about Robin Hood. I think it does not come as something to your average Englishman, but hey, as anglophile as I have always been, I was not aware of this, or if I have been in the past, I had forgotten it. So yeah, anyway, the sort of green that wears Robin Hood and his Merry men is called Lincoln green. Please tell me you didn't know that, so I won't be too embarrassed. It is actually an authentic medieval colour, created in the Middle Ages, originating from Lincoln. Because yes, they had discovered colours back then and and they dyed their clothes when they could. It has always irritated me when Robin Hood doesn't wear green in some adaptations. You probably now the ones I'm referring to. Anyway, so Lincoln green is the word of the day.

Tirelire (mot du jour)

Mon fils a une tirelire. Rien de bizarre ou d'inhabituel à cela. Il l'a reçue en cadeau lors de la fête d'un ami, c'est une tirelire que l'on peut peinturer, en forme d'un paresseux. Il ne l'a jamais peinturée, alors elle est blanche. Wolfie aime la remplir, pas tant parce qu'il aime accumuler de l'argent que pour le geste lui même. Et sa tirelire m'a fait penser à toutes les tirelires que j'ai eues enfant. Il y en avait une en plastique en forme d'oeuf, toute jaune, reçue à Pâques, qui a scrappé assez vite, une autre en forme de guichet automatique, avec différents silos, un pour chaque pièce, d'une cent à un dollars. C'était ma préférée, je crois, que l'avais gagnée pour avoir participé à un concours de la Banque nationale (ou une autre banque). Il y en a eu d'autres, bien sûr. Mais les tirelires, elles ont comme un une certaine importance dans l'enfance, c'est comme un coffre au trésor, les sous qu'on y dépose deviennent soudainement précieux. Mais enfin bref, tirelire est donc notre mot du jour.

Megalodon

 Oh the things internet algorithms lead you to. Yesterday, I received a reading suggestion from Google, about this article from Oceanographic, a magazine I knew nothing about. It's about new discoveries regarding the megalodon's diet. I don't know much about the megalodon, except that it is an extinct species of sharks and from what I understand the biggest predatory fish who ever existed. Like a real life monster, if it sitll existed. And sometimes I kind of hope it did. Because I am fascinated by all things shark. Also, this article reminds me that I haven't watched shark documentaries in a long time. I will try to correct this in the next few days. In any case, megalodon is the word of the day.

Tekkō-kagi (claws)

A long, long time ago, sometimes in the eighties, martial art action movies were all the rage. Kids my age were particularly fascinated by ninjas and their weaponry. I was no exception. I was not as fanatically into ninja lore/mythos as my friends were, but I found them cool all the same. I especially enjoyed some articles of their weaponry. There is one in particular, which I only found recently the term for it: the tekkō-kagi. Metallic claws worn over the hands (yes, like a certain superhero, and also like the villain Shredder). I have always always been skeptical of its practicality, but I thought it looked cool all the same. It's one of these nasty blade weapons which I thought could be used for kick in crime or spy fiction. Anyway, be that as it may, tekko-kagi is the word of the day.

Étang (mot du jour)

 Je relisais ce billet en anglais datant de 2016, lorsque je me demandais si une étendue d'eau stagnante dans le parc principal de notre petite ville était un marais ou un marécage. Puis ça m'est venu à l'esprit que c'est sans doute un étang. Une étendue d'eau stagnante, plus grande qu'une mare, située à l'intérieur des terres. J'aime bien les étangs, qu'ils soient artificiels ou naturels. Enfin bref, étang est le mot du jour.