"Merci pour les raisins"

Bon ben pour les chanceux qui vivent au Québec, c'est l'Action de grâce, donc un lundi de congé. Pour célébrer sur le blogue, j'ai décidé de partager une chanson. Les gens de ma génération reconnaîtront Merci pour les raisins de La fin du monde est à 7 heures. L'un des nombreux classiques instantanés de l'émission.

A Witch as a Birthday Gift

Today is my brother PJ's birthday. He is celebrating it with my family in Montreal. So today's countdown to Halloween is a bit about his birthday, but more specifically about this little lady. You see, as PJ's birthday was fairly close to Halloween, often the celebrations had a bit of a spooky feel to it. So one year, I believe when he turned six or seven, he received this witch as one of his presents. My parents had bought it at an artisan fayre. I was often envious of his birthdays, because he seemed to always get the coolest presents. Anyway, this witch became a staple of our Halloween Game. She was of course an antagonist to our heroes. I don't know if she ever got a name, for us she was always the Witch. She gave nightmares to my brother, but also gave us so much fun.

La galerie décorée pour l'Halloween

Photo prise par mon père lors d'une de ses promenades. L'Halloween à Chicoutimi, elle arrive assez tôt, en tout cas pour certaines personnes. J'envie ceux qui vont passer l'Halloween par là. Dans tous les cas, j'aime les gens qui décorent tôt pour l'Halloween.

Preparing for trick or treat

For today's countdown to Halloween post, let's talk about trick or treat for a moment, I am feeling quite ashamed: I haven't yet bought sweets for the children who will come here for trick or treat. I want to have a few things just in case, although there are never many people showing up. I am also trying to convince Wolfie to do it this year, he is of two minds about it. My parents are already pretty much set, as this picture proves it: they bought chocolates, crisps and even prepared special bags for the children. Small bags for the random kids that will show up, bigger ones for the children of friends. In little baskets too. I am green with envy.

L'Halloween en vitrine

Nous sommes allés en ville hier faire des achats. Certaines vitrines dans les commerces sont décorées pour l'automne et pour l'Halloween. Souvent pas assez à mon goût, en fait déjà certains semblent vouloirs se concentrer sur Noël. Mais il y en avait quelques unes de  vraiment bien. Comme celle-ci, qui appartient à une nouvelle boutique sur la rue principale. Avec les feuilles mortes, les bougies oranges et les chats à l'air rébarbatif, je trouve ça sobrement atmosphérique. Ma photo ne lui rend vraiment pas justice, mais c'est ma vitrine préférée.

The Halloween Store

For tonight's countdown to Halloween reading suggestion: The Halloween Store and Other Tales of All Hallows' Eve, by Ronald Kelly. The stories in question are very seasonal and fittingly gruesome. You have demonic masks, a creepy killer clown, an out of space, organ snatching entity that preys on trick or treaters, a rock star who made a deal with the Devil, the world's most famous serial killer and a Halloween festival that hides a sinister secret. I didn't really buy into the serial killer story, but the rest is solid stuff. And Kelly also gives us two texts that are nostalgic reminiscences of his Halloweens when he was growing up in Tennessee. And I'm a sucker for nostalgia.

Créer son épouvantail

Photo prise à Hogshaw Farm la fin de semaine dernière. Parmi les activités offertes aux enfants (et aux adultes?) il y avait un atelier pour créer son propre épouvantail. Nous sommes arrivés trop tard pour y participer, mais on a pu en voir quelques uns. Avec des citrouilles sur le sol. Elles auraient fait de bonnes têtes, surtout creusées en Jack O'Lanterns. Mais enfin bref. Nous aurons bientôt notre propre festival local d'épouvantails, une belle nouvelle tradition annuelle pour l'Halloween. J'aimerais bien en monter un bien sinistre, un de ces quatre.

Don Giovanni's Fall to Hell

Here is another countdown to Halloween post for Halloween, but of a different kind. You may know that I love opera. There are also some of them which I consider suitable to listen to during the Halloween season. Among them, Don Giovanni by Mozart. Incidentally, it is my favourite opera. I find the scene where the titular character is thrown in Hell by a vengeful ghost paticularly fitting. So anyway, a few months ago, I found out that Italian artist Milo Manara had actually published a book titled Penditi, about Mozart, with one illustration depicting the composer and the climax of the opera. I found it so cool I knew I had to share it here. I was actually waiting for the countdown to share it. Of course, as it is Manara, there is nudity. But he's no mere pornographer, this is a great depiction of the protagonist's last moment, giving it a taste of hellfire, setting the Commendator as this powerful otherwordly figure and reminding us of the reason of his punishment. And look at Mozart's expression. Just gripping. I love a good Eros and Thanatos cocktail. Anyway, here is the full scene in music:

Automne flamboyant

 Je partage une autre photo prise par mon père durant sa promenade dans Chicoutimi, parce que.

Halloween Fiend

For today's countdown to Halloween reading suggestion: Halloween Fiend by C.V. Hunt. It's about a quet American town with a dark secret. It reminded me of Dark Harvest, but I enjoyed this one far more for some reason. So the town of Strang is under the curse of a demonic entity who feasts every night of blood sacrifices in the form of small animals provided by the citizens. But on All Hallows' Eve, it's a human sacrifice that is required, provided by a lottery. It's nothing original, but Hunt describes the dying town, its burdened citizens and the ever oppressive atmosphere with skills. Like in many horror stories, the evil in Strang often has a human face and thrives on the trivial and the mundane.

Les couleurs de l'automne

Mon père m'a envoyé d'autres photos de l'automne à Chicoutimi prise durant l'une de ses marches. Je partage celle-ci. C'est tout.

The tractor and the pumpkins

Last Sunday, we went to Hogshaw Farm, a petting zoo that had a special harvest festival on that day. We came in a bit late, as it was a last minute decision and it is not next door, so we didn't do a whole lot regarding the festival. But we had fun all the same. It had a few really nice autumnal displays, such as this tractor with a trailer full of pumpkins. This is harvest and autumn in a nutshell, as well as heralding Halloween. Also, Wolfie loves tractors, so father and son enjoyed the sight tremendously.

La quête des citrouilles

Photo prise à Hogshaw Farm en fin de semaine, je la partage car elle sert mon propos et parce que durant lessemaines menant à l'Halloween, plus je mets des photos de citrouilles, mieux c'est. Toujours est-il que jusqu'ici nous n'avons qu'un seul potiron pour l'Halloween et qu'il est très petit. Trop. Je vais donc tenter d'acheter plus de citrouilles en fin de semaine, de toutes les tailles, afin de les creuser le temps venu. J'ai un peu honte que l'on n'en ait pas déjà deux ou trois. Je suis d'habitude plus prévoyant.

Frightening Jack O'Lantern

Oh the lovely things you find in regional magazines! I stumbled recently upon the Round & About edition for October and lo and behond, there was this gorgeous cover, with the most frightening image of a Jack O'Lantern, with a skeletal body. I had to take it, just for the cover. If it hadn't been free, I would have taken it anyway. Now Halloween content was rather thin, it gave some suggestions of spooky activities for the month and half term, but all the same, what a cover! It will give us inspiration when the time comes for our pumpkin carving.

Guédilles au homard

Petit billet gastro et un brin food porn rien que pour ceux qui veulent un sujet un peu différent. Mes parents ont fait des guédilles au homard en fin de semaine dernière. Pour ceux qui ne savent pas c'est quoi, c,est quand on met autre chose qu'une saucisse dans un pain à hot dog. Sur la page de Wikipedia, ils disent que c'est forcément du homard, mais dans mon souvenir ça peut être tout sauf une saucisse à hot dog. Je ne me rappelle pas avoir mangé de guédilles avant, sauf peut-être des guédilles aux oeufs. Mais que j'avoue que l'idée de rajouter le homard pour gentrifier la guédille, c'est assez intéressant.

Ghosts in the House

For today's countdown to Halloween reading suggestion, I go for forgotten classics: Ghosts in the House: Tales of Terror by A.C. Benson & R.H. Benson. They are the brothers of E.F. Benson, who is nowadays far more famous. These are old fashioned ghost stories in the vein of M.R. James. When they were not writing spooky tales, A.C. was a school master, R.H. a Catholic priest, so they belong to a long tradition of mild mannered British writers with a dark imagination. You will get a few shivers reading the stories, but they are pretty much devoid of the fatalism and cynicism of modern horror. The forces of evil might be a threat, but they are seldom triumphant.

Lulu pour l'Halloween

J'ai trouvé cette photo sur la page Facebook de la Chocolaterie Lulu. Ils se mettent aussi en mode Halloween. C'est vraiment une belle photo, délicieusement macabre. Et pour vendre des sucreries. Pour ceux qui peuvent, je recommanderais d'aller vous chercher du chocolat de chez Lulu pour les Halloweeneux.

The Halloween Ghost

I saw this ghost in the souvenirs shop of Blackgang Chine on the Isle of Wight. It was one of the earliest sign of Halloween I saw this year and the nicest Halloween ghost I have ever seen. The Halloweenest ghost I have ever seen, in fact. I love the colour and the bats on it. Sadly, as it was fragile and we had a long journey back, I did not buy it. It would have been so perfect among our Halloween decorations. Maybe I should have just taken the risk. Because it is one fine ghost. I will try to find it online I think.

Les outardes et les canards

Mon père est allé à La Baie hier et a pris des photos, dont celle-ci. Je peux identifier des outardes, des canards et des goélands (et/ou des mouettes). Je trouve cette photo très automnale.

Haunted Desk

For today's countdown to Halloween post, something cute Wolfie said recently. My six years old son and I were putting Halloween decorations on display on the 1st of October, as it is tradition in this household. My wife is not really into Halloween, so it's a boys' thing here. So we were putting lots of things everywhere in the living room and on the shelves when he looked at my working desk and asked: "Daddy, daddy, can I haunt your desk?" I thought tit was very cute and deserved to be a new homologated Wolfism. So now I have a haunted desk.Not haunted by much, but it looks spookier than usual.