Halloween at Last!

I am typing this post in advance as I may not have time tomorrow (or today as it will be published). Now is the witching hour, now is time for Halloween. Happy Halloween everyone! I am both very excited and very sad that this will soon be over. We made four pumpkins this year: one that is not on the picture (will try to share it and these three. From left to right: one made by my wife and my son in a nearby farm. The central one, which is the "leader" of the pack as the scariest looking one (my son calls it the Daddy Pumpkin) and the other one, friendlier (my son calls it the Mummy Pumpkin). The one missing, which I carved on the 30th, is the Wolfie Pumpkin, as it is a smaller one. Tonight, they will I hope be inviting to all the kids coming for trick or treat. To you all, enjoy the holiday while it last.

Des squelettes et des araignées

Photo prise mar ma femme, à l'endroit que j'ai mentionné dans mon billet ce matin. Pas aussi brillant et évocateur que des squelettes autour du chaudron, mais c'est quand même un spectacle amusant: des squelettes qui promènent(?) des araignées géantes. C'est un peu absurde, l'Halloween ne peut se passer d'araignées plus grandes que nature.

Origins of Halloween Traditions

For today's (first?) countdown to Halloween, a meme I found on a friend's Facebook page. I knew pretty much all of it, but thought it looked so nice and it was educational enough to share it here today. Only one day to go now. I am both excited that Halloween is at last upon us and yet sad that it will end soon.

Les squelettes et le chaudron

Ma femme a pris cette photo hier, dans une ferme qui offre des activités pour les familles. Ils ont décoré les choses pour l'Halloween. J'adore les squelettes et je crois qu'ils sont essentiels à toute décoration d'Halloween qui se respecte. Ils représentent parfaitement la part de macabre de la fête et sont plus élégants que des zombies. Je les trouve aussi plus terrifiants. Ceux-ci sont particulièrement intéressants, car ils sont assis autour d'un chaudron. Or, qui dit chaudron dit sorcières. Sont-ils des cadavres des victimes des sorcières? Sont-ils les squelettes de sorcières victimes de leurs propres maléfices? Ou encore, c'est mon hypothèse, sont-ils des squelettes réanimés par un sort de sorcière et liés par le chaudron. Dans le folklore celtique (et dans d'autres j'en suis certain), il y avait un chaudron magique qui permettait de réanimer les morts. Je me demande s'il s'agit de ça, du chaudron en question ou d'un chaudron semblable. Qu'en pensez-vous? C'est en tout cas une image saisissante.

First Jack O'Lantern of 2019

For today's (first?) countdown to Halloween, a proud result of a family work: our first Jack O'Lantern, which we did last night. Or, as my son called it" Daddy's pumpkin" There are three pumpkins, two bigs, one small, this one is Daddy's Pumpkin, there is Mummy's Pumpkin and the smallest is of course Wolfie's Pumpkin. Bit of anecdotes concerning the Jack O'Lantern: once I took out the seed and the insides of the pumpkin and threw it in a bowl, Wolfie tried to put everything back in the pumpkin. He actually got very upset when I tried to explain to him that we had to empty it. Not sure why. Also, he kept thinking we were going to make a fondue. It was as sweet as it was messy. Anyway, one done, two to go.

Les citrouilles du jardin

J'ai été de voir chez nos amis, avant-hier, ces quatre superbes citrouilles. Étonné, parce qu'ils sont chrétiens particants et ne célèbrent pas l'Halloween. Ni de près, ni de loin. J'étais étonné, puis j'ai eu ma réponse: ils ont un jardin et ce sont donc les citrouilles qu'ils ont fait pousser. Première constatation: elles sont vraiment, mais vraiment belles. On n'en trouve pas comme ça dans les épiceries ici. Surtout pas, et c'est ma seconde constatation, avec de longues queues vertes, qui en feraient des lanternes idéales. Je les aurais adoptées, ces citrouilles. Mais je n'ai pas osé demander. Quel dommage, tout de même, qu'elles ne puissent pas se transformer en lampions.

Has Wolfie seen a ghost?

For today's countdown to Halloween, an anecdote about Wolfie that happened yesterday. We were with some friends for a baby shower (uni friends of my wife) and their kids, aged two to eight and a half. They all get along very well, but Wolfie sometimes prefers to play by himself. Anyway, right after dinner, the other children went upstairs and Wolfie stayed with the adults. At some point, Wolfie came next to us and said, with his cheeky grin: "There's a ghost here, he went upstairs, I need to go and see it." I think he completely spooked the friend of my wife who is pregnant. We think Wolfie meant her son, who had put some kind of disguise and was often running around with it. I also think Wolfie has picked up on my state of mind and started enjoying the spooky season and wants to "play Halloween" so to speak. In any case, he created a bit of commotion. And I'm kind of proud about his spooky mind.

Question existentielle (352)

Une nouvelle question existentielle sur l'Halloween, que je crois (j'espère!) n'avoir jamais posée jusqu'ici:

-Quel est le meilleur, le plus typique déguisement pour l'Halloween et pourquoi?

The Room in the Tower

For tonight's countdown to Halloween post (well, for the one in English, as I already blogged in French), a simple reading suggestion. It is a horror story I reread a few weeks ago and which I wanted to share tonight, as it is a genuinely scary one as well as an old classic: The Room in the Tower by E.F. Benson. You can read it online here. I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say that this is both a ghost story and a vampire story, of a sort of vampire that is slightly different than the modern day bloodsuckers: if this one does have an appetite for blood, it is far more etheral than your usual vampire, as much as a ghost. There are also nightmares that turn (at least) partly real, a familiar and friendly environment that has a sinister secret, it's a very neat chiller that deserves to be rediscovered. Take some time to read it, then tell me what you thought of it in the comments.

Festin de l'Halloween

La semaine dernière, nous sommes allés à un "autumn fayre" qui était en fait une célébration portant surtout sur l'Halloween. On y vendait notamment des gâteaux pour des oeuvres caritatives. Des gâteaux aux couleurs de l'automne, notamment, mais aussi des gâteaux avec des images asociées à l'Halloween: en forme de citrouille, de jack o'lanterns, avec des monstres dessus, etc. J'ai bien entendu pris une photo. Je sais que je fais souvent dans la food porn ces temps-ci, mais l'Halloween s'y prête: c'est aussi une fête qui marque les récoltes d'automne et leur abondance, c'est donc une fête qui encourage une certaine indulgence et les excès de table.

The Halloween Fondue

For tonight's countdown to Halloween post, I blog again about food. But don't worry, I have more spooky stuff to blog about another time. So tonight, we had fondue for dinner, the twist is that the fondue was in a cooked pumpkin. I got the recipe from Halloween Fun and Food, one of the very few Halloween books I have which is not a book about horror stories.We made it once before and quite enjoyed it. Although it was quite long. The recipe is simple: emmenthal, gruyère (we had Jalsberg instead), cider or white wine (we had cider instead, it's more fitting), spring onions, a bit of nutmeg, a bit of salt and papper and a paprika for colouring at the end. I don't think the result was that great this time: one bit was too solid and there was too much liquid as well. I think I poured a tad too much cider in it. But my wife really enjoyed it. And if nothing else it looks good and it is a proper Halloween meal, hearty and, well, orange.

Les nouvelles citrouilles de l'Halloween?

Photo prise à Montréal par mon père. Une autre. À l'entrée une station de métro sans doute, je ne sais pas laquelle, mais il y a une chose qui me chicote dans cette photo: est-ce que c'est comme ça que sont les citrouilles au Québec ces temps-ci? Pas les classiques oranges, mais des verruqueuses, des blanches, des vertes et des pas mûres? Je ne sais trop quoi en penser.

"YOU are the caretaker"

For tonight's second countdown to Halloween's post, one of my favourite scenes from one of my favourite horror movies. Again it belongs to psychological horror: there is no gore, not even a jump scene (although the film has a good deal of both). From this post's title, you will of course recognised The Shining, and more particularly that scene in the gentlemen's room, when Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) talks to a butler who turns out to be the ghost of Grady, his predecessor, who committed suicide after murdering his wife and daughters. Grady is played by Philip Stone, a great underrated British actor. He is the one who really makes the scene work I think, making Nicholson's character more and more uneasy as the scene progresses, until he looks genuinely worried and maybe a bit scared himself. And I love how gradually and so seamlessly Stone turns Grady from a helpful butler into this pure malevolent figure, fanatically devoted to the Overlook. The reveal happening, of course, with the fateful line: "I'm sorry to differ with you sir, but YOU are the caretaker, you've always been the caretaker. I should know sir: I've always been here." It gets me every time.

À propos d'une photo

Une amie (pour la petite histoire c'est la mère de mon filleul) m'a envoyé une photo de gang prise au temps de mes belles années du cégep, à l'automne 1995. il y avait moi, son chum qui est maintenant son mari et deux autres gars qui formaient le noyau masculin de notre gang. J'ai d'abord remarqué que j'avais l'air pas mal plus geeky que dans mes souvenirs. J'étais aussi plus svelte à l'époque, mais ça, je m'en rappelais. Quand j'ai montré la photo à mon fils, il n'a pas reconnu son père. Quand je l'ai montrée à ma femme, elle m'a fait remarquer que j'avais plus de cheveux à l'époque. Ouch. Quand même, ça m'a rappelé mes vieilles amitiés, que je vis maintenant à distance, des gens que je voyais tout le temps et que je ne vois plus beaucoup. Ça m'a aussi rappelé le temps qui passe.

Halloween Forest

For today's countdown to Halloween's reading suggestion, some children literature, as well as poetry. Because Amazon knows me too much, it suggested me to buy Halloween Forest, by Marion Dane Bauer, illustrated by John Shelley. It's a rather sweet narrative poem, the story of a dreamlike walk during or after trick or treat. It's not devoid of a few good chilly, even macabre moments, but it remains suitable for children. In the poem, fear takes forms and shapes of its own and is incarnated into a forest of bones, the Halloween Forest of the title. And in the end, the child ("you") easily overcomes his fears and enjoys trick or treat. This is, in a nutshell, what Halloween is all about. When Wolfie is old enough, I hope to read it with him when the witching season arrives.

Doigts de sorcière

Nouveau billet gastronomique, nouveau billet sur l'Halloween, nouvelle photo prise par mon père dans une pâtisserie montréalaise. J'ai appris d'un courriel de mon père qu'il s'agit de Mamie Clafoutis. Il faudra qu'on la visite lors de notre prochain séjour. Petit loup déteste les sorcières, mais il adore les sucreries, alors ce serait drôle de le voir manger de la sorcière. Enfin, les doigts de celle-ci. Faits de pâte sucrée et couverts de confiture.

It's the Great Pumpkin Train!

For today's countdown to Halloween post, a rather unique topic, which I blogged about in 2013. It brings three things together: my love of trains, my love of Halloween and my love of Peanuts comics. So I saw again on the Facebook page of LGB this car that is an homage to It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. And I want it. Badly.

Mur de feuilles

Chronique automnale, pour parler un peu d'autre chose que de l'Halloween et pour faire un peu aussi dans le chauvinisme montréalais et québécois. Mon père a pris cette photo à Montréal (je crois), donc. J'ai rien d'autre à dire. On ne trouve pas ça ici.

The Mask of Jack O'Lantern

For today's countdown to Halloween post, I have decided to blog about a simple disguise I found yesterday in Morrisons. It's only £5.00, a cheap plastic mask with a hood to hold it on the head, yet I really loved it. Because it's a big, nasty, demonic pumpkin head, with fangs in the mouth. I mean how cooler can you get? I asked my wife if I should buy it, she said no, that it looks far too nasty. And she did not add that it would scare Wolfie, but I'm sure she thought about it. All the same, there can never be too many Jack O'Lanterns for Halloween and this one would be great.

Tartelettes choco fantômes

Photo prise par mon père dans je ne sais quelle pâtisserie à Montréal. Je lui demanderai la prochaine fois qu'on se parlera. Mais enfin bref, ils sont inspirés pour l'Halloween, dans les pâtisseries de Montréal. On ne trouve pas
ça ici. À 5.25$ plus taxes, c'est pas vraiment donné, mais j'essaierais pareil rien que parce que ça doit être bon (avec une tartelette au chocolat, on peut pas vraiment se tromper) et bien entendu à cause de mon obsession pour l'Halloween.