James Bond for #Noirvember?

You know my love for James Bond, both the films and the novels. You may also know that On Her Majesty's Secret Service  ismy favourite James Bond novel. It is one of my favourite Christmas reads, but it struck me that it could also be used for #Noirvember. Because it is one of Ian Fleming's most tragic novels, but also because only a portion (albeit a large one) is set during Christmastime. This quote form the novel suits perfectly the month: there is beauty, but we know evil lurks.

The "Secret Battle" Game

You may remember before that Wolfie has invented a sort of War Game, which is more a kind of crime/spy thriller. It is very elaborate, you can find the details here. We use many props, I mean toys, mostly but not exclusively toy guns I bought for him at the local toy shop. Like this dangerously genuine looking M4. We did not play much in October, I guess he was like me in a spooky mood, but it is as if he channeled #Noirvember too. That and G.I. Joe, which he discovered recently. Anyway, we played for a good portion of this afternoon, as my wife was away helping her friend preparing her wedding. The game has evolved a bit since. Our nemesis is still King Cobra, who is now a lot like Cobra Commander in mannerism, but we don't play Max and Joe anymore, we are Wolfie(!) and Levi. And the name is no longer "War" but "Secret Battle" for some reason, although there isn't anything really secret about two guys fighting a terrorist organisation with heavy artillery. It is great fun and it sure makes a November afternoon go fast. It reminds me of similar game we used to play, my brother and I, round the same time of year. But I'm sure you could have guessed it already.

The Third Man for #Noirvember

I have started celebrating #Noirvember with a bang, with The Third Man. Not, not the movie, which I have watched quite a few times including and especially in November, but the book that was written at the same time by Graham Greene. I know the plot, but I don't mind one bit, it's like knowing the taste of a Sachertorte, you read it for the sheer pleasure. It is very fittingly and perfectly Noir. It's a very short one, a novella, so I will need something else soon after. Nevertheless, it is a very strong start for Noirvember. Now I must find suitable films as well.

Fauda Will Return

Well, here is a bit of good news for amateur of intelligent spy/action drama. You may remember from one of my previous posts that I got seriously hooked on Israeli tv series Fauda. It has suspense, gripping tension in fact, plenty of drama, heart, soul and also, on top of that, a fair bit of Krav Maga, which is always great. The series had so far four seasons, each outdoing the other in some way or the other. The last season had ended on a cliffhanger of sorts (I don't want to give too much away if you haven't watched it.) Well, I learned two days ago that there will be a fifth season. As Fauda is a drama where anyone can die and it ended on a cliffhanger, I am really eager to know more about what happened and who survived the last ordeal, if any. I know I will be tuning in as soon as it is released.

James Bond in/for July

I found this image on the official Facebook page of Ian Fleming.It is taken from Diamonds Are Forever. Not my favourite James Bond novel by far, more crime fiction than spy thriller, but it had its moments. And the movie was way, way worse. And I always enjoy a period piece crime or spy fiction novel in any case. Anyway, I am sharing the picture and the quote today for no better reason that it mentions late July and this is late July. If you want to read a novel this time of year, Diamonds Are Forever might be the right one for you.

Faulty Walkie Talkies

I bought these walkie talkies at Wolfie's request, last time we went to a nearby petting zoo. God knows why such toys, with the cammo colours, were in their shop. Be that as it may, Wolfie thought they would make for a great addition to our crime/spy game and to our team's equipment. I didn't need much convincing: that game brings me back tomy own childhood. We already have walkie talkies, but they are fake ones, make-belief plastic stuff that are parts of a playset or another. But they proved not to be the greatest investment in our game. For once, batteries are not included: I will need to buy some. Then minutes after we got home, I managed to break the handle of one, so I will not be able to attach it to my belt. I remember when I was a child, we had various sets of walkie talkies, and they all broke very quickly. We should still be able to use these, once I get the batteries, but I will look for better quality ones and buy them for Wolfie's birthday. In the meantime, we can enjoy the "Secret War" game without them.

New Weapon

A few days ago, we tried to convince Wolfie to take a walk, because we thought he was spending too much time inside. It was hard, but he ended up following us. We went to one of the not too near corner shops, as we promised him we would buy him a magazine. And we found one he liked. I must saw, I liked it too: it had this toy set with it. So we now have one more gun (not to mention another walkie talkie, badge and ammo) for our crime/spy game and our artillerie drawer. Also called the War Game by Wolfie.This should come in handy for our next mission.

More Chaos

I finally finished watching the Israeli crime/spy drama Fauda, which I got hooked on back in February. Four seasons of pure goodness, with plenty of violence, cool Krav Maga stuff, but also plenty of humanity and genuine emotions to leave me wanting for more.Apparently, there will be a fifth season, but I have no idea when it will be aired. In the meantime, I am trying to get my fix of crime/spy dramas with another series featuring Lior Raz (the main actor in Fauda, also one of its creators), called Hit and Run. It's also on Netflix. So far so good, it is well made, but it is much cleaner, more polished and much less... chaotic, if that makes sense. It is less localized, feels less authentic. I am enjoying it though, if only because Raz makes for a relatable as well as believable hero. But I long for more Chaos.

Questions about pu'er tea

A few months ago, I watched The Night Agent. It was all right and entertaining enough, if a bit light and derivative. But it got me curious about something. You see, one of the characters drinks pu'er tea. Its virtues are discussed briefly, apparently it keeps one's awake and alert or something. I have seen pu'er, or pu-her, or p'u-erh tea in various businesses, but I don't remember ever trying it. Its mention in the Netflix series got me curious, so I have a few questions, which I have decided to ask on this blog:

-Are there anyone among you, my dear readers, who drink pu'er tea?

-How does it taste?

-What are its virtues? Not the alleged ones, the ones you have experienced, if any.

-Is there a proper way to prepare it and drink it?

-Finally, what's the correct spelling? Pu'er, pu-her, p'u-her tea, or something else entirely?

 Well, that's it for me tonight.

The War Game

I blogged before about an ongoing police/spy game Wolfie and I have been playing for the last few months. There is a whole drawer in my desk with all the weaponry and equipment we have for it. Well, I don't know if it is me watching Fauda that influenced my son (albeit I swear he did not watch it with me), but he has developed the game in ways that really made me proud. My son has an imagination that even I did not have at his age. And he makes me live a second childhood wiht a vengeance. In fact, I envy his creativity. So here it goes and be warned, it can be quite dark and violent:

-He calls the game War 2, or War.

-We play a special force, a bit like a S.W.A.T. team mixed with military force and we are a bit of a spy team too.

-The team is called Black Whale, don't ask me why. 

-He's the Captain and of course the commanding officer. I'm lieutenant or something.

-He's Max, I'm Joe, but we also have codenames, which change. I think I'm Black Bear or Grumpy Bear, sometimes he's Shark, sometimes he has another codename.

-Our enemy is a terrorist/mob organisation called Phantom. It was called Giant Ghost before, but he thought Phantom sounded scarier, so it changed.

-At the head of Phantom is a sinister and mysterious figure codenamed King Cobra. Real name unknown. He always has a mask covering his face and he is clad in red, "like blood."

The plots are fairly thin so far, they consist of going from A to B in various means of transport (more on that another day) and shooting Phantom mercenaries. We are also trying to discover King Cobra's real identity. There is never a dull moment. Anyway, if you are not bored with it I will blog more about it. I am just very proud of Wolfie's creative mind.

The Day Agent?

 My wife has been having this job for the last few months and it is not very deanding overall. It is kind of a boring admin job where not much happens. She mostly stares at a screen and waits for emails to come in. At first she was almost worried about it: she thought they might terminate her contract for lack of work. But I told her not to worry: if the job requires that she waits for something to happen, then that is her duty to do exactly that. "You are a bit like the Night Agent," I told her, which I think deserves to be a great unknown line. She has not seen the Netflix tv series, but I have and I thought it was fitting. For the record, I enjoyed the series, found it entertaining enough, albeit derivative. And yes, I know it's based on a novel. But in any case, there are works that don't require much work, yet they still need to be done.

The Artillerie Drawer

I blogged before about the equipment we gathered over the months for an ongoing make believe game Wolfie and I have been playing. Well, this is the look of the artillerie drawer now. It has handguns, binoculars, police badges, baton, walkie-talkies, a rifle, handcuffs, other things I forget and now a machine gun, which Wolfie is quite fond of, because it is noisy (mummy likes it far less). With the recently acquired secret agent briefcase (but this is hush hush) we truly are now fully equipped.

Secret Agent

Can you keep a secret? Well, I hope you do. Because this post is for your eyes only. We went to Wolfie's school fayre yesterday. It was too hot, but otherwise pleasant. Anyway, I digress. Of course at such fayres, there's lots ofthings to buy, including books and games and Wolfie had his eye set on a number of toys and games, including this one. Actually, it is not a game, it is a briefcase. At £9.99, three for the price of two, it was not a bargain, but almost. So since we got back home, Wolfie has been training to become a secret agent for the Global Intelligence Organisation, or GIO. Just don't tell anyone. He is very good and has been learning to crack secret codes, read and write secret messages, tail someone, hide in plain sight, conceal his identity, be aware of his environment. Also, he's been told to eat plenty of fruits and vegs and drink lors of water, because an agent has to be in top shape. So all very sensible instructions really. Secret agent is a healthy profession, who knew. His adversary and the GIO's main target if Stealth, a criminal organisation that wants to rule the world. Does it remind you of anything? Anyway, we're working on top secret stuff now and I will try if I am authorised to keep you informed, as long as the Official Secrets Act allows me. Do I sound enthusiastic? Because I am.

James Bond and his martini

I was reminded thanks to the official Facebook page of Ian Fleming that today is his birthday. It was also, back in April, the 70th anniversary of the publication of of Casino Royal. The first adventure of James Bond. To celebrate, I share a picture from the FB page, which includes a quote from the novel, giving you the recipe for Bond's classic martini.

The Orange Rifle

 You might have noticed in the pictures I shared of the artillerie drawer an orange rifle. Wolfie won it at one of the fayres we have been to, if I am not mistaken. It also has soft ammos made of foam, that do get lost pretty quickly. But the rifle shoots pretty well for a plastic toy. It is one of his favourite offensive toys and is often used in the police/spy make believe game we have been playing for months. He either uses it, or I do. It is very practical for sniper work, when there is an enemy lurking outside. I think Wolfie mainly loves it because of its bright colours, it really stands out. When we went to the local toy shop, his attention got caught by a similar toy gun, a machine gun also bright orange. His mother is not too keen on the artillery we have in the drawer. In my case, I have indulged Wolfie partially because I like to give him all the violent yet cool toys my own mother did not want to buy me when I was his age. She did give up from time to time, but always very reluctantly.

The growing arsenal

I blogged last week about one of the drawers of my desk, where Wolfie and I stashed toy guns, ammos and police/spy equipment for an ongoing make believe game we have been playing. Well, the arsenal has been increasing steadily: we found a few more guns and a rifle to add to the collection, as well as one walkie-talkie and a longview. Okay, so the longview is a bit... antique, but the rest can come in very handy. Wolfie is particularly fond of the rifle. Moral of the story: since I am a dad I am unable to grow up.

Weaponry in the drawer

You may remember that Wolfie and I have an ongoing make believe game where we play secret police. The missions and the nature of our work as cops/spies are somewhat obscure, but we have great fun and I hope it will inspire my own writing. I also have now the chance to experience an old cliché in crime fiction: the fun in the drawer. TV Tropes has an entry on Hidden Supplies and I guess this is what Wolfie and I have now. Basically, we used an empty drawer from my desk and put an array of toy guns and other equipment: ammo, badges, handcuffs, the lot. It is now where we tidy his police and army related toys, so the supplies have increased since I took that picture. I love it, it makes my mundane life more exciting: I just open the drawer and take a look at its content, so I can imagine all sorts of cool stories and characters. For Wolfie, it gives him easy access to prop when he feels bored and doesn't know what to do. It never ceases to make him creative.

Wolfie's Manor

You can see here a drawing made by Wolfie of his dream home. Or rather, his dream mansion, as he wants to live in a mansion, not a mere house. I call it Wolfie's Manor, because I prefer to call such place a manor and not a mansion. But I digress. It does not exist, except in his imagination. And mine too. It is part of his make believe games, where we play spies and/or police, or secret police officers. It's not quite clear. As I mentioned here, it is a safe house. It is also the good guys' base and officious HQ. You can see at the left it has a helipad and at the right there is a dock, for quick escapes. It might also have a ghost or two. Wolfie wants us to find a proper name for his manor, so I welcome any suggestion you may have. Please give them in the comments section.

A Safe House

 The things you learn thanks to a young boy's imagination. Last weekend, Wolfie and I were playing one of his favourite new make belief games: we were two cops/spies (it is never clear) trying to keep away from "a city full of badguys". Don't ask me how it works, but we have to go through secret passages, hidden pathways, a boat and two or three other means of transport to get somewhere safe, sometimes shooting a villain or two. It was quite fun, but at the end of the afternoon, we had to go to a safe place, so I asked Wolfie what would be our safe house. He of course asked me what is a safe house, so I had to explain the best I can. I then did a bit of research about safe houses, at his request, and found this article on howstuffworks.com which I found fascinating. So now I know the requirements for a good safe house and I should use it in my writings. I think there is at least one story to be written about it. But anyway, for Wolfie's game, he has decided that his mansion (our home) is the safe house. And we are looking for a name for it, but that is for another post.

Fauda (Chaos)

I know Netflix has been heavily criticised recently for various reasons, that said I must admit that I find a lot of quality films and programs in there. I recently got hooked on Fauda, an Israeli spy and crime thriller. Fauda is also a Hebrew and Arabic term meaning chaos and that pretty much sums up the atmosphere of the show. The series started in 2015, so I am arriving quite late at the party, but I guess algorithms are what they are. I came to the series not expecting much, basically I started watching it hoping to see some cool action scenes featuring Krav Maga. And yes I got some of that too, but what I discovered was a realistic war drama pretty much devoided of manicheism. The antagonists may be ruthless terrorists, nevertheless they have families and loved ones. So you know where they are coming from and you can empathise with them. The action scenes are violent, suspenseful, frantic, but never glamourised.  So yes, I have only watched the first episode so far (therefore I might change my mind about its content after seeing more), but I think I might just binge this one. Shamelessly.