Angus Wolfe's blog

The King's Puzzle cryptic verse

2011-05-06T15:48:00.000-07:00

This is what appears to be the "meta puzzle" which my grandfather, Duncan MacLaren Wolfe, prepared for King George VI in 1939. It consists of ten lines of verse with blanks to be filled in. Accompanying this verse are ten separate puzzles, each on its own page. I will scan and upload those as time permits.

Amanda and I are working at this now, trying to solve it. Not easy, being 72 years after the time period in question. As I said a few days ago, Ian Wilson will produce an account of our adventures. This will be the second in his 'Angus Wolfe adventures' series. He's already promoting it, even though we haven't solved it yet! Don't tell him. The book, as it is shaping up, is The King's Puzzle.

Ian Wilson at the Orillia Farmer's Market

2011-05-06T15:45:00.002-07:00

A reminder that my biographer Ian Wilson, and his wife Mary-Jo, are set up every Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Orillia Farmer's Market in our fair city. Browse and/or purchase any of the books they have in stock, or go come to chat!

To quote the Orillia Farmer's Market publicity blurb:

"This is one of the longer-running farmers' markets in the province, with its roots in the 1840s. The Farmers' Market continues to proudly boast of its range of locally produced foods, handmade crafts from around the county and regularly scheduled special events for the family. Our growers offer fresh-picked produce in season, and drug-free meats, with a variety of baked goods and ready-to-eat treats in a sociable atmosphere. Bring your family, meet your friends, shop the vendors, enjoy the talent of local musicians in the Market Cafe."

My grandfather's letter to King George VI in 1939...

2011-04-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

... in which he laid out what I've been calling The King's Puzzle. My friend Amanda and I are busy trying to solve this. It's especially relevant given today's Royal Wedding, and the recent movie entitled The King's Speech (my brother Dougie and I were in hysterics during the swearing parts!). Anyway, I'm scanning and posting all the documents associated with my grandfather's creation in 1939. That way everyone will have a chance to see them.

My biographer, Ian Wilson, is already planning to write an account of our adventures. He will publish that as the second in a series after The Secret of the Old Swing Bridge.

Ducks...

2011-03-05T11:00:00.000-08:00

…are an unusual sight in early March, but Mom, Dougie, and I saw four on our roof. They didn’t seem to mind the cold at all! They are annual visitors to our neighbour’s pool. If you are anywhere near a window when they take off or land, you can hear the splashes and quacks. Often the drakes have spectacular fights. And of course, when they come to our front yard, one female will pester us until we feed her out of our hands.

I'm in the middle of another adventure right now (that's why I haven't been doing much blogging lately). My father, Nelson Wolfe, figures that this one will become something big, so he has already contacted Ian Wilson to write another book. I was going to tell a bit about it, but maybe I'd better not give anything away...

And the usual business, click here to visit a page where you can purchase The Secret of the Old Swing Bridge.

Report on RCN ship

2011-02-04T09:23:00.000-08:00

Recently I have been working on the outline and first draft of a report on HMCS Cartier, a vessel which supported the Royal Canadian Navy in the First World War and served as a test ship with them in the Second. Between wars she helped Dominion law enforcement to put down smuggling operations.

No news other than this, except for the fact that we continue to see red-bellied woodpeckers regularly.

As usual, if you wish to order a copy of The Secret of the Old Swing Bridge contact my biographer here or order online here.

Bye!

Meet 'Hookah' Hopkin

2010-12-08T15:18:00.000-08:00

Hey, I’ve got something really neat this time! See the photograph? That’s ‘Hookah’ Hopkin, a major character in The Secret of the Old Swing Bridge. On the back cover of the book is one of his funny quotes: “Everybody up here figures I’m crazy. You think I’m crazy. Your dad thinks I’m crazy. That’s cool, I can live with that.”

Bye for now!

The book released!

2010-12-07T10:15:00.000-08:00

Hi again! The Secret of the Old Swing Bridge is out! I’m so excited to actually see and read a copy! It is a great book, well written. My friend, Amanda, also a major character in the book, read the entire book in one day! She really liked it. To order online, visit this page. Good-bye for now!

Beat to Quarters!

2010-11-25T11:51:00.000-08:00

Hi out there. A package came for me in the mail yesterday. It contained a book that my mom, Karen Wolfe, ordered for me online. Entitled Beat to Quarters, it was the sixth book in C.S. Forester’s famous eleven-volume saga about a Royal Navy officer named Horatio Hornblower, during the Napoleonic Wars. I have already read the preceding five, but this was probably my favourite so far. The character I liked most was Mr. Bush, Hornblower’s first lieutenant. I would highly recommend the series to anyone who is interested in navies and the duties of their officers during the 1800s. If you are not into fairly heavy reading, there was a movie made in 1951, starring Gregory Peck, called Captain Horatio Hornblower, which is incredibly like Beat to Quarters.

Who knows, maybe there will be eleven books published about me someday. I can't wait for The Secret of the Old Swing Bridge to come out on December 1st!

If you have read any of Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, Lieutenant Hornblower, Hornblower and the Hotspur, Hornblower during the Crisis, Hornblower and the Atropos, Beat to Quarters, Ship of the Line, Flying Colours, Commodore Hornblower, Lord Hornblower, or Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies, please respond with a comment!

A big old Dodge in the sand...

2010-11-19T13:44:00.000-08:00

I like old cars, especially those from the 1940s and 1950s. In fact, I have built a model highway scene, or "diorama", for displaying some of the 1/64 diecast vehicles which my brother Dougie and I have collected.

This sand sculpture is my attempt to replicate a 1950 Dodge at Wasaga Beach this past August. My dad started the basic design, then I got it this far before it was time to go home.

Meanwhile, Dougie was digging and flooding a canal, something he does as a matter of course every time he goes to the beach.

Red-bellied woodpecker

2010-11-12T05:52:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is probably the last time I'll have to get my biographer to submit a blog posting for me.

My friend Amanda and I are fond of woodpeckers. Where I live in Orillia, Ontario, we have many feeders in both the front and back yards. The common downy and hairy woodpeckers are daily visitors. About once a year from our yard we spot one or two of the huge pileated woodpeckers (read The Secret of the Old Swing Bridge excerpt for my famous encounter with one of them). On our hikes in the woods, we see a pileated at least once a week.

The rarest of all woodpeckers in Ontario is the red-bellied. Here in Orillia, we are at the northernmost limit of their range. Darned if we haven't seen of pair of them regularly here in our yard, back in the spring, and most recently during the past month. Here is a picture I took of the female on our large suet feeder.

Bringing back memories...

2010-11-10T15:54:00.000-08:00

Hi again, my author and publisher is still posting for me, as I haven't learned my way around this blogging yet. I'll introduce him while I'm here. My father enlisted the services of this Ian Wilson, one of our better-known Canadian historical railway authors, to write an account of the adventures I experienced this past summer. Mr. Wilson chose the title The Secret of the Old Swing Bridge. The more that I think of it, the more appropriate it sounds. Anyhow, I was delighted to get a look at the first few pages of the book (which is now at the printer). The publisher has posted a link to these pages, so that readers can get a preview of things to come.

For me, all I can say is that the action described in the first scene was as I remembered it, but better than I could describe it. I guess that's why Wilson is such a successful author (he's written ten books now). I'm even starting to read some of his railway books... they are written just like great novels!

Well, here I am!

2010-11-09T17:42:00.000-08:00

Hi folks, my publisher and biographer convinced me to start a blog. He's getting it set up for me and asked me to write a few words which he will post. I'll get back with more goodies tomorrow. Good night, Angus.