Happy No Long Weekend Middle of the Week Rather Gloomy Canada Day!
 

Hey, I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth and a paid day off work is better than no paid day off work, but can anyone explain to me why they don't move this particular holiday to a Monday when they move all the others?

Doing anything fun with your mid-week holiday? We've got the day off from visiting my SO's mom in the hospital since his sister will be there, so we might go to an afternoon movie.

What about you?

We should move the religious holidays. Always have Christmas on a Monday and Boxing Day on a Tuesday, and we get a four-day weekend.

At least Good Friday is always on a Friday.

And let's move Easter Sunday to Monday, so everyone can have Monday off, not just the bankers and civil servants.

BAK

Happy Canada Day !! GTG that would make too much sense... but hey, a day off is a day off...
I slept in which was part of my plan.. so far so good.
Now to lounge around... go to a BBQ for dinner and off to see the fireworks, if the weaather holds out.

The sun is coming out...yippee!

BAK, that works for me.

Beautiful day here in Vancouver - we're in a warming trend
and that's always good.

Dinner overlooking the sunset across English Bay last night
reminding us of why it's good to get out of the 'burbs.
Davie Street was wall-to-wall pedestrians and all the
restos were jammed almost like a weekend holiday.

Have a nice Canadian Day, y'all.

immimi,
we were in Vancouver on Canada Day last year and found ourselves in the middle of the pot festival in front of the (what? City Hall? something downtown and up the street from our hotel anyway). It was a pretty fun event!

Wait...that's not right! We were in Austin, Tx, last year at this time. We must have been in Vancouver the year before.

Hmmm. Didn't attend any potty training sessions but did stroll
along the West Van waterfront.

Park Royal Village had free balloons and un-free hot dogs
(European, natch).

So great not to have raingear on.

Today has been terrific! Most unexpected. So was yesterday. We stopped off down at Nathan Phillips and saw the Jane Bunnett concert at noon - that was great - then had lunch in Chinatown, wandered along Queen Street, then King Street and finally home in the early evening.

Today we debated going to Elora. It was kind of late by the time we got going and of course there was that rainy forecast. So we decided to walk through Wychwood Park - I used to live close to there, but if I had been to that particular area, it had been decades, then we ended up at the Madison in the Annex for a drink and lunch. My husband and I met there on the patio years ago, when we both lived in the neighbourhood, and the Mad hadn't been open long. We usually try to get there once a year to 'acknowledge' our meeting.

We thought we'd go back to Nathan Phillips to take in more of the jazz festival but I'm home now and I don't think I'm likely to move!

So overall, a really good day. So much for the gloomy forecast!

It turned out a good day weather-wise, didn't it?

I wandered down to the Beach - although the event in Kew Park was cancelled, the Canada Day Jam with Country 95.3 was still on in Woodbine Park and had a good crowd. Queen Street was very busy.

Now I wish I'd jumped on the Queen car and gone to listen to jazz at city hall. Funny how the city let some things go on but not others that families could attend.

Thought of seeing Cheri at the Varsity and then going for a drink at the Panorama at Manulife - could then watch the Ontario Place fireworks from their patio but got lazy.

Many people hav emore exciting lives than I do.

Now it's about a quarter after 9, the Argos are beating Hamilton, and the big advetnures have been taking the dog to the park -- which is always fun -- and going to the drug store to buy milk. Oh, and I cleaned some grease off the drieway because the teenage driveway dealers are coming tomorrow.

Jana and I are planning a new business, or perhaps two new ones, and it's a relaxing day to do this, too. -- chat about it, and look up web site names, write an overview of one of them.

But certainly nothing very travel-tourismey.

Yesterday we learned Costco sells discount tickets for African Lion Safari, but I can't remember the price.

And today Henry's told me I'm going to St. Catharines Saturday morning to teach people to take pictures. That at least means a chance to check out the government highway fruit markets.

For football fans... Pinball has the nicest gardens of any house in our neighborhood.

Back to work tomorrow.

Night, all.

BAK

They actually don't move "all the others" - New Year's Day is always on January 1st and Remembrance Day is always on November 11th and Christmas/Boxing Day are always on December 25th and 26th - all regardless of which day of the week they happen to fall on. And that's as it should be. These holidays weren't created for anyone's desire to have three consecutive days off work. They mark specific occasions.

Wow are people ever getting self-absorbed!!!

Back to July 1 - Mandarin offered free meals at all their restaurants yesterday starting at noon - I believe they've done this before - I can just imagine the line-ups - anyway, one proviso was that you had to prove you were a Canadian citizen. According to the CFRB this morning, people are b.tchin' about that - any thoughts on that?

Me? I wouldn't line up for hours to get a free meal but I also think it's the right of the owners to decide who gets the free meal.

I should have been more clear that I meant the summer long weekends. They move Victoria Day to a Monday, no matter when the 24th of May falls (and it's certainly a specific occasion) and Civic Holiday (Simcoe Day, in Toronto) is on a Monday. If Canada Day were on a Monday we'd have three long weekends in the summer, one in May, one at the end of June/beginning of July, and one in August.

November 11 isn't a statutory holiday -- only government employees get the day off. You must get the day off, right? Talk about being self-absorbed.

Oh, and I forgot to mention:

1. The day that Christmas is celebrated, December 25, is not the day Jesus was born so it doesn't really celebrate that event at all, but merely a day close to the winter solstice, and
2. December 26, the day only a handful of countries celebrate Boxing Day, was arbitrarily chosen because it's the day after the day we wrongly celebrate the birth of Jesus.

So, so much for the importance of 'specific occasions', right?

Sally, we went to the movies upstairs from Mandarin yesterday and the line-up was a block long.

Only a block!

What movie?

I asked on the forum if anyone had seen Food, Inc. ... it's at the Cumberland - I don't know if I can ever eat chicken again.

Here's another question ... a friend is having a party tomorrow to celebrate her 10th year in Canada; everyone has to bring something Canadian - besides Molson and Labatt products, what would you take?

Here's my list: Robertson screwdriver; my son says shreddies are only available here, butter tarts, Naniamo bars, Marcelle and Annabelle makeup, Roger's chocolates, Rocky Mountain soap, Rocky Mountain chocolate and pantyhose. Oh and Crown Royal.

What else?

Smarties. and apparently Coffee Crisp.. I didn't know about that one. And of course maple syrup, although not specific to Canada.

Oh and I'd take a loonie and a twoonie.

Thanks, kodi.

What about ice wine - is that only here?

I considered maple syrup but, as you say, it's produced elsewhere.

I'm probably going to bake Naniamo bars - off to Bulk Barn now ... although I find it a dangerous place - too many temptations.

I'll make up a written list of items for friend if I get really energetic.