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.

goddestogo - if you can't understand the relevance of traditions and celebrations and think only of the benefit to yourself, I call that very self-absorbed.

By the way, ask any American if they should move the 4th of July so that it's always on a Monday to make a long weekend - what do you suppose they would say??

Bringing a Newfoundland dog to a party would make the party more fun.

Does anyone else in the world boil marsh grass and call it Goose Tongue Greens?

BAK

"By the way, ask any American if they should move the 4th of July so that it's always on a Monday to make a long weekend - what do you suppose they would say??"

I'm pretty sure they'd say 'When you're an American, you can have an opinion about American holidays." And I think that's right. So as a Canadian, I can have an opinion about Canadian holidays. You have your opinion. I have mine. Seems fair.

And just FYI, it's Dominion Day (not Canada Day) which was originally calendared on July 1 and only celebrates the federation of four provinces. The name was changed to Canada Day on October 27, 1982, so we should really be celebrating it in October, no?

Also, despite your insistence that Canada Day must actually be celebrated on July 1, the work holiday isn't always on that day. "Under the federal Holidays Act, Canada Day is observed on 1 July unless that date falls on a Sunday, in which case 2 July is the statutory holiday, although celebratory events generally take place on 1 July even though it is not the legal holiday. If it falls on a Saturday, the following Monday is generally also a day off for those businesses ordinarily closed on Saturdays." (from Wiki)

So if even the government (who give us this holiday)says we can move the work holiday to a Monday if July 1 falls on Saturday or Sunday, why is it any more tragic if we move it because it falls on a Wednesday?

Sally, we saw Star Trek and it was fun. I was never a Star Trek fan when it was on TV and I've never seen any of the other movies but I at least know the names of the main characters and enough about them to find the movie fun.

SallyCanuck -

Shreddies are available in the UK (where they were first sold), Ireland, and New Zealand. Don't know if there are regional differences, though.

Pantyhose was invented in the USA.

If by Rocky Mountain chocolate you mean Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, it originated in the USA.

Crown Royal is now owned by a British company.

(The above info is courtesy of Wikipedia)

Ice wine is made and sold in a number of countries in Europe, so it is not uniquely Canadian, either.

But how about Coffee Crisp? Although now owned by Nestlé, it was created in Canada and is available virtually nowhere else.

Oops - didn't see kodi had mentioned Coffee Crisp.

Sallybeans,
salt and vinegar or all-dressed potato chips? Poutine? Tourtiere? Malepique oysters? Digby scallops?

I stand corrected on some things - but Crown Royal was Canadian - it stays on my list. And I can add the paint roller. My son claimed Shreddies were Canuck...I'll be having a word with him. He also mentioned tourtiere - but I think I'll make the Naniamo bars.

Thanks, goddess, for you additions.

I saw Star Trek and enjoyed it...there was a party atmosphere at the Varsity. I was a fan in high school and watched Next Gen, too. Even went with one of the lawyers I was working for and a friend to the final Next Gen at Skydome. Now I wish I could find someone else on here who saw Food Inc.

"for youR additions"

Son sticks to his guns about Shreddies - says they were a Canadian cereal - the list doesn't mean whatever (like insulin) doesn't have to sold/available beyond our borders.

How about a lacrosse ball?

basketball?
telephone?
curling rock?

What did you take,Sally?

SallyCanuck-

I hope I did not cause offence - none was meant!

Cranachin - none taken.

I'm going tonight, goddess - I'm taking my homemade (and messy) Naniamo bars...and might stop off somewhere for a paint roller or something silly - but definitely NOT a curling rock...taking the TTC with treats and a curling rock would be a little too much for moi.

a lacross stick is very (early and native )canadian.