A Gallery of Events I Vaguely Remember

Hullo all!

I know that this is quite late in coming, but I just loaded my Canada Day pictures from my phone onto DJ Compy Comp and through this medium I humbly present them for your viewing pleasure.

Of course, there's nothing quite like being in Ottawa for a Canada Day deck-drinking, park-wandering, techno-street-dancing, fireworky extravaganza. But I feel that I did pretty well with the resources that I had over here. I rallied my troops - 2 Canucks (including myself), 4 English peeps and the obligatory Aussie - and we decked ourselves out in our red and white (courtesy of Primark). Then I set to work doing some mad face paint - I did pretty well with the maple leaves if I do say so myself.

The English girls all look slightly unsure about this whole thing...

I MEK ART

I painted dat. Gud werk, Me. 

Danny prepares to suit up . The words "True North" painted on the back of the tee not only describe Canada, but were a suitable epithet for Danny himself, who we sourced from the Northerly bit of England.

I am the Canadavangelist our country deserves.

After 3 or 4 drinks each (with service starting at 10:30 a.m.) we headed out to Sainsbury's to pick up some goods for a BBQ and then climbed the Salisbury Crags in the middle of town to get a panoramic view of the city on that gorgeous, sunny July 1st. By chance, on that very day Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was having a garden party at Holyrood Palace, which was situated just below our picnic spot. We all waved and I held up my big ol' flag proudly to let it billow in her general direction. We were too far away to see her face, but I could sense her noble nod of approval and fistpump of Commonwealthly solidarity.

Stompin' on the Salisbury Crags

A view down to the waterfront bit of the city known as Leith

An Aussie by the BBQ and a Canuck keeping things cool

Hulloooo Ebindurgh!

Drinking in public parks is acceptable here. Thank you, Scotland!

If there is one thing I am NOT, it is obnoxious.

EYE see you, Danny!

You still here, Ebindurgh?

Always the clever planner, I had thought to bring along my plastic baggie of 300 or so Canada Flag pins (remember the ones that freaked out the security guys at my biometric screening way back when?). We then spent a lovely couple of hours chowing down on sausages (dressed with maple syrup, natch) and handing out flag pins to all passers-by. Most of them were very lovely and indulged our [my] inebriated enthusiasm.

A side note on the cooking of the sausages - We had picked up a disposable BBQ at the grocery store, but it had never occurred to us that grilling generally requires implements such as tongs or spatulae. Fortunately for us, we had adopted the Aussie into our crew. If there's one nationality you want on hand during a barbecuing emergency, it is Australian. He MacGyvered up a system using only a comb and a hair clip to deliver our sausages perfectly cooked in all their porky, syrupy glory. Can you imagine, most of the crew were shocked to learn that you could put maple syrup on sausages?! My response: "duh." It's a classic sweet+salty. Always a winning combo.

After our meal, we did a quick stop back at the bar where I had just started working. My recollections become a little hazy at this point, but I do remember meeting someone who looked freakishly like an old roommate of mine. I also definitely found a cosy corner of bathroom stall to curl up in for a little bit. There were some people back home who needed texting.

You'll have to excuse me, I'm not at my best...

... I've been gone for a month, I've been drunk since I left!

After about half an hour's worth of porcelain rejuvenation, I rallied my gang (and myself) and we set out again for a pub called The Globe. It was here that Scotland's largest Canada Party was being held. It was wonderful! There were loads of groups just like ours - four or five mildly confused locals being led by a boisterous Canadian plastered with maple leaves. What fun! Plus, the bar made a point of having Canadian snacks and drinks on hand, so I had a Caesar (!Tasty!) and I bought a round of Moosehead* (!!! Yes! They actually had Moosehead!!!) for my buds!

Thanks for the invite, The Globe! You had me at "Clamato"!

*For those not in the know, Moosehead is a thoroughly okay beer brewed in Saint John, New Brunswick, which just happens to be the city where I grew up. In fact, my family's first house was only 2 streets away from the brewery. That yeasty smell still takes me back to my childhood. Combined with the fumes from the pulp mill and the decomposing fish of the harbour, it creates a fragrance that brings up waves of nostalgia. It's really a wonder they don't bottle Eau de Saint Jean as a perfume.

Eyyyyyyy....! Guyyyss....! I found Mooz Hedddd...! This is form... This is from my house... guysss... Eyyyyy...

To round off the night, I took a wander to a different bar. For the next month and a bit, I didn't know its name or really where it was. All I could remember was that it was basically a series of underground tunnels and caves and that there was a guy deejaying alongside video clips from Dragon Ball Z. I did a funky dance for a crew of goths and they all applauded. I liked it there. After weeks' worth of investigating, I came to discover that the place is called Banshee Labyrinth and it was actually only 3 doors down from The Globe. Still, it felt like an adventure at the time.

I think that was just about everything that I got up to on my Canada Day. Anyone else have stories to share? How about tales of the shenanigans of Quinze Août? Drop me a line!

Until next time, protegez vos foyers et vos droits!