Last week was a tad more interesting than my average week.
Firstly, Monday was a Bank Holiday. We didn’t realize this until the Wednesday beforehand so hadn’t really planned anything. This was OK though, as with cycling and then America at the weekend, it was nice to have a day in Montreal just pottering around doing odd jobs.
Firstly, Monday was a Bank Holiday. We didn’t realize this until the Wednesday beforehand so hadn’t really planned anything. This was OK though, as with cycling and then America at the weekend, it was nice to have a day in Montreal just pottering around doing odd jobs.
The holiday, Victoria Day (Fête de la Reine ), is a national holiday in Canada, occurring on the last Monday before 25th May in honour of Queen Victoria’s birthday. In Quebec this Monday preceding the 25th May is also National Patriots Day, to honour the rebellion against the British in 1837. Hmm, I chose to celebrate the first honouring…!
It also apparently marks the unofficial start to the summer.
Seeing how it has rained all week since the 25th May, I sincerely hope not!
It also apparently marks the unofficial start to the summer.
Seeing how it has rained all week since the 25th May, I sincerely hope not!
Bank Holidays have always caught us out. We do check the local calendars, but then usually do nothing about it such as marking the days on our calendar, and then forget. It then is usually down to T's colleagues talking about what they are planning on doing on their day off in the day or two beforehand that we know about the holiday; but in Spain this method failed us a number of times as he had to work some holidays, so we would only know about it when we had run out of milk or bread and gone to the supermarket only to find it closed.
The thing that especially caught us out at first was the day was not always being on a Monday, as it is in the UK. In Germany and Spain the holiday was on the date itself, rather than on the Monday closest to the date. If it fell on a Tuesday or Thursday there would be a ‘bridging day’ on the Monday or Friday, so you would have a four day weekend. Great! But if it fell on a Saturday or Sunday there would be no holiday. Boo! So I guess it worked out pretty similar over all. I am not sure about here, it appears as though most occur on a Monday, like the UK - a return to familiar routines!
The thing that especially caught us out at first was the day was not always being on a Monday, as it is in the UK. In Germany and Spain the holiday was on the date itself, rather than on the Monday closest to the date. If it fell on a Tuesday or Thursday there would be a ‘bridging day’ on the Monday or Friday, so you would have a four day weekend. Great! But if it fell on a Saturday or Sunday there would be no holiday. Boo! So I guess it worked out pretty similar over all. I am not sure about here, it appears as though most occur on a Monday, like the UK - a return to familiar routines!
On Wednesday morning I had my first squash lesson. T has been trying to teach me over the winter and although he is a very good teacher, sometimes it is better if you can be taught by someone other than your husband...
Our gym offers lessons, and after bumping into the teacher and discovering she is from Sussex - It's a Small World... - I decided to sign up for lessons.
Lesson finished, we were standing chatting and downing water. As we both held our virtually empty water bottles, a member of staff walks past and says, “You do know about the water?”
We didn’t know about the water.
It transpired that since that morning there had been a boil-water advisory issued on Montreal Island, so all drinking water had to be boiled and people were advised not to wash fruit and vegetables in it, and use bottled water to clean teeth etc…
The reason for this restriction was due to sediment being found in water at Atwater filtration plant (which is Canada’s second largest filtration plant apparently) as a result of renovations. For the workforce to be able to carry out the renovations the water in the reservoir needed to be low, but on Tuesday the level went unusually low, meaning sediment at the bottom of the reservoir was stirred up and got into the city’s drinking water system. It was the largest boil-water advisory the city has ever experienced; lasting over 36 hours, and affecting 1.3 million residents.
After downing about a litre of the affected water that morning, I then went on to boiled and bottled water until the advisory was lifted.
Our gym offers lessons, and after bumping into the teacher and discovering she is from Sussex - It's a Small World... - I decided to sign up for lessons.
Lesson finished, we were standing chatting and downing water. As we both held our virtually empty water bottles, a member of staff walks past and says, “You do know about the water?”
We didn’t know about the water.
It transpired that since that morning there had been a boil-water advisory issued on Montreal Island, so all drinking water had to be boiled and people were advised not to wash fruit and vegetables in it, and use bottled water to clean teeth etc…
The reason for this restriction was due to sediment being found in water at Atwater filtration plant (which is Canada’s second largest filtration plant apparently) as a result of renovations. For the workforce to be able to carry out the renovations the water in the reservoir needed to be low, but on Tuesday the level went unusually low, meaning sediment at the bottom of the reservoir was stirred up and got into the city’s drinking water system. It was the largest boil-water advisory the city has ever experienced; lasting over 36 hours, and affecting 1.3 million residents.
After downing about a litre of the affected water that morning, I then went on to boiled and bottled water until the advisory was lifted.
On Friday I was all ready to go to a gym class. I had rushed to get ready, Albie darting around after me and tripping me up as I went, and had put my coat on going to grab my keys…which weren’t where I thought I had left them.
Aargh!
I peered on the floor, in Albie’s favorite hiding spots in case he had picked them up and hidden them somewhere, in my handbag, coat pockets. No keys anywhere…
We had got a spare set cut, but M still had them as we reasoned it would be good if someone else had a set just in case anyone needed to get into the apartment if we go away or in an emergency.
I rang T to see if he had seen them. He hadn't, but said he would check in his work bag. The phone went silent.
"Oh."
My set of keys was at work with T...
I was not a happy bunny being on house arrest. It was a wet and miserable day outside at least, and I hadn’t got anything big planned so, to Albie's horror, I did some sit ups and squats and lunges at home, and then spent the day cleaning (which Albie was much more pleased to see me doing, as he is head over heels in love with the brush...)
Safe to say we will be getting another spare set of keys cut.
Aargh!
I peered on the floor, in Albie’s favorite hiding spots in case he had picked them up and hidden them somewhere, in my handbag, coat pockets. No keys anywhere…
We had got a spare set cut, but M still had them as we reasoned it would be good if someone else had a set just in case anyone needed to get into the apartment if we go away or in an emergency.
I rang T to see if he had seen them. He hadn't, but said he would check in his work bag. The phone went silent.
"Oh."
My set of keys was at work with T...
I was not a happy bunny being on house arrest. It was a wet and miserable day outside at least, and I hadn’t got anything big planned so, to Albie's horror, I did some sit ups and squats and lunges at home, and then spent the day cleaning (which Albie was much more pleased to see me doing, as he is head over heels in love with the brush...)
Safe to say we will be getting another spare set of keys cut.