Jill Murray

Last weekend was a long one in Canada. We all had Monday off, but no one could really agree why. In most of Canada, it was called Victoria Day, in honour of an English queen that no one in England bothers to take a day off for anymore. In Quebec it was the Journée nationale des Patriotes (since Quebec is a country in the hearts of many). Elsewhere in Quebec, some still call it Dollard Day, most of them not knowing why.

Whatever you call it, most people recognize it as a day to go to a cottage, and so that is what I did. I was lucky enough to be invited out to Gatineau National Park by my good friends Lauralyn, Martin & Eria, so while The Rapper was in Toronto doing rapper things, I went into the woods.

The highlights of the weekend were many.

We participated in a weather event: an almost-tornado with hail and bonus rainbow!

There were many types of trillium growing in the woods– technically Ontario’s official flower, so it was very gracious of them to allow it grow on the Quebec side of the border.

There was much pointing at things.

There was also cooking, trench-digging, plumbing, lawn-tractor fixing, a mission to steal port from a top secret location, an educational discussion on fascinators, black fly starvation, feeding and reproduction, stories of teeth and apples and all the gruesome things that can make them better, and this drawing:

Which was accompanied by the following discussion:

Eria: This is you, but I just need to warn you that, um, your mouth is just a little bit not on your face. [laughter]
Jill: And who are thes little people under me?
Eria: Everyone else at the cottage.
Jill: Finally! A child who shares my worldview!