Glen got up early to go to sort out his hospital registration. I was dead to the world and barely noticed him get up, get dressed, make breakfast and leave. I woke up when my alarm went off at 8:30 and shortly after caught a train up to Eglinton to help Pauline move into her new apartment. Thankfully it was a quick job. One load from a packed van up to the seventh floor (via elevator) and then assembling a few pieces of furniture with her, Eileen and Glen.

We then went out for lunch at a restaurant called Spring Rolls, where Pauline used to work. We were so hungry and ordered way too much food. Or perhaps they’re just big serves. We were all fading at the table, having had very limited amounts of sleep between us. We said our goodbyes at about 1 or so then Glen and I caught the train home.

Being Canada Day and not having done anything remotely celebratory, I was itching to go somewhere and see something. We knew there was something on at the Beaches and then looked online to find that the official City of Toronto Canada Day celebrations were being held in North York (which is practically outside the city). The North York ones were more direct for us as we just had to catch the train, whereas the Beaches was a train and a streetcar away. We also thought that the official celebrations would have the better fireworks.

So we caught the train at about 8pm. It was windy and cold when we got out, such a difference from the day before. The event was on top of the subway station so we didn’t have to go far. Live band, food stalls and a couple of thousand people (mostly families). The fireworks weren’t due to start until 10:15, about 45 minutes after the sun went down.

We walked around for a bit before staking out some turf just next to the footpath and in direct line with the building from where the fireworks were going to project. And so we waited. The place filled up, people started to get narky about other people standing in front of them or encroaching on their space. Another reminder why Glen and I hate going to crowded places.

I listened to one guy with a camera on a tripod belittle a guy sitting next to him with a camera on a monopod. Seriously? Did you pay for this guy’s camera? Are you paying for the photos? No? Then mind your own goddamn business.

But other than that and the woman next to us who was getting so stressed about people standing in front of her, it was a pleasant evening. The fireworks began, people oohed and aahed and after six minutes it was all over. Six minutes.

I’ll say this, Perth does spectacular fireworks. We’re very spoilt in Australia. What was nice about these Canada Day celebrations, in contrast to Australia, was the lack of drunk bogans bashing each other up. No swearing. Just people enjoying the holiday.

We caught the train home and were back by 11. The train is so convenient.

Happy Canada Day!

(I also forgot to mention about the parade that Ontario’s premier, Kathleen Wynne, marched in the parade. She’s the first premier to do so and I suppose it helps that she’s also a lesbian, but what an amazing show of support from a political office.)

No one could tell us really what Canada Day was about so here’s some background (from Wikipedia):

The occasion marks the joining of the British North American colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada into a federation of four provinces (the Province of Canada being divided, in the process, into Ontario and Quebec) on July 1, 1867. Canada became a kingdom in its own right on that date, but the British parliament and Cabinet kept limited rights of political control over the new country that were shed by stages over the years until the last vestiges were surrendered in 1982, when the Constitution Act patriated the Canadian constitution.

Fireworks.

Fireworks.

Fireworks.

Fireworks.

Fireworks.