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Experiences Musings and Observations Places

I’m Sohrry

Sohry I’ve not been posting recently, been having some health challenges. Ready to get back up to speed now! Here are some flowers. Hope you’ll forgive me.

peonies, Chinese garden @ the Jardin Botanique

Some of these health problems were not so much caused by our bug-out to Montréal (though that was exhausting) but by the place we moved into.… [Read More]

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Experiences Food History, Culture, and Politics Only in Montréal Pictures Places

Eeeeeeee

This blog post is backwards; I’m starting with the ending and detailing how I got home from my visit to the Promenade Masson (“the Heart of Rosemont”).

Why? Because it was my first time on an e-bike!… [Read More]

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French History, Culture, and Politics Only in Canada

Fear the Paper

Canada’s not only putting explicit health-harm warnings on cigarette packages, but printing them on each cigarette’s rolling paper too–in English and in French. I suppose if you’re going to suck in nicotine and tobacco particulates, ya might as well huff that fine, fine, toxic burnt ink residue too.… [Read More]

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Musings and Observations Pictures

Crowds of Summer

Things are busy. Manon and I are both taking six hours of French classes per week, along with homework and the usual quotidian grind.

Summer is a glorious but brief season, so Montréalers are anxious to be out and about when the weather’s good.… [Read More]

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Musings and Observations Pictures

Butterfly Week

The summer season is short here. You can see the changes in things from day to day. This week, it’s the butterfly’s time.

Up at the top of Mont Royal, it was a hot and very very humid day.… [Read More]

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Experiences Only in Montréal

Why Montréal is So Green

This. All happening right now. And a tornado warning.

The lights have flickered a couple times, but we’re still empowered. Charging all the devices while we can, though.

It appears the building across the street was tagged last night.… [Read More]

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History, Culture, and Politics Pictures Places Très Intéressant

Lachine Canal

This past week, I attended an activity with a local intercultural group: learning to kayak. Now, this group is big into canoe camping and white-water kayaking, but they have to entice us newbies into the sport a little more gently.… [Read More]

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Experiences

Something in the air…

There’s a lot in the air these days. Unfortunately, a lot of what’s in the air is smoke, pollen, and other scary things.

The wildfires in Canada are in the headlines around the world, although somewhat surprisingly, a lot of the stories seem to take a folksy “ah, whoops, it’s like bad weather” perspective.… [Read More]

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Très Intéressant

Here’s the Church, addendum

I just read today that one of the churches featured in the “Maintenance Problems” part of my post was damaged by a fire. It’s expensive keeping a building maintained, and according to the article, the timeline for permits and planning when repurposing a church takes years.

Categories
History, Culture, and Politics Musings and Observations Only in Canada

You Don’t Look A Day Over 39 Million

At approximately 3 pm today Canada’s population reached 40 million people (according to Canada’s population clock, which really looks more like test tubes….disturbingly).

By comparison, California has a population of about 39 million packed into a lot less geographical space–lookee here**:

This is one of the many reasons we’re in Canada.… [Read More]