Canada Day (Observed)

[owlfish]

A woman touched my arm to ask me about the potato chips I was eating. "Where did you get those?" she asked in eager covetousness. I was sharing a bag of exotic dill pickle-flavored chips with cwjat, newly purchased from the Canada Shop set up in Trafalgar Square. The shop also sold A&W root beer and Hersheys chocolate, among a motley assortment of other junk food. Enormous red balloons floated above white tents, the spheres emblazoned with a map of the country.* From 5 pm onward, a stream of Canadian musicians performed on the large stage advertising the government of Canada, the Mayor of London, Petro-Canada, Blackberry. I'd even heard of two of the performers: Ron Sexsmith, and also Alana Levandoski, who performed with Dar Williams last year when on tour in London. On screen, a parade of Canadian musicians, including Jeff Healy and The Tragically Hip, none of whom were present professed their regret as absence. Loud cheers went up from different parts of the audience whenever a particular province or hockey team were mentioned in passing.

We've already celebrated it now,** but it's not even begun across the Atlantic in the country itself. Happy Canada Day!

* Photos forthcoming when my computer isn't constantly crashing.
** We spectulated that it's not being observed tomorrow here because of the UK England-Portugal World Cup Game.

Comments

[haggisthesecond.livejournal.com]

oh man, Ron Sexsmith was playing? I went through Trafalgar Square at midday when dropping off my passport application at the Canadian High Commission and saw them all setting up, but sadly had early-evening plans. Drat!

[owlfish]

I couldn't have told you so in advance, but it might have been on the Canada-Day-in-the-UK website. Next time, I'll know to text you about it!

[haggisthesecond.livejournal.com]

oh, and I too thought it was odd that they were celebrating Canada Day a day early, until it occurred to me that Pride is tomorrow...

[intertext.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you're having almost as much of a celebration as we are here! Fancy being able to get A&W root beer in Trafalgar Square! Any Timbits?? I'll post tomorrow on the "real" day, but as I'm on the West Coast, it'll be almost your bed time by the time I do :)

[owlfish]

No timbits. Doughnut culture is essentially not present in the UK. Previously, just bakeries produced the odd doughnut or other. About a year ago, Krispy Kreme moved in to the country and has started expanding. It's still a work in progress.

I hope you're having fun!

[a-d-medievalist.livejournal.com]

Krispy Kremes are not proper donuts. Dunkin' Donuts are the true source of donutty goodness. I do love me a nice Tim Horton's though!

[owlfish]

England is a land forlorn of True Donutty Goodness.

[andromakie.livejournal.com]

Go down to covent garden tomorrow night. There's a gigantic street patty outside the Maple Leap pub. It's huge! It'll be doubly huge as it's a sat night. Very much fun.

[intertext.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I wish I was there. Sounds like more fun than fireworks in Victoria's inner harbour :)

[andromakie.livejournal.com]

Hey, I won't be there either. So far, my canada day will consist of Chinese Buffet for lunch and fabric shopping if the store is open.

[owlfish]

I could've stuck it out and seen fireworks tonight at the Henley Ragatta - but went home after 6 hours in the sun instead.

[owlfish]

Oh, I hope it happened. Last night, there was meant to be a party there after the celebrations, but there was an announcement during the events saying the street party had been cancelled. (Some sort of security concerns.)

[ewtikins.livejournal.com]

Dill pickle... yum.

According to the CBC

[thebitterguy]

Apparently, tomorrow is Pride day in London, so Trafalgar square was booked.

Re: According to the CBC

[owlfish]

Thank you - that explains it given just how much bigger Pride is.

[kashmera.livejournal.com]

I'm going to the Chinese Cultural centre in the morning for a festival involving dragons etc.
In the evening I'm expecting to relax at a BBQ. One of PK's friends has his birthday on Canada Day. :o)

I will definately relax - this paper will be submitted!

[noncalorsedumor.livejournal.com]

Dill pickle chips, you say? Hmmm. I am intrigued. (Do you say chips or crisps?)

I hope your computer is healed soon.

[owlfish]

They're nice and tart, good use of "vinegar solids". UK=crisps; Canada=chips. Those.

The memory that came with it is definitely flawed. Now we'll test the additional memory and see if it crashed with only that installed. I'm just hoping that's all the problem there is. We'll see...

[hereward.livejournal.com]

> We spectulated that it's not being observed tomorrow here because of the UK-Portugal World Cup Game.

Ahem. *England*-Portugal world cup game.

[owlfish]

So true. My bad.