Canada Day, extended

Yesterday was Canada Day, but since much of the country took the day off, I guess I did too.

We had a bocce championship in the afternoon, and the winners won a swishy chocolate bar that had the word ‘Excellence’ on the wrapper. Since good winners always share, they passed it around for all of us to sample.

The barbecue supper came close to getting rained out, but an umbrella over the barbie meant the cooks could put the finishing touches on the sausages and ribs. Whew!

Since the park we tried going to for fireworks got flooded, their event was postponed until Saturday, the 4th. Where I’d been thinking about borders and their significance (or, more to the point, their absurdity), this seemed apt enough. Canada Day fireworks on the 4th of July. I reckon.

My thinking was reinforced by the DVD we rented last night, The Wind that Shakes the Barley. It’s about the ‘troubles’ that raged so many years in Ireland, a place where brother fought brother, where the invisible border of religious difference played such a big role in dividing a country.

So, my wish as I extend this year’s Canada Day? For all of us to try to find ways to pay less attention to the borders we’ve created, all those invisible lines that lead us to think of someone else as ‘Other’.

And to celebrate, here’s how our own little fireworks show played out.

Bought these at the local convenience store.

Found a bucket of sand to stick them in, for firm and safe grounding.

The Dear Man went waaaaay back in the great big yard here.

After a bit of fussing, the fuse took light.

Hurrah, colours in the sky!