This is turning out to be the wetest summer in as long as I can remember. The wood on and around the house never dries so it is impossible to paint, the flowers are rotting in their pots, it is dark and dreary…there are endless repairs on the roads so that the drive into the city takes forever…
I did make another quickie visit to Ottawa. I managed to catch the changing of the guard in front of parliament….I watched it sitting cross legged on top of a wall huddling under my golf umbrella with a little red head boy from Saskatoon . The band played the Marseillaise as it was July 14th… Bastille day.
Afterward I took a guided tour of the Parliament central building. I had never been inside before.
My grandmother used to tell me the story of her best friend attending a ball there and a fire starting and the friend rushing back to her room to retrieve the jewelry my nanny had lent her… and dying in the fire… 7 people died and the building was destroyed . Only the library was spared because someone closed the metal doors to it. It still stands today: a beautiful a beautiful wood victorian room. The rest of the building was redone in neo gothic.
There was a choir performing in one of the halls…the acoustics are impressive!
Next I went to the National Gallery a lovely modern building. I saw an exhibit of papal art…After a while I had had enough of virgins holding ugly babies…but there were some interesting paintings too worth going for…
In front of the museum is a sculpture named “Maman” (mother), it is a huge spider…. the name has always bothered me…
Back in town, I have stopped by the Just For Laughs festival on opening night. The street performers were great. But I forgot my camera. I doubt I will have time to see more of it… I wish I could…
I tried a lovely restaurant called Juliette et Chocolat. As the name indicates they offer a large selection of chocolate based drinks and desserts. There is an entire page of hot chocolates on their menu….their website is lovely! I MUST go back and explore further…
http://www.julietteetchocolat.com/
OHH and Bell Canada finally reconnected my phone line WOOOHOO!!!
Next week should be interesting… I will be trying new things… stay tuned folks!!