It is the Friday afternoon of the Victoria Day Weekend and the surge of energy is everywhere apparent! The excitement is happily fuelled by warm temperatures and brilliant sunshine. All infused elements have serendipitously combined for a favourable holiday weekend.

Right on schedule the weather has changed from frosty to warm, signalling the real beginning of Spring!  Within the last 24 hours the reluctant buds on the trees have begun to unfurl and the blossoms are exploding everywhere! The gardener’s anecdotal adage about not planting before May 24th proves to have substance. While conducting the ceremony of our morning bicycle ride  I noticed evidence of preparations for the weekend – a homeowner intently digging in her front yard garden; an aluminum boat mounted on a trailer behind a large pick-up truck anxiously poised for a lake; and people generally rushing to and fro to complete their appointed tasks in preparation for what will be the first outdoor party of the season. When I afterwards collected the mail in the apartment building I bumped into a resident who told me he is going to his cottage near Bancroft. The “opening of the cottage” is of course a much-touted Victoria Day Weekend tradition.

For our part we have no intention of going anywhere this weekend, most certainly because we avoid travel on a holiday weekend when so many others are of necessity doing so. The enthusiasm is however not lost upon us. In the spirit of the moment I was moved to buy some provisions for a mock barbecue; viz., filet mignon, spicy sausage, fresh Canadian asparagus, leafy lettuce, Ciabatta bread and fresh fruit. It passingly occurred to me how delightful a chilled Vodka martini would be especially so when my arthritic pain is so persistent! I must however remind myself that booze is all an illusion, one best portrayed in fond recollection than in the performance. Our days of patio theatrics are over though much beloved!

The buoyancy of a holiday weekend is pervasive and impossible to ignore.  If nothing else, everyone feels compelled to extend their best wishes for an enjoyable weekend. Based on the current weather projections it appears safe to say with some assurance that we’re at last on the threshold of summer. It is a welcome projection to anticipate the upcoming months of June, July, August, September and October, with nothing but amusement to cloud the agenda.