Welcome to the unofficial beginning of summer in Canada. The Victoria Day long weekend has always been considered as such even though the official date is a month away, possibly because the season is so short north of the 49th parallel.
And this was the case even before beer commercials made it a little more official.
I remember growing up as a kid in these parts and this weekend was considered the time to jump in the lake, kind of a rite of passage to show bravery and that summer, if not already underway, was on the horizon.
Of course you had to jump in. Sticking a toe in and wading into the lake wasn’t going to work, nor did it really count.
I should note that one of my sons jumped in Kal Lake about a month ago on a bit of a dare, and came out real fast but, hey, on the gut level I was impressed he did it, although on the brains level, not so much.
However the thought that one should jump in the lake to celebrate the Queen’s birthday in the Okanagan persists in the back of my brain. I can’t remember the last time I actually did it, however, but if you’re looking for something to do this long weekend....
.....of course the weather forecast isn’t that good as many head out for their first camping expedition or take in the sights and sounds of the 98th annual Falkland Stampede.
I’m always amazed that people can get their act together in time for this weekend. To be honest our motorhome still has a tarp on it and the boat is still in storage but, hey, it’s on the agenda for this weekend. I don’t know if you’ve heard but we get an extra day off so I’m fairly confident we’ll get ‘er done soon....
.....speaking of getting ‘er done, I see the House of Commons decided to launch the long weekend with some fireworks.
Although Justin Trudeau obviously should’ve shown some kind of restraint, not to mention a tad bit of maturity and leadership with respect to his shenanigans, I do believe his apology is genuine if a little late to the dance.
However, some of the self-righteous reactions have also likewise been over the top as I think the shelf life of this brouhaha for the average Canadian is less than a week.
Still, when you brand yourself as ‘Sunny Days’ you better feel some heat and learn a lesson when you are the one largely responsible for sparking a media storm, oh the irony, ahem........
......and speaking of media storms I can’t help myself from tuning into the election coverage south of the border.
It’s basically Trump 24/7 which shows how deftly he can manage the media, whether they are for him or against him, and either way his supporters eat it up and his detractors ironically help feed the frenzy.
Trump always takes pride in “self-funding” his campaign so he’s not tied to any lobby groups. Right.
But, hey, when you can successfully dominate the airwaves like he does for free, the way I look at it, it literally saves the campaign billions of dollars.
And the latest endeavour into prime time was an interview with Fox News Megyn Kelly, who he insulted earlier in the campaign.
After cajoling a sort of apology for some of his outlandish behaviour on the campaign trail, the interview focused more on the potential of him becoming president and how he would handle that responsibility factor.
He came across somewhat charming, if a little in over his head, and Kelly too came across well but certainly nothing too newsworthy or insightful came out of the encounter.
Nevertheless they both, ironically, have risen to rock star status thanks to the campaign and that says something about the celebrity-worshipping aspect of America these days. Stay tuned, I know I will.