Wednesday 24 June 2009

Summer's Here, the Pink Bicycle's Back: Happy Fête nationale du Québec!

Summer has truly arrived. Not only are we a couple of days past the solstice, but today is St. Jean Baptiste or the Fête nationale. Once a feast day in honour of Quebec's patron saint, the holiday has been expanded to include everyone who calls Quebec home: when some dinosaurs protested a couple of Anglophone bands performing at a festive concert, voices were nearly unanimous in denouncing the chauvinism.

The other sign of summer is the appearance of the pink bicycle. For the last several summers, one family has decorated an old bike with flowers, making a most original arrangement. This year I was wondering what had happened, since the flower beds had been planted with annuals, but the bike was nowhere to be seen. Then last weekend I happened to pass the house on my walk when the owner was out. When I told him that I’d been wondering if all was well with the family, and how charming we find the bike, he promised to put it out as soon as possible. And there it is now, just as cheerful as in past years.

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