spirals

I haven't posted much this week because it's been a little tumultuous. Can you have little tumults? Does that work? Montréal actually had a 5.5 tumult on the Richter scale this week... I feel very cheated as I didn't feel a thing.

In two days we're supposed to be moving house. We have a few things ready but no bed, mattress, couch or chairs. So if you like standing around or leaning against walls, come on over. If you have an esky (cooler) or a portable hotplate I can offer coffee or chilled refreshments too.

Here, the majority of leases begin and end on July 1st so getting a last minute truck for our fridge and stove, located just outside of the city, is proving impossible. Well, possible, for several hundred dollars...

So this post is a quickie. I really just wanted to show you this sculpture I walk past every day near the metro. It's Escher meets Montréal and I love it. Lots more soon.. xx

Conversations I need to have..

I miss contact with animals. I miss my dog.

conversation

And often
it's not about words at all..

Observations about Montréal

#5: Escalator etiquette. I've mentioned this to some before, and it's a simple thing but it gives me great pleasure. Here, when you come up out of the subway on the escalators, people stay on the right hand side allowing others (me) to walk up quickly. In Australia, people stand in couples or groups or right in the middle so that there is no choice for you but to stand still, ascending at a ridiculously slow pace, feeling pretty much trapped. So thank you Montréal, for letting me use my legs!
#6: The supermarkets don't seem to stock free-range eggs or chooks. I keep looking, but I can't see 'em..

#7: Nobody else here thinks squirrels are cute. I myself can't get enough of them. Yesterday I saw one which was pure white - my first albino sciuridae encounter. I thought it was beautiful.

Summer, here

There's so much happening here in summer. This week I enjoyed the Nuit Blanche sur Tableau Noir with Karine and Jérémie. The street was closed to cars so that vendors could bring their wares out and create a street market. At around ten pm the artists started work on their paintings.

Nuit Blanche sur Tableau Noir

The day before I saw a fantastic 17 piece band play in a much smaller closed off street. Someone made me green pancakes for a surprise breakfast, I watched a fireworks display from my balcony that was so loud I thought the ground was shaking, and I think I developed a crush on a girl who was dancing in bright green jeans. There's something wonderful everywhere you turn...











(Often I don't have a camera on me so these were all taken with my phone - most of them stills from video).

Cat powers

Yesterday morning I was woken by a strange sound I can no longer recall. I just know that I sat bolt upright and turned to see Fred standing by the open window, shaking his head and saying "Mari-Lynne est tombée"!

"She fell. Mari-Lynne fell out the window".

I ran to the balcony and way down on the concrete, a very dazed and shaken cat was standing on uncertain legs, three stories below. I called to her and she began to walk back up the stairs. Fred met her at the bottom and carried her up to us and we watched as she tried to walk, lay down, tried again. She seemed unable to open one eye and unwilling to move much. We were so scared that she might have broken something, or be bleeding internally. I stayed home to watch her and was so relieved when, an hour or so later, she seemed to be her normal self again.

But Mari-Lynne was nowhere to be seen for the rest of the day. When Joanie came home and I tolde her what happened and there was still no sign of the kitten - I know we were both worried that she had crawled off somewhere to die. Of course, neither of us actually voiced those fears. Joanie eventually said goodnight and went to get ready for bed. From her room I could hear laughter and she emerged with Mari-Lynne under her arm. The cat had spent all day and all of the evening in Joanie's closet - unable to get out. I suspect she mightn't have wanted to though, preferring to recover somewhere safe and silent.

I'm still amazed at what a cat can survive. Amazed and very relieved.

Observations about Montréal

#4: Most things are written in French with an English translation beside or below. But massive warning signs that let you know you can't park/walk/be here are often in French alone. Which makes me think I should learn certain things soon, like "beware!" or "watch out!" or "trespassers will be shot!".

I've also noticed that when the metro stops or is held up, the announcement is only in French. I wear a sort of bewildered look on my face much of the time.