(Flashback to July) The Queen!

Turns out the Queen likes Canada, and she visits a lot. I suppose it makes sense. The rest of the Commonwealth is either dirty and dangerous or very far away, if not both. As a result, the Queen has been to Canada more than 20 times during her reign. There are probably parts of the UK that have seen less of her.

Anyway, when the Queen comes to visit she stays on the grounds of the Governor Generals, which are just a few blocks away from our place. Luckily, we are nowhere near the entry gates, so there were no security check points or even a noticeable increase in police around the neighborhood. On this particular visit, the Queen was due to a function at Parliament House, and we had been told when she would be leaving the GGs to get there. We even heard rumours that – being the Queen - she would make the trip in a horse drawn carriage. And so we took the kids and went to the gate. I am told that there were many 100’s of people waiting to greet her at Parliament Hill, as opposed to the 100ish that were waiting to farewell her over the block leading from the gate to the main road. So few people in fact that I, with Lillian upon my shoulders, was easily able to make my way right up to un-barricaded the curb. Sadly, there were no horses, just a short procession of non-descript back sedans with their (non-tinted) windows up.

Ah well. The Royal Couple did at least look out the windows, smiling and waving as they passed by. Given the lack of horses, I doubt the kids will remember the occasion for long.