Happy Victoria Day
"The 24th of May
Is the Queen's birthday,
If we don't get a holiday,
We'll all run away."
In much of Canada, the only country that celebrates this holiday, Victoria Day is the unofficial beginning of summer. Under normal circumstances, not covid times, it's when people open the cottage (camp, cabin, bungalow, depending on your region). Hardy or perhaps foolhardy souls will be found swimming (see next sentence). Victoria Day is also known as "firecracker day" and as "two-four day," a two-four being a case of 24 beers. (I don't think Igloolik and other northern communities follow the same swimming and planting schedule schedule.)
This is really an excuse to show off my case sticker from the Victoria Folk Club in Victoria BC, where I sang a ballad nearly three years ago. Observe that, after all this time, the sticker is still clinging tightly to the cloth-bound case that goes with a mandolin I bought during my trip to BC. I guess the stickers with Her Majesty playing mandolin had already sold out.
A Happy Victoria Day to all, or have a nice day anyway, if you're not Canadian or not an admirer of British monarchs.
Last edited by Ranald; May-24-2021 at 2:17pm.
Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
"I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.
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