Taking advantage of "Canada Strong"

Up very early, “just in case”. I wasn’t needed, so could have spent a couple more hours in bed. Ottawacker Jr. and Mrs. Ottawacker were heading off to Montreal for the day (blip is of their departure), while I was left at home to hold the fort. As with everything, Ottawacker Jr.’s day must begin with the most convoluted means of getting to any destination by using public transport. It’s a great habit to have – but not for those who are used to the convenience of independent locomotion.  Anyway, they managed to leave the house on time and provide me with regular updates of where they were – “17 minutes to get to the station from Billings Bridge” and “the train is leaving on time”, etc. Just as it should be.
 
This left me to my own devices for the day. Or it would have done, had there not been a honeydew list the size of our dining room table. It was OK, actually – as the temperatures today are forecast for the high 30s, and I just don’t fancy being outside or doing anything energetic. It would be a perfect day to sit outside in the pm with a bottle of rose and read. But, of course, I have to go and pick them up at the train station at 9pm, so that isn’t happening. Mrs. Ottawacker rightly demurred at getting the bus home at that time of night, following a 6.30am start.
 
Around 9, Mitch called. Somehow, I missed the call – I think I was hanging out the laundry at this stage – and told me about his uneventful trip to the USA to visit his brother. Apparently, he got in and out without any trouble. You just have to pick your crossing. Meant to call and invite him to the Greek Fest. Having rambled on about Ottawa’s lack of entertainment, I discovered it was on and thought maybe a bit of lamb might be appropriate. But then I got ensnared in various projects and missed the opportunity. Oh well, there is always next year.
 
Unbelievably, amazingly, astonishingly, the VIA Rail train was not delayed on the return either and this despite panic-stricken emails saying there would likely be major delays due to the extreme heat. Honestly, sometimes you gotta wonder. Check this out:
 
Hello. We’re reaching out about you upcoming trip with VIA Rail Canada. Due to forecasted extreme heat in the coming days, trains travelling on August 16th could experience a delay. Extreme temperatures can force the infrastructure owner to impose speed restrictions on certain routes for safety purposes, which could result in delays at departure or on route for certain trains.
In the case of a major disruption to your trip, we would contact you to inform you of the situation. Once your train has departed from its originating station, you will be able to follow it in real time with our train location tracking map here: https://tsimobile.viarail.ca/. We thank you for your understanding and look forward to welcoming you on board!
VIA Rail Canada
 
I turned up at the train station at the allotted time and had to park half-a-kilometre away. All of the car parks were full and all of the side spots (marked “No Parking!!” were either. There is a “Canada Strong” promotion on at the moment, which gives kids under 12 free travel – which is also why Ottawacker Jr. was able to snaffle another trip – so people are obviously using it, which is good. Unfortunately, and entirely predictably, Ottawacker Jr. had managed to use up all of the battery on the phone, so I couldn’t text and let them know where I was. But, I managed to hobble into the station – catch them as they got off the train rather early – and get back to the car before the traffic wardens – the scourge of any and every city – managed to give us a parking ticket. I saw one as we were driving off… I considered rolling down the window and giving him a volley of abuse (one has to perform ones civic duty sometimes) but decided not to. I am becoming nice.