Not too big not too small...

...just the size of MONTREAL!

This is the jingle I have been listening to my children sing for the past year. It is a catchy jingle at that. So catchy that I would refer you to Peter and Kristin if you ever have any jingle needs. Just like most jingles this one was invented to get stuck in our heads and endear Montreal to us so much that we move back. Aurora has been trying to get us to move back to Montreal for about two years now anyhow so she was an easy adopter of the jingle. Based on its effectiveness I am thinking I need a jingle for the merits of cleaning, because Tova really has no memory of Montreal - but since she is always singing about its perfection, she insists she loves it. And really what's not to love? We all love Montreal and it is forever a happy nostalgic part of us. We were all so excited about our visit there and being reunited with friends and family. Our visit was exactly what we all hoped it would be. I would even go so far as to say it was so great we couldn't help wondering why we don't live there.

 We arrived right as Montreal blossomed into Spring. Right as the temperature rose and the ice cream shops opened. Right as everyone packed away their winter coats and scowls and donned their spring euphoria. If you have ever been in Montreal in the springtime you will know what I mean when I say that we arrived on THAT weekend. The one the city pines for all winter. We had no phone but that hardly mattered because, just as we dreamed of on quiet dull Canberra evenings, all of Montreal was on an ongoing social springtime stroll. We strolled through streets and parks literally bumping into and socializing with friends. I didn't even realize we knew so many people in Montreal. Oh how we felt loved. Friends were happy to welcome us into their social calendars on a moment's notice. Our children romped and climbed and played with their cousins until they were dizzy with glee and we were left feeling like for us the hole in Australia is much bigger than in just the ozone. And we ate and ate because we all missed Montreal cheese and pastries. Plus, we like eating. Montreal why are you so charming? Why do you make it so hard to leave you?

It was almost a relief when a few days after arriving it started to rain and we got a driving ticket because our nostalgia needed that reality check. It was an incredible week and half and we are so going to miss all our Montreal friends and family and hope that we will always be welcomed back with such smile and spring. Montreal don't forget about us because as fate will have it we are going back to Australia.

We were having too much fun to take photos