an almost picnic

so maybe the list of what i want from life at a given point is comprised of small things instead of the big over-arching ones. but i think it's only a disguise: instead of saying i want a relationship i've said i wanted picnics in the park, because how else was i going to get picnics in the park? not by meeting friends... since in this city meeting people in groups bigger than 2 requires being part of a group, cult or organization. and it's not the same thing regardless.
anyway: i rediscover how rigid i can be about my "small", "simple" desires. spring should come after a certain date. spring should come with a prescribed constant temperature and amount of flowers. dresses and skirts should be worn (not much luck yet, mostly because i can't be bothered to plan to change after workshifts). there should be long walks, to certain prescribed places. there should be photogenic shots of me/in these places/in these get-ups, so i can talk about all of this (i.e. brag about it) in a clear-cut way, while appearing to not make a big fuss.
yeah, life is not like this. i asked for a picnic, i got an almost-picnic.
it was supposed to be a weekend, but it wasn't a fully free day. it was supposed to be 20 degrees according to the forecast, and it may have been in the sun, but it was windy. there were supposed to be sandwiches, on the grass, and there were Subway sandwiches, which proved messy to eat. (and then there was a carton of haagen dazs moonlighting as dessert.) everything came with a caveat. can i still brag about it? shrug, maybe i can talk about it though, and this is my story.

the eternal parc jarry: everything was happening just 20 feet away from the tree next to which we were "picnicking". here's someone flying a very colorful kite

obviously i look at people and want to know THEIR story. how long have this couple been together, what was their journey like? what does an ordinary day look like for them? if i return to the park at the same time next saturday, will i spot them on the same bench, is it "their" bench?
also the sheer quality of this photo makes me nostalgic for late 80s/early 90s romanian almanacs, which had sections specialized in capturing insights of this kind: "our readers send us pictures"...it just looks like it should be printed somewhere

yea, moving on, modern timzzzz. just to mention that as, we passed by, one of these quasi-shirtless dudes was being like "c'est ou le soleil, tabarnak!" - on the subject of things not being what they seem.

i'm always trying to take representative pictures of this lake/this island, for general purposes of having them as my background photo on facebook. this one is good in the sense that it's as cloudy as mixed feelings, but hey is this the image i want on my (approximately) curated profile? :) :)

two important details in this (lacking quality-wise) picture: ducks are out on the lake at leisure; and, the forsythia bush, which, my mother would like you to know that in romania they've had forsythia in bloom at the end of february. 

after the picnic, and about 1 minute before a sudden bout of rain in the back alleys of villeray. (note that i've seen multiple people out wearing that black t-shirt with the slogan "on se ramasse tous ensemble", which is a montreal-spring-cleaning trademark. cute.)

more back alley views, and more lessons in how-not-to-frame-a-shot. ("but i want it to look spontaneous and imperfect, as if i'm not even stopping to click, waaaah")

all the flowers i could have wished for, careful what you wish etc. cue the sad jaundiced face.

and real-talk flower-watch: i think the magnolias are almost over. i'm waiting on lilacs now, which should be in bloom within the next 2 weeks if at all. so far i've spotted a couple of  lilac bushes with leaves and unopened mini-blooms, which are not interesting to photograph. but the smell of this particular magnolia (mixed with fresh after-rain) should have a special mention in this poat.

please ignore what are probably horrendous prices (by eastern european standards, for sure!) and listen to my motivation for this photo: i wanted to impress my mum with the size of canadian plums. i know i'm  still impressed every single time. 

add a sub-heading for the aftermath: this weekend ( 7-8th of May) there was the Porchfest in NDG, and i wanted to go, because i'd been last year and it was fun, which i think falls in exactly with the general theme of this post. i had rigid expectations and i had to go meet them and break them beyond half-way. so i went south-west alone and unprepared, save for half-baked memories and schemes, on a rainy sunday noon at 10 degrees...and there was nothing there for me, except more cold and rain.
and this mural off place st henri.

and this comforting free-for-all lie :)