parc jarry in spring (1)

again, my favourite place in montreal, in one of my favourite moments of the year: when everyone starts going out and about. these pictures are beginning of may, BL (= before leaves); we were 2 months behind romania with the whole vegetation renewal thing. by now we've covered up some of that ground. but leaves or no leaves, a sunny day is enough to summon everyone and their dog to the park.

the feel-good difficulty of deciding how much of the bustle i want to try and capture in one photo

the iconic fleur-de-lys fountain, in its full glory

people trying to act as if they're at the beach. in the background, some of the new buildings of this neighbourhood, that will completely change the landscape; gentrification is pushing up, how much longer til it's over the hill for us?

willows on the "island"

children on an exploring mission by the lake

emblematic seasonal representation of parc jarry, complete with church steeples, willows, pigeons on the lake and picnics

it's not spring in the park without some kite flying

it's not canada without some hockey playing, no matter the season. i'm also missing a picture of cricket playing : i mean i know this is close to the little india of parc-ex, but i love that people play cricket here. b. sometimes watches and has comments to make, of which i understand nada, but that's fine.

this was the rink where b. skated last winter - now surrounded by interested onlookers.

the guy from the previous photo, clearly living the life: dog walking, rollerblading and with some hockey on the side

in the foreground of a birthday party: i don't know if you can see it well, but the girl is skipping rope. we watched her and her friends for a while - and so did the little girl on the sidelines.

a good day for the icecream cart

sunny, but windy! notice the hoodie of the small child present at the bottom of pic. like on most of our walks, she was soundly asleep all the way through.

out of the park and into the streets: the board at "oui mais non" cafe has some wisdom to share on this first day of 20+ degrees of the season