It’s been a very quick few days. I drove up here to Montreal after spending the night in Toronto. I left at about 6 in the morning and got to Montreal by about 12:30. It was a bit further than I had anticipated, but the weather was good, and traffic was light. It was an easy drive.

I decided to bring the car because I’ll be here for a couple of weeks, and it’s a convenient thing to have, although entirely optional. It has helped me move into my new apartment, however. I do miss the extra carrying capacity of the Outback Sport (whose name was Sheila, by the way). I had to cram a double futon mattress into the back seat of the Emeril and it was definitely a tight squeeze.  Sheila would have been able to handle the wooden frame of the futon too. I’ll just have to make a second trip with a van or a truck later this week to get the frame.

I got some other essentials too. Yesterday I bought a small charcoal barbecue for grilling delicious things. Today, I got a wireless router and a small stereo that you can also hook up to the TV to play DVDs. It has a USB port on it for connecting USB storage devices, from which it will play MP3s, and MPEG4 DivX files. It also rips CDs to MP3 files. Since the whole thing cost less than $100, I’ll believe it when I see it.

The weather here has been hot. Today it was 29C plus humidity. It definitely feels like July already. I’m enjoying the summery atmosphere for sure. The city is dripping in beautiful girls in skimpy summer dresses. It’s quite common to go to a park with the dog and sit on a bench, drinking a bottle of wine and chatting with strangers. Since I’m now living with Emily, who has a small dog, and is a fan of wine, I’m sure this activity will be quite common.

Last night we had a small dinner getogether at Tan’s. We barbecued chicken, and ate it on the rooftop patio with Thai dipping sauce, grilled vegetables tossed with goat cheese, and fiddleheads sauteed in garlic butter. Dessert was chunks of pineapple with ice cream bars dipped in chocolate. I went to the gym when I got back to my apartment to help cure me of the guilt.

Tonight should be fun. I am meeting a friend and going to sit on a terrasse for drinks. Terrasse is just Montrealese for “patio.”  We’re going to Sainte Elisabeth, which has been described as “a secret garden.”

Walking into this pub, you wouldn’t know right away that Le Sainte-Elisabeth has a courtyard which is enclosed within 45 metre high vine-covered walls. Walk to the back and you’ll see a courtyard terrace blooming with flowers and greenery during the warm months. Visitors who sit in this intimate urban garden feel like they’ve stepped directly into a dream.

Sounds good to me.

This weekend: Arctic Monkeys.