Or so we thought. First of all was the storm. We were drenched coming back from dinner, but the almost constant sheet lighting lit our way. All night. Then at 4am there was much mysterious clattering outside our door. At 5.30 as the alarm shrieked, we discovered why – Peregrine had faxed us c/o Chantal, who pushed the letter under the door, informing us that the storm in Montreal had delayed the charter plane and the pilot had run out of flying hours, so we had a flight postponement until 2200 earliest. But please come to a meeting at 11.30. What to do? A quick cabinet meeting decided it was too detailed to be a spoof, so the entire committee adjourned to do some more sleeping. The delay gave us time to refuel the car and still find the Crowne Plaza in time for the rendezvous. The poor Peregriners had been up all night (Steve & Diane) arranging stuff, so the basics were in place (pickup, flights, itinerary) but the niceties (food? recompense?) were more dodgy. As experienced expeditionaries, we knew something of what to expect, so went off to an art gallery to speculate about First Nation art recorded by Emily Carr. After she visited France and got the Impressionist bug, she improved. Adrian couldn’t handle more ART, so we wandered round Parliament Hill, looking at bronze statues and the Cat Sanctuary (!) etc. Some say it’s an emblem of the tolerance and pluralism of Canadian culture, and the protective instinct, but some say it’s just plain nutty! We returned to the Crowne Plaza for a swim in a good pool that was too hot, with no towels, no sink, no hair dryer, and a barely adequate veggie meal, but hey, we won’t starve. Right now, we’re on the plane, surrounded by oodles of hand baggage and excited people. The cabin staff are wearing knee-length boots and we are headed for Iqaluit in Nunavut where it may be a cool. 7°C? Let’s see!