Happy Victoria Day Weekend! (also titled, Happy Sunday from Canada!)
Victoria Day falls on the third Monday of May and is celebrated in Canada and Scotland. Not in England, I hear, even though it honors Queen Victoria, who was born May 24, 1819. Why on earth does Canada celebrate Victoria and not the birthday of the current monarch, Elizabeth II? Apparently because Victoria was queen when Canada became a nation. She was the one who chose the city of Ottawa to be the capital city of Canada.
This weekend is often known as May Long — as in, what are you doing on May Long? — since it is the long weekend in May, with Monday being a national holiday, and it kicks off summer (even though our kids will be in school for another month). In a lot of parts of the country, it signifies the weekend to get the garden planted, since the danger of nighttime frost is now over. Hey, Canada’s a big country. Some parts have been frostfree for months, while others still aren’t. But here (southeastern BC) it’s definitely the Goal Weekend for getting the garden in! If it would stop raining long enough, it’s on our weekend plans, too.
There. More than you wanted to know about Canada!
Winners this Week
If you’re a winner, you should have received an email from the author in charge of the giveaway. If not, please email us at: prizes at inspyromance dot com.
Merrillee Whren’s winner is Lelia (Lucy) Reynolds!
Marion Ueckermann’s winners are Wemble, Jessica B and Janet Estridge!
Melanie D Snitker’s winner is Cassandra Meyers!
Toni Shiloh’s winner is Christina Riggs!
Lindi Peterson’s winner is Stacey!
Congratulations!
Don’t forget… every comment you make qualifies you to win one of the monthly Amazon card giveaways!
Specials this Week
Reader Gathering
Did you know Inspy Romance hosts a Christian Romance Reader Gathering group on Facebook? Join us… but don’t forget to answer the questions for admittance!
Last Week on Inspy Romance
On Monday, Toni Shiloh offered a glimpse into a maple way of life… plus #giveaway.
On Tuesday, Shannon Taylor Vannatter told us about sharing a book!
On Wednesday, Laurie Larsen asked, is a wedding the end of the romance?… plus #giveaway
On Thursday, Hallee Bridgeman shared a character interview with the grooms.
On Friday, Elizabeth Maddrey discussed female friendships and romance novel expectations.
On Saturday, Valerie Comer asked: convenient, or not so much?
Next Week on Inspy Romance
Monday: Deb Kastner (The Empty Nest)
Tuesday: Mary Manners (Secrets and the Writing Journey)
Wednesday: Jaycee Weaver
Thursday: Autumn Macarthur
Friday: Staci Stallings (Creativity on Demand)
Saturday: Sally Bayless (Tied up with a bow… plus #giveaway)
New Releases
May 2019
• Cherish Me (A Chapel Cove Romance 3) by Autumn Macarthur
• Starting Anew (Life Unexpected 3) by Melanie D. Snitker
• My Wayfaring Billionaire (Grimwood Legacy 3) by Jackie Castle
• Tender Wishes and Butterfly Kisses (Honeysuckle Cove 8) by Mary Manners
June 2019
• The Texan’s Secret Daughter (Cowboys of Diamondback Ranch) by Jolene Navarro
• Only Together (The Imagination Series 5) by Staci Stallings
• The Art of Rivers (A Coastal Hearts Novel) by Janet W. Ferguson
• Risking Love (Maple Run 4) by Toni Shiloh
• The Cowboy’s Convenient Marriage (Montana Ranches Christian Romance 4) by Valerie Comer
• Homecoming Blessings (Dalton Brothers 3) by Merrillee Whren
• Hope for Christmas (Hope Ranch 1) by Elizabeth Maddrey
• At First Spark (The Spark Brothers 4) by Liwen Y. Ho
A complete list of Inspy Romance books by our authors is always available on our BOOKS tab. Find our audiobooks, our permanently free e-books, and our thank-you gifts for newsletter subscribers there as well!
Valerie Comer is a USA Today bestselling author and a two-time Word Award winner who writes where food meets faith and fiction. She injects experience laced with humor into her green clean romances. Her life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local foods movement as well as their church. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily-ever-afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughters.
Hi Valerie:) It is interesting reading your posts and seeing similarities/differences between Australia and Canada. We celebrate the Queen’s Birthday the first weekend in June- Monday is a public holiday, which typically marks the halfway point of the second school term.
We have harvested what will probably be the last of the tomatoes, hubby spent today making green tomato chutney with them.
Enjoy the rain, but I hope you are able to get started on the garden.
Blessings:)
Hi Valerie! Thanks for your informative post. I enjoy the international facts I learn. We have had lots of rain in SW Michigan. For Mother’s Day I received a rain gauge. Rain is in the forecast for the next 10 days. Very concerned for our farmers, since only 6% of the crops have been planted and the fields are water logged. Purchased my flowering and tomato plants yesterday. Usually I had them planted by May 10. Enjoy your long weekend. Stay dry and happy writing.
Thanks for sharing the backstory regarding Victoria Day. Being an American, I didn’t even know it was a “thing”. LOL
Thanks for telling us about Victoria Day!! Here in FL, we’re already getting temps close to 90F. Next weekend, they’re already saying it will feel like 100F!!
I wrote the post a few days ago. Turned out it was too cold to plant out the tender bedding plants. The forecast was for 3 degrees last night!!!!!so we decided to hold off a few more days. The garden beds are ready, though! And my tomato plants are sprawling all over the dining room table.
We’ve had a lot of rain this past week, too, but it dried up enough to finish preparing the garden for planting. Then yesterday, the overnight forecast was for just a few degrees above freezing, so we held off. Hopefully in a day or two the plants can go out!
Wow, Michigan has had many extremes in weather this year! I hope crops can soon go in.
Yep! We might be your next-door neighbors with many similarities, but each country has their own quirks and holidays and traditions :)
Oh, great… I’ll be in Florida for a couple of weeks in June. I can’t say I’m looking forward to the extreme heat and humidity (last time we were there was also in June). It’s been so cool here that I gave in and turned the heat back on in the house a couple of days ago. We’re usually pleasantly warm (80s ish) by this time of year here.
Interesting post.
We harvested lettuce already and the tomatoes are looking good, no blossoms yet though. My dahlias are iffy. Two are growing in pots but one pot shows nothing as yet. It is tornado season in Missouri. We squeeked by a few weeks ago. More weather later today.
Good for you seeing some harvest already! I could’ve (most years, anyway) if I’d seeded lettuce when the snow left the raised beds! But I didn’t. I don’t envy you tornado season.
Ah, it’s hitting 90 here in Jacksonville FL, Val! Boo….lol. hope you enjoy your holiday ?
It’s going to feel like a sauna!!!
Ironically it has been so mild this weekend around 20 – 21 which is quite mild for a couple of weeks left of autumn. As one of the others said we have the Queens birthday holiday in June and its different weekends in different states. Most its the second Monday but Western Australia its the 30 Sept and Queensland is the 7th Oct. Why I have no Idea!
I love Canada. It was 6 years ago and about a week I was in Victoria for a night (stayed with my friend from Washington State and we went by ferry to Victoria). Got to see the Burchard Gardens and a few other things. Its was interesting that it was also warmer here at home than where I was in Canada. I remember it was a little wet and quite chilly.
The city of Victoria has a mild climate year round. It’s never truly hot there, I don’t think! My son and his wife went to university there and we loved visiting. Butchart Gardens are gorgeous. The one time I visited them was also in May.