Yes, that's a bottle of maple syrup in my hand. Hey, it was the only remotely Canadian thing I had in the house. And yes, it's real maple syrup, imported, in fact, from Canada. I don't know how much maple syrup costs in Canada, but after the importation, it's bloody expensive here in Australia. That bottle cost about $11. Yummy though.

The background is a composite of two photos I took myself, in Victoria, capital of British Columbia. Beautiful city. The building is the Parliament of British Columbia, which is quite interesting to visit and refreshingly light on overt security. You can wander around inside much of the building unaccompanied, and explore at your own leisure.