Sunday at Bluesfest, and watch that air quality

Morning. We've dropped down to 14 and it's partly cloudy—a decent shift from the heat we've had. There's a UV warning in effect (8.0 is high), so if you're heading out, sunscreen matters even with the cloud cover. The bigger note: there's an air quality alert today, so if you're sensitive to that kind of thing, keep an eye on how you're feeling outdoors. We've got until 8:50 PM to work with, so there's plenty of daylight left.

Bluesfest kicks off at 5 PM tonight at LeBreton Flats, and a Sunday pass gets you in. This is a solid way to spend your evening—live music, food trucks, the whole thing. It'll be cool enough that you won't be sweating through it, and with the air quality flag, you might actually appreciate being out in the open air rather than stuck indoors.

If you're thinking dinner beforehand or after the music, there's some good ground to cover right now. Pine Marten just opened up in Brigid's Well's basement with fresh, creative charcuterie—worth checking out if that's your lane. If you're craving something more straightforward, Rockin' Johnny's Diner is back open on Merivale after the Westgate closure, and Ivan's Meat and Deli in Stittsville is back on its feet after losing power on July 1. New Yangtze has also reopened in Chinatown after being closed for nearly two years, so if you've been missing it, today's a chance to get back in.

There's also an Ottawa Titans game at the Stadium at 3:30 PM if baseball's your thing—Tri-City ValleyCats are in town.

On a wider note: the city opened temporary waste collection sites after the July 1 extreme weather knocked things sideways, so if you've still got debris piled up, there's somewhere to take it now. Also worth knowing—reports of intimate partner violence in Ottawa dropped 5 per cent in the first half of the year, which is a real win. And if you somehow end up with unexploded ordnance lying around your place (happened to someone recently), do not bring it to a police station—call it in instead.

Get out tonight if you can. The weather's cooperating, and Bluesfest is worth the trip.