Violet Sky

dream home update

2012-01-27T17:10:00.000-05:00

It has been months since we saw the two new builds of the demolished homes, and since the fencing came down on home #1, I thought it was about time for an update.

The are working on the finishing touches, like a new mailbox in the portico, which you can just barely see being put in

remember, the house that originally sat on this lot looked like this

and house #2, which was really a tiny cottage that had all its hopes and dreams of reno dashed as it lay dormant for about 3 years

and was probably beyond repair has morphed into this...

BAC and BPAC

2012-01-24T14:33:00.001-05:00

Some of you may have noticed that I haven't been doing a whole lot of writing on this blog lately. I need to get out and have more activities (other than collecting postcards and stamps and, now, visiting cemeteries) I did try going out to a different cafe at least once a week with the intention of writing about that experience... but sometimes, nothing interesting happened as I sat and drank my black coffee and read my book (currently Patrick deWitt's Sisters Brothers and Adam Gopnik's Everything but the Table). So I have decided to give myself a theme for the weekly ABC Wednesday challenge and incorporate it into both my photoblog that has better pictures and less words and this one, that is usually more words with a few pictures.

Last week I showed (on Sightlines, go have a look) my favourite art deco house. This week we are on to letter B, which could be for Burlington. I will wander around town taking pictures and telling a story as we progress through the alphabet of things that are specific to where I live.

So, we have BAC and BPAC. First, the Burlington Art Centre. It has been around since 1978 (which is 20 years before I moved here) and has several classes, guilds, exhibits and a wonderful gift shop. There is also a coffee shop, a greenhouse and courtyard. Just to give you an idea, I photographed the fire exit map.

It is a maze of rooms and displays and, sometimes, if you are lucky, you might run into the artist who has show. Gino Lorcini has a stunning exhibit of metal sculptures. I overheard him say that this would be the last exhibit of his work (he is almost 90 afterall!)

A short walk of two blocks or so and we have the brand new Burlington Performing Arts Centre. It has only been open since last fall. I have already tried to get to see two performances but they sold out quickly. One of the nice things about BPAC is that it is a small, intimate theatre with unobstructed views and good sound no matter where you sit. (at the open house I moved around to several seats from orchestra to balcony to the side box seats - all perfect). Every seat in each performance is the same price.

and on Saturday I get to see one!

continued on Sightlines

for ABC Wednesday

grave post #4

2012-01-23T17:20:00.000-05:00

Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery is the oldest and largest of the catholic cemeteries in the area.

And now I know that this area is called a columbarium

the mausoleum is in the background through the arches of the outdoor columbarium*

It has been around since 1870 and sits adjacent to the Royal Botanical Gardens, overlooking Lake Ontario.

I have driven past here countless times and have tentatively wandered along the winding paths and through this indoor/outdoor columbarium. The mausoleum and other buildings on the site are stunningly beautiful.

It is interesting that I feel completely at ease in a municipal cemetery or church graveyard, but this one feels... a little overwhelming. Once I get over my feeling of trepidation of being where I think I do not belong, I will photograph more of its grace and beauty.

*the difference between a columbarium and a mausoleum is the former holds the urns with the ashes and the latter the caskets with the body*

For more grave sites, visit Julie at Taphophile Tragics

Sunday Stamps

2012-01-22T11:30:00.003-05:00

Standard issues are the theme for this week's stamps.

We seem to have moved on from the Queen to the flag as a standard issue and I already showed examples of the the flag fluttering over various parts of the country.

So, here is the Queen. I like this one where she is smiling and looks happy. It is also almost in the usual profile pose.

Like these examples from 1958.
Stamps weren't quite so informal then. And they all seemed to be the same style but with different colours to signify the different denominations.
You will notice that she is showing her right side

whereas these examples of George V are showing his left side.

and they are in shades of red and green, perfect for the Christmas card they sent.

and for those still enamoured - the future king

not showing either profile. I thought the profile changed with each monarch and there was some question as to which side William would show depending on whether Charles took the crown. But maybe that is an issue for the money and not the stamps, as I noticed in my research that George VI was mostly shown looking straight ahead, not in profile. Shame I don't have any of those stamps.

grave post #3

2012-01-16T15:45:00.002-05:00

Samuel and Amelia Armstrong must have come from very strong stock. Both of these now residents of Mt Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto lived to a good age of 68 and 72 respectively.

But as you walk around to the other side of this headstone,

you see the evidence of some of the pain this family endured.

Only one child, their firstborn, lived past one year of age and it would be almost ten years

after the death of their third child before another was born.

Neither of the next two children lived beyond six months,

including their only son who had the shortest life.

Amelia would have been 43 years of age when her last child was born.

It is interesting (but not unexpected) to note that all died in the winter months.

For other grave lives head over to Julie's Taphophile Tragics

Sunday Stamps

2012-01-14T18:20:00.005-05:00

Cozido Completo means 'full cooked' and seems to be a Brazilian stew that is an intensive process and involves many, many ingredients...
here is one recipe I found. Every one I looked up was different, but it gives you an idea.

Quindim is a popular Brazilian baked dessert, made chiefly from sugar, egg yolks and ground coconut. It is a custard often made in a ring mould and usually presented as an upturned cup with a glistening surface and intensely yellow colour. (wikipedia)

If you are not so hungry, but merely a little peckish, you could go with this cheese plate and glass of wine....

Stillleben mit Käse und Kirschen by Georg Flegel (1566-1638)

I really like this one of the braided bread in the shape of a heart from Slovenia,

not least for their cool play on words

(though in English) of I FEEL SLOVENIA

If you are still hungry for more, see what other foods have been immortalized on stamps at Viridian's stamp blog

book love

2012-01-12T07:56:00.000-05:00

this is charming.

made in stop motion video, the creators spent all night inside TYPE Books for four nights
animating dancing books.

grave post #2

2012-01-09T06:45:00.001-05:00

The St Andrew's Society of Toronto was officially formed in 1836 just two years after the City of Toronto was established and is the only one of the Scottish societies from that era to be still active today.

Their original mandate was to help recently arrived Scots to get on their feet in their new home, though now their support is through grants and support of various charities.

This cairn was built in 1890 after a large burial plot was bought in Mt Pleasant Cemetery.

and a bonus - the resident deer takes a stroll behind the cairn

If anyone else has a fascination with such grave subjects, head over to Taphophile Tragics

Sunday Stamps

2012-01-08T12:15:00.001-05:00

Again we had a free-for-all, whatever-you-wish theme for this week.

So, since the sun has come out and made feel a wee bit giddy,

I chose cartoon characters to be my theme.

Specifically these creatures.

I had never heard of Moomins until I started Postcrossing. A surprising number of people request cards with these white hippo looking creatures. These trolls have been around for about 65 years since Tove Jansson first created them in book and comic strip form. Apparently they are a carefree and adventurous family who live in Moominvalley in the forests of Finland.

I tried watching a few videos but am afraid they just didn't bring out the inner child in me. Maybe I am a little more subversive having been a Rocky and Bullwinkle fan.

reading

2012-01-05T21:40:00.001-05:00

There was news this week of another independent bookstore closing. This particular one is the oldest indie bookseller (45 years) in the city. They are not necessarily closing because of poor sales or lack of customers, but mostly because of the dramatic increase in rent. This could be seen as a good thing, in that the city is thriving and neighbourhoods are becoming prosperous, but it is also a bad thing because only big name chain stores can afford these higher rents, so the local shops close up and the flavour of the neighbourhood becomes a little less interesting.

But books and bookstores are thriving.

If there were a theme to our family Christmas presents, it would have to be books. Every one of us received at least one book, some more than one. No kindles or kobos or e-readers for my family, we are all about the old fashioned, physical turning of the pages. We exchanged books not only for reading, but also for writing and for drawing. I will have to start journaling again in my pretty notebook, something that went by the wayside once I started blogging.

I was frantically trying to finish one book I had bought as a present, until I realized I was enjoying it so much that I wanted my own copy. Books are always fun to give to people. It is, in a way, my default gift, but not always because I can't think of anything else. In a strange way, it feels more personal to buy someone a book, more like sharing a bit of yourself. Sometimes, it is a book that I have read and loved and want others to experience. Sometimes, it is one that I have come across and think that a certain person might enjoy. I don't think I have ever been disappointed in getting a book as a gift. I have been introduced to authors I'd not heard of, and to ones I thought I wouldn't like. I once received a book that I waited three years to read - it took that long before I was ~~desperate enough~~ interested in it. Still, I kept it on my shelf, always thinking that one day I might pick it up even though a voice in the back of my mind said "but you don't like Stephen King". I discovered, maybe I did, after all.

This year I got an anthology of short stories. It is perfect for leaving in the car for emergency reading. I like to have something in hand when sitting in a restaurant on my own and a novel is too long and sometimes too engrossing; it can be hard to find the right spot for a break. But a short story is perfect for holding one's attention for just long enough. And this book is a collection of new writers, so every story is a true surprise. The other book I got was the darling of the literary world in 2011, The Sisters Brothers. Up for numerous awards and given gallons of praise by every reviewer, but somehow, something about it just didn't appeal. So I never bothered with it and had no intentions of reading it. But since I now have it in my possession, I decided to look through it before rearranging my shelves to make it fit. Haven't been able to put it down for the past two days. It is different. Definitely a unique style. And a darkly funny, offbeat western about a reluctant outlaw and his murderous brother.

I have discovered a new side to myself.

grave post #1

2012-01-02T12:15:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure what brought me into this cemetery on this winter day (obviously last winter since this winter we have had no snow). I drive past it often enough and even at one point used to have it on my delivery route. But I had never actually wandered through it. Located on Spring Garden Road, in an out of the way street across from the Royal Botanical Gardens, the park like setting overlooks the lake. The Woodland Cemetery became Hamilton's second municipal burying ground in 1923 when the York Street Cemetery, that sits across the bay, looked to be becoming full to capacity. There is another, a Catholic Cemetery, just down the road aways. I always wondered about these cemeteries that were so close together.

It was very different than I expected. Maybe it was the newer, more modern looking headstones, although I only walked through a small part of it. Of course, at the time I did not know any of the history. Now, I have found a new meme, hosted by Julie, down in Sydney, for people who are interested in cemeteries and headstones and I have been looking up some of the history. As a result, I have also learned a new word - such people are called taphophiles.

So, while I have no idea about the family whose name appears on this headstone (I think the name may be Serbian, but I am not certain), I was most taken with the beauty of it. I love the sleekness and almost austerity of the glossy black stone. And the geometry of the two rectangles held together by the circle possibly has a symbolism I am not aware.

And there is that view over the water to the harbour.

If anyone else has a fascination with such grave subjects head over to Taphophile Tragics

Sunday Stamps

2011-12-31T19:20:00.000-05:00

New Year's stamps are indeed hard to find. I thought this was a good example of one, until I looked it up in the handy Philatelist and Postal History site of Archives Canada. Of course, since fireworks are not a part of our New Year's tradition, I wonder where I got that idea... Anyway, seems it is simply part of a 'celebration' series, though it is a special one in that it has an exclamation point after the Canada.

So, in the spirit of fireworks, here are two stamps featuring Aurora Borealis

and a sparkly postcard from Postcrossing friend Irina received just before Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in Czech

gingerbread

2011-12-26T12:15:00.000-05:00

one last look at the gingerbread house before it is demolished

a google street view

1930

2011-12-24T05:25:00.000-05:00

a long way to go

2011-12-21T06:20:00.005-05:00

I may be in the minority here, but I want a little snow. If it is going to be winter (and it will be official as of tomorrow) I want to see some dusting of white powdery stuff. Not a storm. And no ice or slush. And I don't want it to last for months. But, snow does brighten up the landscape during these long dark hours until the winter solstice.

I am not willing to go to such great extremes to find it, though this is neat to see from the warmth of my living room.

Sunday Stamps

2011-12-18T13:44:00.000-05:00

Christmas is the theme for this week. And I honestly thought it would be easy to find many Christmas themed stamps. I was wrong. Or maybe I just haven't looked hard enough at all my postcards.

So I have resorted to two of the Canadian stamps for this year

and we can compared them with one from Australia and one from New Zealand.

Personally, I much prefer the bright vibrant colours of the antipodean stamps!

Check out Viridian's Stamp Blog for more Christmas sights on stamps

sigh

2011-12-16T16:30:00.003-05:00

It has turned cold but is still dreary and sunless.
Watching Ellen. Hoping for some cheer and good laughs.
Pleased that Amy Poehler was on, because she is really funny.

Ellen: "How old are your kids now?"

AmyP: "1 and 3..."

Ellen: "and do they know about Christmas?"

AmyP: "they are just starting to get to know Christmas"
...
AmyP: "I was starting to tell the kids the story of Christmas, y'know about Santa and how he lives at the North Pole..."

I may have to rethink my opinion of her.

carol

2011-12-13T20:42:00.001-05:00

It is that time of year again. The time when I start complaining about the music on the radio. Most of the music isn't all that memorable to begin with, but at this time of year it can positively set your teeth on edge. A friend and I were walking through a Christmas market the other day and one upping each other with the worst Christmas songs ever. I won. She had no chance against me. Maybe it is because she walks to work and I drive for work and therefore am listening to more of the saccharine, schlocky, what-has-this-really-to-do-with-Christmas music. Though, to be fair, there seems to be a dearth of Christmassy music on the radio this year. For which I am thankful, but also suspicious. Maybe it is simply the stations I listen to, I thought. Or maybe it has something to do with this annoying trend to "not offend" people who don't celebrate Christmas. People who are possibly more offended by this misguided attempt to assume what they are thinking than over a tree, or greeting, or song. But I digress.

I still hold my breath whenever I push the button that prompts my preset stations, preparing for the worst. Mostly, all I get is just another innocuous, generic song. No jing-jing, jing-a-ling, or wonderful Christmastime or even do they know it's Christmas. For the record, the ultimate worst song ever has to be Red Shoes or Christmas Shoes [officially called "Can I Buy These Shoes"] Google it if you are unfamiliar, because I cannot bear to include even a clip.

Last night I tuned into one station that has this week become "your all Christmas music all the time" station, but was pleasantly surprised to hear a choir singing O Holy Night, followed by Once In Royal David's City, followed by Justin Bieber at which point I turned it off. The spell was broken.

Okay, it wasn't a perfect mix, but really, it was a surprise to hear actual Christmas Carols. And it was enjoyable. Not all Christmas songs are deplorable. I miss those old carols. (I also miss Andy Williams, but I digress)

So, I thought I would share with you a little something that has played on CBC.
A Christmas mash up of carols and songs. There is actually a contest (where you have to name the music and the words) which you can play if you go here. But for you I have included a clip, or two, of last year's renderings.

Sunday Stamps

2011-12-10T22:50:00.005-05:00

The theme this week is stamps from the Great White North. That would include us up in Canada. One thing this meme has accomplished, for me, is a new appreciation for our own stamps. I always thought they were a little on the boring side. But then, apparently I have never really looked at them. This flag series is not my favourite, but I seem to have a few of them lying around so I will share them. Now if only there were a description on the stamp, because some of these were a bit of a mystery, I will admit, and required some research.

First up is the flag flying
against the backdrop of the
city of Edmonton skyline at dawn
in celebration of its centennial in 2003

issued January 2002, the 48 cent domestic stamp

has the flag flying in front of the

Canada Post Head Office in Ottawa

issued December 2000, the 47 cent domestic stamp shows the flag fluttering over an inukshuk

issued December 1998, the 46 cent domestic stamp depicts the flag in a the breeze against the backdrop of a Newfoundland iceberg

then there is this series from 2006, featuring

Polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba

The lighthouse at Bras d'Or Lake in Nova Scotia

Tuktut Nogait National Park, Northwest Territories

Ice fields and fjord in Sirmilik National Park, Nunavut

This was also the first year for the non-denominated stamp. The P icon stands for permanent, so although these stamps cost 51 cents when they were bought in 2006, they can be used indefinitely for whatever the current domestic rate is (which this year is 59 cents)

more stamps can be found at Viridian's Stamp Blog

snowflakes!

2011-12-07T07:11:00.000-05:00

don't thank me for this, thank June at Aging Gratefully.....

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

I'm only doing this because we have had no snow yet. nothing.

how can you get into the Christmas mood without snow?

in aisle 25

2011-12-03T17:00:00.011-05:00

It was all quiet on Carlton Street in front of this shrine on Friday afternoon, but Wednesday morning was a different story. People actually started lining up on the street on Tuesday night to be first to enter the new Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens (MLG) when it opened at 8AM on November 30th. Almost exactly 80 years after its original Grand Opening as a hockey arena and home to the Toronto Maple Leafs (until 1999)

Now, it is a grocery store.

I had to see it when it was still all bright and shiny new

(and in full disclosure, this was only my second time ever being in this place of so many memories)

It is a store with special touches

and a giant Amazing Wall of Cheese

and a popular sushi bar placed at the outside wall with windows onto the street for some great theatre

When it was first announced that a grocery chain had bought this iconic building, there was much gnashing of teeth at the effrontery of it all. MLG is considered a hallowed shrine. It was not only used for a beloved hockey team, but was also the venue for many other sporting events, not least for wrestling and boxing. Then there were the concerts - Elvis and the Beatles among them.

This new store is actually full of mementoes of these events. From the pictures on the pillars to the old posters on the walls and even the cafe tables are a collage of old sporting event memorabilia shots.

At the entrance is a collection of the old chairs from the arena painted in blue and (artfully?) arranged on the wall in the shape of a maple leaf. The original walls were left exposed and one can still see the imprint of the risers next to the new escalators. Further up and not yet finished will be an athletic centre and a new hockey rink for the nearby university. This building and its owners has also been riddled with controversy over the years, which just adds to the legendary status and the controversy continues (but I won't bore you with details. google it if you are really interested)

This is as much a tourist attraction as a grocery store for a badly needed vibe in this area and there were staff galore handing out maps and brochures and guiding you to see the sights. Halcyon, who was with me, desperately wanted to get a picture of their specially designed t-shirts, but everyone declined (bosses were likely watching carefully on the security cameras) but I managed a covert shot of these two ~~poor sods~~ in1930s newsboys outfits who wandered around handing out free bags and colourful brochures for the special events being held.

and then there is aisle 25.

where near the end, surrounded by soy sauces, is a red dot.

this folks, is the very spot of centre ice.

seriously, next to the amazing wall of cheese, this was possibly the biggest attraction

and as you can see by this large billboard (interestingly seen across the street at Church and Carlton)

this was a major, show stopping event.

Sunday Stamps

2011-11-27T02:11:00.001-05:00

Art is the theme for this week's Sunday Stamps.
I had a bit of trouble trying to decide what constituted art pieces... and I have a new magnifying glass for viewing these miniatures...

First up is this American toleware coffee pot.
toleware refers to kitchen-related objects created from metal, typically tin or thin steel, and are usually in the country primitive or Pennsylvania Dutch motif

Don't you just love that spout? Though I do wonder about that sharp right turn.

From Pennsylvania to Transylvania.

Târgu Lăpuș is a city in the county of Maramureș in Transylvania and I imagine that these are typical for that region.

And for something a little brighter, I have a few of these Easter stamps from Poland. I like that the Polish stamps list the name of the author (artist) on the stamps. This particular one is by Jan Konarzewski and is one of two that he designed.

Viridian's Stamp Blog

it is startling

2011-11-26T08:40:00.001-05:00

I guess I can admit this here. My secret is out.

I have been known to talk to myself. Out loud. Though, with the proliferation of Bluetooths stuck in people's ears, it is not as strange a sight coming across someone in the grocery store talking out loud as it once was. Still, I do sometimes startle myself when I realize that I am thinking out loud.

The other night I was caught by a dog walker who was laughing so hard his dog turned to look quizzically at him.

"Did you just apologize to that rabbit?"

"Well, yes, I did."

I startled the poor little guy, who went scurrying off, so it only seemed polite. And a natural thing to do.

I am Canadian, afterall.

Yesterday, I met up with the dog walker in the elevator.

"Still scaring the bunnies?" he asked.

It wouldn't have been so bad if there weren't other people in the elevator.

100 dollars

2011-11-23T16:10:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking of this as a piece of art.

The new polymer 100 dollar bills came out last week and I managed to snag one. It is still the same buff colour as the older cotton fibre version. This time around the images are dedicated to science.

I have had fun fondling its smoothness, turning it around in the light to see all the pretty colours and the embedded pics. I have caressed Prime Minister Borden's shoulders trying to feel the raised bits (they are extremely subtle). And then there are the see through bits, which are a fun novelty.

The older bills were easy to counterfeit - at one point in the early 2000s, it was near impossible to spend one at any store as no-one would accept them.

It isn't quite true that it doesn't wrinkle. But it doesn't fold well. And it has some pretty cool waterproofing - no drops remains when you pull it out of a basin of water, dries immediately!

It is also very slippery (as a friend of mine who works in a bank testified while trying to count a bundle!)

But I doubt my wallet will ever carry more than one anyway.

Now that I have wrinkled it, I will take it back to the bank until I can afford another pristine edition.

Sunday Stamps

2011-11-20T12:10:00.000-05:00

This week's Sunday Stamps had no specific theme

(which meant it took me ages to come up with one - I need structure!)

I eventually decided to post these stamps that have nameless faces on them.

Maybe someone out there can identify these ~~people~~ men.

Viridian's Postcard Blog

it wasn't that bad after all

2011-11-16T07:22:00.000-05:00

Part of my newspaper route involves door to door deliveries in apartment buildings. Often when I am walking the halls, I will read the front page or flip through and glance at the headlines in the other sections. Sometimes, something interesting will catch my eye and I will try to remember to look it up online when I get home (I hate slowing down when I am in a good stride and besides, with an armful of papers it is difficult to search inside to see how long an article is and to read it).

Today there was a story about the new proposed animal control bylaw and last night's public meeting specifically regarding cats and licensing and what to do with strays, etc. Below that was a box that usually has other stories you can find inside the paper and on-line. That headline read "PEORIA SENDS DOGS UP RIVER. FOR A PHOTO GALLERY OF DOWNWARD DOGS GO TO .... I thought, how horrible! Then I wondered what kind of photos they had. Probably just of the river. Then I wondered where the heck Peoria was. The only one I knew was in Illinois. I figured this must be one of those small towns that had been swallowed up in merges with other smaller towns and given a new name that no-one ever uses.

Now granted, I am usually on auto pilot when I am wandering these hallways and I have been known to humorously misread headlines.

So when I got home and checked it out, it all made sense.

The local CFL team are the Tiger Cats, more commonly known as the Ti-Cats. Or, especially in the print media, just the Cats. The local AHL team are the Bulldogs. Or, in the print media the Dogs. I don't follow sports, so you can see where confusion might set in. Though, this much I knew, I just keep forgetting. And, it seems Peoria really was the one in Illinois and with further investigation I discovered their team is known as the Rivermen.

So, really, that was a very clever headline.

*I am sure, at some point there has been a headline that read
it was reigning cats and dogs last night

he's here

2011-11-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

Look who I found, sitting in his heavily decorated Santa cave.

Seriously? Doesn't he have some last minute preparations to see to? Surely it is too early? There is still six weeks. The street decorations haven't even been put up yet.

And, more importantly the Santa Claus Parade isn't for another week. Doesn't that mean he hasn't officially arrived in town?

Here he is hard at work, waving to some toddler, who seemed more attracted by the glittery balls than the man himself.

As for me, I was more interested in this cool tree that changed colours and patterns.

There was a conveniently located coffee place just behind where I was sitting, so I had myself a beverage and set my camera on burst.... there was, at one point, some dancing snowmen, but the lights didn't seem to have a consistent pattern - some were repeated more than others and I never did see the snowmen again to get a picture of them.

Of course, people, like this girl and her friends, had to have their photos taken by the tree (though as you can see, it was not very busy on a Monday night) and I was asked if I could take one of the three of them together. ~~Of course, I could~~. I was given this flat thing that wasn't a camera, but some kind of fancy phone and told to just press the centre button. It took several tries and a couple more lessons before I got the hang of it. If you so much as brushed the button, or pressed it on an angle, strange things started happening - the image would zoom and swerve and sometimes disappear altogether. I did not like this device, but still I wished to play with it some more. However, once we established that a decent photo was taken she took her phone back and off they went, completely ignoring Santa.

When I got home, I found a postcard waiting for me in my mailbox.

It was from an American, who wrote that she was looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving. She loved that holiday because "that is the day we put up our Christmas tree"

That must be the ultimate in holiday combining.

Sunday Stamps

2011-11-13T12:17:00.003-05:00

I am still sending and receiving postcards from Postcrossing. One of the things I despair about this project, apart from the cost of the stamps, is the boringness of the international stamps that we have available. The best ones seem to be reserved for domestic mail, which is fine, but it is hard to make them add up to $1.75 to send internationally.

We do have these new-ish stamps that have no denomination on them so that you can use them even when the price goes up, which it probably has since these ones were printed,

but, again, that is only for domestic.

Anyway, I have found a new meme for stamps and it has given me the impetus to get my hundreds of postcards sorted and uploaded (well, photographed, at least. one step at a time.) The theme this week

is all things related to sports and I thought it was a perfect time to jump in with these stamps from the 2010 Olympics that I still have kicking about.

This was Canada's contribution to celebrating the event philately.

Since it was the Winter Games, we have skiing, snowboarding, luge (or is that bobsled?) and hockey.

This is the Russian stamp celebrating the event

and another from Belarus

Going back to the previous Olympics,

we have one from China with that strange looking figure running...

and I am not sure about this one, also from China,

but it looks rather sporting to me with another figure, running...

Check out Viridian's blog for more stamps around the world, while I go and sort the rest of my cards

(and maybe find the stamp I am sure I have for Sochi)

waddle adorably

2011-11-08T07:00:00.004-05:00

Climb a tree and sit on a branch. Chitterchatter chitterchatter.

If someone were to find me on Facebook, or Twitter, they might assume that I lead a rather ... boring life. They might be right. Even my "friends" don't post much. (except for about 2 or 3 people, who are also, co-incidentally, bloggers). I have 2 followers on my Twitter account, even though I have never tweeted. The Facebook account is mostly for playing their version of scrabble and the Twitter account is mostly to follow the fake tweets. The first one I got hooked on was the Mars Phoenix Lander from a couple of years ago (there is a new Mars mission known as Curiosity Lander launching at the end of this month)

Rummage in a garbage bin. Toss things willy nilly.

These so-called fake twitter accounts appeal to my sense of humour and my short attention span. The tweets from celebrities hold absolutely no interest for me. The ones from the snake that escaped from the Bronx zoo and tweeted his exploits around NYC were fun to read and the tweets from the osprey who was a bundle of nerves over her babies learning to fly (and finally catching their own food, freeing up her time to take up crocheting to calm herself) had me in stitches.

Wake up, have a little pee in the fallen leaves, go back to sleep.

My newest favourite is a city raccoon. He spends his time scurrying, gnawing, twitching and sleeping, among other less savoury activities. He also washes his paws a lot.

Get up, wash front paws in a puddle. Wash wash wash.

I get to see quite a few raccoons while I am out at night and sometimes, I will suddenly think of one of these tweets and burst out laughing.

Gnaw on leftover pumpkin bits. Gnaw. Gnaw.

Slowly...peer...down...through the bathroom skylight. Blink blink.

He even managed to send out tweets after getting drunk from eating a fermented apple. I have tried texting and found it took me an inordinate amount of time to figure out the sequence of keys to press, so you have to admire this little guy's admirable dexterity!

Car! Run run run run run run run, down into a ditch.
Crash! Scurry scurry scurry, hide among the shadows.

And his ability to make what might appear to be a boring life, rather amusing afterall.

Dream of fresh salmon (with a sprig of dill).

2,913,260,663

2011-11-01T15:04:00.001-04:00

So, the world as we know it has now got 7 billion people living in it.

Actually, the world as I know it is much smaller. And much less populated.

We, in my small corner of the world, complain repeatedly and wistfully, about the new developments going up and the increasing number of people who keep moving in on our patch of paradise and changing it forever.

But in reality, it is nothing compared to so many other places in the world. Places like Shenzhen, China where the population has risen from around 352,000 to 10,358,000 in the last 30 years. 10 million people have moved into that area in three decades! There is only 13 million people in all of Ontario, give or take a few thousand and though most of them live in the southern bit and many in the Golden Horseshoe where I live, it really does not feel all that crowded. Even with all the new condos going up everywhere (apparently Toronto is the king of condo builders in North America) we still have space around us and apparently "places to grow".

taken while stuck in traffic exiting at the single lane Spadina off ramp of the expressway into the entertainment district.

I love that Douglas Coupland canoe looking out over the Gardiner and towards the lake from where once a river flowed...

On a website, which you can find here, you can place yourself in amongst these 7 billion people inhabiting our world. According to my birthdate, I rank as the 2,913,260,663 person alive on my birthdate and the 76,452,309,015th person to have lived since history began.

fall and garden

2011-10-29T18:10:00.002-04:00

This past week the Mum Show has been on at Gage Park. It is a long standing tradition, this show, but this year there was a change - namely a brand new greenhouse. It has been renamed The Hamilton Fall Garden and Mum Show and this year included varieties of coleus and poinsettia.

The theme this year was fire and there were displays with three different fire trucks

as well as old and new equipment planted in amongst the flowers

there is always a petal decorated animal and this year it was a cute firehouse dalmation

and a fire breathing dragon that looks a bit like Nessie with wings

and what would a fire theme be without a fireplace setting. I loved the colourful and oh so soft cushions!

The greenhouse was only finished a month ago and these 13,000 or so hardy mums have had quite a journey to get here. Cuttings were taken from last year's mums and rooted in the old greenhouse, then transported to two other greenhouses during the demolition and construction. The new greenhouse is much bigger and is now a single, wide open space. Though I rather liked the element of surprise every time you turned a corner in the old one, this one is much brighter and it's nice to see everything at a glance and to be able to walk around the displays instead of everything being against a wall.

I, or rather the resident barn cat, gave a tour of a previous mum show a couple of years ago which you can read about here and see the difference in the space.

a happy day in NZ

2011-10-23T11:45:00.001-04:00

I am not a rugby fan, but I am a New Zealand fan.

And three cheers to the All Blacks for winning the World Cup, at home!!

Finally. Despite being perennial favourites every year, they have not won the cup since the last time NZ hosted, which was the first World Cup, in 1987.

This poor battered country needs something to cheer about after the devastation of the earthquakes and oil spills. Not that this win will really change things, but it does give a boost to a nation that needs some happy news.

Party on NZ!

the world didn't end

2011-10-21T20:30:00.005-04:00

Today the world was supposed to end (after it failed to do so May 21st. Remember that one?)
It just crashed a little.
The day started out okay. I read about a ceremony to honour a tree and I thought I would head on over and maybe get a good post out of it to share with you all.

The tree is 300 years old, which is impressive enough by itself. It sits on the edge of a short road and at one time was a boundary marker between the villages of Burlington and Aldershot. This is a majestic white oak that stands about 30 metres (98') high and has a 50 cm (19") girth. And now it has a plaque honouring it as possibly the oldest and largest white oak in the country.
The ceremony was fine, though it was a small crowd who gathered because, well, it was at 2pm and wasn't announced to the public except for an article in this morning's paper. And most people probably aren't all that interested in a ceremony about a plaque for a tree. There would have been a far larger crowd had anyone suggested chopping it down, I'm sure. But the Mayor was there to give a speech, also the local alderman and the town's arborist (all, incidentally named Rick - much joking over that ensued) They were flanked by speeches from two Janes - one from the historical society and the other the new MP at her first official public event. There was apple cider and delicious oak leaf shaped cookies afterwards.

Some people went to extremes to get a good shot.

Some people decided to change lenses.
And dropped the newest one.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going off to have a little cry.

I have never wanted to run a marathon

2011-10-17T07:31:00.003-04:00

As I drag my feet along the relatively comfortable carpeted and warm halls of the apartment buildings, this man is smiling up at me from the newspaper.

He is my new hero. It took him almost 8 1/2 hours to finish, but he did it. And it was a miserable, cool, wet, windy day on Sunday, but at age 100, he completed a full marathon.

He belongs to a running group of elders called Sikhs in the City [now isn't that a great name?!] and they are all in agreement about why they've managed to stay so healthy: a positive frame of mind, keeping the company of people who are forward looking, not indulging in any excesses, appreciating what God has provided them with and keeping active.

"I do not consider myself to be old. From the moment I do that, I would lose everything, because age is a state of mind - as long as you're positive you can do anything" says Fauja Singh. 'I go to bed early taking the name of my Rabba [God] as I don't want all those negative thoughts crossing my mind.'

His next goal? To carry the torch at the 2012 Olympics.

it was hotter than texas*

2011-10-11T20:01:00.001-04:00

This might be our new catch-phrase, to replace the more cumbersome "it is hotter than the last time it was this hot at Thanksgiving" (which was about 3 years ago). It was also more humid than any October weekend should be. A friend of mine described how she spent all day Saturday scooping the leaves out of the pool instead of draining it. She did this while in the pool. As we sat outside, watching the thermometer and waiting for that magic number that would break the records (it got up to 28C) and as we ate our turkey and stuffing and roasted vegetables, I thought, this must be almost what it is like at Christmas in Australia and New Zealand. If you squinted against the bright sunlight you could almost imagine that the bright yellow leaves of the maples were instead, big blossoms.

All in all, it was a perfect weekend for walking through the forest or
driving around the countryside looking for fall colours and taking in the studio tour seeking out interesting artisans. Or getting lost finding the poorly signed studios. Not lost, really, I was familiar with the area having lived there for a time, but the signs on these long country concession roads were a little confusing and I ended up a little disoriented. And looking at the brochure, I discovered that GPS co-ordinates were provided in place of addresses! At one point, I just gave up and had some ice cream.

Later, while the turkey was merrily roasting and before the rest of the clan arrived, I decided to go sailing. Last year Orillia had the guitars, this year the street art was sails. Sixty of them. They had been up all summer, but this was my first opportunity to get a chance to find them all, or most of them.

some of them had different designs on the other side

sail on over to my other blog here for more pics

* the news kept making a big deal out of the fact that some cities here were hotter than Dallas, like that was a benchmark of some sort.

last weekend - part one

2011-10-06T14:45:00.008-04:00

Last weekend I took an overnight trip. One that had been planned and thought about for weeks. Months, actually. Not to anywhere exotic by any means. Just a small town on a river. Perhaps take a boat cruise to a few of the Thousand Islands dotted on the river. A hike or two along the 12kms of looping trails to see the fall colours.

Enjoy the outdoors in the off season when it would be much less crowded.

And, the main impetus that got me there, a wander through some of the Doors Open participants, many of which were the huge old homes of the area that have been turned into luxurious Bed & Breakfast establishments.

About an hour into my (3+ hour) journey, I wondered why I was doing this. Had I not had a motel room booked, I would likely have said, forget it and crawled back into bed. But I persevered through the rain. And the unseasonably cold temperatures that seemed to be in effect for only that weekend. It had been sunny and warm up until the Friday and would return to sunny and warm - actually rising to unseasonably warm by the following weekend - on the Monday.

But, you never know. All those weather forecasters could be wrong. It could change. And, it did get warmer than 10C. I saw many people were still taking one of the several boat cruises and I was warned that it was indeed very cold out on the water. A bargain store was in stock with some gloves and I added a hoodie to my purchase when I realized that my jacket hood might not be enough to keep the cold wind out of my ears. Then I waited until the Sunday to see what would transpire.

(more pics on Sightlines; you'll see what transpired.)

In the end the colours weren't all that great and I took no hikes and no boat cruise. I knew I would return when the weather was nicer. No point in paying twice for the boat, once in damp, foggy, miserable weather and again in warm, sunny, cheerful weather.

I do have a habit of trying to pack in far too much when I go away on these little excursions. I sometimes forget to just kick back and enjoy the day and I end up coming home exhausted rather than refreshed. (see, it has even taken me almost all week to write about it!)

The Bed & Breakfast homes were each beautiful and I will have a hard time deciding which one to choose to stay at (should I find myself with a few days and lots of spare money to enjoy the stay).

I didn't take many pictures of the rooms... after all that is what the website is designed to show.

And it was fun to go through and hear the owners tell of the history of the house and the original owners (and sometimes, hear stories from some of the towns people who remembered) and to hear the tales of transforming some of these gracious homes up to code and collecting the antiques and furnishings to go into each room.

I used to have a client who was a very intense person with a stressful job and when she came to see me on Mondays she would tell me of her weekend jaunts. Almost every weekend, she would drive somewhere - sometimes not with any real plan as to where, and find a B&B or a motel and spend her time exploring and walking, or fishing and collecting her rocks. I found it a bit strange at the time. But now, I really see the appeal of this short escape. Small town Ontario has a lot to offer if you are not looking to be entertained, and sometimes, one or two nights staying there is enough. Sometimes you find a place you want to return to again and again.

When I came out of this B&B, this woman in pink was standing on the steps. I stepped aside, thinking she wanted to go inside and I was trying to photograph the flowers, but she just stood there, waiting. Waiting, I thought for someone else to join her. I wandered about taking a few pics until I noticed her husband standing way off on the sidewalk holding a camera. Waiting for me to get out of the way. She was still posing when I got into my car. If this was my shot, I can only wonder what his must have been like. I assume he wanted to get the whole house in his shot, but I'm afraid I don't see the point of her standing in the doorway. That is just me.

three minutes every day

2011-09-27T15:50:00.003-04:00

Apart from one intensely rainy day last Friday, we have the most wonderful weather these last couple of weeks. It has been hot, but not so humid that sweat drips out of every pore. The sun has shone. The sky has been blue. It has been perfect summer weather. Except that it is fast approaching autumn. You can tell by the ever encroaching darkness on our blissful, beautiful days.

I love autumn, or if you prefer, fall. I like the crisp coolness, the sweaters, the hot chocolate, the pumpkins, the colours, the stars at night. But I did not enjoy our unbearable summer. I don't like it when it is too hot to actually be outside and do anything. Sitting inside in air conditioned comfort on what looks like a gorgeous day is not nearly as much fun as being outside on what is clearly a gorgeous day. So I almost feel as if this now is the summer I wished for.

If only we weren't losing almost three minutes of daylight every day to enjoy it.

tiff tizzy

2011-09-19T15:00:00.001-04:00

So, another TIFF has come and gone. The frenzy is over for another year. And not one movie star did I see. Of course, it might have helped to go to one of the Red Carpet events, but that seemed like far too much trouble. And I'm not sure I really want to meet a big name star. Just seeing George Clooney walk into a theatre or out of a restaurant might fill me with tingly excitement for a few hours, but to actually talk to him would fill me with nervous dread. What would I say that could be original? Or not stupid? You hear of people who have met one of their favourite stars and gushed over how much they were loved in a certain role... except they were not the one in that movie. I would be mortified if I made that mistake. I would probably be so tongue-tied, I would either forget to breathe or would come up with some gibberish before my idol was gently steered away by some brusque handler. Besides, I would much rather see someone famous actually doing something, even an interview, or a reading. Or better yet, a play.

As much as I love the idea of the Toronto International Film Festival, I feel no need or desire to pay more money to see a movie that may be Oscar worthy first, before it goes into general release. I also don't need to see it on opening night. Though, I do draw the line at waiting for it to come to television. Films were made for the big screen and seeing with dozens of other people to get the shared experienced and excitement. The movies I went to see were the more obscure ones and the 'shorts'. Okay, I only went twice. Way back, in TIFF's infancy when it was still known as The Festival of Festivals, a group of us from work would head up to the theatres and wander from one to the other and talk to people in line to find out what they had seen and then rush from one screening to another. i saw a lot of interesting films that never made it into general release. Now, your selections must be pre-ordered and they aren't held in any of the no longer standing independent theatres. And, because I don't live in Toronto, it makes it even more challenging to attend.

Anyway, I wonder if any of you have met anyone famous? Or if not, who would you like to meet? And more importantly what would you say to them?

I loathe, er love, oh really?

2011-09-13T19:11:00.000-04:00

a way to distract from a universally panned film....

Personally, I LOVE Hydrangeas

image from mostelegantflowers.com

a wild weekend

2011-09-12T17:30:00.004-04:00

It was a busy weekend for being outside, especially on Saturday. Toronto may have the international film festival (TIFF) with George and Brad and their pals floating about the city and red-carpetting the entertainment district and noshing at local eateries and contributing to the economy, but Hamilton had the Canadian Country Music Awards (CCMA) with free concerts by many of the artists on the rooftop of the Jackson Square Centre. PLUS, on the next block, what is known as the James Street Supercrawl with 3 stages of indie rock and lots of artist stalls and vendors and open studios. PLUS, a few blocks away, the Locke Street Festival with another stage and lots of food and crafts and vendors. All this was within walking distance, but there was a shuttle bus available to give your tired legs a rest. The bus also went a few blocks further north to the waterfront where there was not one, but two ships visiting. The HMSC Montreal and the Pride of Baltimore. One is a frigate in current wars and the other a replica warship from 1812.

I got there just in time to see the Baltimore do a turn around the bay and fire a cannon or two. This was in response supposedly from a cannon fired on our side, but ours sounded more like a pop gun, and the American one was a little more ... booming. Enough to scare a little boy standing near me who needed some reassurance from his dad that no, there were no real cannonballs.

This smaller four masted ship was fun to see

Don't ask me why I chose to stand in line for an hour to get on board the Montreal - halfway up those open tread, wobbly, steps was not the time to remember how afraid I am of heights.

it wasn't much different than the Fredericton I was on last year.

Except that then it was a wet, cloudy, miserable day and this time it was a warm, sunny, breezy day.

And there was entertainment

and this was just as entertaining...

those sails needed to be tied down securely.

I didn't get any good pics of the bands playing and before I knew it, it was getting dark by the time I left Locke St and headed back to the CCMAs and the Supercrawl.

Plus it was rather crowded.

And a fun time was had by all.

And it was all FREE.

But there was no George Clooney..... sigh

I now love weekends

2011-09-09T16:39:00.001-04:00

There is a lot of construction noise around me. The balconies are being replaced and even though the work has started on the other side of the building the noise vibrates right through.

I refuse to complain, as it is desperately needed and will look wonderful when the new railings go up.

In the meantime, management has quietly left these for us....

I am here to tell you that they do not work all that well.

cruisin'

2011-09-03T23:35:00.001-04:00

The season of Cruise Nights is drawing to a close.

It is an expensive hobby, keeping these old classic cars in good condition, only to be driven to various parks and parking lots for the sole purpose of showing off. Many times, you'll see a car pull into a spot, the owner get out and set up a lawn chair, then sit in it reading a book. At a quarter to eight, they pack up book and lawn chair and drive off. Other people are more engaging. Many seem to meet up with friends and fellow collectors they know from the circuit.

Still, I enjoy these nights of admiring and sighing at the designs of older models. I don't know a lot about cars, but I am learning. I take photos and look up the history and stats on the internet when I get home. For the most part, you often see the same cars (not literally the same, but the same makes) and I can now recognize when there is one that is a rare colour or has a slightly different grille.

To amuse myself, I try to get creative by concentrating on different aspects of the cars each time. (one can only have so many pictures of cars that one has no idea what to do with.) One time it might be the tail lights and fins, another time the door handles... I still have to work on getting good shots of the dashboards. I don't generally decide what the focus will be until I get there, but with this last cruise night at Pier 4, I was a wee bit disappointed when the old police cars that were to be on show materialized in ... one car. From there, I chose to focus on photographing the make and model names.

a Studebaker Commodore

It wasn't intentional, but once I had sorted and cropped and uploaded them onto this post, I realized they all were joined letter font.

SundayStills, where we could post anything we wanted.....

because I need a 10th post for the month

2011-08-31T23:45:00.003-04:00

here is an update on the demolished and rebuilt house. things seem to have been moving slowly, but today I noticed that tools have been picked up.

the back view -
note the 3-car garage

the front view - note the circular driveway

that goes nowhere near the garage doors

and remember when I did the little tour and showed you some houses you might be interested in buying?and there was this one that had been left sitting in this unfinished state for about 2 or 3 years?

did one of you buy it?

because now it is gone!

yay another new house. this time, it will be better than what was there, though it is a shame that the other plans stalled. again, this will obviously be way bigger than the original.

laundry

2011-08-30T16:00:00.002-04:00

Of all the household chores that need doing, laundry is probably the one I have the least objection to. Afterall, you don't really need to actually be there, doing anything, in order for it to get done. Oh yes, there is prep work, but that is minimal. If anything it is the clear up and folding and putting away (and possibly ironing?) of the laundry that poses a hint of an objection. And for me, the drying. Because I refuse to use a dryer. But I like that hanging up process.

When I was younger, I remember helping push the heavy wet clothes through the wringer washer. I was at once thrilled with the process and terrified of the wringer.

I also seem to remember that it would skitter across the uneven basement floor during the agitation phase. It was an all day event, this washday.

I always hang my clothes outside, even in winter sometimes, if there is enough of a breeze to keep them from freezing solid. And even sometimes if there wasn't. The air would give them a fresh scent if you hung things up after they were more than halfway dry.

Now, having only a balcony space, I need to use a variety of clothes horses for this chore and due to a some space issues, I tend to leave them outside folded up and behind a trellis when not in use.

My large wooden rack is perfect for hanging sheets. I found one that someone (likely someone cleaning out Mum's house...) had put out for garbage pick up.

Over the years, it has become less and less stable and has on many an occasion fallen over with the heavier breezes. It had broken bits and needed to be stabilized by the wall and chairs but would still list to one side and wobbled dreadfully. It owes me nothing. So I shed no tears, when I finally threw it out and replaced it with this brand new STURDY
one that I found at a market stall.

It has much thicker dowels that mean less crease in your sheets.

And extra supports. And you can't tell in the picture, but it is also a bit wider.

Now, I am waiting for that right breeze....

Jack

2011-08-26T22:30:00.004-04:00

There were still thousands of people standing patiently in a line that wrapped right around City Hall this evening in order to pay their respects to Jack Layton. It was about 2 1/2 hours long.

Jack (he was always Jack, not Layton or Mr Layton - nothing so formal) was a city councillor and MP in Toronto who later became the leader of the New Democratic Party and then in last May's election, the leader of the opposition. He was a man of the people and even those people who did not - and perhaps never would - vote for him, have been deeply affected by his death. It was not completely unexpected, but shocking all the same. We all had hope...

I shook his hand once. Many years ago, when I lived almost but not quite in his riding on the Danforth, I was standing in line behind him in a bakery. Some other people came over to talk to him and somehow I was drawn into the conversation. I have no memory of what the talk was, but I do remember his laughter and those eyes that sparkled in their intensity when he looked at you. When he was ready to leave he shook hands with each of us and waved to the others sitting at tables nearby. He was not just going through the motions, he really cared about and knew so many people.

What other politician would spend his last days writing a letter to his fellow citizens [Canadians]?

It is long, so I won't repost it all but here are a few snippets from his letter to Canada dated two days before his death

All my life I have worked to make things better. Hope and optimism have defined my political career, and I continue to be hopeful and optimistic about Canada.
...
To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please don’t be discouraged that my own journey hasn’t gone as well as I had hoped. You must not lose your own hope.
...
And finally, to all Canadians: Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for our children. We can do our part to save the world’s environment. We can restore our good name in the world. We can do all of these things because we finally have a party system at the national level where there are real choices; where your vote matters; where working for change can actually bring about change.

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.

All my very best,

Jack Layton

Jazz has conveniently posted it in its entirety on her blog which you can read here.

'aspire to inspire' 'through these doors lies the body of a great man'

For several days, people have been leaving messages on the cement at City Hall,

some of it has been washed off with the rain, but more is added...Olivia (his wife) made an appearance

'the best PM we never had'
You will be sorely missed, Jack.

an escape

2011-08-25T15:00:00.002-04:00

We drove for hours. To get away from the crowds. It almost didn't work. It seems Tobermory was very crowded. We couldn't even get into one area of the National Park because the parking lots were all full! Most of the boats were fully booked, too, though we did manage to get on one glass bottomed boat to see the ship wrecks below. By then my memory card said it was full. Bollocks. I remember many a time on family trips, running into gas stations and drug stores to get another roll of film. You could find them everywhere. Not so with the memory cards. And certainly not in a place that is only open for business six months of the year. So they say. Though, I guess when film runs out after 36 shots and memory cards are reusable after hundreds (except my defective one, sigh) I can sort of understand it.

Still, I managed to get a shot of this to share with you.

It won't mean too much to most of you who are from so far away, but this ferry brings back those "oh, I remember" moments to many of us of a certain age.....

a boat going on a boat.

This is what takes you from the top of the Bruce Peninsula over to Manitoulin Island.

We didn't go on it because we didn't have enough time so we headed for a less crowded beach (which quickly got crowded as more people were directed here by the guide at the Cyprus Lake parking lot)

A rocky beach.

with the most indescribably stunning scenery

it takes your breath away every time

food fun?

2011-08-19T19:00:00.000-04:00

Today is the day The Ex opens. The Canadian National Exhibition. A Toronto tradition since 1879. I haven't been going that long, but people around here seem to have long, fond memories of The Ex of old. There have been many changes and evolutions at this venerable old fairground. The Ex itself is a little underwhelming and I am not a midway fan, but the one unifying memory seems to be the food. Specifically, The Food Building. The Food Building was the place to go to get all those free samples. Back in the day, the stalls used to be geared towards manufacturers who would provide freebies or cheap samples of their new wares (some of them even cooked!) to entice you to later buy their product at your local supermarket. We would leave there a lot less hungry and arms laden with bags and bags of food and coupons and recipes. The last time I was there it had evolved into a glorified food court of fast food chains, many of which could be found at any mall. Where's the excitement in that?

Of course there is also the carnival food that is new and, erm, exciting. Though every year it seems to become more and more bizarre. And unhealthy. Truly unhealthy. Last year it was fried butter, this year it is the Krispy Kreme donut cheeseburger, coming in at a whopping 1500 calories. Also on offer are such things as deep fried cola, deep fried mac and cheese, deep fried kool ade, deep fried cheese curds, deep fried pop tarts. Noticing a trend here?

And to think I thought Tiny Tom Donuts were a wonderful novelty. And candy floss. All could only be gotten only at The Ex.

Then, today, in Shoppers Drug Mart I found this

Is nothing sacred anymore?

Where's the excitement in that?

smart advice

2011-08-17T11:47:00.002-04:00

This bit of advice that I am about to impart may seem so obvious to most of you, but, just in case some of you are like me and tempted to ignore certain envelopes that come through your mail, I am here to tell you to OPEN EVERY ENVELOPE. Even if it looks like it is junk mail. It might even be a good idea to READ the letters that are held within those envelopes.

I have a tendency to file away those bills that get paid automatically from my account and to quickly glance through the ones that don't (like my Visa, etc) and toss all the extraneous bits of paper. This sometimes results in a misunderstanding of the "new" billing changes that are hidden in fine small print. And yes, I know, I am missing out on some exclusive, time sensitive opportunities to get in one some good insurance. or an extra card. or a contest for a fantastic trip if I reply in 10 days. or extra money if I convince my friends to join in saving at a particular bank. But I am not interested in any of that. It just complicates my life, all this extra information and bits of paper.

Then again, it seems, my credit card company wants to give me money for using their card. Yesterday, I almost threw out a cheque. A CHEQUE! From my credit card company! I have no idea why they want to do this, but yes, it does make me happy! I did actually wonder why I received this new card so soon after getting my replacement for the expired one and I even wondered that aloud to the person at the number I had to call to activate the card but was met with silence, so I just let it go and carried on. Then I promptly forgot the PIN I had to come up with that could not involve two consecutive numbers or repeats and had to be 6-digits. As a result, I can't use the chip so my use of the card has been limited. I obviously did not read the fine print that said I would be rewarded for using this newer (smart) card over my other older (stupid) card.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go on a $75 shopping spree. (right after I call the company to reset my PIN to something I can remember).

diverted

2011-08-11T19:00:00.000-04:00

Going out for coffee can turn into quite an adventure. Two weekends ago there was that traffic snarl when the skyway bridge was closed (which turned out to have a tragic story of a woman killed when she jumped out of a moving car).

Last weekend it was a parade along the streets in front of the cafe. After navigating the police car blocked off streets by the cafe, I parked and followed it for a bit, trying to guess what it was in aid of. It looked like some kind of saints parade that ended at the St Mary's Catholic Church.

The incense was a bit overpowering.

It may have been the heat, or the heavy clothes the participants were wearing, but none of them looked particularly happy to be walking. At one point I saw a queen flanked by two princesses (couldn't quite read the rest of the banner), the queen was too busy texting to wave to the bystanders.

The church was nicely decorated with strings of lights and I meant to go back to get better shots of it when the parade ended and I had finished my coffee, but I forgot.

There was a lot of finery and each group of women had on the same outfits (I guess the men did, too, but it was harder to differentiate) but the shiny, bright evening wear belied a certain insouciance. Maybe it was the heat. Maybe they had been marching for hours already and were just tired. But I found my initial excitement at seeing the little girls wearing garlands and angels wings, and the priests dressed in their robes with mitres and the marching band just vanished into a bit of ennui. (I suppose some Portuguese might have been more appropriate than French, but I don't know any.)

I can't wait to see what diversion this weekend will provide.

SundayStills - sunrise

2011-08-07T03:20:00.000-04:00

Working nights, I have become acutely aware that the sun is rising later and later. And we haven't had any spectacular views over the past couple of weeks, until last Friday at 5 am. I still had one building left to deliver, which would have taken less than 10 minutes, but I decided to make those early morning people wait a little longer for their newspaper while I ran down to the waterfront to capture this.

see more sunrise/sunsets at SundayStills

finding a dream home

2011-08-05T09:15:00.001-04:00

So, by now you are all probably thinking it is a wonderful place where I live and wouldn't it be great if you, too, could have a house here. I am here to help you. I have sought out a few properties that are for sale. With a couple of exceptions these were found within a two mile walk along Lakeshore. So we are within a very specified area - after all I was walking and didn't go wandering all over town. Besides, this is where the most interesting architecture is to be found, as far as I am concerned. I may be biased, though. But if any of these appeal to you, you could be my neighbour and we could explore all those neat places for eating, drinking and shopping together.

these two are next door to each other and are still being extensively renovated

only the one on the right is for sale, but I rather like these two together, obviously by the same builder. they are rather close to the street, however

a little plain for my taste, but love the colour and the huge hydrangeas

showing a little more curb appeal

this one comes with free sidewalk art

sadly this little one is already sold. it is across from a park where you can sit on your porch and watch the kids playing soccer and baseball

I love this house below. it doesn't show all that well in the photo, but look at that sunroom with the pyramid skylight! and it has a wheelchair ramp, which is handy even if you are not using a wheelchair. it faces a small lookout onto the lake where you can watch the geese and the ships.

not my taste, but that must be quite the attic suite!

getting bigger.....

getting monstrous

a meandering driveway that must be hell to navigate in the snow....

maybe you would like a heritage property like this one above

or a custom build

this poor thing has been like this for about 3 years. it started of as a good proposition to renovate what was originally just that front portion, then I guess the owner got overwhelmed... it is not for sale, but it might be if you ask nicely.

or maybe you would prefer something with less maintenance, then an apartment in this building might be just the thing (although there are no balconies)

or you could have several balconies (more in the back) and get a live/work situation. and be next door to the Black Pearl Lingerie shop.

walking downtown, part two

2011-08-02T06:30:00.000-04:00

Continuing with our downtown neighbourhood walk... Jazz wanted to see some of my favourite hangouts.

We could start with my gym, my place of fitness. yes, it is a favourite. really.

It is small, but that is precisely what I like about it. And it is next door to this pub with its very nice wrap around patio. Well, the patio itself is average, but it is on a quiet side street so there is not much traffic whizzing past. And there is a nice view over to the domes of the Ukrainian church. For some reason, it pleases me to watch the light on these domes and crosses. I was inside the pub once and found it not very pleasant, so it is only during patio season that I give them my custom. Plus, the server has been there since forever and when I went back after a long winter away during my second year of living here, she remembered me and my order, so ever since, I could truly say "the usual, please". I really like that.
Though, I do have to be careful where I sit now that I am going to the gym (because, shhhh, they can see me!)

We have an independent bookstore that is wonderful for knowing just what you are looking for.

They also host authors and monthly book signings and readings, mostly for free or maybe a small price of $10.

There is also the library for those books that I don't want to actually buy, but still want to read...

I tried to get a good shot of the main street, but it didn't work, so here is one block with a Belgian chocolate shop truffles! and a fun consignment shop with a mixture of vintage and new. The Rude Native is a good restaurant with 'global fusion' food. they had a banana lime chicken curry that was to die for, but they don't make that anymore so I stopped going.There is also another dress shop that I realize has moved from across the street. It is a strange phenomenon here that many shops move around from one location to another... rents must be rather steep I am imagining, but it is encouraging that owners want to stay in the area.

Then there is Village Square, a place that was apparently the place to shop in the 1980s. By the time I moved here it had lost its caché. Most of the shops are empty and anyone who has moved in usually moves out again within a year.

I haven't found out much about it, but it is apparently owned by a ~~curmudgeonly~~ old man who is using it as a tax writeoff. It is such a shame as it is really rather quaint with its old buildings and cobbled streets.

I'm not sure if some buildings are original and others were built to blend in or if this really was a village square. I see there is a new restaurant that has opened this month - Persian - which looks very interesting. I've never had Persian food before.

For coffee, my new favourite is this place

that is actually a bike rental establishment with a bistro attached.

The food is exquisite. All home made when you order and if heating is required, an oven is used - not a microwave. They have the best quinoa salad I have ever tasted, even when it is toasted in a panini.

~~Just in case you are getting glassy eyed and bored,~~ this is probably a good place for another rest...

scaffolded

2011-07-30T22:25:00.017-04:00

It was a beautiful morning so when I finished work last night, I decided to head out for a walk along the beach and a coffee on the waterfront.

I decided to do this in Hamilton.

(this is an evening view of the beach from a previous night. the beach faces east, so the sun would have been in the way...)

Anyway, this would normally involve going over the Skyway,

but because it was early and the light was perfect, I decided to get some photos of the newly erected scaffolding that has gone up on the underside of the Toronto bound portion of the Skyway.

There seemed to be an awful lot of traffic for 7am on a Saturday morning, and I thought at first that the lift bridge was up (which was odd, seeing as how I had checked before I turned down this route) but it turns out it would have made no difference which route I wanted to take as I would have ended up in this mess.

This is what happens when there is an accident on the highway, the Niagara bound portion, on the first day of a holiday weekend...

by the time I got there, the light was no longer quite so perfect.

This scaffolding will be up until late next year as they repair and repaint

more pics on my other blog at Sightlines

... as if the traffic wasn't enough, it has taken me hours - hours - to post this because everything on this computer is running slow, from Picnik to Blogger. Anyone else experiencing that?

You can see more bridges over at Sunday Bridges, hosted by "Louis"

things are as expected

2011-07-27T18:30:00.003-04:00

An irregular update on the things I am obsessively keeping track of

building is coming along pretty much as expected

with a hint of what is to come...

those 28 drops of rain we had the other night did nothing to quench the thirst of the grass

and on a sadder note (no photo, whew)

the baby skunk has met an untimely end after venturing out onto the much busier road with the much faster moving cars.

I was rooting for the little fella,
even if he was an olfactory hazard.

the long view

2011-07-25T19:20:00.005-04:00

at long last, the promised walking tour.

but first, the overall view. the big picture.

I've shown plenty of views from my balcony, here is the view from where my friend lives on the

11th floor (because it is such an awesome view. I am almost jealous, but then I get to walk the stairs instead of always taking the elevator)

anyway... (as usual, all pics will embiggen if you make that extra click)

a nighttime view

looking down on the city from the top of the escarpment.

I live off to the left

a little closer view, taken very early in the morning, therefore no traffic. this is Hwy 2 or Lakeshore Rd

you may remember I mentioned that there is a creek behind my place where the ducks and geese like to play. as you can see there is not much water in the creek since we have had no rain in weeks.

at the top end of my street there is a bike path that leads to downtown (which in reality is 2 blocks away)

looking almost bucolic so far, no?

at the end of the bike path we come upon the new condos with a blank space for the next one
and this view of the lake from Pearl Street will (soon?) disappear as a very controversial 30-storey condo is meant to replace the small deteriorating motel and empty space.
it has been years though, and no-one is quite sure what is happening with the developer.

here you can see the steady stream of traffic - there is only one lane in each direction............

farther along we end up at the bottom of the main street which also has a view of the lake and is the entrance to the waterfront park and trail

it is still hot outside, so not many ~~fools~~ people out walking

and as we head north again, we come to the side entrance of City Hall which is next door to the Queen's Head where I think we will stop on the patio for a refreshment before continuing

skunkydoodlescorner

2011-07-22T15:30:00.001-04:00

this little fella was determined to hang out on the streets all night. his mama was nowhere to be seen, and she apparently hadn't trained him to run for cover when danger lurked. or daylight. I first saw him at around 3am, but this was taken at 9am. I live on a dead end street, but there is still a fair bit of traffic, especially as people head out to work. here, at least he is by the curb, but for a good long while he was in the middle of the road and cars were swerving up onto sidewalks and lawns to get around him! there was just the faintest odour hanging about - curiously stronger inside our lobby, than outside - of baby spray. his tail was up every time I saw him and he clung to the road with those long sharp claws, uncertain as to what to do.

seriously, don't you want to get out a comb and help him with that 'do?

a few numbers

2011-07-21T21:30:00.001-04:00

no wonder my Haagen Dazs melted on the way home!

yes, it is hot

2011-07-21T07:35:00.002-04:00

Sure, it is hot out.

An expected high of 38C or 100F

Dire warnings of a humidex reaching "almost 50C" or close to 120F

Those are numbers that belong to Saudi Arabia, not Southern Ontario.

To be fair, most people seem incredulous at the muggy heat rather than complaining about it.

Breakfast Television has been playing Christmas music all morning.

time to move

2011-07-19T20:10:00.003-04:00

I don't wear a lot of jewellery. Not because I don't like it, it is more because I keep forgetting. I also can't really wear rings or bracelets or watches when I am working - they tend to get in the way of the massaging. But, I have started buying more pieces (as I work less...)

Some of you may remember that I bought a cute, decorative watch last year which I love,

though as it turns out I cannot read the time on it.

and it turns my wrist into a grey tarnished mess.

I still wear it and just deal with the problems as best I can.

Then, at the Elora art show I went to last week, I wandered into a tent displaying some exquisite glasswork. There were four watches on the table that hadn't sold at the artist's Christmas show and at the last minute she decided to include them in this one.
I fell in love with one... the bracelet part is glass.
I bought it. I love it because it is so pretty and I can read the numbers

except that it is a devil to work the clasp and after wearing it once, the little glass (plastic) crystal fell out.

Because I bought it at an art fair, I can't just go back to the store to return it or get it repaired (replaced, really, since I can't find the crystal) free of charge, I should think. But, I can't wear it as it is.

I am not sure how to deal with this. Any ideas? Would you email her? and if you did what would you ask her to do about it?

Sunday Stills - people

2011-07-17T00:10:00.003-04:00

Taking photos of people is not my forte. For some reason, I find it uncomfortable. I don't really know why. Maybe it is because I hate having my photo taken.
Pictures of street scenes look much more lively with people in them, but somehow, mine all end up looking a little... flat. I checked my archives and spent hours studying them to see where I was going wrong.

Then I went out and tried to get some people.

I decided to work on getting over my self consciousness about it by starting with something familiar.
Like a duck,
with some random people sitting at the cafe
(apparently oblivious to this duck in the pool)

then I moved on to some geese, with a random guy on a park bench reading...

this was getting easier.

I moved on to focusing on these people using the binoculars and ended up with a random gull

I did manage one without any avian distractions... this one, taken last Sunday at the Elora Gorge (before I knew the theme) of a man who climbed over the wall, risking life and limb for a good shot.

(he said he does it all the time and felt quite safe. I was holding my breath trying to capture his foolhardiness)

as a bonus,

feeling a little more confident

I was with my niece and we visited friends with a rescued kitten.
this adorable little thing was abandoned by her mother after her siblings died. we think she is about 4 weeks old. we also think she may be a boy, but somehow we all persisted in referring to him as she.

all taken for Sunday Stills and as usual, images will embiggen with just a click

did you miss me? I didn't really go anywhere

2011-07-15T07:25:00.000-04:00

Good grief, has it really been almost 2 weeks since I last posted?

I took a bit of a blogging break. An unintentional one, brought on by a serious lack of anything good or profound or entertaining to write about. Or at least an inability to write about anything in a good or profound or entertaining way. I haven't even really been reading anyone else's blogs. Sorry about that. I've missed you though, and will now have to spend a few hours catching up.

I thought about things I could do that might provide some good blogging material. I have been out for walks and bike rides. Had coffee and gelato on patios, met friends for dinner, and shopped at an antique market. I even went to an art show and bought stuff (and no, Nora, I haven't run out of things to buy!) All of it was immensely enjoyable, I just couldn't find a way to express it on ~~paper~~ screen.

But, today, the words have come back. My mind has been racing with ways to describe the past two weeks. Maybe it was my return to the gym that has given my brain a bit of a boost as well as my legs.

Or maybe it is the new blinds that I had installed in my living room. They are white and 2" faux wood, replacing the ~~horrible~~, metal, coloured 1" venetians. I am surprised at how much brighter my place is now, though I do sort of miss that it never really gets absolutely dark like it used to when I would close the blinds against the intense sun and heat. And I am (not really) surprised that I need to wash my windows.

I've been busy watching Canada lose it all in Germany and am looking forward to seeing Japan and the US kick it out on Sunday... along with the crashes and scenery of le tour de France and the Open...

In the meantime, I have not read any of Harry Potter, though I have seen the first movie (but on tv, which is never the same) and promptly lost interest. Though, for thousands apparently, it is a different story

princes and post

2011-07-03T08:44:00.005-04:00

I have been thinking about that other prince, the one who also just got married ~~to a commoner~~ but who is not visiting our fair land

for you see, Albert and I were born on the same day.

He may be richer ~~and more gallant,~~ than I, but I think I have retained my youthful appearance far better than His Serene Highness has done. I certainly have more hair, though I'm not sure which of us had more hair when we were born.

And, since my mother kept all the envelopes these cards came in, I can see that Aunt Millie was the first to send hers. I believe I was born around 5pm, but am not certain. I also notice on all the envelopes that they were addressed to my mother with the name of the hospital ... some had the city, some not. And all were received for a 4 cent stamp! Now that seems to me to be excellent service. Stamps now cost 59 cents (plus HST) for inside Canada and you better include the full address, along with the postal code, or who knows when you may get the letter. And you don't get such clear, dated postmarks - with the city and time - anymore, either. I am hoping for some post-strike mail tomorrow.

me as a wee babe (with not much hair) in my mother's arms
p.s. Albert and I have never met

still waiting

2011-06-29T22:49:00.004-04:00

Today didn't turn out quite as expected. It is now well past 5 pm (as I start writing this) and they have not come. Again. The letter said - and I quote (sans snarky rejoinders as much as I am so tempted...) "As part of our ongoing effort to make living easy for you, we will be completing an annual suite inspection of your unit on Monday June 27th between the hours of 9am and 5pm. Should any deficiencies be noted, we will contact you after the inspection to co-ordinate a time to complete the required work. Please note, you do not need to be present for this inspection, however we kindly ask that you remove all deadbolts and chain locks."

That last bit was in bold.

As if I would actually want an 'inspection' in my home without being present! Of course I planned to be present. When our previous superintendent was around, I would have gladly let him come in and do what he needed, knowing that he wasn't pleased at having to do these inspections any more than we were at having them done. (though whenever you hear about grow-ops or hoarders living in buildings, I rethink that idea) He would come in take a cursory look around and make the necessary notes, which one year involved recording the serial numbers of the fridge and stove. Really? What kind of maintenance inspection is that? Whatever. But I liked Mike. Nearly everyone liked him. Now we have an office full of staff who do not make themselves present to us so it is anyone's guess as to who would actually be conducting this inspection. And as past years have proved, they really don't intend to "make our living easier" by doing upgrades or any more maintenance than they can get away with not doing.

It would make my living easier if you just showed up. (and even easier if you actually did the required repairs...) But at 4:50 I got a phone call, saying they were behind schedule and they could come the next day if that was convenient. Well, since I had already waited up all day for them, no that would not be convenient. And I reminded the superintendent that since I work nights, I would like to sleep during the morning. Fine, the day after then.

So another day of little sleep and waiting around... There are things I want them to see and take note of, not the least of which are the washroom issues that still have not been fixed or replaced. And there are things that I do not want them to see, not the least of which would be my collection of clothes horses for drying my laundry on the balcony. They frown on that sort of thing, so why give them a reason to keep looking up... (which is also annoying in that the last three days have been perfect clothes-drying-outside weather: sunny and breezy. and I always use clothes pegs to stop them from flying off the balcony.)

I was a little excited about going down to the mailroom to pick up my mail today, though. I was thinking at least a few bills (or invoices really as most of my bills are paid automatically) and maybe a fistful of postcards from Postcrossing. It has been so long and I missed my daily hopeful visit to the mailbox. After weeks of strikes and a lockout and now back to work legislation, we got mail.

well, junk mail. that's it. one lonely flyer.

Sunday Stills - B&W

2011-06-26T04:50:00.000-04:00

This week's theme for Sunday Stills is black and white or sepia. I chose black and white. I've been visiting churches as part of the Doors Open and was quite taken aback at seeing a grand piano prominently placed centre stage... How unusual, I thought.

Hope United Church

But then I visited the Melville United Church...

it not only had a black grand piano, but also an organ centre stage. Maybe this is a United thing?

Church pews are not usually the most comfortable, but

the curved pews of the Melville Church

have a certain attractiveness

and then, because I love this lamp from the Hope United, a comparison of sepia to b&w

see more of what the other participants chose by going here

absolutely....

2011-06-24T19:23:00.008-04:00

The nearest Apple Store to me is about a half hours drive to Mississauga, which is two cities over. Mississauga is a sprawling community immediately west of Toronto created by an unpopular amalgamation of several small towns and villages in 1968. Interestingly, the two holdout villages, which were later annexed in 1974, are the only really 'quaint' areas. There is not much that is old in Mississauga, except for the mayor. (Really, she has been in office as mayor since 1978 after being the mayor of one of the former villages. She is a feisty 91 years old!!)

After getting my SD card back, I popped it back into my camera and left Square One (one of the largest malls in Canada and you know how I love, er hate, malls) to go for a walk outside. I didn't really expect it to be a nice walk, this not being one of the 'quaint' areas. The area is full of tall buildings and not much streetscape. But apart from the lack of charm, and the busy 8 lane roads, it turned out to be pleasantly walkable, if you lived there. In fact, I looked it up on the walkability scale and it scored a walker's paradise (90/100) whereas where I live only scored a very walkable (I think it was the lack of a good grocery store that pulled the marks down to 87/100)

There is no traditional downtown here, but they are working at creating a 'vibrant' city centre which includes this shopping mall, a civic centre and city hall, a new public square, library, theatres, a new college campus, police station, many businesses, a Y, a Playdium ... and new homes. Lots and lots of new homes. Condos.

Including this, the Pièce de résistance. The ultimate landmark.

The Marilyn Monroe....

Officially known as Absolute Towers you can click on the link to read more about them or check out this site to see more photos

I LOVE these buildings. And this is the best place for them to be built. You can see it from one of the major highways. It is in the city centre with other tall buildings around, but is not completely surrounded by any of them. What would be the point of building something so unabashedly sexy and gorgeous if it would end up being squashed by other less glamorous towers.

There is a lot of construction going on, and there was a red light when I took these pictures,

so the traffic flow is a bit deceiving.

But the streetscape is a bit... barren, soulless. Not a patio restaurant in sight.

No storefronts with interesting windows

(they are all in the mall which is on the other side of the street from these photos)

the new Confederation Square was still under construction last week, but looks very promising (it was officially opened yesterday)

the building on the far right is the library

the fountain is being used as a splash pool at the moment but will be used as a skating rink in the winter. I particularly like the little island in the middle.

This square will be used for concerts, (there is also a small amphitheatre) festivities (like the International Indian Film Awards going on now), markets, and even, for the first time in history, an outdoor council meeting in celebration of its opening.

Where I live looks nothing like this, though there are some at city hall who would like to pander to the developers to make it so.

click on any photo to embiggen

Absynthe (Abby)

2011-06-17T17:51:00.000-04:00

Abby led a quiet life until her peaceful end.

August 1, 1995 - June 17, 2011

update on demolition and rebuild

2011-06-16T06:41:00.001-04:00

I was almost in hope that the new house would be in keeping with the others in the block. Then I saw that there is a 3 car garage attached.
Then I noticed these two large columns at the front door

as a comparison, here it is with the cape cod style house next door.

as a reminder..... the original house, with the huge front yard

Now that I have my SD card back... I'll do a little walkabout so you can see what others ~~monster~~ homes are in my neighbourhood.

If you are interested.

excitability clause

2011-06-14T08:30:00.005-04:00

It was a good weekend, this past one. The rain held off even though all the weather people promised us we'd be getting some. Several droplets, most of the day, they said. I was not disappointed, as neither were the many vendors at the art and craft show (90% outdoors) down at the art centre. By sheer co-incidence of fantastic timing, this weekend was also our Doors Open. That is when ~~nosy~~ people can get inside participating buildings for free or that are normally closed to the public or are mostly available to church-going souls. The beauty of this Doors Open is that I can walk to most of them. I did have to drive to the local mosque and the new business college, but the rest that I went to see were within blocks of each other and my house. The little museum that I have never been inside in all my years of living here (for shame) was actually very interesting and had a beautiful display of 1920s dresses. There was also a display of Burlington as it has been since the beginning of time, with old maps and Indian artifacts and history lessons and photos. In a couple of months the clothing display will change to the Edwardian period and I think I will have to pay another visit (pay being the operative word in this case). I went on a walking tour that was offered this year (this is only our second year participating in Doors Open) which wasn't quite as informative as I'd hoped, but then I've been walking around my neighbourhood for over 12 years and have already tried to find out as much as I could about some of the heritage buildings. But I do like to know why streets have been given whatever name they have and will not shy away from asking to find out. I have never understood how some people can live in an area and not know anything about the streets around them.

After the walking tour, I ran into some friends and we wandered the craft show. I deliberately did not bring any money with me except for what I might need for a caffeinated beverage, however, there was a vendor or two who happily took my credit card. My friend Karen says she will take me out to a very nice restaurant so I can show off my new summer blouse. Then I headed into the centre to have a look at the photography display. Intending to just take a quick walk around then leave, something happened and I was trapped by my jaw dropping in awe of some of the photos and one person who followed me around determined to explain whatever he knew about the photos and their photographer. I almost had him shaken off when he introduced me to another photographer - one whose work I really, really would like to emulate. By the time I left he had me so inspired. Their photography club meets weekly and has a range of talents and abilities and he sounded so enthusiastic about it that I was ready to join up right then. Except it is on hiatus for the summer. Still, it was enough to get me excited about photography again. I know I am still taking pictures, but the spark has gone dull a bit. Sometimes, I am bored with what seems to be the same pictures. By then the sky was showing off some great clouds with late afternoon peek-a-boo sun and the light was just right....

It wasn't until last night that I finally stuck my SD card into the computer to upload the photos and see what beautiful works of art were created. Shoving the card into the cd drive was not the way to upload.

My little paperclip hook and tweezer rescue combo (yes, I have done this before) did not work as well as I thought it should and somehow it fell in deeper into a dark crevice that surely should not be that deep. Shaking the monitor gently does nothing. The person who responded to my desperate plea for help on the Apple support community message board was very consoling (and it did look like it has happened to many people - there should be a little flap or something to make it more distinguishable) but it looks like it will be a trip to the store.

My excitement has waned a little.

Sunday Stills - yellow

2011-06-12T05:14:00.000-04:00

A friend and I were in Niagara-on-the-Lake this week to see Heartbreak House at the Shaw Festival. We come here a few times a year, but I think my obsessive photo habit is wearing thin on her. During our walkabout before the play I mentioned that I wanted to take a photo of a particular place, whereupon my friend - in what I hoped was not really an exasperated voice - immediately piped up with "but you already have a picture of that!" "Well, maybe, but not in this light", said I - in what I hoped was a calm voice.

I managed to find another brilliant yellow

and I simply could not resist - though these guys are fast losing their baby yellow-ishness

but like I tried to explain, light is everything...

SundayStills

we're sorry for the inconvenience

2011-06-08T08:10:00.000-04:00

Today is the day that management is sorry for the inconvenience but they are going to take away all our water between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm while they work on the neverending plumbing issues of a 50+ year old building. The notice that came around last night may not have been worded exactly like that, but close enough.

Co-incidentally, today is the day the temperature climbs to somewhere around 36 celcius with a humidex hovering somewhere in the 40s (36 C is 96.8 F and 43 C is 109.4 F I'm sorry but those F numbers sound more like radio stations than temperatures - this morning you are listening to the gentle hum of 96.8 on your FM dial and later this afternoon tune in to 109.4 for the sounds of leaves wilting...)

And what a light show we had overnight. The warnings of thunderstorms came through around 1:15 am and once the lightening got going it just kept on and on. It was pretty much continuous for almost an hour. No stopping to catch its breath, no pausing to confer with thunder to see if he was even bothering to keep up. Lightning did not care. Most of the time, I couldn't even see the lightning bolts, it was just intense and overlapping flashes of light that seemed to be an umbrella over the whole area. It was like when you see a television reflection flickering on the walls and ceiling in a dark room. It would have been a fast paced action movie. I do not believe I have ever seen anything quite like it before. And we even had a tornado warning, which thankfully did not actually materialize. We get tornado watches, but not often warnings.

At the moment, my place is still in shade and is cool with a nice breeze blowing. Now, I'm off to fill up the kettle and the water jugs and prepare for an afternoon in hades because I took all my blinds down yesterday in preparation for the new ones to be installed... on Thursday. By then the heat and humidity will have broken. Actually, maybe I won't bother filling the water jugs, I'll just leave for somewhere with other hydrating liquids and A/C.

I'll let you know what happens.

Sunday Stills - potluck

2011-06-04T22:50:00.005-04:00

I'm not sure why I stopped contributing to Sunday Stills... it could have been that I was working too many weekends, or that I was too unorganized to be ready for Sunday morning...

So sorry for my long absence.

I happened to check in this week and saw that the theme was 'pot luck'

anything you wanted that was not an archival photo. Perfect time to jump back in.

I happened to be on a mission this past week photographing bike racks. We have seen a number of new bike racks pop up in my city recently and I wanted to gather a collection.

First up, the ever faithful Post and Ring

although this cyclist doesn't seem to know the correct way to attach his bike

one of the fancy new racks that have been designed to look local

a typical scene with a bench under a tree from the nearby park

this one represents a family friendly bike path, post processed in an antique effect with boost to accentuate the rack

this one has the chain and bollards that are on the breakwall at the waterfront and was finished off in a posterized effect,
just for fun

and now a cyclist actually riding his bike

again done with a boost effect to accentuate

this is my contribution for Sunday Stills

wild nights in the city

2011-06-03T18:18:00.004-04:00

During my nights of delivering newspapers, I often count things to keep myself alert and amused. Like counting driveways (which is useful for remembering which houses to deliver to) or how many rabbits were running around (which is considerably less useful). It was winter, February as I recall, about 10 years ago, and I was mindlessly counting, and being slightly annoyed by the number of willow twig deer that graced so many of the front yards of this particular neighbourhood. I don't know why this annoyed me, but it did. Suddenly, as I passed the first three deer, I was aware that the other three deer had ever so casually turned their faces and eyes to gaze on mine. I stopped in my tracks and gazed back. It was a surreal moment that felt like it lasted half an hour, but was probably more like half a minute. Then, suddenly, in that instinctual way that animals do, they all turned as one and ambled away through the gap between the houses into the back yard. I was entranced. And I wondered if I would encounter them again. I did. I was zooming around the corner when my headlight shone on a family of five deer standing in the middle of the road. I was ever so glad I had good snow tires and quick reflexes.

Rabbits are the most numerous of the animals I encounter - one night I counted 14 in one yard - and skunks are by far the most threatening, with the worst night trying to avoid 12. (I know, this counting stuff is all meaningless to you...) I have met up with several local wildlife and each time I find it a little exhilarating to see them in such a big urban area. Well, okay, that's maybe not exactly true. I do hate Tuesdays as that is garbage night and people still insist on putting their bags of garbage and their blue boxes ~~with unwashed tins and jars~~ out on the curb the night before pick up, which means it gets strewn halfway across the road and the yard by the raccoons and skunks. I have had my garden turned upside down and emptied by rabbits. I have had raccoons in my attic, skunks under the porch and squirrels tearing the screen to get into my kitchen. I have also been kept awake by the scratching and scrabbling of wildlife, not to mention the high pitched screeching of the mating and fighting of the raccoons.

But, never in a million years would it occur to me bash a family of raccoons with a shovel as one man in Toronto has recently been arrested for doing. As meddlesome and annoying as these creatures can be, I also have a healthy admiration for their (and other wildlife, but especially raccoons) ability to adapt to urban living. City dwellers seem to be viciously divided on their relationship with wildlife living among them. (read some of the hundreds of comments on the linked article, if you have any doubts!) Some people hate them and others seem to find it fun to attract them by feeding them (as if these wild animals had no skills of their own). So, on the one hand we push certain animals, like deer away by invading their natural habitat and on the other we attract some, like raccoons, by leaving food and garbage for them to feast on, thus increasing their lifespan and their waistlines.

I've got nothing better to do

2011-05-31T23:14:00.013-04:00

Summer weather has descended on us. It is hot and humid.

I went to the gym today, which tired me out.

Then I went to a patio for a long cooling beer, which tired me out even more.

But before I got too tired, I went down to the waterfront to watch the sailboats and the swans.

No one invited me onto their boat, so I sat down on a bench and watched the swans preening.

They seem such a happy couple.

and no wonder: look closely at that soft rock. it seems to be unfurling and waking up

this is poignant as poor Mama has been nesting at the same spot for many years, but it has been at least five years or more since any of her eggs have hatched.

her nest is only about 3 metres from the walkway and is easily accessible

ahhh, look, now we are all preening

swimming is much easier than walking

and it is much cooler in here

Only when I got home did I realize that I had my camera set on a 'speed burst'.
So I have 259 more photos.
Actually, it is kind of neat - reminds me of those old flip books with animation. I keep looking at them and speeding up the slideshow, but I may actually print them off and make my own mini movie book.

Monday AMuse

2011-05-30T01:20:00.002-04:00

will we look at this in 30-40 years and wonder, as we do now with those futuristic views of life made in the 1960s?

planning my weekend

2011-05-27T19:10:00.000-04:00

It is almost as if I am going on holiday. I have been excitedly awaiting this weekend. I have the map out and the list of 'attractions' and have been poring over them all week, circling and highlighting, trying to pare down my list of 'must see' and put it all into a reasonable order.

For this is Toronto's weekend for Doors Open. This is where you get the chance to wander around (for free) buildings that are not normally open to the public. In some cases, architects or historians are on hand to discuss the building or the era it was built. There will be photo exhibits, music recitals (organ playing in the cathedrals!), demonstrations and I noticed a few scavenger hunts planned for amusing the younger crowd. It is advertised as nearly 150 buildings, though in actuality there are only 137, and one inexplicable cancellation so really only 136, which to me would be almost 140, but I quibble. For anyone who is interested in architecture and history, this is the event of the year. I have attended many times over the past 12 years and there are always too many sites on my list that I have not yet visited. Some are sadly no longer offered, and the trick is to make sure you don't put something off for too long (like The Don Jail, where for its one year, I lined up for over three hours before someone finally came out and informed us that after a certain point - which was quite a few people ahead of me - we would not be getting in.) And don't waste time revisiting sites - there are just too many on offer.

It is almost ironic really, as Toronto is not known for preserving its history or flouting its architecture. In fact it is quite the opposite as far as the people in charge of such things are concerned. But, for the rest of us it is an insatiable feast.

I think I have my list ready. I purposefully did not book any appointments for today, so I could rest up. It will be seven hours of fast walking and driving around for cheap parking spots and hopping on and off the subway and interminable queuing ...

a pleasantly wasted day

2011-05-26T18:30:00.000-04:00

I had another last minute cancellation today. This would be the third one in the last two weeks. Since I only had seven appointments, this is not a good average. Working part-time has some disadvantages...

Yesterday's phone call a half hour before I was to be at my appointment was rather annoying. We had already changed the time only the night before. Had I known what a busy schedule she had set up for herself, I would have gently convinced her to pick another day, knowing that she would be far too tired.

Really, I would have spent my day differently had I known that I would not be required to head out for an appointment at 7PM. I most probably would not have wasted a pleasant afternoon napping. I may have gone to the gym, or for a long walk. Or maybe called a friend to join me for lunch. I need to renew my membership at the botanical gardens and I might have done that before wandering through the trails looking for birds and wildflowers. I may even have tackled the kitchen cupboards that I have been meaning to re-organize for some time.

Or, I may have just napped after all.

Of course, I could have done all that, even with an evening appointment. But, my day, as unstructured as it often is, feels very different when I know that I have no obligations. Starting work in the evenings and then continuing a second job through the night means my sleeping and eating patterns are hit and miss. I try to accommodate as much as possible and it helps to know when I am expected to be alert and personable. I am not very personable on little sleep. You'd think only working 4-5 hours a day would be a piece of cake and it might be if I were able to drift off to a blissful 8 hour sleep. I do tend to spend more time thinking about chores that need doing than actually doing them. It helps that I have no-one to account to and can ignore blaming myself.

I love having so much free time. I just wish so much of it wasn't wasted. I seem to be very good at doing that myself, without your cancellations.

Now, I have tea to drink on my balcony. That box of paperwork can wait another day.

Monday AMuse

2011-05-23T00:05:00.002-04:00

wonder of wonders

2011-05-19T19:10:00.003-04:00

It was a sunny, WARM day today. So what do you do when the rain finally stops?

I cleared my balcony and then did laundry. Because I put my laundry out to dry on the balcony when it is sunny. And warm.

And then I sorted through my clothes to find something appropriate to wear on Saturday. Y'know, for the RAPTURE. One needs to be prepared. I am assuming that if I am called, I may be wearing the same outfit for eternity (or the next five months). Or will I get one of those white floaty/sexy outfits that the Philly Cheese Lady wears?

Are you prepared? Have you done everything you want to do? Seen all you want to see? Written a will for those poor family members who may be left behind; they will likely need all they can get to help them through the chaos and end of civilization and all that.

Now, to plan my weekend meal. There seems to be lots of bagels and cream cheese in heaven, but I doubt there will be a barbecue, so that is my plan. Grilled salmon and veggies, I think.

It should be hot and humid and dry on Saturday, finally (and then the RAPTURE comes and ruins it for us) ... with the rains returning for the holiday Monday.

Yes, the rapture. Sure.

see you next week, after all, this is only post #9 for this month

out in the rain

2011-05-18T07:23:00.001-04:00

In spite of all the continuing rain, construction started yesterday on the 'dream house demolition' site.

And I hadn't seen Chris for about a week. You start to worry when they disappear so suddenly (even though you know that that is in their nature). But, usually about five nights out of seven I run into him by the side of the road...or in the middle of the road. It seems he has found some friends! I'm thinking the other two might be a pair as I've seen them hanging about at different times, but never so close with Chris before. Hmm, I wonder what they have been up to??

(Chris is the one in foreground)

I'm not complaining, not really

2011-05-17T06:32:00.002-04:00

The news and weather channel has been all about the flooding in Manitoba, Louisiana and Quebec. So I guess I shouldn't be whining about the seemingly endless rain we have been having and will continue to have for the next 12 days. We've already had over 56mm of rain over the weekend with around 15-20mm more for each of Tuesday and Wednesday. But that is hardly flood worthy. It has been rather damp and dreary for weeks, though. During the last 30 days there have been only five with no rain.

Can I, instead, complain about the COLD? It is 8 celcius - it should be around 20 at this time of year. I am glad I didn't pack away my fleece yet. And this weekend is the traditional planting of the garden time, when we should be safe from frost. I am in doubt. Then again, I don't have a garden so I am not personally worried. Though, I do like to eat fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms. The apple and cherry blossoms are starting to rot and some of the grapes could get mouldy from all the rain and won't be very sweet unless we get more sunshine.

I could complain about the price of gas that skyrocketed overnight to a high of $1.419 a litre ... but has magically parachuted down to $1.285 so all those people who thought they might change their driving habits will now not bother. So while I had my 5 hour (one way) road trip when the price was high, at least my 2 hour (one way) road trip today will be with cheaper gas.

Really, I do like to see the brighter side of things. It is sometimes made difficult, though. Because, perversely, I am not looking forward to the dry, hot summer that is predicted. The dry part is fine, but the heat and humidity...

Monday AMuse

2011-05-16T00:10:00.001-04:00

Timelapse - The City Limits from Dominic on Vimeo.

sounds

2011-05-10T11:55:00.002-04:00

I awakened to the sound of a lawnmower, one of those big riding ones. Interspersed was the lovely sweet sound of birds. Somewhere a cheery, brief conversation wafted up, only to be replaced by a bus rumbling past. Finally the riding mower stopped and for a few minutes there was only the birds singing. Until another mower, farther away, then the whine of a saw... I wondered at the loudness of it all before realizing that my windows were open. Wide open. And a ~~warm~~ breeze floated over me.

Spring has arrived at last. Oh, I know it has been here for awhile, but the feeling and sound of spring has been absent. As has the sight of spring. I was getting almost depressed at the postings of so many bloggers of their daffs and tulips... and now irises and roses when we had NOTHING. But, it seems as if suddenly this week it is all coming together. The flowers are blooming in the gardens, the trees are getting that bright lime green of new buds. The garden centres are opening. And the grass is green and long and needing mowing.

I am fortunate to live surrounded by many trees. They make a great noise barrier, far more than you might expect. So hurry up and fill out and block all this incessant mowing. Please.

Monday AMuse

2011-05-09T00:55:00.002-04:00

a brief encounter

2011-05-05T13:55:00.000-04:00

I was walking down a street in the Byward Market during a lull in the rain when something photo-worthy across the street caught my eye. My camera came out and I aimed and zoomed in ... then waited for traffic to clear. A car pulled up past me and parked and two men got out. They were checking out the parking signs and meter and chatting away in an unrecognizable (to me) accent. One of them noticed me with my camera and made a joke about taking his picture.

Except he wasn't joking. Suddenly they both stood still and posed and smiled... and waited. Then they resumed chatting and before walking across the street said thank you. Yes, thank you very much.

I noticed they did not put any money in the meter, but then I also noticed their car had red (diplomatic) plates on it.

rain, rain go away

2011-05-04T10:30:00.001-04:00

Spring seems a long time coming.

Last year, at this time, spring had been here for weeks,

though it is hard to accept that that was EARLY. An anomaly.

And it is Tulip Festival time in Ottawa. I went to see it last year and there were fears that the tulips would be over before the festival began. The ones we saw were a little spent and blown out, or battered by the rain. This year, a very different story. There are fears that there won't be any tulips blooming in time for the festival (which begins on Friday). Before leaving Ottawa on Monday, I noticed workers were setting up tents and pavilions and getting things ready. But any tulips we saw were barely out of the ground.

And as, usual, it rained while I was there. For the third year in a row. We did have two warm, sunny, clear days, but it was on Monday with the incessant, pelting rain that I chose to visit the Parliament Buildings with the misty view from the Peace Tower.

(a view of the west block which is still undergoing extensive restoration work.)

It was raining so heavily and I was so soaked that even though the Parliament Hill area seemed deadly quiet and therefore pleasant for walking, I thought I'd head home early and stop off at any town where it wasn't raining to walk around.

Even the ducks came out of the river to paddle around the Eternal Flame (they had jumped out by the time I reached them, but were circling around, ready for the next plunge).

I decided to have dinner in Kingston, a city I'd stopped at very briefly on my last trip to Ottawa and wanted to see more of at a time of day when places were open. This was the first capital of the Province of Canada (in 1841) so they have a nice historic downtown, right on the lake and I remembered that their City Hall was rather magnificent looking and my previous pictures weren't all that great so I wanted to get better ones.

yeah, the cute tourist information place inside the old train station was also completely covered in scaffolding and green netting while it gets a new roof.

On the upside, it was being used as a polling station, so I pretended I belonged and wandered inside.

Of course, because it was a polling station, I couldn't take pictures.

When I got home Iooked it up on the internet and here is a virtual tour if you are interested.

Then it started to rain again.

Monday AMuse ... maybe not by the end of the day

2011-05-01T20:00:00.002-04:00

Get out and VOTE on May 2nd.

dream house... part 1

2011-04-27T08:51:00.002-04:00

I have always rather like this house. It is not fancy, and definitely needs a lot of work, but there is something about it that ... intrigues.

It sits on a corner lot and is oriented to the busier of the two streets. There is quite a set back though from the front, with a very large yard. The whole lot must be at least 150' deep. (I would have planted a few strategically placed trees that would have matured into a nice visual and sound barrier from the traffic)

The double arched entrance onto the porch (with the single, non-arched front door), while looking initially attractive, seems a bit of overkill for such a small unusable space. The other entrance is around the back. (I would have put a door and mailbox off that addition facing the sidestreet) Behind that wall with the other doorway is a pool. Sweet.

The awnings are not exactly my style, but after seeing them for so many years, they began to suit the house. (I still would have ripped them off and put in nice blinds) They appear to be canvas and at one time all the west-facing and one north-facing windows had them. People don't use awnings anymore what with the advancement in window coverings technology, though there are a couple of other homes in this neighbourhood that still cling to them. At least there are no shutters to clutter up the exterior even further.

I imagined an older couple living there. The inside full of lovely woodwork. The fireplace with a nice long mantel. Arched doorways into the dining-room and kitchen. The kitchen perhaps still looking like it was 1970 and desperately needing more counter space and cupboards. (and electrical outlets). Three bedrooms with tiny closets.

I was wrong. Very wrong. When the For Sale sign went up, I checked out the virtual tour. It wasn't much of a tour, but what I saw of the inside was all beige. All boring painters white beige. The only colour, really, was in the gold awnings. No unpainted wood trim. No ugly 70s kitchen (okay, that was a good thing!). And no mantel (I love mantels, such a big fireplace and no mantel??)

Then a fence went up one Monday afternoon. No dumpster. Oh dear.

on Tuesday morning the pool was gone, as was the wall.

on Wednesday morning, big tooth appeared...

by Wednesday afternoon, all was rubble

on Thursday morning, all was muddy

It has been raining ever since, (plus a long holiday weekend) so not much has been happening.