Friday, November 3, 2017

Flourish!

October 2017 - Toronto ON



John snapped this on the golf course on Friday.


SATURDAY

A gloomy weekend loomed upon us. Not to worry, we hunkered down with books, movies, baking and a roast pork dinner with mashed vegetables and mushy peas.

I made the English muffins from Against the Grain. I've never thought about making English muffins so it was a surprise to me that they get done in a pan or on a griddle. They turned out okay.

I had read The Girl on the Train and we watched the movie. Rotten Tomatoes gave it 44%. The book was a great read as we got to know these three women, the movie not so much.
The story has been moved from the outskirts of London to the leafy hamlets along the Hudson River in Westchester County, New York, which disappointed me.
As a whodunit it was not a big surprise but a fun film to watch together.



SUNDAY
Shadow Shot Sunday
One Word Sunday
inSPIREd Sunday


I baked this cranberry cream cheese bread which was delicious. But the recipe was frustrating.  At the top of the recipe it says cooking time 60 minutes. Within the recipe there is "bake at 350 degrees 1 30 minutes".  As well there was a lot of batter for one pan.
Mine ended up cooking for 90 minutes so definitely not a quick bread.

MONDAY
Foto Tunes
Monday Mural

Very mundane, Costco and such.

TUESDAY

Tuesday Treasures
Good Random Fun
Sculpture Emily Carr

We headed to the AGO to see the highly anticipated, by us, At Home With Monsters.

We started with lunch in the members' lounge.

John had  grilled shrimp tostada
Grilled shrimp, drunken pineapple salsa, cabbage slaw, cilantro,
corn tortilla, avocado smash GF

And I had smoked salmon flatbread
Capers, red onion, dill creme fraiche, arugula, lemon




Perhaps Halloween wasn't the best day to choose, but we can go back when it is quieter.


The Art Gallery of Ontario becomes home to the only Canadian stop of an exhibition that offers a rare glimpse into the creative process of famed and fascinating filmmaker Guillermo del Toro.

Click here for many photos of the exhibit.

The entrance, decorated with horror book covers.






We stopped into a couple of other exhibits.


Room for Mystics is an immersive environment created especially for this exhibition by Sandra Meigs in collaboration with distinguished contemporary composer Christopher Butterfield. It comprises paintings, a wall treatment, a sculptural mobile and a sound installation that together create a unique experience for the viewer. AGO


This was much more interesting.

Conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas Die Dompas Moet Brand! (The Passbook Must Burn!), 2014
7 life-cast arms holding pass books; Bronze and copper shim

In Die Dompas Moes Brand! (The Passbook must Burn!), the hands of protesters boldly consigning personal papers to the flames protrude from the gallery walls – and stand above an actual pile of ashes on the gallery floor.




Black South Africans line up at the counter at a government office to get their new passbooks in Johannesburg, South Africa, April 7, 1960. Hundreds of blacks, who had publicly burned their passes during recent campaign of defiance against the Apartheid government, picked up new passes required by all black South Africans to return to work. Flashbak


Raise Up 2014 Hank Willis Thomas
In Raise Up, Thomas gives us the heads and arms of ten of the thirteen black miners pictured by Cole as they undergo a humiliating medical examination, in the nude. 







WEDNESDAY

Wordless
November Monthly Theme

We were invited to a preview of  The Vikings at the ROM Royal Ontario Museum which included a cocktail party.




I was very impressed with the information provided for dietary restrictions.

  • Guests with dietary restrictions, please identify yourself to the check-in desk. 
  • All dietary restrictions have been accommodated, and the Raymond James volunteers and service staff will be able to advise of the contents of all food served at the event.
There were easily a thousand people at this preview. It was really hard to get to all the other food booths but I had beef cheeks and they were delicious. John asked for a gluten free meal and got halibut and salad.
We chatted with some people and then decided that the lines were so long for the exhibit that we would come back another time.

The venue, in the Rotunda was delightful, so different than when it is open to the public.
As always this guy was looming over us!



THURSDAY
Thursday Doors

Nothing much to say other than I tried making the gluten free pastry crust from Against the Grain and it was horrible.

I found a Toronto blogger who had done it with great results. She used a stand mixer as did I, however, I used the bread hook rather than the paddle mixer.




FRIDAY

Friday Finds
Weekend Reflections
Seven Days Black and White

I went on a decluttering frenzy and by the time John came home I had three bags filled with clothes and other stuff. He did a clear out and we ended up with five bags that we took to Value Village.
Now for the electronics, I have begun charging them so that they can be wiped before we donate them next week.
I also arranged for our old painter, from our house, to come next week for an estimate. It's time for a change.

Tonight's sky.





We are leaving Saturday morning for Montreal and will be back on Monday.


BOOKS

I finished Sweetbitter and did a turnaround on my opinion from last week. While I found the romance aspect a bit tedious, I was fascinated with all the behind the scenes of running an upscale restaurant.

I also finished No Man's Nightingale by Ruth Rendell. I am a huge Ruth Rendell fan and it was fun to see Wexford in his retirement.

I am almost finished Afterwards and although it doesn't have great reviews on Goodreads I am quite enjoying  the bodiless spirit forms talking to each other.

 I also started White Nights but it's early pages yet.


SHARING WITH:


Weekend Cooking hosted by www.BethFishReads.com
Beth hosts Weekend Cooking where you can post anything food related.
Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy.

16 comments:

  1. I LOVE the orange tree...and the food! Also the potpourri of interesting tidbits. Here are MY SATURDAY SNAPSHOTS

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  2. With every photo you post, Toronto is rising higher on my list of must-see places. The museums, the food, the overall atmosphere of the city ... It looks like a wonderful place to live.
    Thank you for visiting my blog today. Your comments are appreciated.
    Sandy @ Writing With a Texas Twang

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  3. I'd love to see the Del Toro exhibition. I heard about the Vikings exhibit underway. I wonder if it's the same one that was done here a couple of years back at the Museum of History.

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  4. I need to have a clear out too. Have a great week. Cheers from Carole's Chatter

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  5. Neat art gallery! Love your shot of the sky!

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  6. I totally agree about Girl on a Train -- the book was good but the movie just didn't capture the mood. Love those painted stairs! The Viking event looks great and how cool that they accommodated people's eating issues. Makes it easy to relax. Lovely sky! And good job on the decluttering. You've been doing great over the past year. I'm impressed and inspired.

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  7. I enjoyed The Girl on the Train too, Jackie. And I'm sure I'd have liked your cream cheese bread. Spare a few crumbs next time? :) :) Thanks for linking.

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  8. What a mix bag of discoveries. All so wonderful! The food looks incredible!

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  9. Oh, I agree with out about being disappointed that they moved the setting of The Girl on the Train. One of my biggest pet peeves is when filmmakers take a story that is set in another country and put it in the US. And, when it is set in an English-speaking country, I'm double flummoxed. I mean, why do that?

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  10. I liked the movie but I hadn't read the book. I'd love to see both those exhibitions but the Hank Willis Thomas one looks amazing. Off to google him...

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  11. Keeping things interesting as always. I wish I had more time to go to museums and bake. My husband works at a bakery so, I do not bake that much at home. However, I miss preparing certain things! #TPThursday

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  12. That first photo (that your husband took) is lovely! You do have many adventures! The hand sculptures are intriguing.

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  13. Loved this entertaining post. Thanks for sharing the recipes and how you found following them.

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  14. Hi Jackie! I love that first photo. I always missed the brilliant oranges of fall when I lived in Asia. The Korean autumn leaves are very muted, and I don't think as beautiful as the colors we have in Canada. I would love to see this exhibit but doubtful I will get to Toronto anytime soon. I hope you had fun in Montreal and thanks for linking up.

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