Saturday, May 22, 2021

Chocolate on James


MAY 2021 - Toronto ON

2021 - Hamilton ON


I was looking for something in my blog files and came across a random post that reminded me of how we spent a normal week pre-pandemic. We would be out and about all the time - September 2019.

Our daily active Covid cases are dipping below 2,000. 
BUT on Thursday DoFo made some announcements.



Ontario has announced a three-step plan to reopen the province, starting with outdoor recreational amenities, as it gradually prepares to ease pandemic restrictions.
As of May 22, outdoor recreational amenities – like golf courses and tennis courts – will be allowed to reopen.
Outdoor limits for social gatherings and organized public events will be expanded on Saturday, which will allow these amenities to be used by up to five people.



I love the idea of ActiveTO. But living next to the Gardiner I cannot fathom the behaviour of the drivers as they go bumper to bumper all day Saturday and Sunday. I even have video of them reversing or driving backwards down the UP ramp at Brookers Lane as they get frustrated. 



The first two lanes on the left are supposed to be closed to traffic forcing the cars into the middle lanes, however, you can see a couple of cars on it. It became jam packed in a little bit. Seems a driver(s) moved the barricade and they all started using it until the police showed up.

Some of them take Lake Shore and then as it backs up at the ramp onto Lake Shore at Palace Pier Ct. they also reverse or drive backwards on a one way street.
BTW we have a stay at home order so where are all these drivers going???

Even though our city councillor and many residents voiced their complaints to the planning committee they are going ahead with the closures for this long weekend.
However they have promised:

Double the number of dedicated Traffic Agents at key intersections
More Police officers to help direct traffic
An Officer stationed at the Brookers Lane ramp to prevent U-turns & cars driving the wrong way
Improved traffic management plans at the Gardiner/Lake Shore Boulevard split and at the Windermere and Lake Shore Blvd. W. intersection to allow for better traffic flow
Actively adjusting signal timing at the intersection of Windermere Ave. & Lake Shore Blvd. W throughout the weekend
To help address crowding in the area, the parking on the south side of Marine Parade Drive will be restricted – similar to last year. There will be a Parking Enforcement officer assigned specifically to the Marine Parade Drive and Palace Pier Court area beginning at 4:00pm on Friday, and all day/evening from Saturday to Monday.


John can use his bike in the living room.



I finished my embroidery just have to put a backing on it.


 I also repotted this plant, it had a baby which I separated into a small pot.


John took a walk on Sunday along Lake Shore, closed as mentioned above.









On our grounds.



Monday we took a short outing to Corktown. 
We stopped to see the status of the new Cherry St. bridge.
It will be one of the more iconic puzzle pieces fitted to Waterfront Toronto’s ambitious project to turn an industrial wasteland at the foot of the Don River into a verdant green community space with the rerouted river meandering through.
Cherry Street North is the baby of the family, bridge #1 built in Nova Scotia. Of the four new bridges — two at Cherry Street North, one each at Cherry Street South and Commissioners Street — that will connect the yet-to-be constructed Villiers Island to mainland Toronto, it weighs in at a paltry 375 tonnes over its 57-metre length.



This is designed to carry Toronto’s LRT and pedestrians. Its twin, designed to take the road traffic, comes in at 450 tonnes over the same length.

Their cousin, at Cherry Street South, will weigh 850 tonnes and span 109 metres, and the granddaddy of the lot, the Commissioners Street bridge, will come in at 1,100 tonnes and span 152 metres.

Who knew that Cherry St. had its own cherry blossom trees?!?!?!?


I wanted to see the foundry that DoFo, in his infinite wisdom, decided should be torn down.




Demolish Doug, Save the Foundry, Doug For Out of Corktown and Doug Stay Home, Let's go to his home.




CBC Toronto revealed in January that the Doug Ford government approved a private sale of the land, located on Eastern Avenue in the West Don Lands, but will not release the identity of the purchaser.



The Ontario government doesn’t need to tear down a group of heritage industrial buildings in Toronto’s West Don Lands in order to decontaminate the site and allow housing to be built, a group of architects and community activists say.




The derelict red-brick buildings of the former Dominion Wheel and Foundries Co., the oldest of which dates back to 1917, have been at the centre of a political battle for weeks, after a local neighbourhood association won a court order blocking the province’s demolition, idling heavy equipment that had already started clearing the site.

The foundry is surrounded by new condos with Save the Foundry signs.




We stopped at Nani's for ice cream and it is an international learning experience.



Kulfi or Qulfi is a frozen dairy dessert originating in the Indian subcontinent in the 16th century. It is often described as "traditional Indian ice cream".
Kulfi is similar to ice cream in appearance and taste but denser and creamier. It comes in various flavours. The more traditional ones are cream (malai), rose, mango, cardamom (elaichi), saffron (kesar or zafran), and pistachio. Unlike ice cream, kulfi is not whipped, resulting in a solid, dense frozen dessert similar to traditional custard-based ice cream.
Pandan leaves are commonly pulverized to produce an emerald-green extract. The more mature the leaf, the darker the hue and deeper the flavor. Furthermore, pandan leaf powder is used to flavor both savory and sweet dishes. It is often mixed with coconut for ice cream.
Sorbetto is also called sorbet. Unlike like gelato, sorbetto is always a dairy and egg free frozen treat. It is, therefore, the lowest fat content of the three treats. Sorbetto is made with sweetened juice, fruit puree, or water and it is denser than gelato. It includes sugar and flavourings.

John had the pistachio almond kulfi, salted dark chocolate chip and the coconut pandan. I had the hibiscus and lemon sorbretto.


Tuesday John took a friend to an appointment. Then it was Movie afternoon.

Wednesday John had an appointment and then went to Metro. I am loving their mini croissants as my main source of bread. I freeze them and take one out as needed. Of course that meant he picked up other stuff I requested, chicken leg quarters, liver, pork chops, ground lamb, apples, tangerines, blackberries, raspberries. gluten free wraps.

I attended the last Spring Salon presentation by the Bata Shoe Museum. "Queens of Fashion: A Conversation about 18th Century Dolls with Sonia Krause".
In this post she shows the whole process of a lady getting dressed in the 18th century. I was particularly intrigued by the "pockets" underneath her outer clothing.



Thursday we decided to go out after lunch.
In true Canadian fashion, one day it is too cool and then we are complaining it is too hot. We were unprepared when we headed out for 29C with a humidex of 33C so we only stayed out a while and then came home with the AC on in the car.
Still we managed to get some shots along with some interesting lanes that will be featured on Tuesday.

Damn new phone, they moved the camera lens! Have to remember to move my thumb.




There's nothing like spring blooms.





Friday John had an appointment downtown and took advantage of Longo's 2 hour free parking if you buy $20 worth of groceries. So I had to come up with a grocery list. Otherwise parking is $12 an hour! That list included ribs (we like theirs) avocados, green peppers, cilantro (thinking Mexican this weekend), mushrooms, garlic.

John was thinking of me as he captured a lane sign and a sidewalk mural.


Outside the Hockey Hall of Fame.



SOPHISTICATED SHAKERS

No cocktails this week as John is on antibiotics for a tooth.


COCKTAIL CIRCUIT - TO DATE

Mai Tai with orgeat which is new to us
Tequila Sunrise
Rob Roy required bitters which we had never bought
New York Sours 
Gin Fizz
Rusty Nail
Vodka Sidecar
Vodka Cosmopolitan
Negroni
The Perfect Storm
Boulevardier
Side Car
Jalapeno Margarita
The Godfather


COOKING

Saturday I made veal mushroom loaves, colcannon (potatoes and spinach) and sweet carrots with mushroom gravy. Nice recipe but the fat from the meat overflows the muffin tins. 



Sunday we had roasted chicken quarters with salad.

Monday John asked for chips and eggs and we had it along with white and black pudding and beans.

Tuesday was Saturday's leftovers and I made more mushroom gravy.

Wednesday calves liver, mashed potatoes, fried onions and Brussel sprouts.

Thursday pork chops au gratin potatoes and Brussel sprouts.

Friday steak and sauteed green peppers mushrooms bok choy and onions,




WATCHING

Tuesday at the Movies

The Woman in the Window - I know it had terrible reviews but on the whole it was a good thriller and actually better than the book.



I am ALL GIRLS 2021 was excellent. A crime thriller about human (specifically little girls) trafficking a world wide problem.
It’s a South African movie and based on true events. Because this story begins in 1994 and takes place in South Africa, the issue of Apartheid also plays a part.


Alone 2020 a thriller with an often repeated story line. Single woman, deserted highway at night, weird creepy guy with a push broom for a mustache tormenting her.

Other movies watched this week.

Spiral 2019 a Canadian horror thriller film. The film stars Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman and Ari Cohen as Malik and Aaron, respectively, a same-sex couple who move to a lily-white upper-crust small town with their daughter Kayla, only to suspect that their initial welcome from their neighbors Marshall and Tiffany may be concealing something much more sinister.
At first it is a simple horror movie with the usual creepy basements and bloody attics, creaks and bangs and hair-raising cues. 
Nothing is going to go well for Malik as the only Black in town.
But in this horror film, the horror is our history, our treatment of minorities. The cycle goes on as shown in the last scene. We are always afraid of people who appear to be "different" from us.


The Nest 2020 starring Jude Law is a psychological thriller set in the 1980s. This
 movie says everything about this dysfunctional family while saying nothing.
Jude Law gives one of his greatest performances as the born poor rags to riches to rags character. There is even a little of Don Draper (Mad Men) in him.
But Carrie Coon as his wife, Alison, gives us an even more impressive performance! You feel for her.
You are left wondering if Rory and Alison can/should survive as a couple/family?


Started watching, but didn't finish, we will...
Run This Town 2019 although the film is meant to show the downfall of Toronto's mayor Rob Ford it focuses more on the young Millennials who feel there is no future for them.
The choice to center “Run This Town” on Millennial malaise is an odd one, made all the more perplexing by the fact that director Ricky Tollman decided to center his story mostly on two fictional male Millennial characters, rather than the real-life reporter Robyn Doolittle, who spent years covering Ford’s various scandals before finding herself with video footage of Ford smoking crack.
Damien Lewis as Ford comes across as a caricature, in fact at the beginning John thought the movie was meant to be a spoof. The fat suit he wears makes him look like a Simpson character.
In case you are unaware Rob was the brother of our current premier DoFo Doug Ford. 
Don't waste your time.

READING

Toronto Public Library’s Membership Services said the online library set a new world record of 8 million digital downloads of e-books and audiobooks in 2020.


On my laptop Flavor Flours was all right.

On my phone The Red Lotus  was an okay read as I skimmed a lot of it. 

On my tablet Day of the Accident definitely kept me hooked!
Started Not a Drop to Drink a YA dystopian novel, not my usual cup of tea but I'm sticking with it.

13 comments:

  1. As always lovely outdoor shots! I really liked the mural on the side of the single garage, cute! Your embroidery piece is lovely!

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  2. I absolutely love your flower pot that you used to repot the baby from the plant. The blooming trees all look beautiful. I've been looking for peaceful calming things to watch. I am not quite up for thrillers. Have a great week.

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  3. You had a busy week.

    The entire Ford family disgusts me. Everytime I see his used car salesman grin or hear him say the word folks, I want to punch him in the face.

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    1. You and me both, William!!! He makes my skin crawl

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  4. Your embrodery skills are epic! I'd have blood on it from pricking my finger. So jealous :-) You have me intrigued about The Nest. I like Jude Law.

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  5. When we were in Toronto there was some talk of demolishing the Gardiner Expressway. It is certainly a bit of blight between the city and the lake. But really, the proven cure for a congested freeway is to add more lanes. While adding lanes hasn't worked here, I am sure if we add enough, it will eventually work. We'll just keep on trying, like in China where they need to add more lanes and build on the ten in each direction.

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  6. Oh yes. Just say no to Dougs, haha. Good one.

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  7. I'm very glad they are reopening the outdoors soon. I really didn't understand that.

    Your embroidery pops. Be sure to share it when you frame it.

    The garage murals are especially interesting. Just about everyone could put a mural on her garage, I think.

    Who knew there were so many ice creams? My husband doesn't like sweets but he did like the gelato in Italy.

    I'm adding The Nest and Woman in the Window to my list. Hope they are not too scary for me!

    I was so glad that my nearby library offered up to thirty book downloads at a time during the early part of the pandemic when our libraries were closed.

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  8. I sure hope everyone during the summer don't go crazy and have to have anther shut down in colder months. I been also embrodiary quilt blocks. I'm planning to make each granddaughter a sampler quilt. I just watch a movie about "Fridia Kolher" and interesting and strong personality.
    Coffee is on and stay safe

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  9. Love your photos. Love the embroidery piece. I finished one last august, and then bought another but haven't started it yet.

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  10. That’s a lot of traffic, especially if lockdown is still a thing, explains the spread though!

    Wishing you a great week

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  11. Yay for opening up a bit -- and sanely. Our restaurants are open for indoor seating, but we haven't gone yet. You have so many great photos this week. Can't wait to get out and about again. I have Not a Drop to Drink on my list -- I think I'll like it more than you will.

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  12. Well done on the embroidery! The plant in the pot, i have the same one here in a pot on my kitchen windowsill.

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