Monday Mural

 I'm linking up at Monday Mural

August 2023 - Whitehorse Yukon

I can't find any information on this mural, I even uploaded the photo to Google Camera and got nothing.

John found it in behind a government(?) building.

Happy Anniversary

 November 27, 2023

All I ask of you is forever to remember me as loving you.

Bean Head

 Linking up with Marg at The Intrepid Reader

Weekend Coffee Share

Sunday Salon

November 2023 - Toronto ON

Another quiet week. Chores got done. I was out most days. I got a haircut. I did some shopping for John (sweaters) and a birthday gift for Montreal and also picked up some requested GF pitas to take to Montreal. 

It got cold enough that I had to break in my new winter coat, which meant I had to find a scarf to go with it and I did on Friday.

John used the golf simulator and did some Amazon shopping.

I placed a couple of Butcher Shop meat deals:
$74.99 for 8 x 12 oz New York Hand-Cut AA/AAA Choice Striploin Steaks (a $174 Value)
$49.99 for 5lbs of Lamb Loin Chops (a $93 Value)

Royal York Hotel

COOKING

Saturday roast beef

Sunday leftover roast beef, mashed potatoes (with leftover carrots/turnips) and Brussel sprouts

Monday leftover roast beef stir-fry with noodles (Jackie) and GF penne (John)

Tuesday roast potatoes, broccoli and salmon (Jackie) snapper (John)

Wednesday bacon mashed potatoes and turnips and carrots

Thursday hamburger patties mashed potatoes beans and gravy

Friday steak frites

WATCHING

The Killer 2023 after a fateful near-miss, an assassin battles his employers and himself, on an international manhunt he insists isn't personal.

 

Season 6 The Crown

The Billionaire, the Butler and the Boyfriend 2023 series how did a feud between the world's richest woman and her daughter develop into a major scandal? This documentary series takes an in-depth look at the whole story.

Click here to read a recap of the story.

Squid Game The Challenge is a British reality competition television series based on the South Korean drama Squid Game.
Four hundred and fifty-six players compete to win US$4.56 million (about £3.6 million), the largest single cash prize in game show history, breaking a previous record of $2,600,000 won by Andrew Kravis by winning The Million Second Quiz. Through a series of games, each player is pushed to their limits and forced to ask themselves how far they will go to win.
The Challenge is just one part of a multi-pronged attempt to capitalize on the “Squid Game” phenomenon, next month, L.A.-area fans can enroll in “Squid Game: The Trials,” where they can pay for the privilege of pretending to debase themselves for a slim chance at erasing their debts. Reality TV and immersive “experiences” are cheaper and faster to whip up than a scripted production, and both help to feed the beast over the long wait.

Like “Battle Royale” and “The Hunger Games” before it, the point of “Squid Game” is that in a deeply unequal society, entertainment comes at a steep moral price. The point of “The Challenge” is that, if you don’t think too hard about it, that entertainment is still pretty fun to watch.

READING
 

I read Don't Close Your Eyes  in one sitting, I couldn't put it down. There was one side plot I didn't think was needed nor developed well enough.

I also enjoyed The Au Pair, an interesting premise although I didn't care for the main character.

WEEKEND ROUNDUP

  Welcome to The Weekend Roundup...hosted by Tom The Back Roads Traveler

1. Starts with "U"
2. A Favorite
3. UTILITY - chosen by Tom

STARTS WITH U

UNIFORM

Las Vegas NV

FAVOURITE

UMBRELLA Toronto ON

UTILITY

Throwback Thursday

Toronto ON

I love wandering this city and learning about local heroes.


This statue of Dr. Norman Bethune was unveiled in 2014 surrounded by trees at U of T, where the Gravenhurst, Ont. native completed his medical degree in 1916.

Canadian physician Norman Bethune (BSc Med 1916) was a military surgeon, inventor and humanitarian who greatly advanced medical science and helped improve life in his adopted country of China.

Bethune developed the first mobile blood bank service, which allowed for blood transfusions on battlefields. He also pioneered new surgical techniques and instruments, and was one of Canada’s earliest proponents of universal health care. He is revered in China for training its doctors and paramedics and ministering to wounded soldiers and sick villagers during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The life-size bronze sculpture features him wearing traditional Chinese clothing and a stethoscope.


The piece was created by Toronto sculptor David Pellettier, the artist behind the ferry terminal statue of late NDP leader Jack Layton.

The sculpture is inscribed with words adopted from Bethune’s writings:

“… I am content. I am doing what I want to do. Why shouldn’t I be happy – see what my riches consist of. First I have important work that fully occupies every minute of my time… I am needed."

Monday Mural

  I'm linking up at Monday Mural

August 2023 - Whitehorse Yukon

The parking lot behind the Hougen's retail complex on Main Street was painted to look like a frontier main street during the filming of a movie in 1993. The work of Haines Junction artist Lance Burton and the Youth of Today Society, this was the first of Whitehorse's murals.

Bonanza

  Linking up with Marg at The Intrepid Reader

Weekend Coffee Share

Sunday Salon

November 2023 - Toronto ON

August 2023 - Dawson City Yukon

Saturday was the usual laze around day.

Sunday we met up with my cousin and family for brunch at the Brogue Inn.

Tuesday I did some groceries and John got the winter tires put on the car. I filled three bags for charity, cushions, material, a mirror, shoes, clothes etc. John also got rid of a dozen t-shirts.

Wednesday I met my friend at her retirement home and we had lunch in the Bistro.

I had the east coast platter, shrimp and smoked salmon.

We didn't do much the rest of the week. John took the three bags to Value Village. He also got his wine bottled and picked up groceries.

COOKING

Saturday spaghetti and home made meatballs

Sunday tomato and bacon sandwiches

Monday curry chicken (clearing out the freezer continues)

Tuesday roast chicken thighs, roasted potatoes and carrots

Wednesday pizza

Thursday chicken wings and fries

Friday steak, sauteed potatoes and mushrooms and chimichurri. 

WATCHING

Fear the Night follows Iraqi war veteran Tess, as she prepares to strike back after a group of home invaders attack during her sister's bachelorette party, and she discovers that they are hellbent on not leaving any witnesses behind.

The Son of No One a young cop is assigned to a precinct in the working class neighborhood where he grew up, and an old secret threatens to destroy his life and his family.

Killshot Carmen Colson and her ironworker husband Wayne are placed in the Federal Witness Protection program after witnessing an "incident". Thinking they are at last safe, they are targeted by an experienced hit man and a psychopathic young upstart killer. The ensuing struggle will test Carmen to the limit.

Kandahar a CIA operative and his translator flee from special forces in Afghanistan after exposing a covert mission.

Silent Hours private detective John Duval, an ex-lieutenant commander in the Royal Navy and Naval Intelligence, finds himself the prime suspect in a police hunt for a sexual killer when three women are brutally murdered.

Billionaire Murders  - this documentary follows the investigation into the deaths of billionaire and generic drug mogul Barry Sherman and his philanthropist wife Honey by Toronto Star reporter Kevin Donovan. Very intriguing and you are left wondering who did it?

John has finished Downton Abbey series so we watched the first movie, set in 1927.

READING

I finished The Angel, it is third in a series so perhaps that is why I didn't love it, not having read the other two.

I loved The Wife Between Us satisfyingly long and twisty.

I started Buried Lies and I am enjoying it as I did her other books.

Weekend Roundup

  Welcome to The Weekend Roundup...hosted by Tom The Back Roads Traveler

1. Starts with "T"
2. A Favorite
3.  TREE - chosen by Tom

Starts with "T"

TAXI TORONTO

For a movie shoot at Dundas Square.

FAVOURITE

TREE

Banyan TREE

Hilo Big Island of Hawaii

TT - Palm Springs CA

October 2015 - Palm Springs CA

Click here for more photos from our visit to the garden.

This sculpture garden is tucked away behind the palm trees that line highway 111 beside the Art Museum.

Set in a lushly landscaped desert oasis of water features, native plants and winding walkways dotted with natural rock benches, the sculpture garden houses the art of modern masters, including works by Donald Judd, Betty Gold, Yehiel Shemi , Felipe Castaneda, Jesús Bautista Moroles, Dan Namingha, Gio Pomodoro, and Dave McGary.

The 250,000 square feet of sculpted, rolling landscape is covered with native plantings, winding pathways, and water features.

I thought I recognized this young lady!! I believe we had seen it in Sante Fe NM years ago.

The title is Walks Among The Stars by Dave Mc Gary. It is the second bronze in the Native American Women series. It depicts a late 18th century Lakota woman displaying her beautiful heirloom star quilt. As the Indian Wars ended and the North Plains tribes faced relocation to reservations, the Sioux women began making patchwork, quilts as replacements for traditional buffalo robes. Today, the star quilt is a symbol of prestige, sentiment, belonging and status within the contemporary Lakota culture.

Palm Springs

I knew it! I looked through my Santa Fe photos and there she is! I swear it's the same maiden in 2006.

And I had posted it back in 2013.

Santa Fe

Monday Mural

   I'm linking up at Monday Mural

August 2023 - Whitehorse Yukon

A shed behind Riverside Grocery at 201 Lowe Street received a mural by Colin Alexander in 2015, and the process of painting it was captured by Christopher di Armani. The name of the city of Whitehorse came from the White Horse Rapids, whose foaming crests were said to make some people think of the manes of a herd of white horses.

In the McBride Museum we saw this painting.

The White Horse Rapids swiftly became known as the greatest peril on the Trail of '98. More treacherous than Miles Canyon or Five Finger Rapids, the White Horse Rapids were in fact the greatest threat to navigation on the entire Yukon River. For many who tried to conquer the turbulent water in this area, the waves resembled the long flowing manes of white charging horses.

This painting depicting the rapids has recently been moved to the Land and Light Gallery. Painting by Edith Jerome.

Wilkie's Bakery

 Linking up with Marg at The Intrepid Reader

Weekend Coffee Share

Sunday Salon

Sunday Post

November 2023 - Toronto ON

September 2023 - Orillia ON

It was nice to sleep in our own bed, although the bed in the hotel was excellent!

Around 11 I decided to make two banana cranberry loaves. I used dried cranberries (I don't normally buy them - they have been in the cupboard from a long ago trip to Picard's).

In the process of cleaning out the freezer I threw out a bag of sad frozen bag of bananas (I had another better looking one), slowly getting it emptied.

Then I prepared the sauce for spareribs (bought BOGO), then popped them into the slow cooker. That was three hours of my day.

The time change totally messed with my Sunday, not much got done.

Monday was a weird weather day, we had a bit of everything. We dodged it all while we went for our flu shots and had a late lunch out..

Tuesday we went for mani-pedis.

A little decluttering every day, it is easy. We finally got rid of two cells and chargers that we got a few years ago - free - as part of a SIM card purchase in the States.

Wednesday John had an early morning appointment downtown and I met him at 11:45 for lunch. However, the theatre crowd were lined up at Fran's and we figured we didn't have a chance of getting in so we walked up Yonge to Burger King, it has been years since we ate there.

With time to kill, we people-watched in the Eaton Centre and then headed over to the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre for In Dreams. This play was  absolute entertainment, I could watch it again.

Click here for the promo.

In Dreams is a jukebox musical with a book by David West Read and featuring the songs of Roy Orbison. The musical uses the songs of Orbison to tell a modern-day story about Kenna, the former lead singer of a country rock band, who reconnects with her old friends at a family-run Mexican restaurant.

It premiered in Leeds England in July 2023 and most of the cast transferred here to the Toronto production. Click here for a lengthy overview of the Leeds production.

There was rain and hail as we headed back to the bus. Display in Royal York.

Thursday was basically a lazy day. We did get our Waygu t-bone steaks.

Friday we took the 9:30 bus downtown as we were picking up lunch at the French bakery and bringing it to friends for lunch. We had just ate here in September, it was gone!

So we resorted to pre-made sandwiches and some flowers instead.

We then spent the afternoon visiting.

COOKING

Saturday pork spare ribs and baked potato

Sunday beef stroganoff noodles for me and rice for John shepherd's pie

Monday leftovers

Tuesday beef stroganoff

Wednesday ordered Chinese. Spring rolls (Jackie) honey garlic ribs, black pepper steak and Peking chicken with rice.

Thursday Chinese leftovers

Friday steak and sauteed cabbage, onions, peppers and bok choy

WATCHING

Burning Body Spanish 2023 mini-series - when a police officer is murdered and set on fire, all eyes focus on two other agents; his girlfriend and her lover. Inspired by true events. We enjoyed this.

We tried watching Locked In 2021 but it was just too bad. 

We really enjoyed Special Ops: Lioness season one.

We started The Burning Girls -a reverend and her daughter start a new life in a village that soon reveals its community's dark history and where ancient superstitions and mistrust of outsiders are quite common. We didn't think we would enjoy this, but we did.

READING

I finished Maid, I really wanted to like this book. But the writing was not that good and the story seems one sided. She isn't a teenager when she gets pregnant. Why would you buy yourself a $200 ring when you can't put food on the table? None of us could work only 25 hours a week and expect to pay our bills.

I couldn't be bothered to finish The Last Place You Look, too cliched. 

I started The Angel, it is a good read.