Monday Mural

 I'm linking up at Monday Mural

March 2024 - Las Vegas NV

Star

 One Word Sunday

Whitehorse, Yukon.

Beans and Brews

 Linking up with Marg at The Intrepid Reader

Weekend Coffee Share
Sunday Salon

June 2024 - Toronto ON

Beans and Brews - Salt Lake City UT

This was a quiet, uneventful week for a change.

Saturday/Sunday was forecasted to be more rainy hot days and lived up to that expectation. John was inspired by my grout cleaning to do the hall and bathrooms.

Here's a funny article about what first time visitors to Toronto need to know.

I updated our map on my blog. I also updated my backup version of my blog.

Monday John used the golf simulator. I went to Longo's and picked up some bargains. 

They started putting up the privacy fence.

John did a Costco run on Tuesday.

This happened out our window.

First item on the list.

The street was still closed when John left, which got me wondering how he would get home. AND how would the bus get here??? Solved! Police allowed residents of our building to go along the one way, the wrong way!

I went down for the 10:30 bus but it was late and cold out so I came back up.

John had a big haul from Costco this week! Lamb was so much cheaper and better than Metro $30/4.2 lb VS $45/4 lbs. I cut the leg up and divided it into four to freeze. It was also a much better cut with no wastage. 

With the lamb, ham, lamb chops, pork belly and chicken thighs we won't need meat for quite a while!

I went to Longo's later to get more of their bacon at $4 and a few other items.

John was watching something and they were drinking Basil Hayden bourbon so I picked one up for him.

Wednesday I planned on getting a haircut so I planned on getting the 10:30 bus and it was later than ever, it turned into the 11:20 bus instead. The traffic has been awful in the mornings, well all day these days with construction.

The Love hands from a distance.

PRIDE at the Royal York Hotel.

I had a burger at Hero's and then looked in Winners and Shoe Company before grabbing the 1:45 bus, you can count on it being on schedule as it is that driver's first run. John headed to golf but they only got a few holes in as we had thunderstorms the rest of the afternoon.

Thursday we thought about going out to lunch, but really, we had too many leftovers, so I had a chicken sandwich and John finished the chicken Alfredo. I froze the chicken soup I had made from the rotisserie chicken carcass and John said he'd finish the potato au gratin with dinner.

More bus woes on Friday. Here was me thinking oh, traffic is light and I can see the bus at the other building leaving at 10:25 to head to us. BUT it sails right by three of us! I sent a note to the office asking ????

I waited for the 11:20 and she asked if we were waiting a long time, I said I was, and she apologized and said it was her fault, also said as I got off bus...

I was thinking that we need a change to the bus schedule due to the construction and then the weekly news update came out with this!

A photo I took downtown.

The privacy fence is finished. It is nice and does finish off the area outside the pool.

It is a long weekend celebrating Canada Day and the PRIDE parade also takes place.

WATCHING

I started watching the new season of Grantchester and finished season three of Guilt.

John finished House of Cards.

We both watched The Gentlemen is an action comedy television series created by Guy Ritchie for Netflix. It is a spin-off of Ritchie's 2019 film of the same name.

Land of Bad 2024 - A US Army special forces unit is ambushed during a mission to retrieve an intelligence asset and their only remaining hope lies with a remote Air Force drone operator assisting them through a brutal 48-hour battle for survival. It has Russel Crowe!

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COOKING

Saturday - chicken masala curry (p87)

Sunday - hamburger went into chili instead patties, gravy, mashed potatoes, carrots and turnips.

Monday - liver, mashed potatoes, carrots and turnips

Tuesday -  pasta lemon parmesan chicken (rotisserie)

Wednesday - ham, broccolini/potato au gratin

Thursday - lamb chops asparagus roast potatoes with garlic herb crumb

Friday - steak loaded baked potato

READING

The Stepmother turned out to be a very good read. It is always good when you think you've solved it and there is a big twist!

I flipped through Recipe Tin Eats and found some ideas I would like to try.

Weekend Roundup

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

1. Has a "Z"
2. A Favorite
3. Our choice - chosen by Tom

Has a Z

GOBZILLA (far right) Salt Lake City UT

FAVOURITE

Looks like a Z

OUR CHOICE

ZION First National Bank Salt Lake City UT

Signs

 Joining Tom at Signs2

Wordless Wednesday Wordless Be There 2day

March/April Road Trip

St. Louis MO

Grand Island NB

Las Vegas NV

AND one I found in our China 2009 files!!!

Monday Mural

 I'm linking up at Monday Mural 

April 2024 - Cheyenne WY

KiriLeigh

Dan Toro

Mural of rapper Ice Cube on T.R.I.B.E. Tattoo Shop. Unknown.

More Cheyenne WY murals

May 12 2024

WELCOME

 One Word Sunday

Dawson City Yukon

Brew Bar

 Linking up with Marg at The Intrepid Reader

Weekend Coffee Share
Sunday Salon

June 2024 - Toronto ON

MAY 2024 - YORK ST. TORONTO

Our usual weekend. Chores etc.

John went out early on Sunday to get gas and gluten free beer for his golfing excursion this week.

Monday Mural from Kensington Market last week. 

Funny,  a few of us were waiting for the bus at 10:30 when it went sailing by before 10:30. We all said huh? With that it does a U-turn and comes back, guess she forgot the schedule!!

I wanted John to come to Kensington Market with me today to show him the spice shop (and to pick up some more things) and to have lunch.

It was 11:20 when we stopped at a place I thought would be good, but they didn't open until noon.

It's summer, it is hot out.

This is where we thought we would eat.

So we went to the spice shop instead.

Then we decided to lunch somewhere else instead (not noon yet, and the other place didn't really have decent seating). What a find, this was amazing.

Film Cafe

I had the ceviche, the best I've had outside of Mexico. John had the chilaquiles with short ribs, and that was very good too. We would definitely go back!

Flying proudly.

Kensington Market is always colourful!

Needed to check on the garden car. To see more of it click on "garden car" in the labels/tags at the bottom of this post.

I would definitely try this place!

The Cottage Cheese - urban Indian, interesting menu! Also added to our list, the curries are gluten free and they can run down the street for their spices!

Wanda's Pie in the Sky.

Store name is Come As You Are.

Blue Banana Market.

Hot sauces.

All kinds of celebrity candles!

A stop in Bunners, for a gluten free cinnamon bun and scone.

Home with my loot. Pappadums - a different brand, coriander chutney, fenugreek leaves ( I didn't see these when I bought the seeds), tamarind paste, hot madras curry, and ground star anise (I have whole ones) . Pate and mozzarella fior di latte from Cheese Magic. Pastry from Bunners.

It always feels good to support local shops.

I'm fangirling watching E34 of MasterChef Australia because Nagi, from Recipe Tin Eats, a blogger that I have followed forever! is a guest. I have made so many of her recipes over the years. I just borrowed her cookbook from the library.

John is away golfing from Tuesday to Thursday.

Tuesday Treasures takes a look at Market St. that I stopped by last week when I went to St. Lawrence Market.

Some signs I've seen recently.

We planned on being up by 7 on Tuesday but a massive thunderstorm was our alarm at 6AM! John was packed and on his way at 7:45 to pick up his buddy for the drive north.

 I cleaned the inside of the living room windows. I also started on the kitchen floor grout. I changed the table runner, and set two plants to soak in the sink.

I then went to meet a friend for lunch at Union Station.

I had a smash burger from Mikey's, it was okay, M had a taco bowl (minus the corn tortilla, we both hate the smell of corn).

I then went and bought these sandals. 

She was catching the train home but the notice board said "cancelled - proceed to bus terminal. 

"Metrolinx issued a news release Tuesday afternoon that certain transit routes are experiencing disruptions as a result of today's high of 33 C, which feels closer to 40 C with the humidex, resulting in a heat warning and special air quality statement.

"During prolonged periods of high heat, rail tracks have the potential to soften and expand that require us to run trains at slower speeds. To ensure the safety of our customers and crew, slow orders are issued along the network which also reduce the risk of track damage," the agency wrote."

I finished the kitchen floor when I got back.

Yes, there is hockey fever here as the Edmonton Oilers are fighting tooth and nail.

Wednesday

I cleaned the outside balcony windows, table and railing glass and the fridge. Then I caught the 10:30 and went browsing around Yonge and Dundas.

Protests against another of our premier's dumb ideas. 

Ontario's controversial plans for Ontario Place include a new massive spa and indoor water park, to be built by Austria-based Therme Canada, as well as a new Ontario Science Centre and more than 20 hectares of green space and beaches.

Union Station's "freebie" stand, today I got a peach cooler. I meant to go back, but I forgot. Usually the is a long line...

Now open, and there was a line-up of people waiting on Yonge St.

A new location in the Atrium.

Ham, lettuce and tomato on a croissant from a new Hazukido location in the Atrium. Delicious!

HAZUKIDO insists on the Shokunin spirit of Japan, using only the finest ingredients to make the highest quality croissant.

The exclusive folding technique creates a classic honeycomb texture that has a perfectly golden crunch. Each croissant spreads the natural buttery aroma and preserves the classic French traditions with generosity.

I poked through the Eaton Centre and found body wash at a massive sale in Bathworks.

I found great t-shirts for John in Winners.

Thursday - we had more thunderstorms overnight.

I went to the Hazukido location in Union to pick up a smoked salmon croissant for lunch and a coffee mascarpone croissant for Friday breakfast. They were so good!!!

Our steak order arrived while I was out.

The annual fire inspection was done around 4PM.

John arrived home around 5:45.

We lost the wrong Donald today.

Friday was a lazy day with more expected thunderstorms.

I made a reservation for Summerlicious, a chance to try new restaurants with a set menu for lunch or dinner. 

WATCHING

I watched Dancing for the Devil - I seem to be into cults (see Books below).

COOKING

Saturday lamb curry spicy Thai mango salad. Curry Guy Bible recipe railway lamb curry was delicious. The online recipe says cook the meat for 40 minutes, the book says 90 minutes. I did 90. Both recipes do not mention marinading the meat which I did in yogurt and spices. The online version of the recipe is better written than the book. 

Here is a video version, again slightly different but all from the Curry Guy.

BTW railway lamb curry is a thing, I found various other recipes for it.

Dinner prep

Sunday burgers and chips (crisps)

Monday pizza

Tuesday John away - leftover lamb curry

Wednesday John away - pork chop, mashed potatoes and turnip

Thursday John back around 6 - fridge leftovers, dips, pita, pate and toast.

Friday steak frites, chimichurri.

READING

I finished Banished about the despicable Westboro Baptist Church. The author was banished from the church for talking to a boy, but she doesn't come across well and the book is not well written either.

But at least I did learn about this horrible cult.

I started The Magdalen Girls. I already knew the history of the Irish Magdalene laundries but this book had a lot of historical detail, I can't believe this was still happening in 1962.

This novel does a good job of explaining the agonizing living conditions that went on in these institutions, all in the name of God.

However the writing is rather simplistic and the character development is lacking.

And I just learned that Joni Mitchell wrote a song called The Magdalene Laundries.