Linking up with Marg at The Intrepid Reader
20 March 2026 - Toronto ON
SATURDAY
And it is cold out. John went to No Frills and now I'm happy that we have more vegetables, cabbage and turnip. And butter was only $5 so we added to our stockpile. Gotta grab sale items when you can.
While he was out I tidied the kitchen, emptied the dishwasher and the dryer and filled it up again.
SUNDAY
I made a pot of vegetable stock from the bag of vegetable bits and bobs, I was going to add the other freezer stock but decided that I could add the chicken bones from tonight's dinner instead.
MONDAY
A quick glance up and I caught this, it was gone in minutes. I really do have to make the effort one morning to go out by the lake to catch the sun rise.
This random woman got on the elevator, on our floor, never saw her before, and she is showing us the cupcake she just received.
John spontaneously asked if we could go for Jersey Mike's subs for lunch. It is Spring Break!! Union Station was packed with suburbanites dragging tons of kids and pushing various modes of kiddie transit!! After scarfing down our subs, he asked what we should do. Knowing that most places would be packed, I suggested we check out the new subway line.
TTC Line 5 Eglinton (the Crosstown LRT) opened on Feb. 8, 2026, as a 19-km, 25-station line that finally connects east-west travel across Toronto. Despite being over 15 years in the making, the line surprises with its speed, underground depth, and modernized, though initially constrained, operations
We rode from Eglinton all the way to the Wend of the line at Kennedy and then back, with a layover at Eglinton. No major hiccups in our commute — though the stations are freezing cold.
Cheap day out, at $2.25 each.
Eglinton Station: "Light from Within" by Rodney Lateral and Luis Withhoff—a large, mirrored tile panel inspired by underground gems.
I will go back and check out the other public art pieces.
Each station's signage is a riff on this.
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Old-fashioned cloth seats - I would prefer something easily cleaned! BTW a cleaner came on the car when we were waiting at Mount Dennis on the east bound train. I've only ever seen that done, at Broadview, on the streetcar.
Mount Dennis art.
Some sights along the way.
The Aga Khan Museum, we have yet to go there!
"Seated Bear With Friends" sculpture, a massive bronze statue of a female grizzly sitting on a chair, located in Toronto's Big Bear Park.
Size and Structure: The statue is 10 metres tall, weighs over 5,600 kg, and sits on a black granite armchair.
Artist and Meaning: Created by Haida First Nation artist Dean Drever, the sculpture is designed to represent a protector and nurturer, serving as a Canadian mirror image of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
It turned into a lengthy outing as we caught the 5:30 shuttle home.
It truly was a day like this!
TUESDAY
SIGNS - Line 5 yesterday's TTC excursion
I/we had some loose plans, however, it was too damn cold!
WEDNESDAY
Like most mornings, we enjoy sitting around and catching up on the news and reading.
I finally applied myself and worked on a recap from our last trip.
I went to Longo's and grabbed another corned beef as it was on sale. It was cold out!
John used the updated golf simulator.
I made some soup for lunches while making dinner and watching The Traitors UK.
THURSDAY
I renewed my library card online, seems John did his this week also.
Normally we would have gone out in the morning but we decided to have lunch at home.
We decided to go to the AGO, that was a mistake! It was packed with Spring Breakers, who knew that many people would take their kids to the museum! But as someone said to me, a lot of people are not travelling to the States anymore. And with the price of fuel...
This building is going up quickly, on King St., interesting looking.
Forma (266 King St W) is the premier new construction project located immediately next to the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, offering luxury condos designed by Frank Gehry. Currently under construction, this two-tower project features a distinctive, sculpted facade and is expected to be a landmark in the Entertainment District.It made me think of the Alzheimer building in Las Vegas and sure enough, that was designed by Frank Gehry, Canadian (Toronto)-born American architect.
We also saw his work in Dusseldorf Germany.
Cute little sculptures added to the benches outside OCAD.
Love this addition. John mentioned that he thought we had seen this before, at Harbourfront. We had seen some of Price's work before at Harbourfront!
Speaking of Frank Gehry above, he designed the staircase at the AGO.
Inside the AGO is another new piece.
George I (2014), a relief painting by British artist Julian Opie depicting internationally acclaimed Canadian interior designer George Yabu.
This striking 3D portrait shows Yabu with a calm, introspective expression, his eyes meeting those of the viewer. Opie paints his face using three tones — light, mid and dark — casting a shadow along the right side. His signature approach to flatness and depth can be seen through his application of flat, minimal colours on a sculptural canvas that extends 40 cm from the wall. Hard-edged highlights and shadows contrast against simple black outlines, a hallmark of Opie’s characteristic style.
Since founding their firm Yabu Pushelberg in 1980, Yabu and his partner, Glenn Pushelberg, have become icons in global design. Operating out of Toronto and New York, their studio shaped the designs of some of the world’s most beautifully designed spaces, including the Four Seasons New York Downtown, multiple Louis Vuitton boutiques and the flagship Barneys New York on Madison Avenue. In recognition of their impact, Yabu and Pushelberg were inducted into the Order of Canada in 2014.
Opie first gained prominence in the early 1980s as part of the New British Sculpture movement, celebrated for his large-scale, boldly painted steel sculptures of everyday objects like books and chocolate bars. He often explores themes of consumer culture, identity and everyday human life in his artistic works – all of which continue to define his career and style today. He is best known for his abstractions in contemporary portraiture, where he commonly reduces his subject matter to simple lines and colour planes.
We came to see this exhibit, and because it was so crowded, we only looked at this.
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MIAMI
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We stopped off for a coffee in a new to us, coffeeshop.
John said he would try the "Cajun" (that's what I heard) latte, so I said me too. He said it's going to be spicy, no problem, I said. Only to realize when I tasted it that he had said CAYENNE, and it was spicy!!!
FRIDAY
What a miserable morning for the first day of spring! I put off going out until the afternoon so I made a batch of mixed fruit scones for the freezer.
I also made an apple crisp.
I went for a haircut and found a new way to get there without going outside!
Comicon is on at the convention centre so Front St. was packed!
COOKING
I shuffled the menu around, originally I was keeping the corned beef for Tuesday, but then decided to have it on Saturday and do the leftovers on Tuesday, St. Patrick's Day. But then I thought, corned beef is not traditional Irish, so let's have lamb, which is traditional, on St. Patrick's Day with a Guinness instead.
Stuff to use up
Phyllo pastry
Dumpling covers
Strawberries frozen
Saturday
L - grilled cheese and bacon
D - corned beef, boiled potatoes and fried cabbage. My Mom would have added the cabbage to the corned beef water to cook. I prefer not to lose the goodness (nutritional value) of the cabbage into the water.
Sunday
L - bacon and scrambled eggs
D - chicken quarters, (leftover boiled) roast potatoes, mashed turnips and carrots, gravy
Monday
L - out Jersey Mike's subs
D - leftover corned beef, roast potatoes and cabbage
Tuesday
L - corned beef hash with Irish soda bread
D - Guinness lamb shanks, potatoes, carrots, onions, carrots and turnips
Wednesday
L - tomato sandwiches because they need to be eaten
D - hamburger patties, gravy, mashed potatoes and beans. Good comfort food.
Thursday
L - homemade soup
D - chicken curry - coconut milk and sauce were in the freezer.
Friday
L - leftover chicken curry
D - steak, loaded baked potato
Moist coconut flour chocolate cake with ganache gluten free dairy free
Sentimental Value was a no-go for us.
We decided to re-watch the Peaky Blinders series ahead of the new movie so that took up most of our viewing time.
I watched My Policeman The arrival of Patrick into Marion and Tom's home triggers the exploration of seismic events from 40 years previously. Well, that was depressing.
READING
Tom mentioned a photographer I had never heard of, Saul Leiter. I couldn't find anything about him/photographs at the library. But I did find a website dedicated to his work.
If you would like a quick overview of his work, here is a video on YouTube.
I also read a great post by DVArtist, Nicole, about an incredible woman, Margaret Chung!
I really didn't read much at all. I am still reading a Mark Billingham book.
Love that work-of-art cupcake, the "Light From Within" mirrored art, and your photos from the Paul McCartney exhibition!
ReplyDeleteYes, when I first saw the mirrored art, I loved it.
DeleteTwitter beans coffee house was beautiful. I would gladly drink coffee there.
ReplyDeleteRiding the train was a really cheap way to spend an afternoon together. You also saw some great art and a nice mural along the way.
Frank Gehry is a great architect. I love his work. What a stunning building that is turning out to be.
That Paul McCartney exhibition was amazing. I enjoyed seeing them and reading all about how the Beatles were so famous in Canada before they were in the U.S.
Goldstruck Coffee sounds like a great place to visit. I only drink Sumatra coffee, so I was glad to see they served it.
It's amazing what people will do and wear to Comicon. I enjoyed the photos of those attending.
Thanks for sharing your week with us and all the drink references fr T this week, Jackie.
We love exploring local coffeeshops. We did have a good week, despite the weather and the crowds!
DeleteI liked the Saul Leiter photos so I made note of the books and documentaries mentioned in Tom's post. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI wish there was a published volume of Dr. Margaret Chung's diaries! What a fascinating life!
Love the cute animal sculptures, especially the lil beaver!
I'm so glad you enjoyed the Leiter and Chung stories! I would love to see/read more about Chung as well.
DeleteNaturally the new Line 5 interests me, but the McCartney photo exhibition looks to be well done.
ReplyDeletePhyllo? We don't have too many language differences but filo is certainly one.
In spite of the weather, you had a busy enough week.
I knew you'd enjoy the line 5! We also have a line 6 under construction, wreaking havoc throughout the city!
DeleteYes, the weather is typical March. a mixture of everything. I think phyllo is one of the few cases where we tend to use the American spelling. Now I will have to check what we have at the grocery store!
I'm a huge fan of subways. I've ridden on them in Chicago, NYC, Paris, and your city, and I've loved them all. It's so much better than driving and parking.
ReplyDeleteIt's fun to see all the folks who came out for Comicon.
It's fun to check out the new subway line. The Paul McCartney exhibition looks great. Thank you for your weekend coffee share.
ReplyDelete