Jumping Bean

 Linking up with Marg at The Intrepid Reader

Weekend Coffee Share
Sunday Salon

Sherry's Pickings

Monday Morning Blog Club at Sticky Mud and Belly Laughs

T Stands for Tuesday

Small Pleasures

9 October 2026 - Toronto ON

ST. JOHN'S NL

LAST WEEK'S POST

Saturday

Just for fun, what did I do today??

Added frequent flyer numbers and passport info on AF website. Wrote them on our paper tickets and added to my cell.

Wrote 3 posts. Linked up weekly post and September recap.

Provided info to cruise company for refund - they had all that info already since had already taken my money, whatever, I'll play nice.

Read some blogs.

I had a major meltdown as I thought my laptop had died. It didn't but I then did multiple backups of files and photos just in case!!!

Showered, dressed and lunched. Took pork out for dinner. Checked the weather in Budapest.

Spent ages trying to buy train tickets on a Hungarian website, finally success. 

I did a load of laundry after we (finally) unpacked our suitcase. 

It took thirty minutes to optimize my laptop, I had forgotten to do it last month.

I installed Apple on my laptop. Looked for MKR new season but couldn't get it to open.

Filed some photos. Did our mail in voting for mayor.

Prepped dinner.

Changed all the garbage, regular, recycling and green bin.

John took a walk to get some cool, fresh air.

We watched the first episode of new series War. Two top London law firms clash over a shocking divorce case that rocks the legal world, with elite attorneys from Cathcarts and Taylor and Byrne battling for supremacy. Hey, Dominic West stars in it, so it has to be good.

We also caught up on Criminal Intent Toronto.

Sunday 

We had 10:15 mani pedi appointments but we are still coughing so cancelled until Wednesday.

We just laid low and entertained ourselves.

Monday

Monday Mural

Foto Tunes

John cancelled golf. We decided to remove a day in Sofia from our plan, it was for one night and involved a flight, so didn't make a lot of sense, we added the day to Belgrade. I confirmed the additional night with the hotel. We also booked our flight from Bucharest to Warsaw.

I got Euros from the bank (FCP) and walked to the Eaton Centre for a sweater that I wanted and also found one for John. I had sushi.

This is a new sign at Union Station. How civilized life was. Now there aren't even any benches or seats because the "unhoused" homeless would occupy them.

I also got confirmation that we will receive a 100% credit from the cruise company. 

We had our first frost warning!

Tuesday

Tuesday Treasures - Little Bighorn

T Stands for Tuesday

With all the news around Cornell I found this to be very interesting.

We stopped into Uniqlo at Union first and John found two lighter sweaters.

We headed to College Park and the subway was a joy, service was turned back at College Park due to "an injury at track level", shut down service between College Park and St. Clair stations. I must say there WERE shuttle buses outside, but the lines were huge.

At Winners we found two suitcases to replace out trusty almost 15 yo ones. The subway was going to be chaotic and we had the suitcases so we walked back.

Wednesday

Signs

10:15 mani pedi appointments came early after getting up at 8!! Walking back.

We headed out at 3:15 to meet John's daughter at Billy Bishop. 

Philip Cote (Anishinaabe-Algonquin muralist and ancestral knowledge keeper)

Cute! As we headed home on the shuttle.

She had been here for a conference and could only book the 7:30 flight home (company rules), so she didn't have time for dinner like we usually do. We took the Porter shuttle to Billy Bishop (island) airport and chatted until 6:15 when she went through security. Best laid plans... She messaged at 9 that flights had been cancelled due to thunderstorms, Porter only flies small plans. Porter simply said make your way to Pearson (train from Union) and see if you can get on a flight there. That didn't make sense timewise!! John picked her and got her to Pearson in no time and she got an 11 PM flight home.

Some customer service!

BTW it was a big light storm!

Thursday

John headed out to play Turtle's Creek at 8:30 and he sent this photo later in the afternoon.

I paid the condo insurance for 2027. I checked on flu shots - not until Oct 26. I filled out the AWAY card and gave it to Steve, I also did the online notification. Put another NO FLYERS sign in our mail box. Completed instructions for T while we are away. I updated our master travel plan.

I am now up to date on Australia My Kitchen Rules 2026!

We watched a 2016 movie with Cillian Murphy Anthropoid. It depicts Operation Anthropoid, the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich by exiled Czechoslovak soldiers Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš in World War II.

Friday

I went for a haircut and ran a couple of errands before meeting my BFF for lobster rolls, our go-to.

I cleaned out fridge and froze the remaining bananas.

We are away starting Monday for three weeks, I will post our itinerary soon.

Autumn is here.

The Canada geese are on their way south.

It is Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. 

COOKING

Saturday - pork tenderloin au gratin potatoes and cauliflower

Sunday - leftovers with additional cauliflower

Monday - Bulgogi beef rice and green beans

Tuesday - Asian beef and beans

Wednesday - ordered Swiss Chalet

Thursday - ham, mashed potatoes cauliflower

Friday - steak green beans and baked potato

READING

I started Standing Still, but honestly, it is a bit of a drag and really not catching my interest.

Monday Mural

   I'm linking up at Monday Mural

April 2026 - Toronto ON

Indigenous Mural Part 1

Billy Bishop Airport Part 2

The Perspectives public art program transforms the pedestrian tunnel at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport into a vibrant celebration of the people, places, and stories that shape Toronto. Each edition highlights five artists, with four works per artist reproduced in a grand and striking format, turning the journey to the airport into an immersive gallery-worthy experience.

Now on Display: Perspectives 3

Our current exhibition (starting March 2026) explores Toronto’s migratory history, its natural landscapes, and its constantly evolving urban patterns, as well as the rhythms and subtle magic of everyday life. From evocative photography to bold digital cityscapes, the works capture the dynamism and diversity that define the city.

Callan Jaida Jones

@trailmxjones

Mx. Callan Jaida Jones is a queer artist and writer. Their multidisciplinary practice investigates points of contact between disparate forces, using shifting perspectives to cultivate empathy.

About their works in Perspectives, they say, “Blueprints is a series of photographs captured from a two-seater Cessna departing from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. My work attends to the city’s quieter spaces, where careful looking draws out hidden grace. For me, this reflects Toronto’s spirit as a city of possibility, experienced through movement and continual discovery.”

Pam Staples

@crackercrumbsstudios

Pam Staples is a digital illustrator with over two decades of experience creating vivid, story-driven visual works that celebrate the natural world, outdoor living and community spaces.

“Living in Toronto as a young artist, I learned the rhythm of a big city at a time when Toronto was evolving into the vibrant, diverse place it is today. Community is central to the city’s identity, and to my practice. Whether referencing the waterfront, the built environment, or the subtle patterns of everyday life, my work aims to honour people and their shared experiences.”

Weekend Roundup

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

1. Starts with "Y" YOUR CHOICE
2. A Favorite
3  YEAR - chosen by Tom

Starts with Y

Airport code for Billy Bishop (Island) Airport, Toronto

The code YTZ for the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport derives from historical Canadian airport coding conventions. The "Y" indicates it was a former radio station location, and "TZ" refers to the city of Toronto, setting it apart from the main Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), which used the code for a station in Malton.

Situated in the Toronto Harbour, the airport (YTZ) is known for its proximity to downtown.

FAVOURITE

YUMA

YEAR - chosen by Tom
Phuket Thailand

Monday Mural

   I'm linking up at Monday Mural

April 2026 - Toronto ON

Mural - The Stories We Carry

Billy Bishop Airport Part 1

The Perspectives public art program transforms the pedestrian tunnel at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport into a vibrant celebration of the people, places, and stories that shape Toronto. Each edition highlights five artists, with four works per artist reproduced in a grand and striking format, turning the journey to the airport into an immersive gallery-worthy experience.

Now on Display: Perspectives 3

Our current exhibition (starting March 2026) explores Toronto’s migratory history, its natural landscapes, and its constantly evolving urban patterns, as well as the rhythms and subtle magic of everyday life. From evocative photography to bold digital cityscapes, the works capture the dynamism and diversity that define the city.

Anson Ng

@hello.anson

Anson Ng is a Toronto-based artist who uses slow, attentive painting to celebrate, archive and honour the people, places and histories that shape us.

Anson says about his works in Perspectives, “Growing up at Spadina and Dundas and later experiencing the loss of my family’s restaurant, my practice is rooted in observing how everyday spaces quietly hold the city together. I paint restaurants and small businesses across Toronto to celebrate, archive, and share the legacies embedded within them.”

P.S. we passed by this restaurant the other day, I intend to go back and get a photo!!

Was on King St. West, now closed.

Was on Spadina, also now closed.

On Elizabeth St. I will get a photo.

Jason Zante

@jasonzanteart

Jason Zante is a Filipino-Canadian artist His work explores the emotional impact of nature, exploring its role as a source of belonging, a sense of home, a call to action, a means of reconnection and an escape from reality.

About the four works in Perspectives, he says, “The Islands” is a collection of landscapes that explore the natural beauty of the Toronto Islands. The works capture the ephemeral essence of the surroundings through expansive scenes that depict the flora, fauna and waters of Lake Ontario. From the soft hues of dawn to the fiery, vivid sunsets, these works express the myriad colours that illuminate the islands.”

Tuesday Treasures

 April 2026 - Toronto ON

Tom hosts Tuesday's Treasures.

Billy Bishop Airport

In partnership with Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, the Women in Aviation Wall of Fame honours the groundbreaking achievements of women in Canadian aviation. This initiative celebrates their contributions to the industry and aims to inspire future generations of aviators.

Click here to read about each of these amazing women!