Canucky Joe

 Linking up at Marg at The Intrepid Reader 

Weekend Coffee Share

Sunday Salon

Hearth and Soul Link Party

Ingersoll ON

January 2022 - Toronto ON

And just like that....

And I do NOT agree as we go into another lockdown!

Ontario moves school online, closes indoor dining and gyms as part of sweeping new COVID-19 measures

New Year's Day we slept in and were having a lazy day until I decided (insert crazy) to make gluten free puff pastry ✅for the first time ever. Normal people just buy it but I have never seen gluten free frozen yet. Why?? Because I wanted sausage rolls. 

The pastry turned out to be pretty good, not as flaky as I hoped. This recipe used bread flour I will try it with regular gf flour next time. I also think we may have overworked it.

Tuesday John used the golf simulator in the morning. 

I had my booster booked for 2:50 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. I dressed warmly and John dropped me off. I went into my time slot lane and entered the building immediately. No waiting outside. It was 2:35 when I passed through the first check in, no ID just the usual, any symptoms or travelled? No and no. Up the escalator into a snake line with social distancing followed by all. Groups of 10 were allowed at a time for check in with health cards. Another line into the hall where you went to a designated health care worker. More questions and then a needle. This time I got Moderna 0.5 ml full dose. Waited my fifteen minutes and out at 3:50. Very impressive!

Wednesday and the cleaning lady wanted to cancel this week due to the high number of cases, we'll discuss again next week.

Other than a sore arm I had no effects from the shot. No where to go, we hung around home, never a problem.

John had placed an order for wine from Toronto Life magazine and it arrived with the concierge phoning up and singing "we're gonna have a party".

Thursday John hit the golf simulator. Nope, as of yesterday all building amenities closed, valet service suspended and guest suites cancelled. UPDATE the condo manager reached out to the Ministry of Health to clarify the provincial ruling and 

“Apartments and condo buildings would not be considered public settings or facilities, and are thus not captured under the Step 2 measures announced earlier this week. Apartments and condo buildings may implement their own rules respecting use of gyms”... So amenities are now reopened with strict rules. Valet services however, remain suspended as a valet has been confirmed as positive.

We received our online grocery order. I had remembered to check their flyers because at this time of year they do a lot of BOGO (buy one get one) deals. They weren't as great as last year but maybe next week. I still got tomatoes, cucumber, blueberries at 2 for 1.

A new puzzle! For John...

Andrew High Riser has won this award from Yorkshire Pudding, DESERVEDLY!

Question for my fellow bloggers. We all follow/read bloggers that we don't really comment on but enjoy their writing/topics. Have you discovered that any of them are anti-vaxxers and been shocked? No need to reveal who it is. Just curious...

COOKING

Saturday New Year's Day prime rib, roast potatoes, mashed turnips and carrots, cauliflower and gravy

Sunday leftover prime rib, mashed potatoes and cauliflower, Brussel sprouts

Monday curry chicken

Tuesday gluten free lasagna. John complained that I haven't made it in ages, I had to check and he was right, it was September 2020! I didn't have ricotta so moved to the weekend. 

Instead John suggested hamburger stew.

Wednesday we had the leftover curry and stew for lunch and had cheeses and pate for dinner.

Thursday raman noodle soup with char sui pork. I combined recipes. Not bad for a first attempt.

Friday steak, sauteed green pepper, mushrooms and onions.

WATCHING

The Lost Daughter - Olivia Colman is stunning. John would hate the movie!

Such fun watching Olivia dance to a Jon Bon Jovi song.

I took a break from Endeavour and started watching The Twelve (Dutch: De Twaalf) is a 2019 Flemish-language television series that looks at the criminal justice system in a way we generally haven’t seen before. We get to see the inner and outer lives of the members of the jury as the trial goes on, to see what biases and life experiences they bring to the conference table when listening to evidence against Frie and figuring out whether she’s guilty. You can find a clip here on Netflix.

We binge watched season 6 of Line of Duty, it is currently on a pay station that is open for the holidays.

We both watched the season premiere of Wall of Chefs (Canada) and Gordon Ramsay's new show Next Level Chef. 

We watched the Netflix limited series Harlan Corben's Stay Close. Enjoyed the surprise ending.

We rented the latest Bond No Time to Die and it was worth it! It ties up loose ends and shows Bond as a "real" person. The film is full of great action scenes, superb cinematography. At 2 hours and 43 minutes it is the longest Bond movie. Totally entertaining!

 

 

READING

I read (painfully) Mary McCarthy's Memories of a Catholic Girlhood. Interesting that it starts with her parents dying from the flu pandemic in 1918. It is wordy but her wit is rapier sharp. What do we really remember? The idea that we can recall something as potentially not true as all is terrifying.

I started the second in Jenny O'Brien's series The Darkest Night so far so good.

Weekend Roundup

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

Starts with A

Favourite

ALONE - chosen by Tom

TATS and TOTES

I'm going to feature the many Toronto tattoo and cannabis outlets that are proliferating around the city.

Starts with A

ABSOLUTE ARTS Tattoo

FAVOURITE

ART

Fort Smith AK

Portuguese artist Bordalo II begins each of his animal sculptures in a grimy hunt for raw materials in junk yards or abandoned factories. Car bumpers, tires, door panels, mountains of malleable plastic bumpers, and even entire vehicles are stacked and bolted to the sides of buildings to resemble everything from pelicans to foxes and tiny rodents. The pieces grow on-site, taking form as he interprets the available materials. As a final detail each animal is finished with a flourish of spray paint that bestows a near lifelike quality.

Through his art, Bordalo II hopes to draw attention to our culture’s uncontrollable production of waste.

 

ALONE

Spadina subway station Toronto ON

FRINGE BENEFIT

Will attempt to feature a mural. 

ANCHOR Bar Buffalo NY

Featured Canadian Artist of the Day

Tobermory Winter

Ruta Odrach 1982

Tobermory ON is a small community at the northern tip of the Bruce peninsula, about 300 km about 190 miles from Toronto.

Ruta Odrach was born in 1953 in Toronto, Canada. She studied at the University of Toronto, then transferred to the Pratt Institute, NYC, where she received a degree in architecture. Her love of city life and the inter-relationships of the built form in different settings are reflected in much of her work.

Another new to me artist that we will be seeing more of here.

Featured Canadian Artist of the Day

Trans-Canada Highway

Peter McConville 2018

This is an image I am very familiar with driving the Trans-Canada or 401 highway.

Featured Canadian Artist of the Day

Prairie Winter Night

Allen Sapp ~ Cree 1965

Allen Sapp, OC, SOM (January 2, 1928 – December 29, 2015) was a Canadian Cree painter, who resided in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. His art and his story have become well known throughout Canada. His paintings tell a personal story, and many feature images of his grandmother. His work and life story have been the subject of a number of books and television documentaries.


Sapp was born on the Red Pheasant Reserve, south of the city of North Battleford.His mother suffered from tuberculosis and died during his adolescence.

Sapp was raised by his maternal grandmother and grandfather, Albert and Maggie Soonias. As a child he was often ill and spent long hours in bed. His grandmother nurtured him and encouraged his love of drawing, while teaching him in the Cree ways.

He attended the Red Pheasant school, but his grandfather removed him from the school because he needed him on the farm. Sapp remained at home and cared for his grandmother until she died in 1963.

After her death, Sapp moved to North Battleford to try to make a living as an artist, selling paintings door to door. In 1966 he met Dr. Allan Gonor, who recognized Sapp's talent and encouraged him to paint what he knew—life on the reserve. Sapp began to paint his childhood memories, often staying up all night painting. Gonor helped him to sell several paintings to the Winnipeg Art Gallery. In 1969, 40 of his paintings were displayed in an exhibition at the Robertson Galleries. By the 1970s, his work was known across North America and as far away as London, England.

In 1986, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada "for his portrayals of Native peoples and of life on the reserve". In 1985, he was awarded the Saskatchewan Order of Merit. In 1975, he was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.

Lake Erie and Niagara Falls

 January 2022 

As per a question from Andrew, I was intrigued also.

How are the waters of Niagara Falls and Lake Erie divided up?? 

So off I went to research Google. I was surprised to learn how many falls there are around the lake.

Niagara Falls - our 2018 winter photos.

WINTER

SUMMER

2017 summer photos

2021 pandemic photos

Source

Lake Erie is the second smallest of the Great Lakes, and unfortunately has a bad reputation due to pollution and industry. In the lake's industrial heyday a few of its tributaries caught fire, most notably the Cuyahoga in the 50's and 60's. Since then great efforts have been made to clean the lake up. There is still natural beauty to be found around the lake, and surprisingly there are waterfalls.

The waterfalls are almost exclusively found along the southern shore of Lake Erie. On the north side of the lake all the waterfalls, with one exception, fall over the Niagara Escarpment away from Lake Erie. A waterfall tour around Lake Erie would start in Elyria, 30 miles west of Cleveland, where you can find West Falls and East Falls. A little farther east is Berea Falls.

The Welland Canal connects Lake Ontario and Lake Erie through a series of eight locks, allowing ships to bypass the 51 m (167 ft) high Niagara Falls.

Tuesday Treasures

 Tom the backroads traveller hosts this weekly meme.

Travel Tuesday

Our World Tuesday

Image-in-ing
My Corner of the World

Postcards

Toronto ON

Click here for a history of Toronto lane naming and a list of other lanes. That post is a work in progress, and gets updated frequently.

NIAGARA FALLS ON

The Battle of Lundy's Lane, also known as the Battle of Niagara Falls, was a battle fought on 25 July 1814, during the War of 1812, between an invading American army and a British and Canadian army near present-day Niagara Falls, Ontario. It was one of the bloodiest battles of the war, and one of the deadliest battles ever fought in Canada, with over 1,731 casualties including 258 killed.

The two armies fought each other to a stalemate; neither side held firm control of the field following the engagement. However, the casualties suffered by the Americans precipitated their withdrawal, and the British held the strategic initiative.

Lundy's Lane was a spur from the main Portage Road alongside the Niagara River. It ran along the summit of some rising ground (about 25 feet higher than the surrounding area) and therefore commanded good views of the area. The British artillery (two 24-pounder and two 6-pounder guns, one 5.5-inch howitzer and a Congreve rocket detachment) were massed in a cemetery at the highest point of the battlefield.

Featured Canadian Artist of the Day

Miss Mary MacIntosh

Randolph Hewton 1924

Signs

 Joining Tom at Signs2.

Random-osity

Wordless Wednesday Wordless Be There 2day

Toronto ON

More covid signs, these by the city of Toronto.

Dundas Square

Along the Gardiner Expressway

Featured Canadian Artist of the Day

Nurse Tracy

Tim Okamura 2021

Tim Okamura (born 1968 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a current Canadian artist known for his depiction of subjects who are African-American (and of other people of color) in urban settings, and for his combination of graffiti and realism. His work has been featured in several major motion pictures and in London's National Portrait Gallery. He was also one of several artists to be shortlisted in 2006 for a proposed portrait of Queen Elizabeth of England.

Monday Mural

  I'm linking up at Monday Mural 

Toronto ON

Dundas West and Beverly St. Adrian Hayles' tribute to Canadian icon, Buffy St. Marie.

Youtube video of the painting.

He has painted some spectacular murals - a pair on Yonge St.   The opposite mural.

Featured Canadian Artist of the Day

Winter Afternoon, City Street, Toronto

Lawren Harris 1918

I am not a big fan of his work, but this I like.

Lawren Stewart Harris CC (October 23, 1885 – January 29, 1970) was a Canadian painter, best known as a leading member of the Group of Seven who asserted a distinct national identity combined with a common heritage stemming from early modernism in Europe in the early twentieth century. He played a key role in art in Canada, both as a catalyst and as a visionary of Canadian landscape art.

OPEN

 One Word Sunday

2020 - Toronto ON

Featured Canadian Artist of the Day

There is Light on the Horizon

Wilf Perrault 2019

Wilf Perreault was born in 1947 in the small French community of Albertville, Saskatchewan. He grew up in Saskatoon, taking art lessons from Ernest Lindner, his next-door neighbour. Under the tutelage of Otto Rogers and Bill Epp, he studied sculpture at the University of Saskatchewan, graduating in 1970. Perreault then moved to Regina. He taught high school art until the 1980s, when he started enjoying enough success in painting to paint full time.

Perreault's oil, acrylic, and watercolour paintings have been exhibited widely since his first solo exhibition at the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina in 1978. He is best known for his “back alley” paintings depicting urban back lanes.

Grand Order of Divine Treats

 Linking up at Marg at The Intrepid Reader 

Weekend Coffee Share

Sunday Salon

Hearth and Soul Link Party

January 2022 - Toronto ON

COVID  numbers continue to break records for 7 days in a row. Over 16,000 cases on December 31!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We now know family and friends who have had covid this last week. The building also has a few more cases.

We are keeping safe and avoiding catching any variants so we spent Christmas Day at home. There were lots of wishes via email, texts and video calls.

We are keeping low until I get my scheduled booster on January 4.

Sunday I started our online grocery order for delivery on Thursday. This way I have my delivery slot secured and can continue to add to the order as we think of things.

The week was pretty much all the same.

Some photos John took on a walk.

Warm enough for stand up paddle boarding?

So finally after two weeks of only one toilet, one company visit saying we needed to replace the entire toilet ($2K to meet condo requirements), multiple calls to second company unreturned, we finally had him show up today and simply replace a piece. Cost outstanding awaiting invoice. WOW HOO! Our highlight!

Thursday's cocktail was rum and eggnog, the first we've had in a few years.

New Year's Eve was more of the same. We spent the afternoon watching reruns of Prime Suspect as we loved that series and it is airing for free at the moment.

WATCHING

This movie had terrible reviews and ratings, a plot full of holes, but we enjoyed it as mindless entertainment.

Members of a Special Air Services team must battle a group of terrorists to save the kidnapped daughter of the prime minister.

He Who Dares

We really enjoyed Being the Ricardos is a 2021 American biographical drama film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, about the relationship between I Love Lucy stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem star as Ball and Arnaz, while J. K. Simmons, Nina Arianda, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jake Lacy, and Clark Gregg also star.

Interesting NYT article about Nicole Kidman learning to play the role of Lucy.

We finished Landscapers, and I'll admit, I think I need to watch it again, or read more about them.

COOKING

Saturday Christmas Day turkey with stuffing, Brussel sprouts, roast potatoes and smashed cauliflower, gravy. John also had a slice of tourtiere.

Sunday leftovers

Monday leftovers

Tuesday short rib and lamb kidney stew

Wednesday fish and chips air fryer

Thursday BBQ chicken legs and sauteed bok choy, bean sprouts and broccoli

Friday NYE crab legs and baked potatoes.

READING

I finished Jenny O'Brien's Silent Cry, a new to me author and series, Welsh female police procedural. A decent read and story although you can see the ending coming. It needed more twists.

Home Truths by Susan Lewis is not my type of book generally, too much romance but I have read her before. However it is very well written and covers off much of what is wrong these days, people struggling and working so hard to make ends meet. There are viscous neighbourhood gangs, ruthless landlords, internet predators, missing kids to drugs, all around a good read.

A good book to end the year on.

And speaking of ends, I broke my reading record this year!!

2021 - 121

2020 - 76

2019 - 87

2018 - 87

2017 - 86

2016 - 89

2015 - 85

2014 - 101

2013 - 73

2012 - 95

Sculpture Saturday

  Sculpture Saturday

Toronto ON

Shoreline Commemorative is a public artwork commissioned by Concert Properties for their urban boutique residential development The Berczy.

The artwork’s location, south of Front Street on the west side of Church Street, was the site of Lake Ontario’s shoreline for thousands of years. The artwork has a sculpted limestone base evoking the original topography of the city’s edge. Its focus is a glowing glass orb set on a bronze tripod, which acts as a dense glass rendition of the line separating sky and water. The tripod reminds passerby of the surveyors’ instrumentation of the line of sight, an important tool in creating the city. The brick wall to the south is inscribed with the text: “For 10,000 years this was the location of Lake Ontario’s shoreline. This brick wall stands where water and land met, with a vista horizon.” These elements, as an ensemble, present a summary of the experience of being on the shoreline with the horizon view open to open water, an experience formerly available at this exact location.

Artist-architect Paul Raff describes Shoreline Commemorative as “a special addition to the city, a landmark and unique situation for pedestrians to discover in the urban landscape.”

Featured Canadian Artist of the Day

 

1972 work by William Kurelek, titled Balsam Avenue After Heavy Snowfall , showing the Toronto street where the Ukrainian-Canadian artist once lived.

We don't often see winter scenes like this anymore, growing up I did.