Linking up with Marg at The Intrepid Reader
June 2023 - Toronto ON
MAY 2023 - MC CAUL ST. TORONTO
Saturday I finally reorganized the freezer and ended up making a pot of chicken and another of beef stock.
I worked on a photo we wanted to enlarge for the kitchen. I turned it into a painting using Fotor AI and brought it up to a good resolution but can't quite get it to fit the standard poster sizes as yet.
Sunday was another lazy day after a sleep-in and big breakfast.
I finalized the Canadian family tree that an Irish second cousin had asked for. His father was my grandmother's brother.
In addition to our daily Wordle and NYT mini crossword puzzle we have started playing Scrabble online.
Monday Mural was taken last Monday.
John headed out early to golf. I did a run to Longo's.
PRIDE month is June so many businesses are getting dressed up.
What the heck is this?
You can see the bus reflection if you zoom in.
Tuesday Treasures from an outing last week.
Traffic was awful going into town, we were fifteen minutes behind schedule. We subwayed up the Yonge line to Rosedale and walked to Robot Boil House.
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The place is cute, but it feels odd when you are the only customers!
I had the lobster roll and fries, it was good (6/10) mainly because the bun was toasted, but definitely not as good as Buster's for the same price. Also, Buster's gives you another side.
John had black mussels in a medium spicy Thai sauce. He rated it 4/10 as the mussels seemed to break up, perhaps frozen?
The food came out so quickly, it was odd. We won't go back.
Delivering a take-out order to the front.
We decided to walk a bit after lunch. It turned out we walked back to the bus and did 8K steps.
When we got to Yonge and Bloor there were people everywhere. We rightly guessed that the subway line had shut down.
Some sights along the way.
The former Ridpath's Furniture store was a 3-storey building in Tudor Revival style. Ridpath's was founded in 1907 by John Ridpath and was sold by his family after his death in the 1950s. Ridpath's Furniture occupied this building from its construction in 1928 until the company's closure in 2011.
I can't resist a stop at the Toronto Reference Library! There is always a new display, click here to see my post Post No Bills.
I never tire of this view, and it is a great place to use the washrooms.
New condo, new sculpture. "Cloaked Presence" by Albert Paley.
Our 3PM bus arrived at 3:08 (traffic again) and we didn't get home until 3:45, normally a 15-20 minute journey.
Wednesday John used the golf simulator before heading out to play his weekly men's league game.
I decided to go to the Bata Shoe Museum.
It is built like a shoe box. I didn't realize the fire truck was in front.
There were two other exhibits that I'll touch on briefly.
John asked if they sell anything at the shoe museum.
Union Station - Bay Concourse.
Flowers for me.
JUNE
Thursday John did a Costco shop and it was so nice to come home and everything was put away!
I met my BFF for a trip to Stackt, she hasn't been there and I haven't been since pre-pandemic.
We took a rather convoluted route, subway to Yonge-Bloor then west to Bathurst, streetcar to Fort York Blvd (no stop at Front). Coming back we walked to King and grabbed that streetcar to University.
Crossing the bridge.
Umbrella Sky Project is a shade art installation promoting the importance of sun safety.
There are various pockets of seating areas.
Wish wall.
Bark Yard, it was quiet early in the day but was busy when we left, they had turned on the sprinklers for the dogs.
Lunch at Bao Bird, gluten-free fried chicken! We have eaten at the Dirty Bird, also gluten-free, in Kensington Market and this is much better.
The portion is larger than Dirty Bird.
Chili garlic noodles.
On Friday we declared a day of rest. It was 32C with air quality warnings and you could see the haze over the city.
After some necessary house chores and lunch, we settled with popcorn and movies.
A huge thunderstorm with hail moved across the city around 7 PM and totally bypassed us.
COOKING
Saturday
One of our bus drivers gave me this curry mix so I made lamb curry. We exchange food items and recipes sometimes.
He has now promised me a chicken spice mix.
Sunday ham (from the 99 cent a pound that I bought and divided into 3 portions) mashed potatoes and broccolini. There is enough ham left in this portion for sandwiches and another meal.
Monday Asian chicken wraps, I made a sauce but added it as we made our lettuce wraps.
Tuesday lunch out so ham salad
Wednesday pork chops, mashed potatoes and beans
Thursday rotisserie chicken. The plan was gyros with tzatziki, tomatoes, red onions etc. however, we only had one GF pita left and some GF tortillas so we made do with what we had.
Friday steak, loaded baked potatoes with broccolini, tomatoes and chimichurri. We tried the 10 oz steak and it was like butter, so delicious.
WATCHING
Peace by Chocolate After the bombing of his father's chocolate factory, a charming young Syrian refugee struggles to settle into his new Canadian (Nova Scotia) small-town life, caught between following his dream and preserving his family's legacy.
We had bought some of their chocolate last fall when we passed through their hometown, Antigonish.
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We finished a short Australian series Dead Lucky, and hoping there is another season.
When an armed robber with a history of murder resurfaces in Sydney, under pressure Sergeant Gibbs and her trainee Charlie Fung race to catch him before he wreaks havoc across the city.Indian series Dahaad Sub-inspector Anjali Bhaati investigates a series of deaths where women are found in public bathrooms. The deaths first appear as suicides but as the investigation progresses, Bhaati realizes that there's a serial killer on the loose.
We started the History Channel series Greatest Heists. The first one covered the Lufthansa heist at JFK IN NYC in 1978, which was featured in the movie GoodFellas, so we watched the movie again after that.
In the second episode - A mob-connected heist crew the FBI described as "the best ever" takes down a Southern California bank in 1972, going away with millions in cash allegedly linked to President Richard Nixon.
Haywire is a 2011 action thriller film, starring Gina Carano, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, and Michael Douglas. Carano, a mixed martial arts fighter, performs her own stunts in the film. Mostly filmed in Ireland.
The plot centers on Mallory Kane (Carano), a black ops operative who is betrayed by her employers and targeted for assassination in a conspiracy that she is forced to unravel.
Shot Caller is a 2017 American crime thriller film. The film chronicles the transformation of a well-to-do family man, into a hardened prison gangster, which he undergoes to survive California's penal system after he is incarcerated for his role in a deadly DUI car accident.
I had another 7-day loan to read. I loved Greenwich Park, although I did not care for most of the characters, especially Helen as she mopes around.
The writing is atmospheric and enticing for a first novel. The plot held my interest, although it did flag a little as I began to figure out the plot.
I started Afterparties and like it. The tragic history of genocide perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge haunts the lives of American-born characters.
Love all the signs and sculptures. The umbrella project seems to be popular in many European cities too. The shoe museum would be something I would enjoy. You had a great week Jackie. Enjoy your weekend
ReplyDeleteI thought I heard thunder in the night here, but can't be sure.
ReplyDeleteThe shoe exhibition sounds really interesting, and I love your new cover photo!
ReplyDeleteI am going to go and look for the Peace by Chocolate movie!
Those umbrellas are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful to see how Toronto celebrates Pride Month.
I always look forward to seeing what you are cooking. You often make things I've never thought about trying, like Lamb Curry.
love the umbrellas. and that giant crab; shame about the food. the mock Tudor building is cute.
ReplyDelete