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June 2025 - Toronto ON

Union Station - Toronto ON

Well, I guess spring will never come this year. I sure am glad for our time in Palm Springs and Las Vegas this winter, as well as Portugal in April, otherwise I don't think we would have seen any sun. Even in Ottawa in May we had rain, although we lucked out when we needed a respite.

Saturday was another gloomy day.

The History of the Old Spaghetti Factory

Sunday was also gloomy until about 5 PM. No worries here, we had our usual weekend with some chores thrown in. We had a Teams session with John's son. They will be here mid July so I booked a guest suite in the building.

Monday Mural is from Ottawa.

John was watching golf and commented on a building in Erin WI and said it looked like somewhere we had been. 

It was the Milwaukee Art Museum!

He was right, and the building he was referring to was close by in Milwaukee WI!

John did a Costco run. Crazy how prices have increased. 

Good deals - limes are $6 for about 15 so 40¢ each compared to $1 each at Longo's. Lemons are $8 for at least 12 so around 67¢. 

Rotisserie chickens are always a good deal, as they are a loss leader for Costco. 

Coffee pods are now at $50 for 80 - 63¢ a cup. I looked at August 2024 and we paid $44.

Sour cream 2 for $6 Longo's on special this week $3 regular $3.50.

Yogurt Oikos is regular Longo's $8 we only buy it on sale at $6. However, Costco (which I like) is 3 for $11.50 or $3.84 each.

Butter this week was $5.79 best elsewhere was $6 and T&T was $9!!

Schwartz smoked meat (we buy once a year) was $25 or $4.16 a sandwich, better than $15 at Druxy's.

Chicken thighs $25 will make us 6X2 meals at $2 a meal.

I had no real plans so while John was using the golf simulator I made a lemon blueberry cheese cake (NEW). I also started the chicken stock with the rotisserie carcass and frozen vegetable scraps.

Took a bite!

Tuesday

We went for our covid shots, however, we were told that it is the same dose as last fall and if we did get this booster then we would have to wait 6 months for the new strain that will be combined with the flu shot. Since we may want to travel in November/December it would be better to wait until the shots are available late September.

So we went shopping instead and John got 3 new golf shirts, a hoodie (on sale - for Iceland) and a Canada ball cap.

Home for lunch and we are now up to date on MasterChef Australia 17.

Tom enjoyed my 8647 memes.

Wednesday and the smoke was blanketing the city again.

There are fires blazing across parts of northwestern Ontario and the Prairies, heading as far west as northern British Columbia, prompting hundreds of people to leave behind their homes and evacuate to another province.

Environment Canada meteorologist Barbara Lapido tells CTV News Toronto that many people across southern Ontario might see some hazy skies and red-hued sunrises and sunsets for the next couple of days. FireSmoke Canada, a portal monitoring wildfire and its smoke patterns, also forecasts plumes from the ongoing fires will billow over the GTA through Thursday.

John did get his weekly golf game with an 87.

I decided to go to T&T, a local Asian grocery store.

Some interesting items.

Durian cut up, so much pricier.

I always wondered what this is, it comes in beef, lamb etc. B/S roll??

Finally figured it out! Boneless skinless!! 

T&T advertisement:

Succulent and juicy lamb shoulder roll, perfect for hearty homemade meals.

Ideal for slow-cooking or roasting, bringing out rich, savory flavors.

Expertly trimmed and portioned to ensure tender, mouth-watering bites.

Bus shelter on Dundas, pretty fancy.

Ah, it's an ad for Cirque du Soleil.

Unusual couple during rush hour at Union.

Royal York Hotel June display.

Some purchases, all gluten free! The curry gravy is for John, he wants to have fries/chips with curry.

Thursday and John wanted to be up early as he had tickets for the RBC Canadian Open Golf (Rory is here!!! BUT he didn't make the cut!). I made him scrambled eggs for breakfast. He said I am in charge of the scrambled eggs in future (he usually does them).

WELL that turned out to be an experience. They couldn't get any parking, the lots were closed. According to the RBC Open it was due to rain overnight. They issued an apology and will offer refunds. Twitter is not pleased!!!!

I did a bunch of administrivia (reviewed Iceland documents received and updated our schedule), CVS, Away condo card for office, backed up Portugal/Ottawa photos, sorted some linens (some decluttered) Palm Springs mug etc). I only bought this in February at the Palm Springs Visitors' Centre, I sent them a note but don't expect a response.

I also cleared out the freezer and made a pot of beef soup, skimmed the chicken stock and added the remaining chicken to it before freezing.

Tidied up, made the bed (usually John does). Tidied up.

I went to Longo's, I did have other plans but rain was in the forecast (surprise!). I redeemed $10 in points. I picked up a rosemary plant.

Friday 

We still have some haze due to wildfire smoke from the Prairies. Airport Duty Manager Damian Boucaud was live on CP24 to talk about what that smoke means for operations and those working outdoors at the airport.

Smoke update from Pearson Airport

John is nurturing a sore big toe (bone had surgery years ago due to pitching baseball) so I only went downtown to get sushi for lunch from Sushi Shop in Union.

Smoky, smoky, from bus, yes, that is a military helicopter in the middle, it was circling all day. 

COOKING

I am trying very hard not to waste food. I used the end of the frozen fruit as a coulis on French toast on Saturday. I had bought a bag of coleslaw for something last week which we then also used as hot dog toppings during the week. It would then usually languish in the fridge, but I took it out of the bag wrapped it in a paper towel and used it in the rice paper rolls.

I used some of the cauliflower in the mash on the shepherd's pie. I finished the rest as a side to the leftover pie.

The rotisserie chicken was lunch on Monday, dinner Monday, Lunch (me) Tuesday and chicken salad for John on Wednesday and the carcass in soup.

Saturday lamb shepherd's pie with cauliflower mashed topping

Sunday Roasted pork belly, rice and ginger chili bok choy (NEW). I went back to my original pork belly recipe. It was a little overcooked, as we were on a Teams call with John's son but John really liked it that way.

Monday rotisserie chicken Alfredo

Tuesday leftover shepherd's pie, cauliflower (to finish) and salad

Wednesday fish chowder Iceland cod and shrimp

Thursday French onion smothered pork chops(NEW) colcannon. Was good not exceptional. 

I tried these for the first time, on the colcannon, they are good.  And I used this cheese on the chops, we had bought it in Ottawa.

Friday beef tataki with ponzu sauce (NEW) and bok choy. I will find a better tataki recipe, this was underwhelming.

WATCHING

Dept Q Carl, a former top-rated detective, is wracked with guilt following an attack that left his partner paralyzed and another policeman dead. On his return to work, Carl is assigned to a cold case that will consume his life.

Criminal Code Criminal Code (Portuguese: DNA do crime) is a Brazilian drama series. It is a fictionalized re-telling of a heist and investigation that occurred in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, in 2017. The criminals robbed the local headquarters of Prosegur — a private security company that stores and transports cash and valuables and were alleged to have walked away with several million dollars in cash.

READING

I finally finished The Bee Sting, it is a long book (650 pages), and I must say it was my best read so far this year! 

I didn't know this Irish author, Paul Murray.

From the Washington Post:

Two decades ago, the Irish writer Paul Murray started his career by publishing “An Evening of Long Goodbyes,” a book that has remained one of this century’s greatest comedies. With this month’s publication of “The Bee Sting,” Murray has written a book that could remain one of its greatest novels.

He was hardly sitting still between these two triumphs. In 2010, “Skippy Dies” was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and in 2016, “The Mark and the Void” was joint winner of the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize, a British award for comic literature.

Admittedly, even that record of success might not be enough to draw American readers to Murray’s new 650-page epic, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize on Aug. 1. But anyone who starts “The Bee Sting” will be immediately absorbed by this extraordinary story about the derailing of a once prosperous family. Although Murray is a fantastically witty writer, his empathy with these characters is so deep that he can convey the comedy of their foibles without the condescending bitterness of satire. His command of their lives is so detailed that he can strip away every pretense and lie without spoiling a surprise. And, most impressive, while sinking into the peculiar flaws of this one uniquely troubled family, Murray captures the anxiety many of us feel living on the edge of economic ruin in these latter days of the Anthropocene Epoch.

In the small Irish town where “The Bee Sting” unfolds, Dickie and Imelda Barnes are a

 prominent couple. Dickie runs a car dealership owned by his retired father, and his wife, Imelda, is a legendary beauty. But as the novel opens, the pretty facade of their lives has started to. . . 

To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...

I started Best of Friends about the bond of best friends set in 1988 Karachi, s significant political year  and then London 31 years later. It didn't have the best reviews but I enjoyed the YA aspect of it as well as the racism and politics of the period.