Linking up with Marg at The Intrepid Reader
QUEEN ST W. TORONTO
Just another enjoyable stay at home weekend!
I made a small batch of cheesecake with blueberry sauce.
I did my monthly laptop maintenance.
It is that time of year for fall displays like corn mazes, click here for one in Cookstown that we visited last year.
Oh my, there's a new restaurant called Spotato featuring the U.K. trend of loaded baked potatoes!
Gee, what a surprise!
MONDAY Mural Montreal
John set a new record at Costco $457!!! However, he has never both beer at Costco before $47 - $3. 13% GST was added to Perrier, beer, ice cream and chips.
Meat specifically steak $88 is something we usually buy at the market, but it will be 6 meals X 2 people. ~ $7 a plate
Chicken thighs $62 = 10 meals X 2 people plus leftover lunches ~ $3 a plate
Ham price has remained the same as last June.
Limes are a big winner as a 3 lb bag is $6, we counted 14. Longo's a lime is 0.79¢ X 14 = $11.
Vegetables corn on the cob 8 for $5.50 (0.75¢). I've paid $5 Longo's for 4 and 5 at Farm Boy.
The only downside is the packaging sized, we will be eating broccolini and cauliflower this week.
Coffee August 2024 $44 - Sep 2025 $55 (less $11 special).
Ground coffee prices in Canada have surged by 19% since the start of 2025, according to Statistics Canada—making it one of the fastest-rising food items on grocery store shelves this year. Since March 3, Canadian importers have been paying an additional 25% tariff on imported coffee. This counter-tariff, introduced as part of Ottawa’s retaliatory measures during a trade dispute, directly affects a product Canada doesn’t even grow.
My Greek yogurt works out to $4 a container typically at least $7 elsewhere, minimum. John's favourite is $6 at Costco.
Milk is $3 at Costco Longo's is $5.29 and downstairs is $5.50.
Sour cream is $3 Costco average elsewhere $4.50
Vegetables corn on the cob 8 for $5.50 (0.75¢). I've paid $5 Longo's for 4 and 5 at Farm Boy.
The only downside is the packaging sized, we will be eating broccolini and cauliflower this week.
I had to readjust the week's menu based on his purchases. Chicken soup went on the menu to use up some that was frozen, taking up freezer space as were the dumplings. Corn went onto the menu. Those gluten free cracker crusts are broken up so they need to be deconstructed into crumbs. The cheese will need to be divided and frozen.
Longo BOGO savings to date (last week and this) $58 + $7.50. I picked up fruit to make breakfast fruit salad.
I deposited my $10 (woo hoo) Rakutan cheque, we really need to make better use of it.
Winners
TUESDAY Signs Do Not Disturb and Treasures Iceland
John sent me this great article about McDonald's around the world. Andrew, I need you to get a photo of the Melbourne one featured!!
We thought that the McDonald's in Istanbul might have been mentioned, I linked it in my post about the Porto McD's.
We also visited the first McDonald's in California.
Funny, this morning I was reading an article about Toronto's sleeziest McD. I took this photo on Wednesday as I went by.
Our gardens are looking beautiful.
I met John at the bus stop and we walked to The Well for fish and chips, as I have been raving about them.
John had haddock, I had halibut. The haddock is better.
Movie event at The Well/
I received my submitted documents (not the certified copies of passports or bank documents - I assume they keep those on file) from the Irish Passport Office!!!!
WEDNESDAY They've been renovating this building for a while.
Back to last week's comments about immigrants. As I got my hair cut I realized my hairdresser Nicole is from the Czech Republic and Laura is from Ireland. Speaking of which, Nicole was admiring my bracelets and saw my Claddagh, and showed me that she also had a Claddagh ring! I was surprised but she said she had liked Laura's, so she got herself one!
Samples procured today, on the street, Bay and Front and University and Front.
Cut names on these Canadian protein bars. Get In My Belly PB and Jelly, Daydreaming About Donuts (meh, no real flavour, almond paste after taste), Oh Oh Cookie Dough.
BTW we scored four more of these adult beverages on Friday, as the very gay vendor insisted I could have taken two more in my very heavy bag, as "I had a man, put him to work"!
After my haircut, I walked up Yonge St. trying to figure out what I wanted. I walked by McD's and pizza, shoulda stopped there! Instead I went to the Eaton Centre, to their food hall. I looked around and decided on the Steak Frites, a 6 oz steak and fries for $18, seemed like a good deal, with burgers going for $12-$15. What a mistake, honestly, the worst thing I've ever ordered.
As she handed me this, I asked where are the fries, inside she said, as I made a face!
Gross!
Should have with the burger!
I left and walked down to Richmond and caught the streetcar to Spadina. I wanted to check out the Lululemon, meh. Then I went to Lorne's, Canadian made coats, I have a couple of them already and love them. Man, I could have bought more!!! But I restrained myself, however...
I featured this mural on Monday Mural earlier this year.
The reflected buildings in photo above.
From there I walked along Queen West to west of Bathurst, making lots of stops on the way.
Urban Barn, CO2, Value Village, a couple of plant stores, Joe's, book store. Not a penny spent! Not true, I did find two of the Longo ribs for $15 each.
A quick look down graffiti alley.
One of the station stops for the new Ontario Line.
Back for the 3:15 bus.
I did 12,000 steps, with a short streetcar ride. It was a perfect September day! Although I have already seen some of the trees (near The Ex) turning colours already.
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THURSDAY morning and I was lazy. But after lunch we got out. This was a new outing for us, normally we would take the car. Instead we caught the 114 bus at Front and Bay to Cherry St., a very interesting ride. We need to go back as this area is being totally rejuvenated.
Toronto has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform an underused resource in the heart of downtown. The Port Lands will be home to sustainable new communities that deliver affordable housing and job opportunities, along with renewed connections to the water and natural environment.
The Port Lands is an area that extends southeast of Toronto’s downtown core into Lake Ontario and includes over 715 acres of land along the waterfront. Some familiar landmarks include: Cherry Beach, Tommy Thompson Park—one of the best bird watching spots in the city—and of course the Hearn Generating Station, an iconic, decommissioned electrical plant.
In July the city unveiled the new Biidaasige Park in the redeveloped Port Lands area, near Cherry St. Covering 40 hectares of land, it’s one of the largest parks to open in Toronto.
Its name, pronounced “bee-daw-si-geh,” is an Anishinaabemowin word that means “sunlight shining toward us,” referencing the relationship between land, water and sky, and Indigenous water protectors who guided the restoration of the land.
Although the park is now open to the public, only phase one of the project has been completed. Construction is still underway, set to bring 14,000 new housing units as part of a $975-million investment from all levels of government. Phase two of the park is set to be completed by 2026.
Key Facts about Biidaasige Park:
50+ acres/20 hectares of park with an additional 10 acres/4 hectares opening in 2026
Picnic areas, playground with ziplines, Badlands Scramble, two dog off-leash areas and a pebble landing to launch non-motorized personal watercraft
5,000+ trees, 77,000+ shrubs and two-million herbaceous plants
Accessible trails and facilities
The park features plenty of green spaces, outdoor fitness equipment, playgrounds, off-leash dog areas, fishing and paddling spots, and a community recreation centre.
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The playground features larger-than-life animal sculptures representing Anishinaabe, Ongwehonwe, and Huron dodems,
A "dodem" (or doodem, dodaim) is an Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) term for their clan system, which functions as a societal organization based on lineage and kinship, with each dodem symbolized by an animal or other natural element. Each dodem embodies specific social roles and responsibilities within the community, ensuring balance and providing guidance for members from birth. The dodem system is a fundamental aspect of Anishinaabe identity and governance, with the word itself sometimes used interchangeably with the English word "totem".
Snowy Owl Theatre
The snowy owl has a stage built into its belly where kids can perform for fun or play with sound features, like a drum or bells. There is a talk tube that lets kids talk to one another from one area of the stage to another. The seating around the Snowy Owl is made to look like a nest.
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Raccoons are Toronto's unofficial mascot also known as Trash Pandas.
Reaching Raccoon picnic and play area.
We thought we could catch the 4 PM but the 114 bus took forever to come. It wasn't too full when it came, mostly workers in the area. This bus runs to Union Station so it is convenient for subway and GO train access. This bus runs along Queen's Quay, all newly developed condos and offices. It so happens that there is a George Brown campus as well and school was getting out. The bus was packed!!!
The last time we were in this area was 2018! and we walked around the campus.Back at Union we decided to catch the streetcar home, it would take the same amount of time.
FRIDAY John used the simulator in the morning. I did some tidying, got a bag going for charity (added a couple more shirts, pair of sandals and (gasp) a candy tin), and repotted a couple of plants.
Later afternoon we headed to the Mexican Festival at City Hall, and it turned out the dates were misleading, the 12th was only for set up, so nothing was happening. That's not true, there is always something going on. Today we saw three weddings, and took some photos.
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We received the initial results of the condo residents' survey.
The response was outstanding:
1. 252 surveys completed out of 416 sent, a strong 61% response rate.
2. With a 95% confidence level and a +/- 3.8% confidence interval, these results are statistically significant—meaning they accurately reflect the views of our community.
Highlights from the survey include:
1. Resident Satisfaction: Palace Pier earned an exceptional 4.35 out of 5 satisfaction rating, well above benchmark scores for comparable condominiums. Our Net Promoter Score (NPS) of +42 shows strong referral strength, particularly among newer residents. Impressively, 90% of residents have no plans to move out.
2. Board & Management: Board performance rated at 3.67 out of 5 highlights opportunities to strengthen communication, responsiveness, and transparency. Management performance rated 3.89 out of 5, showing solid results with room to enhance communication.
COOKING
The transition of seasons leads to changes in our menu. Fall means more hearty meals, slow cooker dishes and lots more baking. Thoughts of lamb shanks, cabbage rolls, offal, soups...
But it is still too warm, no complaints!
We are getting so much better using leftovers. Here's a great idea for that almost-empty peanut butter jar (which is impossible to clean for the green bin!!).
WEEKLY MENU
Saturday ribs corn baked potato blueberry cheesecake
Sunday chicken wings fries carrot and celery sticks. Cooked by John.
Monday leftover fajitas salsa and guacamole grilled lime. I made more salsa and guacamole. John says I've perfected the guacamole, that's because I am making it smooth as he likes it.
Tuesday corn fresh bread. fish and chips for lunch.
Wednesday chicken dumpling soup. Simmer ginger and garlic, onion, soy sauce, jalapeno, bagged coleslaw. Served with lime, scallions and cilantro. It was delicious!!
Thursday ham potato cauliflower au gratin (corn/leftover soup for lunch)
Friday steak loaded baked potato with broccolini.
WATCHING
Woo Hoo I found My Kitchen Rules AU 2025! I know, I know, it's just reality TV (scripted, over the top), but I enjoy the recipes. I do have to watch the Aussie commercials but that's interesting and the streaming can be a little slow, but it is perfect when in the kitchen. I continue MKR but one contestant is bothering me, he is obnoxious anyway, but he is a better looking Just Dance Vance which is even worse.
The Intruder A young married couple buy a beautiful house on several acres of land, only to find out that the man they bought it from refuses to let go of the property.
Primal Fear is a 1996 American legal mystery crime thriller film. A high-profile murder intrigues a publicity hungry lawyer.
Godfather of Harlem s an American crime drama television series. Godfather of Harlem tells the fictionalized story of infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson, "who in the early 1960s returned from ten years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy must take on the Genovese crime family to regain control. During the battle, he forms an alliance with Muslim minister Malcolm X, catching Malcolm's political rise in the crosshairs of social upheaval and a mob war that threatens to tear the city apart."
I tried to watch Anora but just couldn't. A young stripper from Brooklyn meets and impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairy tale is threatened as his parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled.
Peter's Friends 1992
BOOKS
Sheet Pan Suppers yielded some keepers.
Crispy Baked Coconut Shrimp with Spicy Orange Dipping Sauce
Crispy Healthy Oven Baked Falafel Recipe
I finished book 2 Winter of the World of The Century trilogy. I learned quite a bit about Berlin after the war and the east and west. Now I have to wait for Edge of Eternity.
I started Briarhill to Brooklyn An Irish Family's Journey to Freedom and Opportunity. The writing is a little laboured and it tends to jump around a bit.
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