02 April 2022

Henrietta Lane



We emptied out and cleaned the dead refrigerator on Saturday. John had physio.
Another rainy day, we seem to have had a lot of that in March.

I put the roots of the cilantro into water and it started to sprout so I thought it was going to regrow. But alas, later in the week it all went to mush.


Monday and the new fridge arrived.


These guys were so efficient, we had never seen a fridge being delivered with just 2 straps!
As you can see the only criteria was that it fit and that it was available immediately, due to supply chain issues.



Weird to have freezer on the top.



That meant spend time getting everything back in its rightful place which didn't happen as we need to flip the doors to open on the other side as well as level the legs which our handyman will do. UPDATE he will be here April 5 AM.
The plumber finally set a date of April 5 PM. No luck on finding a dishwasher as yet.

Tuesday John had physio and I went downtown for some vegetables. Don't let that blue sky fool you, it was bitterly cold. I had my heavy winter coat on and texted John to dress warm as he would be walking along the lake.


Cutting through Union Station.




Wednesday I was going to meet up with my BFF but the covid case numbers are climbing like crazy due to spring break last week so we decided to postpone.
Taxes finalized and will wait until the deadline to pay them their money!


Thursday John's birthday. I didn't have to get him anything since he has been merrily shopping for himself all month (golf cart, cigars, wallet). Although I have picked him up some tops this month as well. 

We took the 9AM shuttle and walked over to Blue Jays Way.

In CBC building, going underground in case it rained.


Metro Hall, they turned one of their many empty shops into a quiet room. I had to check it out, John said I am the nosiest biatch.



We started with breakfast out. I made reservations at Kost in the Bisha Hotel.
Describes itself as piercing 44 storeys above Toronto 's entertainment district, an entirely new standard of elegant private residences and boutique hotel environment.

My new header is from the restaurant.


Only the facade of Crookshank House was preserved with the new Bisha Hotel (44 floors)  erected behind it, known as facadism.


With over 30 public art commissions around the world including New York, San Francisco, and Tokyo, Jun Kaneko is best known for creating large-scale ceramic sculptures and installations. Jun is increasingly drawn to installations that promote civic interaction. The Untitled Heads at Bisha boast over 7 feet tall and are created out of bronze, resting on stainless steel bases.



It reminded me of the head outside the Gardiner Museum and sure enough it is also a Kaneko.


Kost




My eggs Benedict with salmon.


John had green chorizo and bacon with his along with gluten free English muffin.




John braved the 90 km winds to get some photos from the deck.



From there we Uber'd to the opening exhibit of Immersive Frida. I am a massive Frida fan!










A rather blue selfie.







In Maple Leaf Square they were just setting up. The NHL Black Hockey History Tour presented by American Legacy. The NHL and American Legacy present a mobile museum that celebrates black achievement in hockey. The museum showcases today's stars while also looking back at the pioneers and trailblazers who helped shape NHL history.



John had to get yet another team photo. 



Then home and dinner in the condo restaurant, now under new management, Veloute.
The restaurant has been remodelled and it looked really well. The dining room was quite full and service was a little slow, but we weren't in a hurry.




Mine - pan seared Atlantic salmon with leek crisps on top - delicious.



John absolutely loved his gluten free linguine bolognaise.


Friday we had planned to go to the market but decided to avoid crowded spaces. John went to Food Basics and got fruit and vegetables for the weekend.

COOKING




Saturday with everything upside down due to the dead fridge we decided to order Swiss Chalet chicken and fries for dinner.

Sunday John found the side ribs and I made a stew in the crockpot for dinner, we had plenty of vegetables sitting on the cold balcony.

Monday we had the frozen Libretto pizza from our pickup a couple of weeks ago. For some reason the crust was the best we've had.

Tuesday Chinese pork with green beans, I haven't made this in forever! It is my recipe from the late 1980s Szechwan cooking class I took.

Wednesday gluten free fried chicken thighs and poutine.

Thursday dinner out. See above.

Friday steak and loaded baked potato.


READING

Announced this week


I finished book 1 Gracelin O'Malley of the Gracelin O'Malley trilogy. I started book 2, Leaving Ireland. I will finish the series although I find I am skimming a lot of historical detail that I already know.
“An epic saga that sweeps you into the life of a remarkable woman,” Ann Moore’s trilogy of breathtaking historical novels covers Gracelin O’Malley’s life from the 1845 Famine and the Young Ireland movement to the mass emigration to America, culminating in the wild frontier of 1850s California (Romantic Times). Through it all, Gracelin’s indomitable spirit and Moore’s “vivid historical detail” prove most hauntingly memorable (Kirkus Reviews).

Immersive Frida

 March 2022 - Toronto ON

A collaboration between the Frida Kahlo Foundation and Lighthouse Immersive, the exhibit features 500,000 cubic feet of art, 90 million pixels, and 1.2 million frames of video. The result is a roughly 40-minute experience that takes you on a journey through the artist’s life.

You will instantly recognize some of Kahlo’s most popular works, such as The Two Fridas, Diego and I, and The Wounded Deer, but here, they come to life through animation, sound effects, and music.

I strung together the short video clips John made.








































01 April 2022

Weekend Roundup

 Welcome to The Weekend Roundup...hosted by Tom The Back Roads Traveler
Starts with M
Favourite
METAL - chosen by Tom


TATS and TOKES

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


Starts with M
MISS



FAVOURITE
MANCAVE






METAL





FRINGE BENEFIT
MURAL MEXICAN restaurant






Morning Reflections