Signs 2

 Joining Tom at Signs2.

Wordless Wednesday Wordless Be There 2day

Little Things Thursday

Continuing with pit stops...
a stop (as during a trip) for fuel, food, or rest or for use of a restroom.

November 2020 - Toronto ON

Coxwell

Wellington St. at a filming location

Monday Mural

 I'm linking up at Monday Mural

November 2020 - Toronto ON

I showed a little of these murals in a weekly recap.

At first I was just going to post all the photos, but then realized there were some extra special murals here and I would highlight those first.

The hoarding surrounds a construction project being built on the site of the decommissioned OPG coal-fired power plant, Lakeview Village will transform former industrial lands into a vibrant waterfront community, connecting Mississauga to this portion of Lake Ontario for the first time in decades.

This section of the construction hoarding spans 323ft (w) x 8ft (h) and each artist selected will be allocated a 25ft(w) x 8ft(h) canvas. Artists were asked to develop a mural that shares the message they believe the world needs to hear right now. Murals were produced on wood hoarding. Artists were asked to consider materials that will withstand weather conditions and graffiti for an 8-10 month period.

John was pondering how muralists make their money. On the Call for Submission The budget is $3,000+ HST (CAD) for a 25ft (w) x 8ft mural (h), and is inclusive of artist fees, project meetings, concept development, materials and documentation rights. Technical, equipment and data support for live-streaming will be provided.

Nigel Westgate created Waterfront highlighting some of the animals we find along Lake Ontario.

Lynn Taylor is a member of the Oneida Nation of The Thames reserve in Ontario (Turtle Clan). She created this work to honor the previous Indigenous Nations of the area in a land acknowledgement. This art shows how we’re all united: all living creatures, land, and water. It’s dedicated to the Anishinabek, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Metis, Ojibway-Chippewa and our Mississaugas of the Credit.

Mihyun Maria Kim painted the four sisters, which is the nickname for the four smokestacks of the Lakeview Generating Station. She looked into the history of the area to discover that many women worked in the Small Arms Inspection Building nearby to support the men who went overseas to fight in WWII. 

Note to self - stop by the Small Arms building!!

Monica Wickeler created Breathe

Rowell Soller created this work that combines abstraction and realism as a form of healing and rejuvenation.

My absolute favourite of this collection!
Khaula Mazhar created as a message of hope to the community. Although we’re living in isolation, we need to work together to overcome what’s going on in the world right now. She purposefully chose a Black woman to represent Mother Nature in an effort to increase the visibility of Black people in a positive light.

FaithFetish’s mural, Consume Less, Create More is a good reminder!

Joanne Feely DeGraaf Pollinator Playground

The Age of Illumination by Jacquie Comrie

Caitlin Taguibao Time To Let the Flowers Bloom

Embrace Your Daydreams by Elizabeth Wise

Keitha Keeshig-Tobias Biizindam who comes from Delaware Nation at Moraviantown, Anishnaabe from Neyaashiinigamiing Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation.

The four Indigenous sisters and four sunflowers represent four Anishinaabe Kwe Water Principles that function to protect the water, the natural environment, and removing dirty energy plants.

Hello Kirsten is promising us that it will be worth the wait to keep safe in these times.

A Dish With One Spoon is a poem by Dr. Duke Redbird, an elder, poet, activist, artist, educator, and a pillar of First Nations literature in Canada. This poem describes Indigenous life on the waterfront in the GTA. It describes how their languages were influenced by Mother Nature and adopted as the names of places around Toronto.

Aitak Sorahitalab uses Iranian and Mesopotamian cultural materials in her work to highlight social and political issues. Etude uses Iranian spiral carpet designs, Eslimi, to reflect cultural diversity.

Foto Tunes

 Tom the backroads traveller hosts this weekly meme.

Toronto ON

Canada Post published a series of Leonard Cohen stamps, I ordered them for a friend last year.

They have been printed on mail boxes as well.

This one is at King and John.

Yonge and King

Click her to visit a temporary Cohen exhibit we saw in Montreal.

Leonard Cohen's greatest songs! Two hours worth!!!

A couple of other Leonard Cohen photos, cushion found on Bloor St. West.

Click here for some interesting reading and listening at Zoomer - Moses Znaimer shares stories about his friend, Leonard Cohen.

Moses Znaimer is best-known as the co-founder of CityTV, CP24, MuchMusic, Bravo!, Space and a dozen or more popular television channels and stations; and now as a champion of the most powerful audience in Canada, the 16.1 million people aged 45-plus. Moses is the founder, president and CEO of ZoomerMedia and president of CARP.

NIGHT

 One Word Sunday

February 2016 - Guadalajara Mexico

Loafing Around

 Weekend Cooking is now hosted by Marg at The Intrepid Reader 

Sunday Salon

Seasons 

Hearth and Soul Link Party

COVID CHRONICLES

BREAKING NEWS FRIDAY AS I FINISH THIS POST.
Toronto and Peel Region are moving into "lockdown" effective midnight Monday as Ontario tries to curb a steep rise in COVID-19 cases, Premier Doug Ford announced Friday.

The shutdown will last a minimum of 28 days, equal to two incubation periods for the coronavirus, and the province says it will fine people $750 for violating public-health rules.

It will be interesting to see how the US numbers play out as they head into Thanksgiving next week.

Late last week, the City of Toronto launched a cheeky, city-wide ad campaign called Practice Safe 6ix, which aims to remind residents to continue to be vigilant in their efforts to employ health measures that help stop the spread of COVID-19.


FYI - Toronto is called the 6 thanks to rapper Drake, who refers to his hometown as the 6 when he named his album, Views from the 6.
As for the meaning of The 6, that is still up for debate. Early speculation pointed to the city's area codes – 416 and 647. The other theory gaining credibility involves the 1998 amalgamation of Toronto, when the six different boroughs – Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, York, East York and Toronto – became one city.

Canada-US border will now remain closed until December 21.

AROUND TOWN

Or around the house, as we are limiting our outings. 

We stayed in all weekend. Monday John had an appointment downtown.

Tuesday we did a quick outing to Winners. I wanted a couple of mini muffin tins and John picked up another toque, Kenneth Cole lined. 

We also grabbed a couple of British bags of chips, these are upscale Walkers!

We also picked up some chicken legs ($1.99 a pound) and a few other things in Longos.

Wednesday John had golf booked but it was -5C (23F) he gave it a pass.

Submitted 2021 shuttle bus pass request to the office. In the past they just produced passes for every unit.

The condo maintenance team used to change the air filters in every unit/every quarter. But since the pandemic we have to pick them up ourselves and install them. Ours was filthy! from the floor replacements, kitchen cabinet install and the blinds.

We took the plants inside as it is getting cool. Here is the new bedroom floor.

Crazy weather - snow showers the other day and today it is going to 12C (54F). 

I took the 9AM to College Park and the Bulk Barn. Was so annoyed Metro didn't have any decent fish/meat, but I got a roast pork that I cut in half to freeze.

So I went to Longos and got tuna for dinner along with a roast beef on special and salmon.

Homeless poetry.

College and Yonge

Mask vending machine in Union Station.

Made me laugh, social distancing outside a bank branch.

Hibiscus is blooming madly at the moment, by January it is likely to be a spindly shadow of itself.

Friday, gorgeous out, went to 17C. This is outside the aquarium.

We had taken the shuttle downtown and decided to walk along Bremner to Bathurst.

Our destination - the new Loblaws.

In 1928 Loblaws Groceterias Warehouse was unveiled in Toronto at Fleet and Bathurst Streets, along today’s Lake Shore Boulevard West. It was one of the first projects constructed on the city’s new reclaimed land. Hailed as a model of efficiency, the Loblaw Warehouse included its own electric tram railway, giant ovens for baking a ton of cakes and cookies each day, huge drums for blending tea, and 22 thousand feet of refrigeration piping. Warehouse employees even had their own bowling alley and an auditorium for performing shows and plays. This state of the art warehouse was a place that brought people together from far and wide.

Developers dismantled the historic brick building, which is protected under the Ontario Heritage Act and listed on the City of Toronto's inventory of heritage properties, clean and reassemble it, brick-by-brick. A new structure will be added to the roof and some of the property developed for residential use.

Inside it is just a ordinary large grocery store, typically Loblaw's, of which I am not a fan.

This was very cool, they created a liquor store which you'll find directly under the Gardiner Expressway. No, not "near" or "next to" the busy thoroughfare — squarely beneath it, at 95 Housey St.

Police horses out for their daily exercise.

We grabbed the streetcar at Spadina without looking  at its destination so ended up transferring at Queen's Quay, well worth it for this shot.

COOKING

I had made my first ganache last week and it was perfect. So on Saturday I decided to make another, this time adding some orange juice and Triple Sec. Not sure what happened but it separated. I found an excellent article explaining why it separates and how you can save it. I also looked up whether you can add liquid to a ganache.

Saturday we had cheeses and pate.

Sunday turkey breast, roast potatoes, cauliflower and Brussel sprouts

Monday chili and garlic bread

Tuesday corned beef, potatoes and cabbage

I also made gluten free muffins that taste like donuts . NOT FRIED!! 

OMG these were delicious. I made half a recipe to determine if we would like them. 

They almost taste like a profiterole!! I barely had them dipped and was coming up with other ideas for them.

Add cocoa to minture with chocolate chips 

Dip them in a cream cheese glaze or melted chocolate and.or coconut

Pumpkin spice 

Insert them with jam or lemon curd or flavoured whipping cream

Powdered sugar 

How about the newest curd (to me courtesy of GBBO) RASPBERRY LIME CURD

Recipe for a glaze

Salted caramel glaze

They were finished before we went to bed.

Wednesday - a good thing I had decent baking yesterday because I decided to make soda bread to use up an old apple (yes, I googled and saw that people did put apple in soda bread) but it just made a soggy mess.

We had the leftover corned beef with potatoes and broccoli for dinner.

Thursday I tried a new recipe fried tuna sticks with wasabi-mayo sauce and fries. 

I didn't buy a tempura mix (seriously??) but made my own with rice flour. Surprisingly, John loved these. The wasabi-mayo sauce was great but I would half the recipe for us.

Friday means steak and sauteed garlic, broccolini, bok choy, bean sprouts with soy sauce.

Check out this BBC link to a great selection of winter stews.

WATCHING/COOKING

I browsed through this book and got a couple of gift ideas.

Butter to go with a savoury home baked loaf.

The Swap is mindless trash. The Arrangement was a better book. It didn't help that The Swap had grammatical errors (grounds for me to give it a 0 rating) or worse I felt there were errors in the plotline (unforgivable). 

I am loving Recipe for a Perfect Wife although I prefer the 1950s Nellie character more than the 2018 Alice, she needs some gumption!

The men are just scumbags.

I finished Scandal!!! We're in season 7 of Suits.