I first showed you this house last August (here) when it was lovely in its summer garden setting. I went by last week and took a drive-by shot with the car window rolled down just enough to point the camera at it and I still really like it. When you see a blue sky like that in winter you know it must be cold and it sure was!
I seem to keep running into versions of the Lovbots around town since first seeing one of the original concrete ones back in 2013. This paste-up one was spotted on a wall in the Annex a while ago but somehow I forgot to post him! To see other Lovbots click on the label below.
I've shot this gate in Yorkville several times but it is very hard to get the small metal cut-outs to show up. It works a bit better with some snow behind it so here it finally is.
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
This is the Brunswick House, one of the oldest pubs in the city having opened in 1876 on Bloor St in the Annex, just a few blocks from U of Toronto. The whole building was renovated and restored several years ago and it is extremely popular with the student population around it.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
This is one of the side doors at University College which is the oldest college at U of Toronto. The whole college building has wonderful carvings all over it and even this small door has columns each of which is unique. And check out those hinges!
I was driving along and passed this cute guy smiling so I immediately pulled over for a pic. The artist is Skam who is well known in the city for his mural work and also a lot of work for commercial clients such as Nike. I can actually read his signature in those stylized letters but probably only because I know what it is supposed to say.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE for more murals from around the world.
This yellow brick home was built in 1878 in the Yorkville/Annex neighbourhood and was renovated and remodeled in 1986-7 but since it is heritage designated the exterior is basically the same as it was originally. Most homes of that era here are red brick so it is nice to see the yellow especially with that reddish trim.
Through all the wind, snow and cold we have had, this well-constructed nest has held on tight to its anchoring branch. It looks like it is ready and in good shape for a family to move into come spring!
This bench looks well-cushioned but I don't recommend sitting there for long!
We had little snow in January but are certainly making up for it in February. Just after the snow stops and before it gets dirty is the perfect time for a wander. I caught this scene in the Seaton Village neighbourhhood.
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
Driving along an unusual route for me, I spotted this guitar sign hanging out from a store front and immediately pulled over. It looks like this place can provide you with any musical instrument you want and give you lessons too. The guitar has neon tubing around it so I must go back after dark one night to see if it lights up.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
We had very little snow in January this year but February seems to be making up for it! It will be a few months until these tables get any use.
There are some streets that I travel along in one direction all the time. That was the case with this street until one day I came from the other end and this is what I discovered on the wall of a coin laundry whose door was on the side. Of course I pulled over and took a few shots. I think I should go by for another hit of colour soon.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE for more murals from around the world.
Only one set of footprints is barely visible on those steps leading up to the door of Christ The Saviour Russian Orthodox Church in the Seaton Village neighbourhood. It is the oldest Russian Orthodox parish in the city, celebrating 100 years this year but has only been in this building since 1966 when the church was purchased from an Anglican parish.
Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click HERE to see more religious buildings from around the world.
I managed to beat the kids to the park after one of our snow storms so this playground equipment still has its cushion of snow. It was a totally different scene a couple of hours later!
Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
I just liked the look of the Victorian houses in the background as seen through the trees after the snow had stopped. Taken on a stroll through a park.
We finally have snow and I always like to get out for a walk when it is fresh and before everyone has walked through it, but this time the cat who lives in this house has beaten me to it. You can see his trail going along the base of the fence and disappearing under the gate. Makes you wonder where he would have to go in that much snow! In summer he is often perched on top of this fence watching the world pass by.
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
I had shown you another of the signs placed along Bay St after the trees and plants had been given a wonderful new environment to attempt to survive the urban setting. Click HERE to see that one. I like this one for its wonderful Chinese proverb about planting a tree now!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE for more signs from around the world.
When I was looking through my archives for a skyline pic for the February theme day I found this pic showing the CN Tower and its neighbour, the Rogers Centre (previously known as the Skydome) where our Blue Jays baseball team plays. I think I took this shot from the ferry heading home from the Toronto Islands. There is something magical about a skyline at night.
I came upon this mural while wandering along a laneway just off Bloor St. It turns out to be an ad of sorts for a tattoo parlor that is actually several blocks away and these cats are samples of the style of a couple of the artists there. The artists for the mural are Moxy and Rewsr and it was done last summer.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
This pretty little church is Our Lady Of Victory Roman Catholic Church which is located in the Mount Dennis neighbourhood. The parish celebrated its 75th anniversary last year but I think this building didn't appear until the 50s. Once again, the doors were locked so I couldn't get in although I could see that there are some lovely stained glass windows along the side of the church.
Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click HERE to see more religious buildings from around the world.
I found this funny stencil on the side of a house that runs along a laneway. I wonder if it does any good to keep trouble away!
Fish and chips will always mean that it must be Friday to me since growing up when we could eat no meat on Fridays. A new chippy, the Sea Witch, has opened here and I finally tried it a couple of weeks ago - it was delicious but so filling! And really popular judging by the crowds.
Another pic from my archives, this was a warm day at the end of September in Kensington Market on a Pedestrian Sunday when the streets of the market are closed to cars. There was something intriguing to me about these two, they looked like they were from another time and looked so happy and quite pleasant. Their music was also pleasing and if you look closely, they each have little cymbal things on one foot and she has a horn instrument of some kind on top of the accordian. They just sat there singing away to the crowds walking by - priceless!
This is one of the entrances to the St Clair West station of our subway system. This was built in 1978 on Heath St in a mainly residential area with a park behind it so it is a perfect location for commuters who live in the Forest Hill neighbourhood. I am still using pics from my archives - definitely no leaves out here yet!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE for more signs from around the world.
This is the main doorway into the Confederation Life building which was built on Richmond St at Yonge St in 1892. It is a magnificent building but the street is too narrow to get the whole building into the frame since the structure stretches for the complete city block. The building was totally revitalized in the 1980s and has been historically designated. It was a very chilly, windy morning a couple of weeks ago when I took this pic but I wanted to catch the wonderful carvings around the door.
I spotted this mural on the side of an animal hospital on College St. I couldn't find out the artists but the mural is part of the city's ongoing project to have murals painted on areas that are prone to a lot of tagging. Perfect for the location!
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
The theme for February 1 for the City Daily bloggers community is "what would I most miss about my city if I had to leave it?" Well, I have been ruminating for weeks about this one - I would miss the laneways, the murals, the public art, the architecture, the old homes of the Annex & Yorkville, Casa Loma, Kensington Market, etc. I guess you get the picture! I think what I would miss most would be the flavour of the city which all these things blend together to create. So for my pic, I give you a shot of the skyline taken from the dock at the Toronto Island showing the CN Tower which is visible from all over the city and lets me know I am home.
To see other samples of this theme from all over the world, click HERE.
