At least twice I have seen this house in the Weston neighbourhood being used for film sets which is understandable since it is rather unique. I like the big porch and the square room at the top right. And who doesn't like a weather vane?
These Winter Aconite flowers have been up for a few weeks and have survived being buried by snow twice, shivered through -12˚C nights, and baked in 16˚C days and still keep flowering. They close up if it is cold and then open as soon as the sun hits them. I think they are our first flowers of spring even before the snowdrops.
The original library building here at Jane St and Dundas St was constructed in 1975 but was rather dark and dreary inside and so a major renovation was designed by Teeple Architects and the new look was finished in 2008. The north and east facades now are totally covered in windows and this entrance is now also bright and airy and is quite welcoming.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
This is the back of the utility box which I showed you yesterday. The lady's hair from the front has gone around the corner and become a tree for the bird to perch upon. I like this artist's work and wish we knew who it was. And as you can see from all of the open space behind this across the road we are not downtown for this one - there are no big parking lots like that in the middle of the city!
I think this is my favourite of all the decorated utility boxes which I've seen in the city. I just happened to be driving by her in the west end and did a quick u-turn to get a pic. Isn't she lovely? There was no signature unfortunately. I'll show you the back tomorrow.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
This is another of the bike rings designed by the students of Bloor Collegiate and installed along Bloor St W near the school. This peace symbol was designed by Gerald Holtom in 1958 for the British nuclear disarmament movement and the symbol itself comes from the semaphore signs for N and D. I had no idea it was such an old symbol!
This would have been perfect for St Patrick's Day but it had passed when I took this pic at James Gardens. It's amazing how those green heads of the Mallards glowed in the sun!
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
Every time I pass by this house I think how pretty it looks and the snow last week really made the yellow stand out. Such an unusual colour to paint your brick house but it works well!
I was wandering through the High Park neighbourhood and spotted this unusual Little Library so headed over for a pic. It's nicely done don't you think? And it has lots of space for books.
I really liked the font used on these house numbers. They seem so deco or moderne to me.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
This art piece is found in front of a condo on Bloor St opposite from High Park. The piece consists of the 2 canine figures and the digitized scene that you can see on the wall. The scene is actually moving with water flowing and trees blowing etc. When I first saw this I thought the dogs were waiting for someone to come out of the doors but they are meant to be watching the screen as the piece explores the relationship of nature to a digital world. Done in 2015 by artists Public Studio the piece is titled "We Are All Animals".
This mural titled "Keele Connection" is found on the underpass outside the Keele Subway station where it connects with the local buses. At this point in our subway system the trains are above ground and are running on the overpass. The artists for this one are Rob Matejka & Tommy Matejka and it was done in 2015. I really like the clouds they have painted on the supports that are closer to us!
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
This is the view from the top of the stairs leading up to Casa Loma from Davenport Rd - there are 110 steps. This view appears in thousands of pics and selfies since it seems that practically everyone going to the Casa wants this pic with the CN Tower visible in the distance behind the towers of the financial district. It is very strange on foggy days to see no tower there!
We see these cute Dark-eyed Juncos here in the winter when them come south from the arctic for the season and they are often gone by now but our temperatures have been cold the last couple of weeks so I spotted a lot of them around last Saturday. They are quite sweet and seem to hang out in groups all the time fluttering about looking for food.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
This is another of the bike rings on Bloor St W that were designed by the students at Bloor Collegiate and this one is located across the street from the school itself. I wonder if it was modeled after that tree you can see in the background? There are lots of spaces to fit a lock on this one.
Happy St Patrick's Day everyone!
This nice entrance is found on a small apartment building typical of many that can be found in the older areas of the city downtown. They are often right in the middle of residential neighbourhoods and their scale is perfect for such a location unlike the condo towers that are threatening to take over many spots. And the added bonus these buildings offer is that the units are usually large and solidly built so tenants tend to stay for many years.
This sign/poster is actually all made of chocolate and was found in the window of Stubbe Chocolate. It was inspired by the Liza Donovan illustration "Hear Our Voice" which she did for the Women's March at Washington, DC in January. I couldn't avoid the reflections.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
I was driving along in the High Park neighbourhood and just caught sight of this playground at St Cecilia school and immediately turned around. The playground was built 20 years ago with donations and labour from the surrounding community. If I was a kid I would love to play in the castles - even now I'd like to poke around in there!
I spotted this cute bunny on the side of a building on Bloor St W and thought it was perfect for us northern inhabitants dreaming of warmer weather to come. A little time resting on a beach sounds perfect!
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
The same area along Bloor St where I have been showing you the bike rings lately also has these wonderful stainless steel decorations inlaid in the sidewalks throughout the neighbourhood. It is always a nice surprise to happen upon one of them.
These two looked like they were playing Hide & Seek as the Downy Woodpecker circled the tree and the Cardinal moved around in the bushes but I think they were just looking for a space at nearby feeders.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
I love the look of this wonderful balcony found on this home in the Little Italy neighbourhood. Can't you imagine sitting up there having wine & treats in the evening sunlight. From the excellent condition of the brickwork I would say that this house has been beautifully restored so the interior is probably spectacular. In our crazy real estate market we are talking mega dollars for this one!
Imagine the surprise at finding the Tardis right here in Toronto. This sure gave me a big smile and when the door of this Little Library was opened it was huge inside just as you would expect!
This is the whole mural that I have been showing you in parts over the last 3 days. As you can see it is a bit overwhelmed by signs, trees, and various mechanical devices. It is a visually busy corner in the Mount Dennis neighbourhood.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
When I was a kid it seemed like all the kids in the neighbourhood were up in trees in a nearby woodlot all the time. Somehow I don't think parents let their kids do that much these days. This is the third part of the mural I have been showing you the last few days and unfortunately it is a bit faded by the sun but I like it. Tomorrow I'll show you the whole mural all together and you'll see why I did it in sections.
This is the 2nd part of the mural which I started showing you yesterday. I'll show another part tomorrow and then the whole thing together on Wednesday. Is there anything nicer than to sit on a big tree branch hanging out over the water and just relaxing? It looks tempting to me.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
I'm going to show you parts of a mural over the next three days and then on Wednesday will show you the whole thing together. This first section brings back lots of memories of hanging from trees as a kid although never with red hair like that. And over there on the right is proof that payphones do still exist!
This Peregrine Falcon is another first for me. He has been hanging around the bird feeders at the Vets Centre at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and apparently has been quite successful in his hunting there. I had been looking up in the trees for him but then turned around and spotted him sitting on a planter. Nice that someone had put a pylon out to warn that he was around.
Taking part in Saturday's critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
The 7th Birthday of my blog - hard to believe. And I've only missed 2 days right near the beginning when my beloved dog had passed away!
I showed you this stone house back in January (HERE) and mentioned the lantern with a real flame and decided I should go back if we got some snow to get a pic of the lantern in the snow. Well, I didn't get there until the next afternoon after our snow fall so some had melted but I still like the effect of the lantern giving a warm welcome to the house.
We have actually been having warm weather but I took this pic a few weeks ago after the snow storm I've been showing the last few days. Those dried up plants on this fence are Morning Glories if I remember correctly and it will be nice to see new ones coming up soon. These small fence pieces are found by the condos along Davenport Road that look across the road at Casa Loma - a great view!
Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.
The March theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is "Black & White in Colour" which means a coloured pic that looks B&W. I took this pic a few weeks ago in the midst of a snow storm and as you can see there is very little colour showing, typical of winter!
To see more pics on this theme click HERE.
