This is the Benchers Entrance at Osgoode Hall which is located downtown on Queen St beside our city hall and it is where you find various court facilities and mainly the Law Society of Upper Canada. The Benchers Quarters is the oldest section of Osgoode Hall having been completed in 1832. The Benchers are the members of the board of directors of the Law Society. I saw pictures on-line of the interior and it is spectacular and I am hoping it will be open one day for our Doors Open event in the city.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
I spotted this Little Library the other day and immediately pulled over for a pic. It is wonderful how each one of these libraries has its own style. I got a good mystery novel from this one!
I spotted this mural on Ossington Ave and immediately pulled over. The artist is Hebru Brantley from the USA and it was painted in 2015. I really like his style.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
It seems to have been a very grey winter here but on one of our few sunny days I was able to catch Casa Loma looking lovely against a blue sky.
This black squirrel was up on this hoop for at least ten minutes. You can't see it but behind her there is a cob of corn on a peg which is placed there for the squirrels and she is proceeding to eat the whole thing herself. A few others came by but she would let no one else near the food. This was taken at the Veterans Centre at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
A local park solved the problems of seating and containing a playground by building this two-sided bench which wraps around a playground. There is no way that the parents will run out of seating and it keeps the dogs on their side of the park. Looks good in the snow too!
I've always liked this house in the Chaplin Estates neighbourhood. There is something very pleasing about its proportions and the materials used and it looked especially nice last week at the beginning of our snow melt. The snow is all gone now.
This bar called Rhino has been in this location since 1992 but the building itself was built in 1909 as the Elm Grove Hotel. There are two halves to the building - the Romanesque 3-storey part on the right side and the Gothic 2-storey on the left but it is totally open inside and quite large. It looks like the side wall has been painted at some time in the past but the fronts have both been nicely restored and look great!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
The sidewalk on the street of yesterday's post goes through a tunnel behind the wall showing the mural. I bet it was a dreary place until being painted in stripes of colours matching the mural but now it is rather fun to walk through it.
I spotted this mural painted on a railway underpass last fall. There is a similar pattern on the opposite side of the road. Titled Skein, it is meant to represent the weaving together of the stories and inspirations of the local residents. It certainly brightens the area. I will show you what is behind the concrete wall tomorrow.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
This pic was taken before we got a major amount of snow last week. I've always liked the proportions of this house and the nice job that was done updating it since it is not a new house by any means. And the typical Toronto red bricks really like that sunshine!
Just after a snow storm last week I was lucky enough to spot a pair of rare Snowy Flamingos. These guys head north in the winter to give us a bit of colour at a dreary time of year!
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
This was taken last week after the first snow of the week but we had three more days of it after this one. The first chore for many people is to clear off the car, then clear your way out of the parking space and then hope the roads aren't too bad when you get out there. More fun to walk if you can!
Last week was a snowy one here where it seemed we had snow every day. It is always nice to walk after the snow stops if it isn't too cold. These two semi-detached homes in the Seaton Village neighbourhood were looking pretty in the snow.
Walking along Queen St W early on a Sunday morning I happened upon Glory Hole Doughnuts which had a steady stream of cars pulling up out front and people running in for a treat. The reviews I read on line were great but I didn't make it inside so will have to head back on another day.
Seconds after taking this pic I stepped in a gift from a local dog so thought it better not to enter that day.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
This is not a free-standing building in a laneway but instead it is an addition to a commercial space that opens to Bathurst St at the front. The siding went on just before the real cold hit us in January and I imagine that they will wait until spring to put a railing on that rooftop deck. I love the corrugated metal they have used!
This is another mural that I spotted on the side of a building as I drove by last fall. So of course I turned the corner and parked and then had to wend my way around a fence and into a parking lot to see what it is all about. It is on the side/back of a bicycle shop but seems to have nothing to do with bikes. It is hard to tell what is going on but it looks like some sort of alien invasion. I could find no artist name on it.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
I've shown you the greenhouse in the gardens of Spadina House before but I couldn't resist another pic of it especially with the blue sky above it. And one day I would like to see the inside of that converted stable behind it which is now a private residence.
I took this pic last week by the duck pond at James Gardens on what was a sunny and not too cold day. This pic shows only about half of the ducks that were there with another bunch of them in the section of the pond which wasn't frozen. Just after I took this a huge hawk flew over and all of the ducks ran towards the water for a minute or two and then came back out to the snow after it had gone by.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
Spadina House is a historic manor located right beside Casa Loma at the top of the hill above Davenport Rd. It was built in 1866 and is now operated as a museum by the city and is decorated to show the styles of the 1920s and 1930s. It also has beautiful grounds and gardens which I have shown you before. I thought it looked wonderful against that blue winter sky!
I was wandering along Ossington Ave near Queen St W looking for murals and spotted this Lovbot siting up in the corner of a porch. Someone has removed one of its arms but it still was a cheerful sight. You can click on my Lovbot label below for more info on them.
Early on a recent Sunday morning it was sunny and not too cold so it was perfect for a walk along Queen St West in the Parkdale neighbourhood. I had my studio near here for years and the Parkdale Home Hardware was the local source for most things that you needed. The Romanesque Revival building was constructed in 1889 as a butcher shop and if you look carefully you can see two animal heads on the wall up at the third floor. The sky was perfect that morning!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
This lone bee is just around the corner of the building from yesterday's post but there were construction signs parked on part of the sidewalk so I am showing him separately. The artist Nick Sweetman has done several murals showing bees and the business association in Mount Dennis is planning on using bee-friendly plants in their street planters this year as well as adding some bee hotels so he is the perfect artist for them to use.
I was driving along Eglinton Ave in the Mount Dennis neighbourhood and passed this wonderful mural of bees and flowers. Of course I made a fast turn and went back to catch a pic of this beauty. The colours of the flowers were such a treat to see at this dull time of year. The artist for this one is Nick Sweetman whose work I have shown before. I love it! I will give you a peek of the section around the corner to the left tomorrow.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
Most of the year Casa Loma is hidden from Davenport Rd by all of the trees growing in its gardens but once winter comes you can catch peeks of the towers. There is something quite nice about seeing it poking through the branches especially with that blue sky behind it.
I took this pic of a Red-breasted Nuthatch on a very cold day a few weeks ago. The suet seemed to be just what it needed for a bit of energy to fight the cold.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
This is part of the wall surrounding Casa Loma on the side where you can walk up the hill from Davenport Rd instead of walking up the 110 steps from the other side. I'm not sure which way is easier although I think the step side is steeper. The gate leads into the lower gardens. The sky was really that colour last week!
The February theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is "Tired" and I posted this pic to show you what I am tired of - Winter! I'm tired of wearing boots, shoveling snow, and chopping ice. Can't wait for the warm spring days ahead.
Taking part in the theme Tired. Click HERE to see more examples of Tired from around the world.
