We haven't had any snow for a few weeks now and this pic was taken about a month ago during a bit of a storm. This grey squirrel was determined to have a bite to eat and actually hung from that suet feeder for several minutes while he munched away.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
A couple of doors along from yesterday's macarons shop is a chocolate shop and they had decorated their window with a chocolate tree with even the leaves made of chocolate!
Instead of chocolate eggs maybe a basket full of colourful macarons would be nice. Taken through a window when the store was closed unfortunately.
This building is almost across the road from yesterday's building. I love that little balcony with the columns on the top floor. The building was constructed on Queen St W in 1898 and now houses three stores on the main floor - a jewellery store with the peace symbol & heart, a knitting store, and a woman's clothing store. And that is my venerable Honda parked out front!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
It was the cut-out leaves that attracted my attention to this building on Queen St West in the Parkdale neighbourhhod so then I had to investigate. It turns out that it is called Miss Things and it is a restaurant and bar serving classic Pan-Asian and Hawaiian food with a contemporary twist. It was closed but I checked on-line and the interior has a great retro look. I think a visit is needed!
I spotted this mural on Queen St W in the Parkdale neighbourhood and managed to work my way around some parked cars to get a pic. It isn't too often that you see an older person featured in a mural especially one having a smoke. The artist for this one is Troy Lovegates who used to be known as Other. He has done murals worldwide and has done many in Toronto although he no longer lives here.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
I couldn't leave off my pics from the St Patrick's Day Parade without posting this one of these men in great looking kilts. I really like that tartan they are wearing and the whole group looks so handsome all in step. Those are some of the buildings from the U of Toronto behind them.
Irish Wolfhounds were not the only creatures to appear at the St Patrick's Day parade. A large group of dragons also put on a display. I particularly liked this yellow and gold one. You have to feel sorry for the poor person in the back of these who will be bent over for the whole length of the march!
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
I was right near the beginning of the St Patrick's Day parade and this band had not yet begun to play and they were all looking a bit cold except for one of them. The woman just right of centre must have spotted a friend or family member and what a smile and greeting they got!
Reflecting the multicultural makeup of Toronto there were several different ethnic groups marching in the St Patrick's Day parade. This Mexican group was one of the more colourful ones!
There were several pipe bands in the St Patrick's Day Parade and this was one of the most striking ones with everyone in their red plaid kilts. This pic was taken on Bloor St near the beginning of the parade in front of Varsity Stadium which is the playing field of the U of Toronto. You can see the bubble which covers the field at this time of year. It was a windy day so a kilt wouldn't have been the warmest outfit to be wearing!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
I thought I would show you a few days of pics from the St Patrick's Day Parade. This group of kids was from an Irish dance school and they were dancing along the street in their green finery - some of them even had little green wings. I was positioned on Bloor St near the beginning of the parade so they may not be so light on their feet by the end which is a few miles away at City Hall.
I spotted this new mural high up on a wall along Bloor St in Koreatown on a clear but cool day. The artist for this one is Kizmet who has done a lot of murals in the city so I will have to look for more of them.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
I was taking a shortcut when I passed this low rise apartment building and noticed the birds above the door so pulled over immediately. It is hard to believe that a building with such wonderful Art Deco details would be allowed to fall into such a state of disrepair. There are occupied apartments so I think there must be another door they use rather than this one. I hope someone restores this place soon! And this is in a desirable part of town.
We had our St Patrick's Day Parade last Sunday along Bloor St and one of the highlights for me is always the Irish Wolfhound club that marches a good group of these gentle beasts along the parade. This one in particular had a nice costume don't you think?
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
Happy St Patrick's Day everyone!
I spotted this unusual piece on the side of a building on Queen St W in the Parkdale neighbourhood. I'm not sure how it was done but it certainly makes the bricked-up window more interesting.
I was walking through the Seaton Village neighbourhood a few weeks ago when we still had snow and spotted this tiny balcony poking out of the attic area of this home. I assume there must be a room heading off the other side of the peaked roof and that this wee addition offers some cross ventilation and a view of sunsets since it faces west. Quite odd.
This is a pic that I took last September of the Press building at Exhibition Place which I showed you yesterday in a night time pic. Those flowers and green leaves certainly look appealing to our winter weary eyes. And the clock was telling the correct time.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
I was at the Exhibition grounds a few weeks ago to see an art show and when I came out the Press building was all lit up and looking quite good. This Beaux Arts beauty was built in 1905 and is the oldest building on the Exhibition grounds built specifically for the exhibition. It is no longer functioning as the press building but is now used to house the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) staff. That funny streak in the sky was a helicopter flying by. I'll show you a daytime pic from last fall in tomorrow's post.
I love the graphic style of this mural which I found in a laneway just off Ossington Ave. The artist for this one is Peru 143 aka Peru Dyer Jalea who has done a lot of work around the city. The colours really stand out at this time of year when everything is so dull.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
This is a common sight all over Toronto but they usually stay in one location for only a few days. This caravan of dressing rooms and service vehicles was parked here for a couple of weeks with little action during the day so I think they must have been filming in a nearby college in the after hours. I never could find any indication what the film or TV show was.
This little Downy Woodpecker was enjoying a suet treat and didn't notice the male Cardinal hiding in the bush behind him waiting for a chance for a snack too!
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
This is the door into another of the buildings still standing on the Honest Ed's property. I'm not sure if this one is going to survive but I hope that old light fixture is saved!
I'm still back on the demolition site of the Mirvish family property which included Honest Ed's. Apparently several of the older Victorian buildings along Markham St are being restored after community consultation and I'm not sure if this building is one of the ones being retained. This pic goes through from the front on Bathurst St and out through what had been an addition on the back. A friend of mine had a longtime studio on the second floor here so it is sad to see this.
I have written before about how the venerable Honest Ed's store and the whole square city block that was owned by the Mirvish family was to be redeveloped. Well, it turns out that one building in the whole huge area was not owned by the Mirvish family and its owner refused to sell and so while demolition has gone on around it this building remains standing on Bathurst St. When the building beside it was torn down the old ghost signs for Quaker Oats and for some tailor were revealed. You can see the outline of the departed structure showing that it was smaller and allowed the taggers to paint over the upper parts of the wall in the past. This building is going to be surrounded by towers when the development is finished.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
This is the other side of the utility box that I showed you yesterday. Here the greenery seems to be growing from the hands to cover the box. I really like this one!
While wandering around Queen St W in the Parkdale neighbourhood I stumbled upon this beautifully painted utility box. The artist for this one is Jon McTavish and it was part of a program the Bell Canada had to decorate their boxes in the area. This was a wonderful sight to see on a winter morning.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
These taxis lined up all in a row were found at the rear of the Toronto Coach Terminal on a Sunday morning. The terminal is the bus station for inter-city services such as Greyhound. I'll have to go back one day to show you the terminal itself which is a wonderful heritage protected building.
It is hard to believe this is the 8th birthday of the blog and I'm still going strong thanks to all of my blog friends all over the world. Thanks everyone!
This pic is from a few weeks ago when we still had a lot of snow. This Grey Squirrel had found some very tasty morsels in the snow and the cold didn't seem to bother him at all.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
This is another view of the skating rink at our city hall. I couldn't decide between this one and the one from yesterday for the theme Play. I liked the background of our Old City Hall in this one and that sweet girl up front moving along like a snail on her skates.
The March theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is Play and since play in Canada in the winter often involves snow or ice I headed down to the skating rink in front of our city hall early on a Sunday morning. It is a good time to get the little kids out onto the ice before the rink gets crowded by big people later in the day. You can see part of or Old City Hall in the background to the right and the wonderful wedge-shaped building of the Bell Trinity Square to the left.
Taking part in the theme Play. Click HERE to see more Play from around the world.
