A Butterfly In Her Hair

Butterflies really do seem to be a popular theme for garage doors. This one was spotted along the same laneway as last week's mural.  It appears that the artist for this one is DRPN. 

Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.

Heavy Snow

The 55cm of snow we got just over a week ago was heavy and hard on some of the trees. It made for a nice effect though on the shrubs along side of a building in the Annex neighbourhood.

Eating In The Cold

 This little Downy Woodpecker has figured out that it is easier to get at the food where it is sitting on the bottom of the holder. The woodpeckers seem to stay with us all winter and always find something to eat.

Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.

The Day After The Snowstorm

Last week we had a huge dump of snow in one day, about 55 cm in total. This was the view along one of the streets in the Annex neighbourhood of all the cars covered in a thick layer of snow. The side streets were almost impassable so there was no hurry by anyone to get the car cleaned and get out on the road. Most of the houses in this area were built well before cars existed and so parking on the street is all that is available.

More From The Republic

Yesterday I showed you a sign from the Republic of Rathnelly neighbourhood and I just wanted to show you one of the street signs from the area. As you can see even the city recognizes the republic. This sign had a bit of a run-in with a truck.

A Republic In The City

The Republic of Rathnelly is a small neighbourhood of around 250 houses east of Avenue Rd & west of Casa Loma. They have fought development along Avenue Rd as well as fighting against the Spadina Expressway which would have cut through the centre of the city. The neighbourhood declared themselves a republic and appointed a queen and they have all kinds of community activities during 'normal' times.

Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Looking Through The Screen

We had a load of snow fall last week and this was the view out onto my deck taken through the patio door and the screen. There was a good foot of snow piled against the door but I like the pattern that the screen created in the image. That little bump towards the left is my snowman who is 36" high and all that you can see is a bit of his hat.

Butterfly Shadows

 There are a lot of garage doors in the city painted with butterflies of all sorts. Sometimes whole long laneways have butterflies on most doors. This one is a bit unusual in that it looks like the shadows of the butterflies are passing over the bright patterns. I like it.

Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.

Snowy Boughs

 We had a lot of snow this week but this shot was taken on a morning when we had a gentle light snow leaving all the trees with a nice dusting of white.

Green

I was at James Gardens on a very sunny cool day and the angle of the winter sun was really reflecting nicely off the heads of the male Mallards so of course I shot a whole load of pics to try to get some great green showing. But of course they don't stay still for long so I had a lot of duds. I like this one and also I like seeing his little foot below the water. 

Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.

Home In The Annex

I've always liked this large home in the Annex neighbourhood which was probably built as a single family dwelling but is now divided up into a few flats. I think it is likely interesting inside.

Shadow

I spotted this metal plane and its wonderful shadow in a gallery and couldn't resist a shot.

A Truck Full Of Chips

 Imagine my delight to look over and see a truck full of potato chips which happen to be one of my favourites. I love how they have made the truck look like a container of potatoes.

Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Another Laneway Discovery

 I found yet another laneway house that has sprung up. These small houses replace garages that had originally been on the property but the property still remains part of the whole lot. The garage beside this one has already been torn down and footings poured for another house. It is a good thing to see these popping up as the city has finally started to give permits for them.

Butterflies Revisited

I have gone by this mural many times and have never seen it without a vehicle parked in front of it until a couple of weeks ago. I had posted a pic of it with a blue SUV in front back in March of 2021 but thought I would show it again in full. The artist is Nick Sweetman with Christina Mazzalla and you can see the original post if you click the Sweetman label below. I love his work.

Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.

Snow Balls

The snow we had on Jan 2 was a light fluffy kind that settled nicely on the trees and plants. I liked how these snow balls were formed atop the remains of some of last summer's flowers.

Descending Carefully

Last week for Saturday's Critters I showed this cat sitting innocently in a tree and I though I would show you what he had been up too before I took that pic. He had been really high up in this old Silver Maple tree attempting to grab a squirrel who has a nest up there. The squirrel easily jumped from branch to branch nattering away at he cat for the whole time. Kitty finally gave up and gingerly came down from the heights. He was lucky that the branch had a nice lean to it so he could walk down head first.

Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.

Up Is Harder Than Down

We had no snow on New Year Day but got snow that night so the next day all the kids were out with sleds and inner tubes and anything else that would slide down a hill. This is the steepest hill at Christie Pis park but it also has 2 large light posts at the bottom of the hill so you have to steer carefully. Coming back up the hill can be a chore.

The Old House

This is the house that stands behind yesterday's sign. It is in such good condition for a house built in 1878 and has been well restored and maintained. It was a lovely autumn day when I shot this one.

Gordon House

On a lovely day in October I went for a wander around the Yorkville neighbourhood just enjoying the fall weather. This sign attracted my attention with all of its information about the house it was in front of. This is a good example of the detailed signs that Heritage Toronto puts up when they can find the facts. I'll show you the house tomorrow. 

Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Reflections In A Pond

 When out for a walk on New Year's day I spotted this wonderful reflection in the pond in the Wychwood Park neighbourhood. We got snow the next day but I loved seeing the golden brown leaves and the grand house reflected in the pond that day. That house was the home of the late media guru Marshall McLuhan and what a fine location it has.

Winter Flowers

I was wandering around on a dull cold winter day when I happened upon this newly painted utility box which I hadn't seen before. The artist for this one is Julia Prajza and she certainly brightens up Bloor St with this one. 

Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.

Downtown Living

This is another downtown neighbourhood near  Avenue Rd & Dupont St. It is a very typical streetscape found in this area with semi-detached homes of varying styles lined up along the streets.

The Hunter

I watched this cat scamper up and down the large branches of this tree for several minutes as it stalked a squirrel. He was no match for a squirrel in a tree especially since the cat had a bell on its collar. When it looked over and saw me he seemed to be embarrassed and gave up the hunt and came down and walked away as if nothing had been going on.

Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.

Skating At Christie Pits

The rink at Christie Pits park was pretty busy last week on what was a fairly warmish day for us at this time of year (+5˚C). I am not sure about the protocols for getting skate times are this year but last year you had to book in advance and only for a certain length of time. Not like the old times when you could spend the day there.

Christ The Saviour Russian Orthodox Cathedral

This church is located in the Seaton Village neighbourhood and has a beautiful style. I particularly like those windows in the roof. You can just make out the sign that I showed you yesterday on that pole near the centre of the photo.

Ode To Newspaper Box

I spotted this sign recently in the Seaton Village neighbourhood and was a bit surprised to see that it was paying tribute to the Toronto Star box that used to be on this corner. It is actually an interesting sign and story behind it. Apparently the "Toronto Sign Reimagination Unit" has been putting up a few unofficial heritage plaques around town. I will have to keep my eyes open for more of them. 

Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

More Creatures

This is the other side of yesterday's utility box. They look so much more cheerful than the plain grey or brown boxes that we have had for years.

Creatures On A Box

This utility box was spotted in the Annex neighbourhood back in October when we still had leaves on the trees. It was painted by Erin McCluskey. I like all the creatures on it and will show the other side tomorrow. 

Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.

A Winter Sunset

We have had a lot of grey skies and few really nice sunsets but I lucked into this one the evening that I went to shoot the Christmas tree at Casa Loma. It was actually more spectacular in real life as the whole sky was shades of pink.

January Theme: Photo Of The Year

The January theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is Photo of The Year as it usually is. I chose this shot from August of a painter set up on the grounds of Spadina House as my entry. There was something so peaceful about the scene to me with the way she had brought her watercolour  supplies with her and the blanket spread out. It really seemed that things might again be 'normal' one day. I wish!

Taking part in the theme. Click HERE to see more examples from around the world.