Pipers

There were several pipe bands in the St Patrick's Day parade. You can certainly hear bagpipes from far away. I likes the tartan used in these kilts.

Parade

I'm going to show you some pics from The St Patrick's Day parade over the next few days. It was over an hour long and there were lots of different things to see. There were bands like this one from the towns of Ayr and Paris, both small towns in Ontario. 

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

Back To The Future

Our St Patrick's Day parade was held on March 20 and parked along the side of the road at the starting line of the parade was a group of DeLorean cars, the ones made famous in the movie Back To The Future. At the end of the parade they pulled out and became part of the celebrations. They were all in excellent condition.

Ducks And Friends

There were a lot of murals along the railway underpass that I have been showing the last few weeks. This section shows a collaboration between Nick Sweetman with his ducks and Elicser's people.  The mechanical bits must be by someone else whose name I didn't get.  The ducks steal the show I think.

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

On The Other Side Of The Street Again

Once more I decided to walk on the other side of a street where I always have walked on the opposite side. This was found along Davenport Rd which is a very busy street that cuts across the west part of the city. The houses are built on a steep hill with about 30 steps up to their front door. This homeowner has a wonderful assortment of shrubs all pruned like bonsai planted up the hill.  They actually had a few small bonsai in pots sitting out in the sun for the day.  I can't believe that I never noticed before.

They're Back!

One of the first signs of spring for me is to hear the Red-winged Blackbirds and about a week ago I was in James Gardens and could hear at least 4 of them each at the top of a tree warbling away. I'm not sure if they were staking out territory or calling for a mate but they were loud. I finally spotted this guy way up top singing. It is so nice to hear them back. 

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

A Sign Of Spring

Another sign of spring spotted on St Patrick's Day was this woman in shorts, sandals and sunglasses. It had gone up to 17˚C (62˚F) but other people were still wearing winter coats and boots. Spring is a crazy time.

First Flowers

This was taken last Thursday which was St Patrick's Day and it was a grand warm day here. These Aconite flowers are the first flowers that I have seen this spring. Hurray!

Eye

I thought that this sign for an eye clinic was so suitable. It certainly gets its point across.

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

Spring?

 This was taken last week on a slightly foggy morning which seemed to highlight the fact that everything is so monotone until the flowers start coming out. The only colour came from the dog's kong and the kid's basketball and hair.

Spring Riding

Spring seems to come and go at this time of year but soon we can be in shorts and riding our bikes around town and doing some shopping. This mural was found along the same railway underpass as last week's. The artist for this one is Curtia Wright.  

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

Walking On The Other Side Of The Street

I walk down the street where this sculpture lives in a front garden fairly often but always on the other side of the street and I had never noticed it before. Makes me wonder what other things I have been missing. I'll have to go back when the grasses have grown up around the base to see how it looks. 

A Windy Day

This Red-tailed Hawk was sitting high on one of the communication towers for our city transit company and was being rocked around by the high winds which seem to be so common this winter. I like the way the red of its tail shows up so well. 

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

A Grand Home

I showed you a coach house from the Yorkville neighbourhood a week ago (HERE) and thought I should go back and get a shot of the house it belongs to.  This is one of my favourite houses in that area. It was built in 1879 but the rounded section at the corner wasn't added until 1909. You can just see a bit of the coach house off to the left at the back.

A Garden Wolf?

This life sized wolf was spotted in the small front garden of a home in the Yorkville neighbourhood. It certainly grabs your attention and is really well done.  

Happy St Patrick's Day to everyone!

Since 1944

The Avenue Diner has been at Avenue Rd & Davenport Rd since 1944 but I notice the building it is in has been sold and hope that that doesn't mean another condo is on the way.

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

Yorkville Semis

Another one of my wanderings around the Yorkville neighbourhood resulted in this pic of a fine pair of semi-detached houses. It is interesting that they are similar but not identical with the one on the right having a bay that goes right up to the top floor while the one on the left has the bay only on the ground floor.

Dancing In The Sunlight

This lovely mural was found along the wall in a railway underpass. I think it is so beautiful but unfortunately there was no artist signature.

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

Escape

 Just after I took yesterday's shot most of the ducks flew off as this foolish person with a phone on the end of a selfie stick ran into the midst of them. He probably wanted a shot of the ducks in flight but they were frightened. A little while later he left and they started to return.

A Ducky Day At The Park

When walking about at James Gardens on a cool but sunny day I stopped to check out the ducks. They had all been sitting around or sleeping in the sun when someone got too close to them and everyone was up on their feet not sure if it was safe to keep relaxing. I'll show you the result tomorrow. 

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

Going Uphill

I always like to see snow on top of the stonewall that surrounds Casa Loma and runs up the hill beside the stairs leading to its entrance. I thought I had better start using up my snow shots as it looks like we are hopefully nearing the end of winter. Although we can get huge blizzards in March!

A Yorkville Conversion

This is an old coach house found behind a grand Yorkville home. It has now been converted into a residence. There are several of these around and I have always wanted to see what the interiors are like. I think I would like this one.

Hearts

I spotted this window just at the end of February just before all of the Valentine decorations came down That little sundress was so suitable for the occasion if not for our weather. I'll have to go back to see if the window is green for March. 

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

Medical Science Building

This is the Medical Science building, known as the Med Sci, at U of Toronto. Built in 1969, the architect was able to have the public arts funds used to decorate the facade leaving us with wonderful relief patterns on the pre-cast cladding. I've always been a fan of Brutalist architecture when it is done well so love this one. Taken from the lawn at Queen's Park.

Northern Ontario

This mural was found along the same laneway as last Monday's deer mural. From the style of it it could be the same artist but there is no signature.  It has the look of northern Ontario to it in a slightly abstract way. I like it.

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

A Great Tree

I wanted to show you the tree that was used in Friday's post to frame Casa Loma. One nice thing about winter and the lack of leaves on the trees is that we can see the wonderful shapes the branches have. This is a great one.

A Winter Snack

These Goldfinches were enjoying a bite to eat on a cold winter afternoon. It is always a sign of spring for me when they start to get their yellow feathers back which may be a bit later than usual this year since it has been so cold. 

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

12th Blog Birthday

Today marks 12 years since I started this blog and I have enjoyed every minute of it.  I love all my blogger friends and keeping track of what they are up to each day. Hopefully things will one day get back to 'normal' and I can get around the city more than I have been. Lots of new things to catch up on! So for this day I have chosen this shot of Casa Loma taken from the grounds of Spadina House as I trudged through inches of snow enjoying being outside.

An Old Beauty

This house in the Yorkville neighbourhood was built in 1878 and it looks as if it is nearing the end of a beautiful restoration. The wonderful brickwork has been cleaned and the lovely wood trim has been painted. It will be nice to see how it looks when spring comes and all the snow is gone.

The End Of A Ghost Sign

Clearing a site for another condo means the end of this ghost sign which I had posted back in 2012 (HERE). I almost feel sadder about the sign going away than the old building which has been a landmark on this corner. 

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

March Theme: Solitude

 The March theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is Solitude and I present this shot of a lone walker heading along the walkway that leads to the stairs that one uses to get from Davenport Rd up to Casa Loma. Usually this area is very busy but  that day there were few people around so it was perfect for a walk on one's own.

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