The Barns

 The Artscape Wychwood Barns are located in barns built for streetcar maintenance in 1913. Now the barns have been taken over by Artscape and turned into a real community hub with artist live/work spaces, galleries. offices for art & environmental groups and a huge event space which is in hall 2 behind all those windows.  This space is used for all kinds of events such as weddings, exhibits and in winter the farmers market moves into it.

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

Victorian Gem

 I love the old Victorian homes along Brunswick Ave near College St. The whole area is a designated heritage district so they have some protection. The house next door to this one sold for around $4.5 million a couple of years ago so they are not cheap.

Feathers

 Toronto Hydro has built a new wall around one of their yards and there are 3 panels embedded in the wall. This is one of them and I will show the other two over the next couple of weeks. The artist is Emily Kewageshig as you can see.

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

At Home

 A couple of weeks ago I showed a poster for a show at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) featuring the work of Keith Haring and several people were unfamiliar with him. I love his work and own this great one courtesy of Ikea who had reproduced several of his pieces years ago. And you get to see my vintage pink flamingo from the 50s.

On The March

This group of Canada Geese had decided to change locations and were on the march near the pond at James Gardens. They proceeded to the parking lot where they stopped traffic while they slowly strolled across the road. They are the bosses. 

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

Heading For Fun & Exercise

It was mid afternoon and this class of grade school students was heading down to the ice rink at Christie Pits Park for what must have been a lot of fun. We never had fun outings like that when I was in school.

Up On The Roof

Not the Drifters song but rather it was the pigeons walking around on the roof looking for something to eat. The footprints actually led to my deck and the birdbath but the water is frozen so no drinks today. It is interesting how snow reflects the sky and appears blue in some photos.

Travel

I was at a stoplight when I noticed this travel sign on an empty building and managed to get my camera out and take this shot before the light changed. It looks like it has been there a while but it is not a regular route that I was on.

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

Keeping Warm

This scary character, found looking over the stone wall around Casa Loma, must have been left from the Halloween display at the Casa. Someone kindly gave him a scarf and a head covering to fight off the cold. He's a big one since that stone wall is about 7 or 8 ft tall.

More Laneway Flowers

The flower mural I showed last Monday was on the side of a house. As I continued along the lane it turned out that there were 2 newly built laneway houses behind it and the artist, Chris Perez, had painted on them too. Perfect for a dull winter day. Notice the cat in the bottom of the right hand side door. He watched me the whole time I was there. 

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

More Colour

My Clivia plant decided it would flower and try to brighten up the winter mood. It usually flowers in the fall and then again in February so it is a bit early this year but quite a welcome sight.

Colour From The Archives

It was a cool but sunny day in September and I was sitting out on the deck enjoying the sunshine while this bee sat  on a Marigold growing in a planter beside me. We both stayed there a long time enjoying the warmth. I actually left before it did.

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

From The Archives

 This shot was taken in June on a nice sunny and warm day. I was down walking along the trail beside the Humber River and enjoying the weather. It was nice to look back and remember this on yet another dreary day here.

Messy Conditions

This shot was taken on January 11 when the predictions were for a major snow storm. We ended up getting a couple of inches of snow and then it turned to rain which gave us this slush but it kept raining for hours and we ended up with nothing. This is a shot down my local laneway. Once again I am posting a few days in advance and we are due for another snow storm so we shall see.

At The Art Gallery

 This Keith Haring show is on at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) and this is a show I am planning to see. I love his work and in the meantime there are several different posters up around town advertising the event.

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

Dreary Day In the Woods

The tree in this shot seems to have fallen over in all the dull dreariness we have had. Hardly any sunshine for months and days of unpleasant weather. Even the woods looks boring when you are out for a walk.

Red In The Lane

 I glanced down a laneway and noticed a splash of red at the other end so headed down to find this bright red blossom by artist Chris Perez. It was such a treat on another gloomy winter day.

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

Another Park Oddity

I have spotted this person in a park sitting backwards on a bench a few times. This time I noticed the  huge puffs of smoke around them. I guess it must be comfortable to lean on the back of the bench but it must be awkward to get into that position.

Birds Of A Feather

 There is a small flock of Juncos that come each day to poke around on the deck looking for any seeds that might be around from last summer's plants. They often end up sitting near this metal bird. I think he offers them a bit of security.

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

Dull Days

 This shot was taken on January 5 and shows what a dull winter we have been having so far with only a couple days of sunshine and a couple of mornings with a bit of snow. The snow may have changed things by the time this gets published since I post a few days in advance.

Ravine Walk

On New Year's Day I went for a walk down in one of the many ravines that run through the city. This one is near Casa Loma and gets a lot of foot traffic. There are many sightings of coyotes down there but I didn't see any of them.

Danger

Toronto Hydro has been doing a lot of upgrades and construction at this substation and that included a new fence with these signs. I love the little bird flying overhead in the sign on the right. 

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

Happy Snowman

I always post a few days in advance so when I showed you a pic of Frank the Snowman last week sitting in the rain his situation had actually changed . We woke on New Year day to find a bit of snow and so Frank and his friend were happy. The snow has since melted and he now sits in gloom again. We may get a sprinkling of snow for him soon.

Don't Mess With Him

That is a rather stern look on this guy so it would be a good idea to obey. He does seem to be melting away a bit though. 

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

A Buried Creek

 Garrison Creek is one of several now buried creeks that run through the city down to Lake Ontario. There are quite a few of these plaques inset in sidewalks along its route to remind us about what is running below our feet. As the city grew these creeks were slowly covered over and the water was diverted into pipes. Garrison Creek's route ran through many of the parks in the west side of downtown such as Christie Pits Park and Trinity Bellwoods Park.

A Visit With The Ducks

 This young girl was obeying the signs by not feeding the ducks but she still was having a nice visit with them beside the pond in James Gardens. They first came to her for food but then decided she was no risk to them so they all just hung out around her until her family called her away.

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

Old Fire Truck

 This vintage fire truck from the Toronto Fire Services makes appearances in various parades and events around town. In this shot it was waiting to line up for a Santa Claus Parade a few years ago.

Crazy Weather

It has finally cooled off a bit here this week but poor Frank the Snowman has been sweating it out in days of rain. He is hoping for some major snow soon.

Dreaming Of Ice Cream

 It would be hard to miss seeing the Dutch Dreams ice cream parlour with its bright colours and funny figurines such as these ones on the side wall of the building. It is a long lasting ice cream tradition to line up for something delicious especially in the summer.

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

Fit For Grand Horses

This is just part of the horse stables that belong to Casa Loma. I have been inside during various events and they are quite posh as you can imagine.

January Theme: Photo Of The Year

 The January theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is Photo Of The Year. When I was going through my photos taken this year this one, taken in June, gave me the biggest smile and I was so pleased at the time to have managed to get my camera out and get this shot. The person in the duck was walking really fast on the other side of the street and I almost missed the shot.

Taking part in the theme Photo Of The Year. click HERE to see more photos of the year from around the world.