Winter Aconite

As I passed by a rather large front garden I noticed large patches of Winter Aconite blooming. This was taken last Friday which seems once again so early to see flowers blooming in Toronto. They seemed to be loving the sunshine and so was I.

Howland Court

 I was taking this shot for Signs 2 but the white letters that spell out Howland Court faded into the intricate metal work behind them. I just wanted to show how the scale of these small apartment buildings fits into the Annex neighbourhood. These are in the same block as the houses I showed you last week. The two buildings form a nice courtyard inside where everyone seems to have their bikes parked. Quite different from yesterday's building which is just a short walk away.

Glorious Sky

I was walking around the Annex neighbourhood in nice sunshine and was struck by how wonderful the end of this apartment building looked against the deep blue sky. This is one of the many apartment buildings designed by Uno Prii and a lot of them are in this neighbourhood. You can see some more shots of his work if you click the label below.

"Make Art Right Now"

This pop art style mural was spotted on the hoarding of a construction site along Dupont St. The artist is Gary Taxali who is known for this style. I hope the art gets reused on another location when construction is finished. 

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

A Happy Frank

We finally had some snow a week ago and Frank the Snowman was happy. Frank stays out on the deck all winter before retiring to his summer home which is out of the sun. The snow is all gone now but it was nice to have the brightness after such a grey winter so far.

Grazing

 We finally got a bit of snow last week but it soon melted around the edges so the geese were still able to find some grass to eat. Many of them stayed here all winter but I have heard reports of people seeing flocks of geese heading home for the spring.

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

An Annex Infill House

This seems to be a common style of house to be built in the older parts of the city as infill when an older house has been taken down. This one is just a few doors away from the house I showed you yesterday. Unique neighbours for sure.

An Annex Home

This house is typical of the style of homes built in the Annex neighbourhood in the late 1800s. This one has been beautifully restored and winter is a good time to see it before the leaves come out on the trees.

Annex

 This sign was found in a laneway in the Annex neighbourhood near where the old Honest Ed's store was and the sign itself is painted in the style and shape of Ed's old one. It is a great tribute to what was a landmark for many years.

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

Flowers in February

 This shot was taken on February 12 and we actually had flowers in Toronto. Since then we have had some snow but I'm sure that these Snowdrops are hiding under it and will be ready to shine again soon I hope.

Another Utility Box

 There seem to be more and more of the utility boxes around the city being painted. This one with the little kids is so springlike with the flowers. It looks like the kid with the notebook is taking dictation from the caterpillar on the leaf. The artist for this one is Cymatiste.

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

Saturday Night

Things seem to be finally getting back towards normal at the local pub with more people in and lots of people playing darts again. It has been a long road back to being able to relax a bit.

Just Checking Things Out

Normally at this time of year the squirrels would be snuffling about in the snow looking for things that they may have buried in the fall but this year with no snow on the ground in February they can really check things out. This growth of periwinkle looked like a prime spot to find some food so this squirrel with the fluffy tail was really having a good poke about. 

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

A Flutter Of Butterflies

This is the installation that included the butterflies and cranes that I showed you yesterday. It is hard to tell from the shot but that is a curved wall found in a newly done loft space. Some of those hangings are over 5 ft long. I love the whole thing.

Butterflies And Cranes

These origami butterflies and cranes were spotted recently in a loft near me. The patterns on the papers are so gorgeous and I love the shadows too. I will show you the installation that they were part of tomorrow.

Cows In The City

I saw this truck stopped across from me and quickly took a shot before it could move off. Then it turned out that I spotted the truck and its cows twice more that week. It makes for a peaceful sight on a busy roadway.

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

Refreshed

It was good to see that these doors with all the Art Deco features have been refreshed. The wood had been looking rather weathered and the metal a bit tarnished. Now they all look gorgeous but it is too bad that someone tagged the building itself.

Along Davenport Rd

This is the last of the murals by Emily Kewageshig that are on the wall around the hydro station on Davenport Rd.  Davenport follows the route of an old First Nation trail which ran between the Humber River in the west and the Don River in the east. The trail was called Gete-Onigaming which means "at the old portage". Both rivers run right through the city and have wonderful walking trails along their banks.

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

Strange Winter

 This is not what one expects to see in Toronto at the beginning of February. No snow and a guy running in shorts is a bit unusual. I'm not complaining though. I like the small apartment building which is in a group of older small places along Davenport Rd.

"Don't Bother Me Today"

 This Red-tailed Hawk sat up in this tree for at least 20 minutes and refused to turn around for a portrait. I think it was busy watching for squirrels in a nearby field and had no time for me. It was a coolish day so he was looking rather puffed up.

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

The Entrance

 I thought that I would show you the entrance to yesterday's condo building since it looks so striking especially in the sunshine. The person in the orange vest who was on the bike in yesterday's shot had just arrived at the entrance when I took this shot.

Finally Sunshine

The sun finally came out here last week and so of course I headed out for a walk. This striking condo building is a conversion from what had been storage space for Toronto Hydro. They did an excellent job changing the industrial building into residences.

Sign For The Murals

 When I first took the shots of the murals by Emily Kewageshig that I have shown the last couple of Mondays this rock which is beside them was covered by a snow drift. I went back now that we have no snow to see what was on the rock and here it is. This area is part of the territory of the Ojibway First Nation which was part of the Anishinaabe nation. I'll show the last mural next Monday.

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

Photoshoot

Our local pub was having a few promo shots for the upcoming Super Bowl and the photographer was set up beside us. I asked if I could take a shot and she was delighted. Those tall tubes hold about 2 1/2 pitchers of beer and sit right on your table for you to self-serve which makes it easier on the waiters.

Trees

This is the second mural on a panel decorating the wall around the Toronto Hydro yard. Once again the artist is Emily Kewageshig. I love these trees with their trunks wrapping around the sun. I'll show the last of these murals next week.

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

More Fog

 I couldn't resist another shot of the fog we had for a couple of days. It usually doesn't hang around too long but this time it did.

Friends

 I mentioned a couple of weeks ago when I showed a Junco that they seem to like being around the little metal bird I have out on the deck. This little guy hung out there with its friend for quite a while just looking around and then flew down to peck around for food.

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

Foggy Days

Last weeks we had a few days with heavy fog in areas. When I was passing by this cemetery the trees were all softened by the mist and I couldn't resist heading in for some shots.

February Theme: Street Corner

 The February theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is Street Corner and for this theme I chose a shot of one of the corner stores that are found all over the city. They are great places for getting fresh veggies and fruit and become part of their communities. This one is located on Bloor St W in Koreatown. Taken in September when the weather was a lot nicer than today.

Taking part in the theme Street Corner. Click HERE to see more street corners from around the world.