Happy Easter!

I hope everyone got lots of treats for the day. A talented member of our family made the great table runner for us to mark the day!

A Sweet Couple

 There are couples of Canada Geese wandering around all over the city as they get ready to build nests and start a family. This fairly calm pair was spotted at James Gardens and they were paying little attention to the humans which is not always the case as often the geese go into protective mode and become very noisy.

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

Not Just The Door

 It is not just the door of this garage that is decorated with shells but the whole side of it as well. I couldn't get a straight on shot because of parked cars but I think this gives you the idea. The whole front of the house is decorated with things too and even the homeowners van is covered in little things.

What A Garage!

There is a house in the Seaton Village neighbourhood (which is right beside the Annex neighbourhood) that is almost totally decorated with bits of wood attached to it. This is the garage belonging to that house and all that patterning is made by shells that have been glued on to it. The only part not shells is the section below the roof that has small bits of wood. The interesting thing is that no one ever seems to vandalize this place. I'll show another view of it tomorrow.

Escape

I'm not really overly familiar with escape rooms but apparently this place has several  different kinds. Sometimes the idea of a place to escape to sounds better than escaping from. A quiet relaxing place would do the trick.

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

A Different Laneway Sighting

 Not all the garages and buildings in our laneways are painted with lovely murals as this door shows you but I find something intriguing about it. You wonder why there would be such a door on a laneway running through a residential area. Was there a small business operating here years ago? A mystery?

A Vanouver Sunset

 I spotted another fine mural by Nick Sweetman as I wandered down one of my local laneways. His work is always so well done and this one shows the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver at its best. The mountains on the far side of the water are known as the Lions so hence the name of the bridge.

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

A House For Bats

 I haven't seen very many of these bat houses but apparently they really work and the little guys seem to like them. And the bonus is the bats help to keep the mosquitoes in check at night.

They're Back!

We had a  few tough Robins that stayed here all winter but most of them head south. The past couple of weeks the snowbirds have been arriving back in town and it is not unusual to see large groups of them foraging in the parks. On a coolish morning this one was soaking up the sun and quite enjoying it, I think, since it stayed on this branch for at least 10 minutes. It's good to hear them singing again. 

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

An Addition

I vaguely remember when the white building on this corner was for sale and it had parking behind it.  It sold and then the large grey addition appeared with its great red doors. I rather like the contrast between the two halves of the structure. You can see that it is beside the laundromat that I showed you a week ago. The white building was a store but looks like it has been converted to residential.

Noisy Arrivals

When I was walking along the trail by the Humber river last week there were a lot of noisy Canada Geese flying around. I think they had all recently arrived back in town and were establishing territories. This noisy group landed a bit further along on the river.

Mangia Con Amore

This tiny Italian restaurant, Morellina's, is found on Christie St in the Seaton Village neighbourhood. I was looking through the window early on a Sunday morning and it looks quite lovely inside but very tiny with maybe ten tables but I'm not sure about that. I looked up their menu and it all sounds wonderfully delicious. 

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

No Golf Yet

Last week we had a day when it was 18˚C and sunny so I went for a walk along the Humber River. On the other side of the river there are two golf courses right in the middle of the city since that area is flood plains and can't have houses built there. The grass is greening up but here were no golfers out yet as the ground is still quite wet. 

A Nice Burst Of Colour

 It was a dull day when I wandered down a laneway and discovered this nice pop of colour on a garage door. I could find no artist name on it. 

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

There Was A Little House ...

This little house was spotted in the Seaton Village neighbourhood. It is on a huge lot and even with the house set back so far from the street there is a large back garden behind it. It is really tidy outside so I assume the inside must be set up very efficiently and is well organized.

Happy St Patrick's Day to everyone!

Nest Building

I wanted to show you the nest that two squirrels have been building and improving for days now. It is fairly high up in a tree and is getting bigger all the time. You can see one of the squirrels just below the nest towards the right. They are really preparing this nest to last a long time.

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

Reflection

I liked this reflection of some of the storefronts along Bathurst St and was lucky to be there when there were few cars parked.  All the stores in this area have apartments upstairs which makes for a nice neighbourhood with lots of activity.

Winter Grasses

Despite our unusual weather the gardens at James Gardens have been left untouched so the winter grasses are still blowing in the wind. I loved the contrast with the red branches.

Laundry Time

 This coin laundry is not only a place to wash your clothes but you can pick up snacks while you wait. I have to go by to check out the snacks one day.

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

An Unusual Sight This Winter

I was wandering along the trail beside the Humber River when I saw this small creek that  runs nearby. I was rather startled to see some ice along the edges of it and realized that I haven't really seen any ice this winter. Strange times.

A Lovely Surprise

I looked down one of my usual laneways that I explore and saw this wonderful surprise painted by Nick Sweetman. His work is so wonderful that he makes even one of our raccoons look beautiful even though they can be a major pest. I'm dedicating this shot to my friend D who has an ongoing battle with raccoons who take over his roof deck. 

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

Snowdrop Swaths

I was at James Gardens a week ago and there were large areas with lovely swaths of Snowdrops. No snow but lots of flowers.

Found A Treat

I had been watching this grey squirrel working on a nest by gathering leaves and bits of grass when all of a sudden it headed for the curb of the roadway and started poking around. And then up it popped with some kind of good treat and looked quite happy. Most of our squirrels are the black version of the Eastern Grey Squirrels but this winter there seem to be a lot more of the grey ones than usual.

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

Concentration

 All eyes are on the puck as the players try to stay in position. Half the time during the game they would all chase the puck into the corner leaving the whole rink open space. It is still fun to watch the kids at play though.

Big Rink

 A hockey rink looks very big when the players are 9 year old kids as they were in this game. It was good to see that there were boys and girls on both teams and they all could skate really well but the puck handling needs a bit of work. It was just a coincidence that I was at the game just after seeing yesterday's truck.

Good Things For The Community

Tim Hortons is the most popular coffee & donut place in the country and they do a lot of good works in the community. They sponsor hundreds of kids' hockey teams and support camps for kids. Their smile cookie campaign takes place on one day when all the money from the sales of the cookies go to charities. I don't drink coffee but do admire all of the good things they do. 

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

Catching Some Rays

We had a sunny day last week and it was 5˚C with no wind when I spotted this guy at the park catching some sunshine. He had parked his bike, rolled up his pants and taken his top off. Everyone else was wearing winter coats including me.

14th Blog Birthday

This is the 14th birthday for this blog and I still love posting everyday and reading all the comments from my followers and reading your blogs. It seems suitable that the birthday lands on a Mural Monday since I love finding murals all over the city. This one is more work by Gary Taxali whose mural I showed last week on the construction hoarding. For this section he worked with the students from a local public school.

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

Orange

I loved the look of this climbing apparatus spotted in a playground. If I was a kid I would have been on it in a flash.

Ready For Spring

These ladies look to be in fine condition and ready for the spring ahead. I don't think there was ever any ice on their pond this year - at least not yet. 

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

March Theme: Reflections in Windows

The March theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is Reflections In Windows and I chose this one of reflections from the window of a dress designer on Bathurst St. This section of the street has shops on one side while the other side is residential giving us a shot with a spring-like dress in the window while across the road you can see some snow remaining in the small front gardens. I always like to check out the dresses in this window when I go by. 

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