Purple

 

These beautiful purple Irises were being buffeted about by the wind when I went by so some of them look a bit distorted but the colour was so wonderful that I couldn't resist a shot.

Summer Hats

 

These festive hats were spotted in the window of a local hat designer's shop. He has a hat for everyone.

Pedestrian Crosswalk

 In areas of the city where there is not enough foot traffic to justify installing stop lights we have pedestrian crosswalks like this one where the walker pushes a button on the pole and lights start flashing right across the roadway. The cars stop and must wait until the pedestrian has cleared the roadway. This one is on a busy street right by the stairs leading to a popular park.

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

Surprise

 I was walking by Christie Pits Park and was surprised that I could see the large church in the distance so well. The church is about a 15 or 20 minute walk away but from this angle it seems to be right beside the park. A trick of the eye.

Abstract Garage

 

I found a laneway with several garages painted in this style although all with different colour combinations and patterns. They seem to discourage the taggers. There was no artist info.

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

They Will Grow Anywhere

 

This Dandelion was growing out of a crack along a laneway and looked to be thriving. It seems that they can grow anywhere. Most of them now have their fluffy seed heads sending out scouts for more locations to grow.

Perfect Camouflage

If you look closely at the middle of this shot you will see the tiny Song Sparrow poking about looking for something to eat. Its feathers give it a perfect camouflage don't you think? It is one of my favourite birds because of its song. 

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

Laneway Neighbours

 

I haven't seen very many laneway houses with another one right beside it. I found these two a little underwhelming as far as design goes - there needs a bit more detail in the one on the left. I left a bit of the neighbouring garage to show you how they have actually been built where a garage has been torn down.

Redbud

 

One of my favourite sights in spring is Redbud trees which become covered in small pink flowers all along their branches. We never saw them here when I was a kid but now with the temperatures not quite so cold in winter there are a lot of them in the city. I was walking along in a laneway when I saw this one in someone's back garden.

A Sign Of Strength

 

I missed the 30th anniversary of my board breaking by a week or so but I am posting this now anyway. I had been taking a self defense course for a few years and we all decided to to show ourselves our own strength by breaking a board. I still display this proudly.

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

Green Everywhere

 The trees in the neighbourhood are all covered in leaves! It seems to have happened all of a sudden and really caught me by surprise.

Healthy Food

This new mural has appeared on the wall of a local food coop grocery store. Karma Coop is a members owned grocery store that has been around for more than 50 years now. The artist for this one is Wandy Cheng. 

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

Reflection

 It is always fun to check out the reflections in the triangular windows of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) when walking along Bloor St. This addition to the museum was designed by Daniel Libeskind and is due to have a few changes made to parts of it but I hope the windows remain intact.

Time For A Nap

 

There was not a lot of action at the pond in James Gardens during a recent visit. These ducks were so sound asleep that none of them moved at all as I approached them. I didn't disturb them.

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

Orange Door

 Not all of the houses in the Annex neighbourhood are large although most of them are. I like the look of this small one which was probably some kind of infill years ago. And they have a nice orange door.

Irises

 There are Iris blooms out all over the city and there are so many different colour combinations. These deep purple ones flower on a shorter stem than most so are very stable in windy conditions. I love to see them all.

Espresso Anyone?

 

This unusual building on Davenport Rd houses a company that imports and services high-end espresso machines. The building looks to me like the type that would have been a gas station when it first opened.  It could use a bit of work.

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

Lovely Garden

 I tend to show a lot of large homes in the older parts of the city but as you move out a bit from the older parts you find many houses similar to this one which were built after WWll. There are many little enclaves of these homes with 2 bedrooms, kitchen, living room, and a bathroom and they were affordable. It feels like we should be looking at building small homes again to deal with the housing shortages everywhere.

Canada Geese

 I'll have to go by this restaurant in the Yorkville neighbourhood in winter when there are no umbrellas up so that we could get a good look at this mural of Canada Geese. The parts that we can see are wonderfully done. I have no idea who the artist is for this one as the signature is probably hidden by some diners. 

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

Tulips

 

The interior of these red tulips reminded me of a kaleidoscope and I loved the vibrant red.

Blackbird Sitting In A Tree

 

This handsome fellow was sitting high in a tree in James Gardens singing away. Another Blackbird further away was answering back so there was quite a choir. Red-wing Blackbirds are always a sign to me that spring is really here.

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

A Neighbourhood Library

 This is the Weston Library which is in the Weston neighbourhood of the city. Weston was a small farm town outside the city but many years ago the city grew and engulfed it. The library was built in 1914 with a Carnegie Foundation grant and still retains the style of those times.

Balconies

Yet another condo building is springing up in the Annex neighbourhood but this one seems like it may be rather interesting looking judging by the balconies. I had been walking by it when the crane started to lift a huge panel of something heavy above where I was walking and as I turned to look back the blue sky was amazing.

Changes

 I showed you this small laneway building back in February HERE in a shot that was taken quite a while ago. I went by recently to discover that the building had been altered and now has a second floor and has become a laneway house.

It had originally been a post for Signs 2 and I will add the link to include this change HERE. 

Spring Is Bursting Out

While out for a walk along a trail by the Humber river I happened upon this small stream and all the new growth that was popping up around it. It really felt like spring is here.

Soli Soul

 This mural was found painted along a very narrow laneway in the Annex neighbourhood and is meant to show the value of the work of local farmers. The artist for this one is Leeay Aikawa who wants to promote the value of buying from local farmers rather than big box stores.

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

A Display

 This is yesterday's duck who put on quite a display as one of the male Mallards walked towards it. The Mallard stopped in his tracks.

A Mystery To Me

 In a pond quite full of male Mallard Ducks there was this one unusual duck. It was a lot larger than the rest of the ducks. I wonder if it is some kind of cross with a domestic one. Any ideas?

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

Spring Beauty

With the cooler temperatures we have been having the Magnolia flowers are lasting quite a long time. I took this shot a week ago at James Gardens and loved the white flowers against the green background.

More Vintage Bikes

 Some bikes were more approachable at the bike gathering than the ones I showed you yesterday that were roped off to keep them safe. These bikes were old but not quite as trendy and were attracting a lot of attention from the crowds.

May Theme: Bicycles

The May theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is Bicycles/Cyclists. For this theme I went to my archives for a pic taken at a vintage bike event held in a park downtown a couple of years ago. I love these beauties which were for sale but not cheap by any means.

For more examples of the theme click HERE to see bikes from all over the world.