An Old Annex Apartment Building

 

I've always liked this apartment building in the Annex neighbourhood. It fits in so well with all the homes around it in both its scale and its style. It looks like it has been wonderfully maintained.

Oriel Window

 

I always admire this oriel window found on the side of a house in the Annex neighbourhood. It is hard to see because of the reflections but there is a lovely vase of flowers sitting inside it.

Pho

 

While wandering down a laneway in Koreatown I came upon the back of one of the restaurants along Bloor St. I have never had Pho but it looks perfect for a cold day. The entrance on the street is quite nice.

Taking part in Signs2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Learning To Skate

 

A small park in the Annex neighbourhood has had 1/2 of its surface area flooded over to form a skating rink and on a recent afternoon this young girl and her mother had the whole thing to themselves for practice. The bit of snow we had had not been shoveled yet but that didn't stop her from doing quite well on the skates. That is a white dog off to the right and not a polar bear.  ;-)

Goldfinch

 

Yet another mural on a garage door. It does seem to be a good way to keep the mindless taggers away and certainly brightens the laneways. This Goldfinch in summer colours is a welcome sight on these dull winter days. The artist for this one is Frannie Potts.

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

An Annex Street

 

Just before the recent cold spell we actually had a day when the sun came out and the temperature went up to +2˚C so I headed out for a walk. This is a typical street in the west end of the Annex neighbourhood. Very few homes have driveways so street parking is the only option.

Friends

 

This little Junco sat on the railing of the deck for about 5 minutes right by the steel bird. I've seen birds siting there before and wonder if it is just a coincidence or do they recognize the shape of a bird?

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

A Diorama

 

There is a woman in the Seaton Village neighbourhood who has installed this diorama in her front garden. She changes the scenery on a regular basis and usually has whimsical themes but right now the scene is more topical. The little native animals are standing proud with the bear even standing on some Canadian money. She has a large sign off to the left of this shot saying "Canada is not for sale", a phrase that has become popular over the last couple of weeks.

Sidewalk Traffic

 

This young couple had run past me at a fast pace and in perfect sync to each other but then they reached Bloor St W and all the pedestrian traffic.  It was a very cold day so I was impressed that they were even out running.

Tea

 

It is hard to miss this bubble tea place on Bloor St W in Koreatown. I like the little figure on the round sign up on the right. I have never tried bubble tea.

Taking part in Signs2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Dull Days

 

We haven't had a lot of snow yet this winter and when we get some it usually has been melting in a couple of days. This shot in a local park gives you a bit of an idea of what we have been seeing. Dull skies.

Happy Bluebird

 

This little bluebird seems to have found a bit of lunch in and among the flowers. The artist for this one is Muysca.

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

Station 343

 

This is Toronto Fire Station 343 which was station 25 when it was built in 1916. It was one of those days when the wind was perfect for catching a shot of our flag.

Nice Spot For A Bite To Eat

 

We have had some fairly cold days and the only creatures that seemed to brave the cold were the squirrels. Even most of the birds were hiding somewhere warm. This guy had found a good place to sit for a meal with a large tree trunk blocking the wind.

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

Elephant

 

It has been quite cold here so I was looking for indoor shots and found this cool steel elephant and its nice shadow.

The Tree

 

This is the elm tree, pictured in the sign showed yesterday, as it appeared about a week ago with no leaves. This really gives you an idea of the scale of this survivor. So many elms have been lost to the disease. On the left side of this pic is Christie Pits park so all of these homes look down onto the park.

The Elm Trees

 

The fellow who put up the sign I showed last week about Rose the wild turkey has also put a sign up by this large elm tree found across the road from Christie Pits park. Gone are the days when streets were lined with these gorgeous large trees. I will show you a pic tomorrow that I took recently of this tough survivor.

Taking part in Signs2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Warmer Days

 

It has been so cold that I felt the need to think about warmer days. This shot of the bee on a Marigold was taken back on a nice day last September. Spring will be welcomed here with wide arms.

Gathering

 

This mural was found on a garage just a bit down a laneway from a food co-op and it looks to me as all the people in the mural are gathering food. The artist for this one is Moe Pramanick. I quite like it.

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

Winter Sky

 

It was cold out on the roof deck but I couldn't resist getting a shot of this winter sky as the sun was setting.

Picnic In The Snow

 

This squirrel and a buddy were poking around in the snow and finding lots of treats to eat. The snow was gone by the next day.

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

A Lamp

 

I spotted this lamp in a shop and thought it looked rather steampunk. Love it.

Columns

It was the rather grand porch on this ordinary house that caught my attention. They obviously like columns.
 

Rose

Rose the wild turkey lived in the area of Christie Pits park and another park across busy Bloor St W. She was known to wander the laneways and back gardens. I have to admit going out to look for her but never managed a sighting. This was back in 2018 to 2019 and now this sign has been placed on a post by Christie Pits to commemorate her. There is a fellow who has these signs made about local points of interest & history and then installs them himself.

Taking part in Signs2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
 

Winding Path

 

Not the long and winding road from Paul McCartney but a nice winding path through Christie Pits. It was a quiet day in the park with not many people walking about.

Crazy Cat

I like all the bright colours in this mural. I'm not sure what it all means but that is one crazy cat.

There is no Monday Murals this week but I am posting one anyway.
 

Lots Of Space

 

I went by the outdoor rink at Christie Pits during the holidays and was surprised to see how few people were skating. They had lots of space that day. It is often really crowded there.

A Rare Sighting

We have been having a lot of grey rainy days but we did get some snow around Christmas and a group of rare snow ducks appeared on the roof deck. They didn't stay around for long but it was fun to see them.

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

Protecting Your Ride

 

I have heard of these wheel locks but had never seen them in use before passing by this vehicle the other day. There have been a lot of vehicles stolen in this city and this is one way to stop the thieves.

Another Laneway House

 

This large home is actually a laneway house built in the back garden of a large house on Palmerston Blvd. When first built it looked out on garages but now it has a view of the development on the Honest Ed's site. A totally different environment!  I love the look of the house.

January Theme: Photo Of The Year

The January theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is Photo Of The Year and I chose this shot taken last January along the path in the ravine near Casa Loma. There is something hopeful about this shot as we head into a new year. Happy New Year!

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