Waiting For The Parade

 This was the scene on Bloor St about 2 hours before the Santa Claus Parade began. People come out very, very early to claim an area along the road and set out chairs for the kids to use later. Then the adults stand around guarding their territory. It was only about 0˚C so it wasn't too cold for these early kids. Some years it has been really cold!

The Wise One

 

This wise owl in the Santa Claus parade was ready for the action to begin. During the parade little kids will be sitting on those 2 white benches in front of him - with seat belts on.

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

Pickup Float

 

I loved this float in the Santa Claus Parade with the red truck loaded up with Christmas things. The triangle on the door refers to the Canadian Tire company where you can buy everything you need for your home and your vehicle.

Marchers

 

These people dressed in traditional Japanese garb were gathering in the park beside yesterday's cheesecake float. I assume they were going to be marching along by the float when the parade began. They look a bit chilled and it was 2 hours until the parade began.

Cheesecake

 

This was a new float in the Santa Claus Parade. They were actually handing out samples under that red awning in the background. They were quite tasty!

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

Mario At The Parade

 

I am not into Nintendo but the kids seem to like Mario a lot so this float in the Santa Claus Parade is a popular one. During the parade those vehicles go up & down. That is still Christie Pits park in the background.

In The Tropics

 

Continuing with the winter search for colour I chose this tropical lady for today's mural. She may be in the tropics but she took a moose and a beaver with her. The artist for this one is Just J Art.

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

Diorama Message

 

The woman in the Seaton Village neighbourhood who has a diorama box in her front garden has a message this time about plastic pollution in our waterways and oceans. She rotates the messages fairly regularly and I'm sure has at least a bit of an effect on people.

Start The Parade

 

Our Annual Santa Claus Parade took place a few weeks ago and I always try to go down to Bloor St in the morning well before it starts so I can get up close to the floats and take pics. This was the 121st parade after missing 2 years during the pandemic and Mother Goose has led off the parade since 1917. She has changed form many times through the years and is now a Canada Goose. That is Christie Pits Park behind her.

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

Red Door

 

This red door really stood out even in the shadows. Colour is so welcome at this time of year!

Autumn Glory

 

I still have lots of pics of the glorious colours from fall so despite the cold and snow that we have now I thought I would show this one. This beautiful tree was by one of the basketball courts at Christie Pits Park. I loved the colours. The trees are all bare now.

Santa's Mailbox

 

This fun mailbox was spotted in the front yard of a home in the Seaton Village neighbourhood.  I wonder if they get many letters in there?

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

The Unusual House

I haven't posted this house in the Seaton Village neighbourhood in a while. It used to be decorated with wood cuttings everywhere but the owner now seems to have moved on to shells. The house and fences are covered in shells along with all kinds of other things as you can see. Imagine living near this place! 
 

Flowers In Winter

 

Now that winter is here and the cold has killed off all the outdoor flowers it would be nice to arrive home to this garage. A bit of colour on these dull days is a welcome sight. The artist for this one is Jasmine Vanstone.

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

Prepping for 2026

 

I was walking by Christie Pits Park a couple of weeks ago and spotted them redoing one of the baseball diamonds. Getting ready for next summer! At the same time they were working on the nearby skating rink. 

Grey Squirrel

 

Just to prove that all of our Eastern Grey Squirrels aren't black I thought I would post this handsome grey one spotted by Trinity College at U of T. They are greatly outnumbered by the black ones but they are around. I always thing the grey ones have bushier tails than the black ones.

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

It Must Be Autumn

 

A common sight here in autumn is bags of leaves piled up outside of homes for the city to pick up. The city collects them every second week and composts them over the winter before distributing the compost during enviro events in the spring. The more large trees near your yard, the more bags you need like this place. 

Autumn Light

 

These buildings were a couple of kilometres away from me as I walked along a railway line but something about the light and the sky made for a pleasant view. The tall one under construction is at the busy corner of Yonge St and Bloor St, a prime location to have a condo.

New?

 

I don't remember seeing this logo of the T with the red maple leaf until recently but I do like it a lot. Apparently it is a historic athletic logo for the university but went unnoticed by me. Now I have seen lots of people in t-shirts etc showing the logo.

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

Pink

 

Sometimes the leaves on the ground under the trees can be as beautiful as when they are on the trees. These ones were under two maple trees.

Bee Happy

 

I found yet another garage with a happy mural. That bee looks quite pleased to have found such a beautiful flower. I like this one a lot.

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

Flowers In Fall

 

I took this shot a couple of weeks ago before the really cold weather hit us. Even when the blooming season is over flowers can lift the spirits.

Watching

 

This squirrel was watching intently as a man and his dog walked around nearby. I had time to pull out my camera and take a pic before it looked over at me and then back to the man & dog. Squirrels seem to be the only wildlife I've been seeing lately as they rush around getting ready for winter.

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

Trinity Doors

 

This is the main doorway into Trinity College which I showed yesterday. The hinges on old doors like this are always so impressive. I like the little carved details too.

Trinity College

 

When one exits Philosopher's Walk through the Bennett gates this is your view directly to the west. This is the main building of Trinity College, one of the colleges that make up U of T. The college was founded in 1851 but this building was constructed in 1925. So many great details.

New Sign

 

The red Maple leaves were the attention grabber for me as I walked along Bloor St W past Varsity stadium. The Varsity Blues are the various sports teams representing U of T. The sign showed better from the other side of the street except for all the tree branches in the way so I tried to get it from down below. I think it is a new sign.

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

Joining

 

I'm always fascinated by the methods architects find for joining additions to old historic buildings. This is a pic of the Royal Conservatory building taken from the pathway of Philosopher's Walk. I like the joining of the new with the old and the glass walls must give a grand view of all the trees along the Walk. I do wonder about birds flying into all that glass though.

Abundance

 

At first glance this seems to just be a selection of fruits and veggies until you notice the woman at the right who has eaten the apple. Could it be Eve?

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

Exit From The Walk

 

These gates mark the southern entrance/exit from Philosopher's Walk. After a nice stroll we now enter the more hectic life of the U of T campus. The Walk is a nice place to escape the rush for a while.

An Unusual One

 

The squirrels we have here are Eastern Grey Squirrels but they are not all grey. Like humans there are different hair colours. The majority of ours are black but there are still a lot of the grey ones and in some parts of the city there are small colonies of white ones - not albinos but rather true white ones with dark eyes. When I was walking along Philosopher's Walk I probably saw 50 black squirrels and maybe 4 grey ones and then I spotted this guy. He was very pale but quite lovely with that bushy tail and pale features. Apparently a mutation of some sort. I was thrilled to see him.

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

A Gathering Place

 

Midway along Philosopher's Walk the path widens out a bit and there are a lot of benches here for sitting and having a bit of a chat. The walkway is well used by the university community. It was so lovely along there on the day I passed through.

Heading Down The Walk

 

This is the beginning of the stroll down along Philosopher's Walk. That is the end of the Royal Conservatory of Music building visible on the right but one feels like you are away from the city as you continue on. The trees were just beginning to change colour the day I was there a couple of weeks ago.

Follow The Creek

 

This sign is posted along Philosopher's Walk and gives a bit of history about the buried creek that still runs beneath it. The creek was buried in the 1800s but the shape of its path still exists in the shape of the walk.

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

Gates On Bloor St W

 

When walking along Bloor St W by the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)  you will come upon these gates which lead to a lovely pathway through part of the U of T campus. Most people don't notice the entrance and pass by but it it is a tranquil path which I will show you for the next few days. It is called Philosophers Walk.

Purple Squirrel

 

This squirrel looks like it is struggling to hang on while it grabs some treats. The artist for this one is Yenlinh.

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

A Gem

 

I took this shot the day before our recent snowstorm and haven't been by to see if any of the gorgeous leaves are still on the tree. I took no pics of the snow - tried to pretend it wasn't there. It is all melted now.

Treats?

 

I was walking through an area at U of T that has a lot of resident squirrels when I stopped to take a few pics. This little devil came running up to me looking for a hand out and was quite indignant when I had nothing for him. 

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

Getting Ready

 

Women were getting ready for a soccer match at Varsity Stadium at U of T when I went by on a Sunday afternoon. It was a perfect day for a match. The women in white were the U of T team but I am not sure who the ones in red were.

Shoe Museum

 

This is the Bata Shoe Museum which is located on Bloor St very near yesterday's hot dog stand. The museum was designed by architect Raymond Moriyama and is celebrating its 30th anniversary. It is a surprisingly (to me) interesting place to visit with a collection going back thousands of years as well as special exhibits of a more contemporary style. The building is said to reference an open shoe box.

Hot Dogs

 

This hot dog stand as been on Bloor St W by U of Toronto (U of T) for many years and always seems to have customers. Why is it that hot dogs from these stands taste so good?

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

More Colour

There are still some trees that are green but most have changed colour now. We have had a lot of windy days so the colour displays don't last very long. You can see some bags of leaves at the base of the pole waiting to be picked up by the city.
 

Love

 

Some people don't have garages but have gates that can be painted with murals like this one. A pleasant sight. I like that you can see laundry hanging in the background - not a common thing these days.

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

Leaves

 

Leaves on the ground can be as lovely to see as when they are still on the trees. Too bad they will all be blown and raked away soon.

Sunbathing

 

This was  taken a few weeks ago when I was still trying to get the final tomatoes to ripen. It was a cool but sunny day when I spotted this fly and ran to get my camera. I could have taken as much time as I wanted as it continued to sit there for at least another 10 minutes. Such a lovely green.

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

Progress

 

I showed you this laneway house a few weeks ago (HERE) and went by recently to check the progress and spotted 2 guys doing the roof. It looks like things are moving along well. I'll keep track of it.

One More

 

I couldn't resist one more Halloween pic when I spotted this guy just after the big day. He had to be at least 12 ft tall and it looks like his eyes glow in the dark. When I was a kid I may have  avoided this place.

Everything Solved

 

Got any problems? This is the place to go to have them all solved - or so they say. It is amazing how many of these places there are around.

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

A Tree To Admire

 

I was walking along the street to take a shot of this tree which I had spotted earlier when the fellow in front of me stopped to take a few shots too. He also took several selfies. The tree was pretty spectacular.

Pink Raccoon

 

I loved this pink raccoon as soon as I saw it. Toronto is known to have a huge population of these furry beasts so it is quite suitable for one to turn up on a mural. The artist for this one is Colin Tea.

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

Annex Homes

 

I love the light at this time of year and you can see on these semi-detached Annex homes how the red brick loves it too.