Safe From Thieves?

 

The police can leave their bikes anywhere with little chance of them being stolen I think. They are probably now stored away for winter but are a common sight the rest of the year.

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

Celebrate safely tonight! 

Golden Leaves

 

I stumbled upon a front garden that hadn't been raked and the leaves were still crisp and golden so of course a shot had to be taken. We have had snow and rain since then.

Sunset Or Sunrise?

 

It is hard to tell which way the sun is going in this one but it is beautiful either way. It looks as if a few people worked on this one judging by the signatures. There is no Monday Mural meme this week but here is a mural anyway.

Finally a Sunset

 

We have had so many cloudy days in December this year and have seen few nice sunsets so it was wonderful to see the world turn pinky/orange out the window one evening. It didn't last long!

Lunchtime

 

Our local  park has so many squirrels this year. I passed through one afternoon and there were 4 of eating away on pine seeds that were falling out of the pine cones from the trees up above. They were all looking quite chubby so that may be a sign that we will have a cold winter ahead. 

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

Visiting With Friends

 

The Christmas chicken had a visit with my Swedish Julbocken and they all got along fine. I carried the two larger ones home from Sweden many years ago and they have thrived here in Canada.

Merry Christmas

 

This is my small Christmas tree loaded with lots of decorations. At the bottom you can see that the Christmas chicken has arrived to wish everyone good tidings.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it. 

Ready For Work

 

The last float in the Santa Claus Parade is always Santa and the reindeer. The reindeer were ready to go but Santa hasn't arrived yet. It was a nice sunny day for them.

Have a great Christmas Eve! 

Treats

 

Everyone loves a treat and Tim Hortons is probably the most popular place in Canada to get a coffee and a donut. Those round balls are Timbits which are the centres cut out of a donut, or so they say. Kids love them.

The Painter

 

More colourful murals for this dull time of year. It was autumn when I watched this woman putting the finishing touches on her mural. I should go back to see what further details she added. I didn't get her name.

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

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.