Our First Major Snow

…..in week three of January

I thought we were never going to need the snow shovel this year but a big storm has moved into the northeast of the U.S. and southern Ontario. Here in Toronto it’s been snowing all day but very lightly. I did sweep the snow off the porch and did one pass with the snow shovel over the sidewalk this afternoon.

Forty kilometres west of here in Hamilton it’s been quite a different story. Lucy, our daughter’s dog, had to make a path through about 10 to 20 cm of snow to find a place to pee. This photo was taken about six hours ago. I’m sure the amount of snow has doubled since then.

cfb09eac-f6cd-41cc-8b71-5e5f591febd2

Hopefully I can get out tomorrow and get some of my own ‘snow’ photos. They’ll be the first this season but Toronto often gets bypassed by the bigger storms.

Art at Montgomery’s Inn

….the new art season at Montgomery’s Inn has begun

Now that the renovations at the inn are 95% complete they are able to host art exhibitions in the Briarly Room once more. Just over two weeks ago I helped curate and install the   art work of Shannon McManus.

Shannon is an abstract painter who uses different mediums on Terraskin and Yupo papers. In her artist statement she describes her work thusly: My abstract paintings depict visions of a natural world largely untouched by humankind.  They portray the alchemic reactions inherent in stone, water, and earth; in decay, germination, migration and transformation.

Ten days after the installation the inn hosted the opening reception for Shannon’s show. It was very well received and close to 100 people showed up.IMG-0126

IMG-0138
IMG-0139
IMG-0140

Shannon is on the left side of the previous photo.
IMG-0142

Last April, Shannon was invited to display her work in China.IMG-0136
IMG-0137

IMG-0130
IMG-0131
IMG-0133

If you’d like to see Shannon’s work first hand you can still catch it at Montgomery’s Inn until March. For more information about Shannon and her art go her website here.

Friendly Friday Photo Challenge – Pathways

…..thanks to Amanda from Something to Ponder About for hosting the Friendly Friday Photo Challenge

The pathways here are from the neighbourhood, at Highgate Cemetery in London, Kensington Gardens in London, an autumn path along the Lakeshore, a path through the garden at Montgomery’s Inn, a path to a neighbour’s house on Hallowe’en and a path through the woods when we were ‘hunting’ for the perfect Christmas tree.

IMG-6885
P1070096
IMG-8255
IMG-9108
IMG-9186
fullsizeoutput-749c
IMG-9475
IMG-9797
P1070280

Looking Back to a Warm Autumn Day in Regent’s Park

….another day in London

As the temperatures dip below freezing this week I long for the warm sunny days we had in London, England. On day seven we walked to Ottolenghi’s restaurant on Upper Street and purchased a picnic lunch for the four of us. Then we hopped onto a double decker bus and made our way to Regent’s Park.

Regent’s Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It lies within north-west London. It is home to Queen Mary’s Gardens and the London Zoo. There are numerous facilities and amenities, including gardens; a lake with a heronry, waterfowl and a boating area; sports pitches; and children’s playgrounds.

fullsizeoutput-74a6
P1070115
P1070127
P1070132
P1070138
IMG-8990
One of the highlights for me was Queen Mary’s Gardens. I’ve posted numerous photos of the thousands of roses that have been cultivated her in previous posts. Here are some of the other lovely sites we enjoyed that day.P1070145
P1070146
IMG-8987
IMG-8989
IMG-9014
IMG-9015
The park is also home to numerous events. When we were there we had a quick glimpse of the sculpture exhibit.IMG-9018
IMG-9019
IMG-9020
IMG-9021
IMG-9022

As you can see we were blessed with beautiful weather that day and every day up to this point of our trip. Unfortunately the next day the skies opened up and our trip to Brighton Beach was cancelled.

Weekly Photo Challenge – Under Cloudy Skies

…thanks to Traveling at Wits End for this week’s photo challenge Under Cloudy Skies

IMG-0147
IMG-0149
It almost looked like the city was burning but the dark cloud over the waterfront just left a dusting of snow.