Tuesday Textures at the Conservatory

Posted on February 24, 2026 by Mama Cormier

The palms and the cacti offer wonderful examples of texture.

Exploring the Art Scene on Dundas Street West

Posted on February 22, 2026 by Mama Cormier

…yesterday, February 21, 2026

Yesterday was the perfect day to do some gallery hopping. It was the last day for the Open Type Typography Exhibition on Dundas St. W. It was already extended for an extra week.

When I first met my husband Kevin he was studying to become a graphic designer and for close to a decade he worked in the industry designing catalogues, menus, signage and advertising.

We had a wonderful conversation with the gallery owners. They were very interested in our upcoming show later this year and they gave us some information on their life drawing classes.

Directly across from this gallery was the Stephen Bulger Photography Gallery.

It was a great day. We were both inspired to get busy with our own art projects.

The Most Beautiful Doors in Niagara-on-the-Lake

Posted on January 22, 2026 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Dan for hosting Thursday Doors https://nofacilities.com/2026/01/22/the-greek-room/

Niagara-on-the-Lake is a quaint village full of old world architecture. The Main Street is full of charming gift shops, retro and designer clothing stores, hat shops, confectionary stores, cozy coffee shops, old theatres, Christmas shops, a variety of restaurants and pubs and high end renovated inns and spas.

In January many stores are closed for the season or have limited hours. Luckily we found enough places to explore and enjoy but some of our favourite walks took place through the neighbourhood close to our hotel. This is where we found some amazing doors.

Fall Festival at the Inn

Posted on September 22, 2025 by Mama Cormier

…last week at Montgomery’s Inn

After we finished baking bread for the Farmers’ Market last Wednesday the outdoor wood burning oven was prepared for roasting corn for the Fall Festival. Luckily we had a number of new volunteers and staff who took over the tasks of roasting and selling the corn.

The market was bustling with activity and in the park a band was playing and pop up vendors were selling their wares. I enjoyed talking with these new vendors and I even bought a few things.

Water, Water Everywhere – Looking Back

Posted on September 16, 2025 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Jez for hosting Water, Water Everywhere https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2025/09/15/clyde-reflections-water-water-everywhere-279-2/

I decided to look back in my archives to see if I could share some oldies but goodies. From Niagara Falls to Ireland to Venice and everywhere in between from 2012 to 2016.

Thursday Doors – The Bermondsey Beer Mile

Posted on June 26, 2025 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Dan from No Facilities for hosting Thursday Doors https://nofacilities.com/2025/06/26/cmu-carnegie-mellon-doors/

For those of you who don’t know: the Bermondsey Beer Mile is a loose amalgamation of brewery bars and bottle shops, located along a stretch of railway arch that’s closer to two miles long nowadays. It is located close to London Bridge.

The most interesting parts for us were the painted doorways of the different bars.

Our Last Day in London

Posted on June 17, 2025 by Mama Cormier

…watching Sevin at her school’s Sports Day and a feast with family at a Turkish restaurant

After packing my bags this morning I headed over to Finsbury Park to watch my granddaughter, Sevin, participate in the school’s Sports Day.

All the classes were divided into colours. Sevin was on the red team. As a former teacher I have to say that the activities were very well organized and the parents were well behaved. Everyone supported each other and cheered on all the participants including the children that were consistently last. It warmed my heart to see and hear the praise for all the children.

The games were also fun and the emphasis was on having a good time.

After standing in the sun for two hours I headed back towards our flat and met Kevin in the local pub where we enjoyed a light lunch.

In the afternoon we finished packing, picked up a few essentials for the flight, booked an Uber for 4:30 in the morning and tidied up the flat.

Being our last night in London Brendan wanted us to experience a Turkish meal. We got on the bus on Green Lane and headed north.

The food was delicious and we ordered the perfect amount. Farewell London. See you again in October.

Silent Sunday – June 15, 2025

Posted on June 15, 2025 by Mama Cormier

Walking Along Regent Canal, London

Posted on June 14, 2025 by Mama Cormier

…a beautiful summer day

Today was my nephew’s and his beautiful wife’s last day in London and they wanted to spend it with their extended family exploring some of the destinations where Londoners spend a Saturday afternoon.

While sitting in one of the bistros along the canal both Rose and Patrick were able to see some of the air show that was honouring King Charles’ birthday. Unfortunately I only caught a glimpse of the jets from where I was sitting and wasn’t able to get any shots with my camera.

A Trip to the Seaside

Posted on June 12, 2025 by Mama Cormier

…Leigh on Sea

My mystery destination was a train trip to the seaside today. It almost didn’t happen because we couldn’t find the train station. We used Google Maps and when we arrived at our destination there was no train station. We tried going in the other direction and we asked at least three strangers where C2C was. No one knew and when they checked Google Maps they kept sending us back in the same direction.

We finally stopped at a pub for an early lunch and I googled train stations. Eureka! We were so close but it wasn’t near C2C. We decided to give it one more go and in a few minutes we found our destination.

We purchased tickets for Leigh on Sea and had a comfortable train trip to the seaside. Once we arrived it was a short downhill walk to the quaint town. We checked out a few stores and I explored the tiny museum.

Leigh Heritage Centre stands in the centre of the old town in the old Smithy. Over the centuries the building has been owned by several people and had a variety of uses. Now home to a photographic display tracing Leigh’s local history, and a treasure trove for all connected to Leigh-on-Sea.(from the website)

I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the cottage attached to the centre.

At the end of the road we came to the beach. As far as beaches go it was pretty small but several families and couples were enjoying the sand and the sun. Kevin and I found a bench and we took in some rays.