Share Your World – May 21, 2018

….thanks to Cee for hosting Share Your World

What household chore do you absolutely enjoy doing? (can be indoor or outdoor)

This one’s tough because I don’t like doing chores. If I have to choose I’d say that I enjoy working in the garden. The best part is being outdoors. For indoors, my favourite thing to do is bake, if that’s even considered a chore. Sadly I’m doing very little of that these days because I can’t eat what I make.

Create a sentence with the words “neon green” and train”.

The high-speed train created a neon green haze as it streaked across the steel tracks.

Other than your cell phone what can you always be found with?

When I travel anywhere or go visiting I almost alway carry my camera with me.

What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week?  Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination. 

This past week I enjoyed spending time with my family. On Wednesday I took my father to the Apple Store to buy a new iPad and on Friday I accompanied him to the ultrasound clinic (he’s fine, thank-you). On Thursday our daughter, Gaelan and our granddaughter came to Toronto for a visit. While Gaelan was visiting her friend I took Winnie to our other daughter’s place and we spent a couple of hours in the park and had a bit of lunch. Later in the day, when Brendan (Winnie’s father) finished work we all enjoyed a BBQ dinner of burgers, corn and salads.

On Saturday I went to Andrea’s place and helped her paint the apartment in the basement of her house. On Sunday she invited my husband and I back to her place for another BBQ. It’s the season.

Today, which is the holiday Monday here in Canada, my niece came for a visit with her husband and baby boy. After they left I spent a couple of hours in the garden, weeding and cleaning up the beds, getting them ready to plant. Now I’m exhausted but I got a lot done and that always make me feel like I’ve accomplished something.

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Cee’s Which Way Photo Challenge – May 19, 2018

….thanks to Cee for hosting the Which Way Photo Challenge

One of my favourite places to walk is through High Park. It doesn’t matter if it’s through the more natural area, the gardens, the zoo or by the pond, I love them all.

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Celebrating the Cherry Blossoms

…..the cherry blossoms in High Park have bloomed but won’t last much longer

The blooming of the cherry blossoms in High Park is a big deal. Every year hundreds of thousands flock to the west end of Toronto to take in the cherry blossoms. In 1959 the  Japanese ambassador to Canada, Toru-Hagiwara, presented 2000 Japanese Somei-Yoshino Sakura trees to the citizens of Toronto on behalf of the citizens of Tokyo. The trees were planted in appreciation of Toronto accepting re-located Japanese-Canadians following the Second World War.

Sakura is the Japanese name for flowering cherry trees and their flowers – often referred to as cherry blossoms. The Japanese traditional custom of hanami or “flower viewing” dates back to 710-794 when the Chinese Tang Dynasty influenced Japan with their custom of enjoying flowers. Today when the Sakura trees bloom, Japanese people and people from all walks of life and cultures continue the tradition of hanami, gathering in great numbers along the pathways on the eastern shore of Grenadier Pond in High Park.

Thanks to the High Park Nature Centre for the information about the history of the Cherry Blossoms in High Park. If you get out in the next couple of days you can still catch some of the blossoms before they fall to the ground.

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WPC – My Place in the World is Near Water

….thanks to WordPress for this week’s photo challenge Place in the World

People assumed that I would move when I retired. That’s other peoples’ dreams, not mine. So often I hear people say they want to move to the country, get out of the city. I’ve known some people who have done that but moved back to the city within a few years. I live close to downtown Toronto but I’m right by Lake Ontario and I’m surrounded by parkland. If I want to go into the city to catch a show or go to museum or art gallery I’m only a 20 minute car drive away or a short trip on the subway. When I want to go hiking or biking I just have to step outside my door and get on the Waterfront Trail. I have the best of both worlds.

I’ve always loved living close to the water and I love my city, Toronto.

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