The Toronto Marathon, Cherry Blossoms and Road Closures

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….not a good day to be driving

It was another beautiful day. A great day for walking, riding your bike and other modes of transportation. With everything going on in the city, citizens were urged to not drive and to get to venues using public transportation.

My husband and I had to do a little gardening at our daughter’s house while she’s away. We know the city fairly well and we knew how to get to the house using a route that wouldn’t be as impacted by the road closures as some of the main streets. Getting there wasn’t bad but getting home was another story.

I’m not sure why we didn’t take the same route home but we didn’t. I guess we thought that the marathon would be finished but we didn’t count on the mayhem of cars trying to get into High Park to see the cherry blossoms.

Spectators were urged to not drive to High Park. The subway and the streetcar stop at the park. There are bicycle routes that go into the park. On Saturday the parking lots in the park were full by 8:00 in the morning and no one in the parks department thought to open the public washrooms that are situated throughout the park. I guess they normally don’t open until the long weekend in May. Apparently, the washrooms in the one and only restaurant in the park had huge lineups, especially for the women.

As we were driving down Parkside we couldn’t figure out why the right lane was moving so slowly. We moved over to the left lane and soon discovered that cars were lined up to get into the park. If you can see that the line isn’t moving why wouldn’t you use some common sense and change your plans?

I may not see the cherry blossoms, first hand this year but I did discover that there’s a beautiful cherry tree in our neighbourhood and on our walk this morning I took a couple of pictures.

When we finally got home I decided to do more gardening. It was too beautiful a day to spend indoors. I had already done about two hours of work in the morning, mostly cleaning the beds and pulling weeds. I worked for another two hours in the afternoon. I will probably regret it in the morning but I love the feeling of accomplishment when everything looks so clean and groomed.

I was pleased to see that my perennials are peaking through the soil. Last fall a parent at my school who works at the golf course offered a few of us some plants that she had to thin out. I loaded up the back of my car with some plants that had been cut down but the roots were still intact in a clump of soil. I planted everything in the areas of my garden that were most suitable for each plant.

Here’s my problem. As I look at the new growth coming up from the ground I realize that I have no idea what some of these plants are. I’ve forgotten what I was given. I know I have some ornamental grasses and one plant is a fern but I can’t remember what the rest are.

: Fern

: My Dahlia

: Forget-me-knot

Here are the plants I’m not sure about.

: ???????

: I think this is a grass

: This is an ornamental grass but I don’t see any new growth. It was the one plant I was really excited about.

Do any of you know what I’ve got here? Let me know if you do.

Cheers!

Dinner on the Deck

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…wearing our jackets

After our wonderful lunch today we really didn’t think we’d want dinner but after six hours had passed we were somewhat hungry so we prepared a simple cold cut, cheese and veggie platter.

It had been such a beautiful day we decided to eat on the deck. The only problem is that our deck is on the east side of the house so the sun had long disappeared from the upper portion of the deck. Nonetheless, we donned our jackets and set the little patio table and enjoyed our simple meal with the dog at our feet. When there’s food around we never have to worry about Frances running away.

How did you enjoy your Saturday? I hope it brought you joy!

Cheers!

Cherry Blossoms in High Park

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Mama Cormier

… every year in late April or early May the Sakura trees blossom and 1000s of people visit the park to take in these beautiful flowers.

The first Japanese Cherry Tree was planted here in 1959. On April 1, 1959, Japanese ambassador to Canada, Toru-Hagiwara, presented 2000 Japanese Somei-Yoshino Sakurathe on behalf of the citizens of Tokyo, Japan as a gift to the citizens of Toronto for their support of Japanese-Canadian refugees after the Second World War.

Today my husband rode his bicycle to his hospital appointment and on his way home he made a side trip to High Park. According to reports, 80% of the trees have bloomed. Here are a few pictures that he took.

I’m hoping that I can make a trip to the park tomorrow and see the blossoms for myself. Apparently the crowds are quite something and taking your car to the park is highly discouraged. I’m planning on riding my bike. It looks like another beautiful weekend.

Cheers!

Two Cents Tuesday Challenge: Heritage

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…..precious gifts from the past

My parents and grandparents lost much during the WWII. When they escaped from the east they literally could only take what they could carry on their backs. Consequently my family has very few family heirlooms. My husband’s mother came to Canada from Ireland as a war bride. She came to this country with a suitcase of clothes and a few wedding gifts from her family.

Over the years I’ve collected a few items from the two families. When I got married my grandmother came over from Germany and gifted us one of the few items that they had saved from their home in Magdeburgh after the war. It was a lovely blue cut glass carafe.

From the time I was a little girl I remember a very old silver serving spoon that my mother used all the time. No one in the family wanted it and I was happy to adopt it. The date stamped on it is 1909 and it’s got a dent in the bowl. I love it and use it regularly.

My mother-in-law loved her tea set and when she passed on I inherited it, along with her silverware and a couple of quirky teapots. My oldest daughter helped herself to the teapots and both my daughters inherited some individual cup and saucer sets.

Photographs also didn’t survive the war. There are a few of my father’s family but my sisters are the proud owners of these tidbits of our family history. My husband’s family on his father’s side who have lived in Canada for over a hundred years have some wonderful photographs of his grandfather and his great grandparents that we have also inherited.

For more Two Cents Tuesday Challenge: Heritage posts check out Across the Bored.

Felt Pretty Good Until I Sat on the Bike Today

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Mama Cormier

……ouch!

The day started out nice and sunny and it was warm enough to enjoy our morning coffee and breakfast on the deck. I made breakfast today. I made a vegetable hash with shredded Brussels sprouts, chopped kale and diced shallots. I sauteed the vegetables in olive oil and seasoned them with salt and pepper and then near the end I splashed some balsamic vinegar over it. I plated the hash and then topped it with a couple of fried eggs. It was surprisingly good! Oh I almost forgot, I also added a little bit of diced Polish sausage to the mix.

While I was checking my FaceBook page this morning my young cousin sent me a message and asked if I was going to be home. I told him I was about to get ready to go out but I would wait for his phone call. I really like this relationship that I’ve developed with my 21 year old cousin from Germany. Some of you may remember that I met him for the first time last August when he arrived in Toronto with his girlfriend, Marie. Toronto was their last stop over before heading to New York to catch a plane back to Germany. They had spent almost an entire year in Canada but most of their time was spent out west. Anyway we spent a great 10 days together and ever since he phones me regularly (about every 6 weeks) and keeps me updated on his studies and how the family is doing.

We talked for about an hour (he has a great phone plan) before we said our farewells. At this point in the morning I was still in my pyjamas and hadn’t made breakfast. K and Frances went for their morning walk without me and I was still on the phone when they returned.

After breakfast, which was more like brunch (again) we decided to take the bikes out again and do our vegetable shopping for the week. This time we headed west, along the Lakeshore Trail to a vegetable wholesaler in Mississauga. I had no muscle or joint pain after yesterday’s 17 kilometre bike ride but when I sat on the seat I realized that not all parts of my body were pain free. Ouch, ouch, ouch!

I rode through the discomfort and after awhile I was able to block it out and enjoy the ride through the Humber College grounds, along Lake Promenade, over Marie Curtis Park and past the old Arsenal Grounds where ammunition was manufactured and stored during WWII.

When we left the house it was a bit overcast but the ride to Lanzarotta’s was dry and quite warm. So warm, in fact, that I had to stop and remove one layer of clothing. The quality of fruits and vegetables at this place is always so good. I don’t mind spending more for some of the produce because I know that it won’t spoil the minute we get home.

We bought quite a bit. We didn’t let the fact that we were on our bikes keep us from stocking up on this beautiful produce. Our panniers hold quite a lot.

I love my pannier. So pretty on my new red bike.

The trip home was a little more difficult because we were riding into the wind, which had picked up considerably. It was so windy that there were a couple of kite boarders out on the lake. You know that summer is just around the corner when you see sailboats, windsurfers and kite boarders on the water. I had to stop and take a picture. They were pretty far away but I was able to capture some of the action.

Can you imagine how cold that water must be? Only last week we were still experiencing temperatures as low as freezing.

When we got home I got into the car and headed over to Costco to pick up a few things that we couldn’t buy on our bike trip.

I made dinner tonight. Come to think of it I’ve done a lot of cooking today. I baked the fish that we purchased yesterday, made lemony smashed red potatoes and made a killer salad. I don’t know why we don’t eat more fish. It was delicious.

By the way, when I got back from shopping my husband had been on g-map pedometer and figured out that we rode for 14 kilometres today. That’s a total of 31 kilometres on the bike this weekend. Wow!

Hope you had a great weekend. I know I did.

Cheers!

Exploring a Village Within the City

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….. and getting an incredible amount of exercise doing it

Today was a perfect day in many ways. The sun was shining, it was somewhat warm, I got out for a walk/run with my husband and I got on my bicycle for the first time this year.

I always feel better when I move. Today I may have over done it. I started the day lifting a few weights. Then we snapped on Frances’ leash and headed out for our morning walk. When we got to the park I started to run but this time Frances started to follow me instead of K so I found myself backtracking to get her back to my husband. When she followed me a second time she headed straight for the pond, went for a swim and then ran through a field of burrs. She finally came back to me as I was heading back in K’s direction where she immediately found a huge puddle and splashed around in there for awhile.

We decided to put her back on the leash and I gave up on running and walked with the two of them instead. With all the backtracking, today’s walk/run totalled a distance of 3.8k.

Before we left for our walk my husband and I planned out some meals for the week and we decided to have fish for dinner tonight. After he prepared a hearty brunch for the two of us I suggested that we go out and buy some of the items on the list. K knew of a fish market on Roncesvalles Avenue and he suggested that we cycle there. This would be my first ride of the season.

K checked the bikes and got the panniers ready while I readied myself for the trip. The temperatures were a bit on the cool side so I put a scarf around my neck under my jacket and put on my leather gloves.

Roncesvalles Village is another vibrant community in the heart of Toronto. It is located east of High Park and north of the lake at Sunnyside. Roncesvalles Village is home to a diverse population of new families, seniors and numerous ethnic groups. It has everything you need at your doorstep; green grocers, coffee shops, flower shops, bars and pubs, a vintage movie theatre, grocery stores, clothing stores, gift shops, specialty shops for dogs, nail salons, hair salons, churches and a plethora of restaurants. My husband and I have often said that if we ever move, this is one neighbourhood that would be high on our list of places to consider.

The bike ride was a lot of fun. I was a little apprehensive about riding on the Lakeshore but it’s a very wide street and parts of it do have bike lanes. When you get to Sunnyside there are bike lanes all along the way. There were tons of people out today enjoying the beautiful weather, walking, running, roller bladding and riding their bikes.

After we crossed Lakeshore at Colborne to the Queensway there was another bike path that takes you all the way to St. Joe’s hospital and then we proceeded on the side streets over to Roncesvalles. We parked at the library and started to explore the retail neighbourhood. Our first destination was the bank because neither of us had any cash on us. We walked all the way up to Dundas only to discover that the bank we were looking for had been turned into a Starbucks over four years ago. Unfortunately it was still listed as being there when we did a Google search.

After asking someone on the street for the closest bank we walked a little bit south and found a bank on the west side of the street. Our next destination had to be a place where we could get something to drink. We didn’t think to pack any water for our trip so we were very thirsty after our long ride. We found a great little independent cafe where we ordered a pot of tea and an iced coffee. We also treated ourselves to two small French macaroons.

Roncy’s Bean

One of the things that I really like about this neighbourhood is that they support their local artists. In the cafe there were great paintings on display by Laura Hains. You can see more of her work on her website.

The street had a feeling of joy, as people shopped, sat in the outdoor cafes and stopped to talk to neighbours and listen to the street musicians. There were cute dogs everywhere. We found the fish market we were looking for and purchased a beautiful piece of lake trout. We didn’t want to buy the fish too early on our visit so we ended up doing a lot of walking to take in all the sights and sounds of the village within the city. When we were satisfied that we saw what we came for we backtracked to the fish market and then backtracked again to find our bikes.

The bike ride home was a little more difficult for me because of all the exercise I had already done today but I only had to stop once to give my knee a rest and then the rest of the ride was more comfortable and pain free.

When we got home I was curious to see how far we had travelled on the bikes and how much more walking we had done. I went to g-map pedometer and traced out the route. We thought the ride was longer but the whole trip on the bikes was 17 kilometres. The walk surprised us though. We walked an additional 4.7 k for a total of 8.5 k for the day. My husband thinks that we don’t need to get out for another walk tonight but Frances may have something to say about that. We’ll see. As for how I’m going to feel tomorrow, I’m thinking that I might be feeling a few twinges here and there. Hopefully not.

What did you do on this beautiful ‘spring’ day? Love to hear from you.

Cheers!

The Curse and a Hazy Moon

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…..it never fails, when people tell me I look like I’ve lost more weight…..

Years ago a good friend of mine often commented that I looked like I had lost weight and when I checked the scales I was always heavier. As much as I loved this friend I dreaded hearing those words from her.

This past week I’ve had numerous people comment that I’ve lost more weight. I shudder at the thought of stepping on those scales this week. Why? Has the curse returned? To be honest I haven’t had the best food week. Way too many carbs. As for exercise I feel I could have done more. For weeks now we’ve only done our walks together on weekends and I haven’t been to the gym in over a month.

Today I started the day coaching the girls’ soccer team and then at the end of the school day I spent an hour and a half with Girls on the Run. I ran with the girls but I found the ground too soft for my liking and I only ran 1 lap (.6k). Tonight my husband and I got out with the dog and we walked for 3.9k. It felt good and I was happy that my husband was up to doing a second walk today.

On our walk I took the camera in hope of finding some interesting subjects to photograph. I love that the days are longer. When we started the walk it was just starting to get dark and by the time we got home it was completely dark. The moon had a slight haze over it. I wasn’t sure that my camera could handle the low light but I played with some of the settings, hoping for the best.

Sunshine, Tulips, BLTs and Working Outdoors

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…..a lot of things to be happy about today

I slept in this morning so I missed out on the walk/run with the dog. I’ve been getting to bed too late this week so sleeping in felt wonderful and I’m feeling completely refreshed. Now I just need to climb into bed earlier during the week so I can have that same feeling for the rest of the week.

This morning when I checked the blogs that I follow I came across one that completely inspired me for the rest of the day. Kate’s Creative Space from Great Britain posted some beautiful pictures of purchases she had made earlier in the day. Pictures of the freshly baked bread and the fresh cut flowers resonated with me and I had an immediate craving for a BLT sandwich. We had everything we needed, except the bread, so my husband (also craving a BLT) and I bundled up warmly, gathered up the shopping bag and walked to the top of the street to our local shopping strip known as Lakeshore Village.

We picked up a nice freshly baked whole wheat bread from the Portuguese bakery and then made our way to the green grocer, just a few stores down from the bakery. We picked up a few vegetables and I treated myself to a couple bunches of tulips. The big difference between flowers here and flowers in Europe is the price. I think Kate mentioned that she paid 1 pound for a bunch of flowers compared to $5.00 for a bunch here.

When we got home I tried to arrange my purchases into an interesting grouping to photograph and I soon realized that there is a real skill needed to do this well. Kate is an expert at it and I need more practice and perhaps some lessons on how to do it properly. The shopping bag behind the food is one that I picked up yesterday at Winners. I couldn’t resist the picture of the Dachshund. It reminded me so much of Frances and the proceeds from the bag go the Canadian Women’s Foundation.

After doing my ‘photo shoot’ I started making the BLTs. Bacon, ripe red tomato slices, lettuce, toasted whole wheat bread and mayonnaise, topped with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Yum!!!!!! I made the classic one for my husband and on mine I reduced the mayonnaise and added soft ripe avocado in its place….my new favourite sandwich topping.

After lunch I needed to get outside some more so I decided it was probably a good day to start cleaning the yard. It was definitely the sunniest day we’ve had in awhile and after raking the grass and pulling weeds I didn’t feel the chill in the air. Call me crazy but I always get a feeling of satisfaction after I finish a chore and can see the fruits of my labour. It literally makes me happy.

A good start.

The ‘fruits of my labour”.

Finally, A Beautiful Sunny Day

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….. a perfect day for a bike ride to the Green Show

Yesterday I told you about our day out at the Junction or at least half the day.

After lunch K took the groceries back to the car and A and J and I went off to explore more of the stores along the street. A few stores down from 3030 we discovered a great little cheese store, Junction Fromagerie, that specializes in artisanal cheeses from Canada. We went inside and sampled a couple of cheeses and made a few purchases. Luckily K saw us inside the store and continued to join us on our journey of discovery.

There were lots of places for browsing but we didn’t have the time to check everything out. If you’re into antiques the Junction has numerous antique stores, second hand furniture stores, and stores that sell used appliances and unusual old lighting fixtures and hardware.

There are also numerous coffee shops, ice cream parlours, pubs and restaurants along the street. Many are one of a kind establishments, owned by independent merchants but you can always tell when a place starts to become popular because the ‘chains’ start to appear. It’s no different here.

Along with the older and well established businesses, some very trendy and high end stores have started to appear in the last few years. One of my daughters’ favourite stores is Mjolk. This store features beautiful furniture and design pieces from Sweden and Japan. In the window is an art installation piece that was just completed by an artist flown in from Japan. It is called My Garden. It’s a little difficult to see on the glass.

The prices in this store are incredibly high but the items are all one of a kind art pieces. The photograph showing the stones is actually layered and carved paper and the larger piece sells for over $1000.00. Believe it or not my girls always find something here that they want to own. Luckily not everything is out of our price range.

Today the sun was shining when we woke up so we went for our walk a little earlier than we did yesterday. There’s still a chill in the air but the sun on our faces was glorious. I didn’t plan to run today. I thought my body might need a rest after yesterday but after 1k into the walk my feet started to take me on a run again. My legs felt a little heavier today but I managed to run 1.2k and walked another 2k for a total of 3.2 k.

My husband wants to attend the Green Show today. If we ride our bikes we can park for free and if we bring a used electronic device for recycling we can get into the show for free. I’m sure we can find a couple of things that we can carry with us on our bikes. Well I guess I better get going before my husband changes his mind and it gets too late. If I see anything worthwhile to report on I’ll check in with you later.

Cheers!

My 300th Post and A Great Day After All

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…. but not because of the weather

My 2.2k running route

After walking 1k this morning I started to run. I hadn’t planned on running, in fact I haven’t been able to run because of my cold. I’m not sure if it was the rain or what but something spurred me on to start running and I kept running and running. I didn’t stop until I got home. I felt good the whole time and I think I could probably have gone farther but I decided that it probably wasn’t a good idea to push myself much more than I already had.

One year ago I could barely run 50 metres and I remember feeling like a bowl of Jello. Today it felt completely natural and I wasn’t the least bit self conscious about how I appeared in public. I’m not fast but I’ll work on my speed after I can run 5k without stopping. I’m almost half way there now. It’s been 8 hours since my run and I still feel good, no sore muscles or aching joints.

After our walk/run my husband and I picked up our daughter and her partner and headed over to The Junction. It was recently renamed The Junction Triangle but I haven’t heard anyone use the new name. We parked the car and checked out the old record store, the art store, Articulations, and then we crossed the street to The Sweet Potato. We picked up some kale, avocado, almond milk and a few other healthy foods.

There is a new restaurant that’s opened in the Junction and we had heard great things about it so we headed over there to get some lunch. The restaurant is called 3030 which also happens to be address on Dundas St. W.. When we got there they were serving brunch and we each chose different items off the menu. My choice was a spinach, proscutto and bacon rotolo topped with a sweet tomato chutney. It was delicious. It’s basically an omelette that is filled with the ingredients listed above and then rolled,sliced and baked in the oven.

After lunch we continued to head west along Dundas and took in some more of the sights and other little businesses. I’ll post more photographs of our great day tomorrow.

Happiness File:

1. I ran 2.2k without stopping and I feel great.

2. I spent quality time with my family.

3. I treated myself to a new bracelet.

4. I’ve written 300 posts since I started blogging one year ago.

Cheers!