Sherwood Park

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…. another gem in the heart of Toronto

We had about a 2 hour window yesterday when the sun tried to peak through the clouds and the rain, wind and hail took a break. In that time my family and I decided to take the dogs for a walk to burn off some of the calories from our wonderful Mother’s Day lunch.

My daughter and her husband live in the North York district of Toronto and are lucky enough to have numerous parks and off leash areas for walking their dog, Lucy. We decided to head over to Sherwood Park, partially because we could walk there and secondly because I’d never been there.

The park is a picturesque wooded area nestled in a ravine.

There are great trails for runners and walkers. The hills and stairs give the user an excellent workout. In the off leash areas the trails are fenced in, allowing dogs to enjoy the freedom to run to their heart’s content. We kept our eyes open for trilliums, our provincial flower. They are protected so it is illegal to pick them and another reason for the fence is to keep human feet off this sensitive ecological area. This was as close as I could get to photograph this patch of trilliums.

The total distance walked yesterday from Yonge and Blythwood Rd. to the park, up and down the hills and then back again along Sherwood Avenue was about 4.3 k. The day before I walked 4.0 k and I worked in the garden pulling weeds. The latter activity has played havoc with my back and I paid for it last night and most of today. Back pain sure makes one feel old.

Hopefully I’ll feel better tomorrow so that I can run with the girls at school. We’ll see. Till then, cheers!

My Happiness File – Day 6

Posted on March 16, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….why does food play such an important role in making me happy?

I don’t think it’s the food itself but the social aspect that surrounds the food. Two of my happy moments today occurred at meals.

The first event that made me happy today was taking my youngest daughter out for lunch. We went to a nice little restaurant in uptown Toronto close to where she lives. It was easy to make healthy choices and the food was delicious but more importantly I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation. We both write blogs and we discussed how her DIY wedding blog and business were coming along and she gave me some tips on how to resolve some issues I’ve been having with my blog.

Today the sun finally came out and it turned into a beautiful afternoon. When I took my daughter back to her apartment we decided to pick up her dog, Lucy and head over to the off leash area over at Sunnybrook. Watching her dog run along the path into the woods with such joy and freedom made me smile and getting some exercise and fresh air put me in my happy place.

When I got home tonight my husband wanted to go out for dinner. I wasn’t sure that going out for two meals in a row was such a good idea but he seemed really keen on going out so I agreed. It turned out to be a happy evening and again I was able to make healthy choices for my dinner. I ordered grilled fish and a side of perfectly cooked beans and broccoli and started with a grilled radicchio and arugula salad. The fish was grilled with bones in so it forced me to eat slowly and carefully to avoid choking on a fish bone. At the end of my meal my husband actually applauded me. He said it was like watching a perfectly executed symphony. His analogy put a big smile on my face.

Dogs’ Nirvana

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…. took the dogs to High Park off leash area today

It was a beautiful day and our youngest daughter came over with her basset hound, Lucy. There was a bit of a nip in the air but the sun was shining and when you were in the sun it felt warm.

We decided to take the dogs to a great park we have in here in Toronto called High Park. The park sits on 161 hectares (400 acres) and was gifted to the city of Toronto in 1876 by John Howard. One third of the park is still in a natural state and there is a large fenced-in off leash area for dogs. I like this area because there are lots of options for dog owners. You can stay in a large area where dogs can socialize or you can opt to take some of the trails where dog owners can also get some exercise. We chose the latter option.

As you can see from the photos, winter is starting to leave us but sections of trail are still snow covered and pretty icy. Where the snow has melted it has been replaced with lots of mud and puddles. I’m glad I wore my rubber boots.

The dogs loved it for the most part. Lucy doesn’t like water but mud didn’t seem to bother her. Frances on the other hand loves the puddles. Doggy heaven!