More Rhymes For March

I am really into this whole March - In like a lion, out like a lamb thing! I keep going back to it. Have to say, it is a much better than my usual internet wormholes that normally end up with me reading long, detailed Wikipedia articles about serial killers.

Here are some other proverbs related to this month:

A dry March and a wet May? 
Fill barns and bays with corn and hay.

As it rains in March, so it rains in June.

So many mists in March you see
So many frosts in May will be.

A Peck of March-Dust, and a Shower in May
Makes the Corn green, and the Fields gay.

March many-Weathers rain’d and blow’d
But March grass never did good.

I can't really get that last one to rhyme. How are they pronouncing blow'd so that it matches good? Also, it isn't a word, the past tense is blew. Really that one is just terrible. Lastly, there is an expansion on the well known one, that includes March:

March winds and April showers? Bring forth May flowers.

One of my favourite jokes as a kid was, "If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring? Pilgrims." Oh, so clever. (And distinctly American.)

Unbelievable!

My mom saw a water cyclone, or Waterspout at The Cottage. She told me about it on the phone the other day but I was excited to see on on her blog yesterday that the photos she took turned out. Check it out over at Vicarious Travelling.

Sulphur Stew - Sunday In The Azores

We were scheduled to go sailing today but when we arrived at the marina the captain suggested postponing the trip and waiting for better weather. It was pretty chilly and very grey, also apparently quite windy out on the water. We appreciated him giving us a chance to come back on a nicer day and we agreed on a Tuesday trip. That will be the day before we leave so it is cutting it a bit close, but the forecast is good for that day.

Both the captain and first mate highly suggested that we go to Furnas, pretty much everyone we talked to had mentioned this place. It is also the main destination for tourists when cruise ships come to port for the day. Basically it is the one big unique attraction. But the whole island is amazing, I didn't understand why everyone kept going on about this small part of it.

We decided to go because it was crappy weather and that is recommended. The first stop was in the main place for geothermal, volcanic activity. A conservation area with geysers and boiling mud and all that awesome stuff. We had seen some of it before at Caldeira Velha but this was at a much larger and more intense scale. As you can see from the short film from my phone HERE, I am not a good videographer. I also really like boiling mud!

In that video you can see piles of dirt with posted restaurant names, this is for a dish called cozido and it is another main reason to visit the Furnas area. It was recommended by a lot of people because it is very unique to the area - seeing that it is a stew cooked in the ground using geothermal heat it does lend itself to being pretty unique.

When we went into town Jason got the stew, though admittedly not at a very appropriate location. The stew is made from hearty and root vegetables, various cuts of meat, and types of sausage. It really would be best enjoyed in a very casual setting. However, we had lunch at a fine dining restaurant in a luxury hotel, see my photo of Jason on the right eating the stew with white table cloth.

The reason were at such a fancy place was that the hotel owns these beautiful gardens and hot springs and if you eat lunch there than the admission is included. The admission on its own is surprisingly high, especially as we just ended up walking around - I didn't think the hot springs would be a good idea for me. The gardens were spectacular though, they were started in the 1700s so some of the trees are huge and everything is very exotic and magical.

We drove home along the north-west coast which is a fairly remote area with gorgeous scenery, jagged cliffs and rough seas. So beautiful. (I only feel asleep for a short period of time in the passenger seat.)

Six Hours In

I didn't get a chance to sleep on the plane, so arrived with Jason this morning in The Azores, for our honeymoon, pretty damn exhausted. After touring around a solid portion of Sao Miguel Island (it is quite small) while we waited to check into our hotel, I came up with the following delirious impression...

The Azores is like Spain and Hawaii had a secret love child 500 years ago and didn't tell anyone about it. They just put the kid the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and gave it to Portugal to look after. All lush landscapes with volcanic geology, green vegetation, and bright tropical flowers interspersed throughout by classic Latin/Mediterranean style architecture and European towns/culture. It is an amazing merger that to some degree feels very familiar but at the same time is like no where else.

Like you would expect from a hidden illegitimate child, The Azores, both the islands and their population, are quiet. Comfortable with their complicated and unique identity but also very reserved about it. Most people speak English and Spanish (and more) but they occasionally point out the difference in those languages as they connect to Portuguese, the main one spoken here.

The weather changes on a dime many times throughout the day, a bit moody I guess. Flipping from cloud covered mountains to rainy coasts to stretches of blue skies across patch work stone fenced fields. The weather doesn't stay the same very long but it also doesn't seem to be too extreme.

Lastly, they got pretty into cows. Bit of an obsession, cows are everywhere and wander all over the roads at times - even major highways.

Basically this place is strange and amazing but also absolutely STUNNING! I can't wait to explore everything from the waves crashing on the coastlines to the black lava rocks on the hill tops and everything in between. Stay turned for more updates.

Wedding Lost And Found

We have some items from the wedding that weren't ours. We hadn't started to figure out whose they were because we thought maybe we could add it as a little note on the Thank Yous asking people, but thought I would post about it here. With almost 150 guests on Toronto Island it would be difficult to check with everyone. Also, this weekend we figured out two of them!!

Wedding Weekend Lost And Found

Found items had been left on Toronto Island:

Item Found: Two, very nice, black travel thermos/water bottles
Claimed by: Faye and David

Item Found: Tortoise-shell style reading glasses
Claimed by: Faye

Item Found: Two-sided make-up mirror on a stand
Claimed by: The hotel's. Ended up at our house by mistake.

Item Found: Interesting grey folding square wheelie cart
Claimed by: STILL OUTSTANDING

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Item Lost: Jason's iPod
Last Place He Remembers: Media area in the AIA Clubhouse
Found: Taken by Aunt Dan by mistake and returned.

Item Lost: Two of Jason's, very nice, long stick umbrellas
Last Place He Remembers: Mum's hotel room

Wonderland

Keeping up with tradition, Jeska and I went to Canada's Wonderland today and rocked the park! Even though there was a midday thunderstorm we didn't let that deter us from sticking around, waiting it out, and continuing with our plans to do every ride in the park

Jeska and I

Swing of the Century - Canada's Wonderland

Photo by Andrea

Breaking with tradition, we brought other people. Both Andrea and Joe turned out to be true 'ride warriors' as Jes would say. It was so much fun, always an amazing day.

Removing The Verde

Here is another Before and After shot of Casa Verde:

Eaves: From Green To Black

Casa Verde - March 2016
Thank you North Shore Eavestroughing!

The change is pretty minor, and actually the before picture is nicer with the blue sky and summer foliage, but we are really happy with the black eavestroughs we just got installed! We replaced them not to change the look but because they were very damaged - the improvement in colour was a nice bonus.

And I Miss You

Sunday Mornin' Coming Down - A Sunday post about my Dad, named after a song that he loved.

MISSING

rings true

a song from my childhood

that reminds me of Dad

Everything But The Girl (1994)

sounds like Sade but isn't

I wonder if he knew

and

Dad 

I miss you

MORE 

than the deserts 

miss the rain

Weather From A Skyscraper

There is a building in downtown Toronto that lets us know the weather forecast. I love checking out the what the weather will be by looking at the Canada Life Building. The details aren't sent to our cell phones from a tower on the roof, information isn't displayed on a flashy HD screen on the side, instead you can figure out the next day's weather by knowing the code for the lights on the, quite phallic looking, stick at the top.


Temperature: Lights moving up means tomorrow will be warmer, moving down means it will be colder. If the white bands of light are staying steady there won't be a change in temperature.

Precipitation: The big square light at the top can flash and change colour: flashing red is rain, flashing white is snow, solid red is cloudy, and solid green is clear.

Even people who have lived in Toronto for a long time don't believe me when I tell them, but it is true, The Canada Life Building, located at the corner of University and Queen, has been a weather beacon for 65 years. The building is considered historical and was built in 1929. The tower part at the top that broadcasts the weather forecast was the first of its kind in Canada when it was built in 1951, and now it is the only one of its kind left in the country.

Not Fair!

This morning Mom and I decided to do another 'view' comparison after chatting for a bit on the phone. After we finished talking we each took a photo of what we have been looking at during the conversation. I like to call her in the morning while commuting to work, usually, when she is at The Cottage, this means that Mom is in bed hanging out with Rasta, or in the bath, or downstairs having coffee. However, she is in Spain for a couple of months so with the time change we are now talking around lunch time for her. 

See the small photo on the right for what my commute was like on the bus today - cold, wet, packed, but at least I had a seat. This is from my mom, she wins hands down:

Beach at El Rompido, Spain

February 10, 2016

Photo by Mom

I Rode For Heart

Sunday morning was rainy and very cold. I know this because I was awake at 6:00am and down at my workplace in Liberty Village by 7:00am. I did the Ride For Heart as part of the Forrec team, so we met up as a group to start together. Jason joined us. Thank you to everyone who donated towards my ride - I completed the 25km route as promised. This is impressive since it was only about 10 degrees out and rained the entire time. I finished in less than an hour and a half (though only a few minutes ahead of Jason who was doing the 50km). It was a very surreal experience to bike on the roadways - there is no need to break. Even on bike trails there seems to be stopping and such, but I did the whole thing on Sunday in one go, not putting my feet down once. It was a lot of fun and I would like to try the 50km route next year.

Posed For Adventure

Sunday Mornin' Coming Down - A post about my Dad each Sunday, named after a song that he loved.

Exploring Spain In The Rain, With Dad 

A Walk With Just The Two Of Us

Spain Trip -  February 2010

Photo by ME

Two Used To Be Tiny

Watching Raindrops

Two at The Cottage, a Tiny Kitten

Photo by Mom

Don't Let The Rain Stop You

I was texting with Kristen this morning and mentioned wanting to change my afternoon plans. Admittedly, the fact that it is cold, grey, and raining out was part of the reason, but not the only reason. Here is her response, it is good advice for us Canadians:

"Don't just cancel because of the rain! You live in Canada, if we cancelled things because of weather we would never go outside." -- Kristen, 2014

Day Off - Pants Off

It is Labour Day and I am thoroughly enjoying not having to go to work on a grey Toronto Monday. I have decided to celebrate by refusing to put pants on all day. No Pants!

A Humid Toronto Day

Humid Day In Toronto

My hair is getting frizzy frizzy

Heat makes me a little dizzy.

Look all across this big big city

Haze stopping it from being pretty.

Oh no, oh no, the rain is coming

Tree branches start their humming.

Hurry, check check the internet

Thunderstorms will make me upset.

But lightning's coming much much later

This afternoon, the likelihood's greater.

I just want to be all safe safe inside

I'll wait until this day has dried.

-- CS 2013

But I Get 10 To Your 1

I destroyed another pair of ballet flats. Admittedly, I wore them all through the winter and the last part before they died I walked in a rain storm from Liberty Village to downtown. I always have a collection of different flats to wear, but I like to have black ones at all times. The ones I ruined were my black pair so I had to head to Ardene's the next day. Sure enough they still offer tons of styles at 2 pairs for $20, so I have 2 new sets of black flats that will last me a few more months. Here is one of the pairs:

Teri, and other friend's of mine, often suggest I just invest in a high quality pair instead of having to keep replacing my cheap pairs. I thought about it this time but I still don't think it makes sense for me. 'Better' flats (from Aldo, Clarks, etc) range in price from $60 to $120, so let's say $100 to make it easy. They do offer some things that higher quality shoes tend to offer - like being made of leather, more durable soles, etc. However, I have decided that my way works better, here are my thoughts:

Firstly, you really can't tell the difference. Put my flats next to a more expensive pair and yes you can tell the other  is made of leather but both pairs are still going to look cute, clean, basic, and nice. It doesn't make me look any less professional, stylish, cute, sexy, trendy, etc. Black flats are black flats, not really super exciting. So you can't see a difference and if you can that difference doesn't matter.

I can get 10 of mine for the cost of 1 of those. That means I get to go shoe shopping 4 more times! Since I get 2 pairs at once that means $100 gets me 10 pairs over 5 shopping trips - and I really like shoe shopping.

When replacing my shoes I only need to find $20 - but to get a nicer pair I would have to budget better and have $100 to spend on a pair of shoes, which happens only once a year or so and tends to be reserved for running shoes, boots, getting shoes for a wedding, etc.

I have the versatility of two different pairs at any given time and get to change styles frequently. I have had rounded toes, pointed toes, sparkles, different toe details, textures, bows, etc. Though a black flat is pretty basic no matter what.

I am hard on my shoes. I have no doubt that a higher quality pair would hold up better and last longer, but I still wear ballet flats about 95% of the time, all through the year. I wore them through the last two winters, partly because Toronto is pretty mild compared to Ottawa and also because I haven't found a pair of boots that I like. I also don't switch to sandals in the summer because my (very lax) work dress code doesn't allow for open toed shoes. Right now I replace my set of 2 black pairs about every 4 months, so $100 lasts 2 years - I would need the expensive pair to last that long, look fresh, not scuff, etc.

Lastly, and I feel most importantly, by some crazy luck/miracle I do not need to 'break in' a new pair of flats from Ardene's. Every style is perfectly comfortable - instantly (though I never get that strange kind that folds up because it has the elastic all around the top part - they look like they could be painful). I can buy a cheap pair and then wear them for 12 hours straight the next day. That might happen with a good pair too, but it might not. Sometimes shoes, even great ones, give you a blister somewhere at the start, or cut at your heel for a bit so that you need to wear a band-aid, etc. And in the end, for me, comfort is totally going to trump it.

A Hot Toddy On A Cold Day

Sometimes you wake up on Monday and just aren't feeling it...

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You check the news and find out that Toronto has a freezing rain warning...

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And that means wearing those winter boots you don't really like...

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Better just grab a snack from the fridge...

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Curl up with a blanket on your favourite chair...

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Have a stretch and go back to sleep!!

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All photos courtesy of Erin AH 

Featuring Tod 'The Black Peril' Armstrong when he was a kitten

A Shorter Commute

Today it is raining in Toronto. All last month we experienced very little 'May Showers' then June hits and there is a massive downpour. I would love to complain about my commute - it seems like everyone does. However, it isn't overly lengthy (ranges from 40min to an hour) or horribly complex (streetcar and then bus or subway then streetcar dependent on the route) or super crowded (I can get a seat about 95% of the time and 60% of the time Kristen and I can sit together.) But, I could live where I work and walk to work - that would be sweet. Actually, it would be especially sweet since I love working in Liberty Village and I'm sure I would enjoy living here too!

Here are some of my options:

Penthouse at The Toy Factory Lofts
This is a 3,000 square foot, 3-bedroom apartment in a century-old factory-turned-condo. In fact, it used to be the Irwin Toy Factory, a company I had stocks in as a children, which were a gift from my Aunty Laura so that I could go to the company's AGM each year and play with the cool new products that were in development. Toronto Life has done an article about the space, with photos. This apartment has 14 foot ceilings, 5 balconies, 4 bathrooms, and a sauna. At night I literally dream about this place, the thought of it takes my breath away!
Cost: $2,575,000

A One Bedroom in Vibe
The Vibe condo building is very nice; it has a gym, indoor pool, party room, and all the other things that nice condominiums in Toronto offer. While this apartment has only one bedroom, it does have two bathrooms and a very large balcony. The living space is spread over two levels which is interesting, but in total it is only 700 square feet. Basically this is closer to the reality of something I might buy/live in one day.
Cost: $339,900

It really doesn't look like I will be moving closer to work anytime soon. Truthfully, I love my apartment and every time I even glance at what else is available to rent or own in Toronto I am reminded how amazing Rrunuv Bayit is and how lucky I am to live in such an awesome place for such a great rate.

In The Last Moments Of February

So, as I have written about before, February sucks for me. On Leap Day, a day that everyone was all excited about, I felt differently; Leap Day just means that for one in every four years my worst month gets a day longer. Ironically, in the final hours of February 29th - I got in car accident.

No one hurt - everyone is fine. Also, in terms of the feel of the bump it wasn't even as rough as when breaking too suddenly, it happened very slowly.

It had been raining/snowing/hailing in Toronto for a few days. Driving home I was coming up Bathurst instead of Dufferin because I had gone to get my hair cut. Anyway, Bathurst has street car tracks. Because of the width of the wheels and how far apart they are, The Toy fits perfectly in the tracks. I avoid driving with the wheels in the tracks because I find it annoying, also because once it has fallen in I have to pull the wheel really hard to the side to get out again and it feels unsafe to do that.

Anyway, driving along Bathurst, I was going maybe 20 - 40 km/h, and an SUV stopped in front of me. I hadn't realised but I was in line with the tracks. When they are wet there is NO traction! I started to break with plenty of time and from a far distance back, but I slide along the tracks, for what felt like forever, and rear-ended the SUV. It felt like it happened in slow motion. I did try to turn the wheel to get out of the tracks and avoid the hit, but was stuck. This was especially upsetting because both the right-hand lane and the other side of the road where empty. I could see safe places to go but yanking the wheel didn't get me out and the breaks were doing nothing. It was a very frustrating and upsetting experience.