Exploring Ontario

'Happy Bear'

Hello everyone. We are gradually getting used to the summer culture here: hot sun, plenty of weekend festivals and outdoor activities. The ice hockey season finally finished - it seemed to go on forever and it's a real obsession here, often making the headline story in the news! Someone on the radio justified the blanket coverage equating it to the World Cup - not quite the same I'd say. I expect you heard about the riot in Vancouver when they lost to Boston in the finals. Ordinary Canadians were really upset and offended that their own fans could be so destructive and many locals came out the next day to help clean up. I heard a comic on Radio 4 say that at least when it happens in Britain the fans are not usually trashing their home city. There are lots of channels showing baseball now which I don't watch but Eamonn quite likes it. We were delighted to see Rory McIlroy win the US Open and we saw a fair bit of  Wimbledon. The coverage here is pretty good but they will still stick in as many ads as they can between games. I got to see it live in the mornings but could also watch it on the iplayer with Eamonn in the evenings. We follow the Grand Prix and now I'm glued to Will and Kate. They love them here (mostly) and they seem to be having a really good time.

St. James Cathedral:The Calling of St. James  by Stuart Reid

I'm beginning to get some rhythm into my free time. Thank heavens for the BBC, both radio and tv. I would be miserable without them.  I have finally got back into reading and am on my 2nd book from the stack I brought over. I think it's a sign that I feel more settled now. I'd like to be someone who is never without a book but I have to be very comfortable in my surroundings to do that. I like to listen to the Archbishop of Toronto sometimes; he is a wonderful speaker and he leads Lectio Divina sessions once a month here in the Cathedral. We haven't been to any yet but they are posted on the diocesan website:  http://www.archtoronto.org/lectio/reflections.htm I can recommend them if you want a time of guided reflection. In the February broadcast he comments on St. James' letter in which he said: 'Be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.' Good advice, for me anyway.

I still have a lot of free time because my work permit doesn't allow me to do much, not even voluntary work or study so I have applied to have it relaxed which involved having a medical. We had to pay $300 (£200) cash - I asked if I should give it to the receptionist but the doctor said , no, he would take it. A very new experience for me, handing a wad of cash to a doctor! I had to have an X- ray to check that I don't have TB, which he said he knew I didn't have (!) and blood tests to show that I don't have HIV / Aids. I now have to wait to hear from Ottawa and if I am given the all-clear then I can approach a few organisations about volunteering. We've also registered with a local doctor who has already got us booked in for a colon cancer check on November 1st. A lovely birthday present for Eamonn. They do the same checks as at home but more frequently: mammograms are every 1 - 2 years and smears are yearly along with a yearly physical. While I'm on the subject, there are some subway and tv adverts out at the moment reminding people to get checked: Colon Cancer Canada has a slogan: 'We're behind your behind.' !! I've made enquiries about joining the CWL here as it doesn't exist in all parishes. I've also put my name on the waiting list for a choir but I may not get in until next year! There are no Newcomer activities until September but at least we get around at the weekends. 

We've had some lovely outings in great weather. One weekend we went to Tommy Thompson Park, a man-made park built on reclaimed land into Lake Ontario. It forms a long spit and lagoons, ideal for wildlife. It's still  being developed so it's only open at weekends. There were plenty of people cycling and rollerblading and some walking like us. We identified an Eastern Kingbird and some Yellow Warblers but saw many others that we don't yet know. There were hundreds of cormorants flying around! We get a real buzz when we make a firm sighting! We have joined the Ontario Field Ornithologists. They do field trips which we would enjoy and there are a few coming up later in the summer.

The post strike is now over so the post will go back to being just bad rather than non-existent. I don't think it's really over because they were only forced back by Government legislation.

Eamonn's firm has had a fundraising week and he took part in a 2 km Big Bike Ride. They looked quite comical in their site gear and shorts. It was held around the corner so I went to wave them off. Apparently it was quite hard work. He's the one waving his tambourine!

Recently, we went on a guided walk of the Distillery District. It's one of the oldest areas of Toronto and was once the largest distillery in the world, producing beer and whisky. The buildings now house galleries, restaurants and shops. This is where I bought 'Happy Bear'. There were interesting artworks made of recycled Rubik's cubes. Quite a clever idea. There was a Bike Festival going on too.

The next day we went to the Islands to see the dragon boat racing, a two-day festival. Afterwards,  we had a lovely stroll along the beach away from the crowds and enjoyed the lakeviews.

 

Last Friday was Canada Day, a national holiday, so we went south to Leamington ('The Tomato Capital of the World' !) on the shores of Lake Erie, about 4 hours drive from here. It's a small town with a fantastic bakery/cafe that did a great cooked breakfast (the hotel only did continental). We spotted a 'drive-thru' ATM and a huge queue of cars for Tim Hortons 'drive-thru' coffee shop! No need to walk anywhere. And you can get your skates sharpened too. We spent the evening beside the Marina listening to a very good band, singing along to familiar '70s songs. There were great fireworks at 10 pm but not before we all stood to sing the National Anthem. A nice tune but we don't know the words yet. We spotted a pastime in the local visitors' guide: duck and geese calling competitions - something to while away the evenings!

Latitude 42 sign

On Saturday we went to Point Pelee, a sand spit which is a National Park, a very important site for migrant birds. The park is on the same latitude as Rome and Barcelona and it was HOT! We spotted an Eastern Towhee, a Baltimore Oriole feeding its chick, some butterflies and other birds. There were painted turtles in the ponds and a family of barn swallows, one young bird posed for us. We had sprayed ourselves a bit before we started our visit but obviously not enough. Considering that it's such an important bird sanctuary we didn't see anyone else with binoculars and there are no hides there, just a viewing tower and a boardwalk. The RSPB needs to show them how it's done.

Young Barn Swallow

That night there was a fantastic storm which went on for nearly 3 hours and the rain was torrential. I suppose the Great Lakes drive the humidity which sets off the storms. There were sheets of lightning flashing among the clouds; we watched it until we fell asleep. On Sunday we made our way along the shore of Lake Erie spotting an indigo bunting ( a fantastic turquoise colour) and a couple of killdeers - a pretty shorebird despite its name. Southern Ontario is totally flat and reminded us of Holland without the windmills. There's quite a population of Mennonite families here, easily recognised as the young girls wear headscarves with long hair and pretty dresses. The shore is lined with beautiful detached houses which have their own jetties and decking facing the lake. But Manitoba is still suffering floods which began 3 months ago after the spring melt and there has been terrible fire damage in Alberta. The plains states seem to suffer a great deal of hardship.

Next stop: USA!

Canada Day Trivia:

Basketball was invented by a Canadian teacher as an indoor activity for his pupils in Massachusetts.

We spotted in the supermarket: Baked Beans in maple syrup - no, I didn't buy any, as much as I love maple syrup!

Subway advert seen for funeral packages: 'Eternal Rest is only a few clicks away.' If only it were that easy!



I'm sorry if these blogs are getting too long - I keep thinking I won't have much to say soon but it hasn't happened yet!

Do keep in touch and thanks for all your messages.

With lots of love,
Mary and Eamonn

3 months on ...

Hello everyone! Yes just over 3 months since we arrived - it really is going fast. I've already arranged my flight home for December 7th so I'll be able to get in the festive mood while Eamonn carries on for another 2 weeks in sub-zero temperatures. Aaah. By the way, Eamonn was invited to a Carillion 'do' in town to meet the directors from London but he couldn't work out why until he was asked to supply a photo of himself. The badly kept secret was that he was to receive an award for 30 years' service to the company! So well done him.

During the last two weeks we've begun to develop a bit of a routine but it's still early days. Eamonn's fitting in a swim after work a few times a week and now - (FANFARE) - I have been for my first swim!! It sounds crazy because before we came I thought I'd jump out of bed and in to the pool almost every day but it's taken me a while to pluck up the courage. I am generally a bit spooked by swimming pools (I blame Miss. XXX at Squires Lane pool in the 60's - and believe me, I do remember her name!) and when I seriously thought about going I was suddenly quite nervous about the idea of being in a pool alone (- too many Midsomer Murders probably). But then again I didn't want to bump into anyone either so if there had been anyone there I would have come back up. It's only about 12 and a half metres but long enough for me and it's unused 90% of the time. Anyway, I set myself to swim for half an hour, trying to break it up with little bits of exercise. If anyone wants to give me some ideas for exercises to do in a pool please do as I can't remember much of my aquarobics classes. In case you're worrying, the pool has CCTV so the concierge can keep an eye on the pool area and you have to give her your key in exchange for the pool key so she'd notice if you didn't come back - eventually.

B & B and our car

Another first: we've just had our first weekend away from Toronto! Last Saturday we went to Stratford, a pretty town, about 2 hours drive from here. They have a theatre festival throughout the summer so we decided to go and see 'The Merry Wives of Windsor'. Neither of us had seen it before and we really enjoyed the production. There are several theatres around the town which lies on the River Avon (pronounced Ahvon!) flowing into Lake Victoria, complete with swans. There are lovely gardens beside the river and interesting shops. I had a fabulous hot fudge sundae and Eamonn had a soft ice cream dipped in chocolate - yum! We stayed in a lovely B &B which I'm sure we'll use again.The owners were very friendly and helpful and we had a very comfortable stay. There is also a music festival in July so I hope we'll go back to enjoy that too. There's also the Shaw (as in G.B.) Festival at Niagara-on-the-Lake so we may well stay over and see a play as well as being able to visit the Falls very early and at night.

We've explored a few other areas too: the previous weekend we went to Leslieville, on Gemma's recommendation. It's got wacky shops and coffee bars and has quite a hippie feel.While browsing in a used furniture shop (I'm looking for a chair for the bedroom) we realised it was full of our old teak furniture! They even had a nest of tables that we're still using, priced at $175 - about £120 - not bad! From there we went down to the beach - a huge, flat beach. There were at least 200 volleyball games going on! I'll leave you to imagine how many lithe teenage bodies that would involve, leaping about in the sunshine!

 Anyway, we wandered along the lake enjoying the sun and the scenery. We came across a wonderful flock of cedar waxwings. We were able to sit very close to them - so pretty.

I had another walk too with the Newcomers' Club on the Toronto Islands, This was also a beautiful day and there are lovely views of the city skyline from there but I really got a bit too much sun. There are 14 islands linked together which originally formed a peninsula which was broken up during a storm in the 1850s.

 

Lake Ontario on a windy day

A place nearby where we like walking is the cemetery. I know it sounds odd but it is huge and has so many trees which makes it great for birdwatching. It is beautifully landscaped and there are some lovely headstones too. I came across the grave of Olga Alexandrovna, the last Grand Duchess of Russia, sister of Tsar Nicholas II, niece of King Edward VII and cousin to our Queen! Her family escaped the revolution to Denmark in 1913 and she came to Ontario later, using her talent as an artist to provide an income for her family. You might like to read more about her on Wikipedia. We had a very fruitful walk there on Friday afternoon - Eamonn's early finish - before we met Orla and Harvey for our usual dinner at the pub! These are the birds we saw: female downy woodpecker, mourning doves (very appropriate), American goldfinches, red-winged blackbirds (they're everywhere), cardinals (amazing bright red), another flock of cedar waxwings and a Baltimore oriole! This one is bright orange and black; our B&B hosts said we were very lucky to have seen one of those. There are some lovely garden areas for cremated remains. I haven't seen this idea at home but it seems very attractive and practical.

The reverse of the Armenian War Memorial,
by William Saroyan,
American-Armenian author

Armenian War Memorial

The malls here can be interesting places at times. One Saturday we went shopping because it was very wet and of course they're great places to escape the weather. We've all seen how young teenage girls love to wander around these places and we kept seeing groups of them determinedly walking, up to 6 abreast, all wearing the same gear: tee-shirts, flip flops and hotpants. Just because it was temporarily unlike summer they were not going to adjust their dress! At the other extreme, I arrived early to a classy mall near here so sat and relaxed while I watched people drift by. The shops were not yet open but there seemed to be quite a lot of people with somewhere to go. Then I began to see these people pass me again and again. You see, these temperature- controlled malls are ideal places for elderly people to exercise. I have even seen people use the pillars for resistance work! Most malls house food courts - the bigger the mall the bigger the food court. This is an area that looks like a canteen, with many tables and chairs surrounded by a great variety of fast food outlets: burgers, pizza, chicken, sushi, endless options really. I have eaten in a few of these now and the food is fine but they're not the most relaxing of places, surrounded by so many fellow munchers!

Of course I miss many people and many things but one thing I must mention: milk. I do miss having milk delivered. Here they sell milk in large plastic bags. You get 3 bags to a pack, making 4 litres altogether, weighing as much as a child! We drink a lot of milk so we now buy it in bulk and Eamonn brings the bag on wheels to carry it from the supermarket next door. It then gets decanted into a jug in the fridge and there's a real technique to pouring from a plastic bag! We're getting better.

Canadian advice: Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe.

Thank you to our faithful readers, you're there somewhere!

Bye for now,

With love,

Mary and Eamonn xxx

Summer's arrived !

Hello from a sunny, sultry Toronto. Our visitors flew away last Wednesday (and we could actually see their plane pass over us here) so now it feels like we're here for real. Although there was quite a lot of rain while Gemma and Andy were here I think they had a good time; they certainly got to know their way round some of the pubs in town! But we also had some more cultural outings and we even tried a trip out of town to a beach resort on Georgian Bay, about an hour and a half from here, but it was just an empty beach. The few shops there were mostly closed, we couldn't have bought a bucket and spade even if we wanted to! Plus it was windy and cold - so apologies to the 'guinea pig' visitors. By the time anyone else comes we'll have done a bit more research! 

Wasaga Beach

We had a good day at Niagara, riding the Maid of the Mist of course, which was fun even though we'd all done it before. The day started cloudy but while we had a good 'Hard Rock' lunch the rain came down. The car was a long walk away and as 2 of us had not kept our blue plastic coveralls that meant 2 of us got very wet. By the time we began to leave Niagara, steaming in the car, the fog had come down so low we could hardly see across the street! But as we drove up the valley we found ourselves in glorious sunshine so we enjoyed lovely views of the Niagara River.

Alcona Beach

Although we thought we had left in plenty of time we got into terrible Bank Holiday traffic and we were trying to get back for the baseball match. It looked as though we were going to be very late to meet Marian and Phil. Instead of getting back in time to relax with a cup of tea we just had time to pick up our tickets from the apartment and jump in the subway. But all was well and it was great fun seeing Marian and Phil. I even had the obligatory hot dog and beer. We sat and chatted while trying to take in the finer (!) points of rounders - oops - I mean baseball. Andy had to show ID at the beer stall to prove he was old enough to buy it - Gemma had no ID on her so couldn't prove she was over 25! Lucky her. No drunken yobs here. Anyway the Blue Jays lost to the Houston Astros so the crowd just left in droves before the end. Of course there aren't away fans as such because the distances the teams travel are just too big for them to follow. 

On Saturday the weather was lovely so we went down to the lakeshore and found everyone else had the same idea. This was a real holiday weekend and there were crowds everywhere but it was a pleasant atmosphere. It seemed that between the crowds who left for their country cottages and those who were on the lakeshore there could be no one left in the city. Sunday was a relaxed day with lunch out again. We left Gemma and Andy in town with Orla and Harvey touring the local hostelries. Needless to say that was a late night!

Monday was Victoria Day - named so in gratitude to Her Majesty for starting Canada on the road to independence, apparently. Almost everything was shut so it was a peaceful day. Just as well, as there were one or two hangovers in the apartment. We were eventually able to celebrate Gemma's birthday, quietly. On Tuesday Gemma and Andy took us for dinner to the local Baton Rouge which was fabulous. They really know how to cook meat here. As far as eating out's concerned here we have really enjoyed the food and it's good value. On Wednesday I went to the Islands with them and we could see that the beaches there would attract great crowds. It's odd being on beaches here because of course you don't get smells associated with salt spray or seaweed so it's not as energising as being by tidal, salt water. That evening we took them to the airport and had to say goodbye again.

Since then I've been on a Toronto Newcomers' Walk around a part of town where they've managed to keep their Victorian streets intact. So refreshing. On Saturday, Eamonn and I went into town to visit some buildings as part of the Doors Open weekend. We saw some very interesting things and the camera was working overtime! 

'Waterfall' by Derek Besant

One tile of the waterfall

I am now completely up to date with Corrie and The Apprentice and we're dipping into other goodies from home. We have also made our 8th trip to Ikea and it won't be the last!

Canada Life and South African War Memorial

Outside Children's Hospital

I'm beginning to think that the dandelion could be the state flower. They certainly have a terrible problem with them  here. Someone told me that weedkiller was banned in the city 2 years ago so their main way of controlling them is just by mowing them. In a year like this there was very little time between the snow disappearing and the growing season so there's not much time to get rid of them I suppose. 

Canadian sayings about the Family:

The gene pool around here could use a little chlorine (applies to Jeremy Kyle show participants).

My grandfather's dog ran through your grandmother's yard once ( we're distantly related).

The front of our building facing east

'The 12th Juror' outside the Law Courts

 Do let us know if you fancy coming to stay - don't be shy! I know the airfare and jetlag don't help but there'll be a warm welcome!

<---------------  Our apartment on the west face. 

Thursday 19th May: The nest is ready and visitors have arrived!

Hello everyone, it's good to be back in touch again.We had a frantic time getting this apartment ready, not just for us, but for our first visitors too. In all, we made 6 trips to Ikea and, in 2 weeks, Eamonn put together 2 sofas, one ottoman, one dining table, 4 dining chairs, 3 storage cabinets for the sitting room, a side table, 2 double beds (one with drawers), 4 bedside cabinets, a stool and a chest of drawers. Being flat-packs of course this generated a mountain of packing material and cardboard which had to be taken down to the refuse area. Eamonn's hands now have plenty of time to recover. By the way, for those of you thinking of coming there are also 2 guest suites in the building if we couldn't fit you in! Our guest bedroom is what you'd call cosy but the bed is very comfortable.

It took a few days to get the tv and internet organised but we were sorted by the time Gemma and Andy arrived. We're now enjoying British tv via the internet thanks to considerable electronic wizardry; I have been on a marathon Corrie catch-up and am nearly there. Gemma has kept me supplied with discs and now I can get the rest from the internet. She and Andy arrived last Saturday with a peculiar assortment of items that we requested, and a surprise copy of the BBC's Royal Wedding DVD and a commemorative Hello magazine! They have been out and about but both have been here before which helps. We all watched Eurovision live on Saturday afternoon while they got over their jet lag, praying Ireland wouldn't win!

Gemma likes being useful

Glen Gould - pianist

Spring has finally come, there are tulips everywhere and suddenly everything is green, but there's been a lot of rain which is disappointing for Gemma and Andy but they have dodged it well and the sun is now out and we're looking forward to a bright Bank Holiday weekend here - Monday is Victoria Day and Gemma's birthday. Eamonn's taking a couple of days off to make it a long weekend too so we have some ideas for going further afield. We're also meeting friends from home at a baseball match tomorrow: Toronto Blue Jays versus Houston Astros. The prairie states are now getting high temperatures and wild fires following floods because of rain and snow melt. This continent must be a weather man's dream but it sounds like a tough region to live in.

At last I've found myself a very good hairdresser after dreading the search. She trained in London (at Vidal Sassoon's) and was really friendly and helpful, suggesting a local dentist and giving advice on registering with a GP. So to celebrate I bought 2 pairs of shoes and 2 more cushions!

In the week before we moved I went on a tour of an Inuit art exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario and a Railway Heritage walk in town with the Newcomers Club. Both were very interesting and there were several Brits on the walk which involved visiting a brewery (!) and of course we had to sample some at 11.30 in the morning! I have been back to the AGO yesterday with Gemma and Andy and I love it. I can see I'll be spending lots of time there, especially in the winter!

 

Last night we all went bowling with our young friends Orla and Harvey. We all had a good laugh and managed not to pull any muscles. That'll be another activity we'll probably do more of in the winter. Eamonn did very well! We still haven't tried the gym and pool downstairs yet but we will!  

Have a look at our little pad, we'll be delighted to have more visitors! 

Spot the Bear!

May 7th Doris Day!!

West View from Doris

Hello all. Just a mini blog today as I'm supposed to be packing and cleaning before we leave here. We'll be off line for a few days until the internet is activated in our new place on Doris Avenue. You can still email us but I'll be using a wifi spot in the building or at the coffee shop, like all the students, until the middle of the week, plus Eamonn can pick up emails on his phone. We'll also be without tv for a few days too - we haven't even bought one yet but hope to have it all sorted before G and A come  - next Saturday, exciting! Eamonn's currently building the furniture - he's quite enjoying it really and I help a bit but it's hard work. Appeals to his caveman side I think, thank goodness all that Meccano and Lego training has paid off! The guest bed was too big so had to go back, bit of a performance with lifts etc. Have had 2 big shopping sessions at Ikea - phew! and were not done yet. But the new sofa has passed the nap test. zzzzzzz

Just a quick summary of last couple of weeks: saw James Blunt - fab, sobbed through Royal Wedding - aaah, perfect; shipment arrived - 35 year old tat from home! - got to find places to put it now. Been on a very good art tour at the Art Gallery of Ontario and a heritage walk in town. Tell you more later. Spring has finally arrived, yay! So must get clearing up. Chat soon, with love, Mary and Eamonn xx