The Last Friday of June - Skywatch Friday

The sky is very gray and dull today. But there appears to be a lot going on.

All week workers have been replacing the siding of this apartment building in the photo below. I believe the building sustained some water damage and rot as is the case with so many buildings in this city.

The work is progressing quickly and the job looks very nice!

As I walked about running my errands, I saw that another movie is being shot in the neighborhood.

A lot of people were relaxing in these tents.

I've just noticed the wolf ? or maybe it's a coyote? on the banners.

There's some filming going on inside one of the restaurants near the bright lights.

There's always something interesting to look at when you look up.

Happy Skywatch Friday.

May 29, 2025 - Skywatch Friday

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

Happy weekend ahead to you all.

Today I'm sharing photos from a recent walk to a small local park. I was able to capture the sun going down.

It was a beautiful evening.  The next day it rained heavily.

Thanks for visiting my Skywatch Friday post.

A Bit of Hygge

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

Some of you will have read my story here about the lost and found item I picked up late Saturday night. I tried to go to the local police station on Sunday but it was closed by the time I arrived. I went again on Monday and thankfully made it before closing. I left the wallet with an explanation of where I found it and my name. Now it's in the hands of the police and hopefully the person who lost it will find their way to the police station or maybe the police will somehow locate him/her. I don't even know if the person is a male or female because I'm not familiar with the names.

I got a long-ish walk in over the span of several days going on errands and going to and from the police station over 2 different days.

To be honest, my body is really suffering from aches and pains and inflammation in the neck, back and hips. I wanted to get a body massage or a get in a foot reflexology session but the timing didn't work out. So instead, I have been trying to have moments of hygge by relaxing and revelling in some of life's quieter pleasures.

Like reading good books.

I was able to complete Crow Mary (favourite) The Paris Assignment (2nd favourite), and Miss Morgan's Book Brigade (3rd favourite)  I enjoyed all of them and would recommend them all.

I spent some time caring for my plants, watering them, removing dead leaves and transplanting one of them into a larger pot.  I also purchased a new plant. I think it's called a Kangaroo Fern but I'm not 100 percent certain since I've never seen one before. All of these plants were purchased on clearance over the past month or so and were in rough shape when I bought them. I'm trying to bring them back to life but they need more sunshine. I'd like to take them out to the patio but need to wait until the workers are gone.

I have this one in a hanging basket.

I just transplanted this one.

The fern on the left is new

I'm going to buy another hanging basket for the new plant on the left in the photo above. I can also see that the aloe vera needs dividing as it's gotten too big for the pot it's in.

I always enjoy seeing pockets of beauty when I'm out and about. I found this cute gem of a restaurant on Sunday and hope to return one day when it's open and when I have more time. It has a cute little patio on the other side.

I did a bit of shopping. I've been thinking about changing the bathroom sink faucets and saw these ones when I was browsing in the stores.  I think they'll do for now.  I purchased two sets, one for each bathroom.  I'll only open one until I see how it looks after installation.

When I'm out I like to dine by myself.  It allows me to rest my feet and catch my breath since walking and shopping takes a lot out of me. I also like to read while I wait for my dinner. This Bento Box is called a Nigiri Bento box for the raw fish (salmon, tuna and prawn) but it also had tempura, beef teriyaki and a dynamite roll. It came with the customary Miso soup which I love so much.

All in all I enjoyed my outings. Thanks for stopping by!

Monday Starts the Week Again

This past Monday was demolition day at the condo. This was the beginning of it. The walls and ceiling were cut away later. The end result is that the water seems to have dried well enough and there is no mold growing. So that's great news! 

Now they have to fix everything and I'm keen to make sure the end product doesn't look like a patchwork quilt.  I can't wait until everything is nicely painted, carpets are washed and everything is generally fresh again.  I'm hoping to immediately reduce more items before I completely return things to the bedroom.  It might be a bit difficult but it must be done.

The workers arrived at 9:30 a.m and left at 5:30 p.m. I felt quite tired so I went out for a bite to eat and a bit of grocery shopping instead of cooking.  I didn't make it to the community garden but I must get there very soon.

While I wait for the bedroom renovations to begin, I'll be purging in other areas of the condo. I made good progress on Sunday by cleaning the bookshelves and getting rid of a lot of magazines, expired Covid tests and various bits and pieces. 

I also completed reading the thoroughly enjoyable books, The Botanist's Daughter by Kayte Nunn and the book Digging Stars by Zimbabwean author, Novuyu Shuma.

Rain was in the forecast for Tuesday but it only rained in the morning.  I was hoping for a bit more rain today and I see the clouds are forming though the sun is shining brightly.  Perhaps it will still rain later.  The forecast is for warmer temperatures again for the rest of the week.  Even if it rains more I have a lot of photos of beautiful scenes and flowers to enjoy from recent walks.

I'm hoping to make good progress on a lot of 'small' tasks and jobs this week.  

Enjoy your week ahead and thank you for making time to visit my blog during your busy day. I hope you'll visit again soon.

A Neighbourhood Walkabout

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are enjoying your Saturday so far.

Today it got warm enough to wear sleeveless tops, sandals and shorts if you so desired. I don't wear shorts anymore and I usually wear a very light long sleeved top over a sleeveless one.  But I saw plenty of people dressed for very hot weather today.

I've been trying to get out for a walk and errands as often as I can but it was actually very cold and rainy for about a week.  As a result I developed a bit of a head cold but I didn't remain in bed. In fact, I probably needed more sleep and rest than I did get but I'm working on it.

These photos were taken when the weather was still cold and rainy earlier in the week.

Does anyone know what flower this is?

Did you notice the little door and windows at the base of the tree in the above photo? I've seen several of them when I go out for a walk in the neighbourhood.  I think it's so cute and whimsical. Seeing this kind of vignette takes me back to childhood and reading about elves, fairies and little people. Do you remember stories of the Littles, a family of little people with mouse like tails?  I haven't thought about these stories for years but it was a pleasant moment in an otherwise ordinary day.

I hope you had a pleasant moment or two as well.

Thank you for your visit. Please come again soon.

A Neighbourhood Stop

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you're well.

Over the past week, I've found it quite cold on several days but we are creeping toward warmer temperatures in general.

That usually means looking for cold treats to have while out and about.

I happen to love ice cream and so the local Dairy Queen (DQ) is one of my favourite places in the neighbourhood on a particularly warm or hot day.

My favourite DQ treat is a Banana Split but I don't have these too often since they've become quite expensive. I usually have a small sundae or a dipped chocolate cone. I know these treats aren't too healthy but when you grow up having these kinds of things with friends or on a family outing, it evokes happy memories and it's often hard to give them up completely.

In fact, the other day when I was there a man sat at the table next to me. While he was eating his sundae, he turned to me and asked  how I was enjoying my ice cream.  Then he began telling me about his memories of visiting this same DQ location all through the years. He told me he is 53 years old and had been coming to the location for as long as he could remember. 

His wife offered that he is a good dad and because he made sure to bring the children for an ice cream treat knowing that their daughter is a huge ice cream fan like myself.  It was nice to chat with them over a simple thing like an ice cream treat. Clearly,  the dad was nostalgic.  When his kids grow up they too will have memories of going out for ice cream together with their dad.  The mother is Japanese.  She told me she couldn't figure out her son can eat so much and why her daughter likes ice cream so much.  I told her her teenage son is a growing boy and needs lots of calories.  As for her daughter, well I understand being a fan of ice cream, lol.  I guess the mom didn't grow up eating ice cream so her outlook and desires are different.

Well friends, that's my little story for the day. I hope you have a great day with some fond memories either recollected or newly made.  I'd love to read in the comments what fond childhood food treat memory you have. Thank you for stopping by!

Neighbourhood Street Scenes

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are well today.

These are photos I took on a recent walk in the neighbourhood. You can see the sky is very grey and dull but what you can't see is how cold it was. Seriously cold.

I had to wear a long sleeved top, a sweat jacket and my winter rain jacket. I was just fine dressed this way but I was so surprised to see how cold it had become. I don't remember it ever  being so cold at this time of year although the rain is no surprise, lol.
 

Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Former Evangelistic Tabernacle, now turned into condos

 

Very near the corner of Main St. & Broadway

A newish restaurant I haven't had a chance to try yet

I like the joyful exterior of this place

The new Broadway/Main St. subway station will be located here (behind the photos)

I hope you enjoyed this peek into the neighbourhood.  Thank you for your visit.

A Peaceful Walk

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are all well.

We are still enjoying nice weather but it took a turn to the cooler side on Friday and Saturday.  By Sunday it rained.  The chances of rain increase next week but I have plans to be busy anyway.

I took these photos as I walked to a local hospital for a CT scan. I didn't realize that they give evening appointments and was pleasantly surprised when my doctor's office confirmed the date and time on a recent evening. I find an evening appointment works very well for me because I often get a late start after doing things around the house and running essential errands.  During the day I'm quite busy with many things especially this week which is my birthday week.  Added to the extra get togethers with family and friends to celebrate, are all the appointments phone calls and emails emanating from the recent water leak in my building and damage to my home.

We've just come out of a long weekend and the holidays have contributed to delays in getting all my ducks in a row concerning what is required to deal with the emergency and restoration work.  Also the  insurance adjuster needs to get what they need just to get to point A so they can approve the claim. Fortunately, the adjuster assigned to my case,seems like a person I can work with.  I'm grateful for that. I still remember the only other insurance adjuster we had to deal with many years ago. He was a real jerk and totally unhelpful.  In the end, it all worked out because I had my brother deal with him.  He, he.  He didn't know my brother is a master negotiator and all around difficult guy to challenge.  In those days, I really didn't have the energy and stamina to deal with all the headache myself so I was very happy I could rely on my brother.

Anyway, things are moving along here.  I'll know more sometime later this week about moving out temporarily and to where.  I didn't really want to do it but it seems it will more than likely have to be done.  It's probably for the best while construction is going on and better in the long run for my health. 

Thank you for your visit today.  Please enjoy the photos.

Thank you for your visit. Please come again soon.