I like long walks on Yonge Street

Yesterday was a perfect day to be outdoors no matter what you were doing.  The sun was out with not a cloud in the sky and although it was hot, it wasn’t unbearable.  There are so many things to see on Yonge Street.  Although walking from Adelaide St up to Eglinton may seem like a long way to go, it’s actually only 5.5 kms and only takes abut 2 hrs to walk it, with no stops of course.  Good luck not stopping though!  There are so many cute shops and cafes that are so hard to simply pass by. 

The new open area built in front of the Eaton Centre at Yonge Dundas was in my opinion a great use of space.  I think these types of hot spots are important in a big  downtown city and good on them for finally having a spot for people to enjoy things like free samples, music, concerts, arts whatever else there is to explore there.  The funny part of the day was probably my sister, mom and I walking into a new restaurant on a wicked patio with my huge double stroller and two little ones, in the middle of lunch right in the heart of the business sector.  I’m sure our table did not go unnoticed as I was trying to get my two and a half year old to take her medicine for her fever, trying to sooth her as she was not feeling well.   My 8 mth old then of course wanted out of the stroller and wanted to be entertained so I pull out the cover and put him on the boob.  All this while trying to enjoy my fish tacos and Cuban sandwich.  I know one day I will miss my kids at this age but I must say, I am looking forward to eating a meal with both hands and no interruptions.  Temperance was a great place to have lunch and I would recommend it to anyone.  The food was great and although we did not fit in with the business crowd, it was still welcoming, comfortable and the food was excellent. 

 Stopped in at Doria for an iced coffee and a delicious red velvet cup cake (totally worth the extra calories!) just south of St-Clair.  This coffee shop was another great find.  Followed by this were the amazing shops for home décor that run between Bloor St and just passed St-Clair.  If you’re tired of the same old stuff at home sense and other box stores, this trip is worth your time.  I was also surprised to see that the prices were also pretty reasonable.

Great Coffee and Antiques on Kingston Rd ☺

What a productive day!  It started with a great work out at the gym, a healthy lunch at home then off to Kingston Rd for an excellent late at Savoury Ground and some antiquing.  Savoury Ground is such a cute spot for a coffee.  It is has a cozy feel to it and coffee there is roasted fresh every morning.  Apparently, the fire department gets sent there pretty often for it due to all the smoke they make. 

Kingston Rd has a some pretty decent antique shops with lots to see.  My favourite one is East End Estates Buy & Sell (near Fallingbrook).         

    

After all that, I managed to get the grass cut (finishing it after I put the kids to bed) and I even made a salmon fish pie for dinner!  It’s amazing how much we can do in one day when the kids cooperate ;-) 

Bouncer Bees just like Humans?

I came across this article about bees the other day in Discover Magazine and had to comment on it.  I quote: “The queen lays eggs; male drones mate with the queen; and female workers guard the nest, collect food, and construct honeycomb” (J. Garthwaite, June 2012, p.13)  So basically, all the males are in it to get one female pregnant, while all the other females have to work hard to get everything done and still get no reward for it!  Mother nature could not have been a woman!

What a perfect day to check out the old Fort!  Although I did not venture into the historic part of it, I took my stroller up and around Garrison Rd taking pictures along the way thinking that it would be a great spot for wedding pictures if you’re looking for a place in that area.  There is a nice mix of greenery and old architecture with some new, that combined would no doubt have a neat effect in any album. I must say that place has cleaned up quite a bit in the past 10 years.  That whole area which spreads to the not so up and coming anymore Liberty Village area, used to be very run down.   Although I’m not into this new era of monster high rises and continuous long lines of condos, I find them fitting in that specific bloc near the Fort.  It gives this prime real estate a nice face lift.

  

What I found amusing was this parking sign:


What does that even mean?  So I googled Chapter 608 of the Toronto Municipality Code.  After about 2 minutes of searching, I decided I had better things to do with my time.  Basicallly, if you’re going to park around Fort York, there is plenty of parking, just park at your own risk!

Stoufville Flea Market – Not like I remember it ☹

Well, it’s been a very busy weekend packed with things to blog about if only I can find a minute to sit down and write about it!  My plan all week was to head out to what used to be an amazing farmer’s market.  I remember my father buying a live sheep when I was probably about 10, sticking it literally in the back seat of our orange hornet (ugliest car ever) while my baby sister and I hopped in the front with my parents (which back then of course was really not a safety concern) and drove back the hour drive home!  Only half way did I realize this damn stinking animal was laying on my blanket!!  Yes, the blanket you love as a kid and take absolutely everywhere!  O.k. wait, but 10 would have been a little old for the blanket so I guess I must have been around 5 or 6.  Anyway, I remember this place being awesome.  The barn, about the size of an arena sold all kinds of live stock, there were aisles and  aisles of yard sale type booths with all kinds of great finds (if you like that sort of stuff) and all this was in the middle of nowhere.  We were driving up to the “country” to go to this place. 

What a difference today.  I say this with great disappointment.  This is not because things always seem better as a kid.  I actually  remember going back in my early teenage years and sort of start seeing this place become mediocre.  I would say that now it has hit it’s bottom unfortunately.  For one, the chances of seeing a good set of yard sale type booths set up is very dependent on weather. Although it never actually rained the whole day up there, because they were calling for some, the place was dead. Two, there were the usual stands (of junk made in China) open for business which makes the place even less appealing to visit.  Do people actually buy stuff there?  Three, as for the live stock, I was surprised to actually see some there.  You can still buy live birds and rabbits but it does not compare at all to what it was and to what it potentially could have been today.

On a positive note, there was a decent variety of fresh produce, much of which was Ontario grown. I suppose this early in the season, one should be pleased with that (although this day and age, fresh local produce should not be so hard to come by).  The best part was the great deal we got on our Crocs!  20$ for a pair of original crocs and they had tons to chose from!  All in all, great day with the family and came back with my wallet weighing the same so I guess I should be proud of that.  

Good Run Today

I want to say that it was a great run but I would be lying.  It’s been a rainy weekend with a little too much cheating on deserts and I paid for it this morning.  My iphone tells me I completed 4.97kms in 33 minutes.  That’s how done I was that I couldn’t even complete the 5kms I had planned for.  But let me tell you, that nasty hill on my route which I run twice by the way just kills me!  Nevertheless, it is a gorgeous day to be out for a run with my stroller and the more I think of it, the more I realize maybe it wasn’t just a good run.  It really was great!  Especially the fact that it put my kid out which is why I’m able to write about it now.  

I’m in a great neighbourhood for a morning jog and am sure to get a few hellos on my way.  A couple people watch me sweat as I push my stroller and with a smile say “that’s a good workout”.  As I smile back and nod all I can think of is: Just a good work out? Do you know how much I contemplated getting off my but this morning to do this? Have you any idea what it’s like pushing this damn Cadillac of a stroller I have up this ridiculous hill (twice!) and still feel like I’m nowhere near my running performance I’d like to be?  Great work!  Keep it up! You can do it!  That’s what I want to hear.  A little motivation goes a long way.  So next time you see me congratulating a runner or cyclist who is pushing their way up any obstacle, perhaps complementing them a little over the top won’t be too much for them to handle. ;-)

Cavalia ODYSSEO in Toronto June 2012

This show has definitely been difficult to pass on seeing as every time I get into my car, I must drive by a billboard advertising this event about a dozen times.  Turns out Cavalia's marketing strategy is genius!  They are apparently sold out for every show!  My husband and I bought tickets and saw the show on June 1st downtown Toronto and it was spectacular.  Not quite the event you want to get dolled up for.  We don't get to get out much with our two little ones at home so we thought we'd dress up on our date night, only to see that everyone else there was in jeans!  Nice.  That's o.k. I thought I looked pretty good with my new dress on and heels as I stood there eating this huge bag of popcorn like I'm at the movies... Very classy!  Then of course I had to climb up these stairs like bleachers to get to my seat.  Did I mention it was poring like crazy that night and you had to leave the big tent to use the washrooms which were in portables just steps away from it.  Needless to say, none of this ruined our night because for one, we were out without the kids, and two, we got to enjoy an amazing performance!  It was fantastic and I would recommend it to anyone whether you like horses or not.  Just make sure you dress comfortably ;-)