This is it, we both fly home today, although I fly back on Sunday for another three weeks in Toronto but our Canadian adventure is currently over...
The last week has been fairly typical, we were off out last weekend to a strawberry festival on Saturday morning, sounds interesting right? hmmm, we found lots of people with t-shirts on and some deals at the normal market stands in St Lawrence Market but in reality it was four tables, three people, we got two free chocolate covered strawberries and a strawberry drink. still, the weekend had lots to offer!
After the mild disappointment of the 'festival' we grabbed snacks from St Lawrence Market, Canadian Fois Gras is much cheaper than french but easily as nice, and then headed home for a nap to prepare for NXNE, at least the free bit of it at Yonge and Dundas.
Festivally attired, shorts, cool tshirts, we were off, the square was a little quiet when we arrived and the sun blazed down, On came The Coppertone, wow, they certainly make a lot of noise for a three piece, most enjoyable bluesy rocking, definitely one to watch for in the future. Once they had finished their great 45 minute set we decided we needed a drink.
Luckily there was a beer tent in the square, a Mill Street beer tent, we walked in past security and the twin security fences. Now being Canadian you can't pay where you get the beer, so we bought $6 tokens and walked over to the table, asked for two beers and tried to not look at all disappointed when she came back with what looked like a third of a pint of (actually quite good quality beer).
We stood through Cults drinking more tiny beers, they were okay, although I am not sure the sound check had been worth while, either that or they like the too much bass, not enough vocal sound.
Waiting for Men Without Hats and Devo we got a proper drink in the Hard Rock Cafe, then another drink, then some more, then we missed the Men Without Hats and decided to visit a friend and watch Devo videos on his TV instead of seeing them live, Whip it good...
After all this excitement we rounded off the night with a few drinks in our local and some much needed sleep.
Sunday was going to be a trip to the Italian Festival, luckily Alex had been and tweeted that it wasn't very good, so we stayed in bed and then watched lots of British TV, mostly because we miss quality television...
Now I am writing this waiting for a plane , about to leave the office, one more post, from home, summarizing this adventure...
Wednesday 22 June 2011
Friday 17 June 2011
The last weekend looms
Our time is nearly done, at least here together, we are now less than a week from returning home, although I will return briefly possibly until the 16th of July...
So the next week is a week of endings, Wednesday was the last baseball game we will attend together, luckily the Blue Jays played like stars, pounding out 4 homeruns on 70's night.
Through the power of StubHub, a website I wish I had discovered earlier we got cheap tickets down in the 100's - front row, although we failed to get a game ball as the Jays were hitting most everything fair and the Orioles barely hit a thing...
I doubt we have made our last trip to the Rabba, although with 6 days to go I am loathe to buy anything we have run out of but Tomato Ketchup - anyone who knows Wissy will know that I should be out buying some now instead of writing this, in fact - I'm off, more at the weekend!
So the next week is a week of endings, Wednesday was the last baseball game we will attend together, luckily the Blue Jays played like stars, pounding out 4 homeruns on 70's night.
I doubt we have made our last trip to the Rabba, although with 6 days to go I am loathe to buy anything we have run out of but Tomato Ketchup - anyone who knows Wissy will know that I should be out buying some now instead of writing this, in fact - I'm off, more at the weekend!
Sunday 12 June 2011
Sunday Morning, Weekend Overload Woofstock edition
Responding to the public, there have been several - okay two - calls for more info on Woofstock.
Woofstock is North America's largest outdoor festival for dogs, now we were expecting a few stalls and some dog owners wandering around at the side of the road near St Lawrence Market.
Wow - how wrong can you be?
Wissy and I arrived at the St Lawrence Market end having used the rental bikes to cycle there, when we arrived we were greeted with closed roads and stalls stretching for half a kilometer in two directions, in total 2.5 kilometers of roads were closed, and these were not back streets, this is the equivalent of closing Oxford Street to all traffic. Apparently last year there were 300,000 visitors, having seen what we saw yesterday I can well believe it!
We saw, and met, dogs of all shapes and sizes, the dog population of Toronto is very diverse, Great Danes as tall as my waist down to a 3 month old Chihuahua which was about the size of a new born kitten. Guide dogs in training, Leonburgers - which are very soft when they are puppies, to Dalmatians.
There were stalls for everything you could ever need, and lots of things you may want but really don't need, we saw sunglasses, sun hats, sombreros, and sandals, there were 5 different types of organic foods and treats that looked like cupcakes, maple carved dog tags, elk antler dog chews, slings so you could carry your dog like a handbag and so much more.
Luckily most of what I would consider ridiculous was way too small for Lola... we did see a dog in pink sandals, we missed although were told of a Chihuahua with pink painted (toe nails) claws, outfits too diverse to discuss although the tiny dog in a wedding dress on a chaise longe was a treat.
All of this has increased Wissy's desire to get home to see Lola, I think she managed to pet about 80% of the dogs as we wandered about and the grin took a while to wear off.
We didn't see any dogs fighting or barking, everything was ever so friendly and even Jaclyn who we met and who is scared of dogs didn't seem to freaked out, maybe just a little jumpy.
All in all a great mini festival and something we may even return to this morning, this is the sort of thing London needs, an all inclusive bring your pet dog meet and greet...
Woofstock is North America's largest outdoor festival for dogs, now we were expecting a few stalls and some dog owners wandering around at the side of the road near St Lawrence Market.
Wow - how wrong can you be?
Wissy and I arrived at the St Lawrence Market end having used the rental bikes to cycle there, when we arrived we were greeted with closed roads and stalls stretching for half a kilometer in two directions, in total 2.5 kilometers of roads were closed, and these were not back streets, this is the equivalent of closing Oxford Street to all traffic. Apparently last year there were 300,000 visitors, having seen what we saw yesterday I can well believe it!
We saw, and met, dogs of all shapes and sizes, the dog population of Toronto is very diverse, Great Danes as tall as my waist down to a 3 month old Chihuahua which was about the size of a new born kitten. Guide dogs in training, Leonburgers - which are very soft when they are puppies, to Dalmatians.
There were stalls for everything you could ever need, and lots of things you may want but really don't need, we saw sunglasses, sun hats, sombreros, and sandals, there were 5 different types of organic foods and treats that looked like cupcakes, maple carved dog tags, elk antler dog chews, slings so you could carry your dog like a handbag and so much more.
Luckily most of what I would consider ridiculous was way too small for Lola... we did see a dog in pink sandals, we missed although were told of a Chihuahua with pink painted (toe nails) claws, outfits too diverse to discuss although the tiny dog in a wedding dress on a chaise longe was a treat.
All of this has increased Wissy's desire to get home to see Lola, I think she managed to pet about 80% of the dogs as we wandered about and the grin took a while to wear off.
We didn't see any dogs fighting or barking, everything was ever so friendly and even Jaclyn who we met and who is scared of dogs didn't seem to freaked out, maybe just a little jumpy.
All in all a great mini festival and something we may even return to this morning, this is the sort of thing London needs, an all inclusive bring your pet dog meet and greet...
Saturday 11 June 2011
Saturday morning, weekend overload
I am writing this on Saturday morning, it is currently sunny although knowing the ability of weather forecasting in this part of the world we could be under 6 feet of snow within an hour.
The weekend started on Thursday evening with a trip to an off cut restaurant after sampling some belgian beers in a camp dive bar. I have reviewed the restaurant here - The Black Hoof. So several strong beers, and wine and I woke to a groggy Friday morning.
Luckily Friday ended early as everyone I was trying to work with in the office was out of the door at lunch time as they are working 'summer hours'. So 3pm and out of the office with a decision being made to head out to the Scotiabank Cinema to catch the IMAX showing of Super 8. As soon as you get the chance go see this movie, and see it at a decent cinema, I could spoil it all here but I won't, it reminded me of 80's movies being a cross between Goonies and ET with some Cloverfield thrown in as it is a JJ Abrahams movie.
We ended the evening early with a portion of hot wings and some 7up in Hooters, great service and a screen showing every sport available on Canadian TV.
Now we are about to head out to Woofstock - the largest outdoor dog gathering in North America - I will report more on this later!
The weekend started on Thursday evening with a trip to an off cut restaurant after sampling some belgian beers in a camp dive bar. I have reviewed the restaurant here - The Black Hoof. So several strong beers, and wine and I woke to a groggy Friday morning.
Luckily Friday ended early as everyone I was trying to work with in the office was out of the door at lunch time as they are working 'summer hours'. So 3pm and out of the office with a decision being made to head out to the Scotiabank Cinema to catch the IMAX showing of Super 8. As soon as you get the chance go see this movie, and see it at a decent cinema, I could spoil it all here but I won't, it reminded me of 80's movies being a cross between Goonies and ET with some Cloverfield thrown in as it is a JJ Abrahams movie.
We ended the evening early with a portion of hot wings and some 7up in Hooters, great service and a screen showing every sport available on Canadian TV.
Now we are about to head out to Woofstock - the largest outdoor dog gathering in North America - I will report more on this later!
Thursday 9 June 2011
Cycling again (slowly)
So it has been 8 months since I cycled from London to Paris in 3 days, I have been in Toronto since and have used this and lots of other reasons for not cycling and staying fit.
Toronto now has the same cycle rental scheme as London, more to the point there is a rental station 2 minute walk from the condo and directly outside of the office, on the day it started I got a rental keys organised for both of us!
Wissy has used the bikes to get around, meeting me from the office or heading off to the marina to see friends. I have used them nearly everyday to get to and from the office and I think they are great.
Now its not my Cannondale racing bike but I feel like I can cycle in work wear on the Bixi and I won't look out of place and you can't cycle hard enough to work up a sweat.
Three gears is more than enough in Toronto as there are no real hills and having somewhere to bungy my bag on the front means no sweat marks from the bag strap. Being all black - unlike the London bikes - they are pretty cool looking too.
I almost wish I lived in the rental zone in London, then they would become my almost exclusive mode of transport.
Toronto now has the same cycle rental scheme as London, more to the point there is a rental station 2 minute walk from the condo and directly outside of the office, on the day it started I got a rental keys organised for both of us!
Wissy has used the bikes to get around, meeting me from the office or heading off to the marina to see friends. I have used them nearly everyday to get to and from the office and I think they are great.
Now its not my Cannondale racing bike but I feel like I can cycle in work wear on the Bixi and I won't look out of place and you can't cycle hard enough to work up a sweat.
Three gears is more than enough in Toronto as there are no real hills and having somewhere to bungy my bag on the front means no sweat marks from the bag strap. Being all black - unlike the London bikes - they are pretty cool looking too.
I almost wish I lived in the rental zone in London, then they would become my almost exclusive mode of transport.
Wednesday 8 June 2011
Boat Trip II
Another weekend was planned, a boat trip, and this time under sail.
Wissy was dreaming of Swallows and Amazons, lazy summers messing about, I had visions of winning the America's Cup, either way we both couldn't wait.
Canadian weather services claimed the weather would be good, then with a day to go they changed slightly - they started predicting some light precipitation (<2mm) on Saturday morning.
We were picked up opposite our condo on Friday evening, great skies, and we motored back to anchor at Cherry Beach. A great evening starting with Oysters and beers, followed by Fillet Mignon and beers, and finished off with wine and beers.
The next morning there were boat jobs to do, but the light precipitation had arrived. The above was the view from our 'bunk'.
Everyone had a little lie in, waiting for the less than 2mm to disappear, of course the weather service had failed and a storm rolled in with rain measured in cm, lightening and storm force winds. This was quite spectacular but not what we needed! By the afternoon the rain had subsided and I discovered Stephan and Patricia's real reason for having me on the boat, muscles, next thing I know I am hoisting the main sail and pulling up the anchor!
Although the weather was not perfect we were off, the sails were up, the anchor too and we headed out to the open lake, the wind was perfect, unfortunately the waves were choppy and coming in fast, Wissy was starting to look queasy but we carried on as she claimed it would all pass. Further into the lake and we all decided we should head back to Cherry Beach, the wind wasn't in the right direction and with Wissy feeling queasy our dreams of Whitby were dashed.
On our way back I ate one too many pretzels and the amazing stomach settling property of the baked bread snack turned my stomach and suddenly I was out through the flap in the side of the cabin and on deck promptly losing my breakfast. luckily this was the last excitement before we made it back to the harbor and safety.
Luckily we both felt human pretty quickly and were back on the beers and eating food happily. Now we are the eighth and ninth dwarfs queasy and pukey...
Next morning the sun was up and after another delightful on deck breakfast we had to head home, all in all a great trip even if I met my breakfast twice, and the land sickness didn't last too long.
Better a bad day on a boat than a good day in the office!
Wissy was dreaming of Swallows and Amazons, lazy summers messing about, I had visions of winning the America's Cup, either way we both couldn't wait.
Canadian weather services claimed the weather would be good, then with a day to go they changed slightly - they started predicting some light precipitation (<2mm) on Saturday morning.
We were picked up opposite our condo on Friday evening, great skies, and we motored back to anchor at Cherry Beach. A great evening starting with Oysters and beers, followed by Fillet Mignon and beers, and finished off with wine and beers.
Although the weather was not perfect we were off, the sails were up, the anchor too and we headed out to the open lake, the wind was perfect, unfortunately the waves were choppy and coming in fast, Wissy was starting to look queasy but we carried on as she claimed it would all pass. Further into the lake and we all decided we should head back to Cherry Beach, the wind wasn't in the right direction and with Wissy feeling queasy our dreams of Whitby were dashed.
On our way back I ate one too many pretzels and the amazing stomach settling property of the baked bread snack turned my stomach and suddenly I was out through the flap in the side of the cabin and on deck promptly losing my breakfast. luckily this was the last excitement before we made it back to the harbor and safety.
Luckily we both felt human pretty quickly and were back on the beers and eating food happily. Now we are the eighth and ninth dwarfs queasy and pukey...
Next morning the sun was up and after another delightful on deck breakfast we had to head home, all in all a great trip even if I met my breakfast twice, and the land sickness didn't last too long.
Better a bad day on a boat than a good day in the office!
Friday 3 June 2011
An aside: Being a Blue Jays Fan
I always liked the idea of baseball, although being English and living in England it was never regularly shown on TV, occasionally Channel 5 would show live games in the middle of the night but it wasn't watchable...
Living in Toronto, a 2 minute walk from the Rogers Centre, has meant I can indulge my desire to be a fan. Last season I went to lots of games with an American, this gave me the opportunity to learn the subtleties of the game, when to arrive - after the first inning via a bar for beer - which snacks are best - peanuts, sunflower seeds, hot dogs and so on. Last year was also Jose Bautista's first season with the Blue Jays and included a season best 54 home runs...
This year the Jays have gone from strength to strength offensively and are playing great Baseball, Jose is leading the league in all offensive stats and we are going to more and more games, often sitting in the 500's to keep the price down.
Wednesday was a lesson in what being a Jays fan means. They were playing the best team in the league, the Cleveland Indians, and after they scored 4 runs in the first and 8 in the third inning we were 12-0 down and making errors all over the pitch. Most teams fans would leave but Jays fans are fully aware of the offensive animal that sleeps within their team...
After an inning where the jays scored 3 runs with three back to back triples (where the batter makes it round three bases) we were off, this was possible, yes we were still 12-3 down but... Next inning we held them to zero and yet again 3 runs batted in, already there was talk of winning 15-12 if we kept up this pace, next inning we only scored one and felt cheated. The Indians scored again but we clawed back the deficit and by the end of the ninth were 13-9 down.
Now with 2 men out and 2 strikes most people would leave, but Jays fans stayed and cheered, even backed into a corner we thought we could win, we know we have a team who can do this. We have one plenty of games in the last inning and this would be one of the greatest baseball games in history...
Unfortunately the strike came and they were all out but I like being a part of such a positive, balls out, no holds barred team, a team who can win at the wire.
I love baseball...
I love the Blue Jays...
Living in Toronto, a 2 minute walk from the Rogers Centre, has meant I can indulge my desire to be a fan. Last season I went to lots of games with an American, this gave me the opportunity to learn the subtleties of the game, when to arrive - after the first inning via a bar for beer - which snacks are best - peanuts, sunflower seeds, hot dogs and so on. Last year was also Jose Bautista's first season with the Blue Jays and included a season best 54 home runs...
This year the Jays have gone from strength to strength offensively and are playing great Baseball, Jose is leading the league in all offensive stats and we are going to more and more games, often sitting in the 500's to keep the price down.
Wednesday was a lesson in what being a Jays fan means. They were playing the best team in the league, the Cleveland Indians, and after they scored 4 runs in the first and 8 in the third inning we were 12-0 down and making errors all over the pitch. Most teams fans would leave but Jays fans are fully aware of the offensive animal that sleeps within their team...
After an inning where the jays scored 3 runs with three back to back triples (where the batter makes it round three bases) we were off, this was possible, yes we were still 12-3 down but... Next inning we held them to zero and yet again 3 runs batted in, already there was talk of winning 15-12 if we kept up this pace, next inning we only scored one and felt cheated. The Indians scored again but we clawed back the deficit and by the end of the ninth were 13-9 down.
Now with 2 men out and 2 strikes most people would leave, but Jays fans stayed and cheered, even backed into a corner we thought we could win, we know we have a team who can do this. We have one plenty of games in the last inning and this would be one of the greatest baseball games in history...
Unfortunately the strike came and they were all out but I like being a part of such a positive, balls out, no holds barred team, a team who can win at the wire.
I love baseball...
I love the Blue Jays...
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