voyages…

18 Thursday Jan 2024

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Monday I had another wonderful visit to see Voyages by Fleurs de Ville at The Leaf…

it was a treat to share this special place with friends, some of whom hadn’t been before…

every time I am there I see something different or learn something from the gardeners or volunteers… we had searched all over for the name of this flower/plant…

this trip I learned that this gorgeous flower is a heliconia, thanks to one of the gardeners;-)…

we wandered through the Tropical Biome and then enjoyed the Voyages exhibit in the Mediterranean Biome…

seeing the displays in person is so very different than looking at photos…

this time I chose a different favourite display, lol… I loved the sweetgrass hair and the birch bark bodice…

it was nice to see so many people enjoying the exhibition and learning about The Leaf…

from there we moved into Gather Craft Kitchen and Bar for a lovely lunch to celebrate a birthday…

what a wonderful way to enjoy a freezing cold day… it is always a treat to spend time together and make memories;-)…

watering…

17 Wednesday Jan 2024

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Wednesday is watering day and it is a treat to wander around feeding the various plants… currently they all reside on the main floor in different rooms…

I enjoy taking the time to remove dead leaves, watch for new flower buds, turn them as needed, and move them around as they (and I) need…

and, of course, chatting with them the whole time, lol…

brings me such happiness;-)…

mannequins…

16 Tuesday Jan 2024

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what a delightful time I had on Friday for my first visit to Voyage by Fleurs de Villes at The Leaf…

went with a friend who hadn’t made it to The Leaf before and it was such a treat to show her this gem…

we went around 2 pm and the parking lots were all full… we found a spot when someone left, at the very end of the gravel lot… even though there were many people, there were a good number of hangers to make leaving coats outside the biomes easy…

there was a lineup to get into the biomes, but it moved quickly and most people went directly into the Mediterranean Biome for the display, but we went through the Tropical Biome and admired the lush growth… my friend said she thought it was like the old Conservatory, but on steroids, lol… the plants are getting enormous and we were dripped on a few times, maybe from the humidity…

from there we moved into the Mediterranean Biome to see all the beautiful mannequins…

there were many people when we started our tour, but by the end it had thinned out nicely… I took photos of all the descriptions as it was so crowded around each one, lol…

after we sat and reviewed all the pictures we took, we decided on our favourites and filled out our ballots before heading home;-)…

fun way to spend a cold and snowy afternoon…

plows…

15 Monday Jan 2024

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yesterday was the first night of snow clearing on side streets this winter, and I have finally figured out which zone we are in…

I have learned to go out as soon as the plows go by to shovel the end of the sidewalk otherwise it turns to concrete and is nearly impossible to move…

they arrived about 10:45 pm and my housemate went out and shovelled our sidewalk and the one next door… in his shirtsleeves, but he did have his gloves on…

a nice treat, although I was dressed and ready to go, lol…

they did a great job at the end of the driveway so there was nothing to shovel there…

I did stand in the window and wave to each of the drivers of the graders and plows as they went by…

it was bitterly cold and I didn’t take a photo until they were doing the other side of the street, lol…

mall…

14 Sunday Jan 2024

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had a lovely time on Thursday…

started out with shovelling the sidewalk… my oh my, we had a lot of snow since yesterday…

then friends arrived to pick me up and take me to Polo Park to mall walk… it was very nice to be able to walk in a space without ice and snow, where there was lots of space, and few people…

forty minutes and three laps later, we went to their house and had a lovely visit and lunch…

we topped lunch off with a few pieces of dark chocolate…

later I was brought home with a bagful of books to add to the stair bookshelf;-)…

what a wonderful treat…

silent…

13 Saturday Jan 2024

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since Tuesday, when I shovelled the snow in the sunshine, I have been out three times, two of them while it was still snowing…

during one of those times, it was magical… the snow was gently falling, there was no wind, and it was absolutely silent… no cars, no animals, no people…

I have been trying to get some good shots of the snow falling but it has not gone well, lol…

and the snow was light as a feather;-)…

sun…

12 Friday Jan 2024

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Tuesday went out and shovelled the sidewalks and steps again…

the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day, even though the weather app said it was -25°C…

the sun has been a bit elusive over the last while so it was a real treat;-)…

it had snowed a bit on Sunday and Monday, although there wasn’t too much on the ground…

took a few photos as I was working away, lol…

snow, sun, trees…

all make me enjoy the moments and try to capture them;-)…

life-giving…

11 Thursday Jan 2024

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yesterday I was sitting in the living room watching the snow fall gently outside as I prepared to do some reading…

thinking of how blessed I truly am as I send healing thoughts to so many in my circle and beyond who are struggling with difficult times…

having good health, a comfortable home, food to eat, and companions during these wintry days is life-giving and it is important to remember what a good life I have…

replaced…

10 Wednesday Jan 2024

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about ten years ago I got a new set of pots and hung them up on the kitchen wall…

over the last year I have replaced a few of them and the new pans fit well on the original screws…

except for the lid for one of the new pots… it was just a bit too close to the bottom of the largest pan… my solution had been to hang the lid on top of the pot it worked with…

yesterday morning I decided to move the screw with my new Christmas screwdriver…

it was a bit of a process, as I had to find the correct bit, and figure out how to reverse the direction on the screwdriver, lol…

took about ten minutes total and now the lid finally has its own spot again…

interesting how some days those big girl pants fit so well…

optimal…

09 Tuesday Jan 2024

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I’ve been trying to make it out to the hot tub each day and so far I’ve managed to accomplish that…

currently 10:00 pm is the optimal time… although midnight is also nice…

last night it was so quiet all I heard was a few planes going over, and an ambulance… apparently there were no skaters at the club…

the light from the lane highlighted the snow on the trees, with little puffs on the ends of the branches… so beautiful…