Island fauna

I spent the weekend on the Toronto Island on the fine fellow's boat.

(view from the boat)

It's just a short bike ride and ferry ride away but it feels very far from the city, and it was amazing to be on the water and surrounded by all the spring flora and fauna. We spent quite a bit of our time admiring nature and feeding the animals.

Penny the cat came over for a bit of scratching,

and Swanee came right up behind me as I was basking on the dock hissing like the dinosaur he is and insisting on being fed. So I gave him some bread and he also tried to snack on my fingers! Turns out swan bites don't hurt cause they are vegetarians but they can break your arm with their wings if you don't fork over some food.

(this is not a close-up)

The peacocks were feeling pretty lazy perhaps because it was cool on Sunday and they let me get very close to them. Look at that peacock blue!

(neither is this)

The donkeys were very interested in the celery, as were the goats, but then goats will eat anything.

The Shetland ponies are so cute and I can't wait until the gondola is running, the log ride is splashing, and the water is warm enough for swimming.

But I did find the first lilac of spring and it was all a little bit of heaven!

bedroom spring clean

I did a quick tidy-up in the bedroom with the intention of taking some "before" pictures of the whole room. But an entire spring clean is clearly in order as it is definitely time to retire the winter clothes and break out all my happy-bright-swirly skirts (and I seem to have all kinds of crap under my bed that is a total mystery to me).

(mccoy there next to a card my sister made me with a photo of us as babies)

I've been thinking about this wall quite a bit now that the mirror is happily perched there and I can get a sense of how much/little space there is around it compared to the inspiration photo - so I've got some new thoughts percolating about that.

But I'm not sure when I'm gonna get around to all these things because I have plans to spend the better part of the weekend on this boat with the fine fellow who owns it - yay for me!

free rice: word play = save the day

I happened upon this website last night and became instantly addicted: FreeRice.com. I love big fancy words (I was an english teacher for 3 years) and doing things to make the world a better place. FreeRice combines both of these things!

FreeRice fights world hunger with multiple-choice vocabulary games. For every correct answer, 10 grains of rice are donated. I think I played this game in English for at least half an hour last night trying to increase my difficulty level - I'm a geek, I know. Then I discovered they also have French, Spanish & Italian and played it in Spanish for a while.

Next I’m gonna try my hand at world capitals and famous paintings. Let’s learn some things, donate some rice and feed some people – people!

silly me

I got my hair cut on Saturday which I don't do very often because it's expensive and I forget. But it's been 8 months and I was starting to feel like I was wearing a carpet.

I go to Roxanne at Shagg, and I was actually their receptionist the first year they opened before my dancing career took off, so Roxy really knows my hair. It may not look different to you, but it feeeeeels different to me - so much lighter!

(dress - Urban Outfitters, sweater - Jacob, boots - Miz Mooz)

When I got home after being hailed on for the second time, I made myself some tea - you know on my gas stove. Then I leaned over to shove something into the bottom of the garbage can when I smelled that noxious smell that instantly tells you - YOUR HAIR IS ON FIRE! I didn't stop to look, just instantly stuck my head under the sink.

I pulled out a chunk that seemed to indicate it had singed somewhere in the middle then went to look at myself in the mirror - and could not tell. Do I really have that much hair? I still can't really figure out where the missing clump came from. Hunh, maybe I don't need such an expensive haircut after all.

bloomin beauties

Well it didn't rain this weekend, but on Saturday there was a bunch of mini hail off and on throughout the day. Otherwise it was very mild, and the buds they are a bloomin all over my neighbourhood!

Little Italy is full of brick victorians, painted and unpainted, gingerbreaded and modernized, with front gardens that are just big enough for flowers,

or a bloomin' tree.

I can't wait for all the lilacs on my street to bloom, but the cherry blossoms in High Park are in full swing!!

And so were all the cherry blossom watchers since there was no precipitation of any kind on Sunday.

I met up with some friends and their kidlets and we spent hours in the park just doing this:

since this was our view:

There was lots of this:

because beauty,

and cuteness,

was all around.

The sewing machine remains in its box.

"Bronze" mirror

Bronze closed early on Friday so Perry kindly offered to drive me out to the east end to pick up my mirror on Saturday.

I guess she was feeling a bit shy ...

or she knew I was coming for her and didn't feel the need to show off like she was the day I spotted her.

This store really is like a box of treasure.

I didn't want to look too closely at anything because although the mirror was only $85 cash, she really wasn't in the budget and I could abolutely not afford to "fall in love" with anything else.

But I think this mirror is awesome-ness too.

These candle holders are very sweet,

and this coral makes me nostalgic for my 70's childhood.

But Perry was waiting hungrily in the car, so we popped my pretty mirror in the back seat and went back to the west end for Dim Sum - soooooo gooooooood!

Then when I got my little pretty home, it occured to me that there may be a small problem with the reflection ...

Let me clean this place up and I'll show you the rest.

bedroom inspiration

OK – so I’ve been slacking in the bathroom and have yet to hem the shower curtains, but it is supposed to rain all weekend and as of yet I have no plans (but the movie version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo opens today …)

(yes, I made most of that jewelery)

I have however been jolted into action on the completely empty wall in the bedroom above my dresser. I’ve had no vision for this space but thanks to Shari at little blue lamb now I do:

Then on Tuesday eve I saw a very affordable, very adorable vintage mirror with etched flowers at Bronze, the antique store next to Damzels, when I was on my way to work-out. I called Rory at the store and asked her to go and put a deposit on it and I plan to pick it up after work (photo forthcoming).

(Damzels is on the right)

Now I just need a shelf with some hooks to display some more of my wares and an adorable vintage clock (I love clocks) and I’ll be in business.

(too pink? ebay)

This is the fabric from whence the room takes it’s colour scheme. Perhaps I’ll get around to all my hemming projects if indeed the rain does fall …

I love homer (laughlin)

I got the beautiful Homer Laughlin orange tree bowl in the middle in the mail yesterday.

I've been calling the other two big homer and little homer - I'm tempted to call the new one marge.

She's much lighter than the other two. I love all the variation in colour and that you never know quite what it will look like until you get it.

I now have the 9", the 8" and the 7". The 6" and the 5" are elusive and expensive.

I'm not going to chase them for now. I'm quite happy with my 6" pinky mccoy (you know, like Pinky Tuscadero) ...

and they seem very happy together!

needy

I made a short film a few years ago with Perry, Patrick & Janet for Festival 699.

We won the dolphin for best film in 2007.

happy kittys

Marcel would like you all to know that he is very happy all the kittys at the Toronto Humane Society have found homes. He was homeless once too and he knows how much love all those fur balls will bring into their new families homes - so yay for everyone involved!!