Tag Archives: activity

Death by Chocolate

Food, Toronto, , , ,

Cafe Maroc cake platter
Spring rolls, burgers and chips and cake (all chocolate!) at MoRoCo

 

Took in the ice festival in Yorkville today and, as the ice sculptures began to drip in the thaw, indulged ourselves at MoRoCo – afternoon tea with a difference; definitely not English tea-room style.

Slightly tongue-in-cheek,  definitely camp, but in the best way, it felt distinctly decadent and definitely fun (if decidedly expensive, but we are talking Yorkville prices)! The sipping chocolate alone was ludicrously rich, and the shared platter of cakes was to die for (good thing our cholesterol and sugar levels are healthy!). The spring rolls, served hot, contained, chocolate, banana and just a hint of peanut butter in a fine pastry case, served with a caramel dip.  The ‘ketchup’ for the shortbread ‘chips’ (light as anything) was raspberry coulis.

 

The perfect day–Christmas starts here!

Art & culture, Christmas, Leisure, Museums & galleries, sport, , , , , , ,

Yesterday was one of those glorious days that nourish you to the core. Our first snowfall – really just a long flurry of motes mixed with the occasional feather dusting the ground – then blue skies; The AGO – Henry Moore (early works, full of the anguish of his response to his war-time experiences) and the Maharajas (fabulous, especially the Rolls Royce and the tabla player and Kathac dancer; too many pancakes (crepes) with delectable fillings (we ate the sweet followed by the savoury!); then on to Nathan Phillips Square for our first skate of the season, this year’s sole Cavalcade of Lights (the square is being refurbished) to launch the Christmas season, with live music, the lighting of the tree and some of the best fireworks I’ve ever seen – City Hall is a fabulous backdrop, the window reflections augmenting the show.

This was also the occasion of our first skate in Canada last year and looks set to be an enduring tradition – I felt the total pleasure and wonder of a six year old for much of the day – what a great start to Christmas!

After the whirlwind . . .

Garden, our home, , ,

I spent last weekend creating a front garden, doing all the planting, following a whirlwind week of landscaping by the professionals – lots of rocks!

Continue reading After the whirlwind . . . →

The Danforth in Art

Art & culture, Community, Toronto, , , , , , , , ,

‘What is this place?’ This was the question posed by Art of the Danforth during the last week of April.

Organized by an independent group of locally based individuals, this new community art walk between Greenwood and Woodbine is rooted in a belief in the power of art to cut across divisions and draw people together.

East Danforth’s population includes an above average percentage of artists and Art of the Danforth certainly showcased some amazing talent. But it also provided a potent reminder that creativity and art belong to all of us.

(Excerpt from an article I have just written for Local Magazine)

We have both been very involved in Art of the Danforth as volunteers since November – it’s been fabulous to be part of something like this that really is conducive to neighbourhood regeneration through the arts. And we’ve met so many amazing people!

Here are my photos from the event that I uploaded to Flickr  – you can see more on the Art of the Danforth Group Flickr page or read about specific artists and installations on the Art of the Danforth website.

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Even the birds sing in a different vernacular . . .

Nature, wild things, , , ,

Something quite magical about Toronto is that it is cut through with ravines, carved when the glaciers melted.  It is amazing to wander or cycle along a creek, steep banks to either side, almost without awareness of human habitation; just cool greenness.

Cycling home through Taylor Creek last week, I reached a marshy, open section of the ravine, cattails rimed with the gold of evening. I was stopped in my tracks by the choral konk-a-ree calls and scarlet flashes of the Red-winged Blackbirds. Definitely a foreign language!

Red-winged Blackbird

Photograph of Red-winged Blackbird by Alan And Elaine Wilson