Bird Spotting : Another New-to-Me Visitor

I can't say if I am seeing new kinds of birds that I've never seen before because I have begun to look for them, or because there are more of them in the city these days. No matter, here are some pictures of another bird I have never seen before.

This tiny fellow (I think he's a he because of his colours) dropped over to our tree a couple of weeks ago, and hung out for one afternoon, and one afternoon only. I guess he was passing through Toronto while migrating further north for the summer.

Getting the Herb Garden Going

One day a few weeks ago while riding in the car I noticed a couple of handmade signs on the side of the busy city street, that said 'Garden Center' and had an arrow pointing somewhere behind the buildings.

Then last week, burning with curiosity to see this pop-up garden center I suggested that we fore-go our usual annual shlepping of small herb plants home by foot from Kensington Market, and instead drive over and see what was hidden in that mysterious niche.

The turn off of the traffic filled street took us to a narrow lane-way, (from Dufferin, north of Queen, on the west side, for any Toronto people looking for it). We drove along this for a minute or so, keeping our eyes peeled for plants. Then suddenly the lane opened up to a surprising small industrial park back there. And placed out in the parking lot behind a building that appeared to usually sell construction supplies was, an excellent variety of very healthy plants.

It was a Tuesday when we went, so I didn't expect it to be overly busy, but I also didn't expect to be completely alone out there. In alone, I mean there was nobody in sight, not even someone watching over the lush array of beautiful plants.

Sending Love Across the Miles : Making a Pop-up Card

c="http://www.loulou.to/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/front-of-diy-pop-up-card.jpg" alt="front-of-diy-pop-up-card" width="640" height="426" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-17650">I have a beloved cousin who lives far away, and I wanted to make a special birthday card for her. Here's how it turned out.I found a card and tutorial presented by Martha Stewart. Here are the instructions, which I found easy enough to follow, but note that the link they provide for the video is not right and should be this one.

Out for Lunch : Stumbling Upon Something Good

Last Monday, just before noon, I was sitting in an undershirt and pj shorts at my computer when Nick came in to invite me to tag along on a trip he had to make uptown in the car. He thought we could have lunch at this neat place from his past, that he had shown me last year, and which had left a lasting impression.

A Fun Night Out : Haus of Bot Comedy Show

On Saturday we had the pleasure of seeing the second show put on by our friend Julie and her comedy group, 'Haus of Bot'. It is safe to say that we didn't stop smiling and laughing throughout, with the occasional cat-call thrown in.

The show, (held at The Lot on Ossington Avenue) was a combination of skits performed by the Haus of Bot, and some stand-up performances by some really funny people. We are still quoting and laughing at some of the jokes today.

There was a break in the rain when it was time to head out so we were able to take a leisurely walk over.