Eddie Boy during the reno

Thought I'd fill you in on what Eddie was up to during the kitchen renovation period.

He's a very friendly fellow and greets anyone who comes into the house, so the workmen got to know him quite well and said hello to him by name when they came in. I once overheard one of the guys having an all out conversation with him. "Hello Eddie. How are you today? Do you like the new kitchen?".

But most of the time it was quite loud with the saws and everything, so he hung out behind closed doors with us in our home office, mostly sleeping at his window-seat. Or sometimes on the floor and we'd have to be very careful not to roll over him when we moved our chairs, constantly letting each other know, "cat alert .. he's right behind you". He snores pretty loudly and one day Nick said out of nowhere .. "If you're going to pull that saxophone out, please learn to play it properly!"

Cooking with Nick : Greek Salad

Nick made Greek Salad yesterday which was delicious!

Cooking in the new kitchen!

Here's the first look at our new kitchen! I know that they say that kitchens should be bright with light colours, but as you see, we went with dark tones. We just prefer it dark and as un-country-kitchen as we could get it.

There are still a few finishing touches and the back-splash has to be put in (though we haven't selected tiles for that yet, but will be choosing something light for that part. Probably cream or off-white.)

Anybahoo ... we're moving back in, and Nick was able to cook for the first time in it!

Old Building: Early Hydro

There is this old building at the corner of Adelaide St W. and Tecumseth St that is very mysterious. It has no sign but we gathered that it was special in some way because a few years ago someone paid to have the entire outside cleaned and the mortar all repaired. Most of the time it looks completely empty, though the building is still in use because we occasionally see the doors are open behind the gate and we can catch a glimpse of what appears to be a large warehouse.

It turns out that this is a sub-station of the Toronto Electric Light Company, and was built in 1908. It's interesting to see a building still being used for what it was originally built for 103 years ago, and makes me realize that electricity is one thing that hasn't changed much.

Back when this structure was built, people were charged for electricity usage via a hefty cost for the light bulbs they had no choice but to buy from the electric company. Back then electricity was only used to light rooms; electric stoves were not yet invented. And since it was only used for lighting, power was completely shut off by the electric company during the day to conserve it. Imagine that!

Playful Bratty-Pants

Somebody was full of beans today!