Fika Cafe in Kensington Market

For a lady-date with Meghan on Friday afternoon, she suggested a cafe located in Kensington Market, called Fika. I am glad she did because it was a great place to go and enjoy some relaxed time together.

The first thing that struck me upon entering was the wonderful aroma of coffee. Second were the vases of cheerful daisies on the tables, a welcome sight during these darker winter days.

Christmas This Year

Here is a little peek at how Christmas went down for us this year.Nick, Eddie Boycat and I hung out at our place on Christmas Eve, drinking some bubbly and opening our gifts. Well, Eddie opted out on the drink but he had a go at opening gifts.

Devastatingly Beautiful : An Ice Storm Hits Toronto

On Sunday morning we awoke to see that nature had been very hard at work overnight and had coated everything in a layer of ice.

This one night would leave more than 300,000 homes in the city without power. As of this morning, (Tuesday), more than 100,000 are still without. This is at no fault of the hydro company as they are working very hard. There are even 42 hydro workers coming from Manitoba, giving up their Christmases to help out. There is a lot for them to do because the damage was so bad. People have been told not to expect to be reconnected for a couple more days, which means no heat or lights for Christmas.

Many old trees have lost branches or broken completely under the weight of the ice, and street wires are down in many places.

People living in a Home for the Aged were moved, and people are being asked to check in with the elderly neighbours. Warnings have been issued about the lethal effects of trying to heat homes with fire, coal and gas appliances, which are not meant for indoor use. Even a major hospital was left without electricity.

The Cat’s Thoughts on His Christmas Chores

c="http://www.loulou.to/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/ed-close-up.jpg" alt="ed-close-up" width="640" height="640" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-21271 blk-brdr">Hi friends, Eddie the Cat here. Just like everyone else I have been mighty busy lately.Thankfully, with all the work there was to do, I did find some time to get Nick and Lou a little gift. It was a live mouse that I found outside and brought to the front door for them, carefully carried in my mouth. I thought they might like to put it in a cage so I made sure that it was not injured in any way when I presented it. Surprisingly though, they didn't want it ... I guess they don't have a cage yet. Anyway, surprisingly they said I could (should?) drop it, which I did. The mouse quickly ran away under some leaves and branches. I thought that maybe N&L would change their mind, so I kept watch over the spot, on and off, for two whole days. But it seems they missed their chance for a new pet because I could not find it again.Aside from Christmas gift finding, here is what has been occupying my time.First I had to help Lou make a blanket for a little girl who lives far away. I actually thought this was going to be for me and I was quite happy with that and kept trying to test it out while she was still making it. (She is going to tell you more about this once Christmas is over so she doesn't ruin the surprise.)Lou is wearing Nick's old sweater and wasn't so sure if she wanted me to include this photo, but she lost out on that.

Making Things Out of Trash 101 : DIY String Light Pillar Lamp

c="http://www.loulou.to/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/diy-string-light-pillar-lamp.jpg" alt="diy-string-light-pillar-lamp" width="640" height="640" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-21239 blk-brdr">The first part of this title comes courtesy of Nick, after he saw what I had made with an empty bottle of Club Soda, that I rescued from the recycling bin. He said it like he was like he was advertising a k-tel product and lest you think he was being mean, he wasn't ...I laughed a good 5 minutes after he said it. I actually don't mind being known as someone who makes things out of trash! lolSo last Christmas as we and my parents attempted to eat dinner by candlelight, it became quite clear that you really can't do that. No matter how many candles you light, it is still a challenge to eat in the light cast by them alone. So we had to turn on the lamp we have in the dining area, which has one setting ... bright. (The fact that we've been meaning to have an overhead lamp attached to a dimmer installed in this area since the day we moved in is a whole other story.)So I decided to make a little extra lighting to add to the party this year, using some white string lights (aka Twinkle lights).I know I didn't invent this idea and I have seen them made with glass bottles, but that involved actually taking a drill to the glass to make a hole for the cord of the lights to pass through. And that was not happening here, as there is no way I could handle a drill well enough to do that without any major accident occurring.