Hi! Here is the monthly post where I put some pictures taken during the previous month, that didn’t find a home in any other story. I try to be selective and make them interesting … I hope you enjoy! Oh yes, and I’m happy to say that all the snow has now melted.
↑↑ ( 1) White on White – I love the effort whomever made this fence took to make it fancy. It’s been there forever and its neighbours are sleek new fences made of dark wood … the new trend in fencing around here seems to be to attach the slats horizontally rather than vertically. It looks nice, but this old gal is still my fave.
↑↑ ( 2) Lady in White – This statue of a maiden carrying clumps of grapes was well covered in a tightly taped layer of plastic all winter long. She was undressed for spring a bit too early and became adorned by a fresh snowy cape during the surprise snowstorm on March 12. I got out in the thick of it and went to the park, shown in this post.
↑↑ ( 3) Streetcar Short-turn – Unlike Toronto’s Subway trains that are like two-headed snakes that just change direction when they get to the end of the line, our electric streetcars only travel in one direction. So dotted throughout the city there are places for them to turn around when they are doing a short run, covering the busier parts of town. This one is on Bathurst Street just north of Queen.
If you’d like to see a shot of a lot where they are parked at night when not so many of them are required on the streets, there is one in this Bits and Pieces Post from October.
↑↑ ( 4) Blue Door – This blue door has become a bit of a mainstay for these monthly posts of photographs … here it is at Halloween, and here at Christmas. I pass it regularly on evening walks and the light at that time is just right to get a nice shot.
↑↑ ( 5) Canadian Steam Iron and Sewing Machine – This business which repairs industrial steam irons and sewing machines dates back to the days when the King and Spadina neighbourhood it resides within was dedicated to the sewing trade. Most of the buildings around it were filled with people making clothes, until 10 to 15 years ago when the area began experiencing major change after the production of garments on a mass scale were no longer done in the city. Over the past decade many of the old factories have been refurbished into office spaces and nightclubs, and new upscale condo towers have been built. I remember being taken here as a child and you could hear all the sewing machines humming away through the open windows and I distinctly remember being among the crowds of workers that filled the street at shift change.
I’ve tried to photograph this old place a few times now, and have never been happy with the pictures. The building is surrounded by taller ones that block the sun and leave it in dim light. But I want to post this picture anyway, because I can’t help but think that with all the changes going on around it, this business won’t be located there much longer.
The change in the area has been quite dramatic but having been here to watch it happen, I personally find it quite exciting. There is so much life on King Street now, where it used to be very dingy and abandoned looking most of the time.
↑↑ ( 6) A Favourite Architectural Feature – These two old buildings, which would have been built sometime in the 1890s, are facing onto King Street and I’ve photographed them from the back. They are an example of the places that have changed from being used for clothing manufacturing to now being used for office space, as discussed above.
I’ve always loved this two-story walkway that connects the old buildings and was a little surprised to see someone walk through it while I was taking these pictures. I thought that it would have been closed up at some point along the way but it is still in use. I’d love to go through it but think it would be rather awkward for me to step up to a reception desk and ask if I can!
↑↑ ( 7) Dramatic Sky – This is a picture taken while in Trinity Bellwoods Park.
↑↑ ( 8) Tricky Evening Sunset – At the same time that I took this photo our kitchen would have been flooded with golden sunlight cast by the setting sun. However, neither my kitchen nor this strip of houses were located in such a way that the sunlight would be reaching them directly. Rather in both cases the light is being reflected off windows in a taller building located nearby. For us an evening sun-filled kitchen only happens in the winter because the trees block it at other times of the year, but that is exactly the time of year that those rays of sunshine are most welcome, even if they aren’t really ‘real’.
↑↑ ( 9) A Dapper Hat in Chinatown – Nothing beats the feeling of when you think of and find a gift for someone that they end up really liking. That is the case with the fedora hat I got Nick for Christmas, (and told you about in this post). I love that he loves it! In fact, he was so happy with it that we went back to the hat shop (Goorin Brothers in the Queen and Spadina area) together during the after-Christmas sales and got him a couple more lighter weight ones (discussed here). He made a point of announcing to me the other day that he was busting out one of the new ones and putting this woolen one away. Yay!
↑↑ (10) Colourful Kensinton Market – I never stop loving this part of town.
↑↑ (11) First Robin of the Year – Robins are our harbinger of spring and this one was spotted last week. ’nuff said.
Thank you (always) for taking a look at my photos. I appreciate your online company.
xo loulou
