This is Part Two of my day spent with Andrea last Monday. (Part One, here, saw the two of us cooking some Jamie Oliver recipes together for lunch.)
For 18 days each year, leading up to Labour Day, the Canadian National Exhibition is on in Toronto. This has happened for the past 135 years, since 1879, so it’s safe to say that pretty well anyone who grew up in or around the city has been going since they were young.
For as long as I can remember, a visit to The Ex has been one of the highlights of summer, and as a kid I had a paper route during the summer months, particularly to earn some spending money for it. As a child, my siblings and I were taken by our mother, and then later I went with my friends as a teen. It has been one of life’s constants and although I don’t make it every year nowadays, I do still really like to go.
In some posts here where I’ve included photos of our dining room, like in this one, you can see that big plant in the corner to the left … I started it from a cutting I bought at the Ex as a kid, so that plant has been with me for most of my life. In retrospect, it was probably amusing to my mother when, as a young child, the souvenir I chose to take home from such an exciting place was a small piece of branch, that was sealed with wax at both ends. Back then one of my favourite stories was Jack and the Beanstalk and I remember being quite enchanted by my purchase and its promise to grow. I’m actually amazed now that my young self was not disappointed by a dud, and that in fact it did grow.
I was glad when I suggested to Andrea that we spend our evening together at The Ex she was keen on the idea.
We walked the midway, went into some of the buildings (I especially liked the Arts and Crafts Building), did some shopping, watched some musicians, and had some food in The Food Building. It’s quite amazing how, while there are many newer things to see, there is also so much about the CNE that just never seems to change at all.
It was really a lot of fun and the people watching was terrific! So many happy faces.
How about you … Do you go to the Ex or something like it?
Thanks for dropping over to take a look,
xo loulou
