Posts Tagged ‘signs’

it started as a walk in the park

Posted: October 27, 2018 in history, landmarks, nature
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large trees in a park, a person walking in the park along with a white dog

below: After the rain the leaves lie stuck to the path and tangled up in the grass.

wet path in park, after a rainfall, leaves on the ground, on the path and amongst the blades of green grass still growing in the park

below: Or stuck in the fence

a few yellow and pale orange leaves have been caught in a chainlink fence, close up shot

in a park, after the rain, autumn, red leaves and yellow leaves on the trees, many leaves on the ground

below: You can’t escape the cranes…..

in a park, with picnic bench in the foreground, some people walking on the path, houses on street in middle ground and construction cranes and highrise under construction in the background.

below: … or the hoardings.

a small construction vehicle parked beside a sidewalk with orange barricade and sign that says pedestrians use other sidewalk, a path has been made on the side of the street for pedestrians.

large square brick house from the early 1900s, windows boarded up and green plywood hoardings in front

below: Magnus and Angel are missing…. Is this a coincidence?

two lost posters on a utility pole, one for Magnus the cat and the other for Angel the bird.

below: Pink flowers and a purple door.

closse up of the front of a row of white houses, a garden with plant with large pink flowers in front, one of the houses has a light purple front door

old black and white no parking sign on the side of a stone church, with engraved stone above it that says A.D. 1897

below: Built in 1892, this building was once the Church of the Messiah Rectory. The church is the next building to the right (with the slightly yellow stones)

stone building, with castle like features, former Church of the Messiah Rectory on Avenue Road, now office building and medical clinic. Three storey grey stone

below: Faded flower of a different kind

faded metal sunflower wedged between a fence and a small tree

below: Building behind the Rosedale Diner, as seen from Crown Lane

side of a garage painted with a couple of large red flowers

below: Locked door

particle board door on a shed, painted pale blue and with a large red flower

below: Graffiti on private property.

private property no trespassing sign on chainlink fence, trees and building behind, graffiti on the building

below: The limestone Summerhill LCBO store which was originally the North Toronto Canadian Pacific train station.  The clock tower is 43m high.

view of front of Summerhill LCBO store, former CP train station, olf light brown stone building.

below: From a different angle, the station when it was first built in 1916.  The tracks are still there but only freight trains pass by these days.  It only lasted as a passenger station until September 1930.   Back in the day if you wanted to take a train to Lindsay or Bobcaygeon, this is where you’d go although you could also get a train to Ottawa (via Peterborough & Smith’s Falls) or Montreal.

old black and white phot of North Toronto train station when it opened in 1916. It is now the Summerhill LCBO store on Yonge Street.

below: No stop ahead

trees and woods behind, a yellow diamond shaped sign with picture of stoplight, telling people that there is a traffic signal ahead, except that the red light has faded and disappeared

below: “Help negro and white people mass (?) produce painted stones and hide them” plus a lot of other lines and shapes that might be letters or words.

small sapling growing beside a concrete wall that has graffiti words written on it

below: I also came across this box yesterday – Sam the Chinese Food Man and other signs.

painted metal Bell box on sidewalk, painted with an old scene from Yonge street with signs for stores and restaurants

below: I have vague memories of such a Sam’s restaurant so I went online to find out more about it.  What I found is this image in a “Lost Toronto” blogpost.  It is Yonge Street just south of Gerrard (the Rio Theatre was 373 Yonge Street).   Did you know that Toronto once had a wax museum?

old colour photo of part of yonge street

Photo source:  ‘Lost Toronto’ blog, post titled ‘When Yonge St Was Fun‘

… and it ended with a trip down memory lane.

Labour Day Parade 2018

Posted: September 3, 2018 in events, people
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below: IATSE Local 58 led the parade this year. They have been locked out of the CNE who brought in workers from Quebec and Alberta to help set up the Ex this year. Usually the parade ends at the CNE grounds at the Dufferin Gate and participants get free admission to the Ex. This year, the parade ended at Lamport Stadium instead.

labour Day parade on Queen St West, IATSE local 58, banner, with the words Behind the scenes since 1898, some people walking including a young woman carrying a bag of buttons that she's handing out.

below: Mayoral candidate, Jennifer Keesmaat, walked in the parade with the IATSE locals.  At Bathurst St., the groups at the front slowed down to let the others catch up.  At that point, Keesmaat was interviewed by CP24.

labour Day parade on Queen St West, mayoral candidate Jennifer Keesmaat being interviewed by a woman reporter from CP24 news, in the midst of the parade

labour Day parade on Queen St West, a woman with a sign that says Ford needs a sex education, walking in front of large oversized effigy of Doug Ford

labour Day parade on Queen St West, ACTRA member male, carrying sign that says Artists are Voters,

labour Day parade on Queen St West, ACTRA member, female, with sign that says Come on Women, please start supporting other women

labour Day parade on Queen St West, small dog on a leach with an actra T-shirt on

labour Day parade on Queen St West, man in tartan kilt playing drums, union members carrying flags including Canadian flag

labour Day parade on Queen St West,

labour Day parade on Queen St West, a young woman holds an orange NDP sign for the local Parkdale MPP Bhutial Krapoche, as members of the Sprinkler Fitters of Ontario Union come around the corner from Queen West to Dufferin

labour Day parade on Queen St West, a man walks with large white wings, about 8 feet across (2.5 metres), he's wearing a black T-shirt with white words that say No Justice No Peace

amalgamated transit workers union march in labour Day parade on Queen St West,

labour Day parade on Queen St West, Canadian Media guild members walk with their banner, wearing red t-shirts

members of United Steelworkers walk in Labour Day parade including a woman in red cowboy hat and red frilly skirt

labour Day parade on Queen St West, young people in pink t-shirts carry blue flags for a union,

labour Day parade on Queen St West, two women carry brown cardboard signs, one says How do I snitch on my politician? and the other talks about policies affecting education ofchildren

labour Day parade on Queen St West, Toronto Civic Employees Union

a young person walks in the labour Day parade on Queen St West, carrying a sign that says society prefers somnambulism to awareness, know your rights

millwrights local 2309 walk with their banner in a labour day parade

millwrights union members carrying flags

OPSEU banners and people in Labour Day parade, inclusing two with large oversized, tall, effigies of Doug Ford and John Tory

labour Day parade on Queen St West,

Power Workers union protest signs, held by one man

labour Day parade on Queen St West, woman in pink t-shirt riding a bike in front of walkers in the parade

labour Day parade on Queen St West, an older black man carries a sign that says Hands Off our paid sick days

labour Day parade on Queen St West, a black man waves a union flag, wearing a black t shirt with the words No Justice No Peace. Some other people are riding on a flat bed truck behind him, with posters that say Pay Equality for all

a man roller blades past the parade, water bottle in one hand, grocery bags in the other, he is topless, labour Day parade on Queen St West,

what is happening at city hall?

Posted: July 27, 2018 in events, people
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below: What is happening? By the looks of it, Doug Ford and John Tory have taken up cricket. Nice uniforms but something’s not cricket…

a woman with light brown hair holds a sign at a protest, seen from the back. The sign says what is happening? Picture of John Tory and Doug Ford as cricket players.

below: What is happening is a protest. A decent sized crowd gathered at Nathan Phillips Square late this afternoon because why?  Because another Ford, another protest. Been there, done that, and is he really going to do what? Sigh.

crowd gathered at Nathan Phillips square for a protest, TV cameras, microphones, speakers, protesters, signs, placards,

below: Making a point.  Doug Ford recently dictated that the sex ed curriculum brought in by the last government will no longer be taught because not enough parents had been consulted about its contents.  Today he announced that the number of Toronto city council seats will be reduced from 47 to 25 after he consulted with zero zilch nada of Toronto’s 2.7 million people.  Hypocrisy.  It also gives credence to the theory that this is all sour grapes – he lost the last mayoral election to John Tory and his ego is damaged.

a man in a green t shirt holds up a protest sign that says Dick-tator Ford

below: “To succeed we must secede #provinceofontario”  An interesting concept?

Crowd of people at protest rally at city hall in Toronto. One man holds a sign that says to succeed we need to secede

protesters at an anti Doug Ford and anti PC Ontario provincial government for their announcement to cut the number of city council seats

two middle aged red headed women holding a sign at a protest at city hall

a young woman holds up a sign that says Dud Ford. Words followed by a sad face. Seen from the back. Lots more people in the crowd at the rally

below: Ford did campaign on cheap beer, a dollar a can if I remember correctly.  There was no beer at Nathan Phillips square this afternoon.   No consultations AND no beer.

a woman holds a white hand written sign at a protest, the sign says You campaigned on cheap beer, not on cutting my representation in government with no public consultation where is my beer?

Young women in a crowd, holding a sign that says Ford - F for Fuck O for Off R for rude and D for Doug

below: A lone dissenter (or at least the only visible one). “Thank you Doug Ford.  You saved me a part of my battle, for the Mayor’s office.  Harris suggested this at amalgamation you put it in to action. Jim McMillan.”

people sitting by the Archer, a Henry Moore sculpture, at Nathan Phillips Square. An older man is talking to another man. He is holding a hand written sign that says Thanks to Doug Ford

Once the speeches were over, some of the protesters went inside City Hall to the council chambers where a city council meeting was in progress.  We’ll see what happens in the coming days and weeks.

below: Like most days, there were lots of tourists in the square too.  But that’s a whole other story!

a father and son by the light purple O in the 3D Toronto sign. In the background is a group of people at a protest

protests, countered

Posted: June 27, 2018 in events, people
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Near the end of the Pride Parade route, at Dundas and Victoria, a small group of people (all men?) congregate to protest the parade. One man has a megaphone and he uses it constantly. If you are watching the parade, it’s not a comfortable place to be unless you like the incessant high decibel assault on your ears. They have the right to be there. But supporters of the parade, and the people who participate in the parade, have found a peaceful yet effective way to counter that protest…. by quietly standing in front of them with their own signs.

two protestors hold up hand written signs to block the protest behind them. One sign, on brown cardboard, says The Christian right is neither. THe other sign, on white bristol board says These 5 lovebirds are so intimate with each other they should cum and join the fun. One of the anti-pride posters says Jesus opposes your pride. repent.

protest signs and counter protest signs at the prode parade

large sign that says I also read the bible I think these dudes missed the point. It is in front of other signs protesting agains the pride parade and the gay lifestyle

These protests have occurred at this location for a number of years.  It is not uncommon for parade participants to stop here for their own counter-protest.

a young man in the pride parade stops to hold up a banner that says one voice. He is facing anti pride parade protestors

Dyke March 2018

Posted: June 24, 2018 in events, people
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The rain let up long enough for the Dyke March to parade across Bloor and down Yonge without everyone getting wet.  Lots of colour and sparkle was on display along with lots of enthusiasm and fun! This year’s theme was Resist as seen on this crocheted banner.

dyke march 2018 - a group of people carrying a banner made of yarn, crocheted, that says resist. #dmto #resist

dyke march 2018 - women in Sailor Moon costumes, one with a bubble gun and is making bubbles as she walks in the parade

dyke march 2018 - Asian women holding a blue banner that says Aqua, Asian Queer Alliance, 5 women holding the banner

dyke march 2018 - as parade goes along Bloor, cyclists, dykes on bikes, one reaches arm out to the crowd on the sidewalk

dykes on bikes lined up across Yonge street in the middle of the parade, Dyke March 2018

dyke march 2018, dykes on bikes - bare breasted woman with yellow and orange hair, on a bike in front of two women carrying a purple banner with the word inspire on it

dyke march 2018 - group of women carrying a banner that says bisexual women of Toronto

dyke march 2018 - dark brown person wearing blue lipstick holds a white banner

dyke march 2018 - a woman with rainbow headband and pink top is holding a small fluffy white dog with rainbow hat and coat

dyke march 2018 - a woman holds an orange Proud NDP sign in the parade, one arm reaching upwards

dyke march 2018 - two women in the parade, one with short purple hair, carrying a small black dog

dyke march 2018 - woman in pink bra with many tattoos is walking past a crowd on the sidewalk

watching the dyke march 2018 on Yonge street, two women with a dog on a leash and three girls on decorated scotters wearing bike helmets and bright sunglasses

drummers and marchers in the dyke march on yonge street

watching the dyke march 2018 - two girls on Yonge street draped in rainbow flags

dyke march 2018 - two young women together

dyke march 2018 - dancing women in orange T-shirts, rainbow sisters, one is waving a rainbow flag

woman holding up an large orange crocheted umbrella

woman on a bike in the dyke march 2018 parade, talking to a young woman who is carrying a banner, other women walking behind, a child on the lap of a woman on a motorized scooter.

a woman with very short hair on bike with a dog sharing her seat, black and white dog with nose pointed forwards as they ride together

two young women with large cardboard cut out letters wrapped with rainbow yarn, a G and and L. Part of a larger group that spells out LGBT

dyke march 2018 - a break in the parade is time for a photo op of motorcycle with passenger wearing helmet and fishnet stockings.

two men stand on a balcony of the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel on Yonge street, decorated balcony with Canadian flags and rainbow coloured paper or fabric.

an older woman stands beside a pole on the sidewalk as she watches the dyke march, she's holding a rainbow flag

dyke march 2018, banner that says dykeversity, lots of hand prints and hearts decorating it, women carrying it,

young black woman holding a banner in the dyke parade

women carrying signs black lives matter and black trans lives matter in dyke march in Toronto, marroon coloured hair and make up

dyke march 2018, dykes on bikes - in a corset with super woman insignia

dyke march 2018 woman with pale rust coloured hair and a black beret

groups of people walking in dyke march 2018, two are holding a sign that says today you are the fire and tomorrow you will be the sea and they'll have no choice but to hear your siren song a sign that says

dyke march 2018 - a young man sits on the ledge of an open upper storey window on Yonge street, rainbow flag with #weareorlando (we are orlando) written on it

two men in drag pose for a selfie with a woman, one man in bright yellow wig and the other in bright pink with flashy bright clothes to match

a young woman in black Pride T-shirt, holds a purple banner and is yelling dyke march 2018

dyke march 2018 - young woman carrying a cardboard sign that says I love butch girls

a young woman draped in a rainbow flag holding a large balloon the shape of a unicorn head with rainbow coloured mane

4 people on the sidewalk watching the dyke march Two of them are wearing white T shirts with L is for love on it in blue and purple letters, also flower garlands in their hair.

people watching the Dyke March, two men and two women. One man in pink baseball hat and My Little Pony T-shirt

signs of the bygone times

Posted: May 25, 2018 in history, locations
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From Lever Brothers soap factory to Unilever to East Harbour development…  In the 1890’s, Lever Brothers of Britain built a soap factory at the foot of the Don River.   Lever Brothers eventually became part of Unilever, an Anglo-Dutch conglomerate.   In 2002 Unilever sold the Toronto factory, but not the land, to Pensler Capital Corp of New Jersey.   From the National Post: ” Mr. Pensler renamed the company “Korex.” He froze workers’ wages. They lost their Unilever pensions. In 2008, Mr. Pensler offered a contract which workers said stripped seniority and benefits. About 160 workers walked out; in August, 2009, Korex Don Valley declared bankruptcy.”

view of the back of the Unilever (Lever Brothers) factory in Toronto

The development company, First Gulf Corp., bought the 14-hectare site from Unilever Canada back in 2012.  Although there are plans to redevelop the site, nothing has happened yet.

below: The sign says “Drivers, do not exceed 10 psi when unloading T.P.P. hexahydrate.

pipes and yellow metal fire escape on the side of an old factory

The building is mostly empty.  You can rent space inside if you have about $10,000/day to spend.   The grounds are kept fairly clean but the signs of neglect and age are everywhere.   There are other interesting bits and pieces left over from the site’s industrial past, but I have chosen to literally focus on the signs today.

below: No more phoning to get into the warehouse.

warehouse entry phone sign on white painted plywood where most of the white paint is gone, phone is not there, just the marks of where it used to be

yellow wign held up by red metal brackets. faded sign,

on rusty red metal, old sign that says do not block

below: Some signs have left very few traces.

empty rectangular metal frame where a sign once was, on an old yellow rusty pole, vacant land in the background

large dial with rust on it, attached to tap on yellow pipe, gauge in the background

chainlink fence in front of area with yellow pipes, overgrown with weeds and shrubs, sign that says no smoking, white on red, chipped in one corner

below: It’s not easy to read, but the sign in the foreground is a warning about speed bumps.

white water tower in the background with Ponds written on it, metal overhead structure for trucks entering old abandoned factory in the foreground with faded sign that once was warning speed bumps

red brick large Unilever factory, with exterior pipes, brackish pond in the foreground, with orange plastic fence around it, part of fence has collapsed and Danger sign is near the water

the morning after

Posted: April 24, 2018 in general Toronto
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Yonge Street was quiet this morning

camera, and lights on tripods abeside Yonge Street, yellow police tape blocking the street, police car in the background, no traffic

 

In a small park near the SE corner of Yonge & Finch,

in many languages but with one voice,

a memorial wall to those who lost their life, or who were injured,

in yesterday’s tragedy.

 

white bristol board taped to a stone wall, condolences and other heartfelt messages written on them, flowers laid across the top of the wall

white bristol board taped to a stone wall, condolences and other heartfelt messages written on them, flowers laid across the top of the wall

white bristol board taped to a stone wall, condolences and other heartfelt messages written on them, flowers laid across the top of the memorial wall

white bristol board taped to a stone wall, concolences and other heartfelt messages written on them, flowers laid across the top of the wall , people, reporters, and photographers standing in front, a man is writing a message

a woman is writing condolences messages on bristol board that has been taped to a stone wall

There were many reporters with their cameramen at the site this morning.  It was rumoured that Mayor John Tory was coming.  I had an appointment, which is why I was in the area, so I couldn’t stay.  As it turned out, both Tory and Kathleen Wynne (Ontario Premier) paid the memorial wall a visit.

spring, stikmen and smiley hearts

Posted: April 9, 2018 in alleys, graffiti and street art
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graffiti words on a wall, black sharpie, Save us

It’s early April and we’re all tired of winter but it lingers on.   How are you coping?  Yes, you!

Cameron House mural on Queen Street West, woman in pink blouse is looking beyond the window to a man walking past.

below: Is this wishful thinking?  or maybe just a little too optimistic?

chalkboard sign on the sidewalk outside of a store on Queen Street West, sign says Spring is here

below: Spring is in the air?  They forgot the question mark.   Is the cat reacting to the disconnect between the sign and the reality? … or maybe  its expression is because it’s just realized that it’s sitting beside a book about Justin Trudeau?

sign in a store window that says spring is in the air. also some stuffed animals

These were the only signs of spring that I saw yesterday as I walked although I noticed that someone was trying to cheer things up.  Not sure how long these have been sitting outside.  They’re looking a little weather worn and grubby.  Hope may be wearing a bit thin?

small leafless shrub in the front yard of a house, small yellow fake flowers strung through the branches, the flowers are old and dirty.

below: Elsewhere yellow birdies were playing hockey.

two women are having their picture taken in front of Uber5000's mural about Toronto in the winter, little yellow birdies playing hockey.

Spring was elusive but what I did spot were a couple of stikmen that I don’t remember seeing before.   I also noticed more smiley hearts popping up in unexpected places again. First, some of the hearts…

smiley heart on pink wall with red spray paint lines around

pink smiley heart on a wall with lots of other colours, street art

small black line drawing of a heart on a metal pipe on a wall, pipe has been painted orange and red to blend in with a street art piece

below: Cool Woodstock makes an appearance too (a yellow birdie of a different kind).  I don’t think she’s too happy to have a bird sitting on her head.

street art on garages, a small yellow Woodstock cartoon character with black sunglasses, on top of a black drawing on white of a girl screaming, a little smiley heart and the word love is beside her ear.

below: The guitar player is now playing with heart.

part of mural of a guitar playing in shades of orange and red. A white piece of paper has been stuck on his chest, with a black smiley heart on it.

And the stikmen….

a broken stikman painted greyish blue on a greyish blue door where the paint is peeling and the wood is fraying

stikman on a white and blue wall

below: Instead of wooden, this stikman is a drawing in a frame.

picture of a green stikman in a little frame, on a wood gate, by a black and white stencil of a man's head

below: Is that a little orange head of a stikman in the bent frame?

….. and then back inside for some warmth!

interior of a coffee shop, people sitting at tables, people sitting on the bar by the window, a TTC streetcar is outside, passing by

I  will leave you with one last look at a window full of yellow chicks and Easter bunnies, hope for spring (Hope springs eternal? Hopes of spring are eternal?).

looking into a store window, that is decorated with little bunnies in Easter clothing, with little yellow chicks and paper flowers

making voices heard

Posted: March 15, 2018 in events, people
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Twice this week I have come off the subway at Dundas station, and twice I have come to the surface to the sound of protest chants.

The first time it was a Free Tibet march as it proceeded up Yonge street.

a police man, with back tothe camera, stands in the middle of the street to block traffic as a Free Tibet march passes by on Yonge Street, protesters with flags and signs,

below: “Don’t forget Mr. Lingsta Tseten Dorjee, activist for non-violence.  It’s been 5 years since we lost Lingsta Tseten Dorjee”.   The banner then goes on to list Dorjee’s five demands including the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet.

a group of young men marching in a protest, Free tibet. carrying a banner with a lot of words in both Tibetan and English, one is wrapped in a Tibetan flag, some are wearing free tibet hats,

below: More protesters with signs and placards. “Free Shokjang now”.  Shokjang is the pen name of a Tibetan blogger who was detained by the Chinese authorities in March of 2015.

people carrying protest signs, free Shokjang now, release the panchen lama

protesters walk up Yonge Street with Tibetan flag and signs, one man has a megaphone

This afternoon, it was blue flags that I saw.  They are the flags of East Turkistan, also known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China.  On a map you’ll find it as Xinjiang in the most westerly part of China, right next the the “stans” that became independent after the break up of the USSR (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, etc).   The name says autonomous but there is no self-rule or self government for the Uyghurs. 

For a brief time in 1949 it was an independent country but it was invaded by communist China that same year.   Historically, East Turkistan is part of central Asia.  The people are not Chinese but are more closely related to the Turks.  The Uyghurs are the indigenous group of East Turkestan.

below: “Stop forced abortion, Freedom for East Turkistan”

women holding the blue and white flag of East Turkestan, also a sign that says stopped forced abortion in East Turkistan, wearing head scarves

below: “Islamic scholar Mohammed Salih killed in Chinese concentration camps.  We want justice.” Muhammad Salih Hajim, 82, died in custody back in January, about 40 days after he, his daughter and other relatives were detained in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province.    They were held without charges being laid.   He was the first to translate the Quran into Uyghur.

a black man with a suitcase has stopped to talk to people protesting for a free East Turkistan, he is pointing to one of the signs and a man is explaining something to him

at a protest for free East Turkestan, protesters hold a banner that says China, Stop Massacre of Uyghars

Also today, and just around the corner… A few minutes later I ran across another protest.  This one was at the corner of Gould and Victoria streets, at Ryerson University.   It was a quiet, civilized affair – more like a dance than a protest.

below: Both sides of the right to abortion debate were present.

people protest for and against the right to have an abortion.

below:   The anti-abortion sign would be turned, the ‘file not found’ sign would be moved in front of it, repeat every couple of minutes.

protesters at a right to abortion protest, anti and pro sides, both with a large sign.

below: It seemed to be a debate or a dialogue rather than a protest even though the people involved might disagree.   For such an emotional and polarizing subject they were being respectful and engaging.  At least they have the right to protest…. and to counter protest.

protesters at a right to abortion protest, anti and pro sides, both with a large signs.

 

3 churches and Church

Posted: February 18, 2018 in construction, doors, nature, old buildings
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I was meeting a friend at Queen and Church for walkies and coffee last Monday. I was there a few minutes early so of course I took a few pictures while I was waiting. I had come across King Street because the streetcars tend to be faster on King these days. Plus, it was a nice day for a walk.

below: Looking north up Church Street from Richmond.

looking north on Church St. from Richmond Street, stores, street, people, street scene,

below: Metropolitan United Church is on the NW corner of Queen and Church. Even if you aren’t religious, there is something inspiring about the architecture. In this case, the setting adds to the grace and beauty of the building.  Usually there are people around but it was surprisingly quiet that day (too cold outside?)

front of Metropolitan United Church, with the snow covered park in front, snow, large trees, red door

below: Take a few more steps towards Metropolitan United and then turn around. This is the view that awaits you. The intersection of Queen and Church from a different angle.

looking at the intersection of Queen and Church, through the park, with yellow building and other stores in the background

below: As I walked back to the intersection, this man walked in front of the streetcar. I think that he called himself either Cowboy Bob or Cowboy Bill.

man in long coat and hat stands in front of a TTC street car with his arm up in the air.

below: Church #2. Jarvis Street Baptist Church.

Jarvis Street Baptist Church, from diagonally across the intersection

below: Yes, there are a lot of churches in this section of downtown. This is the third (and last for today’s blog) but there are many more. Grace Church through the trees.

park, in winter, with large mature trees, in the background is Grace Church, brick building with green roofed steeple

below: A stop at Allan Gardens conservatory for warm and a washroom. If this picture is looking a little fuzzy around the edges, my camera lens kept steaming up faster than I could wipe it off.

inside shot at Allan Gardens conservatory, with two people looking at the plants, glass roof, large yellow flowers

below: Every Christmas, the conservatory at Allan Gardens is decorated with many amaryllis plants. The other day, many were looking a little worse for wear. These buds were a few of the exceptions. At some point (soon?), the Christmas plants will be switched out for spring plants.

close up of two small red amaryllis buds at the bottom of a red and white amaryllis.

below: Barrel cacti in differing sizes in the Allan Gardens conservatory.

4 barrel cacti of differing sizes in a semi-circle in a conservatory, glass house, with some succulents in front and some taller cacti behind

below: And just around the corner from Allan Gardens there is this painted cactus (or is it a succulent?) standing in the cold.

a metal telephone or traffic box on the sidewalk that has been painted with a picture of a cactus.

below: This part of Church Street is now in McGill Granby Village. There is even a lovebot on the pole.

street sign for Church St., with the top part being McGill Granby Village

below: “Enough is enough”, a large Church Street mural.

large mural on the side of a two storey building, with metal fire escapes on the side of the building as well. Mural is enough is enough, rainbow flag and other things

below: On Church Street, another redevelopment victim.

old, large, three storey red brick house with boarded up windows, about to be redeveloped, people walking past on the sidewalk, winter, street scene,

below: And just up the street, another.

an older two storey house house boarded up with construction hoardings in front, looking at it through a park with large trees, winter

below: Trucks, construction, and condos. Ho hum. Been there, done that.

large truck parked on a street with tall buildings behind, and a large billboard with a KFC ad on it

below: One set of construction hoardings has been decorated with kids’ paintings.   Bright and cheerful.

white construction hoardings with childrens paintings on it. a painting of a soccer ball, kids playing, words too

below: Through the layers

looking in a window, people sitting inside, looking through the window on the other side as well, a large tree is reflected in the window too

below: Icicles!

older yellowish brick building with green bay window, with icicles on the eaves of bopth roof and window

below: Trudeau senior looks down on the world.

a large black and white picture of Pierre Elliott Trudeau in the window of the Ryerson Image Center, with a tree in front of it, some snow on the tree

below: The guys over the entrance to the Chang School at Ryerson are wearing little puffy white hats.

stone sculpture of the door of the Chang School at Ryerson, two men with interlocking arms, looking at each other, wheat, apples, and other produce in their hands, covered with snow


below: As we walked past Yonge Dundas Square, I stopped, took another look, and then said: “Isn’t that a new sign?”. My walking partner replied that she wasn’t sure. Neither was I.

Yonge Dundas Square, men working on sign

I happened to walk past Yonge Dundas Square again yesterday, and yes, there is a new sign. A big one.

below: “It’s OK to be scared, just take a deep breath” as the fourth panel of the new sign is installed.

a large crane is putting part of a new light sign in place at Dundas Square, large billboards and lighted signs behind, people walking past, street scene

below: Working on the new sign. That billboard on the left, 98.1 CHFI is all Christmas music? Still? In February?

two men on a lift are working on a new elevated sign at Dundas square

C’est too for now friends!

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