Toronto Walkabout

Queen Street East

     This past Thursday, I was in Toronto for my book club, which doesn't start until 7:30 and was in the east end this time.  After work, I decided to walk along Queen Street to see what was new/different from when I had last seen it.  It was alternately cloudy and sunny, so there were some good opportunities for photos.  Queen East is one of the few downtown neighbourhoods that is still quite dodgy and underdeveloped, and, interestingly, is where a lot of antique stores have moved to.

     Further along, there was a lovely old red-brick church that had wonderfully ornate ironwork, which was very much in need of repair, but I like that look.

     I went under a railway bridge as I proceeded eastward, and saw a great opportunity to take a shot with good contrast of light, dark and shadows - luckily there were no cars at that instant to block the cyclist and his long shadow on the road.

     After I reached Logan Avenue, I headed north up to the Danforth (Greek-town) to meet up with a friend for coffee/tea.  It is becoming much more gentrified along that strip, even further eastward.  I took a snap of a favourite church that looks like it belongs in Spain/South America.

Bittersweet

     The other weekend, CC and I drove out to the countryside to CC's secret source for Bittersweet, a woody vine that bears colourful, orange or yellow fruits.  There are two kinds, American Bittersweet or Celastrus scandens, and Oriental Bittersweet or Celstrus orbiculatus.  

American Bittersweet

Oriental Bittersweet

     After we got home, CC and I removed all of the leaves and he pruned them and arranged them in a couple of vases (without water!) and then left them to do their thing.  By the next day, the heat of the house had caused them to open up.  They dry out and are good colourful arrangements for the winter that don't need any care.  We compost them out at the end of the season as they usually get quite dusty and we always know where to get more!  You can buy them at reputable florists, but they are very expensive and you don't get a lot.

Mini arrangement

Large arrangement

Bittersweet flowers