Market 707

Market 707 is a great little food court outside Scadding Court Community Centre, not far from Kensington Market in Toronto. Old shipping containers can be rented by food suppliers who might not otherwise have the wherewithal to rent a traditional cafe or restaurant. The choice of cuisines is great - Japanese, Korean, Indian, Philippine, Jamaican, Mac and Cheese, Pies, Chinese just to name the ones that I can remember off the top of my head. It was hard to choose, but I went for Chicken Biryani and wasn't disappointed.... Will be back again soon to try everything else!

Ready for lunch!

Chicken Biryani

As seen on Japanese TV? 

Thanksgiving Weekend at Prince Edward County

Perfect autumn weather for our first trip to Prince Edward County, a couple of hours or so east of Toronto. Some lovely bike rides, a delicious burger at The Acoustic Grill listening to live music, big breakfasts at Grove Cottage B and B and a visit to County Cider orchards at Waupoos with lunch overlooking the lake. We also visited Sandbanks provincial park and saw the dunes, strolled around the village of Bloomfield and had coffee and cake at The Saylor House Cafe. On the way we went to Presqu'ile Park, cycled around and visited the lighthouse.

Pumpkin Patch near Picton

Forever Bicycles

Nuit Blanche Toronto October 2013

Ai Wei Wei Forever Bicycles installation

A stroll round U of T

After a meeting at Hart House I strolled back in the autumn sunshine to St George Subway. Took a couple of snaps on the way.

Trinity College, University of Toronto in the late afternoon sunshine on an early Autumn day

Commemorative plaque at the Alexandra Gates, the entrance to Philosopher's Walk next to the Royal Ontario Museum.  The Duke and Duchess were Prince George, later George V, and the future Queen Mary.

Blackberry and Apple without the Blackberry - An Early Autumn Bike Ride

Along the Elora Cataract Trailway

We've been planning a ride along the Elora Cataract Trailway for a long time and yesterday we finally made it out there. We drove to Orton, zigzagging across from Highway 10 along country roads and dirt roads, unclipped the bikes from the back of the car and off we went.

The Trailway follows the route of an old railway line

The trail follows the route of a former railway, so is fairly flat and straight. It runs through pretty farmland and passes by Belwood Lake. The length of the whole trail is 47km or 29 miles, and we planned to do a twenty kilometre section. We started pretty much in the middle at kilometre 25 and cycled towards Fergus and Elora. It was perfect weather, bright blue sky with a slight autumnal nip in the air. The late summer flowers, golden rod and purple asters, brightened the edges of the trail. Fields of sweetcorn stretched towards the horizon.

The trail is quiet and peaceful, just a few other cyclists enjoying the early autumn air and towards Fergus a few walkers strolling the path. Around 14km along our route we reached the Belwood Lake Conservation Area, where the Shand Dam dams the Grand River, creating Belwood Lake. We admired the view from the top of the dam, then continued on our way.

View from the Shand Dam

Other trail users cross the Shand Dam at Belwood Lake

Shand Dam at Belwood Lake

On our way again, the sight of this sign made us smile as we headed towards Fergus with thoughts of tea and sustenance keeping us going.

The trail stops at Fergus, although you can pick it up again at the other side of the town and continue on to the end of the trail at Elora. We cycled on streets into the town of Fergus, to be greeted by the welcome sight of a Tim Hortons, where we treated ourselves to well-earned large steeped teas and cinnamon doughnuts. Another Tim's patron was sitting with her feet up having cycled from Forks of the Credit, the start of the trail. She had called it a day and sent her husband back on his bike to fetch the car. Wise woman. After that we had a brief stroll down to the river bridge and along the main street (where J informed me Jeremy Paxman had once trod, whilst filming a TV series about emigrating Brits). Stroll is perhaps the wrong word, given how stiff I felt after 20km of cycling, but I limped along in the footsteps of Paxman before mounting my trusty bike once again to ride the 20km back to the car.

By then the shadows were lengthening and the countryside looked beautiful in the evening sunlight. We stopped to gather some fallen apples from the side of the trail. In England the wayside would be full of blackberry bushes covered in fruit at this time of year - in Ontario they don't seem to exist, so we will have to make do with stewed apple. The sight of the 25km marker post was an eagerly awaited moment and I climbed stiffly into the car for the drive back to the city.

Maize Fields

Foraged Blackberry and Apple - without the blackberry

Spring Walk at Crawford Lake

The last time we headed out to Crawford Lake Conservation Area http://www.conservationhalton.on.ca/ShowCategory.cfm?subCatID=909 there was deep snow on the ground and we hired snowshoes.

Yesterday there were blue skies and glorious sunshine highlighting the profusion of wildflowers along the trails. We decided to head down into the valley, then up the other side towards Rattlesnake Point. But first we had a quick look around the Iroquois Village, worth a little detour.

Door detail at Iroquois village

There were a couple of buildings with information about archaeological digs in the area - the village recontruction is on site of a 15th century settlement. They have organized tours, but we just wandered around and read a few of the boards.

Furs detail at Iroquois village

Stylised trillium in the official Ontario logo

Everywhere was lush and green and we saw hundreds of different wildflowers, most of which we couldn't name. We did see lots of trilliums, the provincial flower of Ontario, along the valley floor.

White trillium

Haven't managed to find out what these are

Foamflowers

Not sure what this is - it has a big leaf like an umbrella and the flowers hide under the leaves

We'd never seen such a huge fungus - it was about a foot across

It looked just like a bird bath!

http://www.conservationhalton.on.ca/uploads/Maps/Crawford%20Trail%20map.pdf

Please Walk on the Grass - a Trip to Toronto Island

Arriving at Hanlan's Point

Toronto Island is probably my favourite part of the city, perhaps because it's not very city-like. I do love all the convenience and excitement of living in a city, but I need to escape to somewhere green and pleasant every so often.

Even after so many trips over there, I still look forward to the ferry ride, with its amazing views of the cityscape. And even though I already have probably hundreds of photos of the same view, I can never resist having my camera to hand. I want to go over in the evening sometime, so that I can get some night time shots of the skyline.

Edward (Ned) Hanlan, island resident in the 19th century and champion rower

Taking the ferry to Hanlan's Point gives you a great starting point for a circuit of the whole island. The ferry also has the advantage of not being as packed as the others. It's a five kilometre cycle to the other end of the island, at Ward's. We passed swiftly by the clothing optional beach (J once had a strange encounter with a drunken nudist who attempted to help him land his sailing dinghy but that is a whole different story).

How many Brompton bikes get ridden out to Gibraltar Beach?

Dunes at Gibraltar Beach

Canada Geese

Stopping off at Gibraltar beach, we watched the skeins of geese flying low over Lake Ontario. J paddled his feet in the water, but it was still very cold. In the summer we love to swim from this beach and J has landed his sailing dinghy here on several occasions; he brings the picnic and the less hearty sea dogs in the party come over on the ferry and meet him there. The ants are a problem on these beaches - they have a vicious bite that continues to throb and sting long afterwards.

Gibraltar Point lighthouse

We passed by the Gibraltar Point lighthouse, purportedly haunted by the ghost of the lighthouse keeper following a Neil Oliver-style grisly murder back in the 19th century, involving whisky and soldiers.

As we neared Centre Island the multi-passenger bikes with their inexperienced and inexpert riders started swerving about in front of us; we saw one with a family of at least nine on it. Admittedly some were babes in arms, but I believe they're only meant for four.

We crossed the frisbee golf course, and on Ellen's instructions, crossed the bridge to Snake Island to see where she had camped back in October on her school trip.

  

View from Snake Island

Continuing on past the Rectory Cafe, a great restaurant with our favourite patio, we stopped at the Island Cafe for a quick bite, then headed back via St Andrews Church at Centre Island to the ferry docks at Hanlan's Point, where there was time for quick ice cream before boarding the boat back to Toronto.

We did. And we biked on it too

I love Spring!

 It's been a long winter so the sight of all the spring flowers is even more welcome this year.

These are next door's tulips, just stunning!

Lilac

Stacey loves spring too - she spends all her time outside

I planted 200 bulbs in the Autumn and finally I get to see the fruits of my labour!