Doors Open Toronto

I passed my exam! I'm still only 3/4 of the way through the degree but very glad that I don't have to do the exam again.

We've been BBQ'ing this weekend and are now off to Doors Open Toronto.

It's lovely and warm here in Toronto and we're looking forward to the summer, which really starts for us June 13th when my classes finish for the summer and we are going off to Halifax in Nova Scotia, the Atlantic region of whale watching and lobster suppers for Chil. Chil's friend Niz is coming to stay after that. My start date at SickKids has been delayed to August, which will give us another summer month of the quiet rota I have at St Michael's hospital. I think it will be a bit of a shock to the system getting back to busy on-calls when at SickKids, but the first month will be broken up by Mum's visit in August. Quebec city is 400 this year, so we might all drive there then.

This is our local park, Berczy Park, as seen from Toronto's flatiron building. It's older but smaller and less well known than New York's flatiron, but a great local landmark and this weekend all kinds of private buildings open their doors to curious Torontonians.

The tall building in the back is our condo block, also a flatiron building. Our flat is now obscured by the new building being constructed but is just behind the top right hand corner of that building. The main road there, Front Street is one of our favourite places and the main street in our St Lawrence Market area. It's generally very low-rise for downtown Toronto with a bit of cafe culture breaking out now the warm weather is coming. The green in the corner is Berczy park again.

Audrey's Garden Studio

We are both very proud of our latest purchase! In March we decided that it was time Audrey had somewhere to call her own; somewhere where she could paint and draw and frame pictures to her heart's content. So she designed a studio and we then went to a local company that makes wooden buildings, and showed them our list of design specifications. To our surprise they weren't in the least fazed. So it was delivered in late April in several pieces and four men spent a day putting it up. Over the course of the next couple of weeks they beavered away and eventually it was completed just in time for Audrey to take part in "Norfolk Open Studios 08"- this is a Norfolk-wide celebration of local artists and it's the first time that Auds has taken part.

Leading up to the first open weekend (last weekend) Audrey was really as nervous as I have ever seen her; not just nervous but really racked by a terrible tense headache. Anyway, she needn't have worried because she sold two paintings that weekend! This weekend is a Bank Holiday weekend for us, so we're hoping that we'll get plenty more people coming for a look - weather permitting, of course.

Here are two more pictures, showing the garden and how it looks overall.

Springtime in Toronto

Spring has sprung here in Toronto, so we're celebrating it with a collage called "Nandad in his garden".

The snow has long gone and instead its been warm and sunny with green things springing into life everywhere.

University of Toronto

This is my study group for the comprehensive exam for my Master of Education degree, celebrating after the exam. The results are out in a few weeks...

Jamboree Kid

I came across some interesting photos by someone called Jamboree kid, I thought I'd put a link to them on the right.

It's starting to warm up here in Toronto, although dropping to -5 from time to time. I had my exam for my degree yesterday, I think it went ok. Thanks for all the birthday cards and greetings. We're turing the lights off for Earth Hour tonight, thought we'd sit in the dark and have a glass of wine!

Skype's been down for a week but now the exams over I should have time to get it working.

Dylan

Happy Birthday Dylan!

Happy Birthday Dylan!

We made you a cake

love and kisses and lots of cake

from

bb

Claudia

Peli

Richard

Bunny Wunny (Peter)

and MUMSIE

Hope you have a lovely day

(we are donating the real cake to a local orphanage, on your behalf)

XXXXX

Joel's Cameroon Trip

Check out these photos from Joel's trip to Cameroon

-30 (wind chill) and counting...

Coming back from the cinema today part of the pavement was cordoned off with the sign "caution: falling ice chunks"! Saw Juno, by the way, I'd recommend it, but not for Hindolveston's church hall. There's ice between the panes of our double glazing. The condo management have sealed the window as opening it may cause the heating coil of the central heating to freeze and break.

I was very suspicious of the 'humidity factor' in the summer, but this wind chill, it's real! Chil's gained a healthy respect for northerly or westerly winds over 20km/h. Any potential visitors might want to wait 'till spring...

Dylan

Good luck!

Good luck to Cameroon, Eto'o and the Mainsah's in the Africa Cup of Nations final against Egypt tomorrow!

Hyde Park

Over the winter period there's been a German market and funfair based in Hyde's Park.

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Here's a picture of the ferris wheel they've set-up - the crowds of people each weekend mitigate against doing much more than photographing what's on offer...

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