The Paris Beer Co., Paris, ON

Gord and I had  lunch at the Paris Beer Co. 

We had a couple Salty Stingers ... peach and blueberry raspberry sours. I liked them both but liked the blueberry raspberry more.

Grand River walk, Paris, ON

Gord and I walked along the Grand River to the Paris Canoe Portage and back. It was grey and a bit rainy when we started out.

Looking north from the William Street Bridge

Looking north from the William Street Bridge

Entering the path

Penman's Dam and the train track

Penman's Dam and the train track

Dog-Eared Café, Paris, ON

Gord and I stopped in at the Dog-Eared Café in downtown Paris. What a cute spot! It’s a combo café and used bookstore. 

The Cobblestone Public House, Paris, ON

Gord and I had a late lunch this afternoon at the Cobblestone Public House in Paris, ON.

Gord had a small Caesar salad and I had Chicken Curry. Both were good. There was a bit of heat to my curry, which was nice, and the raita was refreshing.

Thanks, Kelly!

Happy birthday to me!

Many years ago today ... at 2:12pm ... I made my arrival into the world at the Grace Maternity Hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Here I am at my first birthday party ... celebrating with cake and a washing machine.  Good times!

Happy 21st anniversary to Gord and I!

Ken (Gord's son), me, Gord and Sister Sarah

July 26, 2002 ~ 5:30pm

City Hall, Toronto, ON

OEB Breakfast Co., Toronto, ON

I’m on OEB Breakfast Co.’s emailing list and recently received an email that they are previewing some of their lunch favourites in Liberty Village and the first 30 people to respond to the email would have a spot reserved for them and a guest! Needless to say, I responded and here we are! 

We also ordered mimosas which were tasty!

Book ~ "Ready or Not" (2021) Alex Lake

From Goodreads ~ A happy family ... Alice and Tom Sark seem to have it all - a wonderful marriage, a gorgeous baby, a beautiful home. And now Alice, a journalist, starts investigating a story which could make her career - a serial killer in their town.

A murderer lurking in the shadows ... Very quickly though, the murder case takes its toll. Alice and Tom begin fighting all the time. Their baby daughter just won’t stop crying. And sometimes it feels almost as if they’re being followed.

Not everyone will live to tell the tale ... The killer has found a new family to target. And the clock is ticking for Alice and Tom to stop their worlds being destroyed forever.

Alice and Tom have been married for a few years and have a baby named Joanna. Their lives are stressful because they are still getting used to being new parents and Joanna doesn't like to sleep at night so neither parent is getting much sleep. During a routine check-up, the doctor notices bruises on Joanna which makes Alice and Tom wonder how they got there and question anyone they have contact with.

In the meantime, there is a serial killer loose in their town. As a reporter, this becomes Alice's story with helpful hints from her friend, a police officer. When taunting letters from the killer start arriving at Alice's house, rather than run and hide, Alice ramps up her coverage of the killer, which doesn't make Tom, who is a very protective dad, happy.

Up until this point, though I had figured out who the killer was and what was going on, it was an interesting story with great build-up. Then it got ridiculous and far fetched very quickly, which is too bad.

This book is written in third person perspective in various voices (Alice, Tom, the killer, the police, etc.) depending on where the action was. The story jumps back and forth in time from so we get to know Alice and how she and Tom met (the chapters are labeled). I thought having the details of how the abuser was hurting Joanna was disturbing ... all I needed to know was that Joanna was suddenly getting mysterious bruises. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Knitted dog sweater

I just finished knitting a dog sweater I'll be donating to ElderDog Canada, which will be sold in their online shop, used directly as needed in ElderDog activities or included in special ElderDog fundraising. It’s considered a large-sized sweater (the chest is 18 inches). 

I found the pattern at Yarnspirations.

Dog & Bear Pub, Toronto, ON

Gord and I had a late supper with our friend and neighbour, Dawn, and and her friend, Joy, at the Dog & Bear (Queen Street W/Dovercourt), which is in our 'hood.

Joy and I ordered chicken fingers and fries and Gord and Dawn ordered a double burger and salad. All were good.

No a great shot but here we are ...

Gord, Joy, Dawn, me and our server

Downtown Winery, Toronto, ON

As we were leaving OssFest, Gord and I stopped in at Downtown Winery (Ossington/Queen W). It was a busy happenin' spot!

They had some OssFest specials and we had some rosé.

There's Gord, Carrie (the bar manager), Jenny (Aimee's
cousin) and Aimee (manager/owner)

Ossfest 2023, Toronto, ON

OssFest was today and Gord and I went (it's in our 'hood).

Oh hey, Toronto! It's been a minute hasn't it? We are excited to be planning for a return of the beloved OssFest this year! Nothing says summer more, than street festivals in Toronto! For it's sixth edition, OssFest returns for a pedestrian take over of the Ossington Strip between Dundas St W and Queen St W.

Beginning with a health and wellness feature in the morning, with local businesses and a few artisans showcasing their goods all day. We will have over 25 extended patios alongside music and entertainment programming all day and into the evening.

It is family friendly, dog friendly and is a fantastic way to celebrate the neighbourhood and Toronto! And people talk about it all year, excited for the next.

Ossington Avenue was closed from Dundas Street W to Queen Street W for it ... we entered it from Queen Street W.

The first thing we saw was a drag show in front of Sweaty Betty's.

There was something for everyone. There were lots of vendors with booths on the street. The patios were jammed and long line-ups for food.

The Superkick'd wrestling show is always fun to watch.

Rum Shop T.O., Theatre Centre, Toronto, ON

Rum Shop T.O. had a pop-up today at the Theatre Centre (Queen Street W and Dovercourt Road), which is in our 'hood. The theme was Bajan drinks, foods and music.

Gord and I are fans of dark rum so we checked it out along with our friend and neighbour, Dawn, and her friends, Joy and Shawn, who are from Barbados.

There were some fun cocktails to choose from ... I ordered a Carnival Sour (as did Gord), Dawn ordered a Rum Punch and Joy ordered an Ocean's Trident. Tasty!