Category Archives: Hanging Around

21

May. ’10

Happy Birthday, Queen Vic-Chore-ia

I have a proposal to all Torontonians out there:  Stop calling it the May Two-Four weekend, as though all you do is hang out, enjoy life, drink a case of brewski (hence the cutesy two-four for 24 for the 24 of May in which Queen Victoria was born)…no, call a spade a spade, in fact, pick up a spade and start digging in yer gardens and call it May Too-Many-Chores weekend.  What are you doing this weekend?  You ask this to any random person that lives in the GTA and Smuggy McSmugginton will reply:  “Going up to The Cottage, blah blah…chores, this and that, painting a porch, blah, cleaning up bear and raccoon fecal matter, more chores, toasting bread in a toaster with mouse fecal matter embedded, blah blah”….Fun!  I’m here in the city with my own chores, keeping up with the Chore Family who live next door:

The Chore Family are the best neighbours I’ve ever had (they have my back!) and their compulsive need to snip, rake, weed (the verb), and refine their garden has rubbed off on me a tiny bit.  Their lawn looks like an expensive haircut because every fifth sprig is a clover.  Tip: when a lawn is entirely blades of grass it looks like a military haircut. the clovers add texture and visual interest.  Although I have learned this, I have not bothered to apply it, my grass has alapacea from stress.  They plant flowers in containers, I throw seeds in a plot in front of the  the porch because for me the only good plant is a useful one, ie edible (mint, for mojitos and tzatziki), protective (those sharp weeds, deters burglars), or awe-inspiring (that wretched overgrown butterfly bush that brings all the Monarchs around in September).  But now I tinker around a little more, pulling wayward green grass chards between the interlocking bricks, it’s a relaxing activity.  And the other day, I bought a hanging basket:

Go big or go home, is my motto.  I got the mega-hanging plant at the garden place at Coxwell and Fairside and paid 50 bucks for the big purple spill of petunias in a peat pot.  This weekend I will cut those dumb ass floppy fickle tulips out of the garden, pour some fresh soil and dump my seeds: California poppies and nasturtium….trust me, you can eat these, although why would you want to (?! that goes for you, too, Mr. Artichoke) but I bet they would make perfect garnish in some martini this summer, I’ll keep you posted on that.  So this weekend, I might call it May Six Pack because really, I need to paint my porch….

Posted by . Categories: Handy Hints, Hanging Around, Neighbourhood Watch. Tags: , . Leave a comment

10

May. ’10

The Aristocats of Craven Estates

Feral living on Craven Road

I wish I could swing both ways….not in the way that you think, although I admire that too. You double your chances for a date on Friday night and double your wardrobe while you’re at it. No, I mean being a Dog Person versus being a Cat Person. Where I come from, you’re either one or the other. How can you have more than one type of animal living in your house? How does the dog know not to eat the cat food or the kitty litter for that matter? Cats are waaay easier to take care of than dogs but they sneak around and skulk on your counter tops and God knows what they are thinking half the time. Dogs are simple (feed me, pet me, walk me) but they are higher maintenance. They require more emotional energy. In my Golden Years, rather than becoming a zany cat lady, I will have a cranky lap dog or two. I figure one overfed chihuahua is equal to 3 cats on the gage of crazy.

Lately, though, I have been warming up to cats. We have one that lives on our street, literally. Here she is taking a nap in the middle of the road, don’t worry, she knows when cars are coming:

Tombo of the Triangle

Everybody within 3 blocks knows Tombo the cat. She sleeps on porches, on top of cars, and she sneaks into houses. Once she appeared my living room and got into a brawl with Betty, scratched her nose then slid back outside. You have to admire the chutzpah.

Yesterday, the Toronto Star had an article about some of the tiniest houses in Toronto. They are on Craven Road, just west of Coxwell between Dundas and Gerrard. I know this stretch of the strip well, I use it to go into Little India because it’s a one way north and also I love this street. The west side is all fence and the citizens have put up artwork all along the side. That part of the street between Dundas and Gerrard is full of feral cats. People get all funny around wild cats…”oh, poor kitties!” and yet Tombo from my street has a perfectly loving home but she likes to be a street cat, it’s her modus operandi. The houses are all on the east side and they are shockingly tiny, they’re known as “Craven Estates” (real estate humour, so funny). There was a time when the block looked a little worn down but now there are a lot of renovations going on and it is a really sweet street. Everything I know about the real estate game, I learned from playing Monopoly as a wee child. Put your first hotels on Baltic and Mediterranean and build from there, the cheap properties will build your wealth. The same goes for the homes on Craven Road. Even a couple of years ago, you could easily find a house for under $200,000 and now the same ones, fixed up, are fetching close to $400,00.

The fence side with art gallery.

This home is currently listed at $384,800

To read the article in the Toronto Star, click here.

To look at some active listings on Craven, click here.

Posted by . Categories: Hanging Around, Home Du Jour. Tags: , , , , . 1 Comment

25

Apr. ’10

Weekend in Cabbagetown

 

Uh oh, the month of May is around the corner.  This is both good and bad.  My birthday looms, another year older and I still haven’t written that novel.  Also I have to update the sticker on my license plate and I am probably in for a rude awakening with some forgotten unpaid parking tickets.  But the month of May is one of the most vibrant and hopeful months, anything may happen.  Even jaded old me gets a jolt of mojo juice in May and I’m ten times more likely to participate in any given activity.  On Saturday, May 1, Cabbagetown is holding an evening Art Salon where you can visit Victorian homes, drink cocktails and buy art.  Sounds like my kind of night!  Also on Sunday May 2 between 4-6 pm, one of my favourite local artists, Angelene Tulett is showing her work at 295 Carlton Street, east of Parliament.  Her paintings are bright and playful with a surreal quality. Angelene is an OCAD grad and also teaches art to kids.  Here she is and here is some of her work:

She will do commissioned paintings and you can contact her at:  angelene_tulett@yahoo.ca

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15

Apr. ’10

Purple Haze

What fresh hell is this?  Well, there goes the neighbourhood!  They’re finally building the condos at the corner of Rainsford and Queen Street East starting from $500,00 to $2.5 million.  Yes of course it’s thrilling for a realtor and a resident(cha-ching) of the immediate neighbourhood known as the  Beaches Triangle.  But sometimes it is sad to see things go…this is the Purple Patch of Queen Street (I`m going to write a song about it)…the place where the man (crazy or eccentric?  I’m not the judge) in a manic frenzy painted the entire block purple one summer, including his neighbour’s houses, the street signs and newspaper stand.  He got in big old trouble by the city of course, so he painted everything white….and then purple again….oy!  That’s a lot of work for a joke….I wish he’s come and paint my porch, I could use some purple in my life.  This is his house now.  I like the yellow accents:

And what small child (and raccoon) doesn’t delight in the koi pond under the bridge?  I’m sad to see it go.  Its frontage is a landmark.  And as an aside (and shameless plug), the backyard was used as Happytime  Sushi in my son’s short film for this weekend’s Sprockets Film Festival: http://sprockets.ca/default.aspx You can click on to Freddy’s film here called “Box Boy” (don’t worry it’s short and funny): http://www.youtube.com/user/FJ033

Posted by . Categories: Hanging Around, Neighbourhood Watch. Tags: , , . 1 Comment

06

Apr. ’10

Kristin’s Cool Spot

The skate park at Coxwell Ave and Lakeshore Blvd East

I have to say, every time I swing by this park, I smile.  I know what you’re thinking and no, I am not some crazed cougar prowling for prey…By the way, I call myself a LOCA (lady of a certain age), but you know cougar is okay too. Own it, as I always say.  The reason I love this park is for the simple fact that the city of Toronto built it.  You can pass by this place at any time during the day, and you will see kids hanging out on their boards, probably ditching school!  It’s as though the city is encouraging bad behaviour!  And why is this a good thing?  Because as an ex-Montrealer, I am tired of defending Toronto and its puritanical ways. Sometimes it’s embarassing like years ago, the mayor banned the Bare Naked Ladies from playing at city hall because their name is offensive.  I pretend it doesn’t really matter that that the cheese curds in our poutine does not squeak (this is actually heartbreaking for me), but we can turn right on a red light, though!   There are so many rules and  unspoken social mores  here in T.O.  In Montreal, a man can walk into a corner Depanneur wearing a speedo and no one bats an eye…the best part is, he can buy beer! It gets so oppressive here that a LOCA such as myself in order to rebel will purposefully disable a grocery cart at Loblaws by pushing it over the invisible locking line in the parking lot.  The skate part is a symbol of hope, a graffiti’d beacon for slackers.  And here they are…and some of them are wearing helmets, you can’t take the good completely out of Toronto:

Posted by . Categories: Hanging Around, Neighbourhood Watch. Tags: , , , , , . 5 Comments

05

Apr. ’10

Kristin’s Deep Fried Easter

What would Jesus do?   I’m sure he’d be out in his groovy sandals with his bunny ears strapped on, passing out business cards at the annual  Beaches Lions Easter Parade on this fine day.  Me? Been there done that.  For two years in a row, I was The Beaches Easter Bunny, and got to put on a Peter Rabbit suit (fantastic, with a waistcoat and boots and a giant head) and sit in a convertible mustang with real agent extraordonaire, Gerry DeClute.  What fun!  I was The Bunny at the end of the parade,waving at the adoring crowds,  on the local news and in the Toronto Star the next day (haha, that’s me in that bunny suit, I’d say to the barrista at Starbucks and the men picking up the recycling the next day).  The second year, something happened.  It was as though the Vegas strip came to the village. There were floats with rap artists (“rap artist”, an oxymoron, I know) and show girls in bikinis!  The killer though, is that there were dozens of bunnies doing cirque de soleil style acrobats giving out i-Pods and Toblerone bars and mingling with the ogling pedestrians.  And I was just another bunny in the same old rented Peter Rabbit suit at the tail end of the extravangaza of the millenium, sitting in the back of an old red sports car driven by old Gerry DeClute in an old tuxedo that should have been rented but one he probably bought for some ReMax awards ceremony at a roller rink…talk about a lunch bag let down…seriously, there can only be one bunny in an Easter parade, who did these imposters think they are?  I quit then and there. What a confusing holiday anyway…feels like Sunday when it’s Saturday, liquor stores are closed, and hot cross buns are dryer than biscotti, what’s the buzz with those?  Furthermore, what kind of religion can concoct such a strange brouhaha of non sequitors?  I’d like to see documentation of the evolution of a crucifiction leading to an egg hunt.  Germany must have been involved somehow….and by the way, question to Cadbury: bunnies don’t lay eggs but they drop brown pellets, what exactly are you trying to sell?  I’m not bitter about my bunnydom, I did do some pre-parade mingling and I did discover everyone loves a parade, especially all things cute:

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26

Mar. ’10

Kristin’s Gin Soaked Adventure

I never thought I would say this but:  Forget about vodka and George Clooney.  It’s all about gin (Hendrick’s) and Xavier Padovani (Global Gentleman Mixologist and International  Bon Vivant).  First let me preface the story by saying that gin and I have never been very good friends.  Usually the only alcohol we had in the house when I was growing up was a bottle of Beefeaters and when I was in Grade 9 I once poured some in a cup of tea, thinking it would be a good mix because of the British dandy on the bottle.  Well it wasn’t.  And I did drink the whole thing, even back then I wouldn’t waste alcohol.  But that was it for me and gin (gross!) and I would have a Pavlovian barf reaction every time I would smell it.  I wanted to like it though.  Gin drinks are sophisticated and have cool names like the Negroni.  Then last summer at the Roger’s Cup, they were pushing a gin based drink called Pimm’s and it was yum.  I like to go to the Roger’s Cup and not so much watch tennis as hang around in the tent and drink cocktails.  I developed a taste for gin sort of but it only lasted for part of the summer, I forgot about it after Labour Day.  It seems like its one of those Waspy rules where not only that you can’t wear white after Labour Day, you have to switch from gin to scotch.  Then last week,  my gym buddy Michelle Hunt invited me and my friend Lorraine to an event that featured cocktails with Hendrick’s and hosted by “the sexiest man alive”.  How could I say no to free cocktails and a hot guy?  Michelle and her partner, Laura, own the Martini Club http://www.martiniclub.com/ in the heart of the Distillery District.  They cater events and also do the recipes for the LCBO magazine, totally a dream job!  Last night they had a cocktail party featuring Hendrick’s gin http://www.hendricksgin.com/ and their mixologist , Xavier Padovani.  There is something to be said about European men, they’ve got all the mojo.  The party had a very glam 1920s vibe.  We started with what looked like tea (there’s that gin and tea thing again) but was really mulled gin with cinnamon, cloves, and pineapple juice…so gin is not just a summer drink, it was delish!  Then we went on to something called Smash….move over mojto….the Smash is similar but with gin, and replaced the mint with basil.  We also had a martini with cucumber and lemon.  Hendrick’s gin is infused with cucumber which makes it unique and interesting.  Cucumber and booze have a perfect symbiotic relationship because cukes are so watery and fibrous, they also work well in the morning as slices over the eyes to reduce puffiness.  I think I had 4 Smashes and I don’t remember the other drinks, and I am hoping the recipes will be featured in an upcoming LCBO magazine.

Here we are, The Bon Vivants: Michelle, Xavier, and me

And as all great parties do, it hopped in a cab and went across town to Barchef http://www.barcheftoronto.com/ a fantastic martini bar on Queen West at Augusta.  Now I know I blog about east end neighbourhoods but I do go outside of my box for time to time.  And speaking of my box, the mixologist (Frankie)  had his share of mojo.  Here he is in action all fired up, mixing something:

I had to sit in front of a 50 pound bar of ice to cool down.  We had more drinks made of Hendrick’s, they take their cocktails pretty seriously here.  Everything is hand squeezed and painstakingly mixed together.  By the second cocktail, Lorraine and I were so crazed we ordered a beer.  You can only consume so much exquisiteness in one evening.  And I was walking around with a giant grain of sugar stuck to my nose.  We were drunkity, drunk, drunk but you know, I woke up this morning and was clear and perky.  Must be the cucumber in the gin!!  It was the funnest night and I would like to thank our hosts. And for sure I am going get me a bottle of Hendrick’s today, but this time I won’t mix it with tea, maybe just some soda and lime.

Posted by . Categories: Eat & Drink, Field Trip, Hanging Around. Tags: , , , , , . 3 Comments

12

Mar. ’10

Kristin’s 15 Minutes and Then Some

Well, Andy Warhol said “everyone will be famous for 15 minutes” or was it “in 15 minutes, everyone will be famous?” Here I am pondering that question as I wait for my close up on location (at Jones and Danforth) of the show “The Agents.” I’m only pretending to be bored like George Clooney did at the Oscars but really it was the most fun and the crew was the best! The show will air sometime on the W Network. I get to milk my 15 minutes to 30! I think if Andy was still around he’d say “everybody will be famous on a reality show.” The Agents is about real estate agents and all their fun deals and their catty backtalk! Should be a hoot and I will keep y’all posted when it’s on!

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