I know that I tend to underestimate others: their loyalty, their ability to change, their resilience and willingness to persevere. Although I don’t trust easily, because I don’t want to be hurt, I do hope and am often surprised by people’s kindness and and generosity.
This small bush had grown quite large until it was cut to the bone a couple of years ago to provide easier access for some urgent masonry repairs. I reassured my son that it would grow again and I hoped that it would. However, part of me was not at all sure that it would be resilient enough to start again, but it has! Nature perseveres as much as it can and teaches us to not give up. – Maria
I took this picture at the Ontario College of Art and Design University GradEx 109 exhibit. Although the weather is slowly warming up, I was captured by this installation and the feeling of the beach, sea shells, sand, sun, water, umbrellas, warmth and long slow days.
The art, including paintings, textiles, jewelry, photography and garments, was incredible. So imaginative and exploring the boundaries of their craft. I highly recommend the exhibit if you get the chance and are in Toronto during the next couple of days. Every year these students put on such a brilliant show and this year is no different. – Cris
I found this collar, buried under debris, in a corner of my backyard. It is one of several collars that my daughter bought for Junie, our grouchy cat, over the years. Junie detested wearing collars and eventually always found a way to rid herself of them. Cats are stealthy, quiet creatures, and Junie spent a lot of time outdoors in her younger days, so the collar with a bell was a way to know where she was and to hopefully provide a warning to the nearby birds and mice. When she became too old to fend for herself against the neighbourhood wildlife, we let her be collar-free.
Junie lived to be 20 1/2 years old – approximately 100 in human years – and was born sometime in May 2002. This collar was buried with her. – Maria
As those close to me know, I am directionally challenged. My most important preparation for visiting London almost two years ago was creating an itinerary with directions for myself. Using Google maps, I planned my daily walks to landmarks like the Globe Theatre, Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey, all approximately an hour’s walk from where my daughter was living near Tower Bridge. Also, I always kept in mind where the Thames River was in relation to me. This all helped tremendously, but especially as I became more comfortable and started taking detours, these street maps, which are at every major intersection throughout the City of London, were life-savers. I never got lost, which for me, is amazing.
So . . . I was very pleased to see a Toronto version last year. This one is near Lake Ontario, near the finish line of the Mother’s Day 10 km. run I have done for a few years now. I don’t need them as I refuse to admit that I can get lost in my native city, but I hope tourists find them as useful as I did in London. – Maria
My tea of choice, if I’m looking for a caffeine hit, is orange pekoe. I don’t particularly like Earl Grey. Perhaps it’s the bergamot that I dislike. Orange pekoe is not a flavour of tea but a grade of tea leaves, which is something I learned a couple of years ago when I went through a tea buying spree and accumulated a bit of a stock pile of tea. The base, the constant, the go-to is always orange pekoe.
What is your tea of choice? – Cris
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