Leaving Allan Gardens in the Midst of a March snow flurry I was hunkering down for a dull, damp, chill walk to King: when a construction fence at Sherbourne and Gerrard interceded. …interrupted my thoughts …imposed on my awareness …exploded onto consciousness bang! Ideas began swirling. What were the rhythms here? Maybe…
Last Christmas Allan Gardens had a fabulous floral show. Here is a chosen Christmas Sampler: [row cols_nr=”2″][col size=”4″] Poinsetta on Parade [/col][col size=”4″] Poinsetta Dancing [/col][col size=”4″] Merry Go Round [/col][/row] Okay we are having a little pattern fun here derived from last years Christmas show – here is the some more realistic images: Summary …
Toronto ‘s Allstar BigBand has been featured here before. So whats new this year? Well the sound is the same – rich, brassy and full of fun. And the music is drawn from the BigBand era of the 1930’s, 1940’s and 1950’s that helped North Americans get through the Depression, World War II and the …
Normally Jane’s Walks mark the true beginning of Spring – mid May when the tulips are in full bloom. But BBall at Christie Pits in July is proof that Jane’s Walks are now occurring all Summer long and well into Fall especially in the Toronto area. Here are some upcoming early Summer Walks: The featured walk …
The images used in the background slider for Pixof Toronto in Spring are from Allan Gardens 2017 Easter Show : This Easter there were many new floral surprises like 4 Poster Amarylis, Orchids out from behind their standard glass enclosures, and the Koi pool dressed to the Nines were just some of the highlights. Because Allan …
Swing Music and Dancing are still popular well beyond the 1930s, 1940s and 1950. Yes they they have a lot of infectious tunes and songs created by Tommy and Jimmy, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and a host of other great musicians that helped a North America get through a Economic Depression and World …
Every Winter the Wish for Spring hatches 3-4 months early. But one never knows in Toronto when Spring has officially landed given the flux of cold weather deep into May and even June. However, culturally Spring has officially arrived with the commencement of the Scottish Country Dancing in Edwards Gardens the first Tuesday in June and …
Spring is Official with Scottish Dancing in Edwards Gardens Read More »
Accept a heartfelt apology. After last years masterful Christmas Floral exhibition by Allan Gardens horticultural designers, your Toronto photographer thought that it would be very hard to top that show. So making the trip over to Sherbourne and Carlton slipped into the New Year. What a mistake! And here is the evidence: So if you …
The Title to this posting is the exact listing on Google when I searched for “Alex Currie” Toronto artist. The following description was even more revealing: “Runt otherwise known as Alex Currie is a infamous Toronto artist noted for his murals and voted best graffiti artist by Now magazine five times.” But almost all attempts …
People Streaming up and down Bay Street to Nuit Blanche Events The events at City Hall, along Bay Street, and Harbourfront attracted  literally hundreds of show-goers moving up and down Bay. See what was going on at City Hall to attract so many viewers. Read More City Hall Shows Thre wer 3 innovative  video exhibitions …
Nuit Blanche Bedecks TO in Black, White & Startling Colors Read More »
This summer has been active one for great free music concerts at various public parks in Toronto. Edwards Gardens, HarbourFront, Leslieville, and Woodbine among others. And if you follow the previous links you can see some of the great concerts which dotted Toronto’s summer.landscape However, HarbourFront’s Summer Music in the Garden and its  performing group Amar mi …
Summer Music in the Garden – How to ruin your Brand Read More »
As we have previously seen, the Toronto AllStar Bigband recreates the stylish sounds of the Swing Era with full brassy gusto and luster. But the BigBand era featured many great singers like Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, The Andrews Sisters, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, etc. And the Toronto AllStar BigBand has a group of singers that …
One can always find Swing Era Sounds around Toronto Town; but to find where you can listen and dance for free – that is a little tougher. Fortunately the HarbourFront  Centre has interceded during the Summer with  its Dancing on the Pier free program and peppered it with 4 shows from the excellent Toronto All-Star Big …
The Toronto Harbour Front has Free Dancing Night every Thursday during the Summer. The latest evening, June 30th featured the Toronto All Star Big Band featuring music from the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. Hearing those sounds and tunes one could understand immediately how the Swing era helped a North American population get through the Second …
Toronto has a well deserved reputation for having Civic artistry, especially in the downtown core. One can see sculptures, murals and mobile installations not just at the Museums and major government buildings but also in the parks and businesses across all 5 Toronto Boroughs.  But lurking in plain sight are some great art works in the form …
PixofToronto: from Winter to Spring So this means after some April Foolishness, PixofToronto will be trading its Winter Cloaks for Spring Colors. And why not? Toronto is seeing concentrated Spring Weather. Or to state that slightly differently, outdoor gardens, trees  and parks are now able to sustain Spring blooms for more than a day or …
As an avid tennis player one can get withdrawal symptoms during the winter and early Spring months. There are  two conditions. Withdrawal signs in evidence when you start swinging racketless return shots waiting for the subway at Victoria Park. Withdrawal of more than wanted or expected sums of money  to rent time on the various covered …
Time to get up and get some pictures of Spring in the Etobicoke neighborhoods. Woops, Spring pulled some late April Foolishness and blanketed the area with 6 inches of snow. So my Kingsway walk to Old Mill and the Humber River Valley was turned topsy turvy. No hope to find many early Spring blooms. Rather …
I have seen at least 5 shows in which Emilie has exhibited and the images are many, varied and almost tranquil. It is like looking out on a cool pond with gentle ripples … and then you notice among the soothing, pastel hues a provocative color  or an enigmatic icon: Detail from 2004 Toronto Summer …
Artists Scene in Toronto: Emilie Rondeau, Painter and Artist Read More »
Three years ago there was no problem finding lots of snow around Toronto and area. But this Winter the snow has been an apparent victim of El Nino and has not made any bright white showing except for mid February. But then the snows were like old: lotsa, slightly wet so sticky, and willing to …