Australia Day

This years Australia Day was over the tops HOT at 42 - hottest in 33 years. The fireworks were awesome as was when God showed up to show off HIS light show.

Ferris Bueller is Back

To celebrate the launch of the all-new 2012 CR-V, Honda brought Ferris Bueller's Day Off back

ROLF HICKER PHOTOGRAPHER said "SHARE" - Toronto GIGAPANO

Rolf wrote: """My contribution today is actually a gigapano of the skyline of Toronto in Ontario, Canada, I used GTGui to stitch it, it was photographed in 2 layers vertical, 9 shots horizontal. Canon 1Ds Mark3, 100 ISO, 15 sec/f8 @ 110mm (2.8/70-200mm). Hope you like - feel free to share.""" (maybe CLR understands the lingo?) Beautiful pic Rolf!

MAPLE LEAF GARDENS TIME CAPSULE

Conn Smythe buried a time capsule on September 21, 1931 as the Maple Leaf Gardens was being built. Last year they found it while making the old Maple Leaf Gardens into a Loblaws, buried at the corner of Carlton and Church St. behind the cornerstone - This week they did the big reveal! Inside the copper box besides newspapers, the items included professional and amateur hockey rulebooks, a municipal handbook, a mini Red Ensign flag, a letter to Gardens directors, and a stock prospectus and a mystery item - an ivory elephant whose significance has officially stumped Ryerson officials. Ryerson history professor Arne Kislenko hinted he had a theory, but was under a gag order not to reveal it. Its a no brainer to me - elephants were good luck charms especially in the 30's during the depression. DUH! On regular pocket pieces, the elephant appeared along with a panoply of good luck symbols, including the All-Seeing Eye, the swastika, the heart-padlock, the four-leaf clover, the horseshoe, the rabbit foot, and the wishbone. Today, we have tons of stupid email chain letters that promise a plethora of good things to happen if you forward to 10 people for which I respond back to the sender this:

"If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon, and the fleas from 120 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's best friend's beautician . ."
(smirk!)

YOU DON'T HAVE TO SPEND A WAD...

...to get yourself a decent mattress. We got a deal on a Dreamstar for 275.00. Thing is - it was firm and needed some sponge. Off to the soon to be kaput Zellers where the deal of the day was happening for 99.00 - all sizes of memory foam toppers. Great price for a mattress and foam topper eh?

Frans Restaurant RETRO Rice Pudding

I finally made Frans Restaurants Rice Pudding from the recipe that CLR sent me that was in the Toronto Star when I wore bell bottom hipster pants to the EX listening to Feelin' Groovy on my transistor radio.

FUNdamentals: 7 cups of homo milk (I used 1% cause, well - ya know! fatty), 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup long grain converted rice (I used ORZO rice cause it sounds sexier -rotfl), 1/2 cup of raisins (I like the darkened ones), 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla.

How Ya Do It: In a large saucepan combine 6 cups milk, sugar and rice. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmmer, covered for 30 minutes. Remove cover and simmer 30 minutes longer OR UNTIL RICE IS TENDER (not mushy). The milk will not be totally absorbed. Stir in raisons (I added the raisons while it was simmering without the cover). Set aside!

In a bowl beat 1 cup of milk, eggs and vanilla until blended and then blend this mixture in with the rice mixture.

Transfer mixture to a large bowl, cover and refrigerate until chilled or up to two days.

Topping: NOW, if you want to make it true RETRO Frans style you mix 1/4 cup of vanilla instant pudding mix with 1 cup of milk and place in fridge until thickened (over 5 minutes). Spoon rice mixture into bowls (this makes 8) and then spoon pudding over top. Mix some cinnamon with sugar and sprinkle over top - VERY RICH!

Shown below in my early 70's Indiana Glass Blue Harvest Cream and Sugar set with matching tray. The Harvest pattern has embossed grapes and leaves and looks great in my Tuscan (cause its yellow, white and blue) Kitchen.

Memories of Houndstooth

In the 60's (Grade 9) I bought a pair of Wool Houndstooth Trousers. Unfortunately, I went to Don Valley Ski Hill (long gone) and ripped them skiing down the hill. Who would ever go skiing in freakin wool houndstooth trousers - stupid fashionable me. I never skied again (smirk). Good memories though with Ann, Shirley (Jan?), Nuge, Banger (what a nickname - UGH!), Wally and Fred. Here is a pair of vintage ones that were just like mine:

STUFF

Just posting some STUFF that I got - Tin vintage look sign of Pillsbury Dough Boy, tin XMAS WHITMAN chocolates holder, 4 popcorn holders, WELCOME bull-dog (actually will be sending that to someone), cute plastic Pinocchio, a DOUBLE BUBBLE gum tin lunch bucket, juggling dvd and balls, vintage kissing dutch boy and girl and dutch shoes. Also scored vintage houndstooth pure wool knee length coat with hoodie which I cannot wait to wear (just got it back from the cleaners). AND ALL FOR A REAL DEAL!!! Buda BING!

HEY CLR - THE ACROPOLIS IS FOR RENT

To help Greece out with their sad, sad, sad economy the Acropolis has just gone from $5,000 a day to about $2,050. In the past, most requests for film shoots at the Acropolis were routinely rejected — although director Francis Ford Coppola and “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” received permission. I wonder who will take them up on this?

ALSO,
I had gone onto Whitehorse weather the other day and found this pic of the ice fog - I used to love those days of staying home from work and having people over while Angus made coffee with Grand Marnier - we called them Grand Marnier Days. Here is the pic and to my surprise CLR had posted as well. Now thats cold!!!

Writing and TDOT Bookstore

I updated my profile today. One thing I added was - WRITING. I really like what Melody wrote yesterday - see blog here - http://melodygodfred.com/

"Sometimes, the best writing stems from the freedom to write simply for the sake of writing, without using the process as a means to an end. So today, I urge you to set out on a new writing project without a preconceived end point or plotline. Let your ideas go where they want to go, and as Martin Luther King Jr. so wisely recommended, don’t worry if the next step isn’t in sight. Who knows? A little wandering could lead you to a staircase you never dreamed you’d discover."

On another - almost same subject, this has been going viral for a week - Bookstore located in TDOT at 833 Queen Street West called "TYPE"

Still going to the theatre to see MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE

Just when I thought my heart affair with watching movies in the comfort of my home was kaput and heading off to do it OLD SCHOOL (go to the theatre) - I find out that a few movies are coming out at the end of January - THE DESCENDANTS, TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY and DRIVE (not sure about when THE ARTIST will be on DVD) - just saw THE HELP and loved it! All of the 5 mentioned movies are BAFTA's nominees for 2012. No voting until I have seen them all but I sure would 5 star THE HELP!

WAKE UP TO THIS!

Be creative and make this sign for beside your bed:

WAKE UP BEAUTIFUL, YOUR DAY AWAITS!

(tks SHIMMER)

and then go to the mirror and look straight shooter into it and say:

YOU ARE MARVELOUS DARLINK!

yep, thats the ticket!

SIXTEEN MAGAZINE JULY 1967

For some, it was the summer of love. For me it was the summer of finding the perfect fabric (which I did) to make a new outfit to wear for the first day of High School. I got navy wide stripe corduroy and made the exact same outfit as Twiggy has on in the pic below - loved that suit!!! I wish I had pics of that suit (sigh!) Also, there is a pic of Twiggy showing how to do her eyes which I copied and also wore. (memories)

Nathan Fletcher rides the BIG ONE! (Aug.27/11) WOW!!!

Nathan Fletcher talks about it (note how if he knew, he would have had a heart attack)


Cinematographer Chris Bryans (who just happened to be there) version:

AND IT BEGINS

UPDATE JAN 16/11 - Agreement has been reached (big sigh of relief) - Car will come to our place at the end of the month. Mom will put name into retirement home.

I hope that the switchover from living alone to living in a seniors will go smoothly. We (my 2 brothers and I) are having to deal with my moms increasing memory loss. This is just the beginning of this, we have not got her name in a home yet but as of Monday, driving the car is KAPUT! Thanks to big bro for taking care of everything. And on a lighter note - re-posting HOW TO KNOW WHEN YOU SHOULD STOP DRIVING:

REPOSTING CAUSE IT MAKES ME LAUGH

Crow Snowboarding

WAITING TO SEE THIS!

I have had it with renting movies. I am going to start doin it old school and go out to the movies. Looking forward to this one coming out --- Synopsis
Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, MOONRISE KINGDOM tells the story of two twelve-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore -- and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle. Bruce Willis plays the local sheriff. Edward Norton is a Khaki Scout troop leader. Bill Murray and Frances McDormand portray the young girl's parents. The cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, and Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as the boy and girl.

Moonrise Kingdom by teasertrailer

Vadim loves Annie who loves Koalas

at least this is my take on the following link - Check it out:

http://www.koalastothemax.com/

Love this YARN!

I have got to find me some RETRO REFLECTIVE YARN

AND THEN THERE WERE THREE

Our cat Lucy passed away peacefully this morning at 10:00 a.m. in her wicker chair (both pics of Lucy were just taken yesterday) in the kitchen. My nephew got Lucy for us in 1993. Lucy was born on his moms birthday May 26 in 1993. We have had 6 Tuxedo cats at our home - Bunny, Minnie, Buckwheat, Bubbah, Lucy and LENNOX (6) (who is still with us) and two dogs - Babe (15) and Chevy (4)(still with us). Just 3 years ago there were 4 cats and two dogs. I am not sure about getting another cat??? I think for now we will just BE THREE.

Full Moon at 7:30 a.m.

The BALEBERRY Girls

We moved from the city to the BURBS in 1958. I bet very few could say that they still got together with their neighbours almost 54 years later. Mom and her neighbours still do. The addresses were #22, #24, #26 and #28 - My mom still has the same phone number and maybe the other girls do to. #26 is still in their home - Someone pinch me - what I would give to still have my mom living in that house with the great rec-room. I really should post some old shots of THE GOOD OLE DAYS - have to get that one together soon. Here they are just the other day all having lunch together at #24 and #28's building. Cheers!

CHEVALIER GETS A TRIM

Isn't he cute - Cute yes! - but oh so Cranky!

BEFORE


AFTER

PET PEEK

I wish we could have one of these so that our dog Chevy could peek at Mars (not the Planet but the neighbours pooch next door). Chevy goes bonkers everytime he hears Mars out back and crouches down as low as he can go to peek under the fence.

HAPPY GOOD YEAR GOOD NEWS!

A Swedish woman who lost her wedding ring 16 years ago was shocked to find it attached to a carrot in her vegetable garden. Lena Påhlsson lost her priceless homemade ring after she set it on the kitchen counter to avoid misplacing it while doing some Christmas baking. She had already resigned to a life without it when, suddenly, it resurfaced on the taproot of a small carrot she had yanked out of her garden and was about to throw away. “Our daughter Anna was at home at the time and she heard an almighty scream from the garden,” Lena’s husband Ola told The Local. Ola and Lena have a few theories as to how the ring ended up straddling a vegetable. ”We thought maybe it had fallen in to the compostable food bin,” Ola said. “Perhaps it ended up in compost that was spread over the vegetable patch later.” The far more fun hypothesis however involves the family ewe. “Maybe it had been eaten by the sheep and then ended up in the manure that we then spread over the vegetable patch.”