WEEK TEN

Late uploading my blog this week... sorry for those who plan a cuppa around reading it at a certain time each week! And not much to say... well not through photos... as I didn't seem to take many!

The usual wedding whirl occurred last weekend but this time both weddings on Saturday and Sunday were on the Toronto Islands. Like the beaches of last week, Toronto has islands too! They (see map insert) are in the lake not far from the city. They provide a perfect vantage point for the city and are idyllic playgrounds for Torontonians in the warmer weather. I spent a luxurious Sunday (while Peter worked) walking through parks, eating lunch at the famous Rectory Cafe while I finished my latest book, lying on a beach and eventually falling asleep on the grass in late afternoon sun...

Only problem... I forgot my camera... so no images. But the day before on a different island I was able to watch the sun set and then catch the city lights across the water. So there's some evidence of those happy days....

Started my Digital SLR camera course this week. Began with composition and now I can see what is wrong with all the photos I've already posted! The instructor asked if anyone thought they had the eye and I stupidly said I thought I did... and no one else did.... so they'll have fun critiquing my photos when I send them in for later classes. Duffer!

Today I am writing from Montreal! Trained here yesterday (about five and a half hours) to spend the weekend with my friend Eva. She is here from London attending the International Civil Aviation Organisation legal meeting here. Apparently there is a Montreal Convention. I am learning lots of things I hadn't considered before! We, of course, as old friends (we met at the Brisbane Migrant Resource Centre when we were both working there in about 1996) are talking madly and today going out into a sunny day to explore Montreal old town.

On the train I sat next to a young woman who looked sophisticated and very chic! I thought she must be from Montreal... the French are always so chic I thought to myself. So after a while we started talking... oh, she's Australian! Where are you from? Brisbane, she says. West End! So then I have to ask myself, who's chic!!!? We had a great time talking the rest of the way to Montreal and will hopefully catch up here.

Finally, for those who know my earlier blogs, I have made a friend!!! In the queue for the Toronto International Film Festival I met a fabulous woman and couldn't stop talking for hours! Unfortunately she lives in Chicago... and so it doesn't count for a Toronto friend I guess. Hoping to visit her there sometime as it is a short flight from here and apparently an amazing city.

Well the sun is calling... and Eva doesn't get that much sun living in London so more next week.

love

Lindy

WEEK NINE

Well another great week... how fortunate am I! But not too proud to show this photo for my food segment of the week... Ontario corn... yummo... as you can see! And I'm desperately in need of finding a hair dresser.... where are you when I need you Larissa!

Week started with another wedding to cater... this time in an art gallery (if you're curious about the dark interiors here) and as promised the chef's gear... the real chef and the fake one.

Gorgeous weather... Brisbane Winter standard... clear sunny skies... 25 degrees... low humidity... so I thought I should take advantage of it and spend a day at the beach... it is a beach on a lake but for the lack of waves it feels like the sea... and it was beautiful....

In fact they have a Balmy Beach... such a good name. It was my Dad's birthday yesterday (had he still been alive he would have been 92) and he loved the beach so I enjoyed it in his honour. When both Mum and Dad passed away our family wanted to donate a chair to the local park in Dalby where they would walk each afternoon when they were able. Dad would take his walker in later years and they would head to the next chair, take a break and then make a move to the next one. We, as a family, spent some time trying to get the wording right for a plaque to go on the chair. So I was touched and impressed by this one I sat on yesterday at Balmy Beach... hope you can read the text.

... and these the beautiful trees...

Earlier in the week I was mostly queuing... first to try to get into hear President Bill Clinton speak at the Canadian National Expo (bit like our Ekka though in August here it is warm!)... but alas tickets ran out just as I got to the front of the line. I did get to wander the exhibits and caught this flag view and the winner in the sand carving competition (left).

Next I queued to get my choice of ten movie tickets for the Toronto International Film Festival. Every year I promise I will get to the BIFF but never do.... here I have no excuse... and this time I made it and these are the films I am getting to see starting week after next:

• Capitalism: A love Story
• Heiran
• Toad's Oil
• Between Two Worlds
• To the Sea
• Melody for a Street Organ
• Carmel
• Bassidji
• Baaria

My sister Heather told me there are 17 Australian films at TIFF... and I saw them there but decided to wait for those and go for ones I won't likely see from Japan, Italy, Iran, USA and elsewhere. I'll let you know what I thought if I don't get too scrambled with so many movies in so few days. It is also a big venue for the stars... George Clooney most notably probably to most of my girlfriends ... sadly for me, not Johnny Depp.... aghhh.

Finally on the restaurant.... there is a public hearing set for 30 September (the day sister Lainey arrives here) and we should know the outcome two or three weeks after that. Interesting, having been inside Local Government, watching the processes, both government and community, from the business vantage point.

In the meantime JP and Peter are providing croissants, muffins, banana bread and brownies to a new coffee shop owner a few doors down. Sam is a delightful guy who happens to be the winner of the Canadian Central Regional Barista Competition 2008! He has given me a few tips and actually has them online in short movies so for those of you who are interested click here. For milk frothing... the wonderful coffee roaster at Di Bella in Brisbane, Anne Cooper, put me onto this online video... see here. Some photos below to finish the week of Sam, Peter delivering at 7am (and yes I made it to take the photo), the decor including the interesting light shades... can you see it is a jar?

Bye for now

love

Lindy

Week Eight

Toronto!!!

Hi all, just had a lovely walk last night up the street from our place and this is two of the views we saw... weather cooling a little and really pleasant.

Week Eight? Eek this means the time is going really fast and my dream days here are finite. I did find myself telling someone that I could live here.. but I've yet to survive a Winter... so I shouldn't speak too soon. I asked Peter if he could live anywhere in the world where would it be... he said "Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne" so it doesn't sound like Peter will want me to live here!

Peter is very down on his city and gets very frustrated about the way it is being run... does seem to be a lot of unending roadwork and disruption to life ... we rarely go out without having to detour to go around a road block at night because police have closed roads due to crime. If you watch CP24 which has 24 hour Toronto news, weather and traffic updates you would think the city is riddled with crime...

This got me curious so I've checked comparative crime rates between Brisbane and Toronto... can only find between Australia and Canada and they reveal usually that we're pretty close on most things... though Australia higher usually. I can't vouch for this stats website, NationMaster.com but it seems to claim it has stats on all these things... click on each to get the stats link.

Murders per capita
Robberies per capita (Australia tops this one fairly significantly)

Rapes per capita (both countries very high comparatively sadly)

Total crimes per capita (this one is just interesting because it puts NZ at number two... Australia doesn't rate but that's most likely an error of omission)
Unpaid diplomatic parking fees (just for something curious... )

Significant event this week of course the death of Senator Ted Kennedy. CNN covering it wall to wall and it is interesting to watch places in and around Boston that Lainey and I will visit in a few weeks. TV is pretty much only via cable here and we get more many many US channels. Number of possible channels would have to be in the hundreds but I still miss old Aunty ABC.

Big event for us was buying a DSLR camera (Nikon D90 Rick and anyone interested in details). I have only the most basic knowledge so far of how to make her work. Nevertheless, over the weeks you should see the quality of the images improve as I practice and start my course in September. Peter delighted in hunting down the best deal and has gotten into the excitement... here some shots of him opening the boxes, setting up the camera and reminding me of my sister Wendy when we were kids opening my presents on Christmas morning saying "Lindy wake up! Look what Santa brought you!!".

More festivals on... this one a couple of blocks east of where we are living. I went with Liz (we joke about going on dates) to the East Asia Festival, though I haven't worked out how to capture them yet... there was lots of colour here... which I seemed to miss! Liz and I having a Curry. She's a lovely woman and I really appreciate her generosity of spirit ...

Being arty with new camera... shot from outside ICI...

Public hearing for the liquor licence for Ici, the restaurant, is now likely late September. While the partners are getting frustrated... there's another wedding to cater this weekend so I'll be on the job again with my slicing peeling threading and deep frying!! I'm enjoying the days before the restaurant opens as I know it will be crazy once it does and it is nice to have Peter to myself for parts of most days. Here are the partners... JP, Jennifer and Peter... JP and Co.

Oh and finally the week wouldn't be complete without a visit to China Town. Enjoyed these images (you might have to look closely at the labels to get the humour) in our favourite shop yesterday. We did buy an old chicken and he's cooking away right now... for a long time I suspect!

Love the Half old Chicken!

Bye for now

Love

Lindy

WEEK Seven

Hi all, I'm getting requests for updates... it is only a week but apparently because I edited last weeks it appeared that I had updated ... sorry for those who are now used to a weekly Canadian fix... hope I can keep doing interesting things for you!!!

Took this photo yesterday of the place we're living in... nice morning... so captures it really well I think. See the tiny windows up in the top floor... that's where I'm looking out of now.

I've spoken to Luke, Peter's son, who is in Asia (based in Singapore but just been travelling in Nepal and China) on the phone a couple of times and he always asks me what I do 'to fill my days'. I can't really explain it but the days seem busy.... is it doing an occasional help out at the restaurant? Is it going to walk the dogs most days? Is is getting around on public transport... don't think so as it is pretty efficient and I can link up between street car, subway and bus without long delays ... I think I have it worked out. It is sitting on the internet doing just about everything we used to do by foot, car or on the phone. It includes a list something like this...

Finding accommodation at view.ca
Booking tickets for concerts (exciting!)
Do banking in Australia
Skyping (though most of you are not awake when I want to talk!)
Checking email to hear from you
Sorting out things like car selling, insurance, managing my rental for Glenrosa Rd
Keeping up with Facebook ... read some interesting stuff on my Obama page yesterday... did you see this interesting interchange on TV outside of Nth America? I enjoyed this so much... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYlZiWK2Iy8
Planning the accommodation, flights, car hire for trip to the US in October when my sister Lainey comes over (lucky us!)
Keeping up with Australian news on ABC website
Getting online advice from my barista teacher in Brisbane (thank you Anne Cooper!) and more on that next week
Looking for a digital SLR camera for my camera course that I found and booked of course online... oh and
Writing this blog!
Now this is nothing new to anyone... but despite the fact that I now don't have a job that requires me to use my computer... here I am on it nearly all day.... oh yes I need to use it to...
Find a gym before I develop into a BlogBlob!!

This is in front of Peter's house (with Liz his expartner) where the dogs live... (I get more questions about the dogs than anything in the blog of course)and it is a pretty little garden. No we don't live here! Next is a corney photo of me in my new sun frock... that I got Peter to take because of the colour in the dress and the flower match... and don't I remind me of my mother in this photo (actually wearing her pearls which probably helps that feeling).

Out looking at cameras yesterday we went to an entire shopping centre filled with Chinese shops... it could really have been in China but an occasional Canadian maple leaf flag reminded me where we are... Peter (I told him you'll all think he's a cheapskate) found this restaurant that sold these huge mango juices... and if you spent $5 per person... a full meal for .99c!!! See photo below to prove it. Peter very generous actually but he dearly loves a bargain..

Finally the weather is still crazily hot and humid here... and last night while at a catering function for a local plant nursery's 120th anniversary (I forgot to get a photo of my chef's gear... requested by you Lainey I think!) there was an almighty storm with thunder and lightening, huge rain that filled the kitchen floor with water, water pouring down the walls and in through the ceiling and had the guests hiding inside between rain and wind gusts (interestingly though they stayed for hours to keep eating the food). We managed to shift the kitchen to a drier room. Little did we know that there were tornado like winds nearby and a young boy was killed and many many houses lost roofs etc. See: http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/684478

We are also watching the likely arrival on the East Coast of Tornado Bill. Seems like Nth Qld again...

Little did I know when I was so taken with Peter's beautiful smile the first time I saw him that I'd be dragging around the catering world pretending to know what I was doing a few years later! Anyway promise a photo next time.

Bye for now
love
Lindy

Week Six

You know your life has changed when you wake up wondering what the day will hold and the man in your life says...'oh we're going to buy a pig's head'... Oh OK, should have thought of that...

So off to the Happy Meat Market... to buy one roast pig's head ... which clearly makes Peter happy if not the pig!

So what does one do with this? It is to be used, including the crispy roast skin, to stuff hand made ravioli... of course!!! But we sneak a snack before the guests would ever know...


On other matters close to my heart, last week I was wondering whether I might be able to get Leonard Cohen tickets as he's doing a second nth american tour after the success of the first world wide tour that many of you in Brisbane went to... well I just happened to have a look online the day before tickets went on sale for Madison Sq Gardens... so next morning at precisely 10am I start trying to get the tickets... it took two hours of internet and telephone calls... because of my non american credit card... but as I've posted on facebook, two tickets happily snared for 23 October. So that was a quick answer to my blog dream!

As those of you who know me from LAMP days know... I am convinced of the power of symbols... and when I saw this seagull on a pole... I had an immediate sense of recognition... now I'm over the jetlag and tiredness of leaving Australia... I feel like this bird... a little alone but in a very good and serene place to look out on the world...

Other than that I'm happily nesting in our new place. It takes 25 minutes by street car (tram) and underground and a walk to get to the restaurant. Our little two bedoom apartment is on the third floor of an old house (about 100 years or more) on a fairly busy road between China Town number Two and Greek Town... this seems to be how Toronto is organised.

There is a street car literally at the front door either going north or directly to the city. There is a hospital, aged care home and a prison on the other side of the street and a large ravine park that has... sadly ... a big freeway running through it. From the side of the road we get a good view of the city with the dominating CN Tower. This morning I spied a swimming pool and tennis courts that promise fun.

Here I am at 11pm at the restaurant writing my blog.... catering work is long and seemingly endless. I have done my bits and pieces and been paid in wine and kisses. I am not complaining!





Oh and it is hot and humid, punctuated by storms every day or two. Sound like Brisbane in summer?





Thanks for all the messages that keep popping up. I love hearing from you all.

xxx
love
Lindy

Scored!! Two tickets to hear Leonard Cohen, Madison Square Gardens, in October when my sister Lainey and I are in New York. Can't believe it really as I was so disappointed to miss him in Brisbane and to go to Madison Sq Gardens will be an experience in itself. This is one of the perks that made it easier to leave my home my family my friends my cat ...so I'm so delighted.

Back to the rain again... storms every day... you would think I was in Brisbane but at least I am in no hurry to get to or from work.... so I am just enjoying them from whatever vantage point I'm at. Currently in the restaurant. The health inspector is here ... laying down some laws... even though they aren't open.

Week Five

Before I start, thanks for all the comments on the scate dog walking... see the latest! And no you won't ever see me on a skateboard... scared!

Oh... and the five week city workers strike finished a few days ago. Still smelly rubbish lining streets and filling designated parks etc. Relief though as the weather heats up because...Summer is here!

THINGS ON BALCONIES - take your choice, two giant painted moose or two guys sneaking out their window to play guitar above the African shop below. Toronto can channel the spirit of California that I couldn't find in California!

THINGS GROWING IN CARS - see the number plate...

BEAUTIFUL TORONTO

Green, green greener after all the rain... and more of those beautiful streets and houses.. oh and getting around in a Hippo, tourism here on Lake Ontario... Hippo goes on the road when it needs to... and talking of carrying things... Peter always ends up carrying my bag as well as his (note the HAT!)

PETER AND LINDY on the day out... Peter getting ready for his first album cover (not really) and me standing in front of the 'in' in Dufferin subway station as I'm really a duffer most of the time!



But top news for the week was seeing Lang Lang and Herbie rip up the keyboards with an unnamed orchestra... with two massive grand pianos as their dueting playground. We were in cheapish seats but still had OK sound and views... Rhapsodie in Blue, such a fabulous Gershwin masterpiece, was the obvious highlight that was one of the most exciting things I've ever seen/heard... rest was interesting too, especially Lang Lang's incomparable delicate touch on the keys though I see the newspaper reviewer panned it.

Click here for utube version from the Brit Awards but while it is worth seeing it can't compare with being there... also if I might, the Toronto orchestra (made up for the night and not the TSO apparently) so much better than the orchestra for this recording. Am I starting to sound Canadian!!!!?? My photo below taken without flash...

Next I hear that Leonard Cohen is still intending to do some north american gigs so I'm gonna make sure I don't miss out as I did in Brisbane.

Bad news is I found a coffee better than ours yesterday at an interesting place here called the Distillery (artsy area using an old whiskey distillery). Good news is I got in touch with my barista teacher in Brisbane at Di Bella. For those who want lessons from me, and you're in Brisbane, forget the grasshopper, go to the source at Di Bella!

And finally we have a place to live for two months... still awaiting that pesky apartment above the restaurant... and yes still waiting for the liquor licence! I think this new apartment, which is in the eves really, or third floor on top of a renovated house around 100 years old is still online. If you wanna see try here!

Love til next time

Lindy

Week Four

Probably Toronto's most interesting buildings... so far for me anyway! Though to be honest the really beautiful buildings here are houses and smaller university, business and religious buildings... but those next time!

1) Art Gallery of Ontario

2) Ontario College of Art & Design

3) CN Tower

Well today, it feels like summer in Toronto, finally after two solid weeks of rain, cloud and thunder storms. I feel happy to be wearing a sun dress, sandles and sunglasses... like home I guess!

This week about finding a place to live... but nothing yet has finalised... as is life no doubt we will find the right place just at the last moment. We are still both not so secretly keen on living above the restaurant but we are not in control of when the owner/builder will get it ready and then we can't be sure if we'll like it or will be able to afford it!

In the meantime... I am excited to be going to hear Lang Lang, the amazing Chinese pianist with Herbie Hancock (who needs no introduction) next Wednesday night... playing Rhapsodie in Blue by Gershwin as part of the show... I have been looking forward to hearing/seeing Lang Lang since seeing an amazing doco on him a few years ago. This a very good part of being in Toronto!

My coffee getting better as the weeks pass and still haven't had a better one in a coffee shop here.... gone are the days of me having a no caffeine diet inpsired by Golden Door Health Retreat!

Prices for food seem amazingly good to me... but guess you say, what about the exchange rate? For whatever it is now... click here. But still I've been amazed... I know I talked about this in week one but thought you might like some details...

• 6 ripe mangoes for $5 (not quite Bowen but flavour good)
• 10 Tahitian limes for $1 (yes Zannie, this is pretty good!)
• 1.98 lb (nearly a kilo for the young ones) lychees for $1.96
• 2 lb bananas for $1.30
• 2 large pawpaws for $5.00
• 2 lb red cherries for $3.00
• 1 shoulder pork for $2.98 (we got three meals out of that!)
• 2 fresh yellow fin fish for $4.98

Admittedly this is China Town and I'm with the best damn food shopper this side of Hawaii... but it is a pleasure and a saving which I am enjoying given I don't work these days. I also remind Peter that most of this excellent fruit is probably coming from poor South American farmers... he agrees... sad truth I guess they rather sell to us than not. This right?

Finally no trip to China Town complete without a nip into the Hong Kong Island Bakery for hot Chinese buns (yes yes my prediliction haha) which I had discovered when living in HK in 2005. Oh yummm...

Thought you... well those of you who haven't already had enough of Peter and dogs... might enjoy a small snippet from our walk this week.