Cookie-cutter housing; I like it.

A row of attractive cookie-cutter homes in North London.

I love cities. I'm fond of the countryside, too, but it is cities that I love. As a boy I used to bike about my neighbourhood taking notes. On returning home I would add the stuff I had noted to a large map of the area. In my young mind, I was an explorer.

Mine was a "wartime housing" neighbourhood. My street was 52 similar homes on three city blocks --- a true cookie-cutter development. I learned to study those homes and note what had been done to add a little diversity. The siding was varied, some homes had shingles, others had wooden planking. The colour of the homes was varied with some grey, some white, some deep green . . . . The height of the homes varied as some were single floor homes and others were two floor. To prevent someone looking down the street and seeing 52 very similar homes in a very long row, the home were staggered on the lots. A short row of one floor homes might be forward on their lots, while a following row of two story homes would be placed farther back on their lots.

I noticed these same visual tricks were used in what I called the "brick home neighbourhood." Although the brick homes did not look to have all been built at the same time by the same builder, there were often two or three almost identical homes grouped together. One home might have yellow brick and the other red but they were the same style of home. Over the years I saw the insides of many of these homes and can attest that the layouts were identical.

And so, I have been left puzzled by the comments of writers critical of suburban developments. "Suburbs don't have to look like 'human filing cabinets' ", Randy Richmond of The London Free Press tells us. As if building a row of similar homes is unique to suburbia.

These writers toss about the 'cookie-cutter' remarks all too freely. There can be a beauty to repetition. It all comes down to what exactly is being repeated.

New urbanism, an approach to development favoured by these writers, results in very rule-guided structures. And this isn't a criticism. Rules can be good. Think Paris, France.

A new urbanist community north of Toronto.

Another look at housing evoution

With its front porch intact and colourful landscaping, this is a lovely heritage home.

When built many decades ago, the small cottage homes that dot London provided relatively inexpensive housing. This is not always the case today. Many still present a simple but elegant face to the street but inside they have been upgraded, modernized, and rear additions have been added, expanding the homes to sizes unimagined by the original builders and occupants. It is not uncommon to find these homes have had multiple additions over the intervening years.

This once-small-home appears to have had two rear additions expanding it size.

Evolution of a building

I'm not an expert when it comes to architecture. And my memory is failing. All that aside, I believe this lovely little home in North London was once white with a red tile roof.

Back when I was in the market for a home, I can recall it being listed as a mission style home in white stucco. It couldn't be listed quite that way today. It is not longer white and its roof is now simply shingled. The mission look is still there but subdued.

Buildings change over time. Often the changes are quite dramatic but they occur over such a long time period the changes go almost unnoticed.

North London is one of the finest areas in town. I would not be surprised if, in the future, this place undergoes some big and very dramatic changes. Already some of the neighbouring homes have undergone some incredible makeovers.

Magnolia blossoms threatened

The incredibly early spring has encouraged London, Ontario magnolia trees to go into full bloom all too early. Now, the weather has turned chilly during the day and is deep into freezing territory at night. The beautiful blooms may all soon tumble to the ground, victims of the frosty March nights.

Spring is here!

Mud baths are fun, unless you're the dog's owner.

The game of fetch is over.

It was the winter that wasn't. I could have slipped through this past winter without owning a snow blower. There was so little snow that the local ski hill was only able to remain open thanks to its sophisticated snow making equipment.

It is only March and the parks are filled with kids playing, dogs relaxing after a game of fetch and other dogs sneaking off for a spring mud bath. Everyone is loving it, except possibly the owner of the mutt in the mud.

The water is only an inch deep but a rock still makes a good splash.

London Orchid Show

Yesterday, Saturday, March 17 the London Orchid Society's 35th Annual Show and Sale started. It is on again today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Mother Teresa Catholic Secondary School, 1065 Sunningdale Rd. (just east of Adelaide).

The well attended event attracts vendors from across the province. The London Orchid Society can be found online. Just click the link.

Shooting orchids, as incredibly beautiful as they may be, can prove difficult at a show such as the one in London. One must be careful that the light illuminating the blooms is not cold, green fluorescent or overly warm tungsten. I focused my interest on the flowers nearest the large windows. They were bathed in wonderful bright but soft, clean light.

It is also important to watch the background when shooting blooms. All too often backgrounds can be very busy and very distracting with other flowers pushing themselves into the picture.

As you cannot touch the flowers at a show such as this, moving the flowers is out. Move your camera. Pick your angle with care. Do not allow yourself to be blinded by the beauty of the bloom to the detriment of the beauty of you picture. Think picture and not just flower.

Orchid in a plastic container ready to be taken home.

A simple, concrete block home - nice!

I wish I knew more about heritage housing. This home, sitting on a large lot in an older section of London appears to have exterior walls of concrete blocks with a surface treatment reminiscent of cut stone. This may be what is known as rusticated concrete block.

I love the home's simple presentation, but I think a covered porch of some sort must have originally graced the front.

I worry little homes, like this one, are always in danger of being bought and demolished by a developer intent on maximizing land use by replacing the heritage structure with a densely built, in-fill style, multi-unit, condo development.