Townhouses: growing segment of London market

 

Townhouses were somewhat rare when I was young. When friends bought a townhouse/condo back in the early '70s in a community north of Toronto, it was considered a unique development. Not today.  

As I recall, my friends moved into their townhouse/condo in the '70s because of the pressure of fast climbing housing costs. The couple saw the townhouse/condo as an entry point into the housing market that they could afford. My gut feeling is that the high cost of housing is behind the growing popularity of this type of housing.

That said, ease of upkeep and an accurate way to estimate total housing costs probably enter into the equation as well.

A red roof forever

 

I love this home. It looks like a direct descendent of the homes I knew as a child. Homes built in the '20s and '30s in Windsor, Ontario. A direct descendent of those homes but an updated one.

Homes didn't have an attached garage in the '20s. No need. Many folk didn't have a car. As car ownership increased the snoot-nosed home made its appearance. This home borrows from, and improved on, that look in home construction. The jutting snoot is gone but the handy-to-access garage at the front of the home is still present.

This place, with its relatively small size, would easily fit into my former century-old neighbourhood. And yet, with its bright-red metal roof, its paving stone drive, perma-colour shingles and other modern exterior materials, it would stand out. Even the exterior brick would distance it from its neighbours. The brick is coloured concrete and not red or yellow clay.

With its AC unit and triple-pane windows, this home is comfortable in summer and with its blanket of insulation hidden in the exterior walls it is cozy in winter. I would imagine it is draft free.

Folks love to complain. For years our local paper ran stories on the hell of living in the suburbs. The suburbs being places just ten minutes by car from the city centre. But today those stories are waning. Many of the reporters live in the suburbs and like where they live.

Goldenrod: wildflower or weed?

 

 

Goldenrod: it doesn't look like much for much of the year. In fact, minus the flowers it looks very much like a weed. But, come late summer and early fall, huge swaths of bunches of golden flowers sway in the breeze looking wonderful. Very dramatic. And very attractive growing beside public walkways and paths.

Goldenrod is an aggressive plant. It invades and spreads quickly. It is resilient. It handles both rainy weather and periods of drought with aplomb.

A lot of folk believe goldenrod is at the root of their September allergy attacks. According to my grade school science teacher, probably not. He taught us that it was ragweed growing among the stands of goldenrod or near it that was the true culprit. A little googling seems to show support for my old science teacher's position. The story of causing allergic reactions appears to be a myth.

Wild flowers add visual interest to neighbourhood walks

 

These look like wild daisies according to my wife. I love 'em and my wife says she doesn't think the rabbits eat these and they are very hardy. I've got to get these neighbourhood wild flowers growing even  closer to home -- like on my hill behind my backyard.

I'll soon return to the hiking trail that snakes through my area in search of some mature seeds.

Walkways part of new neighbourhood design

 

Attractive, paved walkways are appearing all over London. These are especially common in the new neighbourhoods as walkways are included in almost all new developments.

A richly textured neighbourhood

New neighbourhoods can be fine places to live. Solidly built homes, well insulated, all services buried. Small homes mixed with large homes with medium height apartment buildings also present. Streets have limited traffic, the curved streets do not lend themselves to through traffic, and sidewalks in front of homes are common.

Admittedly it is possible to walk to some retail businesses but my guess is very few do. People walk for mostly for pleasure here or, if they are young, they may be walking to school. The school is close.

When it comes to driving, those living here need only make a very small trip to reach everything normally needed. This may be the suburbs but living here does mean being forced to do a lot of driving. Many journeys are less than two miles.

Preparing for a Halloween that may not happen

The Michaels Store, which specializes in craft supplies, is getting ready for Halloween and encouraging its customers to get ready as well. The store is filled with Halloween themed articles but, and it's a big but, but will there be a Halloween this year. Will kids run from home to home shouting "Trick or treat!" There are good sign that it may not happen. Folks may not want the little kids crowding their porch and shouting loudly and kids may not want to participate.