It's a beautiful poodle with a strong presence. It draws admiring looks when brought to the neighbourhood park. It did not come as a big surprise to learn that this designer dog was actually a goldendoodle: a mix of golden retriever and poodle.
A relatively new breed, it has a history going back about two decades. In that time the breed has gained quite the following and not just based on its good looks. Goldendoodles are known for their admirable personality traits as well.
School was different when I was a boy. For instance, we never had a wear-your-pajamas-to-school-day. And another thing we never had was a crazy hair day. Today the schools have both and that is why my granddaughter wore a colourful paper plate incorporated into her hair style today.
Crazy hair day: I call it nonsense. The kids, students, call it fun. Oh well, she is learning to speak French. The school must be doing something right.
I live in Byron, a neighbourhood in the southwest of London. It has an extensive suburban development on its hilly terrain in the southern end of the former village.
Decades ago there was a large garbage dump immediately in front on my home. The dump is long gone but it still produces methane. There are vents here and there to remove the gas safely. No homes or other structures can be built on the the contaminated soil.
That doesn't mean the land doesn't have value. It does. The neighbourhood kids treasure the open space, the twisting trails and small groves of trees. The paths provide popular shortcuts to other streets and courts. I often see a young mountain biker bursting from the never-to-be-developed land. They fly over the edge of a ridge and if you are not expecting them, it can be quite the surprise.
Why is the girl wearing a pair of rabbit ear glasses and being silly with a silly stuffy? In a word: Easter. Now, what do rabbits and cheap, silly toys have to do with Easter? Not a lot, I'd say. That said, bibles and other religious paraphernalia seem to have less and less to do with Easter as well. The CBC noted that Canadians were moving from the sacred to the secular and looked at the changing spiritual nature of Canadians.
Small, good bakeries are as important to making good cities as fine architecture. Covid -19 is threatening the profitability of many small businesses. We will cheer when the pandemic ends but when it leaves we must make sure it doesn't take too many important businesses with it.
Angelo's has been a London institution for decades. It helps to give London colour (and flavour). For the finest breads in London, Angelo's is one of the places to go. Full flavoured loaves, such as the asiago and sundried tomato pictured, are usually gone by mid afternoon. This is not always true during the pandemic. Fewer shoppers means more unsold loaves. When I bought this loaf today it was almost four.
Angelo's is a little out of my way but I've been making an effort to stop there now and then. Like so many small businesses in London, Angelo's needs support. On the plus side, supporting Angelo's is its own reward.
It's a neat mural. Why it is on the wall of a North London corner store is beyond me. I'll have to stop by and ask. I'm curious. It is stylish, bright and colourful and exceedingly well done. But why is it here? This is not commonly done in London. And my wife believes this may not be the first mural to appear here. She thinks the mural may be temporary and will be painted over at some point in the near future. Yup. I've just go to stop by this store and as some questions.
The bright greens of spring are everywhere. Bright, fresh, new. And the red? A sign of spring? Kind of. The berries fall from the holly bush above, dropped by returning birds,
