It's a Hard Knock Life!

Callum has been taking jazz and musical theatre courses at his local Dance Academy, and today was the annual end of year Dance Recital. This year he was in two numbers.... this is the second one, It's a Hard Knock Life, from Oliver! He's the little tyke with the flat cap. Mum and Dad and Grandma and Nana (that's me) were there to watch the performance. The show opens on Broadway next week!

Downtown Reflections

I was in the big bad city of Toronto today, and the morning light reflecting off the glass buildings was very impressive.

St Andrew's Presbyterian Church at 73 Simcoe Street, built 1876, S.E. corner of Simcoe and King Street West. The curved silver building behind the church is Roy Thompson Hall, built 1982.

The tower of St Andrew's Presbyterian from a different direction.

I love the way the windows distort the reflections. No idea what building this might be, but I like the complicated structure on the roof.

C N Tower reflection, built 1976.

Canada Life Building at University Avenue and Queen Street, built 1929-31.

Happy Faces

We spent a sunny day on Toronto Island and YoungerSon bought an all day pass for the kids rides at Centreville. The rides have been there for years.... YoungerSon remembers some of them from when he was a tiddler. But they are updated all the time. It was a perfect day, not crowded, not hot, nobody cried (well, not much, only when they told Emma she was too little to go on the bumper cars, and that was REALLY LOUD!), everyone had a spiffing good time.

No explanation needed for these photographs, just look at the happy faces.

Somehow Emma managed to stay on the Frog Hopper for 5 rides, she smiled nicely at the operator and just refused to get off.

Bumper bulls? That's a new one. The twins were told they were too little to ride, big disappointment.

Mermaids and Icebergs

Apparently, mermaids don't feel the cold.

Photo by Kit Sora, borrowed from CBC News

For the full story go here.

Island Life

The view of the city from the ferry across the harbour to Toronto Island.

A family picnic on Toronto Island, and what a view! The Rogers Centre stadium roof was open (formerly known as SkyDome before Mr. Rogers purchased it) for the Blue Jays game. YoungerSon bought a family pass for Centreville, the small amusement park, and the kids spent most of the day on the rides. A lot of happy faces. More pictures to come.....

Pour Me a Cold One

Summer days on the way, and I'll soon be sitting out on the deck under the sun umbrella sipping a cold one. But first I have to buy my beer.

Currently, if I want to buy a case of bottles or cans of beer in Ontario to take home, I have to go to the Beer Store which is foreign owned, or to the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) which is operated by the Government of Ontario. Sale of alcohol has always been strictly controlled here!

At my local Beer Store, here are my choices along with the prices.

The process of buying beer is: look at the board, decide what you want, tell the cashier, pay for it, and then your chosen case of beer comes rolling along a delivery chute from the nether regions of the store.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne recently announced that there is going to be a big change in the rules, and beer and wine will soon be available on the shelves of up to 450 grocery stores! Not all grocery stores, just a few, but that's better than the current arrangement. Will beer and wine ever be available in neighbourhood convenience stores, like in Montreal? Probably not for a long time.

Meanwhile.... the fridge is out of beer and the sun is shining...... I'm off to the Beer Store.

Star Wars Day

In a galaxy far, far away.......

Can you believe the first Star Wars movie was released 25 May 1977!

I remember lining up with OlderSon and his friend outside a cinema on Bloor Street, Toronto, with a huge crowd of parents and kids, all so excited to see this brand new movie we had heard so much about. The boys were both about 6, and as often happens with 6 year olds, they suddenly needed to visit the loo, and consequently we lost our place in the line. Grrrr!

However we got in, and saw the film.... we had never seen anything like it before, and the boys became instant Star Wars fans.
The next movie from George Lucas in 1980 was The Empire Strikes Back. I can't remember where or when we saw it, but I recall seeing the third film released in 1983, The Return of the Jedi, when we were on holiday in Daytona Beach, Florida.

There have been a few more Star Wars movies since then, and I believe a new one is scheduled for release later this year.  In Toronto today there are some special Star Wars events planned for those who like to dress up. Star Wars fans will be appearing as Darth Vader and Jabba the Hut. Storm Troopers, Wookiies, Obi Wan Kenobis and Anakin Skywalkers will be popping up all over the place.

Meanwhile..... Grab your Light Sabre..... May the Fourth be With You!.

Edited: My oldest grandson Callum wore his Darth Vader Tshirt to school today!