Downpour

The Toronto area has had it's wettest summer in 70 years.
From June 1 to August 10, it has rained on 41 of 71 days. A veritable washout.
Lots of isolated thundershowers. And more to come.

This was one of them. Someone over there is getting very wet!

Storm at Sunset

Pictures taken 5 minutes ago in my back yard....

.... of a very ordinary sunset reflected in storm clouds to the east.

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The neighbourhood Birding store.
Bird seed, bird feeders, bird books, this store can supply anything you require to do with wildlife.

A big black crow keeps a vigil on the sign every day. I'll let you into a little secret.... he's not real! How do I know? A little bird told me!

Bath Time

An innovative use for an oldfashioned bathtub.

Alien Invasion

Something very strange is going on around here.

Odd looking drawings are appearing overnight where you don't expect a drawing to appear, all over town. That chap (above) doesn't look like he's a quilter.

And is this fellow a soccer player, or just plain falling over?They seem to be hand drawn on stiff card, and attached to walls. But by who? And why? It's a mystery.

This one is inside the Clock Tower. Praying for what? Forgiveness? Better weather? A big lottery win?

Your guess is as good as mine.

One more... but looks like he's been ripped off....

The Knife Sharpener (updated)

The knife sharpener man visits town about once a month, driving his mobile sharpening service slowly through the neighbourhood and ringing his bell. If you want a cutting blade of any kind sharpened, just open your front door and shout. "Hey! Over here!"

My neighbour wanted his hedge trimmers sharpened. The cost? A bargain at $7.00.

But sadly this is a dying trade. Most of these men are elderly European immigrants who brought their skills with them when they came to Canada. It's not a job for a young person. In a few years, a visit from the friendly neighbourhood Knife Sharpener may be a thing of the past.

Do you have a Knife Sharpener come to your neighbourhood?

Update: Tuesday 5 August 2008

WOW, out of 20 (so far) commenters, the only TWO that still enjoy regular visits from a mobile Knife Sharpener (that's Hilary and EG tour guide) both live in ONTARIO, CANADA... and not too far from me. Just goes to show that Canada is the best place in the world to live!!!

Interesting comments from those that remember tradesmen that came to the door. A lady I worked with told me that she remembered the Banana Man going door to door in Toronto when she was little.... and certainly when I was a child in England we had hundredweight bags of coal delivered to the house by horse and cart.

Uhoh, am I dating myself here?

House Repairs

The Space Cadet decided that today was the day he'd scrape the window frames and clean and recaulk the storm windows in the "orange room", so called because it has an eyecatching vivid orange carpet.

When the house was built in the 1890s, this was originally an open verandah and was enclosed sometime during the 1940s or 50s, so that's how long the windows have been there.

Plenty of time to go rotten without anyone noticing.

He got started but.... Uhoh.... he found a huge area of dry rot.

The Space Cadet would never allow his DIY talents to be outdone by a mere beam of crumbling rotten wood, so the battle began.

He pried out all the bad wood, and replaced it with 2'x6' cedar, but the whole window had to come out eventually.

"Shall I move all the stuff that's inside?" I asked.

"No need, I'm not going to make a mess", he said.

So I moved all the stuff anyway. Good thinking.

Once the beam was replaced and the vertical supports were strengthened, it was time for a coat of primer. Luckily I found a can of white primer stored in the basement with just enough left to do the job.

I'm so thankful he's not afraid of heights.

Repairs continue tomorrow....