Friday, April 25, 2014

"Will a tidy house make you happier?", asks Leah McLaren.

It's not that I'm not good at it!

Today is my birthday, and I just got my first gift: Leah McLaren's hilarious article Will a tidy house make you happier? in this morning's Globe and Mail. When I read her intro: "A tiny perfect 29-year-old Japanese woman has arrived in the West to explain how we can all fix our lives from the outside in.", I knew I was in for a treat. (Update March 4, 2016: Leah just published a new and hilarious article in the Globe on the two books by Marie Kondo, Japan's Queen of Clean.)


Last week, a friend casually commented that I'm not good at housekeeping. It occurred to me as a curious comment. Who is not good at housekeeping? It's not rocket science. I could beautifully clean up my whole house with a box of Q-tips if I wanted. But I don't. 

I thought that pointing out that I choose to do other things (more interesting to me) would not be gracious so I let it go. As I'm writing this post, I'm surrounded by post-tax report piles, last weeks' visitors bedding has not been put away yet, I see lots of finger marks on the wall by the computer and I can barely see through my windows.

The thing is, who am I to judge how people spend their time. I'm hoping people who are "good" at cleaning get more pleasure out of it than I do.

Spoiler alert
Leah McLaren ends her article with the McLeah housekeeping method. "First you look around your house; second, you lower your expectations; and third, you select a book from a random pile and read it." What's not to love about that woman!

My own version would be:"First you look around your house; second, you lower your expectations; and third, you call a girlfriend and go for a walk."  What would be yours?

Excerpt from Leah McLaren's second article on the subject
One of the six fake TIPs she created in the voice of Marie Kondo:
2. Imagine your ideal lifestyle
"In your mind's eyes, you are a tiny, flawlessly dressed Japanese woman living in a 600-square-foot Tokyo apartment who eats a small bowl of fish and seaweed each night before retiring in silence to her tatami mat to count her enormous book royalties on a paper-thin smartphone."

 



Thursday, April 17, 2014

Beach Studio Tour Spring 2014: May 2-4

Beach Studio Tour 2010
The best excuse for an urban walk 
(I have updated my post from last October 2013 to reflect the Spring Studio Tour 2014.)
A few years ago, I did the Beach Studio Tour with a couple of girlfriends, armed with a self-guided tour map. We had a wonderful time! 

We didn't know what to expect. Would it be awkward to visit artists' private houses without buying anything? Would there be art within our budget? One thing for sure, going with a few girlfriends gave us all the courage to find out.

What's the verdict? The participating artists do everything in their power to make us feel at ease. Many join other fellow artists under a same roof to create more ambiance. Some even offer a little bite to welcome the visitors. All simply love to talk about their art and they understand the value of getting us better acquainted with their work even if we don't buy right away.

Beach Studio Tour 2010
Studio Tour Spring 2014
The Beach Studio Tour is a free cultural tradition currently in its 20th year.  The locations change every year, which allows us to discover different streets of The Beach neighbourhood. 

For Spring 2014, the tour takes place from May 2 to 4 (Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.). It includes 14 locations where we can admire the artwork from local 24 artists (you may check their map at the bottom of the Studio Guide section on www.beachstudiotour.ca. They're too dispersed to be seen all in a single walk (unless you're a keener!) so many will want to do part of the tour by car. 

To those who would like to kill two birds with one stone, combining art and exercice, I present a cool route, based on my research when working on the walking guides (for The Beach Quaint Stroll, Stroll 25 in Toronto Urban Strolls 1, and The Beach Soothing Stroll and Upper Beaches Steep Hill Stroll, respectively Strolls 12 and 24 in Toronto Urban Strolls 2.). It is 5.5 km long (which takes approximately 1 hour 30 to walk). 


"On parle français" at #14!
I recommend you start your walk at #14, just north of Kingston Road (395 Scarborough Road). You will easily find street parking in the area and you will get a chance to meet the charming painter  Nathalie Vachon whom we met four years ago when we first did the tour (she speaks French). She's teaming with jeweller Caprice Akram.

Coffee before Kingswood Road, #12 
A new café that I want to check out just opened not too far: the Madhus Café on 982 Kingston Road. (Walk south on Scarborough and turn left on Kingston.)

Further east on Kingston, turn south, on Kingswood, to #12, where is exhibited the artwork of painter Roderick Mayne (89 Kingswood) and the felted and hand loomed knit artwear of Carolyn Barnett.

Lovely dead-end street 
Go southbound on Kingswood to Queen Street, then turn left (eastbound) to reach Neville Park Blvd. (one of the prettiest streets in the neighbourhood). Walk to the end of the dead-end to admire the properties on top of the sloped front yards. No artist on that street this year but while you're in the area, I thought you'd like to see this.



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Back on Queen, turn right (westbound). You might be tempted by the scrumptious cupcakes of Life is Sweet (2328 Queen East). Note that a bit further west, at the corner of Beech and Queen, you will find more to tease you: the savoury salty muffins at Remarkable Bean (2242 Queen E.), artisanal (and affordable) chocolate at Wickerhead (2375 Queen E.) or hand-made gelato at Ed’s (2224 Queen E.).

Beach sight before # 10 and #11
You can access the beach at the foot of Beech Avenue. Walk left on the boardwalks and past the end of the boardwalk, you'll have a chance to see some great beach front houses. 

Back to the Studio Tour, turn west on Fir at the corner Beech and Fir Avenues. Looks like a small village, doesn't it? Two painters await on this street: Ruth Hayes with her watercolours at #11 (17 Fernwood Park Avenue), and Dianne Selton, an artist who loves to play with colours, in display with jeweller Lara Bazant at #10 (59 Fernwood Park Avenue).

Ravine sight after #9 and #8
Walk northbound on Fernwood, turn left on Hazel, then right on Balsam Avenue. A bit further west of Balsam, there's the really cute café Tori's Bakeshop (2188 Queen East) where you might want to rest before reaching the two last stops of my walk. 

At at #9, you will find the photographer John Dowing, the hand-woven designs of Lucille Crighton and Tod Waring, an artist who works with metal (92 Balsam Ave.). At #8 awaits Heidi Burkhardt, with her landscapes in watercolour and oil (142 Balsam Ave.). Oops! I forgot to put it on the map but it's beyond Pine, no too far from the ravine's entrance. 

Glen Stewart Ravine at The Beach
For the big finish, keep going northbound on Balsam. You will be able to access Glen Stewart Ravine from a little path hidden between two private houses (across from the school). It leads to the spectacular staircase recently built to enhance this ravine. It offers the best view in the whole park. At the foot the the stairs, turn right and you'll forget you're in the middle of the big city. At the fork, keep your right. The stairs will lead you to Beech Avenue, which meets Kingston Road further north. 
To reach your starting point, turn right on Kingston (eastbound) and go north on Scarborough Road. I suggest you then take your car to continue the tour. There are still 13 artists to see! (Click here to print the Beach Studio Tour's map.)

Beach Studio Tour 2010




Beach Studio Tour 2010


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Saturday, April 5, 2014

Downton Abbey exhibition is sold out but all is not lost!

Spadina House is still going strong
Spadina House (and Gardens) may be more modest that its flashy neighbour Casa Loma, but at first glance, its visitors realize the large castle pales in comparison. To discover its splendors, nothing beats a guided tour by one of their knowledgeable history buffs. 

Fans of the Downton Abbey series will be sad to know that even though the current exhibition Dressing for Downton: Costumes from Downton Abbey is going on until April 13, the tours are sold out. (Update May 15, 2014: Due to the success of the event, Spadina House will offer Downton Abbey-inspired tours on Sundays!)

The good news is that on April 15th, they'll resume the great Meet the Austins tours normally offered (and included with the admission price). Spadina's guides are fiercely passionate about history and heritage restoration. And I would bet they'll pepper their tour with allusions to Downton Abbey, after the full immersion they just had. 


Spadina House was recently restored to its splendour of the 1920s and 1930s (which was a perfect fit for the period covered in the famous series). 

In those days, they didn't just through away all the furniture to make room for the new. In the 1920's, Spadina House did not have an Art Deco vibe. It still had the air of a Gran Victorian Lady. A real beauty to visit.

There are a few tables on the lower floor past the little gift shop and they sell coffee and snacks on the premises.

When you're done, take a stroll up and down the Baldwin Steps located between Spadina Museum and the Casa Loma. It is quite a workout! 



Spadina House and Gardens
 416-392-6910
Where: 285 Spadina Road, Toronto (est of the Casa Loma).
Hours: Open Tuesday to Sunday from 12 noon to 5 p.m. The tours are offered Tuesday to Friday at 12:15, 1:15, 2:15, 3:15 and 4 p.m.. Saturday and Sunday, tours start at 12:15, 1, 1:45, 2:30, 3:15 and 4 p.m. 
How much: $9/adults, $5.50/6-12 years old. There's a vast pay parking lot at the Casa Loma.




The 3rd floor was open to the public
for the first time during the exhibition.
It hosted the servants quarters.