This is around the corner from our house and I love it. So simple and random but yet so deep.
The leaves are really pretty right now and I’m looking forward to going back up to the cottage. Not sure when I’ll be there but it’s always on my mind.
Sending you sunshine through the internet.
After work, I biked over to a last-minute vintage sale on Queen West. April was going to meet me there but she had to work so I went solo. I wasn’t really looking for anything particular but I left with a beautiful silk blazer (with shoulder pads!) and a glass bowl I plan to use for plant propagation. Took home something for April in my bike basket. ?
It was absolutely beautiful outside and it felt great to be on my bike in the sun. I cruised down the West Toronto Rail Path, down Dundas West, and back. Loving these warm October days and hope they stick around past Halloween.
When life gives you Monday, dip it in glitter and sparkle all day.
Ella Woodward
Looking forward to an early night and my run in the morning.
Sending you sunshine through the internet!
Slept in a bit then went for a nice walk w/ Sean. The leaves are so beautiful. I left without my phone but ran back to get it. I should have changed out of my platform Crocs (not great for long-distance) so I only went to the end of the road and back.
I took a little detour when Sean went off on his run and went into the woods to surround myself with trees. I just looked up and took in their beauty, breathed in the fresh air. F-yeah, forest bathing. ?
We had a pretty chill afternoon. Sean had a broth cooking with the turkey leftovers and we watched a couple episodes of ‘Bad Sport‘ on Netflix. I spent a bit of time in the sun reading my new book, The Perfect Neighbour by Susana Beard. I absolutely love the new outdoor couch.
Around 5 pm when it was nice and warm, we took the dock out. It’s always a little bittersweet and seems like a daunting task before we do it. Managed to finish the job in about an hour with no major injuries. Always a worry, trust me!
The water was cool but refreshing. Looking forward to colder temps and making a nice ice hole for winter cold plunges. It’s insane to think we’re both are looking forward to the lake freezing, who are we!?
Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend to celebrate the harvest. We’re returning to the city and after 5 days in the woods, I feel refreshed. Also, the blog is back on track and we’re up to date!
Here’s a great (short!) week!
Woke up, had brekky, and spent most of the day watching shows. Was inside most of the day when there was a break in the clouds, ran out in my suit to soak up the Sunday sunshine.
Feeling pretty relaxed and recharged. Looking forward to getting home to check on my plants and any new leaves that might have sprouted over the last week.
Sending sunshine your way! Love from the woods xo
Spent most of the day getting the cottage ready for our guests to arrive. Sean and I worked together to prepare all the food. I made the most beautiful pavlova and can’t believe I didn’t take a photo! I hardly used my phone all day.
Thankful for friends, family, time to relax, and being up here for the long weekend. We’re staying until Monday so we can be back in the city for work on Tuesday.
Hope you and your family are having a lovely weekend!
Have you watched Sqid Game yet? We’re about to finish it tonight and I can’t wait. If you’re sensitive about death or murder, you’ll want to skip this one. I watch quite a few murders shows and found it too gory at times, had to cover my eyes.
Pretty sure Squid Game will be the most popular Halloween costume this year. I looked for a few online and most are $$$$ or sold out.
Looking forward to seeing how this show ends! Season 2 is confirmed, watch the new trailer below.
It was so nice to wake up here today. I love being at the cottage w/ Sean, this beautiful view never gets old. It’s hard to have a favourite season up here because they each have their own beauty. Right now the leaves are bright with colour, days warm, and the night cool enough to put on a fire. Soaking up every moment of cottage life like a woodland creature.
I’m working today but taking a trip to town mid-day to go to Curries Music w/ Sean. This weekend we’re having two guests for a harvest dinner. I’m planning to do food prep tomorrow night so Saturday can be stress-free. Wish me luck haha.
Feeling pretty good today! We’re heading up north to the cottage tonight and I’m really looking forward to being in the woods.
After getting my nails done yesterday I popped into Door Number 2 Vintage on Dundas West, they have three floors of treasures tucked away. I’ve been looking for a small rug to go under my desk chair so it doesn’t roll on the concrete. Well, I found the perfect one, a bright red/pink Moroccan rug that was hiding in the basement. That’s the thing I love about vintage shopping, you never know what you’ll find.
In other news, Everlane sent me a package with The Way High Jean and a beautiful cashmere sweater. I used to be obsessed with Everlane and went to the opening of their store in San Francisco a few years back. If you’re looking for well made, sustainable, stylish items, use this link for 10% off your first order. You will not be disapointed!
Before the pandemic, I was religious about having my nails done. Every 10 days or so, for about 4 years I’d pop into Ivy Nails for fresh shellac. Today was the first time since March 2020 that got a mani-pedi. ?
I know salons have been open for a few weeks but I just wasn’t ready to sit inside and go through the process. But today I was home alone, work was good, the sun was shining, so I figured why not!
I ordered one of those pedicure tools with a blade from Amazon so my feet weren’t that bad but it was time to make them look better. It felt so nice to have my nails fresh again!
I got one hand pink and one hand orange but when I left, I realized they almost look exactly the same. Oh well!
Left a nice tip then biked around the neighbourhood a bit. It was so lovely out, here’s hoping these warm temps last a few more weeks.
Spent the whole weekend working on my room and WHOA what a job it was. On Saturday I had a bit of a meltdown once almost everything was outside on the roof, the thought of putting it back was overwhelming. Thankfully I stuck to it and am nearly done putting everything away, throwing out the carpet, and organizing my stuff. I also watched the entire season of MAID on Netflix, kinda sad but a good show.
In other news, I am SO happy with my plants. Saw a TikTok Plant Hack (PlantTok) about putting an aerial root from a monstera in a small glass jar to help them grow. It works! I’ve got two tiny glass jars on different plants and a bunch of new leaves sprouting. It took about 2 weeks to see new growth.
This monstera is the same large plant that I shared cuttings from in my post the other day.
I am yet to post anything on my own TikTok yet but I must say, I am loving all the plant hacks. Learned so much the last few weeks and look forward to growing more and more plants over the winter.
Sean and I went on a date for the first time in ages. We walked about 4km to and from Geary Ave to check out the Geary Art Crawl.
The whole area was alive with music, art, and eats. We sat in the grass to watch a performance by Seastill Music, Fezz from Occupied VR‘s latest project. The light and sounds were elevated by the train shaking the ground as it went by. There were some really rad light shows by Matt Mansion too, aka LED Daddy.
I’ve seen this tag a few times around the city, “you are not your mistakes”. I like it. The funny thing is, as I waited for someone else to take a photo of the sign, Sean pointed out that someone was in the alley…making a mistake? Haha. A dude stopped to take a wee and I wasn’t going to take a pic but it was just too perfect. See photo. ?
Woke up and decided today was the day to ditch the carpet. Had to take almost everything out of the room, move shelves to rip it up. Big job but I’m glad it’s almost done. Still have a section of carpet under the bed but I’ll do that another time.
I’m looking forward to reorganizing the space and maximizing the look of the concrete floor with some vintage rugs. The whole place is going to feel cleaner once we’re done. Thankfully it was REALLY NICE OUT so I could safely use the patio as storage.
Over the winter I plan to do a full ‘Marie Kondo’ like I did a couple of years ago and clean out everything in the house that doesn’t bring us joy. How the hell do we accumulate so many things?! There’s stuff everywhere!
I went to the media preview of Legends of Horror at Casa Loma tonight with some friends. SO FUN. I love spooky season. Was so stoked I wore my witch hat the whole night.
The experience takes just over an hour and it is AWESOME. There’s so much space at Casa Loma and Legends of Horror takes it all. You’ll find yourself winding down spooky stairs and wicked woods, then running through the castle basement and more, all the while being scared by creepy characters.
here are some details from legends of Horror about covid/entrance etc. Tickets are ~$40pp but if you haven’t had a lot of excitement lately, I say totally worth it. MI was at the media preview so I didna have to buy a ticket but I am considering going back with friends and buying tickets.
PARKING: Paid parking is available at George Brown College (south of Casa Loma off Macpherson Avenue). This parking is closest to the entrance at Walmer Rd. and Davenport Rd. There is limited paid parking onsite at Casa Loma, subject to availability.
A SAFE EXPERIENCE FOR ALL GUESTS
FACE MASKS/COVERINGS All persons (staff and guests) entering or remaining on the premises shall wear a mask or face covering which covers the nose, mouth and chin as required under City of Toronto by-law no.541-2020.
PHYSICAL DISTANCING Guests will be required to follow social/physical distancing guidelines carefully, maintaining 2 metres (6 feet) of space from others. Family members and others (a “family unit”) who live in the same household can be closer together.
GUEST SCREENING/CONTACT TRACING All guests are required to complete guest screening and contact tracing upon arrival. Contact information will be kept for 30 days for potential COVID-19 Contact Tracing.
PROOF OF VACCINATION Proof of vaccination is required to enter the Captain Morgan Lounge to drink/dine. Proof of vaccination is not required for the Legends of Horror experience itself.
Went to an event after work tonight with San Rafael, a brand by Aurora Cannabis. You might remember the San Rafel events I went to quite often when legalization was first introduced. Heaps of good memories with this brand so although I hardly go out anymore, I was keen to see what they’ve been up to.
I sat down at Mrs Robinson on College for a menu tasting of food & drinks curated to match the terpenes of their new strains. The food was delicious and the drinks too. My fav part was when I felt anxious and sat by myself, then the most lovely two people joined me, Luna & her friend. They made my night! We laughed a lot and it was kinda funny bc Luna and I were both wearing cute pastels, many rings, and both have tattoos. It’s like they knew to sit her beside me.
Met some really lovely ladies thanks to San Rafael! We all hung out on patio chairs after the event and had a great chat. Overall, super fun time. I shouldn’t be scared of going out, people are a-ok!
