Category Archives: Uncategorized

I didn’t know malvões were called geraniums until I came to Canada. And even when I was growing up in the Azores, I didn’t know that gerânios was the proper Portuguese word for geraniums. In Ponta Delgada, the city where … Continue reading →

As beautiful as a Group of Seven painting or a modern stained glass window. Does Nature inspire artists or do artists inspire Nature?

Each February for the past 14 years, for one weekend only, Cumberland Street in Toronto’s Yorkville Neighbourhood comes alive with awe-inspiring ice sculptures attracting thousands of people who jostle, politely but firmly, to have a moment to capture a selfie … Continue reading →

“Everything that is good, eventually comes to an end.” These are my mother’s words of lament over the recent closure of the Dundas Portuguese Bakery in one of the several Little Portugals scattered throughout Toronto. The area “já está irreconhecível,” she adds, to … Continue reading →

After the snowstorm ended, I bundled up in my warmest parka and Sorel snow boots, and went for the long walk from home to Rosetta McClain Gardens. The side streets had not been cleared yet, and I stepped deeply into … Continue reading →

Snow has fallen steadily in Toronto since yesterday, up to 22 centimeters or more overnight, and this morning, it’s chaos for drivers and commuters alike, so I see on TV news. Luckily, I can stay home and watch the winter … Continue reading →

I heard music and when I followed the chords I saw a minstrel serenading Lake Ontario from Harding Parkette, in Birch Cliff, Toronto. I did not want to intrude on this private communion between nature and the guitar player, but … Continue reading →