The Cherie Bistro, Toronto, ON

I had lunch today with the Toronto Social Seniors and Retirees gang at The Cherie Bistro (Church/Wellesley). 

The menu has lots of choices. I had Chicken Parmigiana (breaded chicken cutlet, mozzarella, tomato sauce served with spaghetti) and it was very good. 

We were a big group and Shane and the others took good care of us. 

Toronto Fringe Festival, Toronto, ON

I’m volunteering for the upcoming Toronto Fringe Festival (it’s my third year). We had our training this evening.

Bethany Joy and Julia are the volunteer coordinators

The West Cork Irish Pub, Toronto, ON

I had supper this evening at The West Cork Irish Pub (at Queen E/Broadview). 

Book ~ "Little Cruelties" (2020) Liz Nugent

From Goodreads ~ All three of the Drumm brothers were at the funeral.

But one of them was in the coffin.

William, Brian and Luke: three boys, born a year apart, trained from birth by their wily mother to compete for her attention. They play games, as brothers do ... yet even after the Drumms escape into the world beyond their windows, those games - those little cruelties - grow more sinister, more merciless and more dangerous. And with their lives entwined like the strands of a noose, only two of the brothers will survive.

This is a story about three brothers, Will, Brian and Luke, born a year apart. They grow up in the same dysfunctional family in Dublin but end up destroying each other in different ways. Will is a successful but arrogant film producer, Brian is a bitter school teacher (and later Luke's agent) and Luke is a sensitive pop star struggling with fame, addiction and his mental health. Their childhood was filled with favoritism and emotional manipulation, especially from their self-absorbed mother who was a performer, which sets the stage for a lifetime of jealousy, betrayal and resentment. 

Right away we know one of the brothers is dead but we don't know who and how it happened until the very end. The story is told from the points of view of the brothers ... Will first, then Brian and finally Luke. It jumps back and forth in timelines, slowly revealing just how toxic their relationships have become over the years. I usually don't mind when stories jump back and forth in time but I found this a tad annoying because the jumps were so extreme. For example, with Will, it started with 1994, then 1985, then 1992, then 1978 and so on. I found I had to keep going back to the previous chapter to see what year it had been. It was interesting to read the same experiences but from the different points of view.

None of the characters are likable. I didn't have any issue with the brother who had died but was a bit disappointed with how and why it happened and the ending in general. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Honeycomb (aka Newfie) knitted mittens

I just finished knitting a pair of Honeycomb (aka Newfie) mittens to donate ... the colours are black and periwinkle.

I used 4 ply yarn and 5mm double pointed needles.

Wrist

1. With A, cast on 42 sts
2. Knit 1, purl 1 for 18 rows
3. Purl
4. Purl, increasing 2 stitches on each needle for a total of 48 stitches

Pattern

1.  *Knit 4 with B, slip 2 purlwise with A*, repeat to the end of row
2. Repeat this row 4 more times (5 in total)
3. Purl 2 rows with A
4. Knit 1 with B, * slip 2 purlwise with A, knit 4 with B*, repeat to the last three stitches, knit 3 with B
5. Repeat this row 4 more times (5 in total)
6. Purl 2 rows with A
7.  *Knit 4 with B, slip 2 purlwise with A*, repeat to the end of row
8. Repeat this row 4 more times (5 in total)
9. Purl 2 rows with A
10. Knit 1 with B, * slip 2 purlwise with A, knit 4 with B*, repeat to the last three stitches, knit 3 with B
11. Repeat this row 4 more times (5 in total)
12. Purl 2 rows with A

Thumb

1. In step 12 above, purl 2, put 7 stitches on a stitch holder for the thumb and cast on 7 stitches, purl to the end.  Purl 1 row.

Mitten

1. Knit the pattern until long enough (I did 6)
2. Knit 1 row
3. *Knit 4, knit 2 together*, repeat to the end
4. Knit 2 rows
5. *Knit 3, knit 2 together*, repeat to the end
6. Knit 2 rows
7. *Knit 2, knit 2 together*, repeat to the end
8. Knit 2 rows
9. *Knit 2 together*, repeat to the end
10. Thread the yarn through remaining the loops and pull tight
11. Weave end inside

Thumb

1. With A, pick up the 7 stitches from the holder
2. Pick up 7 stitches around the thumb hole for a total of 14 stitches
3. Knit to fit length of thumb
4. Knit 2 together all around
5. Thread the yarn through the remaining loops and pull tight
6. Weave end inside

"An Oak Tree", Luminato Festival, Toronto, ON

I volunteered this evening at the world premiere of An Oak Tree (United Kingdom) at the Jane Mallett Theatre (Front Street E), part of Luminato Festival ... my third and last shift.

When I say sleep, you’re free again … In celebration of the work’s 20th anniversary, Luminato presents Tim Crouch’s groundbreaking ‘An Oak Tree’, one of the most influential and hypnotic theatrical experiences of our time.

A father loses his daughter in a car accident. The driver of the car that killed her is a stage hypnotist. The two men meet for the first time when the father volunteers for the hypnotist’s act. What follows is an entrancing live performance where reality and suggestion blur – a bold and absurdly comic story of loss, transformation, and the power of the mind to reshape our world.

Each performance creates its own mesmerizing reality as Tim Crouch is joined on stage by a different guest artist, who will have neither seen nor read a word of the play they’re in – until they’re in it. Like being under hypnosis, no two shows are ever quite the same, even with identical lines, creating a uniquely rejuvenating experience each night.

Dog Fountain, Berczy Park, Toronto, ON

Before I volunteered for Luminato this evening, I hung out at the dog fountain in Berczy Park (near Wellington Street and Front Street). 

It is a large, two-tier fountain with life-size cast-iron statues of 27 dogs and a cat. The dogs are all looking up towards a large bone perched on the fountain's peak. The fountain also includes a ground level trough to provide drinking water for real dogs. Each of the dog statues contribute to the fountain function by each sprouting water upwards from their mouths.

The cat is looking north at statues of two small birds perched on the arm of a lamppost about three metres away from the fountain.

Book ~ "Women Who Woke up the Law: Inside the Cases that Changed Women's Rights in Canada" (2025) Karin Wells

From Goodreads ~ Behind every “landmark case” is a woman with a story.

Karin Wells pulls us into the lives and the legal trials of a group of women integral to the advancement of women’s rights in Canada. 

Eliza Campbell, Chantale Daigle, Jeannette Corbiere Lavell - these Women Who Woke Up the Law often had no idea what they were facing in the courts or the price they would have to pay. 

Some never saw justice themselves but they left a legal legacy. Their bold determination is something we need now more than ever to guard the hard-won gains in women’s rights.

This book is an exploration of 10 groundbreaking legal battles led by Canadian women that changed life for women and often, the law itself. It brings us behind the scenes of ten big legal battles led by everyday women who stood up to unfair systems and pushed for justice, even when the odds were totally against them:

1. Eliza Campbell (divorce law) - wrongly accused of adultery in the 1880s, she fought for her reputation and alimony and her struggles prompted early reforms in divorce rights
2. The Famous Five - in 1929, challenged the idea that only men were “persons” under the law and won
3. Florence Murdoch (property rights) - an Alberta ranch wife whose decades of labor went unrecognized until her fight brought attention to women's entitlement to shared property
4. Jane Doe (sexual assault ["No Means No"]) - in 1999, a consent ruling that defined clear boundaries around marital and extramarital sexual violence
5. Stella Bliss (maternity benefits) - her pursuit of unemployment insurance during maternity leave helped define equal treatment
6. Jeannette Corbiere Lavell and Indian Status Laws - she challenged the discrimination that stripped Indigenous women of their status when marrying non‑status men
7. Chantale Daigle (abortion rights) - in Quebec in the 1980s, she fought in court for her right to choose abortion
8. Jane Hurshman (domestic violence and homicide in self‑defense) - her killing of her abusive partner brought about legal protections for battered women
9. Viola Desmond and Rachael Baylis (racial justice) - these Black women’s legal battles brought attention to discrimination
10. NDAs and power - examines legal conflicts over non‑disclosure agreements and the right to one’s own narrative as it pertains to Jan Wong, Kaarina Pakka, Peter Nygård and others

I thought this topic would be interesting and it was. Some of these cases I'd heard of (like Jane Hurshman and Viola Desmond, for example) while others were new to me. I was expecting it to be dry and dull but it wasn't. There was just enough information and when/if I wanted more, I Googled. It's obvious the author did a great deal of research. It's an excellent book for women to read and thank those who came before us for all they did. As a head's up, there is swearing and descriptions of violence.

Toronto City Hall, Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, ON

I had a doctor's appointment downtown today so I stopped by city hall afterwards.

Honeycomb (aka Newfie) knitted mittens

I just finished knitting a pair of Honeycomb (aka Newfie) mittens to donate ... the colours are black and periwinkle.

I used 4 ply yarn and 5mm double pointed needles.

Wrist

1. With A, cast on 42 sts
2. Knit 1, purl 1 for 18 rows
3. Purl
4. Purl, increasing 2 stitches on each needle for a total of 48 stitches

Pattern

1.  *Knit 4 with B, slip 2 purlwise with A*, repeat to the end of row
2. Repeat this row 4 more times (5 in total)
3. Purl 2 rows with A
4. Knit 1 with B, * slip 2 purlwise with A, knit 4 with B*, repeat to the last three stitches, knit 3 with B
5. Repeat this row 4 more times (5 in total)
6. Purl 2 rows with A
7.  *Knit 4 with B, slip 2 purlwise with A*, repeat to the end of row
8. Repeat this row 4 more times (5 in total)
9. Purl 2 rows with A
10. Knit 1 with B, * slip 2 purlwise with A, knit 4 with B*, repeat to the last three stitches, knit 3 with B
11. Repeat this row 4 more times (5 in total)
12. Purl 2 rows with A

Thumb

1. In step 12 above, purl 2, put 7 stitches on a stitch holder for the thumb and cast on 7 stitches, purl to the end.  Purl 1 row.

Mitten

1. Knit the pattern until long enough (I did 6)
2. Knit 1 row
3. *Knit 4, knit 2 together*, repeat to the end
4. Knit 2 rows
5. *Knit 3, knit 2 together*, repeat to the end
6. Knit 2 rows
7. *Knit 2, knit 2 together*, repeat to the end
8. Knit 2 rows
9. *Knit 2 together*, repeat to the end
10. Thread the yarn through remaining the loops and pull tight
11. Weave end inside

Thumb

1. With A, pick up the 7 stitches from the holder
2. Pick up 7 stitches around the thumb hole for a total of 14 stitches
3. Knit to fit length of thumb
4. Knit 2 together all around
5. Thread the yarn through the remaining loops and pull tight
6. Weave end inside

Book ~ "Dogged Pursuit" (2025) David Rosenfelt

From Goodreads ~ Andy Carpenter has spent the three years since graduating law school working as a prosecutor in Paterson. But having seen how the system never looks out for the little guy, he leaves to start his own practice as a defense attorney. His office might be a little bit of a dump but he's excited to make a change.

Andy goes to the shelter to adopt a dog, where he meets his beloved golden retriever, Tara, for the first time and feels an immediate connection. The shelter is crowded and Tara's been sharing space with a dog named Sunny. Andy hates to break them up and so asks to take Sunny too but since there's a pending criminal case involving the owner, he'll need to get written permission for temporary possession.

Andy discovers that Sunny's owner, Ryan Tierney, has been arrested for the murder of his ex-boss. But he takes an immediate liking to Ryan and his clear dedication to his dog and ends up with his first case along with the two dogs.

This was an interesting twist in the Andy Carpenter series ... it's the 31st book in the series but it happens 10 to 15 years before the first one. I've read them all and I'm still enjoying this series so it was fun to meet Andy and other characters that I've gotten to know so well.  Even though it is part of a series, it works really well as a stand alone since it takes you back to before the series started. It will be interesting to see if #32 picks up after this one or jumps back to present day after #30.

Andy is 30 and married to Nicole. They haven't been married long but there is trouble in the marriage. Her father has offered him a cushy job in his firm. Andy has spent a couple years working as a prosecutor and recently struck out on his own and has no interest in working for his father-in-law. 

Nicole has moved out yet again and Andy decides to fulfill a dream and adopt a dog. He goes to the shelter and as soon as he sees Tara, he knows she's the one. She's been sharing space with Sonny and seems to be attached to him so Andy wants him too. Andy is told that Ryan, Sonny's owner, has been arrested for murdering his boss and friend and is in jail. Sonny is there until Ryan's situation is determined. Andy meets Ryan to get permission to take Sonny for the time being and takes on Ryan's case.

I like the writing style of this series as it is funny, sarcastic and amusing. It's written in first person perspective in Andy's voice. In this book, we meet Laurie. She has just retired from the police force and is now looking to go out on her own as an investigator and Andy hires her. There are some sparks but nothing happens because Andy is still married to Nicole. We also meet Sam, Andy's accountant, who is a computer hack. There are mentions of Marcus but we don't get to meet him or find out anything about him. As a head's up, there is a bit of swearing.

La Cubana, Toronto, ON

I had a late lunch this afternoon at La Cubana (on Ossington Avenue, just north of Queen Street W).

I ordered what I always order ... a Chicken Medianoche (achiote chicken thigh, tomato and chipotle mayo) and rice & beans. It was yummy as usual! I got the rice & beans in a to-go container as I knew I'd be taking some home.