The Craft Brasserie & Grille, Toronto, ON

Gord and I had supper this evening at The Craft Brasserie & Grille in Liberty Village.

Josh was the bartender and also our server

I ordered an Original Burger (minus the lettuce and onion) and fries and a side of gravy.  The fries were tasty and the burger was a good burger.  I'd get it again.

Pink Nail Bar, Toronto, ON

After our massages, Gord and I walked to the Pink Nail Bar (Ossington Avenue just north of Queen) for deluxe pedicures.  They just opened a couple months ago. 

It was fun because we could have bubbly as we were getting our pedicures.

My toes are Flashbulb Fuscia and Gord’s are Ring in the Blue Year.

Laya Spa & Yoga, Toronto, ON

For our birthdays, Gord and I don't buy each other anything ... we treat each other to an experience.

For Gord's birthday today, we had 90 minute massages at Laya Spa & Yoga (Queen W/Ossington) this afternoon. 

My massage therapist was Jocelyn and she was awesome.  Thanks Jocelyn and Taylor!

Happy birthday, Gord!

Wishing my husband, Gord, a very happy birthday!

Honeycomb (aka Newfie) knitted mittens

I finished knitting a pair of Honeycomb (aka Newfie) mittens. They are fun to make.

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

Happy birthday, Muffin!

Happy 5th birthday to our furry weirdo, Muffin!

Book ~ "Underwater Puppies" (2014) Seth Casteel

From Goodreads ~ The world fell in love with swimming canines in Seth Casteel's first book, Underwater Dogs. Now, in more than 80 previously unpublished portraits of underwater puppies, we see man's best friends at their most playful and exuberant. Each vibrant and colorful underwater image shows off the wild and sublime range of emotions of puppies, cute and irresistible to the very last.

I like puppies ... I like pictures ... I like pictures of puppies so this book caught my eye.

Casteel photographed more than 250 dogs for his book Underwater Dogs, most of whom had never been underwater before or even been swimming.  In this book, he focused on puppies in water.

It was important to Casteel to feature adoptable and adopted puppies in this book to remind people that adopting a rescue puppy is a fantastic option when bringing a puppy into your life.  The puppies photographed in the book were ages six weeks to six months when he swam with them.  Though puppies apparently know how to swim even at just a few weeks old, each one received swimming lessons to help them prepare for this book.  The puppies were cute and looked like they were having fun.  

It's a quick read as it's just pictures, both full colour and black and white ... but it was a fun book.

Book ~ "Underwater Dogs" (2012) Seth Casteel

From Goodreads ~ From the water's surface, it's a simple exercise: a dog's leap, a splash, and then a wet head surfacing with a ball, triumphant.

But beneath the water is a chaotic ballet of bared teeth and bubbles, paddling paws, fur and ears billowing in the currents. From leaping Lab to diving Dachshund, the water is where a dog's distinct personality shines through; some lounge in the current, paddling slowly, but others arch their bodies to cut through the water with the focus and determination of a shark.

In more than eighty portraits, award-winning pet photographer and animal rights activist Seth Casteel captures new sides of our old friends with vibrant underwater photography that makes it impossible to look away. Each image bubbles with exuberance and life, a striking reminder that even in the most loveable and domesticated dog, there are more primal forces at work. In Underwater Dogs, Seth Casteel gives playful and energetic testament to the rough-and-tumble joy that our dogs bring into our lives.

I like dogs ... I like pictures ... I like pictures of dogs so this book caught my eye.

In 2000, Seth Casteel was taking pictures of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Buster in a backyard.  Buster started knocking his ball into the pool and jumping in to get it.  Casteel wondered what he looked like underwater so he changed his focus and the photo shoot switched from being an "on land" theme to a "in the pool" one.  

He went on to photograph more than 250 dogs, most of whom had never been underwater before or even been swimming.  Some of the pictures are freaky but underwater dogs show what retrieving means to them.  It's a quick read as it's just pictures, both full colour and black and white ... but it was a fun book.

Book ~ "Her Last Goodbye" (2022) Rick Mofina

From Goodreads ~ Perfect wife. Doting mom. Jennifer Griffin was loved by everyone, including the women in her suburban-neighborhood book club. Their meetings sometimes went late, but Jenn always came home.

Until that night.

When Greg Griffin wakes to find his wife is not in bed, his blood runs cold. Her book club friends say Jenn left for home hours ago. But she’s missing. Greg tells detectives their marriage is good but his alibi is razor-thin. With their young son away at a sleepover, Greg had all night to commit a crime. And there are scrapes on his hands.

Investigators discover Jenn has troubling secrets but she isn't the only one. With the threads of their picture-perfect life unraveling, Greg is forced to confront the lies that hold their marriage together - and a dark past that refuses to stay buried.

Jennifer and Greg were high school sweethearts and have an eight-year-old son, Jake.  Jennifer works for an optical company and is quite involved in her community and Greg owns a struggling construction company.  When Jennifer doesn't come home from her book club, Greg drives around looking for her.  When he can't find her, he calls the police, who suspect that Greg had something to do with her disappearance because he really doesn't have an alibi.  Was Jennifer murdered?  She had been quiet and sad lately ... did she run away?  As the police investigate, they discover that both Jennifer and Greg have secrets they are trying to keep.

I've read a few books by this author and liked this one.  I liked the writing style and it is written in third person perspective with the focus on wherever the action is.  There was a lot going on with everyone having secrets that are hinted at and eventually revealed ... there were many who could have had to do with Jennifer's disappearance.  The "whodunnit" was a bit convoluted but it came together in the end.

Honeycomb (aka Newfie) knitted mittens

I finished knitting a pair of Honeycomb (aka Newfie) mittens. They are fun to make.

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 ~ "The Neighbours" (2018) Hannah Mary McKinnon

From Goodreads ~ After a night of fun, Abby was responsible for the car crash that killed her beloved brother. It is a sin she can never forgive herself for so she pushes away the man she loves most, knowing that he would eventually hate her for what she’s done, the same way she hates herself.

Twenty years later, Abby’s husband, Nate, is also living with a deep sense of guilt. He was the driver who first came upon the scene of Abby’s accident, the man who pulled her to safety before the car erupted in flames, the man who could not save her brother in time. It’s this guilt, this regret that binds them together. They understand each other. Or so Nate believes.

In a strange twist of fate, Liam (her old lover - possibly her true soulmate) moves in with his own family next door, releasing a flood of memories that Abby has been trying to keep buried all these years. Abby and Liam, in a complicit agreement, pretend never to have met, yet cannot resist the pull of the past - nor the repercussions of the dark secrets they’ve both been carrying.

Abby and her brother, Tom, were extremely close, even sharing a birthday just a year apart.  Their father had abandoned the family when they young and their mother wasn't warm and fuzzy.  Abby and Tom were out celebrating one night when they got in a deadly car accident.  Abby was drinking and driving and was thrown from the car but Tom couldn't get out of the car.  Nate had been passing by and came across the accident and wasn't able to save Tom.  He visited Abby in the Abby regularly and they became friends.  Abby felt extremely guilty for causing Tom's death and pushed away Liam, the love of her life, because he and Tom were close and she was afraid he'd blame her for Tom's death.

Twenty years later, Abby and Nate are married and have a teenage daughter named Sarah.  New neighbours and it's Liam (!!) and his wife, Nancy, and their son, Zac.  Abby and Liam pretend not to know each other and Abby avoids Liam, to the point of badmouthing him to Nate to keep him away.  But Nate's a friendly and helpful guy and has no problem being friends with Nancy and Liam, much to Abby's dismay.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I liked it.  I liked the writing style ... it is written in first person perspective from Abby, Nate and Nancy's points of view (the chapters are labeled so you'll know whose voice it is) plus there are Sarah's diary entries.  There were lots of twists and turns at the end, most I didn't see coming.  I didn't find Abby and Liam likeable, even more so as the story went on.  As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

Achilles St. Patrick’s Day Run, Toronto, ON

Gord and I did the 5km walk in the Achilles St. Patrick’s Day Race this morning. 

The annual Achilles St. Patrick’s Day Run/Walk is Achilles Canada's only fundraiser of the year supporting athletes with both physical and mental needs, and is a run or walk through the heart of downtown Toronto.

We'd picked up our race kit on Friday.

The starting point was near the CN Tower.

Here are Gord and I ... we're ready to go!

Northern Maverick Brewing Co., Toronto, ON

Gord and I had supper at Northern Maverick Brewing Co. this evening (on Bathurst Street just north of King Street W).

Beer is brewed onsite

Gord ordered Truffled Mushroom Gnocchi.  He'd never had them before (truffles or gnocchi) and he said was delicious.  He was going to take half home to have for lunch tomorrow ... but couldn't resist eating them all.

Honeycomb (aka Newfie) knitted mittens

I finished knitting a pair of Honeycomb (aka Newfie) mittens. They are fun to make.

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

Liberty Commons at Big Rock Brewery, Toronto, ON

Gord and I had supper this evening at Liberty Commons in Liberty Village.

They brew beer on site

My Life Goes On beer was tasty!

We both ordered a fried chicken sandwich (minus the coleslaw).  I got mine with fries and Gord got his with a Caesar salad.  The aioli was garlicy and there was a bit of bite/heat.  The sandwiches were messy and good.  We'd get it again.

Book ~ "The Recovery Agent" (2022) Janet Evanovich

From Goodreads ~ Lost something? Gabriela Rose knows how to get it back. As a recovery agent, she’s hired by individuals and companies seeking lost treasures, stolen heirlooms, or missing assets of any kind. She’s reliable, cool under pressure, and well trained in weapons of all types. But Gabriela’s latest job isn’t for some bamboozled billionaire, it’s for her own family, whose home is going to be wiped off the map if they can’t come up with a lot of money fast.

Inspired by an old family legend, Gabriela sets off for the jungles of Peru in pursuit of the Ring of Solomon and the lost treasure of Cortez. But this particular job comes with a huge problem attached to it - Gabriela’s ex-husband, Rafer. It’s Rafer who has the map that possibly points the way to the treasure and he’s not about to let Gabriela find it without him.

Rafer is as relaxed as Gabriela is driven, and he has a lifetime’s experience getting under his ex-wife’s skin. But when they aren’t bickering about old times the two make a formidable team, and it’s going to take a team to defeat the vicious drug lord who has also been searching for the fabled ring. A drug lord who doesn’t mind leaving a large body count behind him to get it.

Gabriela is a recovery agent ... she is an expert at finding missing items and will use any means possible for a big financial payoff.  A hurricane devastated her hometown and unless she comes up with $15 million to repair it, developers are swooping in and buying up properties because the residents can't afford the repairs.  

Fanny, Gabriela's grandmother, tells her that Annie, the ghost of her ancestor (supposedly Blackbeard's mistress), told her there are maps in a chest that will lead to enough treasure to pay for the repairs.  The problem is the chest is hidden in her late great aunt Margareet's house in St. Vincent ... the same house Margareet had left to Gabriela when she passed away but Gabriela gave up in a divorce from her ex-husband, Rafer.  Rafer lives there and runs a dive shop and he and Gabriela didn't split up on good terms.

When Gabriela heads to St. Vincent and sneaks into the house, she is caught by Rafer as she is searching for the chest.  Rafer doesn't buy her story that it's just family mementos and wants half of whatever she's after (since the chest is in what's now his house) so tags along on her adventures.  They are looking for the Seal of Solomon ring but so is a religious nut who willing to kill to get the ring.

I've read many book by this author and this is the first in the Gabriela Rose series.  While I liked the writing style (it's reminiscent of her other books), treasure hunts through the jungle don't interest me nor do ghost stories.  Gabriela seemed a bit cold but I liked the quirky other characters, even Rafer.  I found it unbelievable that they were able to take off to the jungles of Peru and Costa Rica, to California and more just like that.  And Rafer is a nice lazy dude who runs a dive shop but didn't think twice about taking off with Gabriela with no reaction to the danger they were in.

I'll keep an eye out for the next one in the series ... hopefully it won't be as farfetched as this one.

Honeycomb (aka Newfie) knitted mittens

I just finished knitting a pair of Honeycomb (aka Newfie) mittens. They are fun to make.

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

Honeycomb (aka Newfie) knitted mittens

I just finished knitting a pair of Honeycomb (aka Newfie) mittens. They are fun to make.

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 ~ "The Volunteers: How Halifax Women Won the Second World War" (2022) Lezlie Lowe

From Goodreads ~ Halifax women won the Second World War - but not in the ways you might have been told. We all know the stories of Canadian women during the war who trained as machinists, welders and streetcar drivers to fill the shoes of men who answered the call. We know how women kept the home fires lit while their husbands, brothers and fathers fought. This is not that story.

"The Volunteers: How Halifax Women Won the Second World War" is the untold story of Halifax women who geared up in a flash to focus on the comfort, community connections and mental health of Halifax’s exploding population of sailors, soldiers, airmen and merchant mariners. They did a job no government could have organized or afforded. They did it without being asked. And they did it with no respite from their daily duties.

Thoroughly researched and compellingly told and with a dozen archival images, "The Volunteers" examines the untold stories of the hardworking women whose unpaid and unacknowledged labour won the Second World War.

I was born and raised in Nova Scotia, though I hadn't spent a lot of time in Halifax, and I enjoy reading books about history and "back home".

This book is about the women in Halifax who volunteered during World War II, doing things the government barely did but should have.  Halifax was a naval city during the war and was ill-equipped to handle all the servicemen and their families who descended upon Halifax at that time.  There weren't enough accommodations and many were formed to bunk up in homes or even sleep on the streets.  Plus rations were in place so food wasn't plentiful.  But women banded together to ensure the visiting men had places they could read and write letters back home, have their clothes mended, have a few drinks (keep in mind the liquor laws during this time were very strict) and have someone to talk with.

The book not only focused on some of the women who were involved in the volunteer movement (because they were women, some names have been lost) but also what was going on at that time so you can get a sense of what these women were up against and managed to achieved.  Scattered throughout the book are pictures.

I liked the writing style.  It was obvious the author did a great amount of research.  Sometimes I found myself stopping and Googling something or someone she had talked about so I'd learn more (like the Ajax Club that Dolly had worked so hard to open and then it was shut down less than two years later ... I also wondered what happened to the house the club it was in).  The author managed to provide us with some history of something probably most of us don't know about but also included some personal touches like stories about Marie, her grandmother, who was in Halifax during World War II, and other women she was able to personally interview.

The John, Toronto, ON

Gord and I had supper this evening at The John (Bloor Street W/Dufferin street). It’s the first time we’ve been there and it had a fun vibe. 

They have a great craft beer selection

Gord ordered the John burger and fries, which he said was good and he'd get it again.