The original "birdie" was a small mechanical bird, held up over the camera by a Victorian photographer as a way of keeping children's attention for the long exposures. Today, we still love to watch birds. Birding is one of the most popular and fastest growing outdoor activities, for all ages. Many birders are satisfied with watching and […]
The 17th annual CONTACT Photography Festival is bigger than ever, with an overwhelming range of workshops, symposia, films, installations, events and book signings, and of course, photography exhibits. This year's theme, 'Field of Vision', takes us in many fascinating directions, both photographically and geographically. There are primary exhibitions at MOCCA (The Museum of […]
In Fahrenheit 451, Toronto Public Library's Keep Toronto Reading Festival 2013 book selection, books are burned, history is re-written, memories are lost and re-invented, screen families replace real families and nobody talks to anyone. There are no stories in the society Ray Bradbury has invented. When Montag escapes from the city he begins to regain […]
"The love for a good story, well told, lies deep in every human heart." (Lillian H. Smith) We are all storytellers! When you regale friends with anecdotes about your mosquito-plagued camping adventures, or hear your child's account of classroom shenanigans, or sit with a grandparen’t who reminisces about growing up in the old country…you […]
The weather in Toronto has been more wintry than we've seen for a long while. All the boots have come out in full force to slog through the snow and slush. I love boots – tall, short, riding, hiking, Australian Blundstones, vintage Fryes, over the knee, cowboy, classic green Hunters and rainbow-coloured rubber boots. […]
Last week I borrowed a MAP pass from the library and used it to visit the Textile Museum of Canada. What a jewel we have, hidden away in downtown Toronto, and what a pleasure it was to see all the brilliant colours and textures of the collection, on a grey and wintry Sunday afternoon. Of […]
The Toronto Bead Society's Fall Fair is fast approaching! This year it’s being held on Saturday and Sunday, November 3 & 4, in the Appel Salon on the second floor of the Toronto Reference Library. As a long-time bead lover, I’m looking forward to seeing what new beads are on offer, and getting ideas for […]
Sam Sniderman, better known as Sam the Record Man, passed away this week at the age of 92. His legacy lives on in the memories of those of us who spent hours browsing in his flagship store on Yonge Street in Toronto, or shopping in one of many Sam’s stores in Canada. My cousin and […]
It’s September in Toronto, and we’re approaching the peak period of fall migration when thousands of birds will pass through the city en route to their winter homes. Living near High Park, I’m constantly aware of birds – their songs, their habits, their comings and goings through the seasons. Every fall, avid birders gather on […]
August 23, 2012, is Gene Kelly's one hundredth birthday, and this year is the 60th anniversary of 'Singin' in the Rain'. Let's celebrate this brilliant dancer and his best-loved film! Back in the dark ages of the mid 1970’s, when I was a library school student in Toronto, I was a huge fan […]