Time for some bright!

The red-brick Gooderham Building (commonly referred to as the Flatiron Building) is a historic landmark of Toronto, Ontario, Canada located at 49 Wellington Street East. It is wedged between Front Street and Wellington Street, where they join up to form a triangular intersection. It was completed in 1892 and is an iconic Toronto Vista. I think it's stunning.

History: The previous building was shorter, but in the same shape, and was called the Coffin Block. The current building was built by architect David Roberts, Jr. and originally cost $18,000 ($18,000!!) to construct for distiller George Gooderham, son of Gooderham and Worts distillery founder William Gooderham. It was the office of the Gooderham & Worts distillery until 1952, and sold by the Gooderham Estate in 1957 (ref Wikipedia).

Frigid. Clear. Blue.

*

We want the spring to come and the winter to pass. We want

whoever to call or not call, a letter, a kiss - we want more and more and then more of it.

But there are moments, walking, when I catch a glimpse of myself in the window glass,

say, the window of the corner video store, and I’m gripped by a cherishing so deep

for my own blowing hair, chapped face, and unbuttoned coat that I’m speechless:

I am living…

–Marie Howe

I Own This Beach

Here I am with my mother in the background. My brother took this picture sometime in the 1980s.

We went walking up in Jupiter Island. I took rolls and rolls of photos of the dawn over the ocean. We made Mom walk further than she wanted to. I think that this was the trip where we went for a walk up the beach and I left my shorts and car keys on a beach towel and when we got back the tide had carried everything away. I don't think I've ever been accused of over thinking or over planning anything.

My brother and I used to drive all night to make it to Jupiter. Then we would head for the beach.

Once we got there and it was raining and we sat on the stairs going down to the ocean, just getting drizzled on. A couple of people tentatively came up the boardwalk behind us and asked us if it was okay for them to go down there, and we kept telling them we'd have to think about it, that we owned that beach. It was a joke that went on too long and they didn't get that we were joking. Which made us do it even more.

*

All the True Vows

All the true vows

are secret vows

the ones we speak out loud

are the ones we break.

There is only one life

you can call your own

and a thousand others

you can call by any name you want.

Hold to the truth you make

every day with your own body,

don't turn your face away.

Hold to your own truth

at the center of the image

you were born with.

Those who do not understand

their destiny will never understand

the friends they have made

nor the work they have chosen

nor the one life that waits

beyond all the others.

By the lake in the wood

in the shadows

you can

whisper that truth

to the quiet reflection

you see in the water.

Whatever you hear from

the water, remember,

it wants you to carry

the sound of its truth on your lips.

Remember,

in this place

no one can hear you

and out of the silence

you can make a promise

it will kill you to break,

that way you'll find

what is real and what is not.

I know what I am saying.

Time almost forsook me

and I looked again.

Seeing my reflection

I broke a promise

and spoke

for the first time

after all these years

in my own voice,

before it was too late

to turn my face again.

~ David Whyte

*

The horror starts here:

Before it was known as LÀNG YÊN BÌNH (Village of tranquility), the village had gone by another name that many have chosen to ignore or hush away, LÀNG CHẾT (Village of Death).

There were many legends and myths surrounding the origin of that ominous name. One version stated that the village was once a place of piracy and bloodshed, and the victims of the murders still haunted that place. Another account revealed that the village was once a rice village that had half its population wiped out by a viral outbreak. The bodies were never found, and the remaining population moved out of the village for fear of their lives.

Many conspiracy theorists believed that the authorities had a facility located below the village which housed the once missing bodies to determine the cause of death and develop the virus into an enhancement that they can use on living persons.

That did not turn out well.

And this is what awaits you:

Your team expects to arrive at a comfortable hotel upon arrival in the city of destination but all of a sudden has to brace itself for a long march in unknown territory that will set team members’ heart racing. Zombies are waiting to grab a hold of the members and take their life. The apocalypse is closer than they’d think, and if they think that they have to be fast, they’ll have another thing coming. The teams have to maneuver through and traverse a string of obstacles, at the same time having to dodge and outwalk zombies awaiting their next meal.

Each team member is given a removable life tag to wear. One among several rules determines that when life tags are taken, you do not transform into a zombie but you have to move to the back of your group.

Team strategy and teamwork is highly recommended to cope with life-or-death challenges – “Rambo” is considered a myth.

(An event designed by Top Team Vietnam - more www.topteam.co for companies based in Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Vietnam and elsewhere)

The horror starts here:

Before it was known as LÀNG YÊN BÌNH (Village of tranquility), the village had gone by another name that many have chosen to ignore or hush away, LÀNG CHẾT (Village of Death).

There were many legends and myths surrounding the origin of that ominous name. One version stated that the village was once a place of piracy and bloodshed, and the victims of the murders still haunted that place. Another account revealed that the village was once a rice village that had half its population wiped out by a viral outbreak. The bodies were never found, and the remaining population moved out of the village for fear of their lives.

Many conspiracy theorists believed that the authorities had a facility located below the village which housed the once missing bodies to determine the cause of death and develop the virus into an enhancement that they can use on living persons.

That did not turn out well.

And this is what awaits you:

Your team expects to arrive at a comfortable hotel upon arrival in the city of destination but all of a sudden has to brace itself for a long march in unknown territory that will set team members’ heart racing. Zombies are waiting to grab a hold of the members and take their life. The apocalypse is closer than they’d think, and if they think that they have to be fast, they’ll have another thing coming. The teams have to maneuver through and traverse a string of obstacles, at the same time having to dodge and outwalk zombies awaiting their next meal.

Each team member is given a removable life tag to wear. One among several rules determines that when life tags are taken, you do not transform into a zombie but you have to move to the back of your group.

Team strategy and teamwork is highly recommended to cope with life-or-death challenges –

“Rambo” is considered a myth.

☆☆☆☆☆

An event designed by Top Team Vietnam. Interested in an exciting learning-with-fun event? Contact info(at)topteam.co for your tailor-made proposal.

Wedged in chair.

LINES LOST AMONG TREES

These are not the lines that came to me

while walking in the woods

with no pen

and nothing to write on anyway.

They are gone forever,

a handful of coins

dropped through the grate of memory,

along with the ingenious mnemonic

I devised to hold them in place -

all gone and forgotten

before I had returned to the clearing of lawn

in back of our quiet house

with its jars jammed with pens,

its notebooks and reams of blank paper,

its desk and soft lamp,

its table and the light from its windows.

So this is my elegy for them,

those six or eight exhalations,

the braided rope of syntax,

the jazz of the timing,

and the little insight at the end

wagging like the short tail

of a perfectly obedient spaniel

sitting by the door.

This is my envoy to nothing

where I say Go, little poem -

not out into the world of strangers' eyes,

but off to some airy limbo,

home to lost epics,

unremembered names,

and fugitive dreams

such as the one I had last night,

which, like a fantastic city in pencil,

erased itself

in the bright morning air

just as I was waking up.

- Billy Collins

It's this weekend when seemingly most of Finland has a huge party at the Midsummer weekend.

I suspect that the weather hasn't been great, but I'm sure Karin will update us at some point.

The weather here was pretty miserable today, though I spent pretty much the whole day at the console.

With the timetable scheduled, I put it out to heads of department to staff. With the names in place I then transcribe the whole thing, line by line, into the timetable software so the MIS can understand it.

This is a real, real ballache of a job which just has to be ground through. For my own sanity I choose to do it at home rather than try to work around the constant interruptions at work as accuracy is very important indeed when doing it.

I did get out for a walk first thing though, and I noticed that the wet pavements had brought out quite a few snails.

I stopped to snap this, earning a very peculiar look from the chap at the bus stop!

My dad had a silver one, loved it!

I think CarLotta Spots can outwalk me any day.

Well, walk me just beyond the bridge in truth.

Not such a good day today as I was having a sore back day. That meant steps were very low, and by late evening I'd loosened up enough to try for a walk.

As it goes it went smoothly and ended up quite enjoyable. This is a street shot of West Derby Road I took on my travels. As you can see, it was dark. :)

University of Toronto

"It's not enough to say the heart wants what it wants. I think of the ravine, the side dark with pines where we lounged through summer days, waiting for something to happen; and of the nights, walking the long way home, the stars so close they seemed to crown us. Once, I asked for your favorite feeling. You said hunger. It felt true then. It was as if we took the bit and bridle from our mouths. From that moment I told myself it was the not yet that I wanted, the moving, the toward - "

- Mary Szybist

This may be the first time I've looked at these buildings from this perspective, even though The Queen and Beaver is one of my favourite pubs (they do a fabulous English Breakfast by the way). I usually approach Elm from Yonge St. You actually have to be standing opposite to appreciate the architectural contrast. It's the first time I really noticed the different colours of the bricks of these old buildings (probably restored brick) and the fact that they are all different designs. I thought they looked even more picturesque with the snow. The Queen and Beaver Pub is the blue and yellow building second from the left. In the summer the patio is a great spot to hang out. I also think these are all old converted houses.

Little walk on an April afternoon.

Path by the Waterfront on a cold Winter's night...lamps light the trees, water laps the boats.

The horror starts here:

Before it was known as LÀNG YÊN BÌNH (Village of tranquility), the village had gone by another name that many have chosen to ignore or hush away, LÀNG CHẾT (Village of Death).

There were many legends and myths surrounding the origin of that ominous name. One version stated that the village was once a place of piracy and bloodshed, and the victims of the murders still haunted that place. Another account revealed that the village was once a rice village that had half its population wiped out by a viral outbreak. The bodies were never found, and the remaining population moved out of the village for fear of their lives.

Many conspiracy theorists believed that the authorities had a facility located below the village which housed the once missing bodies to determine the cause of death and develop the virus into an enhancement that they can use on living persons.

That did not turn out well.

And this is what awaits you:

Your team expects to arrive at a comfortable hotel upon arrival in the city of destination but all of a sudden has to brace itself for a long march in unknown territory that will set team members’ heart racing. Zombies are waiting to grab a hold of the members and take their life. The apocalypse is closer than they’d think, and if they think that they have to be fast, they’ll have another thing coming. The teams have to maneuver through and traverse a string of obstacles, at the same time having to dodge and outwalk zombies awaiting their next meal.

Each team member is given a removable life tag to wear. One among several rules determines that when life tags are taken, you did not transform into a zombie but you had to move to the back of your group.

Team strategy and teamwork is highly recommended to cope with life-or-death challenges – “Rambo” is considered a myth.

(Zombie Walk is designed and organized by Top Team Vietnam for companies based in Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta, Vietnam, Shanghai, Taipei, Seoul, Asia)

The horror starts here:

Before it was known as LÀNG YÊN BÌNH (Village of tranquility), the village had gone by another name that many have chosen to ignore or hush away, LÀNG CHẾT (Village of Death).

There were many legends and myths surrounding the origin of that ominous name. One version stated that the village was once a place of piracy and bloodshed, and the victims of the murders still haunted that place. Another account revealed that the village was once a rice village that had half its population wiped out by a viral outbreak. The bodies were never found, and the remaining population moved out of the village for fear of their lives.

Many conspiracy theorists believed that the authorities had a facility located below the village which housed the once missing bodies to determine the cause of death and develop the virus into an enhancement that they can use on living persons.

That did not turn out well.

And this is what awaits you:

Your team expects to arrive at a comfortable hotel upon arrival in the city of destination but all of a sudden has to brace itself for a long march in unknown territory that will set team members’ heart racing. Zombies are waiting to grab a hold of the members and take their life. The apocalypse is closer than they’d think, and if they think that they have to be fast, they’ll have another thing coming. The teams have to maneuver through and traverse a string of obstacles, at the same time having to dodge and outwalk zombies awaiting their next meal.

Each team member is given a removable life tag to wear. One among several rules determines that when life tags are taken, you do not transform into a zombie but you have to move to the back of your group.

Team strategy and teamwork is highly recommended to cope with life-or-death challenges –

“Rambo” is considered a myth.

☆☆☆☆☆

An event designed by Top Team Vietnam (www.topteam.co)

Interested in an exciting learning-with-fun event? Contact info(at)topteam.co for your tailor-made proposal.

University of Toronto. I love these old low buildings.

I've not taken anything I can use today, so you get a shot of a very dodgy looking footpath taken on my evening walk.

This one is essentially an extended back entry that runs between two streets and round the back of a school. It looks like a dead end from here, but it does snick left at the end.

And yes, I do sometimes use it. Even in the dark. :)

A few choices from today, including a trip to the tip (exciting!), a trip to the woodyard and a long early morning walk.

It's the latter that I've gone for, and this is possibly a view that I've used before. It's the former railway line from North to South Liverpool that has been converted into a cycle path.

This particular section is at the back of West Derby railway station, looking along the platform.

It was a nice walk, if a little cold and slippery.

Broken guitar at foot of Epple bay cliff in Kent uk. I came across this a while back, i photographed it from several angles. Thought it would make a good one for my 300th abandoned photograph.

Frederick MD

But the silence in the mind

is when we live best, within

listening distance of the silence

we call God. This is the deep

calling to deep of the psalm-

writer, the bottomless ocean.

We launch the armada of

our thoughts on, never arriving.

It is a presence, then,

whose margins are our margins;

that calls us out over our

own fathoms. What to do

but draw a little nearer to

such ubiquity by remaining still?

~ R. S. Thomas

Went for a lovely walk around Chartwell, wanted these three as a visual reminder. Beautiful countryside.

So one of the things I did today was tea in the Toby Carvery on Queens Drive, which has had a nice refurb.

Knowing I was going there, I elected not to walk earlier in the day and burned all my steps on a walk up to the pub.

It was a fairly circuitous route that took me past the helipad at the back of Alder Hey.

I'm not sure I've ever stood right next to a windsock before, and they're certainly bigger than you might expect.

The new Alder Hey in the background is certainly mad looking, but people seem to like it.

I also realised today something that is completely obvious but I'd never really thought about. Alder Hey and Broadgreen hospitals are REALLY close together!

Frederick MD Oil and vinegar shop.

The horror starts here:

Before it was known as LÀNG YÊN BÌNH (Village of tranquility), the village had gone by another name that many have chosen to ignore or hush away, LÀNG CHẾT (Village of Death).

There were many legends and myths surrounding the origin of that ominous name. One version stated that the village was once a place of piracy and bloodshed, and the victims of the murders still haunted that place. Another account revealed that the village was once a rice village that had half its population wiped out by a viral outbreak. The bodies were never found, and the remaining population moved out of the village for fear of their lives.

Many conspiracy theorists believed that the authorities had a facility located below the village which housed the once missing bodies to determine the cause of death and develop the virus into an enhancement that they can use on living persons.

That did not turn out well.

And this is what awaits you:

Your team expects to arrive at a comfortable hotel upon arrival in the city of destination but all of a sudden has to brace itself for a long march in unknown territory that will set team members’ heart racing. Zombies are waiting to grab a hold of the members and take their life. The apocalypse is closer than they’d think, and if they think that they have to be fast, they’ll have another thing coming. The teams have to maneuver through and traverse a string of obstacles, at the same time having to dodge and outwalk zombies awaiting their next meal.

Each team member is given a removable life tag to wear. One among several rules determines that when life tags are taken, you do not transform into a zombie but you have to move to the back of your group.

Team strategy and teamwork is highly recommended to cope with life-or-death challenges –

“Rambo” is considered a myth.

☆☆☆☆☆

An event designed by Top Team Vietnam (www.topteam.co)

Interested in an exciting learning-with-fun event? Contact info(at)topteam.co for your tailor-made proposal.

The horror starts here:

Before it was known as LÀNG YÊN BÌNH (Village of tranquility), the village had gone by another name that many have chosen to ignore or hush away, LÀNG CHẾT (Village of Death).

There were many legends and myths surrounding the origin of that ominous name. One version stated that the village was once a place of piracy and bloodshed, and the victims of the murders still haunted that place. Another account revealed that the village was once a rice village that had half its population wiped out by a viral outbreak. The bodies were never found, and the remaining population moved out of the village for fear of their lives.

Many conspiracy theorists believed that the authorities had a facility located below the village which housed the once missing bodies to determine the cause of death and develop the virus into an enhancement that they can use on living persons.

That did not turn out well.

And this is what awaits you:

Your team expects to arrive at a comfortable hotel upon arrival in the city of destination but all of a sudden has to brace itself for a long march in unknown territory that will set team members’ heart racing. Zombies are waiting to grab a hold of the members and take their life. The apocalypse is closer than they’d think, and if they think that they have to be fast, they’ll have another thing coming. The teams have to maneuver through and traverse a string of obstacles, at the same time having to dodge and outwalk zombies awaiting their next meal.

Each team member is given a removable life tag to wear. One among several rules determines that when life tags are taken, you do not transform into a zombie but you have to move to the back of your group.

Team strategy and teamwork is highly recommended to cope with life-or-death challenges –

“Rambo” is considered a myth.

☆☆☆☆☆

An event designed by Top Team Vietnam (www.topteam.co)

Interested in an exciting learning-with-fun event? Contact info(at)topteam.co for your tailor-made proposal.

It’s late on a warm Saturday afternoon. A slight breeze has kicked in bringing with it a cool foreshadowing of the approaching evening. The sun is low on the horizon and the shadows lay long on the street. As I’m walking along, as if from nowhere, an old and rustically charming building unexpectedly whispers something to me. I don’t understand the words, in truth there can be no words, but I’m suddenly reminded of somewhere I’ve been…or dreamt of being. Maybe it’s the charming colors; or the reflections of the trees in the upper windows; or perhaps it’s just the lazy empty feel it exudes in the waning moments of the afternoon. I can’t put my finger on it. So I go with that for now. But I take a second to steal the moment in a picture….just in case.

Shot along Broadway in old town Redwood City CA

The Bare Arms of Trees

Sometimes when I see the bare arms of trees in the evening

I think of men who have died without love,

Of desolation and space between branch and branch,

I think of immovable whiteness and lean coldness and fear

And the terrible longing between people stretched apart as these

branches

And the cold space between.

I think of the vastness and courage between this step and that step

Of the yearning and fear of the meeting, of the terrible desire

held apart.

I think of the ocean of longing that moves between land and land

And between people, the space and ocean.

The bare arms of the trees are immovable, without the play of

leaves, without the sound of wind;

I think of the unseen love and the unknown thoughts that exist

between tree and tree

As I pass these things in the evening, as I walk.

– John Tagliabue

Today my brother took me out of london and had me walking around the hertfordshire countryside i grew up in. i felt better at the time...

Had to edit this pic on my parents computer with very limited privacy or time so apologies for it..

From a couple of weeks ago when out walking with Alfie........