last night, after the drinking and the celebrations and the cab rides had subsided, it snowed in toronto.  when i woke up (around 2pm), everything around my neighbourhood of high park was covered in a sprinkling of icing sugar snow.  (because i am a cranky old man/expatriate from the prairies) i can tell you that this is not the same as the frosting that comes with hoar frost when the ambient moisture in the air crystallizes on the trees and branches and everywhere because the temperature has suddenly dropped and the air was still - i've not yet seen that here.  and the other downside was the overcast skies - it's taken a couple of years, but i am finally noticing the lack of blue skies around here and i'm starting to be saddened about it.

now that the cranky complaints are over, i can tell you how much i love my neighbourhood.  it's an established, gentrified area of old toronto that seems great for young (and... erm... wealthy) starting families.  the whole area has a very comfortable and neighbourly feel which was the main reason that i wanted to move here in the first place - to feel part of a community.  people smile at you as your walk past, young and old people walk up and down bloor to do their daily shopping and hang out at the neighbourhood pubs and coffee shops.  it is truly one of the friendliest parts of the city that i have been to.

but the real attraction here is the park.  high park is the largest park in toronto at 161 hecatres and it is my pride and joy all year long.  it is a hugh patch of green nature and tiny hills and valleys that sits obstinately between me and the shore of lake ontario - meaning that if i want to get to the lake, i have to conquer its hills before and after i get there.  but it's always a joy - in the summer it's magnificent; in the winter, it's gorgeous; in the autumn, it's breathtaking.  spring is kind of a non-season until the green gets going.  anyway, here are some shots of the fun that is high park from this new years day.

- g

song of the day: big sky, john o'callaghan (with audrey gallagher)