From Mill Lane to Mill Street

So we are here, Mill Street, Toronto.  I am sitting this morning watching the sunrise bounce off the buildings and skim across the lake. I've traded morning birdsong in Mill Lane for morning birdsong with a background of traffic on the expressway which dissects my view out across Lake Ontario (well part of it anyway). Gone are the quiet country lanes, fields and canals that I used to walk and hello urban jungle.  Actually I like living in the city again but I do miss the beautiful English countryside.

We are carless (by choice, though we are sometimes doubting that choice) and so exploring our new neighborhood on foot, bike, streetcar (quaint but effective) and subway. We have also just joined a car share scheme and will use that to get out of town occasionally and for big grocery shops. It does make exploring a little different but parking is at a premium here and we are within walking distance of the big fella's work. Speaking of which, the exercise has had a wonderful side benefit for him at least, of weight loss, down yet another notch on the belt this morning. Our first 6 weeks here were in the biting cold of the winter's end. We had some snow and ice to contend with but it was not much and not at all like they have here for winter.  I have to admit that I still find snow exciting but I am so pleased that things are warming up.

So what have we found so far? Two weekends ago we took the ferry to the islands just off the end of downtown (picture above is a view back towards the city).  About a 20 minute walk from home to the ferry.  It was most probably the first really nice weekend that we could go and explore the islands. Next time we will take our bikes and a picnic with us. There are beaches, gardens, a fairground, lots of lovely grass and it's quiet.

The street art is fantastic here in Toronto, reminds me of the lane ways in Melbourne and I'm often surprised about where I find it, like under the expressway or train lines.  I can't buy Vegemite. The cafe culture is good (yeah!) and the food is generally good and culturally diverse (not so in Peterborough, UK). I cant buy Vegemite.

There are a lot of performing arts (going to a show tonight only a 2 minute walk from our door).  Toronto has a big film production centre which is just down the road from us. Torontonians are friendly, helpful and have a beautiful accent, even if I can't understand them sometimes. But, they spit, seriously, I have not seen so many people spit since I was in Asia, it was totally unexpected in this city. They also hold their line on the footpath and wont blink an eye if it means you have to step off out of their way. Drivers are, however very courteous to pedestrians. Not far from the city are ski fields (95 mins), quaint towns and beaches (a streetcar ride, cycle or long walk).  I've also now got a reasonable idea of how to get around the city. Did I mention that I cant buy Vegemite? Thank goodness for Amazon.

We live in a tiny apartment now. One bedroom and a den area that I have transformed into my sewing area/ office. We have downsized yet again and it is interesting to see what we really need.  Storage space is lacking so we have thrown out anything that isn't necessary. I think we have adapted to our new space now but this is definitely a place where everything has its place and it needs to sit there in order for things to work. On Sunday our Eufy arrived; a little round robotic vacuum cleaner. I was skeptical but he's great!! He is the answer to our need to clean the carpet and not having any space to put a traditional vacuum.  In fact as I type, he has switched on for his 10am clean. 

One of us has a job and one doesn't...... but hopefully that will change soon. In the meantime I've done a fair bit of reading, sewing, walking and cooking. Oh yes, and there has been the odd coffee consumed. I'm enjoying Mill Street and the city, but I still miss Mill Lane (and its inhabitants).