day 278 - remember this?

i took a photograph of this tree 26 days ago when it still held so many golden leaves. this is how it looks now, nary a leaf on it. the next time there'll be snow on it!

day 277 - birds on wires

on my way to the clinic, i would have to pass underneath hydro wires with all these birds perched on it. having had "trouble" in the past with these birds, i refuse to walk on that side of the street even though the clinic is just two buildings away so i have to cross the street then cross back again to get to the building. in fact today, there are not a lot of them, the first time i saw this, there was no space between the birds at all. shiver me timbers!!!

day 276 - unknown writers

tonight, the totally unknown writers festival was held at the rivoli on spadina. i can qualify it as a success as the venue was quite full with people, with standing room only at the back. i introduced one of the new writers featured tonight and plugged my little radio show, life rattle.

day 275 - ivy-covered window

the window of an old house on sherbourne street is covered with this large ivy leaves that are turning into fall colours. in fact, the whole house is covered with the red tinged leaves and in the middle of a busy section of the city, with run-down houses around it, this was a sight to behold. proof that there's always beauty where you least expect it.

day 274 - shadows

it looks like the shadow is wearing sunglasses, non? this picture was a surprise because i didn't notice the shadow on the leaves as i was just focused on the leaves on the ground.

day 273 - good morning!

the sun shone brightly this morning and i walked down to eastlyn park so i could take pictures of the leaves on the ground. of the many i took, i think this speaks more of autumn.

day 272 - under a canopy of autumn leaves

at eastlyn park, there are still a few trees that haven't shed off their leaves. this one was just all golden with some tinges of red on the edges on the leaves facing east. there were people standing beneath it so i couldn't take a picture of the whole tree the leaves are just a beautiful yellow.

day 271 - window

window of an old store - something nostalgic about the way the window valance is hung, the crude painting of the window's frame, the dirt accumulated through the seasons, the toys for sale inside, and the yard that is reflected in the glass panes. makes you long for the old days when life was simple and easy.

day 270 - burning bushes

the morning sun on these bushes makes it look like moses' burning bush. nature never ceases to amaze me. the birds are still around, too many of them, and the leaves haven't all fallen yet. a lot of trees on the danforth are holding out. maybe the snow's never coming, just the uncomfortable cold every now and then. that wouldn't be a bad idea eh?

day 269 - a bit of nostalgia

look, a rotary telephone! this is that heavy stuff which if you drop it on your toe, you will be on at least a short term disability. i used to use a pencil or a pen to dial the numbers. there were no 'redial' buttons so if the number you're calling was busy, you just have to re-dial the same number, again and again and again, until you get to memorize the number. so different from what we are used to now. and then there was the thing called "the party line". no, young ones, it's not a party party. hahahaha! in those days you share the line with another number. you get to snoop on your party line or they get to listen in on your conversations. well, in fact it's no different today. you sit on the train and all the people around you are on the phone blabbing as if they're alone, then you get to have the scoop on a lot of people you don't even know.

day 268 - berries

these berries (i don't know exactly what kind of berries these are, or even if they are edible or anything at all) are thriving in the cold, the only colour in the rather drab gray slabs and withered leaves. there were many of them, but i wouldn't dare touch them, lest they give me some allergies or somethin'.

day 267 - a pretty autumn sight

this is one of those beautiful sights you get to see if you can manage to get around the city. the tree is almost bare but for a few leaves, and this vine that turns to fall colours and consequently decorates the trunk of the tree. nature is so lovely!

day 266 - carved pumpkin #3

i swear this one looks like that despicable beetlejuice (but i was promptly corrected by my niece that it is jack skeleton from "the nightmare after christmas") who is more an annoying character than scary (in my personal humble opinion). or maybe it is just one of those non-descript cartoon characters, which is also more annoying than scary.

day 265 - carved pumpkin #2

another entry in the pumpkin carving contest, this one needed only a minimum of scraping, not carving, to give it a scary look. i suppose to attain this sinister look, you have got to carefully choose the pumpkin.

day 264 - carved pumpkin #1

today, our building had a pumpkin carving contest. here's one of the entries called "roasting marsmallows". i wouldn't be surprised if this was the winner, because this was a show-stopper. the pumpkin is supposed to be a fire where the marshmallows are being roasted. brilliant, i dare say, especially that i know nothing about pumpkin carving!

day 263 - more pumpkins (or gourds, for that matter)

and these, i wonder if these are the same as the bitter gourds i know. these look ugly, like warty toads or something. the green/yellow one on the centre right looks like a crocodile or wolf or some damned thing. i am told these are edible (or eatable). well, so be it.

day 262 - that is so weird!

this is suppose to be another kind of gourd. which or what kind, i don't know. maybe it's an albino gourd?

day 261 - pumpkins again

these are supposed to be some kind of pumpkins, or gourds. they look funny, more like oversized acorns. i must admit i have never seen these before in my life. i was told they're also edible, just like any other gourds. ah, isn't mother nature really amazing?

day 260 - could've been perfect

yes, this picture is almost perfect - the worn out evergreen tree, the battered walls of the barn, the pumpkins, the discarded broken cart wheel, the makeshift fence, the mums on their way to withering, the old slabs of wood on the ground. almost a perfect rural scene. and then there's the friggin' plastic basket. i really really wanted to get that plastic basket off but it's not my place so i couldn't. on the other hand, i could photoshop it but that would make the picture not genuine. oh, well, i guess one can't have everything that's good.

day 259 - pumpkins

the hallowe'en just a week away, there is of course almost like pumpkin invasion in the city, perhaps the country. pumpkins of all sorts, which i took pictures of and shall be the subject this week on this blog. today, it's this jack-o-lantern type pumpkins, and my little grandson still insists on me baking him a pumpkin pie. maybe i should visit the grocery store, get one nice looking pumpkin pie and present it to him, just so he'd get off my back. i won't dare tell him again that i hate pumpkin.

take note of that old cart in the background.