Monday, May 28, 2012

An Oasis in High Park

It took me all of ten seconds early Saturday morning to convince R to drop the garden tools for a few hours and enjoy a mini-break.  We have been driving past High Park in Toronto for years and each time we pledge to stop by one day.  The sun has been blazing and the humidity is already making the air thick so we brought Deacon along to enjoy the cool paths.  Finding a car park in the bustling city and crossing four lanes of traffic we entered in on a dirt path amongst a grove of trees and within minutes the sound of the cars was replaced by birdsong.

Colburne Lodge is a Regency-style cottage built in 1836 by John George Howard.  The idea behind the design is for the structure to be as spare and plain as possible so the focus remains on the garden and surrounding nature.  John and his wife, Jemima, had no children and bequeathed the house to the City in return of a small pension.  Most of the articles in the home are just as they were when the couple lived there.
Peeking through a window in the kitchen it looks as though someone will be back any minute to fetch a basin. 
There were areas of High Park that reminded me of Waterlow Park in Highgate, London and it didn't take me long to have a quick daydream about being back there.  We were naughty and clicked Deacon off of his leash so he could jump into a filtered pool to cool off.  It was all fun and games until we realized it was at least a three foot jump down and a wet dog Deacon's size couldn't shoot back out without a set of steps.  R had to reach down and grab hold of a soaking wet coat and heave ho.
And what sort of oasis would be complete without a baby Llama?  High Park has a zoo that is just the right size to excite an elementary class without taxing them.  This little one was making little repetitive groaning sounds which I'm sure meant he wanted his harness off, poor thing.  But oh couldn't you just give him/her a big cuddle?

The rest of the weekend was spent clearing weeds and patching with grass seed, mowing the lawn and R is still clearing an island of tree roots and feels like he is digging his way to China.  He wasn't all that cheered up by my attempt to reduce the situation by mentioning Victorians clearing massive fields of trees and stone.  Oh well, I would be the first to admit that not all of my ideas are good ones.

14 comments:

  1. Darlene, that is beautiful, and it looks so peaceful as well. Followed your link to find out more and found it so interesting I'm now trying to find out more about Canadian history!

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    1. Spending time in the park made me feel sorry for anyone who was rushing about in a mall somewhere. And I should really learn more about Canadian history as well. Funnily enough, most of my history knowledge is about England!

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  2. You had the right idea to down tools and just enjoy the warm weather Darlene. We are having something of a heatwave over here at the moment (we always call them heatwaves for some reason!)and I relished just lazing in the garden with a good book and a generous slathering of sun tan lotion!

    High Park looks completely delightful - I have kitchen sink envy now!

    Jeanne
    x

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    1. Hahaha, I know exactly what you mean about the sink! When I flip through Country Living magazine, the Belfast sinks always make me weak at the knees. Enjoy your hot weather while it lasts, Jeanne!

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  3. It sounds like you had a wonderful day. That kitchen sink is just divine - sigh. The picture of your husband having to heave a wet Deacon out of the pool made me smile :o)

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    1. Perhaps you were a downstairs girl in another life, I am pretty sure I was. Aga stoves, sinks, copper pots and inglenook fires....aaahhh, divine!

      That Deacon makes us laugh and drives us crazy...every...single...day. Bless.

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  4. What a glorious place and I love the baby llama. One thing I still have failed to come to terms with is passing a field of llama here in the Warwickshire countryside, but they are becoming quite common.

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    1. Hahaha, that would take some getting used to! I was a bit hesitant to get too close to the baby in case Mum decided to spit...ick, ick, ick! But oh lucky you to simply have the Warwickshire countryside, no matter what sort of four-legged beast is roaming around!

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  5. I so want that kitchen sink! I lived all those years in Toronto and didn't even know about High Park! How did I manage that? Sounds like the perfect way to spend the weekend Darlene.

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    1. It's so easy to get swept away in the hustle and bustle and pass by the green spaces. Also, in my humble opinion, Toronto doesn't highlight these sorts of gems nearly enough. Should you ever land back in town you'll know where to head for an afternoon out and a picnic!

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  6. Thanks for the visit. It's been untold years since I've been to Colborne Lodge, or even High Park (I live in the east end). I've always felt grateful to the Howards for bequeathing that huge tract of land to the city, and that it's remained a public park. I love that their family burial ground is right inside the park. (The zoo is in danger of falling to Cuts. Grrr.)

    (Saturday found me at a Scarborough historic house, and like you, I took pictures of the windows.)

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    1. I was thrilled to learn that the gates surrounding the burial ground were originally from St Paul's Cathedral! Who knew? By the looks of the fundraising thermometer outside of the zoo office the animals are not going anywhere...fingers crossed. Mind you, the animals could do with larger areas and more habitat so it's bittersweet.

      How eerie and interesting all at the same time that the windows at your destination drew you in as well!

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  7. What a lovely place! The more you post about your local area the more I regret not having done some more exploring when I was staying there! I just went to Dairy Queen about 50 times!!

    That baby Llama is adorable. I love petting zoos!

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    1. Hahaha! I used to love going to our local DQ with a friend while in my teens until I found out how many calories was in a Peanut Buster Parfait...eek!

      Oh that sweet little Llama was just the sweetest thing! If I didn't think the mother would spit at me I would have given it a huge cuddle.

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