Field trip

While I wait for the perfect conditions to go outside and plant bee- and butterfly-friendly flowers in place of the boxwoods we lost earlier this year...

... let me take you out on a field trip I took immediately after posting last Saturday's Hug!

If I lived here, I would put a long chaise under the below-stairs arches, plus a little table for tea and snacks, and curl up to read for about six years.

But nobody lives here. Toronto has two city halls, located on either side of Bay Street, one being very old and beautiful and the other, newer and iconic with two towers that may look like brackets to some, but make me feel like they're about to hug. 

Surprise! This gorgeous marble space is in the old one. It got leased to the province, as I understand it, and unless you were attending court in the capacity of a prosecution or defence you didn't get to see it. But it's no longer in use for judicial purposes and the building's been open for self-guided tours a few days a month, so of course we jumped on that.

PAY PHONES. When was the last time you saw a pay phone? I kinda welled up when I saw these twins.

But also when I saw the marble column beside it. Isn't that wild?

Here's one on the other side of the space, with matching stairs..

... but less matchy marble. I like this one better, if I'm honest. It's kinda like lightning bolts as opposed to cat sick overgrown meadow.

One of the fancier courtrooms was open for viewing and to sit in the judge's chair, which I did not do, being too busy admiring more arches.

At the time this building opened for business in 1899, Toronto was still pretty small, so this place was definitely future-proofed. It takes up a city block and all these gorgeous details speak to the expectation that the city would grow in size and importance. I can't help wondering how we'll make use of it next, and whether regular folks like us will get much say? 

Because I really wasn't kidding about that chaise by the window.

And back to the plants! Aren't these colours lovely?

When we were choosing them, there were SO many bees on the display. We had to move our own plants carefully away and then check them before we put them in the car, lest we be displacing any of them. Or, you know, sitting in a closed, moving vehicle with a confused bee. 

 

I'm hoping these guys will attract more bees over the next few weeks, and next summer too! which is why they won't be going into the ground too near the chairs, ahem.

Hope you have a great day and a lovely week to come - thanks for stopping by and I'll see you next Saturday.