Gem Expo, Live Green Toronto Festival

A double header for today, we started the day off at the Gem Expo, held at the Hyatt Regency. Perused a lot of good quality gems, stones and silver. All in our party were able to find something to take home and fashion into a new piece of jewellery. Spent a longer time than we expected - although the show wasn't large, there were a lot of special things to check out. Next show will be in November.

Next stop was the Live Green Toronto Festival in Dundas Square. With Yonge St closed between Dundas and Queen and bands performing at both ends, it definitely had a festival feel. Lots of new and great organic and natural vendors and products, willing and able to answer all of your questions. If you are thinkging about going green, this is a good opportunity to do some face-to-face research - try and catch it next year.

Big on Bloor Festival

A quick little jaunt is all you need to check out this sidewalk sale style collection of wares from the stores and independent craft vendors, but it was definitely worth the trip as we discovered a little gem of a restaurant for an enjoyable snack on the patio. Karelia Kitchen has great food, friendly staff and is a rose on this section of Bloor. I understand the brunch is also amazing and I most definitely will be coming back to try it out myself.

Soulpepper - Great Expectations

I really enjoyed this show. In the first half you didn't quite know what was going on, although you could make some guesses, some of which were right and some of which were not.

The second half was tantalizingly intriguing, as all the realtionships began to unravel and the truth became clear.

The bride was really good, somehow malevant, keeping you on your toes. Pip was a convincingly sincere naive young man.

Mirvish - Anything Goes

This show was lots of fun.  The campy dialogue, cute but not stale, and the Cole porter songs are bound to keep a smile on your face.

Some strong vocal leads, particularly the female lead, who demonstrated a wide range of talent, and a few amazing tap numbers.

I highly recommend this show for an evening of good clean fun and lots of laughs.

Evergreen Brick Works - Saturday Market

The Saturday market during the summer is a great draw for a light brunch from the vendors in the market, followed by a nice walk along the trails or on the grounds. Lots of great things for the kids to do. Go with a group and let the kids run free while the adults shop and relax with a delicious coffee. I particularly like the cheese and bread stalls. The market closes around 1 so morning visits are best.

Outdoor Art Show - Nathan Phillips Square

Absolutely love this show. Can’t pass by my favourite jewelers – two of them were here this year (Lisa Ridout and Annette van Leuwen). In addition to my purchases from them, I purchased a few items from two other jewelers. And, of course, added a few more of Tom Aitken’s dishes, with designs by Kate Hyde, to my collection. The City Hall Square is a great outdoor venue for this show and the artisans are always top notch, so you really should put this show on your calendar, always falling on the weekend after Canada Day.