Before and After - house facade renovation

I'm delighted with the way the renovation on the exterior of my house turned out.  I had a section of very crumbly 85 year old stucco that needed replacing, and took the opportunity to also re-reveal the original facade of my house, which had been under a mask of vinyl siding for many years.  Here are the before and after shots, and a couple of pics of what is still surviving (and thriving) in my late October garden.

Before - vinyl siding galore

After - Tudor charm

cold nights have given this kale a nice colour

Rosemary in bloom

My bay tree is finally starting to look more like the ball standard that I want

A single nerine bloom

Beautiful white anemones are flowering profusely.

The new face of Mimico

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!  Had a very nice trip to Sarnia for the weekend, with a great drive through spectacular fall colours on Saturday morning, some antiquing success and a delicious thanksgiving dinner.  Holiday Monday is providing some lovely fall weather, a slight chill in the air, but  beautiful sunny skies above, so I went for a walk around the neighbourhood.  Given the work I've been having done on the outside of my house in the last few weeks, it was interesting to take note of other renovations and improvements going on in Mimico.  The most notable, whilst not yet officially open to the public, is that Mimico Waterfront Linear Park is nearing completion, with paved surfaces and decked boardwalks now installed.  The good folks of Mimico weren't going to let the lack of a little thing like an official public opening stop them from enjoying this addition to the neighbourhood, so I joined the merry throng making use of the pathway.  The closest entrance is only about five minutes walk from my house, and I have to say, the trail that has now been more or less completed, linking all the way along the lake to Harbourfront, in the downtown core, is an amazing new asset for this community.  There is a curving, smoothly paved pathway, which will be great for cyclists and roller bladers, and then a very nice boardwalk section that is ideal for walkers.  Add to that, the really great views of downtown, and across the marina, as well as what look to be some areas reserved for naturalization of marginal plants to create a wildlife habitat, and you have a truly excellent way to help create that "waterfront living" experience that is top of mind for local real estate agents!  Now it feels like there is a bit of substance behind those claims!  Add to that the fact that work is finally starting on a new building at Superior and Lake Shore (which has been under discussion for nearly the entire decade that I've lived here), and that a very pretty new house a few doors down from me is nearing completion, I started to feel like things are really starting to move up in Mimico.  Here are a few pics from my walk:

Autumn colour on Lake Crescent in Mimico

Colourful fall garden on Queen's Avenue, Mimico

The fall colours in Southern Ontario are really intense this year.

View from the newly paved section of the Mimico Waterfront Linear Park

Marina in Mimico, view from Mimico Waterfront Linear Park

View towards Humber Bay

Looking east, from Mimico Waterfront Park, towards Humber Bay

Look at the nice new path for cycling or roller blading....

....and great board walks for strolling....

...or you could just sit down and enjoy watching the boats drift by.

This is the second phase of the park, and it really will add tremendously to the amenities in the area.

And closer to home, my own renovation project is nearing completion.  Here you can see the final colour scheme I selected for the timbers and stucco.  I'm highly pleased with the results....can't wait to see it all finished!

Everything is primed at the front and ready to be painted.

A new house, just a few doors down from my much more humble Mimico dwelling, is nearing completion.  Landscaping went in last week, and the results are starting to look really great.  So glad this house is tasteful!

And at the corner of Lake Shore Boulevard and Superior Avenue, it's down with the old....

...and it shouldn't be too long before the new condo arrives.

This heritage property is currently up for re-development.  The original estate actually became a post-war low rise apartment complex.  The proposals are currently being actively discussed in the neighbourhood, and I'm hoping a good solution for some positive re-development can be found.

Never say never, nerine

Back in the spring, I found some nerine bulbs at my favourite local nursery, Plantworld.  Recalling how beautiful they are in sheltered, sunny spots in the UK, even as far north as my home town of Aberdeen,  and knowing that they would never survive the frigid Ontario winter, I decided to experiment with planting them in a container I could overwinter indoors.  I was pleased to see strap-like leaves appearing, and watered and fed diligently all summer.  Two or three weeks ago, I was dismayed however, to notice the leaves looking decidedly yellow and about to die....which they promptly did.  I thought my experiment had failed dismally.  However, I'm pleased to report that I noticed today that a great big, swelling flower bud has appeared, as if from nowhere, and it looks like I'll have flowers after all!  The variety is Kodora, which from the packaging seemed to be a strong coral-red.  Stay tuned.

A single flower bud has emerged from my otherwise dormant nerine bulb.  I planted two bulbs, both of which put out some leaves, so perhaps a companion will emerge shortly.

Nerine Kodora

Perfect fall weekend

I thought the weather was going to be dreary this weekend but it turned out to be perfect - nice warm sunshine, perfect blue skies, and an undertone of crispness to the air.  Went on a jaunt to St. Jacob's to get out of town for a few hours.  The trees have already started to turn, and the colours are already quite impressive - every shade from lime green, through vivid yellow, pumpkin-like orange, all the way through to deep mahogany reds.  Hopefully they will be even closer to their peak for the Thanksgiving weekend next week.  I hadn't been to St. Jacobs in about a decade, and was a little surprised by the strip malls and general development since I was last there....but there were still plenty of Mennonite horse buggies and bonneted women scurrying around, and the smell of pig & horse dung was a constant companion all day, so at least it felt like we were truly out in the country.  The highlight for me was the hot, freshly made apple fritters and coffee that we snacked on, out in the sunshine!

A full spectrum of pepper colours

Beautiful fall flowers

Mega cabbages....sauerkraut anyone?

The St. Jacob's farmers market was bustling this weekend.

Michaelmas daisies, chills in the air, and a little Tippett.

Autumn has arrived!

Autumn arrived all at once here, this weekend.  Suddenly, there was a definite chill in the air, and the trees have started to show a little colour in the Don Valley.  This morning it was only 4 degrees  outside when I got up - definitely needed my cozy goose down duvet this morning!  On my routine Thursday with the boys at the end of last week, we even lit the first log fire of the season, as we settled down to watch Downton Abbey and tucked into apple crisp.  I think this is only a blip - rest of the week looks more seasonal.  Things are progressing with the house.....today some new laths were added to the sections of stucco which needed full replacement, and the metal mesh has been replaced.  Expect to see the new fresh stucco up there shortly.

What am I listening to this evening?  Something I haven't heard for years, but which I discovered towards the end of high school, and one of those things I listened to absolutely obsessively....I completely adore the last two minutes or so on this Youtube video!

A facelift on a 90 year old.

Right now, her face has just been revealed for the first time in a decade, and despite having accrued some of the "barnacles of old age" (to quote my dermatologist), I think my house looks absolutely beautiful, following the removal of her veil of vinyl (siding that is!).  I love the half-timbered look, and although it's a bit hard to see through the scaffolding, I know that when the team from Padgett's Plastering Services are finished, the house is going to be a real charmer!

Stucco before and after

Remember my crumbling 90 year old lime stucco?

The stucco above my bathroom window was very deteriorated, and the remainder of this side of the house had plenty of fissures and cracks that were only going to get worse.



Now the western wall of the house is pretty much finished and the scaffolding has been taken down and moved to the front.  It's been done using traditional lime plaster, as per the original.  It looks so clean and lovely!

Pristine!

I'm very excited to see what the house will look like under the vinyl siding, which should be removed shortly.  It's been there since I bought the house, so I'm really looking forward to seeing the house's original facade.

Meanwhile, in the garden, things are starting to take on a look of autumn.

White anemones in full bloom.

I replanted the window boxes a couple of weeks ago, and they are looking lovely now.

I'm very pleased with my bay laurel standard this year  - it's looking very healthy and is starting to fill out at last.  It has to come indoors for the winter, but never seems to mind.