and I think this might be a phoenix rising from the ashes, though it’s open to interpretation…

Outside, the sparrows were chirruping away. I still can’t fathom how they’re surviving in the very heart of this ‘vertical city’ whilst in London you rarely see one in central London.

And then it’s off to Mount Pleasant Cemetery, which is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year.

It is a very fine place to be lain to rest, although it’s slightly over-manicured for my personal taste. No room for weeds here! But the trees are truly magnificent, and according to the poster below are representative of nearly all the trees that can grow in the climate of Toronto

Two particularly attracted my attention: this silver maple…

..and this red oak, which is showing an enormous amount of resilience.

But of course, we were really there to spend a few minutes with John’s Dad, who was run down and killed in 2012. He was a kind, gentle and thoughtful man, and worked as a civil engineer – he’d have been most put out that the fountain next to the spot where he’s interred hasn’t been repaired yet.

What he would have loved is the sound of all the birds – the American Robins, Chipping Sparrows and Northern Cardinals were all singing their heads off today.

And then we headed off towards the new Midtown Crossrail station via the Kay Gardiner Beltline. We passed the little community garden that I spotted last year, and I paused to admire the wood anemones…

Someone excitedly told me that there were some ‘Virginia Bluebells’ in bloom. At first I thought she was talking about the Siberian Squill, very pretty but invasive in these parts…

but actually there was Virginia Bluebell (Mertensia virginica) – this is a member of the Borage family rather than the Asparagus family (which is the ‘home’ of ‘our’ bluebell) It reminds me a bit of lungwort and comfrey, not surprising as these are ‘borages’ too. Virginia bluebell is native to the east coast of North America, and it was a real treat to see it.

Virginia Bluebell

On we go along the Beltline, past a very irritated squirrel.

And finally we get to Chaplin Station on Line 5. It’s over budget and late, but at least it’s running.

The stations are very spick and span, although apparently the white tiled floor gets slippery when wet (pretty much inevitable in a Toronto winter).

The announcements and signage are all in English and French, whereas for older lines it’s English only. I do like the upholstery though! Very French Impressionisty.

And so, after 11,000 steps we wend our weary way back to the Cambridge Suites for a sit down. We are eating our way through the different flavours of Eataly tiramisu, with pistachio our favourite so far (we share one, honestly!) What a life.