Changes and Windows

Changes

It seems like Spadina and College is going through a lot of changes.  There are building permits posted everywhere.  Gentrification is happening fast and most projects will be done by summer 2013.
         Some of the changes that have occurred :
- El Macombo changed new owners and they re-invested in making the place look nicer.
-I think a giant Shoppers is going in the corner.
-There were even protests against a Loblaws building their 20,000 square foot on the second floor last week!
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2013/02/17/toronto-friends-of-kensington-protest.html
-New condos are building built left and right.

I'm just happy that Castle is also going to be a part of all this change too.

Windows
          On another note, someone threw a brick at our storefront.  It totally sucks when stuff like this happens but I think you can always turn a bad situation into an opportunity if you look hard enough.   We took this opportunity to rebuild the store front.  We moved the store front closer to the street.  We also moved the entrance to the other side and installed double doors.  The windows are now twice as thick  and everything looks so much prettier than what it was before.  I feel like the lil indie entrepreur that could.  I just pray that El Macombo doesn't leave their truck of bricks in front of our store again, it's just asking for trouble.

 I will update the before and after pictures later this month.
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Castle Cafe 

The journey to make Castle (Board Game Cafe) possible so far has just been non-stop chaos   I started last summer  and now it's mid February 2013.  Everything was delayed as soon as there was a zoning issue and a license lapse since last winter.  The biggest delay would be that the 6-8 weeks to get a business license ending up taking 3 months and during that time.  The building permits were also on hold.

The good news is that, the final building permits have been approved by the city this week.  We have officially started on the renovations.  Currently, there is nothing there.  There is no washrooms, no plumbing, no flooring, the ceiling is not done and don't even want to talk about electrical.  It"s just going to be one crazy project and I hope that it is worth.

Cafe's Layout.

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Day 4 - Westminster Church , Green Park

          I would like to introduce to you a little bunny. She's is adorable for a black bunny.   She is an adult bunny and she's sooooooo tiny!   

          Due to poor genetics, she has no front teeth :(  When she licks my finger I kinda wonder if she likes me or it's a sign that she is actually trying to bite me.  

          Today, Susan's mummy created some Hungarian treats called “túró” It's basically a cottage cheese dumpling that has been baked or fried with butter and served with sour cream or icing sugar.  They are so delicious.

          I went to Westminster Cathedral in the morning.  It is the mother church of the Catholic community in England and Wales.   It's located in the city.  It is rather different looking from most churches but I think it still looks nice.  It has bricks that contrast each other.  

          The contrasting bricks or bands are Portland stones.  The exterior of the church kinda reminds me of a gingerbread house with lots of piped icing.

 

          No photography was allowed inside :'( which is a shame.  I think this church as very unique and is still worth seeing though.  It is larger than how it looks.  There are various sectioned areas 4-5 rooms to the right and 4-5 rooms to the left for prayer.  There are many mosaic pictures and a room with treasures to look at.  

 Why must everyone looks so darn serious?

           It's a few hours pass noon in front of Buckingham Palace.  The flag is up!  And if the flag is up, it means that the queen is home.   I wonder what she is doing today.

This place oddly isn't so crowded today which means...I can take a break from walking and sit around the fountains before I head to Green Park.

Ta-da. The entrance gates to Green Park.  Isn't it so grand?

Green Park is quite big ...

 and has lovely trails for pedestrians.

          I was able to find the monument for the Canadian troops that fought to defend England in WW2 in this park.   The monument was a fountain with maple leaves on the surface where the water falls.  I think it's cute that all the children try to touch the leaves but they won't move!

  "From Danger Shared Our Friendship"

Day 3: Camden Town

          I went to Camden Town today.  There are hundreds of shops here but it’s really popular for its market place.   It is here when you can find true London spirit. You can waste hours exploring the area from Camden Lock Market , Buck Street, Stables Market, and the indoor market known as the Electric Ballroom or just have awesome quick eats at the food market.   This place is so lovely.  It has this vibrant and young feel to it. 

         There was one really unique shop called Cyberdog.  We waited outside for a wee bit in a lineup and when we went downstairs it was dark, the place had it's own DJ blaring music and the place sold clubbing clothes.  Most of the clothes that look futuristic (think of the Jetsons) and they glow!

  

Susan got some Colossal donuts from this kiosk.

 Now that's what a call a donut!!! Mmmm.... donuts.

We ate along the river, sitting on one of these motorcycle halves of seats that were everywhere. 

I had a crepe at one of the stalls.

           It’s not the usual sugar and lemon but it’s darn tasty!  Pears and cinnamon can be great too.   A lot of people were getting savory crepes and it’s called a “country crepe” here with ham,eggs and cheese O_O omg, it’s practically a meal.  Then we wandered around the shopping area.  I don’t know why but I was really hoping to hear people bargain for stuff and say “quid” like on those British antique shows.  Noone says quid :'( only pounds I guess. 

There were some houses nearby that lined the streets.  

  They were just as quirky and vibrant as the market place. 

I think these row houses are quite cute.

Day 2: Stonehenge and Sheeps?

          Most of my day was spent at Stonehenge.  The trip to Wiltshire took hours but it was worth the trip.  Stonehenge is one of Britain's most known monuments for its beauty and mystical past.

 During my tour I had to carry this audio guide.  

       

          I learnt that Stonehenge was built around 2000 BC.  The outside circle of Stonehenge have 17 big upright stones made out of hard sandstone.  People are unsure of what it's purpose is but Susan and I think it's a calendar or ritual area of some sort.

          There's one stone that isn't made of sandstone and it's known as the slaughter stone which has a reddish tint to it.  It was rumored that sacrifices took place at Stonehenge on that very stone that is half buried in the ground where victims were butchered under moonlight back in the olden times.  O_O Oh  my!

This is the healing stone.  It's kinda left to the side.

     One of the most amazing things I saw opposite of Stonehenge were....sheeps.  I never saw some many little beasts in my life. There were HUNDREDS of them everywhere!

<3 Stonehenge.  

Day 1: London - Oh Belgravia

         I'm very fortunate to be staying at one of the Embassys in Belgravia.  It is located in central London in the City of Westminster and is known has one of the wealthiest districts in the world.  
         On my way to Susan's place I was so pleased to see that many of the attractions I wanted to see were so close by to where I'm staying.  Everything is at walking distance like Hyde Park, Green Park, Buckingham Palace, Oxford street, Big Ben, the London Eye and what not.  

     
          The area is so posh that it's constantly kept clean around the clock. The neighborhood is painted all white.  The three little parks are gated with peeps on patrol and this area is super quiet during the day and night despite it being so close to attractions. 

        Everything around this area looks so similar that it's very easy for me to get lost. Those that know me know that I have clueless when it comes to direction.  It doesn't help that the house is tucked away.  To find my way home,I don't go by numbers or street names but follow the flags of each embassy home.  

     The closest station is Victoria Station.  It's a convenient location to get money exchanged with underground shops, trains, a metro and a bus station.  It's also near a few theaters and nice restaurants. I really like this place, it's bustling with people all the time.  

          For the next few days I will post more pics of my adventures in London but for the first day I'm just going relax and get catch some zzz's.  My trip from Toronto to London was brutal one because there was a very loudest girl snoring the whole flight across the Atlantic ocean.  Thank goodness she didn't sit beside me but she was so loud that I didn't get a wink of sleep!

        Here's a peek at what the inside of the Embassy looks like. I don't know what this room is, maybe a meeting room?

       And here is Mums hopping around.  I just adore her.  She's almost like a doggie.
She blends with the carpet so it might be hard to see her but it doesn't make her any less cute!

I'm just super grateful that she didn't poop coco balls in any of these rooms.  

I'm sure we'd get into lots of trouble.

Finally..."Gidget Has a Glitch" is done.

        Tomorrow will be the release of "Gidget Has a Glitch".  I'm so relieved that everything is done.

        There were a lot of moments when I just wanted to roll in a ball and cry.  I'm not going to lie, this project was frustrating. To the very end, I was still thinking of things like "Oh, this could be a few pixels less or more" and I'm kinda embarrassed about the fact that I narrated the story (Gah! I sound like a kid!) 

         I think it's probably for the best though that Bright Bunny did spend more time on the book app.  If I had to released in July, only a few pages would have been interactive and now all the pages have some element of quirkiness for parents and kids to explore.  I just hope that the people that download my products enjoy it as much as I suffered to make it ;')