Canada Blooms!

So I have been really good. I have kept my promise not to complain about winter. I didn't moan -- just made great exclamation once-in-a-while about the amount of snow we had; wouldn't you?
But look!The snow's just about gone, and here are the first true signs of spring.......it's even been too cold for the robins until this last week.

But DOTH (daughter of the house) and I were not content with these few signs.When a friend told us about a show taking place at the Toronto Convention Centre this weekend, we just had to go!

It's called

You can read about it here

It's a multi-coloured extravaganza; multitudes of the sights, sounds and smells of spring and summer; a warm, healing balm to melt the 'frozen' soul!

Here are some sights we feasted our eyes on:

While we were at the exhibition, we bought a new bird-feeder. This will be our third in three years. The first one the raccoons destroyed. The second one, the mourning doves monopolized and scared all the birds away. The new one is squirrel-proof and also is designed so that it is impossible for larger, heavier birds -- and squirrels -- to settle on.This is it -- you can read about it here.

You'll no doubt be seeing some great bird photos in the near future!

Look at the trees, look at the birds,

look at the clouds, look at the stars...

and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful.

Everything is simply happy. Trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance.

Look at the flowers - for no reason.

It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are.

~Osho

The Quote
Garden

Finally -- my sister recently posted to her blog this photo of what is probably the world's largest seagull. She spotted it in San Diego. Not to be outdone -- outside the convention centre we managed to snap what I am sure must be the world's largest Blue Jay:

He's about as authentic as that seagull. He's probably 15 - 20 feet tall and as solid as the wood he is pecking at.

The significance is, of course, the fact that the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team plays just around the corner from the convention centre, at the Skydome, now known as the Rogers Centre --

seen here with the CN Tower beside it (the world's tallest free-standing structure; although I understand there is a building under construction in Dubai that will soon surpass it).

All in all, we spent a great day at Canada Blooms!

And we can't wait until Toronto blooms!