Derelict shed in alleyway behind Brooklyn Avenue, Leslieville
It was time for a new look.
Cursive Mechanics will be four years old later this year, and it was beginning to show its age. It wasn’t a derelict space by any means, but it did need updating to reflect the content evolution that has taken place since the first post ...
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Green bulb from light installation at the Gladstone Hotel, Open House 2007
Hi, friends. I thought I should turn the blog’s porch light on lest you think I had abandoned the place and not left a forwarding address.
I’m here, but I’ve just been having one of those months. You know the kind: long days at work; full nights working on some non-writing-related ...
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Abandoned suitcase, Broadview Avenue
[This little scrap of memory surfaced recently. It is the first I have that’s linked to my idea that I’m awkward with children and lack parenting instincts.]
Left Behind
As I so often do, I remember exactly what I was wearing: periwinkle blue corduroy knickers and a chenille sweater with broad periwinkle, cream, and navy stripes. My tights were off-white ...
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Geneviève’s Christmas bread, with cranberries and cocoa nibs
I spend a lot of time in my kitchen. It’s a haven for me in addition to being the space in which I create meals that sustain; it’s the place where I think, plan, and dream as I chop, knead, and stir.
As I reflect on the year passing, I realize the kitchen has been ...
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My Great-Grandmother’s cookie cutter, painted by my Aunt Janice
Peace on Earth, good will to all.
Christmas tree at Berczy Park, Front Street, between Yonge and Church
The winter solstice arrived in fine style this year, holding up the skirts of her ice-encrusted gown and dancing through the city in the wake of howling gales and whirling columns of snow.
Her entrance signals an imminent holiday, and so many things are still undone with just these few days left ...
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Tin roof and church spire near Trinity Bellwoods Park
It’s the quietest I’ve been in months. Quiet enough to hear the whirring hum of air coursing through the fat ducts hanging from the ceiling. The bleating honks of impatient drivers and the warning gongs sounded by streetcar drivers rising from the street. The muted shriek of a far-off siren.
Then my awareness draws ...
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Front-yard foliage, somewhere in Leslieville
These fresh, vibrant fronds have been hanging out patiently in my drafts folder. I wanted to get them up here before fall claims them. That’s right, fall. I’ve already worn a turtle neck and pulled on my Blundstones. I’ve had to close the windows at night to keep the cold out of the bedroom and from ...
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“All U Can Eat” photograph, Nuit Blanche 2007
Today is this blog’s anniversary and I’m going to level with you: the second year of blogging has been a tough one. Cursive Mechanics has just gone through the Terrible Twos.
Never mind that my output in year two was well behind CM’s inaugural year; life gets in the way of one’s extracurricular ...
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“Wish” pocket charm
Lest it appear that this post has seen me go on some lunatic gimme-stuff bender, let me explain.
I currently find myself in a situation that requires me to select, as a gift, an item from the online catalogue of a certain major Canadian department store. Being in this position has revealed two things: (1) there are very few items ...
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