Tuesday 12 April 2011

A Sign of Spring in the City


When the warm weather finally arrives in the city, the surest sign that spring is really here is the sight of restaurants opening up their outdoor patios. I noticed restaurants doing this last week when walking home from work. This is the patio of the Earl of Sussex pub on the corner of Sussex and Murray in the Byward Market.  


Around the corner on Clarence Street, there are many restaurants opening outdoor areas for dining and drinking. Some of them have built large wooden decks and enclosed them with fences. Some just put a few tables and chairs out on the sidewalk. (I was thinking this photo might be adapted for a painting. I did a couple of paintings of people in outdoor patios, just like this, several years ago.)


Some of the outdoor patios are up high, on the roofs of the restaurants. I think the people at the middle table in the photo saw me taking their picture and were wondering what the heck I was doing.


I really like this little table grouping outside a store that sells beads, on a street just off Clarence. The tables and chairs are so colourful. A very inviting little spot. But I'm not sure why they are there, since the place doesn't sell food or drink - just beads.


And just in case you were wondering what was in the window behind these colourful tables and chairs, this is it. A marvelous mannequin wearing beads.


I have taken photos of the mannequins in this store window before. I took this picture last fall when I was trying out my new camera. They are very much like those ancient fertility goddess figurines, don't you think? And I guess fertility goddesses and signs of spring sort-of go together (or I'm off-topic).

1 comment:

Sarah said...

Those chairs are almost as colourful as the beads inside the store. They don't look like they'd be very useful for beadwork though - too many open spaces in them!