Have you noticed the talk recently about the burying grounds that were on the old Memorial Library site, and under the paved parking lot beside St Mary's Basilica? A strong voice in this conversation is St Mary's University archaeology professor Dr Jonathan Fowler, who also produces compelling graphics. On the contemporary aerial photograph, below, he… Read More

Last month, Elizabeth Cushing tweeted astonishing "then and now" pictures of St. Mary's Girls' School on Grafton Street. Over the decades the building had lost decorative dormers and the pointy top of its tower, among other things. This got me thinking about other buildings in Halifax that have had their topknots go astray.  It was… Read More

Just before you reach the Nova Scotia-New Brunswick border on the Trans Canada Highway, close to the truck weigh station, you pass over the route of the Chignecto Ship Railway. This was a massive 1880s construction project designed to lift an oceangoing vessel out of the water and onto a rail car, hauled by two… Read More

Parking garages have been disturbing my peaceful disposition for the last little while. The problem is, the Province announced they were going to drop a big garage on the Halifax Common and then, like a bad date, they stopped communicating. Nada. Nothing but a crummy snapshot. So to get over the disappointment of being ghosted… Read More

The day after the Legislature finished its fall sitting, the government suddenly announced they had approved $29.5 million (let's call it $30 million) to build another parking garage on the Halifax Common. The new structure would provide 900 parking spaces and address one of the major agonies of people visiting the QEII Health Sciences Centre.… Read More

Out in the country greenery, you'll find little treasures, in the scenery. We got off the main roads and found this perfect pair: a Dreamery and The Deanery. Mable Murple's Book Shoppe and Dreamery Last August we spent a couple of days with friends at their cottage on the Northumberland Strait. One day, when out… Read More

Recently we spent an overnight in Windsor, Nova Scotia. When we arrived, the grey afternoon was quickly turning dark, but there was time to get in a tiny bit of noticing. Windsor Wear The forlorn Windsor Wear building was our first stop. A few years ago there was much hope it would receive a new… Read More

Recently I bought a new kitchen broom and it makes me very happy. Feathered bristles caress corners and entice dust of ages out into the open to meet the, also new and efficacious, dustpan. To celebrate my favourite tool of the moment, here are some broom-related photos I've taken over the years, because this is… Read More

Stairs are everywhere, but some stairs are more notice-worthy than others. Here are some staircases that made me stop and smile, or scratch my head. At the West End Mall, in Halifax, a remarkable staircase connects one parking lot to another parking lot. Not a good sign that there are mirrors so you can see… Read More

I was excited to notice that Nocturne, the annual arts festival in the streets of Halifax/Dartmouth, selected scaffolding as their muse this year. The curator, Tori Fleming says: Often, the structures designed to temporarily hold up the active assembly and disassembly of our infrastructure create a new version of our city - adding detours to… Read More