Halloween pumpkins in disguise

Halloween at the botanical garden

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit Montreal's Botanical Garden in Montreal and the "Cour des petits monstres", a greenhouse in the main building where awaited 800 pumpkins in disguise and a gigantic 1,447 pounds pumpkin (over 650 kilos).

I took a few pictures of funny pumpkins with inspiring costumes. I thought it might give you some last-minute ideas to decorate a pumpkin this week before the big day! 

I've added a few photos of the Garden of Lights (open every night until 9 p.m., closes on November 3rd). It wasn't dark yet but you'll get the gist.

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updates and fun bits

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updates and fun bits

Fall colours at Belfountain Conservation Area

Belfountain open until October 27!

There has been years when Belfountain Conservation Area closed right after Thanksgiving long weekend. In 2013, it will remain open until October 27 (then closing for the winter). Belfountain's trail is not long but from it you can continue into the Bruce Trail.

Wondering what lies beyond Belfountain Conservation Area's frontier? 
Here are some photos taken two years ago when we walked beyond the conservation to admire more fall colours. Enjoy!

Walking towards the fall

Detail of the suspended bridge at the fall.

Accessing the grotto down the stairs by the suspended bridge.

Following the trail past the the grotto (Yellowstone Cave).

The gang is ready to walk into the Bruce Trail (signs in the trail indicated
we were leaving Belfountain Conservation Area).

We know we're on the Bruce Trail because we can see the blue markers along the trail.

We eventually get closer to the river, by the little Forks of the Credit Road.

We turned right on the road, and get a good view of the river.

We saw a vintage train ride over the road, part of the Credit Valley Explorer
scenic rail tours
(see creditvalleyexplorer.com)

Someone was selling honey in front of their house just before the bridge.

When I checked on Oct. 14, Credit Valley Explorer still had seats in their vintage train
for the Saturday October 26 tour. The rest was sold out.

We returned to the Bruce Trail by the river.

It's approx. 1.5 km to the small bridge inside Belfountain Conservation Area.

This little bridge leads to the other part of Belfountain trail
returning to the suspended brigde.

You access the trail by climbing up the stairs
which you'll be able to see once you've crossed the little bridge.

This is a fun little trail going up through roots and rocks.
Too challenging for people with limited mobility.

It leads to a boardwalk from which you'll be able
to access the suspended bridge.

On the other side of the bridge, you'll reach the Yellowstone Cave.

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My TOP-10 Halloween costume and decor suggestions seen on Pinterest

Pinterest to the rescue!

You'll find all these pins and more on my board Clever Halloween/Thanksgiving stuff on pinterest.com/NathaliePrezeau. 

For those who are as passionate about costumes and decor as I am, Halloween is pure bliss. 

I have my share of hours spent crafting costumes project which would always take much longer than planned (I remember a few all-nighters...). But thanks to Pinterest, it is now easy to find plenty of amazing (and simple) ideas to make our life easy.

Here are my TOP-10 Halloween ideas found on Pinterest.

The costumes seem relatively easy to make and there are a few home facade ideas too. I think I'll try the door decor this year. My 16-year old wants to be at the door to greet the little guys and we want to have some fun with this.

A few other good Halloween ideas

These three Halloween treats caught my attention. 

And the two following costumes are something, aren't they? One for a little boy on a wheelchair, and the other for a big boy... with a message? (He's dressed as 50 Shades of Grey!)

Thanksgiving fall colours... from a chairlift

My outing of the week!

A Thanksgiving chairlift ride on top of Kelso to admire the fall colours! See the Kelso page on torontofunplace.com for details.

The Fall into Nature festival is going on Thanksgiving long weekend (October 12 to 14) and the following weekend (October 19 and 20).

Nuit Blanche 2013 didn't sock at all!

What a great Toronto night!
I did not attend Nuit Blanche with kids but with two girlfriends. We went from 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. and had a ball. The weather was amazing. 

We loved the Clothesline Canopy strung with 5,000 pairs of socks! 





What I learned about the Après Nuit:
The 5,000 pairs of gorgeous socks we saw today will be donated to shelters! It's so cool!

I also learned that six projects will remain after Nuit Blanche.
The big Project #1 with 3,100 bikes by Ai Weiwei (a special exhibition of this artist's work is still at the AGO until October 27) will remain in Nathan Phillips Square until October 27.

Five more projects will be there until October 14: the neon writing of Project #3 also in Nathan Phillips Square; the wonderful Project # 37 made of a mountain of chairs in front of Metropolitan Church; Project #50, The Tanks in David Pecaut Square (which I really wanted to see but didn't have the chance); Project #7, Plastic Bags in Bell Trinity Square and Project #26 on Adelaide outside of Scotia Plaza (a video installation featuring singer John Kelly singing a mesmerizing Baroque song). 

Nuit Blanche 2013, Project #37

Cathedral made out of garbage bins

Dancer making gold confetti

Bike wheels turned into clocks

Try Nuit Blanche with kids!

Sleepless in Toronto

Your Nuit Blanche probably won't be sleepless if you're with kids (those days are over!) but you can start at 7 p.m. before the crowds kick in, and enjoy as many eclectic activities as your family can bear. Warning, my friend's four kids were still going strong at midnight!

After attending most of the past Nuit Blanches, I can tell you it is hard to predict what awaits you. Activities can last anywhere from two minutes to half an hour. There can be a massive crowd, or hardly anyone. They can be very creative or very disappointing.

The unknown is actually part of the fun. Control freaks will want to avoid this experience.

My recommendations for Nuit Blanche 2013 with kids:
I had a look at the 2013 activities I'd want to visit with kids 14 years and under and came up with a 3.1 km circuit (it takes approx. 15 minutes to walk one km, excluding the time you stop to admire the installations).

It starts at King Subway Station and ends at Queen's Park Subway Station.

The funny thing is, it starts with an elephant in a courtyard and ends with an elephant in a trunk!

Nuit Blanche in previous years

Points of interest:
• Get off King Station, walk to Yonge, go south and take the first little street (Melinda Street) to reach the statue of an elephant mom with her two babies in the courtyard (not part of Nuit Blanche but a cute urban sight in Toronto). 
• Then continue on Jordan Street towards King Street to see Project #43: a cathedral built out of garbage bins! (A couple of years ago, we saw a church made out of camping equipment!)
• Walk across King Street and through Scotiabank (check the superb life-size painting of a fall on the wall on your left by the entrance) and exit into Adelaide Street and walk across the courtyard to reach Cloud Gardens.
• Project #20 is supposed to involve some campfire but I just wanted you to see the lovely fall and layout of this park. (Comment after Nuit Blanche: it actually involved holograms of people set in place of the water fall!)
• Walk to Nathan Phillips Square where there's a lot to see: the intriguing Crash Cars Project #2, Project #1, a sculpture made out of over 3,000 bikes.

Nuit Blanche in previous years

• Then there's Project #9, involving more bikes, on a path leading to University Street.
• Then, if you walk south to Queen and start to walk northbound along University Street up to College, you'll see many projects part of what they call the Parade, starting with the Queen of the Parade, Project #15, at Queen. I can't wait to see along the way Music Box, Project #14, the Paper Orbs, Project #17, the Ferry Wheels, Project #25 and the Clown Factory, Project #42. The 12-foot Monster Child, Project #64, at the foot of Queens park, is also intriguing.
• The Elephant in the trunk (Project #69) would offer a nice finish to this great urban family outing.

Enjoy!

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Nuit Blanche in previous years

Nuit Blanche in previous years