English garden party. Fun and games in Wolverhampton.
Heaven. Underneath the Arches, Charing Cross Station, London. #brothers #pride
Happy Birthday Maysie! Now officially an old couple, but always young at heart.
Coulda Shoulda Woulda. After a self-tape audition.
Road trip. Mr Grumpy at Tim Horton’s, Orangeville, Ontario.
Shelley Duvall July 7th 1944- July 11th 2024 RIP Instantly familiar in popular culture as the terrified wife of grinning, axe-wielding Jack Nicholson in The Shining. But she must be remembered for so much more. As a counterpoint to crazed “Here’s Johnny” her performance was every bit as brilliant as Nicholson’s (and a host of lead actors in other films) just not as attention grabbing. A magnificent, subversive actor who brought complexity and grace to every character she portrayed. No wonder Robert Altman loved her and cast her in 7 of his movies- “he found in her those easy, unforced performances and line readings that lent texture, sexuality and her own kind of innocent mystery to his films.” (Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian) Photos: 1/ As Ida Coyle in McCabe And Mrs Miller, directed by Robert Altman 1971. 2/ As Wendy Torrance in The Shining, directed by Stanley Kubrick, 1980.
Celebrating my daughter Rosie @rosemary_richings Author. Neurodivergence, hypothyroidism warrior. Resilient spirit, Inspiration. Happy International Women’s Day!
Celebrating my daughter Rosie @rosemary_richings Author. Neurodivergence, hypothyroidism warrior. Resilient spirit, Inspiration. Happy International Women’s Day!
Doors Open Toronto 2023. The El Mocambo, Spadina Avenue. Established in 1948 as a fine dining establishment ‘with a Mexican flavour’ the El Mocambo gained one of Toronto’s first liquor licenses, and opened under the neon palm inspired by a San Francisco nightclub. After different managements and configurations, the “El-Mo” became a youth oriented blues and rock music venue in the early seventies. It was a venue for (then) up and coming acts Tom Waits, The Ramones, Blondie, U2, Elvis Costello, Devo, Joan Jet, The White Stripes and Peaches. Legendary acts also appeared there: Fats Domino, Buffy St. Marie, Ronnie ‘The Hawk’ Hawkins, to name but a few. Most famously, The Rolling Stones gave back to back surprise performances in 1977 as ‘The Cockroaches’, during which Margaret Trudeau, wife of then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau was in attendance. Rumours of an affair with Mick Jagger made international headlines. The music industry changed, management flipped, live touring became a different proposition and the El-Mo declined. It’s final show was in 2014, but it was bought by Michael Wekerle, who committed to renovate it and keep it as a live music venue. Now, 30 million dollars and almost 10 years later, it boasts two stages, several bars and a recording studio. So good to revisit. It’s looking a bit spiffier than I remember, for which I have mixed feelings. But thanks Doors Open Toronto for the chance to look around, and thanks Michael, for keeping music live.
Doors Open Toronto 2023. The El Mocambo, Spadina Avenue. Established in 1948 as a fine dining establishment ‘with a Mexican flavour’ the El Mocambo gained one of Toronto’s first liquor licenses, and opened under the neon palm inspired by a San Francisco nightclub. After different managements and configurations, the “El-Mo” became a youth oriented blues and rock music venue in the early seventies. It was a venue for (then) up and coming acts Tom Waits, The Ramones, Blondie, U2, Elvis Costello, Devo, Joan Jet, The White Stripes and Peaches. Legendary acts also appeared there: Fats Domino, Buffy St. Marie, Ronnie ‘The Hawk’ Hawkins, to name but a few. Most famously, The Rolling Stones gave back to back surprise performances in 1977 as ‘The Cockroaches’, during which Margaret Trudeau, wife of then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau was in attendance. Rumours of an affair with Mick Jagger made international headlines. The music industry changed, management flipped, live touring became a different proposition and the El-Mo declined. It’s final show was in 2014, but it was bought by Michael Wekerle, who committed to renovate it and keep it as a live music venue. Now, 30 million dollars and almost 10 years later, it boasts two stages, several bars and a recording studio. So good to revisit. It’s looking a bit spiffier than I remember, for which I have mixed feelings. But thanks Doors Open Toronto for the chance to look around, and thanks Michael, for keeping music live.
2023 West End Toronto. A mixed year so far, but a great time for Boston Ivy and Virginia Creeper.
Boom and bust. Queen Street West, Toronto.
Approaching Chicago.
Backyards. West end Toronto.
Easter Monday table arrangement.
Nordheimer Ravine, mid-town Toronto.
Daniel Brooks 1958-2023 Actor, director, playwright. Creative spark at the heart of Toronto theatre since the 1980’s. Seen here pondering a musical transition during a break in rehearsal for “I Send You This Cadmium Red” by Art of Time Ensemble. His passing is a huge loss, though unsurprising as he’s been living with cancer for several years. I say ‘living with’ cancer, not ‘fighting’ or ‘suffering’ with it. Of course he did both these things in the face of this terrible disease, but he continued to work, to generously lead, always projecting calm and grace. Like everything else he treated it as a negotiation, a voyage of self-discovery. Always, the pursuit of Truth. A great man. An inspiration to so many. Thank you. RIP Daniel
Balloons in transit. Union Station, Toronto.
November dusk. Trinity Bellwoods Park, Toronto.
Antelope by Samson Kambula. Trafalgar Square, London. Three plinths at the corners of Trafalgar Square have statues of British kings and generals. But the funds ran out for a fourth plinth, so for over 150 years the NW corner has had an empty pedestal. Now, each year funds are in place for temporary installations commissioned for The Fourth Plinth Project. This year, Antelope is a dedication to John Chilembwe who led a rebellion against Colonial forces in modern day Malawi. It’s a reproduction of a photo taken in 1914 in Nyasaland at the opening of Chilembwe’s new church, together with European missionary John Chorley. He’s wearing a hat, defying the colonial rule forbidding Africans wearing hats in front of white people. His image is doubled in size, revealing the hidden narratives of underrepresented peoples in the history of the British Empire in Africa and beyond.
Joyful sight on a rainy day. Queen Street West, Toronto.
Pet relief. Terminal 3. Pearson International Airport, Toronto.
Downtown Chicago seen from Rosemont, Illinois (near O’Hare Airport)
