Music: Andrew Bird - Why? (Live at Cemetery Gates)

Niagara Wine Tour: Beautiful Ontario

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Took the long way home from Niagara to Toronto, stopped in at a few wineries along the way.

Ask me some time just how much I love Ontario.

Wood Heaven

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It smells amazing in here.

Accentuate the Positive

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Important words.

(Source lost, let me know if you know how to cite this.)

Over the Marsh

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Mud Lake Conservation Area

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This is a Problem

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This is a Pleasure

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GO Train Weekend Tour

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Do Not Cross: Yellow Line

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Modern Repair of a Vintage Watch

Book: A Field Guide to American Houses

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Used Bookstore Score!

In The Mail: Saint James Pont Raye Sweater from Archival Clothing!

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Move It + Dom Pérignon + Field + Boat Shoes

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The Move

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The Celebration

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Field Trip

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Papa's Boat Shoes

 

Local Furniture Inheritance

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Most of what my partner and I use for furniture has been passed down to us through multiple generations. This chair, my grandmothers, was made very near to my partners family homestead farm.

We're helping his parents are move this weekend from Toronto to Walkerton, where they plan to retire and 'live by the seasons'.

The Day of the Triffids: British Post-Apocalyptic Apparel

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The Day of the Triffids, a 1981 BBC Miniseries based on John Wyndham's book of the same name combines two of favourite things: Post-apocalyptic dystopia and practical, well-made (and homemade) apparel. 

Lesson: At the collapse of human civilization, quality and durability are king.

(Also: Never turn your back on a giant, mobile, man-eating plant.)

In the Mail: L.L. Bean Wool Socks

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Just in time for Canadian thanksgiving: Wool socks from L.L. Bean!

Purdey Perfection

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Note to self: Knee-high socks & breeks.

The Plan: Fjällräven Islay Cable Knit

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Available in Bone or Peat. 100% cable knit wool sweater. Any brand built to last in the Swedish mountains should be able to handle the Canadian winter.  

The Plan: Purdey Brown Tweed Vest (The London Trading Company)

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Dark brown tweed detail. Five button front. Two flap pockets on bottom. Fitted belt on back. Longer triangular front with shorter straight-line back. Cream plaid with deep yellow and dark green stripes on interior. Deep olive green satin lining on back.

Definitely a long game item, this is exactly the sort of look, fit, quality I'm looking for in a vest.

Available from The London Trading Company

Gentlemen & Ladies

Good Morning Lensflare

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Handwashed & Hanging

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Doctor Who Scarf - Tom Baker

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Autumn is in full swing, which means it's time for me to pull out my Doctor Who scarf. Although mine is only 8 ft long, and is missing the blue stripes, it has been a staple in my fall wardrobe since university.

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(As seen here on the stylish Fourth Doctor - Tom Baker.)

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Shoe Care: Clarks Desert Boots, Frye Erin Oxfords, Martino Tricia Boots

I've been caring for my own shoes since I started high school, a Catholic school with a strict dress code requiring that I wear black leather dress shoes every day. My Dad sat me down a few days before school started and showed me how to condition and protect my new shoes. I find polishing shoes very relaxing, a good way to spend a couple of hours on a cold overcast fall day.

Here is an account of my shoe shining adventures today:

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I had to stop by a local shoe repair shop to get supplies. (Usually I take my shoes with me to my parents place and use my Dad's kit. Time to grow up, I guess.)

Preparation and materials:

Suede Brush

Horsehair Shoe Brush

Kiwi Mink Oil

Moneysworth & Best Shoe Cream - Black

2 cotton T-shirt rags

Newspaper

 

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Clarks Desert Boots

I wear my Clarks almost daily to the dog park, walking and on the beach. The nap on the toes had become shiny with wear, and dust had built up in he creases.

Material: Suede

Wears: 72

Care Method:

Removed laces, reshaped with newspaper.

Removed loose dust and dirt by wiping with horsehair brush.

Brushed firmly, in one direction only, with Suede brush to restore nap.

Focused on areas that were shiny, or had dust buildup.

Notes: There are a lot of other suggested steps for cleaning suede shoes. I took a minimal approach, and was happy with the results after using the suede brush.

 

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Frye Copper Oxfords

I've had my Frye oxfords for a little over two weeks. I wear them to work, which occasionally means offsite meetings in heritage homes. They absorb any moisture they meet, which in Ontario autumn, means frequently. I wanted to trea

Material: Full grain leather - Copper

Wears: 16

Care Method:

Removed laces, reshaped with newspaper.

Removed loose dust and dirt by wiping with a wet cloth, set aside to dry.

Applied mink oil with a cotton rag, focusing on the seams, toe cap, and where the upper meets the sole.

Removed excess mink oil with a clean dry rag.

Let dry 6+ hours.

Notes: I was concerned that the mink oil would darken the leather, so I tested it just inside of the tongue. The result wasn't significantly darker, the leather has a richer appearance, and I have read that the darker hue will fade with wear.

 

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Martino Tricia Winter Boots

100% Fabriqué au Québec depuis 1956

Auclair & Martineau is a Made in Canada shoemaker who has been making winter boots in Quebec City for over 50 years. I bought these last year at the end of October, and wore them nearly for both casual and workplace wear. The toes were a bit scuffed, and the shape had been lost after someone stuffed them in a bag, forgotten for the summer. (Me.)

Material: Full grain leather - Black

Wears: 190 (Approx.)

Care Method:

Removed laces, reshaped with newspaper.

Removed loose dust and dirt by wiping with a wet cloth, set aside to dry.

Applied black Moneysworth & Best Shoe Cream with a cotton rag, focusing on the toe, heel, and where the upper meets the sole.

Removed excess shoe cream with a clean dry rag.

Let dry 6+ hours.

Note: The scuffs in the toes are rather deep, and can't be covered with a shoe cream. If it bothered me, I'd use a wax polish, but it doesn't and I've read that wax polish can actually dry out the leather!

 

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My shoes, post shine! I'm really happy with how these turned out.