The Bulldog

Briton House Winter Fest Saturday, November 29

Next Saturday, November 29, 2014, will see the Briton House Winter Fest. There will be a raffle, book sale, bake sale and gift boutique run by the YWCA.  Some Mount Pleasant merchants will have tables: Erica’s Jewellery, Maisy Daisy, Rosemary Knox Art Sale and others. You can come just for cookies and hot cider if you like. It’s in the Atrium, second floor, at 720 Mount Pleasant Rd from 10 a.m. until 2.30 p.m. (416) 487-3392  extension 2044.  

South Bayview’s Bell Jewellers to close in 2015

Bell Jewellers at 1597 Bayview Ave. will close at the end of January. It will be the passing of a business which has operated at the location for 78 years. The genial owner of Bell’s is Photis Philos. He has said that unless someone offers to buy the business he will lock the doors for the last time in the new year.  Mr. Philos is known universally up and down South Bayview as Photi and has owned Bell’s since 1980. Advertising in recent years recounts his credentials as a master horologist and master jeweller trained in Europe.  Philos is 68 and can hardly be faulted as winter approaches for dreaming of some time in the coastal islands of Greece. He is a staunch Rotarian and an inveterate golfer and can be seen daily with other Bayview fans of the links coming and going from the Second Cup and elsewhere. Bell Jewellers has a liquidation sale underway and is well worth a visit. 

MINI shows foldable scooter at L.A. Auto Show

MINI, the BMW-owned car maker, has created a lithium battery driven scooter concept that folds up like a baby stroller. MINI is so keen on its new creation that it is showing only the Citysurfer scooter (no cars) at the Los Angeles Auto Show which opened this weekend. It is a clever contraption and is shown folded as it is hefted out of (and later returned to the trunk) of a MINI vehicle. The video below has German narration by the way, but we think you can get the idea. Other videos make prominent reference to the idea that the Citysurfer is just the thing to get around downtown areas, especially where bikes lanes have already been installed. The Citysurfer has 10 to15 miles of range, a top speed of 15 mph and a charging socket incorporated into its holder for your cell phone. The lithium-ion battery is shaped to the frame, and after a ride, the electric engine is switched off automatically and disengaged from the free-wheel center in the back wheel with the goal that you can proceed by foot power without being kept down by the motor’s rolling resistance. It’s a nice point. The electric drive can likewise be deactivated whenever, with the help of a switch in the brake lever. 

Pictures from the 2014 Leaside Sports Hall of Fame night

These wonderful pictures of the honorees at last night’s reception held by the Leaside Hall of Fame have been tweeted. The Bulldog inset them here with the dynamic action shots of Leaside’s Athlete of the Year Ayanna Badali, at top with 2013 honoree Martha McCabe. That’s Ayanna at the right speeding along in top form. Below l-r, inductees into the Hall of Fame: Terry Caffery, representing his late brother Jack Caffery (inset), Dr. Sidney Soanes, Peter Krol, representing his later father Joe Krol (inset) and Christine Pellerin. Jack Caffery (1934-19192) played with both the Leafs and the Bruins during his career. Dr. Soanes, 92, was founding member of the Leaside Skating Club, Joe Krol was the legendary quarterback of the Argonauts, Christine Pellerin has been hockey player, coach and is now member of the Toronto Leaside Girls Hockey Association. Hearty congratulations to all.