The South Bayview Bulldog

Muddy parks/Leslieville FB

Lou Lou’s Flower Truck/Peter Rehak

Buds on Bayview/@rudydotca

Thirsty Duck to close/Google

Pool at Divadale/City of Toronto

Courtesy Wilmar Kortleever

Citizen cleanup/Peter Rehak

This fine-looking muddy pal (upper left) appears at the Leslieville FB page with much admiration. He heralds Spring as does (upper right) the arrival of Lou Lou’s flower truck at Yonge St. and Roxborough Ave.  Rosebuds are ready to burst on Bayview Ave. at McRae Dr. as captured by Rudy Limeback. Thanks for that. Centre left, The Thirsty Duck is a favorite eatery on Queen St. at Carlaw Ave but sadly it will close in days over a rent increase. Below that, a wayback backplay on Leaside Chit Chat where old photos of the swimming pool at the Leaside baronial estate known as Divadale are posted. Diva means the Divine One. Divadale sat at the top of Sutherland Dr. and the gates remain today. Below that, a reminder from friend Wilmar Kortleever about the sale of garden goods this month by the 132nd Scouts. Finally, at bottom right, that esteem-building experience called the citizen clean-up. This one will take place at Ramsden Park on Yonge St. Sadly, it appears the Spring citizen cleanup of Bayview Ave. has been superseded by a commercial firm.

On Cold Spring Camp Rd/Northumberland News@north_news

Northumberland emergency personnel report only minor cuts and bruises to those on board a school bus involved in an accident at Cold Spring Camp Road and Ganaraska Road Friday.

Firefighters still pouring water on junk yard fire in Brampton in the Intermodal Dr. and Goreway area. Brampton fire service says tests indicated air quality is within acceptable limits @CTVToronto pic.twitter.com/Rn8LMvjJaX

— Ian Caldwell (@iancaldwellCTV) April 12, 2019

Firefighters in Brampton are seen pouring water on the wreckage left after an overnight fire at a scrapyard on 331 Intermodal Drive.  They were first called to the yard near Highway 407 and Goreway Drive at 5:19 p.m. Thursday.

Ontario’s new license plates will remain blue and white but will forgo raised letters so typical of plates around the world. The background is blue, the letters and numerals white. Information on the construction and materials of the plate is not at hand but depictions of it reveal the new motto (A Place To Grow) and a redesigned Ontario Trillium. It’s 60 years since the plates were made with white letters on blue. That was before stickers and the plate background changed to mark a new issuance. The year was printed on the plate as shown by the 1971 plate below.

The PC government’s first budget has been tabled in the:Legislature Thursday.

• Ford government committed to lifting cap on pot shops in Ontario
• Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s first budget calls for four more years of deficits
• Ontario Budget 2019: A child-care credit, dental care for seniors, and drinking in parks on the way
• Randall Denley: Ontario budget sees Doug Ford’s PCs unveil a sweeping four-year plan touching on every aspect of government

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex released information Thursday about the royal birth just days away. It will be a bit more private than previous royal arrivals to Harry’s brother William, and his own mom and dad, Diana and Charles. This breezy report from PeopleTV has the story.

There’s an apparent awakening among seasoned Toronto scribblers — Mike Crawley of the CBC and Chris Selley of the National Post are two — that the Ford transit dream isn’t all that bad. They almost giggle at the thought of driverless relief-line trains speeding through NDP Green downtown. Could be good, including the thrust to Markham and the loop at Ontario Place. But the whole thing comes from a government led by Doug Ford and in Ottawa (and other places) that’s not good. The PCs may yet regret. if they don’t already. electing Mr. Ford as their leader over the less contentious Christine Elliott. The Toronto Star Thursday reflects, as it usually does, the inner sanctum thinking of the Liberal government. One of its headlines is “Doug Ford’s transit plan has good elements. But Ford himself is cause for skepticism.”

A 45-year-old man using a mobility device or scooter has been rescued after he fell three floors down an elevator shaft at a Toronto Community Housing building downtown. Toronto Fire crews were called to the building on Simcoe St near Dundas St just after 10:30 a.m. on Thursday. “They arrived to find a patient at the bottom of an elevator shaft and a scooter that had fallen down with him,” Capt. Adrian Ratushniak said. Fire officials said the man fell about 50 feet from the third floor and was rescued from the bottom of the shaft in the basement. He was taken to hospital with leg injuries. It is unclear how the man fell down the shaft. Police and officials with the Technical Standards and Safety Authority are investigating — CityNews

Whiskey is microchpped and shy

Whiskey is found

Whiskey is  found. A post to Leaside Chit Chat asks for help finding Whiskey. It says he was “lost in the Laird and Eglinton area (Wednesday) while in the care of the dog walker. Whiskey is 11 months old, he is brown with a white chest. He is shy. He has no collar on but he is microchipped. If you know anyone that lives in Leaside, Davisville or further south in the Thorncliffe or Danforth area please share this post with them and ask them to keep their eyes peeled for poor Whiskey. If anyone sees him please ask them to email me at janetstone03@gmail.com. Or call (647) 202-0282.”

Jammies at school breakfast

Ride in woods

Planting Day

Northlea E&MS has published a “social days” calendar for their students including a jammies breakfast, ride in the woods and planting day. The list of events is long. Take a look.