As those of you who have been watching the Winter Olympics will know, the lack of snow has also been an issue on the west coast where they've had to 'make' snow in order to keep the Vancouver Games on track. Canada has gone Olympics crazy and it's hard to watch anything other than sport on TV at the moment. There is a huge swell of national pride and every time a Canadian wins a gold medal, the CN Tower, which I can see from my apartment, changes to a gold colour. All the shops are full of Olympic-themed memorabilia. Tim Hortons coffee shop has even come up with a Team Canada doughnut! 
THE most sought-after Olympic item, however, is a pair of 2010 Winter Olympics mittens. People have been queueing up around the block of the Hudson's Bay Company department store to get their paws on a pair. They've now sold out completely across Canada and are being auctioned off on eBay for ridiculous sums. Even Oprah Winfrey had trouble getting hold of a pair. There's quite a lot of mitten-envy going on here at the moment!
Toronto has been celebrating winter (or lack of it!) by hosting a number of different festivals and it's been a great excuse to get out and about. There's been a food festival on called Winterlicious with great deals at some excellent restaurants and I've enjoyed sampling these with friends. I've also enjoyed seeing the fire and ice sculptures 
which have been placed around the city. One of the best things I saw was an aerial acrobatic show presented outdoors in the main city square by Compagnie Les Passagers. The show was called Cosmogonia and involved the performers dancing in front of a video screen whilst dangling at the end of a rope. Here's my compilation of photographs which I took as I watched:
Socially, things have been pretty busy. I was invited to a couple of fun parties this month, a Spanish-themed tapas party, where much Cava was consumed, and an anti-Valentine's Day bash, where we were ironically served heart-shaped pasta! I've also joined various MeetUp groups so have been getting out and about around the city a fair bit. So far, I've been out for brunch at the Art Gallery of Ontario with its new Frank Gehry extension, had a tour of the Steam Whistle Brewery
and also learned about how to make the perfect cup of coffee at the Merchants of Green Coffee. I've met some lovely people and learnt a lot on the way!I've also started to volunteer at a Food Bank this month. Food Banks distribute food donations to those who fall below the poverty line here in Canada. Along with a couple of my friends, I spend a morning a week checking recipients in on the computer and calculating their allowances at a local distribution centre. It's interesting and something I plan to continue doing as long as my work schedule allows.
Work continues to be going well and I can't believe we're mid-way through this session already. As I'm doing full-time teaching hours, I've automatically been made a member of the union and so am now, officially, a 'Woman of Steel' as, somewhat bizarrely for a group of teachers, the union that represents us is the United Steelworkers. The motto of the female members is "There's nothing stronger than a Woman of Steel" - so please take note! I think I've been taking my new 'label' a bit too seriously this month as I've been seen up a ladder with various power tools and steel screws in my hands quite a lot. The results have met with with varying degrees of success but my apartment is now feeling much more homely with curtains and pictures all in place. I've got a Brit-themed bedroom to boot! I'm still working on the blinds but it's pretty much there and is just awaiting the arrival of my first visitors. Bookings are now open!
