Marilyn's Photos - Oct 31 2026 - Halloween Food

 

Yes, there are Halloween meals and dishes.  I guess we didn't have as much of a sense of humour when I was little as people do now.     Mummy Meatloaf: A meatloaf wrapped in strips of mashed potatoes, creating a mummy-like effect.  Spiderweb Pizza: A pizza topped with string cheese and a plastic spider for a spooky finish.  Devilled Egg Eyeballs: A fun twist on the classic devilled egg, with olives or capers for eyes and a sprinkle of paprika for a sinister look.  Witch's Broom: A dessert shaped like a witch's broom, perfect for Halloween movie nights.  Chocolate Strawberry Sauce: A sweet treat that is dipped in chocolate strawberry sauce, shaped like a vampire's blood.  It is unclear to me how you make mashed potatoes into strips. The picture I saw had the strips made of puff pastry, and had eyes popping out.  The individual servings were topped with plastic spiders - big ones. There are lots of variations - all funny. Spiderweb pizzas all look artistic and attractive - very pretty cheese designs.  But what do they then do?  Cover the pizza with olive spiders. The spiders make things yucky.  Here's a picture showing spiders with incorrect numbers of legs.  One spider in the middle seems enough for me.   At least with devilled eggs there is only enough room for one spider on a devilled egg eyeball.  I think it might be the black that is creepy - because you can make carrot spiders with dip and they seem fine or cheesy spider appetizers. There's even a ritz cracker with spiker leggs that look like pretzels.   At least with devilled eggs there is only enough room for one spider on a devilled egg eyeball.  I think it might be the black that is creepy - because you can make carrot spiders with dip and they seem fine or cheesy spider appetizers. There's even a ritz cracker with spiker leggs that look like pretzels. But then again, lookingn at all these plates of spiders is disconcerting. Finally with the witches broom we get to dessert - these are cute chocolate cups with sucker sticks poking up.  That's also the case of the vampire hot chocolate with edible blood.  I expect what makes them cute is the lack of spider adornments. I expect this Halloween will go on all day into the evening, given it is on a Saturday. What splendid costumes await us. Here's a picture from a few years ago - this seems much scarier than the giant skeletons that have proliferated this year.  Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - Oct 30 2026 - British Reactions to Foreign Foods

 

A popular internet title is about the reaction of British people to various foods from foreign countries.  I wonder what makes the British the subject of this topic?  You can't find articles on the French trying dishes from foreign countries.  Only on the influence of French cuisine - the reverse point of view.  The articles about American reactions of other countries' food are sparse to non-existent.  The article are about American foods people from other countries find gross.  Headings like "17 foods Americans enjoy that are banned in other countries."  But then I wouldn't consider chewing gum a food. And most items on the list are bogus foods.  Americans do not love eating haggis or horse meat.  Somehow there is something in the British character that seems so much more interesting and amusing than in other countries.  Here's the response to American cheese slices: "Brits grow up with mature cheddar, crumbly stilton, and creamy brie. So when confronted with a perfectly square, individually wrapped slice of processed American cheese that melts into a suspicious orange puddle, the judgment is swift and silent. "It's not really cheese, is it?" is the unspoken thought at every British barbecue where someone dares use it. Ironically, most Brits have eaten it in a McDonald's cheeseburger and thoroughly enjoyed every single bite." Here's the write-up for Canadian Poutine: "Chips, gravy, and cheese curds — Canada's national comfort dish sounds like it was invented during a very enthusiastic late-night craving. Brits are genuinely intrigued but also quietly horrified by the cheese curds, which squeak against your teeth when you bite them. Squeaky cheese on chips drenched in gravy is a concept that takes some warming up to. Once they try it though, most Brits quietly admit it hits differently after midnight." Here's another very wonderful moment: Scottish Deep-Fried Mars Bar: "Yes, this one is technically British — but the rest of the world judges it, and Brits from outside Scotland judge it with equal enthusiasm while pretending to be open-minded. A chocolate bar, battered and deep-fried, served at a chip shop. It sounds like a dare. Scotland invented it, Scotland owns it, and honestly, it tastes exactly as chaotic and wonderful as it sounds. The judgment is just jealousy dressed up as concern for public health. Every Brit who tries one becomes an immediate convert." The full article is HERE. Here we are in Niagara-on-the-Lake at Front and Regent Street looking away from the Lake towards the main street.  Turn the other way and climb this little hill for a panoramic view of Lake Ontario and the Niagara River - and across the river in easy view is Old Fort Niagara on the American side. Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - Oct 28 2026 - Data Centre Paint

 

n the 1960s, 70s and 80s, we thought of data centres as vast centralized facilities full of machines that were rectangles and squares. Everything gray and bland,  like the picture below.  Very neat and tidy with the raised white floor, freezing temperatures.  We thought they were astonishing then.   So what about data centres now in the AI era?  Don't the headlines tell us they are larger, much larger?  Hundreds of thousands of square feet, housing thousands of server racks and hundreds of thousands to millions of compute units.   You can get a 3D sort of tour into one at this Financial Times article HERE.  The article uses animation so it is fascinating to read.  I guess I realized these facilities make our twentieth century factories like Stelco and the Oakville Ford Plant look miniature.  Just like the data centres of the 70s and 80s, they will be neat and tidy and devoid of people.  Just a few computer operators.  But my interest is the gray interior of these facilities. There is a lot of paint that will be needed.  I guess it is going to be gray, black, and white.  The paint is specialized industrial coating. It protects steel from fire.  Floor coatings prevent static electricity from jumping around to machines.  Why is it gray?   It looks like it is because the major paint suppliers - PPG and Sherwin-WIlliams - provide standardized, bulk industrial packages of this specialized paint.  The cost of painting a single AI data centre ranges from $3 to $8 million.  Subtle colour variations across warm or cool spectrums with subtle undertones - blue, green, violet, taupe or beige -  not so important.  Even the outside of this TOR1X0 Data Centre at SteelesTech Campus in Toronto is gray.   It is at 3125 Steeles Avenue East at Victoria Park Avenue.  How many people might work there?  It will have 32 vehicular parking spaces, and bicycle parking spots. So that doesn't look like very many staff.  The number usually given is between 50 and 400 long-term personnel.  You can read about the site plans at urbantoronto.ca HERE.  I found this Florida sunrise picture in Lightroom yesterday and marvelled at the amazing colours. Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - Oct 27 2026 - Suitcases...Abandoned

 

What do you think of this dilemma?  Abandoned suitcases in Tokyo.  It is a spate of illegal dumping of suitcases on streets or in parks in Tokyo's Toshima Ward, reported in the Japan News today.  They are believed to have been left by foreign tourists after they buy new ones.  Last year there were 28.65 million foreign tourists visiting Tokyo.  There were 290 suitcases found on ward roads, in parks at garbage collection points last year - they mostly get abandoned around Ikebukuro Station.  The theory goes that foreign tourists are taking advantage of the weak yen to replace their suitcases with newly bought, better quality Japanese versions.  Oone article says that 400 suitcases were sent to the warehouse in 5 months. It is complicated there.  Unwanted suitcases are oversized garbage and need a disposal ticket to get them removed. And what to do with them when they are heavy?  They have to be opened at a police station. There are programs to buy old suitcases so they aren't abandoned. They pile up as they have to be kept as lost property for three months in case an owner comes forward. Storage space is a critical concern, and disposal is considered expensive.  Other airports have more serious luggage problems of their own - the lost and missing bag problem.  London Heathrow ranks the highest globally for lost or missing bags.  Paris Charles de Gaulle comes next.  Then it is Miami for mishandled and lost baggage, and in fourth place is Dubai's International Airport.   In comparison, Kansai's claim to fame is in the statistics of lost baggage. It claims it has never lost a single piece of luggage in 30 years.  Somehow it is the only airport reporting intentionally dumped or abandoned suitcases.  Who would guess. Isn't this picture so cute?  It is one of the floral designs at the Lily Show.  The purse body is covered in Croton leaves and the handle in moss.  Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - Oct 26 2026 - Dog Time

 

Grimsby had a Halloween party on Saturday with the downtown  filled with children in costumes.  I was at the Dog Spot yesterday and she had over 400 children in for candy.  Dogs came in too as there is a dog costume contest that will announce the winner on Wednesday.   So far the most popular dog costume ofo all time is Keki, the dog dressed as a mop. This was back in 2017.  Here's how it worked: I guess with social media dog costumes have come into their own.  My thinking is that you can dress them up take the shot and then watch the costume get demolished. No worries about having to take the dog out for a showing. I am fond of the hot dogs, loaves of bread and pumpkins.  Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com