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Sandwiched between Worcester and Hereford, the small yet perfectly formed peaks offer hikes to suit every mood – and fresh spring water gushing through ancient rocks

On the western slope of the Malvern Hills, along the border of Worcestershire and Herefordshire, there is a hairpin junction where a small lane leads downhill off the main road into the woods. It is common to see clusters of vehicles here, and if you stop to investigate you’ll find yourself among an ever-changing but faithful coterie, some of whom have travelled many miles. They are gathered around a spout in the side of the hill that gushes a constant stream of water, straight from the ancient rock. This is Evendine spring, one of more than 100 natural springs in the Malvern Hills, and according to the regulars, the finest-tasting of them all. Some of the visitors are drinking from cupped hands, most are filling plastic bottles, and the old lags are hauling multiple jerry cans into their vans. At weekends you may have to wait a while but the mood is always convivial, as if you’ve happened upon a secret society.

I first discovered Evendine spring during the 2020 winter lockdown. Floored by long Covid, I holed up with my husband in a cabin by the River Severn near Hanley Castle, with views of the Malvern Hills to the west. As part of my recovery, I was planning to walk a little further each day with the aim of making it up on to the ridgeline. There were routes to suit any mood or energy level, from twisty wooded trails to stony moorland tracks and even the “99 Steps”, a Victorian-built staircase. Although steep, none of these could be considered long walks, but this was all about tiny steps. The previous winter I had happily hiked across Egypt’s Sinai desert, so there was a certain amount of physical and emotional adjustment to be made to my newfound circumstances – from a life of action and adventure to struggling to walk and breathe. The Malverns seemed like ideal rehab hills – small but perfectly formed, sandwiched between the cities of Worcester and Hereford, running just eight miles north to south, with a maximum elevation of 425 metres.

The biggest Toronto Maple Leafs fan might not actually be located in Toronto, or even the surrounding region or province.

It could be argued that the #1 buds fan is actually located over 2,000 kilometres away in a small Alberta town, the type of place where the Leafs and their fans are typically reviled and characterized as villains by locals.

A married father of four in the finance business, Kurtis Stevenson of Redcliff Alberta, near Medicine Hat, has taken his love of the boys in blue and white to a level unseen even here in Toronto.

Stevenson has transformed his basement into a personal museum of treasured hockey memorabilia.

Just finished my new leafs cave, Not bad for a small town Alberta boy. can’t get to Toronto often but I bleed blue and white GLG @AM34 @91Tavares @odognine2 @Marner93 @LeafsPR @MapleLeafs @Steve_Dangle @PierreVLeBrun @TSNRyanRishaug @RealKyper @ZachHyman @Travis_Dermott @mriles4 pic.twitter.com/8KutMU6uW0

— Kurtis From Alberta (@leafguy403) December 20, 2020

His Twitter bio claims that he has amassed a collection of over 350 pieces of Leafs memorabilia, stating that each and every item is either game-worn or autographed.

With few fellow Leafs fans for thousands of kilometres, Stevenson has taken to social media to share his love of the team with a more understanding audience.

I don’t get support for the Leafs in Alberta,being able to share my genuine passion and love for the @MapleLeafs with #leafsnation and having you be so welcoming and supportive,words can’t describe my appreciation.We truly are the best fans in the world.Thank you💙 #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/as69TMnKiK

— Kurtis From Alberta (@leafguy403) November 30, 2021

And word of his superfan status has even made its way to Leafs players, like star forward Auston Matthews, who responded directly on Twitter last year.

wow

— Auston Matthews (@AM34) December 21, 2020

Stevenson told EditorInLeaf that he's been collecting for a decade and a half, though much of his collection had been sold off before he started ramping up his efforts about five years ago.

Of course, building up such an impressive collection didn't come cheap, the cache of Leafs gear now valued at over $100K.

This may seem like way too much to spend on your love of a team that disappoints seemingly every year, but tell that to the fans who shell out as much as $22K every year on seasons tickets just to watch the tragedy unfold in person.

I am so proud to be an @MapleLeafs fan! We catch a ton of heat from the haters when we are down so Let’s rise up and flood Twitter with well deserved positivity for the buds! I would love to see pics of your pride Leafs nation! 💪😎☝️ #LeafsForever #leafsnation #GoLeafsGo #leafs pic.twitter.com/E5dUzA0soi

— Kurtis From Alberta (@leafguy403) November 27, 2021

If the mini-museum wasn't enough, Stevenson's memorabilia-maxed man-cave even comes complete with a beer vending machine.

Toronto fans are eating up the collectible-adorned man-cave, but other Albertans are also seeing taking notice, including fellow Leafs fans who suddenly feel emboldened.

That’s an epic fan cave! Next level. I’m also a @MapleLeafs fan in Alberta (Edmonton). It is a bit of an island being a fan of the buds out here. Take a lot of flack from friends. Wish I had another Leafs die hard like you to cheer with, or cry with when they break our ♥️ 🙄

— Justin Edgington (@JustyEdgie) November 30, 2021

He may not have anywhere near the level of recognition as Raptors superfan Nav Bhatia, but Kurtis Stevenson gives any Leafs fan with a 416 area code a run for their money.

Toronto is absolutely fed up with riding on one of the major bus routes in the city.

Many people are complaining about the #63 Ossington bus, which starts at Eglinton Avenue and Oakwood and leads down to Liberty Village.

The main point of concern about the route is that, because of a current detour, it doesn't make any stops along Shaw Street, starting from Ossington to King. 

Instead, the route skips over Queen Street and Shaw, a major intersection, and goes around through Dufferin Street to continue south.

Some commuters are annoyed with the fact that this new diversion, which started on Nov. 15, makes their trip much longer. 

Why does the Ossington Bus not stop from queen/Ossington until Atlantic/king? You do know that this adds 20 minutes to my already long commute where I travel backwards and sideways to get to work. One stop at Queen/Dufferin and King/Dufferin would save so many of us. #TTC

— bettyqs (@bettyQs) November 30, 2021

Others have even witnessed TTC drivers who work the route express how much they hate it.

The 63 Ossington bus driver just yelled "I HATE THIS ROUTE! ONE OF THE WORST ROUTES WE HAVE!"

— Selena Vyle (@selenavyle) November 8, 2021

A spokesperson for the TTC tells blogTO that the detour on the route is due to road work and rail replacement on Queen West.

"Unfortunately the size of this diversion is creating some reliability issues. We are aware of it and we apologize for any inconvenience our customers are experiencing," said Stuart Green, media relations for TTC.

Green adds that the transit agency is working on reallocating more vehicles to service gap stops while construction is being completed.

Aside from the current detour, some say they have other reasons to hate the route, including the safety of passengers when it comes to speed.

Mind you, the speeds it hits are quite competitive with the subway.

— Mechanical David (@MechanicalDavid) November 9, 2021

Some people mentioned just how difficult it must be for drivers who operate the route.

I mean, that stretch between Dundas & Queen is stressful!

— rahim (@DirectorVMH) November 9, 2021

Others were coming up with solutions on how to make parts of the route more efficient for both passengers and pedestrians.

Ossington between Dundas and queen could be completely and permanently pedestrianized with the use of Shaw for the bus. It would be really easy.

— green glass (@greenglasseye) November 14, 2021

Even those native to the Ossington area agreed that changes need to be made, with lots of overcrowding happening near the general area of Queen-King-Shaw that loops with Ossington.

I used to live right at the bottom of the 63 map for a few months and then I worked down there like half a year & I always got off 2 stops before the station to walk and beat the crowd of bus passengers to the train platform.
Such a ridiculous bottleneck at the top of the route

— fun facts with lulu (@FunFactsLulu) November 9, 2021

The TTC tells blogTO that there's no definitive date on when construction is expected to end at Queen near Ossington.

It seems that we'll just have to bury our woes with this route, until there's word on improvements.

We all love a good Black Friday or Cyber Monday deal ahead of the holiday season, but one person just outside Ottawa took their online purchasing addiction a little too far this week, completely packing their vehicle with goods to the point that it was unsafe to drive.

Officers in the East Region division of Ontario Provincial Police pulled over a verly overly stuffed minivan early Tuesday morning after noticing that they were unable to even see the driver from outside the car.

Photos shared by the force on Twitter indeed show the van full to the brim with Amazon boxes, packages, and a few other belongings that crowded all seats but the driver's, were strewn across the dashboard and were even crammed dangerously close to the gas and brake pedals underfoot.

#RussellOPP officer stopped this vehicle for not being able to see the driver, in the Embrun area yesterday. There were numerous HTA offences: no clear view to front, no clear view to right, drive while crowded and more. #DriveSafe ^mb pic.twitter.com/JEoPVTqFF1

— OPP East Region (@OPP_ER) November 30, 2021

The driver was found to be committing numerous offences under the provincial Highway Traffic Act, including no clear view to front, no clear view to right, drive while crowded "and more," officers tweeted, reminding residents to drive safe.

As many noted in responses to the post, the individual was likely someone tasked with delivering an unruly amount of packages during a very hectic shopping season, and probably for minimal pay.

"Unfortunately this is probably a contracted delivery service such as Intelcomm, and the drivers get paid by the package and get sent out with a crazy amount of parcels," one person aptly speculated.

"If drivers were paid a decent wage rather than the $1.50 per drop regardless of distance, this wouldn't happen. No excuse for endangering others, but the delivery company should be charged too," another suggested.

It seems the driver will be the only one punished in this case — and for the sake of themselves and others on the road, it will hopefully prompt them to pick up a different hustle.

A Toronto neighbourhood is getting fed up with people not cleaning up after their dogs. 

On Nov. 21, a woman was spotted walking two dogs in Liberty Village, and walking away after her dog defacated on the ground. 

Another neighbour went up to her to remind her to pick up after her dog and the woman simply denied it was her dog who did it. 

"As a dog owner, I’m so sick and tired of constantly dodging poop bombs just because owners/walkers are too lazy or simply don't care to pick up. Good job calling them out!" said Laryssa Alexandra, a Facebook user. 

The incident was posted about in the neighbourhood's Facebook group called Liberty Village Residents Association. 

The community had their say about what happened, with some people saying the poop situation in Liberty Village is out of control. 

"This is very common in Liberty Village , I don't go a day without seeing a new one , it's disgusting to walk on the street and see it, come on now," said Sae Nicole Taylor over Facebook. 

According to the City, you can be fined up to $365.00 for failing to pick up dog excrement, as stated in Toronto's Animal by-laws. 

"Dog owner here - there is never an excuse to not pick it up. I literally used a leaf and a twig the other day when my dead brain forgot a bag," said Facebook user Sloane Alt. 

The conversation turned into a debate on whether or not Liberty Village dog owners should be put on blast over social media for not picking up after their animals. 

Some people argued that publicy shaming someone for doing so, isn't the right approach. 

"I confront people about it directly but trying to shame them to the masses on a public platform is a slippery slope," said Christina Hellsing on the post. "Maybe forward it to bylaw or ask bylaw instead, rather than the peanut gallery of a fb group," she added. 

The person who witnessed the woman walk away from the dog poop says she made the post with the hopes of it reducing the amount of feces in the neighbourhood. 

Sports broadcaster and writer Damien Cox is getting a lot of attention for his new book this week — but not for the reason an author would hope.

While taking to social media over the weekend to promote his new title A League of Our Own: Celebrating the Canadian Hockey Division, Cox posted a screen capture of the book's cover and listing from the Indigo website.

"It's about an all-Canadian division, which we'll never see again. There [are] two chapters on each of the seven Canadian teams," the 60-year-old Star columnist wrote to his 60k Twitter followers on Saturday morning.

"So if you're interested in the Sens, Jets, Habs, Leafs, Flames, Canucks or Oilers, there's something for you. Somebody you love with love it for Xmas. Promise."

The tweet received a ton of traction very quickly, but unfortunately not because of the book itself, nor anything related to Cox's body of work whatsoever.

It appears @DamoSpin deleted his tweet. It’s ok, there are screenshots! https://t.co/39Z6rTG6Nx pic.twitter.com/Trh9Cbl3YL

— TheMik (@nevillem) November 28, 2021

In an oversight that some of us have made and all of us definitely fear, the journalist failed to notice one thing about the screenshot before he shared it: the other tabs that he had open on his browser. Well, the only other tab he had open, which was for "Live Private Sex."

Though Cox was quick to delete the tweet as soon as the issue was brought to his attention, the screenshots of it continue to circulate on Twitter and also Reddit, where the writer is getting completely grilled by hundreds.

Some speculate that the tab was just a spam pop-up from a "sketchy hockey blog" or other site, perhaps very much pornographic in nature.

Others argue that the "mistake" was just a ploy to get his book more attention.

And still others point out that we should "never underestimate how little 60 year olds understand technology."

This is a sweet move to try to distract from the porn the other day Damo, well done. pic.twitter.com/wCgTtyOVNI

— El Guapo (@TheDirtyNorth) November 30, 2021

Then there are those who can't help but hearken back to the time in 2016 when Cox once tweeted out a message he meant to send to someone privately, asking them for a selfie.

After that incident, the pundit set his account to private, but has yet to do so after his latest mortifying post, which he seems to be pretending never happened.

St. Lawrence Market in Toronto has been home to a bulk food store that's been around since the 1970s, and it's actually been run by the same family the entire time.

John Grisanzio came to Canada from Mola di Bari, Italy and started Domino's Foods with a few hundred square feet of bulk nuts and dried fruits.

His wife Linda started helping out a few years after the store was opened, and now in addition to nuts and dried fruits they also carry lots of imported products like San Marzano tomatoes, vanilla from Madagascar or Tahiti, Italian olive oil and Belgian chocolate.

They also have spices, coffee, hand-picked Persian saffron and around 50 varieties of Italian pasta.

Other interesting items include local hemp hearts, around 20 varieties of vegetable chips, seeds, chestnuts and flours.

"Our finest products are a reflection of what our taste buds prefer," Giovanni Grisanzio, John's son who still works with him at Domino's, tells blogTO.

Longstanding relationships with suppliers like JohnVince Foods and Aurora Importing are to thank for their wide range of items.

Domino's was one of the first bulk stores in Toronto to allow people to bring their own reusable bags, jars and containers.

John's long time friend Domenico, AKA Domino, also helped him start the store and was named for him.

"I remember my mom Linda taking the subway down to King St. Station holding rolls of quarters and dimes in her purse and the other arm carrying me," says Grisanzio, recalling memories from arond the age of four.

"My first pay cheque was a $2 bill, between my sister Chiara and brother Giacomo. We use to clean the cash register area and whatever was left under the scale was ours. We wanted to be paid in candy but that never happened."

While the place is still family-run as it has been since the beginning, Grisanzio shouts out longtime employees Q and Sonia who "are always ready to help," have great customer service skills and apparently are able to keep thousands of bulk prices memorized in their heads.

In March 2020, the store had to start enforcing plastic gloves and social distancing at the shop, and started washing their scoops frequently. 

Taking orders by phone or email and packing items ahead of time for customers to pick up through a curbside program at St. Lawrence Market was the best way for Domino's to survive throughout lockdowns.

John is now close to retirement age, but still comes in at 5 a.m. on Saturdays to make sure all items are in check and customers are looked after, and to get feedback on products both old and new.

Domino's Foods is located in the northwest corner in the basement of St. Lawrence Market. It's a bit hidden away but once you spot it you'll realize why it's thrived for half a century.

The collective groan of thousands of Toronto commuters probably registered on the Richter scale back in August, when Metrolinx revealed that two stretches of Queen flanking Yonge would shut down for years to make way for construction of the new Ontario Line.

What is being touted by the province as a "15.6-kilometre-long, 15-stop, fully-automated rapid transit system between Ontario Science Centre and Exhibition Place" may be approved and funded, but we all knew the line wouldn't come easy.

Because what transit improvement has ever come without headaches in this city?

While it was previously stated that "two small stretches" of the thoroughfare would close for four-and-a-half years starting in early 2023 for the line's Queen station, new information hints that commuters, pedestrians, and cyclists will suffer not just sooner, but longer, and across many more areas of the city centre.

A report headed to the city's executive committee on Dec. 7 is showing a long list of restrictions that will turn stretches of Queen Street and King Street into warzones of traffic and pedestrian chaos from...take a deep breath now...2022 all the way to 2029.

The report recommends council approve several "temporary" closures of lanes and sidewalks on blocks surrounding five station sites, including the Queen Station-related closures known for months.

Four stations will require even lengthier temporary closures. The word temporary is used loosely here, with the closures predicted to last from October 1, 2022, to November 30, 2029.

This includes closures around the line's planned King-Bathurst Station, Queen-Spadina Station, Osgoode (Queen and University) Station, and Corktown (Queen and Parliament) Station. Areas around the stations will have sidewalks, bike lanes, and curb lanes rerouted or closed/

And it isn't just the immediate intersections that will suffer, surrounding streets are also included in some station plans, such as Stewart Street, Simcoe Street, and Victoria Street.

The closing date near the end of 2029 doesn't necessarily mean the end of construction either, with the report stating that roads "be returned to pre-construction traffic and parking regulations when the Ontario Line project is complete."