Torontonian thinks neighbour's basketball net doesn't look 19th-century enough

Toronto's historic Cabbagetown is, for the most part, a lovely, tree-lined neighbourhood of pristine 19th-century homes with well-sculpted gardens, a relaxed oasis on the eastern edge of the city's bustling downtown core. It also boasts a tightly-knit community of residents proud  — and defensive — of its Old World charms.

As a result, the neighbourhood hosts walking tours, street festivals and even a garden tour. And for one resident, that evidently means nothing ought to disrupt Cabbagetown's heritage aesthetic. Not bicycles, and certainly not a basketball net.

This note was submitted to CityNews by a resident whose home is apparently not up to the standards of one frustrated yet well-mannered neighbour.

"It would be appreciated if your home could look a little more like it did in the 1800s," the letter reads. In order to get the street ready for spring walking tours, the neighbour offers a little advice as to where to take some of their items. "The Christmas lights perhaps to Goodwill, the bicycles stored at the rear, and the general clutter cleaned up."

Nevermind the fact that basketball was invented in 1891 and the bicycle developed throughout the 19th century, the garden tours apparently ought to be for gardens and gardens only.

The Globe and Mail's Tabatha Southey, a Cabbagetown resident herself, weighed in on Twitter: