Hello and welcome to Weekend Coffee Share #14! I’m glad you’re here. Please come on in, help yourself to a cup of coffee, or tea, or hot chocolate at my coffee station and let’s chat.
What’s New
It’s been a fab few days here…
- Beautiful spring weather has been ideal for my cycling, walking, playing disc golf, visiting local beaches, gardens, parks, and the city centre. I choose to go outside on weekday and Sunday mornings and to places that are quiet so I can keep a safe distance from people.
- I mapped out new cycling and walking routes that offer me plenty of things to see and photograph. I usually cycle to the destination, lock the bike, go for a walk, then pick up the bike, and cycle home. Fitness and fun combo wins! See my walk in Yorkville and my photos below.
- I had a fun interview with Marsha Ingrao at Always Write blog about hosting the weekly Weekend Coffee Share blog link-up. Click here to read the full interview. (Virtual) coffee and beignets from the historic Café du Monde in New Orleans were on the table. Marsha retrieved comments from my blog for the interview so you may see your name and comments in her post.
My Walk in Yorkville
Yorkville is a historic and upscale neighbourhood in downtown Toronto. Established as a separate village in 1830, Yorkville was annexed into Toronto in 1883. In the last three decades, many smaller buildings in Yorkville were demolished and office, hotels, and high-priced condominiums built.
Yorkville is now home to some of Toronto’s most expensive condominiums. It has art galleries, boutiques, restaurants, spas, and luxury hotels catered to the wealthy clients. Fortunately, it still retains its attractiveness with pedestrian traffic, narrow streets, quaint row houses, and charming curb appeal.
Let me show you a few of my favourite Yorkville murals and architecture in pictures.
Yorkville Murals
Yorkville Murals in August 2020 was a cultural event that celebrates contemporary muralism and public art. It was a huge success despite the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s scheduled to return in August 2021.
Party Hat mural by Getso 
Citrus mural by XRAY
Yorkville Architecture
The Festival Walkway looking north 
About The Festival Walkway
Cafe Nervosa 
Boutique stores 
Chanel boutique
Click on any image in the image gallery to see it bigger.
Linking to #BrightSquare, #Lens-Artists 142, #LifeThisWeek, #ThursdayDoors, #WeeklySmile, #WW.
How did your week go? Go on, brighten my day. I’d love to hear your comments.
Copyright © 2023 natalietheexplorer.home.blog – All rights reserved.
Natalie the Explorer 
Look at this…I am almost (maybe) first to comment. Thanks so much for sharing your news Natalie and congratulations on the interview with Marsha. I will be checking it out. Lovely weather makes for great outdoors as I saw here and your week is always refreshing to read and of interest.
Denyse.
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Yes, Denyse, you’re first to comment today! Spring has been good here although we’re expecting some showers next week. April showers bring May flowers so I look forward to walking in the gardens in the coming days. Thank you for joining me at Weekend Coffee Share and for checking out the interview with Marsha.
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Thank you for linking up for Life This Week. Next week, the optional prompt is Interesting. My post will be a continuation of Telling My Story as I am wanting to wrap the series up. It’s great to have your blogging support on my link up. Thank you. Denyse
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Thank you, Denyse. I look forward to reading Interesting blogs.
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Hi Natalie – I always love street art and murals and some of these were really beautiful. I’m glad Spring continues to give you warm and sunny days. Marsha emailed me to say she was using one of my comments from your blog, so I’m off to read your interview – I’m sure it will be really interesting.
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Thanks again, Leanne. 🙂
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Hi Leanne, The bold colours of some the murals in Yorkville made me smile. I’m glad you liked them. Thank you for agreeing to let Marsha use one of your comments and for checking out the interview. Have a great weekend!
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I liked walking under the steel gray archway. I clicked and saw the full size and sat down on the little benches. 🙂
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Thank you for your visit and comment. The steel gray archway leads to Yorkville park which is a nice park to sit down and enjoy the views. Excellent choice 🙂
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I’m sipping my coffee and enjoying our beautiful photos as usual. Your weather has gone full on spring and it looks glorious. Thanks for taking us along on your walks.
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Ally, I’m glad to share my walk and photos with you during our coffee chat. Spring has been great here. We’re expecting showers next week. Well, April showers bring May flowers 🙂
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Your photographs are stunning, Natalie. We’re having gorgeous weather as well…if we could only get rid of the pollen. Thanks for the terrific walk. Enjoy your weekend!
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Thank you, Jill, for your compliment about my photos. Pollen and allergies, oh no. I hope the gorgeous weather continues for you with less pollen. Have a great weekend!
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Ha ha, I had to laugh at Jill’s comment – she must be located near us here in South Carolina. Our weather is incredible right now but the pollen is a killer! Loved your wall art images – something we see rarely around here. Always great fun. Enjoy your collaboration with Marsha, she’s terrific!
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Thanks for the lovely words, Tina. Now I’m off to grab that cup of coffee and visit the Lens Artists. 🙂
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Tina, I’m glad you liked my Yorkville mural images. Pollen bring allergies to my mind. I hope the incredible weather continues for you with less pollen. Have a great weekend!
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Hi Natalie, Thanks again for the wonderful opportunity of interviewing you. You have a new regular linker – ME! Your link is now live on my Interview page too. 🙂
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Hi Marsha, Thank you for linking up with Weekend Coffee Share and including my link on your Interview page. I’m still in awe how quickly your put the interview post together. I hope you enjoy the coffee shares and meet new blogger friends.
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Thanks, and I hope you enjoy the comments on your interview. It was great fun! 🙂
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Marsha, I enjoyed and appreciated the comments on my interview. I’m glad it introduced you to Denyse and other bloggers. Have a great day!
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Yes, it was a great time, Natalie. Thanks again for sharing yourself and what you do with me and with my readers. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. 🙂
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Those Murals are amazing….there are times I wish I lived in the city just for the opportunity to explore more places. We live in a small town and it’s amazing and I wouldn’t trade it, but sometimes…..lol. I also love seeing that old church amidst new buildings. So cool I’ll have to go read the interview with Marsha. I’ve been enjoying taking part in her wednesday quote challenge.
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Kirstin, I’m glad you like the murals. It’s amazing what artists can do in such large scale. What a small world that you’ve been participating in Marsha’s Wednesday quote challenge. Thank you for checking out the interview. Have a great weekend!
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Hi Natalie! Yorkville looks like a nice place to walk around! But isn’t it sad that they demolish the old buildings. That was done very very much in Sweden post-war, despite the fact that we weren’t even bombed or involved in the war as much as most other European countries. Still, many buildings were demolished and new, ugly concrete boxes were built instead and many towns lost their history and their soul. Looking at it now, the areas where tourists want to go,because they are pretty and authentic, are the old areas where the old buildings have been allowed to remain. So that’s a lesson to learn. I could talk for days about this and about how much I despise modern architecture!
Anyway, I like the murals and it looks like a very mixed environment with many different types of things to see. Quaint narrow streets are always nice for walking around.
I’m glad you’re enjoying some good spring weather! Hope you get a good weekend.
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Hi Susanne, I remember walking in the Old Town Gamla stan in Stockholm, and many old towns in other European cities. Yorkville is a very nice area to walk around. Even though real estate is expensive there, coffee shops and restaurants charge similar pricing elsewhere. I’m glad you like the murals. Thank you for checking out my interview with Marsha. Have a great weekend!
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another wonderful post – and just look at those blue skies about the colourful murals – bright indeed 😀
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Thank you, Becky. I’m glad you like my bright square photos 🙂
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Great photos. Like the murals by Ola Volo and Bacon the best. The Festival Walkway sculpture plaque description was interesting.
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Yes, the details on those two murals are incredible. The Festival Walkway is modern and attractive, too.
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Great photos!
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Thank you, John and Susan. Enjoy the weekend!
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As always love the pictures. The Festival Walkway is inviting. It sounds as though we have had similar weather here, the kind that lures you outside and breathes on you. Some good walks, but mostly I relish the porch time too. And Sheba is also enjoying time in the yard. Roger worked outside one day, the fact that he was able to do it for the first time since October was celebration and Sheba was thrilled to lounge in t he yard soaking up the sun while he did it. Best and blessings, Michele
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How nice that you have a porch and a yard, plenty of space for everyone to enjoy together or on their own. Spring has been great here. This weekend is sunny and we’re expecting some showers next week. The pansies, tulips and daffodils are looking good in the gardens. Have a great weekend!
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Hi Natalie, this is one of my favourite posts. The murals are just so colourful and my favourites are the one by Ola Volo and Jason Botkin. The historic buildings are beautiful and Yorkville looks the perfect place for a walking tour. Congratulations on your interview and thanks for hosting #WeekendCoffeeShare
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Hi Sue, I’m glad you like this post. The bold colours of the murals made me smile. The artists are so talented to work with such large or long surfaces. Yorkville is a nice area to walk around and have a coffee or tea. Thank you for joining Weekend Coffee Share. Have a great weekend!
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You certainly are making the best of the current situation to explore your beautiful city! Yorkville looks so inviting. The murals are beautiful and the architecture too. Thanks for sharing!
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The weather has been great for cycling and walking. I’m glad you like Yorkville murals and buildings. Have a great weekend!
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Love these walks around your city.
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I’m glad you like the walks I shared.
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A lovely walk and the murals are fabulous!
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Thank you, Ann-Christine. I’m glad you like the murals. They’re fab.
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♥
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Hi, Natalie – Your photos here are fabulous. I especially like the one of the mural by Ola Volo and the one of the walkway.
That is awesome news that your weather has been sunny and warm. Ours has been cold and windy (with rain thrown in for good measure). I have my fingers crossed for warmer weather here soon!
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Hi Donna, I like the mural by Ola Volo and the walkway design, too. Spring has been so good here. We’re expecting showers next week. That’s OK as I know “April showers bring May flowers”. Wishing you warm and sunny days in the week ahead.
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These are magnificent photos, Natalie. I love the doors and the walkways!
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Thank you, Dan. I’m glad you liked my photos. I enjoyed my walk in Yorkville.
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I’m a real sucker for a mural – and these are good ones. I also love the image of the old church against the new buildings. Looks like a great place. Enjoy your weekend & I look forward to seeing where you take us next week.
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Jo, The details on the bigger murals are amazing to see IRL. Yorkville is a nice area in Toronto. I’m thinking of taking you and other blog friends to a disc golf course next week, weather-permitting 🙂
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Fabulous – I’ve never played disc golf!
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Hi Natalie. Those murals are fabulous. We’re having beautiful Autumn weather here in Queensland, Australia. I’d love to visit your area one day, but I’ll have to visit vicariously via your blog for now. Have a lovely weekend, Christina
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Hi Christina, Autumn is a beautiful season. I’m glad to hear you have good weather in Queensland. Ontario is still in lockdown so I enjoy sharing coffee or tea with my blogger friends virtually. Have a great weekend!
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I hope to get to Canada again one day and Toronto would be on my list. You have so many fantastic places to visit. I love Yorkville with its gorgeous art works. I do love the Festival Walkway
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Jennifer, I hope you visit Toronto one day and include Yorkville on your list of places to see. I hope to visit Australia and New Zealand when travel restrictions are lifted. Have a great weekend!
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Yorkville is such a lovely neighbourhood – so many fabulous murals!
I enjoyed reading the interview as well – fun fun!
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Ju-Lyn, I’m glad you like Yorkville murals. I like the vibrant colours and the details of the art work IRL. Thank you for reading the interview, too. Have a wonderful weekend!
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It’s great that you were able to get out and enjoy the spring weather! Sound like a nice walk. I enjoyed your interview – because she copied and pasted some text she accidentally linked to a smile post, but that’s fine, it led me to the interview 🙂 I hope you have a great weekend and a wonderful week ahead!
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Haha, the accidental link. Thank you, Trent, for reading the interview. Spring weather has been great here, ideal for outdoor activities. We’re expecting showers next week which will be good for the grass and plants because we haven’t had much rain this month. Have a wonderful weekend!
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Hi Natalie, congratulations on your interview with Marsha. You deserve the attention for a lot of reasons, including Weekend Coffee Share. Thanks for showing us Yorkville. The juxtaposition of old and new is always appealing to me. I especially love the church. I’ll be taking your lead this week and spending some time riding my bike and taking photographs. The weather here has been ideal for that activity. Have a great weekend.
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Thank you, Suzanne, for your kind words. I have another photo of the church at a different angle that makes it look like the high rise towers “embrace” the church. I like the juxtaposition of old and new, too.
I enjoy cycling almost every day in spring because I know it can get hot and humid here in the summer. It’s not unusual for us to get heat waves that last a few days. Have fun with your cycling excursion! I look forward to seeing your photos on your blog.
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You shared some fantastic murals! I love the color and design. We’ve been talking about getting some murals at the school I teach at and I hope we can made them look even half as good as this! I like that you’re able to bike and then walk to take pictures. Unfortunately for me, we don’t have a very good area for that nearby, so I’ll admit I’m a little jealous. Still, I appreciate you for sharing your journeys through photography and this blog. The virtual coffee is always just right 🙂
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Erica, I’m glad to hear the virtual coffee is always just right 🙂 Perhaps the students in your school can make some really nice murals.
When I chose where I live now, one of the considerations was how easy it would be for me to walk and cycle. I’ve been very happy and feel fortunate with my choice.
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What a cool walk. Thanks for sharing it with us. I do want to visit Toronto. Thanks for hosting and I hope that you have a wonderful week.
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Patrick, That’s great to hear you want to visit Toronto. Pre-COVID, there were frequent and non-stop flights from San Francisco or San Jose to Toronto. Have a wonderful weekend!
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Hopefully, I’m not the last to stop by, but it has been a busy Saturday for us. A quiet walk through any one of your routes around Toronto sounds heavenly about now. Thanks for another wonderful tour.
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Thank you, Gary, for stopping by despite your busy day. You’re not the last. Quiet walks are good for us. Have a great weekend and upcoming week!
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That looks like a lovely place to visit! I love little historic towns. And how great that you get to be outdoors more! It’s getting slightly colder here but we still have sunny days which are nice! Hope you have a lovely weekend!
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Lots to see around here and Spring has been great so far. We’ve got rain today which is good for the grass and the plants. Thank you, Sanch, for stopping by. Have a great weekend and upcoming week!
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Beautiful artwork, I think my favorite the Canadian geese! I Love all your photos and thank you for the coffee this weekend. I hope you are having a wonderful weekend and have a great week ahead! 😀
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Diana, The shading of the paint colours and the gracefulness of the wings in that Canada Geese mural are amazing to see IRL. I’m glad you like my photos 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend and week ahead!
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These are great works of art Natalie and I like your idea of riding, locking up your bike and walking to see more sights.I really enjoyed the walk with you. The weather here has turned very cold, winter is definitely approaching.
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Debbie, When I saw these murals, the bold colours made me smile. See how I use your WOTY there 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed this walk with me virtually. Thank you for checking out the interview, too. Winter is a good time to catch up on some indoor activities. Have a great weekend!
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I loved the use of my WOTY Natalie!! Gold star to you 🙂
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Congrats on the interview! I’m so glad your weather has been good. I love how you combine fitness and fun into your cycling adventures.
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Thank you, Astrid. I hope you have time to check out the interview. We have rain today which is good for the grass and plants. I love to cycle and loved to see how popular cycling is in countries like the Netherlands and Denmark.
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I love murals of all kinds. These are beautiful and inventive.
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That’s great to hear, Regina. The beauty of the art work is in the eye of the beholder. I’m glad you like these murals.
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I remember seeing that church during our brief visit to Toronto and thinking it looked a bit out of place. We didn’t spot the other historic building in Yorkville. I do hope to return to your city in the future and do it justice. As long as it’s not ninety degrees out! 🙂
Marsha Ingrao Is a wonderful and supportive person. I’m glad she interviewed you and promoted the Coffee Share link-up that way.
Last week, I was too late to link my whale post. I was somewhere in the middle of the US, working on it late on a Sunday. Just as I was ready – and confused about the time zones that kept changing as we headed east – I found the link-up closed as I was an hour too late, thinking it was still before midnight on the East Coast. I did make it this week, despite being behind with so many other things.
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Liesbet, I’m glad to hear you hope to return to TO in the future for another visit. I hope your drive back to the East Coast went well and you’re settling in nicely. Thank you for linking with Weekend Coffee Share. Have a wonderful weekend and a great week ahead!
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Wow Natalie I love the murals. They’re stunning. And that architecture?!
I also see what you mean about stunning weather as that sky is so blue in most of your pictures. Perfect for cycling and walking. (I still envy your motivation to get out and about. I need some of that!)
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Deborah, Spring has been great here. We had rain this morning and that was needed for the grass and plants. I’m glad you love the murals. Their bold colours are cheerful and the Canada Geese mural look amazing IRL.
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Yorkville looks like a very inviting place. Loved those murals.
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Thank you, I. J., for your visit and comment. Yorkville is a nice area to walk around and have a coffee or tea break or a nice meal.
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My area has Bee Gees Way but I wouldn’t mind some murals instead 🙂
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How about having both Bee Gees Way and some murals? Some of the murals could be a tribute to the Bee Gees 🙂
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Wow, you’ve had a great week! I will check out the interview later. Thanks for the virtual tour of Yorkeville, I love those murals!
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I’m glad you like the murals, Sammie. Thank you for stopping by and for checking out the interview later.
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Hi Natalie – I’ll have to pop across and have a read of your interview. Yorkville looks gorgeous! I love the photos and virtual travel opportunity. I’m sure the next week coming up will be another great one for you and I look forward to reading all about it.
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Hi Min, I’m glad you like my Yorkville photos. This week is going well. We’ve had rain showers which the grass and plants love. I hope you enjoy reading the interview, too. Have a great week!
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You find the best treasures on your bike rides. Hurray for new routes and new discoveries. And these beautiful murals. That OK is looks so 3D, as if it is popping off the wall. The Ola Volo’s subject reminds me of a very hip Queen of Hearts or other playing card queen. Love the sun glasses and her confident coolness. Thank you for sharing with us.
I have begun photographing our local murals, too. Wish I could ride my bike to them but I am terrified of riding in downtown or cross town traffic.
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Leslie, I ride my bike on bike paths dedicated to cyclists. Riding in road traffic is dangerous. I’m glad you like the Yorkville murals. Their vibrant colours made me smile. I look forward to seeing your local murals. Looks like you’ve got your blog working again, hooray!
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Hi Natalie, I always enjoy your photos, you visit such interesting places! Until today we’ve had a week of great weather so I’ve been out in the garden pulling weeds in preparation for the spring planting. Hoping to get most of that done in the next couple of weeks. I do love being in the garden getting my hands dirty! Today it’s not warm and it’s raining, so I’m taking advantage of that to go through the blogs that I haven’t made time for. I have a feeling that with good gardening weather during summer I’ll be online less and less – but there’s a handful of blogs that I always visit so I’ll try to let you know when I’ve popped in. Enjoy the rest of your week!
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Hi Cheryl, Gardening is therapeutic and rewarding at harvest time. I hope you get great results in the coming weeks (the fruits of your labour). With good weather, it’s natural to spend more time outdoors and less time online. I’ll be doing that, too. I appreciate your heads up and look forward to your updates whenever you have a moment to share them or just drop by to say hello. Have a great week!
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I must say you are an incredible observer when you walk about. Amazing pictures and thought. Thanks for the uplifting post.
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Thank you, Antoinette, for your kind comment. I like to take photos and I think photography has made me a better observer.
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Thank you for sharing an interesting and colourful post, Natalie. I clicked to the interview with Marsha and left a comment there. I will copy/paste here in case it disappears (some comments have been disappearing recently on WP per other bloggers.😀
Thank you for sharing an interesting post, Marsha. I have been off the grid for awhile and I enjoy reading and catching up. Natalie has always been one of my favourite bloggers. It is interesting to learn more about her. Natalie’s work ethic and integrity is admirable. She does a wonderful job with the Coffee Share. I periodically visit the Coffee Share on the weeks I know I can commit to reading and responding to everyone’s post. I appreciate the inclusive, kind and wonderful vibe. Thank you for a wonderful interview, Marsha.
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Thank you, Erica/ Erika, for reading the interview and leaving your kind comments. I feel humbled to be one of your favourite bloggers. After the interview, I made small changes to my blogging habits to spend less time on blogging. I see it as an improvement 🙂
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