Hello and welcome to Weekend Coffee Share #19! 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.
A week of sunshine, blue skies and pleasant temperatures meant more time outdoors and less time indoors. Let me show you in pictures a few nice things that I’ve seen. My photos start with neutral gray then get more colourful.
1. ActiveTO
The City of Toronto has launched the ActiveTO weekend road closures for 2021. Starting May 1, on weekends, a few routes will be closed to vehicles and open to cyclists and pedestrians. The objective is to make more space for people to get outside and exercise while practicing safe physical distancing.
The ActiveTO weekend road closures mean additional cycling and walking routes for me, yay! Before May, I cycle on weekdays and stay home on weekends. Now I go cycling on weekends as well while the weather is good.
2. Architecture
I visited two historic buildings on the same street and the street name is Toronto!
Toronto Street Post Office, also known as Toronto’s Seventh Post Office, was built in 1851-1853 in the Greek Revival style. It served as a post office until 1873 and as a government office building until 1937. It was then used by the Bank of Canada until 1959 and by investment businesses to date.
In 1958, the building was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. In 2006, it was designated a Heritage building by the City of Toronto. The building was sold to Morgan Meighen & Associates, an independent Canadian investment manager, in 2006 for CA$14 million.
History 
Main entrance at 10 Toronto Street
Consumers’ Gas Company Building: The Italianate/neo-Renaissance style Consumers’ Gas Building was first built in 1852, as the Consumers Gas company’s head office at 19 Toronto Street. The company remained in this location for 125 years.
History 
150th Anniversary
3. Gardens
May is a beautiful time to be in Toronto’s public gardens where many spring flowers bloom. See my sample below (and the painted flowers on Simcoe Murals).
Azaleas 
Daffodils 
Bleeding Hearts 
Daisies 
Dandelions 
Phlox 
Tulips 
Trillium 
Wild tulips
4. Simcoe Murals
The lead artist, Tannis Nielsen, who is of Metis/Anishinaabe and Danish ancestry, began the murals at Lower Simcoe Street underpass in 2017 and welcomed young artists from Toronto’s Indigenous community and other members of the local community to help paint the final artwork. Simcoe Murals were officially unveiled in September 2019.
The Elder/Honour Wall, on the west side of the underpass, consists of 28 portraits of Indigenous Peoples named by the local community while honouring the Indigenous Elders and leaders of the local Toronto community. Colourful flowers and plants adorn this wall.
Click on any image in the gallery to see it bigger.
The Water Wall mural, on the east side of the underpass, is inspired by the work of Josephine Mandamin, an Anishabaabewe grandmother who has walked almost 18,000 kilometres around each of the Great Lakes in order to bring attention to the physical plight of the planet’s greatest resource, water.
Gray, black, white, blue and green dominate this wall. Click on any image in the gallery to see it bigger.
5. Lake Beach
I’ve been going to various lake beaches since March. The water is still too cold for swimming so the beaches are nice and quiet, except for natural sounds from the waves, the wind, and birds. Here I find soothing neutral colours from pebbles, water, and gray feathers on gulls.
Lakes, trees, and rocks are common elements in Ontario landscape. The rocks vary from small pebbles to big boulders. Many of them have beautiful patterns in shades of gray, rose, orange, or amethyst. Amethyst is the official gemstone of Ontario with many amethyst clusters found around the area of Thunder Bay.
Boulder 
Palm-sized rocks
Looking for nice rocks is just as fun as looking for shells, then let the rock stacking begin.
I’m grateful for a beautiful week.
Linked to #LifeThisWeek, #ThursdayDoors, #SundayStills.
How did your week go? I’d love to hear your comments.
Copyright © 2024 natalietheexplorer.home.blog – All rights reserved.
Natalie the Explorer 
Good Morning Natalie from my place on Friday evening! We are tipping into cooler weather this coming week. Being able to get out and about for more times and having fewer vehicles about sounds like a great plan. So much covered in today’s post! The images of the people in those murals are stunning. Flower lover me really liked your collage. The way in which you integrated grey into your post was very clever. Nature did more grey than I realised when I was planning my post for Sunday Stills! I am very grateful for your link up #weekendcoffee share as I have announced the next series of Women of Courage is coming next week. Happy weekend. Denyse
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Hi Denyse, I’m glad you liked the murals and flowers. I enjoy a variety of activities and write them in one weekly post so it’s like a medley of things 🙂 How wonderful that you continue with the next series of WoC. Thank you for linking with #weekendcoffeeshare. Have a great weekend!
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Thank you for linking up for Life This Week on Monday 17 May 2021. It is a great community here and I am always pleased to see your post linked. Next week, the optional prompt is Self Care Stories. I look forward to seeing you then too. Denyse.
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Thank you for hosting, Denyse. See you at the upcoming link-up.
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Hi Natalie – those murals are amazing – so much detail and they all work so well together. You must be loving all the extra cycling time now the weather is nicer and the roads have been freed up. We’re still enjoying Autumn here but Winter is creeping steadily closer.
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Hi Leanne, It certainly takes amazing skills to complete the Simcoe Murals. It’s a wonderful way to beautify gray concrete walls of an underpass and tell a story. I hope you’re enjoying autumn as I’m enjoying spring here. Have a great weekend!
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I like the fact you’ve included dandelions in your photos of spring flowers! They are definitely worthy of note. Your week looks like it was beautiful. Happy Weekend.
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Ally, Dandelions are on all the grassy fields here and they look so pretty. We’ve got a good week of sunshine, blue skies and daytime high temperatures around 22C (72F). I hope you have beautiful weather, too. Happy weekend!
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Those murals are incredible, Natalie. Another great week in the books for you. Thanks for sharing your lovely photographs! Enjoy the weekend.
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Hi Jill, It certainly takes amazing skills to complete the Simcoe Murals. I was in awe of the size of the murals, the shades of various colours, the drawings, and how alive they look IRL. I hope your week went well. Thank you for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend!
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Wow! What awesome murals! So well done! I like that little rock tower, too. Have an awesome week!
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For some reason, I’m having trouble getting the inlinks links to open. I’ll keep trying, though.
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Well done! I saw your link.
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I’m glad you liked the Simcoe Murals and the rock tower. Happy weekend!
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Those Simcoe Murals are beautifully done but the Water Wall is simply stunning! I would spend ages looking at the details and trying to capture it all on camera 🙂 It seems you are having warmer weather than us. The UK has been stuck in a miserable weather pattern for weeks now and it shows no signs of changing – cold (for the time of year), rainy … But the good news is that indoor dining, drinking, museums, cinemas etc. open on Monday 😃😃
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Hi Sarah, The Simcoe Murals are really amazing IRL. I was in awe of their details, the shades of various colours, the lively expressions, the drawings, etc. We’ve had a good stretch of sunshine, blue skies and daytime high temps around 22C (72F). It’ll continue for a few more days. Yay to re-openings in the UK 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend!
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Fabulous pictures, Natalie. It’s lovely to see these artworks.
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Thank you, Roberta, for your comment. I greatly appreciate it. Happy weekend!
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I love the flowers and the doors, Natalie. I particularly like the plaque of the lamp lighter for the gas company.
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Dan, I like that plaque of the lamp lighter, too. Without it, I wouldn’t think about how Toronto streets were lit back then.
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All the historic buildings have stood the test of time. Love the murals. Especially the ones of the great lakes. The last one is beautiful and I like the one that extends on to the ground to give it an added dimension.
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I’m glad you love the Simcoe Murals. I think the artists did an amazing job.
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That rock tower is so neat and I am loving the details in those murals. You always find such neat things to photograph around your area.
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There are lots of things to see and photograph around here. I try to include some pictures on my blog but hopefully not too many.
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I’m having a hot chocolate today! 🙂 That reads, looks, and sounds like a beautiful week, Natalie. Thanks for sharing! I’m especially enamored by the flowers and the murals this week. And, I love the idea of having auto-free zones during the summer weekends. Toronto is such a progressive city with always something new and interesting going on. I wouldn’t mind living there one day.
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Hot chocolate coming right up, Liesbet 🙂 I think Toronto is a very livable city, with more positives than negatives, compared to many other big cities around the world. We’ve had a good stretch of sunshine, blue skies and daytime high temps around 22C (72C) so I’m loving being outside. I hope your week is going well. Happy weekend!
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My goodness, Natalie, the murals are so beautiful and such a lovely way to brighten up a city. As always I’ve enjoyed discovering more about where you live. Enjoy your weekend and thanks for #WeekendCoffeeShare xx
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Hi Sue, I’m enjoying many happenings in my week here. I’m glad you liked the murals. Have a wonderful weekend!
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I love the idea behind ActiveTO! That sounds like so much fun. I remember, when I was young, that they opened a brand new highway to cyclists before opening it to cars. My whole family went. It was such a fun day… and I still think about it every time I drive on that particular stretch of the highway.
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Janice, The ActiveTO weekend road closures are well received here. I love cycling along major roads that I normally wouldn’t be able to cycle on. A special and memorable experience for sure.
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Another lovely tour around Toronto, and your idea of introducing us to historic buildings each week is so interesting.
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I’m glad you find my share of historic buildings interesting. I try not to overdo it 🙂
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Love the tower of rocks. Those murals are amazing and beautiful.
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Great to hear from you, Bree. I hope you and your sisters are well. I’m glad you like the rock tower and the murals. Thank you for joining Weekend Coffee Share link-up. I’ll visit your blog this weekend.
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Finally your email came through xx I keep missing your posts. So glad to finally make your coffee shares xx
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I’m glad the email notification worked. I host the weekend coffee share link-up weekly, from 8 a.m. Friday to midnight Sunday night Toronto time.
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I love the ActiveTO concept. More cities should adopt that practice of road closures to benefit pedestrians and cyclists. Those Simcoe murals are awesome!
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Toronto started the ActiveTO weekend road closures last year. It was a big success. I’m glad they’re back this year. Have a great weekend!
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Another fabulous tour of your city! I love the variety and the beauty – so satisfying!
Those murals are incredible … I am particularly taken by the Water Wall and the story that it depicts.
Are your water beaches natural or manmade? I ask because many of Singapore’s beaches are man-aided: ie. reclaimed land.
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Ju-Lyn, The Water Wall is amazing IRL. I admired how the artists painted and made the water, the animals, people and wetlands come alive.
All our beaches along the shores of the Great Lakes are natural. We also have two urban beaches in Toronto’s waterfront area. They have sand, chairs and umbrellas for sunbathing and relaxation but not for swimming.
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Toronto has access to such wonderful natural spaces! And the city does so much to increase access to pathways for cyclists & pedastrians – rather wonderful!
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I think Toronto is a very livable city. I love how I can cycle and walk to many beautiful or interesting places. I’ve shared some of them on my blog and still have many more to write up.
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And we get to experience your lovely city through you – fabulous!
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Hi, Natalie – ActiveTO sounds awesome — what a wonderful idea.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the murals — so inspiring.
Wishing you a warm, sunny weekend!
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Hi Donna, I’m glad you love the murals. It’s going to be warm and sunny here through to next Tuesday/ Wednesday, yay! I hope you have beautiful weather, too. Have a wonderful weekend!
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Wow. I would visit toronto just to see all the murals and old buildings. So amazing. Working on my post now.
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Yes, lots to see and photograph in Toronto. I look forward to your coffee share.
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Those murals are stunning! Have a great weekend.
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Glad you liked the murals, Jo. Happy weekend!
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Such lovely photos. Those buildings certainly have an Italian renaissance feel to them! And the murals are fantastic. I love the spring flowers too – especially the wild tulips. Thanks for bringing some colour every week! I hope your weekend will be good.
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Thank you, Susanne. The weather is beautiful here this weekend and the next few days. I hope your weekend is going well. Have a great week ahead!
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I find ActiveTO a great and thoughtful initiative. Considering the times we live in, this will help people come outside and get involved in some physical exercise.
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Exactly. The ActiveTO initiative is very well received here.
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Closing off roads for active use is a great idea. Sounds like you are having a good spring. Hope you have a great weekend and a wonderful week ahead!
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Lots of people participated in ActiveTO last weekend and this weekend. The beautiful weather helps. I hope your weekend is going well and you have a great week ahead.
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ActiveTO sounds so fantastic! I’m also so happy you found calm and quiet at the lake beaches.
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Thank you, Astrid. I enjoy ActiveTO and the quiet beaches very much. Have a great weekend!
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A Medley of Colours indeed Natalie. You are still finding and sharing some gems of sites and colors to enjoy. Thanks
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Thank you, Gary. The nice weather helps. Have a great weekend!
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I have friends who are moving to Toronto relatively soon. She is beginning a PhD program. I want to send them a link to your blog. I too love the fact tht you included dandelions in with the flower picures, the murals are striking as others have said. I particularly liked the picture of the boulder and the rocks. The patterns of colors on that boulder are striking. Best and blessings, Michele
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Your friends might like Stenoodie’s blog, which has a lot of foodie posts. Now she’s got a lot of posts on her baby, but it’s a good compendium of restaurant and events.
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Thank you! Not sure which blog that is but I will forward it.
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Hi Michele, Feel free to send your friends a link to my blog. I hope they enjoy Toronto and your friend enjoys her PhD program. Have a wonderful weekend!
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What great colors! I particularly like the murals and flowers.
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Thank you, Susan. I’m glad you liked the murals and flowers. Happy weekend!
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I love your pictures. Although I must say I prefer the seascapes/oceans. I love to listen to the waves as they tumble in. Great for sleeping to as well. I am glad to see someone took the coffee share over although I missed it and only happened to stumble over it by accident. And then the last seven weeks I was in the hospital so I didn’t keep up with blogging.
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Tessa, Welcome back to Weekend Coffee Share! I’ve been hosting since January. Glad to see you join us. I’ll visit your blog this weekend. I enjoy listening to the waves. When the lake is calm with light wind, the wave sounds are soothing.
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Thank you! I think I got the links right now. They looked alright on my end, except it put the link in the text of my blog. I think it is alright now although I don’t see a pingback. I kept looking for another person to take over, but somehow I missed it obviously. Like I said I happened to be reading Trent’s post and saw his coffeeshare post and since he linked to yours I was able to find it.
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The pingback required moderation. It worked as you can see your link further down in the Comments. I’m glad you found my blog from Trent’s. That’s one of the benefits of link backs that link to the right place. Have a great weekend!
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I am glad I finally got it right. I don’t usually have a problem so I am not sure what happened, but I am glad it is working now. I am glad that I found your blog while looking for Trent’s weekly smile post. I have been doing that for a long time now as well.
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You always find some interesting things. That gas company anniversary plaque is sweet.
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Lots of things to see and photograph around here. That plaque made me think of how streets in Toronto were lit back then.
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Thanks for the tour and flowers.
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Antoinette, Thank you for stopping by. Have a great weekend!
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Wow, so very beautiful. Everything is so colorful. Loved the buildings and the murals. Also loved the lake. Thanks for sharing all of this. Thanks for hosting and I hope that you have a wonderful week.
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Thank you, Patrick, for your comment. I greatly appreciate it. I’m glad you liked my photos. Have a great week!
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I love the idea of ActiveTO. But living next to the Gardiner I cannot fathom the behaviour of the drivers as they go bumper to bumper all day Saturday and Sunday. I even have video of them reversing or driving backwards down the UP ramp as they get frustrated. Some of them take Lake Shore and then as it backs up at the ramp onto Lake Shore at Palace Pier Ct. they also reverse or drive backwards on a one way street.
BTW we have a stay at home order so where are all these drivers going???
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I’ve noticed the road traffic is almost back to pre-covid this spring, too. I don’t understand those drivers’ behaviour during a province-wide lockdown.
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lovely photos
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Thank you, Tanja. I greatly appreciate your visit.
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you’re welcome
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Thank you for a beautiful walking tour of Toronto, Natalie. Amazing to see how the color gray compliments every other color while standing alone. A beautiful city for sure and smart that city leaders are committed to wellness.
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Thank you, Terri, for your comment. I think gray is often overlooked or even not welcome as on gray-looking days. When I take the cues from nature, gray is a nice colour.
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Hi Natalie!
What a kaleidescope of colorful flowers, I just Love all your photos! And the artwork is amazing that you shared. It’s all so beautiful! I’m hoping to put together a coffee share this weekend as I have something special I want to share. It’s so wonderful seeing the city through your eyes and camera lens! ❤️ ~Diana
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Thank you, Diana, for your kind comments. I greatly appreciate your support. I look forward to reading your coffee share. Happy weekend!
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I love the ActiveTO and the murals! and all else—way behind on reading. thanks for coffee.
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Thank you, Ruth, for your comment. I greatly appreciate it. Have a good Sunday evening and a great week ahead!
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You have a great week too, Natalie!!
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Those murals on the Elder/Honour wall are just lovely Natalie. What a special and respectful idea.
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Yes, the detailed painting on that wall is amazing.
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What’s not to love about your weekend, Natalie? Especially the cycling routes. Our weather is slowly making cycling more challenging, nothing a few more layers of clothing can’t rectify. Look forward to reading more and hopefully participating.
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PS A long black coffee for me after a cycle ride via Activeto 🙂
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A long black coffee coming right up, Suzanne. I had fun cycling this past Sunday and hope to do it again today while the weather is good. You’re welcome to join me any weekend for a coffee share 🙂 Have a wonderful week!
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Wow Spring has finally sprung in Toronto! I love all those beautiful flowers and those murals are ah-mazing!
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Yes, Spring has been beautiful here. Have a great week, Sammie.
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I think this was one of my favorite Natalie the Explorer tours around Toronto!! Thank you for sharing the names of the beautiful flowers you encountered. Those wild tulips are exquisite. What a color combination.
I love sitting on the beach combing the sand for shells and smooth rocks. The water worn rocks you photographed are each so unique. We have river rock in our yard and it is especially lovely after a rain.
Those murals are so important. Like a more palatable, visual history lesson. Powerful.
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Thank you, Leslie, for your kind comments. I’m delighted that you liked this virtual tour. I see so many beautiful things in a week and write one blog post per week so it’s like a “potpourri” 🙂
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Fabulous travels Natalie! I love the gorgeous spring flowers and that rock tower takes the cake, how amazing! #lifethisweek
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It’s been an beautiful spring here, Debbie. So many colourful things to see. Thank you for stopping by. Have a great week!
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Oh I love those murals, and I love old buildings too. I especially love doing tours to discover the history and secrets that lie between the walls.
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Glad to hear you love the murals and old buildings. I enjoyed examining them up close and taking photos. Have a great week!
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Fun and creative, Natalie, how you went from more grey/neutral colours and then more vibrant/colourful. The murals are gorgeous and fascinating. I am drawn to the water mural. Wow! Great images of the rocks. For us, lots of hiking around here. Grateful to have access to nature. Thank you for sharing another wonderful week. 😀
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Hi Erica/ Erika, The Water Wall is amazing IRL. Glad to hear you’ve done lots of hiking. Spring is a good time to be outside before it gets too hot. I’m grateful to have access to nature, too. Mainly Lake Ontario and Toronto’s parks and that’s plenty. Thank you for stopping by. Have a wonderful Victoria Day long weekend!
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AS always, your post is so interesting. You include current events and history, beauty and inspiration. Your post has it all. I love the old buildings along with the fact that they remain in use. It’s also wonderful to see the indigenous people honored with murals. A history lesson for everyone who reads your blog. 🙂
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Thank you, Marsha, for your kind comments. I enjoy learning more about local history when I look up and visit the heritage buildings. Simcoe Murals are amazing to see IRL. The artists did an excellent job to beautify the concrete walls of an underpass and tell a story. The drawings and paintings are so real and expressive.
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Murals add so much to a town. In Tulare County, a little town of Exeter started painting murals before a lot of places were doing it. They became famous for their murals. Now they are everywhere and they usually depict the culture of the area. Thanks for sharing yours. It also sounds like it could be a short time subject for a photo challenge – like Becky B’s squares for a month.
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Thanks, Marsha, for letting me know about the murals in Exeter. I took a virtual walking tour to see about 30 of them. They’re amazing!
You’ve got a great photo challenge idea there. If you have time to host it, it will likely bring wonderful entries.
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LOL! You’re right. Disregarding the time factor, would I have enough murals to create a post for myself? I don’t have many pictures of them. It’s a great idea, though. I’d need a partner for sure. 🙂
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I have some murals to contribute. The challenge would make us go outside and look for them. It would be fun to run it once or twice and not ongoing.
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