Greetings! The last weekend of the month is when I do my monthly review. Similar to May, June is a month well spent with family, friends, nature and travel. Here’s what’s been happening in my corner of the world and what I enjoyed in June.
Family Celebrations
On my June calendar there were birthdays, Father’s Day, my niece’s wedding, school graduations, and two visits from my aunts and their husbands (different weeks). So, every week we had something special going on. Aside from the celebrations, we explored gardens, beaches and parks along Toronto’s waterfront.
We enjoyed a few free art exhibits. One of them was the intriguing Stitched in Ages by Moya Garrison-Msingwana, also known as GANGBOX. Each of the five figures in the exhibit is dressed in upcycled Canada Goose materials and is artfully positioned within a small park to reflect the importance of the human impact on our environment and wonderment of exploring in nature.
We admired some of the world’s greatest sports cars and classics at the 13th annual Yorkville Exotic Car Show. Admission is free and proceeds support Melanoma Canada. The outdoor red carpet event was well attended and well organized with at least 100 stunning cars on display. It exceeded my expectations. Here are a few cars that I’ve seen at the show.
Fitness & Friendship
My June fitness calendar includes cycling, walking, indoor strength training and yoga. Some of my nature walks were with friends to catch up on what’s been happening and to appreciate nature’s beauty together. We enjoyed walking in ravines (for shades and hills), near wetlands (for aquatic life) and in gardens (for birds, butterflies and gorgeous flowers).
Travel: Philadelphia
I just got back from a fantastic family trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was good to revisit Philadelphia and explored some of the great sights in the City of Brotherly Love. More to follow after I find time to write my ‘postcard’.
On The Blog
I had fun sharing Toronto’s public art and seasonal flowers on my blog. Here’s the links for June posts in case you missed any and want to catch up:
- Doors Open: The Second City
- Murals in Riverside: Part 1
- Murals in Riverside: Part 2
- What’s in Bloom in June
For more blogging fun, I’m linking up with #WBOYC and #TheChangingSeasons.
Weekend Coffee Share
I’d love for you to share your June highlights and/ or favourite public art photos from around the world in the comments or Weekend Coffee Share linkup #125 InLinkz below.
Happy July!
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Again, a fun and diverse month for you, Natalie. I had to smile at the car display (interesting colors, by the way), because the daughter of the family I’ve been staying with the last three weeks LOVES Lamborghinis. I doubt she’s actually seen one in real life in Ecuador, but there you have it. 🙂
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Hi Liesbet, I appreciate the art and science to design and build those cars at the show. There were many cars in less shocking colours but they look ‘boring’ to me 🙂
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It looks and sounds like a great month, Natalie.
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Thanks, Shari. I hope June has also been good to you.
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Hi Natlie – I loved the beachy and water pics – very warm and summery to offset how cold it’s been here. My husband would have loved the car exhibit – he’s a bit of a closet sports car lover (out of his budget though!) Thanks for another great party. Lovely to be back.
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Hi Leanne, Welcome back to WCS! The annual Yorkville Car Show is on Father’s Day so many families come to celebrate. I enjoyed viewing the beautiful cars but wouldn’t want to own one (too expensive to buy and maintain).
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Love your nature and flower photos. And the cars!! I’d take all of them except maybe the Porsche. Thanks for the link-up!
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The car show was a lot of fun. Thank you Gail for linking up.
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Your photos are spectacular, but I’ll admit I’ve never heard of a McLaren. Pretty car, though. Philly is on my list of places to visit. I lived there briefly once upon a time, would like to see it again.
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I’ve seen McLaren cars in Formula One races. I like that downtown Philly is walkable and easy to navigate. The city also has lots of things for visitors to see and explore.
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My husband will be drooling when he looks at your favorite cars. Like Ally, I’ve never seen a McLaren, but I may have heard the name in passing. They must be super expensive. Your Toronto pictures are always lovely, and I can’t wait to see your newest Postcard. 🙂
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Hi Marsha, I thought of you and Vince when I was at the Yorkville car show. I’m sure he’d love it. It was a fun experience to see about 100 beautiful and expensive cars and the visitors’ reactions to the cars while listening to upbeat music . Best of all this annual event is free.
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Wow! That’s our thing for sure! The music is an added benefit! Your pictures came out great!
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I got more car photos that I may put into a future post for fun 🙂
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That’s always fun. I consider them public art of sorts. 🙂
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Those are some lovely cars; two of my boys actually have model cars of McLarens. If not for them I wouldn’t know about 1/2 of the vehicle I do know. I am loving all these nature photos. I was just remarking that we haven’t seen any ducks and ducklings on our lake this year.
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I think your boys would enjoy the car show with their car knowledge. I saw several duck and goose families, and many baby turtles. They are all adorable.
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Natalie looks like a month of graduation and vacations for many. Lovely pictures. ❤️
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Yes, June is the month of graduation, weddings and summer vacations for many. Thank you for your compliment about my pictures.
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Looks like you had a great June! Great summery pictures to brighten up a winter morning too.
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June has been excellent. July 1st is Canada Day so there will be celebrations and fireworks. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
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Sounds like an excellent month. There’s something about June. We often have visitors then too.
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June weather in the Northern Hemisphere is usually good for travel and outings.
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I am so happy your June was so good! I am particularly happy for all the celebrations with family you had. Here’s to a wonderful July.
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Thank you Astrid. Here’s to a wonderful July.
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Your images are always great – they make me want to visit Toronto…maybe one day. I also went down a google rabbit hole to find out why Philadelphia is known as the city of brotherly love and now I do. Thanks for linking up.
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Thank you Jo for hosting WBOYC. I hope you visit Toronto and we get to meet in-person 🙂
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Hi, Natalie – Your monthly balance of family time, friend time, travel, arts, culture and fitness is truly inspirational. Truly, I do not know how you balance it all.. but I am very impressed!
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Hi Donna, Thank you for your kind words. Some of my indoor chores have started piling up so if the weather continues to be nice for outdoor fun, I will soon have an imbalance 🙂
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I enjoyed looking at your June happening pictures. Lots of beautiful & interesting things. The baby ducks are cute.
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I saw several duck and goose families in June. The baby ducks and geese are all adorable.
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Great photos! I love that the exotic car colors are so coordinated, I love the color of the McLauren (the turquoise one!)
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There were many custom colours at the car show. It was good fun to see and photograph them.
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Hi Natalie good to see you’ve had another month of many highlights. The weather is very cold here in our second month of winter so it’s great to see your summery photos.
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When the ‘imbalance’ is in favour of outdoor activities – that is the most perfect balance of all! 😀
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You’re so smart Donna. I love how you think 🙂
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Hi Jennifer, I’m glad to share some summery photos with you. Thank you for linking up.
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The family outings and the gardens you visited in June looks wonderful, and rejuvenating. I wish you a fabulous new month!
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Thank you, Maria. June was great and July is off to a good start. Wishing you a fabulous July!
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Thank you so much!
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Sounds like June was a good month for you. A bit of nature, friends and family, and travel all sound nice. Hope you are enjoying your weekend and that you have a fabulous July!
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Thank you, Trent. June was varied and great. July is off to good start with Canada Day on July 1st and a long holiday weekend. Wishing you a fun-filled July!
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My June didn’t amount to much as I spent 2 weeks in jury duty.
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That jury duty sounds tiring. I hope you have a more relaxing July. I’ve been unable to leave comments on your blog due to some issues with my Google account.
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Great, now I want that blue McLaren–another car I can’t afford 🙂
Love the pics as always. You live in such a beautiful place.
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Wait till I share the Jaguars, Aston Martins, and more cars from that car show 🙂
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Hi Natalie,
Fun stuff, but I didn’t understand what you meant by “upcycled Canada Goose materials”. Are these figures created using “recycled fabrics made with stuff from geese? I’ve never heard of this being a thing.
Fascinating.
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Hi Gary, Canada Goose is a company known for enduring high quality outerwear for cold climate. Their winter coats are light yet warm thanks to down (feathers from geese) which is one of the best natural sources for lightweight insulation. The artist of Stitched in Ages collaborated with Canada Goose the company to create the exhibits using recycled Canada Goose materials.
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Ah – got it. I knew about down for insulation so now this makes sense.
Pretty neat display. 👌
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Natalie, The upcycled goose art is pretty interesting. I hope you enjoyed Philly! I don’t recall ever being there, but I might have visited with my parents as a kid. Have a great weekend! -Pam
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Pam, I enjoyed Philly. I hope to write a post about my trip there. Thank you for linking up. Have a great weekend!
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It sounds like you’ve had a great month Natalie with lots of family time. I loved the Stitched in Ages display, what a clever idea!
I’m still travelling but linked up this weekend with my June wrap-up post. We’re off home in a few days after a wonderful time away.
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Hi Debbie, Thank you for linking up. I’m glad to hear you’ve been having a wonderful time away. I’ll be over to your blog this weekend.
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Those cars are fabulous – such bold colours. Love the ‘beach’ shot. You really mix it up!
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I choose different activities each week and it seems to work for me. I’ve been unable to leave comments on your blog due to some issues with my Google account. Thank you for linking up.
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Hey Natalie…love those park art! So creative!
Here is mine: https://mywanderings.travel.blog/2023/07/02/gnome-is-where-the-heart-is/
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Thank you Teresa for your comment and for your PPAC contribution. I like those friendly gnomes.
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Stitched in Ages looks intriguing and fun. In fact lots here in this post looks interesting. You’ve had a good month!
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June was wonderful. July is off to a good start with Canada Day on July 1st and July 3rd is a holiday!
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Whew! You packed quite a bit in one month time. Thanks for the tour.
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Summer is usually full of fun outdoor gatherings and activities as everyone takes advantage of the warm weather. Thank you for linking up.
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Looks like that you had an amazing and fun June. Love the car show that you attended.
Happy Bleated Canada Day.
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Thank you Patrick for your comment. June was great and July is off to a good start with Canada Day celebrations yesterday. Happy July 4th to you.
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You had a great month! Here’s how I spent my June https://wanderingdawgs.com/2023/07/02/june-at-home-and-another-road-trip/
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Thank you Beth for sharing your June. I’ll be over to your blog shortly. Happy July 4th to you and Henry!
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Natalie, many thanks. Happy July!
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Great update Natalie…I missed the deadline this week….I’ll get back at it this coming weekend. Both my SIL and hubby have driven a few of those cars on our local race track during an event that they had tickets for. The wetlands hpotos were pretty.
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Thank you Kirstin for stopping by. How awesome that your SIL and hubby have driven a few of those cars on your local race track. I look forward to reading your upcoming weekend coffee share.
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That Stitched in Ages exhibition looks fascinating! And I look forward to hearing more about Philadelphia in due course 🙂 My PPAC contribution is from close to home, street art in London’s Brick Lane area: https://www.toonsarah-travels.blog/a-london-walk-with-a-blogging-friend/
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I enjoyed Philadelphia and explored more places on this visit than my previous visit. I started writing one post about Philly and am now thinking I should write two posts 🙂 Thank you for your PPAC contribution. How wonderful to share your city with Margaret. I also read her blog.
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Hi Natalie. I am doing a presentation on personal blogging with Teach Write members, and one section is on blogging communities. Would you mind if I share your Weekend Coffee Share linkup with participants?
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Hi Leigh Anne, Welcome to my blog and thank you for asking. I don’t mind if you share my Weekend Coffee Share linkup as an example of blogging communities. If you or any Teach Write members have a blog, you’re welcome to join and participate in the linkup. Details are on the Linkups page at the top of my blog.
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Hi Natalie another month full of activities. The Stitched in Ages exhibition looks unusual and those cars are pretty sleek. Thanks for joining us at WBOYC? and I look forward to reading about your July, next month. x
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Thank you Sue for hosting WBOYC. I look forward to our monthly catch-up. Happy July!
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Here you are, Natalie. Two views on the same walk. I was with Sarah, as you’ll see, in Brick Lane: https://margaret21.com/2023/07/04/brick-lane-is-the-best-gallery/
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Thank you Margaret for your PPAC contribution. How wonderful that you and Sarah met up and explored Brick Lane together. I’d love to check out those murals in person.
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You’ll have to come and join us one day. Always good to meet fellow-bloggers in person. Though I have to admit we’re a bit far away for a spontaneous meet-up.
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I’d certainly reach out to you and Sarah when I plan a trip to London. Have a great week!
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Natalie,
You are one busy lady, and your June was packed. Thanks for taking us along. I love car shows. At 6’4″, I don’t fit into many sports cars, but I love the classics. I had a 1955 Chevrolet in my younger days and still kick myself for selling it. Have a wonderful and productive July. Joe
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Joe, I feel fortunate that June was packed with several happy family events. The 1955 Chevrolet is a beauty. I took photos of classic cars at the car show and may create a post with some of those photos. Thank you for stopping by. Have a fantastic July!
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