Hello and welcome to Weekend Coffee Share #13! 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.
My coffee share today includes two recent walks and a monthly review:
- Early spring flowers – Shared with Becky’s #BrightSquare, Cee’s FOTD.
- St. Andrew’s church – Shared with Dan’s #ThursdayDoors, Patti’s #Lens-Artists 141.
- March at a glance – Shared with Denyse’s #LifeThisWeek.
1. Early Spring Flowers
Tuesday March 30, 2021 was sunny with daytime high 17C (63F) and ideal for my walk in the Toronto Music Garden. A variety of bright and cheerful early spring flowers made me smile. Here’s my selection.

Purple croci White croci Winter aconite Squills
2. St. Andrew’s Church
A second walk was to St. Andrew’s Church, a large and historic Presbyterian church in downtown Toronto. St. Andrew’s was founded in 1830 as the first Church of Scotland congregation in the Town of York. It was first located at the southwest corner of Church and Adelaide Streets but this building was abandoned when it became too small for the expanding congregation.
William George Storm was chosen to be the architect for a larger building. The present building at King and Simcoe Streets was opened for worship in 1876 and is built in the Romanesque Revival style. The geometry of the church’s facade is amazing.

St. Andrew’s today is a living church. The church interior includes rich and handsomely carved wood, the Gallery Organ and choir loft, and beautiful stained glass windows.
History Main doors West doors Church Tower
St. Andrew’s manse, located south of the church, is in the Second Empire style with a Mansard roof. Again, the geometry of this building makes it attractive.

3. March At A Glance
We had a mild March with plenty of sunny days and warmer than normal temperatures. Daylight saving started on March 14. Spring arrived on March 20 with clear blue skies and sunshine. The nice weather was ideal for my outdoor explorations.
Lake view Birch trees
Health
In March, I cycled, walked, did body weight workouts, practiced meditation and yoga regularly. I started playing disc golf as the weather warmed up.
March was also the month when Ontario entered Wave 3 of the COVID-19 pandemic while the vaccination rollout made small progress. Toronto has been in lockdown since November 2020. I continue the 3Ws to stay safe and healthy: Wash my hands, wear my mask, and watch my distance.
Home
In March, I celebrated virtually with two family members and one longtime friend on their birthdays. I baked a blueberry banana loaf, first of 2021.
To support local businesses, I ordered Pad Thai and curry dishes from Salad King, a new-to-me eatery. The delivery was quick. The food arrived hot and tasty. I got a break from cooking. Win-win-win!
Leisure
Architecture – I visited Campbell House and Osgoode Hall, before St. Andrew’s Church, to satisfy my interest in architecture and history.
Art – I saw amazing ice sculptures at the IceFest 21 A Trip Around The World event, colourful portraits at Femme de Fleur exhibit and attractive art items outside the Gardiner Museum.
Sydney Opera House Femme de Fleur Cracked Wheat
Blogs – I hosted four Weekend Coffee Share blog link-ups and participated in several other fun link-ups in March. Great turnout each weekend kept me actively reading blogs and writing comments.
Books – I enjoyed reading 9 books from 5 authors. I’d definitely read more of their books:
- Ridgerunner – Gil Adamson. *
- Just Listen – Sarah Dessen.
- The Moon & More – Sarah Dessen.
- This Lullaby – Sarah Dessen.
- What Happened To Goodbye – Sarah Dessen.
- An Ocean of Minutes – Thea Lim. *
- The Suspect – Michael Robotham. *
- The Chalk Man – C.J. Tudor. *
- The Hiding Place – C.J. Tudor.
Asterisk indicates new-to-me author. I keep track of what I’ve read on my Books in 2021 page. Year-To-Date Reading Totals: 25 books, 10 new authors, and 10 categories.
Languages – I continued taking French and Spanish lessons on Duolingo. They’re fun exercises.
I’m grateful for the bits of joy in March. I look forward to exploring more local places in April.
Happy Easter to those of you celebrating. Enjoy the weekend and keep safe. I’d love to hear your comments.
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