A joyous start to the day; meeting our lovely daughter Jess on Skype for a tour of her new home.

Toronto Harbour Birthday lunch Toronto Harbour

Blue, blues skies and clear golden light – a perfect day for the lunch cruise that was part of a charity auction package we bought at the recent BuskerFest Ball.

Gina Gina & Paul Gina

We were reminded how lovely our city is when viewed from the water (as is so much of Ontario); the CN tower‘s inescapably commanding presence; the relaxed greenness of Toronto islands; the exuberant to-ing and fro-ing of every kind of water-craft, revelling in this patchy summer’s last hurrah.

Rogers Centre and Kayaks CN & Rogers Centre A day to be out on the water

Toronto from across the Islands

Gardiner Museum - personal favourites. 'Playa' by Steven Heinemann. Gardiner Museum - personal favourites Gardiner Museum - personal favourites

We got our culture fix from a couple of hours at the Gardiner, Canada’s national ceramics museum – so much to delight us! If we had to pick one piece, I think it would be a huge modern bowl called ‘Playa’ by Steven Heinemann, its interior like a parched surface on which is superimposed a giant fingerprint.

Gina in conversation A birthday kiss!As always in Toronto, there were unexpected pleasures – a quiet conversation with a studious statue; a birthday kiss; a swathe of skateboarders swarming down University Avenue to a meetup in Queen’s Park.

Finally, a detour to the Distillery District to buy birthday shoes.

Birthday shoes!

And, at home, cake (of course)!

Paul with cake

(There are more photos from Paul’s birthday in our gallery)