Natalie the Explorer

Recent Reads and Fall Colours

October 22, 2021October 21, 2021Natalie41 Comments

Hello and welcome to Weekend Coffee Share #42! 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.

It was a mild week with daytime high temperatures ranged from 14C to 21C (57F-70F). The weather was ideal for long bike rides and long walks so I did that most mornings. Nature gives me a new stunning landscape every day.

It was also a fun and leisure week. I cycled to several parks and beaches. I met a friend in High Park for a nice 5K hike and coffee catch-up. I walked another 5K with my neighbour to visit a beautiful garden. I saw new public art exhibits and finished my book of the week.

Recent Reads

Speaking of books, I’m pleased to contribute to the #WhatsOnYourBookShelf challenge, co-hosted by four lovely bloggers Donna, Sue, Jo and Debbie.

I use the Toronto Public Library 2021 Reading Challenge categories to read widely and discover new books, authors, and genres. You can see the full list of books I’ve read and the categories I’ve met so far this year on my Books in 2021 page at the top of my blog.

My recent reads by author’s last name include:

Beartown – Fredrik Backman
The Dark Lake – Sarah Bailey
The Midnight Library – Matt Haig
Lost – Michael Robotham
The Miseducation of Evie Epworth – Matson Taylor
Second First Impressions – Sally Thorne

Sarah Bailey, Matt Haig, and Matson Taylor were new to me authors. I enjoyed all six novels, especially The Midnight Library and The Miseducation of Evie Epworth. Second First Impressions was a light and fun romance comedy fiction. The other three novels were good although I felt that they were a bit long for the story lines.

Fall Colours

October is a beautiful month here with the vivid Fall colours. I feel fortunate to see them every year. This year the warm weather has delayed the leaves changing colours. The late summer flowers are still looking good while the yellow, orange and red start to show.

Here are some photos of Fall colours. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Oak leaves in autumn. — Leaves started to change colours.

Potted mums and pumpkins on haystacks. — Burgundy potted mums and pumpkins on haystacks are common signs of Fall.

Maple trees changing colours. — Two maple trees with pops of Fall colours greeted me on this path.

Dahlias. — These bright dahlias last well into Fall.

Queen Elizabeth rose. — Roses are still doing well in the gardens, like this gorgeous ‘Queen Elizabeth’ rose.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Linking to #Colour2021: Orange, #FOTD, #SundayStills: Pink.

How was your week? What’s on your bookshelf?

Fleurs de Villes Niagara Falls

October 15, 2021October 17, 2021Natalie80 Comments

Hello and welcome to Weekend Coffee Share #41! 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.

It was a week of lovely autumnal weather, with daytime high temperatures ranged from 20C to 22C (68F-72F). I did my best to be outside in it:

I treated one of my nieces to a belated birthday Sunday brunch. Good food, good conversation.
I celebrated Thanksgiving Monday on October 11 by going to Toronto Islands with my family in the morning, then met up with my neighbour for a 5K walk in the afternoon, before returning home for a special dinner.
I did a lot of cycling and walking on the next three days to see various historic sites and public art exhibits.

Last Friday, I shared the first half of my best trip to Niagara Falls which covered the spectacular waterfalls. Today I’m sharing the second half which covers the Fleurs de Villes Niagara Falls floral trail.

About Fleurs de Villes

Fleurs de Villes events are organized in various cities around the world. I was thrilled to attend two of them close to home this year: Fleurs de Villes Rosé in Toronto (August 4-8) and in Niagara Falls, Canada (September 24 – October 3). Both events were free.

Fleurs de Villes Niagara Falls

Fleurs de Villes floral installations in Niagara Falls were spread out along a trail with a short uphill hike. My sister and I picked up a brochure that includes a map and listing of the floral exhibits. Most of them were outdoors and some were indoors.

The weather was perfect for our walk: Sunny, high 21C (70F) and calm wind. We had so much fun chatting, following the trail, discovering, viewing the floral displays up close and taking photos. I hope you enjoy the following photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Floral designs with autumnal and orange hues

Floral Railings and Stairs. — Floral Railings and Stairs outside Niagara Parks Police Station includes beautiful dahlias, berries and yellow leaves.

Queen Victoria Mannequin. — Queen Victoria Mannequin looks regal in a cream dress made up of fresh roses and mums, and burgundy accessories.

Bell Media Phone Booth. — Bell Media Phone Booth wrapped with beautiful autumnal garlands.

Orange Floral Hoop in remembrance of the Residential School Children.

Ketel One Botanical Floral Rainbow at the Falls and a real rainbow.

Three Sisters Indigenous Mannequin. — Three Sisters Indigenous Mannequin is designed to represent and honour the companion planting of corn, beans and squash, an agricultural practice used by the Indigenous peoples of this region.

Corn, beans and squash - the 'Three Sisters'. — Corn, beans and squash became known to the Haudenosaunee as the ‘Three Sisters’, for how they functioned together to provide a steady source of nutrition and sustenance.

Floral Tomato Truck, a classic Studebaker truck at Zappi’s.

Fallsview Mannequin at the corner #2 in autumnal hues. — Fallsview Mannequin at the corner #2.

Floral Staircase. — Floral Staircase (orange carpet) inside Marriott on the Falls.

Floral designs in other colours

Click on any image to see it in larger size and use the arrows to move through the gallery. Marilyn Monroe starred in the film Niagara in 1953. The mannequin dress was made of red rose petals.

It was my sister’s first visit to Fleurs de Villes. We both loved the floral trail and enjoyed our trip to Niagara Falls. Thank you for following along virtually.

Linking to #Colour2021: Orange , #FOTD, #LifeThisWeek, #PPAC18, #SundayStills: Orange.

Your turn:

How was your week?
Which of the above floral designs are your favourites?
Do you prefer to scroll or click to view images on my blog?

My Best Trip to Niagara Falls

October 8, 2021October 9, 2021Natalie102 Comments

Hello and welcome to Weekend Coffee Share #40! I’m glad you’re here. Please come on in, help yourself to a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate at my coffee station and let’s chat.

My sister and I took a day trip to Niagara Falls at the end of September for two purposes:

To revisit Niagara Falls.
To walk the Fleurs de Villes floral trail.

The weather was ideal on the day of our visit: Sunny, high 21C (70F), and calm wind. Without traffic, we covered the 126 km (78 miles) driving distance from Toronto to Niagara Falls, Ontario in about 1.5 hours.

Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls: the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls, and the smaller Bridal Veil Falls. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls. It’s named Horseshoe (since 1721) because it looks like a horseshoe. It’s also known as Canadian Falls since it’s situated in Canada. The other two falls are in the United States.

The main road along Niagara Falls is Niagara Parkway. During this visit, we were lucky to see several variations of the rainbows over Niagara Falls: one rainbow, double rainbows and full rainbow arch. They were incredible and stunning!

Niagara Falls in Photos

Here are some photos of Niagara Falls. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Niagara Falls parking lot. — Arrived at 10 AM at an empty parking lot with a ‘loosey goosey’ traffic jam.

Horseshoe Falls in the morning with rising mist. — First glimpse of Horseshoe Falls at 52 meters (170 feet) in height and about 670 meters (2200 feet) wide. The combination of massive volume of water and flow speed produce the mist high in the air.

The Niagara River. — The Niagara River flows at approximately 56.3 kilometers/ hour (35 miles/ hour).

Spectacular Horseshoe Falls. — Horseshoe Falls, a natural wonder of the world.

Skylon Tower and Illumination Tower in Niagara Falls. — A gorgeous morning guaranteed spectacular views of Niagara Falls from the Skylon Tower. The round tower on the left is the Illumination Tower.

Skylon Tower 'Yellow Bug' elevators. — Two exterior glass-enclosed ‘Yellow Bug’ elevators moved along the Skylon Tower: One near the round base at the top and the other near the bottom.

Direct view of American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls.

Rainbow Bridge, Observation Tower, American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and the Maid of the Mist boat.

Niagara Falls zipline. — The Zipline cables in the photo go past the American Falls and toward Horseshoe Falls.

View of American Falls from Queen Victoria Park.

Niagara Parkway. — Niagara Parkway with Queen Victoria Park on the left and the Skywheel (ferris wheel) above the trees.

Flower beds in front of Niagara Parks Police Station.

Horseshoe Falls whopping volume of water siphoned at an average of 750,000 gallons each second.

A small rainbow appeared to the left while the Maid of the Mist boat approached Horseshoe Falls.

The Maid of the Mist passed by the rainbow as it exited Horseshoe Falls. Note that everyone wore blue rain ponchos. You’ll get wet anyway but it’s a thrill of a lifetime to be close to Horseshoe Falls, hear its thunderous roar and feel its spray.

Two rainbows appeared at Horseshoe Falls. — Double rainbows appeared at Horseshoe Falls.

Rainbow arc extended from Horseshoe Falls to Rainbow Bridge. — Rainbow arch extended from Horseshoe Falls to Rainbow Bridge.

Rainbow arc across Niagara Falls to the Rainbow Bridge — Rainbow Bridge on the left is one of the three international bridges that connect the cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada and Niagara Falls, New York, United States. The other two international bridges are Lewiston-Queenston Bridge and Whirlpool Rapids Bridge.

Horseshoe Falls with two rainbows. — Horseshoe Falls with double rainbows and an incredible volume of water flow. 20% of all the fresh water in the world lies in the five Great Lakes and most flows over Niagara Falls.

Lucky gull by Horseshoe Falls. — Lucky gull to see this view of Horseshoe Falls.

Lunch. — Lunch: Vermicelli with spring roll, grilled meat, peanuts and vegetables.

Rainbow at Niagara Falls. — Rainbow at Niagara Falls around 6 PM.

Ways to Experience Niagara Falls

I’d recommend first time visitors to experience the falls by:

Walking along Niagara Parkway at day time and staying late to see the falls illuminated every evening beginning at dusk (free).
Boat operated by Hornblower Cruise or Maid of the Mist.
Getting behind Horseshoe Falls. See Journey Behind the Falls.
Dining at the Skylon Tower. Its Revolving Dining Room restaurant silently rotates 360 degrees every hour, giving diners a constantly changing vantage point.
Helicopter or zipline if you’re adventurous.

If time permits, I’d recommend a longer stay to explore Niagara historic sites, parks, gardens, wineries, the Whirlpool Rapids, and Niagara-on-the-Lake.

I feel fortunate to have had many visits to Niagara Falls, one of the Earth’s natural wonders. This trip was by far the best: Perfect weather, no crowd, spectacular Niagara Falls with rainbows, girl time with my sister, good food, and beautiful Fleurs de Villes Niagara Falls floral trail.

To be continued…

What do you think of Niagara Falls?

What Made September Special

October 1, 2021October 3, 2021Natalie79 Comments

Hello and welcome to Weekend Coffee Share #39! I’m glad you’re here. Please come on in, help yourself to a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate at my coffee station and let’s chat.

It was a mainly sunny week with daytime high temperatures around 19C (66F). I had a fun week that included a day trip to Niagara Falls. Today is the first day of October, a new month, so I took a look back at September and appreciated the month just passed.

Here’s my summary of what made September special.

Health

Sunnyside Park. — The weather was pleasant and nature was beautiful throughout September. It’s been a joy to go cycling, play disc golf, and take walks most days. These outdoor activities complement my exercises at home (meditation, language lessons, strength training and yoga).

Family Outing

View of Toronto skyline from Centre Island ferry dock. — My family and I enjoyed a visit to Ward’s Island on a gorgeous morning. This is the view of Toronto skyline from the island with swans in the foreground.

Friendships

Asters. — I chatted with a dear friend who lives in the USA on her milestone birthday last weekend. We both appreciated her birthday more since she recently recovered from a serious health issue. Asters are September birth flowers.

Christie Pits Park labyrinth and playground. — I had a fun coffee catch-up and a labyrinth walk with two local friends at beautiful Christie Pits Park on a sunny morning.

My 82-year-old neighbour and I did three weekly walks in September. It’s nice to see her face lit up when she sees me. We oohed and aahed at these bright hibiscus flowers.

Sisters’ Time

My sister and I dined together outdoors to support a local pub. We enjoyed our fish and chips. Dessert was a maple butter tart served warm and topped with vanilla ice cream. Good food, good conversation!

Leisure

Photography: I enjoy taking photographs when I go outside. I’ve shared many images of nature, buildings, flowers, murals and sculptures on my blog. Here are two additional artworks that I like:

Monument to Multiculturalism. — The *Monument to Multiculturalism* sculpture was designed by Francesco Perilli and the base by architect Nino Rico. The monument was unveiled on July 1, 1985 at Union Station entrance.

*Humanity* art installation is made up of 35 words that reflect what humanity means to Masai Ujiri. Ujiri is the president of Toronto’s basketball team Raptors.

Reading: I finished seven books in September and updated my Books in 2021 page. I love opening a new book and see where the story takes me.

Travel: My sister and I took a day trip to Niagara Falls and had a fantastic time. We enjoyed sunny weather, stunning waterfalls and beautiful flowers. Good food and good conversation again. More details in a future post.

Writing: I wrote five blog posts and enjoyed hosting and blogging every weekend in September:

Gratitude

Humanity art installation. — East view of *Humanity* art installation. The artwork uses light to create a ripple effect with its words, symbolizing the need to spread more humanity.

Looking back, what made September special was the heartwarming social time that I had, either in groups with my family and friends, or one on one with my sister and my neighbour. On weekends, I enjoyed virtual coffee shares with my blogging community.

I’m grateful for all the good things that happened in September.

How was September for you?

Visiting Ward’s Island

September 24, 2021September 22, 2021Natalie108 Comments

Hello and welcome to Weekend Coffee Share #38! 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.

It was a transition week from summer to autumn, with a mix of sunny days and rainy days. First day of autumn was September 22. I think the plants need the rain since the last two weeks of August was boiling hot and dry and we haven’t had enough rain since.

One place that I wanted to visit this summer is Ward’s Island. The stars aligned and I made the trip with my family on a gorgeous morning. Even though there is regular ferry service from the mainland to Ward’s Island, we took the ferry to Centre Island then walked to Ward’s Island, about 3.2 km (2 miles).

Gorgeous view from Centre Island bridge.

Ward’s Island is on the east side of the islands. This is the residential part of the island where the Toronto Island community is located. For a brief history of Toronto Islands, click here.

We visited two historic sites: The Royal Canadian Yacht Club since 1854 and St. Andrew By-The-Lake Church (or the Island Church) since 1884.

The Royal Canadian Yacht Club across the water.

St. Andrew by-the-lake church entrance. — St. Andrew By-The-Lake Church entrance.

Side view of St. Andrew By-The-Lake Church.

Paved path to the boardwalk. — We walked along the paved path to the boardwalk.

Boardwalk to Ward's Island. — Then along the boardwalk to Ward’s Island with beautiful park and lake views.

Lake view from the boardwalk. — The water was calm, clear and some areas sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight.

Ward's Island fire station. — We stopped by the current Fire Station to see the *Fire and Water* clock designed by artist Gordon Peteran in 1995.

Ward's island old fire station. — The older Fire Station is further east on the same street.

A cottage. — A cottage on Ward’s Island.

Green house. — I’d love to see the interior of this green house.

The Island Café. — The Island Café is the perfect spot for coffee, home baked treat, brunch, lunch, or sunset dinner.

Kale garden. — The Island Café is also operating a Kale Garden, a joint initiative with the City of Toronto. People are welcome to participate in maintaining the garden and get free kale.

The Riviera Ward's Island Kitchen. — The Riviera Ward’s Island Kitchen is a casual dining restaurant and bar.

Centre Island beach. — After a walk along Centre Island beach, we walked back to the ferry dock to catch the ferry home.

The ferry ride offers fantastic panoramic views of Toronto skyline.

Clear blue skies, pleasant temperatures, beautiful nature, and happy family time. Life is good.

How was your week? What fun plans do you have for the weekend?

Recent Reads and Golden Finds

September 17, 2021September 19, 2021Natalie90 Comments

Hello and welcome to Weekend Coffee Share #37! 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.

It was a week of mostly sunny days with thunders, lightning and rain on Tuesday night. Daytime high temperatures ranged from 22C to 27C (72F to 81F) although cooler in the morning and evening. The parks are still full of green trees and beautiful flowers like the flowers I feature in this post.

It was also the week before Canada’s Federal Election. Election day is on September 20. I went to cast my vote first thing in the morning on one of the advance poll days. There was no line-up. It felt good to get this important action item done.

One of my neighbours called and asked me to go for a walk with her. At 80+ years of age and living alone, B is active and sharp as a tack. She talked, I listened and we did a 3.2 km (2 miles) walk. She’d like to walk with me again next week.

The rest of the week went well. I cycled most mornings, saw herons at a conservation area, took several walks, played disc golf twice, completed my mind and body exercises, chatted with my family and friends, and did house chores, reading and writing.

Recent Reads

I’m pleased to contribute to the #WhatsOnYourBookShelf challenge, co-hosted by four lovely bloggers Donna, Sue, Jo and Debbie.

My recent reads by author’s last name include:

The Outlander – Gil Adamson
Lock & Key – Sarah Dessen
The Giver of Stars – Jojo Moyes
Lily and the Octopus – Steven Rowley
Peace by Chocolate – Jon Tattrie (non-fiction)
The One We Fell In Love With – Paige Toon

I was pleased to discover Jon Tattrie and Paige Toon who were new to me. If I were to rate this batch of books, on a 5-star scale, I’d give 5 stars to Peace By Chocolate, 4.5 stars to The Giver of Stars and 4 stars to the other books. I linked the book titles to GoodReads.

While both The Giver of Stars and Peace by Chocolate are excellent stories of human resilience, compassion, kindness, love, family, friendship and community, I give an extra 0.5 point to Peace By Chocolate because it’s a true story of a family of Syrian refugees who settled in a small town in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The book is an easy read at about 200 pages. Does chocolate play a role in the story? Yes, Peace by Chocolate ships worldwide (this is not an affiliated link).

Golden Finds

Inspired by Cee’s Photographing Public Art Challenge (PPAC#14) and Terri’s Sunday Stills Colour Challenge – Harvest Gold or Citrine, I took photos of a few golden bronze art objects and flowers that are in the gardens.

Marlin sculpture by Andrew Posa, 1987. — **Marlin** sculpture by Andrew Posa, 1987.

U.V. Ceti by Andrew Posa. — **U.V. Ceti** sculpture by Andrew Posa, “*Dedicated to Edward Isaac Richmond, architect, 1908-1982. A kind man who shared his love of beauty*.”

'Cherokee Sunset' Back-eyed Susan flowers. — Black-eyed Susan flowers.

An Autumn Beauty sunflower. — An ‘Autumn Beauty’ Sunflower is a showy mixture of colours including golden yellow, bronze, brown, and burgundy.

Shared with #LifeThisWeek.

So how did your week go? What’s on your bookshelf?

Going Back To School

September 10, 2021September 12, 2021Natalie109 Comments

Hello and welcome to Weekend Coffee Share #36! 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.

It was a week of sunny days and pleasant temperatures. A weather system passed through on Tuesday evening and brought thunders, lightning, and rain. By Wednesday morning, it was nice again.

It was also the first week back to school for students in Toronto. Last year most students were doing online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year with the available vaccines, vaccine mandate and indoor masking mandate, most students are returning to in-person learning.

I went back to the University of Toronto (informally known as U of T), not as a student but as a hobby photographer wandering at a relaxed pace. Originally established in 1827 as King’s College, the university is older than Canada itself. In 1849, King’s College was renamed to University of Toronto.

University of Toronto is the largest university in Canada by enrollment. The university has three campuses: St. George campus (downtown), Scarborough campus (east end), and Mississauga campus (west of Toronto).

St. George campus is huge with a mix of old and new buildings. From September to early May, the campus is busy with thousands of students. I made my trip before school started to avoid the crowds.

On this visit, I chose to photograph three buildings that have interesting architecture and significant history:

1. University College

University College is the University of Toronto’s founding College. Established in 1853, it was named the Provincial College, with a charter to make education available to every student regardless of religion or social status.

2. Victoria College

Victoria University, named in honour of Queen Victoria, was founded in 1836 by royal charter from King William IV, and federated with the University of Toronto in 1890. It comprises Victoria College (informally known as Vic), an arts and science college of the University of Toronto, and Emmanuel College, a theological college associated with the United Church of Canada.

Old Vic at Victoria College. — Old Vic is the oldest building of Victoria College. It was designed by architect W.G. Storm and built in 1891 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style.

3. Annesley Hall

Designed by architect George Martel Miller and built in 1903 in the Queen Anne style, Annesley Hall was the first residence built specifically for women in Canada. The building was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1990.

Annesley Hall was home to the first female resident at the University, as well as the first woman to graduate from a Canadian medical school. The building was renovated in 1988 and houses female students in single, double and triple rooms. No two rooms are the same.

Annesley Hall entrance and information board.

*****

It was a fun walk on a beautiful day. I enjoyed visiting the historic buildings at the University of Toronto. I’ll go back to take more photographs at St. George campus in the future.

Shared with #LifeThisWeek, PPAC#13, #SundayStills, #ThursdayDoors.

Tell me something good about your week.

Colourful Laneway Murals #SundayStills

September 5, 2021September 12, 2021Natalie80 Comments

I’m delighted to be hosting the Sunday Stills photography challenge while host Terri Webster Schrandt continues her blogging break.

Thank you to everyone who joined me for the Sunday Stills photography challenge for the last two weeks. I appreciate your beautiful photography and interesting stories related to the photos. I’ve compiled the list of Afloat Bloggers’ Links at the end of this post for easy reference.

This week’s theme: Colourful Murals

Since 2012, the City of Toronto has organized nine programs under the StreetARToronto umbrella to encourage artists to showcase their talent. One example under this umbrella is the Laneways of Toronto project that transformed the Euclid- Palmerston laneway into a giant canvas of colourful garages and wall spaces.

The Euclid-Palmerston laneway showcases forty garages and wall spaces painted in 2018 and thirty five garages and wall spaces painted in 2019 by seventy five different mural and graffiti artists. I discovered a garage painted in 2020 during my recent visit to the laneway. It’s my header photo.

I’ve posted two batches of Euclid-Palmerston painted garages and wall spaces (links below):

Today, I’m sharing the third batch of twenty four garage images with my blog readers, Monday Murals and PPAC#12. I’ve noted the street number, artist’s name and year based on my look-up. Remember to click on any image in the gallery to see it in full view and use the arrow to move to the next image.

Which door(s) in the gallery do you like?

I’m looking forward to seeing all your entries for this week’s Sunday Stills photography challenge. Joining me are:

How to participate in the Sunday Stills photography challenge

Please create a new post for the theme.
Title the post a little differently than mine.
Enter the link party by clicking on the InLinkz button below and follow the prompt.
If you’re on WordPress, remember to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post. I also recommend adding your post’s URL into the comments.
Entries for this theme can be shared all week (not just on a Sunday).
Use the hashtag #SundayStills for sharing on social media.

Next week’s theme: Going Back…

Terri will be back to host Sunday Stills on September 12 with a new theme ‘Going Back’. Here are a few tips to get your creative thinking flowing:

“Going Back…” implies going back to something, whether a place you’ve visited before, going back “in time” as you viewed your photo archives or how about going back “to the future?” Use any preposition to add to going back that suits you…like going back …in, on, to, out, under, over, through, between, by, as far as, across, etc.

Afloat Bloggers’ Links

Below are the last week’s links from bloggers who shared their beautiful Afloat photos:

Adventures in Weseland
Always Write
Deb’s World
Denyse Whelan Blogs
Equipoise Life
Graham’s Island
Heavens Sunshine
KameraPromenader
Old Bloggler
Picture-This
This is Another Story
Travel With Me – The thoughts of a very occasional cruiser
Travel With Me – Barely afloat the Banjul ferry
Troyers Loving Life
WoollyMuses
Working On Exploring

Have a great week!

My 10 Favourites This Summer

September 3, 2021September 5, 2021Natalie102 Comments

Hello and welcome to Weekend Coffee Share #35! I’m glad you’re here. Please come on in, help yourself to a cup of coffee, tea, hot chocolate or a cold drink at my coffee station and let’s chat.

It was a week of sunny days with less heat and humidity. There were thunderstorms, lightning and rain last weekend although the rain volume was less than what I expected. I had a good week doing health activities in the morning, house chores in the afternoon, and reading and writing in the evening.

September, a new month, just began. After sharing what made June joyful, I intentionally skipped a July wrap-up and waited until August is over to write a two-in-one wrap-up post. Here are my ten favourites in July and August:

1. Family Celebrations

After a long lockdown, Ontario re-opened in three phases that allow social gatherings with increasing capacity limits. I enjoyed a tasty pasta in July and mostly meatless meals in August while celebrating family birthdays and graduations.

Margherita pizza. — Margherita pizza – Shared with #WhatsOnYourPlate.

2. Health

I give myself the gift of health by doing strength training three times per week and yoga three times per week. I also continue my daily meditation and online French and Spanish lessons.

Mixed fresh fruit. — Eating healthy is easy in the summer with many fresh fruit and vegetable choices.

3. Paddling

Canoes and kayaks. — Weekly canoeing, kayaking, stand up paddling and wildlife sightings exceeded my expectations.

4. Cycling

Cyclist painting by Ghazaraza, 2019. — I had so much fun cycling most mornings to explore various neighbourhoods…

Clear lake water. — …and take in nature’s beauty.

5. Disc Golf

Disc golf course and lake views. — I played disc golf twice weekly, partly because I love walking on the grass and the views.

6. Walking

Purple hibiscus. — I took many walks and stopped for the gorgeous flowers in various parks and gardens such as Berczy Park, St. James Park, the Rose garden, and Toronto Music Garden.

7. Photography

I was pleased to photograph and catalogue the garage door murals at Euclid-Palmerston laneway (first batch here, second batch here), the stunning Fleurs de Villes Rosé floral designs and these five eye-catching art stations.

Princess Margaret fountain. — Princess Margaret fountain on a gorgeous summer day was one of the many objects and moments that I captured.

8. Music

Concert in St. James Park. — The sounds of live music in public parks brought me joy.

9. Reading

I’m on track reading at least one book per week and increasing the total of my Books in 2021 every week. I shared my eight recent reads at the first #WhatsOnYourBookshelf challenge.

10. Blogging

I had fun writing five blog posts in July and four posts in August for my weekly Weekend Coffee Shares. I also did something new, i.e. Guest hosting the Sunday Stills photography challenge while host Terri is on a blogging break.

Thank you to everyone who shared their in the garden and afloat-themed photos. I’ll be hosting the Sunday Stills photography challenge on September 5. The theme is ‘Colourful Murals’. I look forward to seeing your beautiful photos.

Gratitude

July and August were enjoyable and wonderful. I’m grateful for all the good things that happened. While I’m aware of COVID-19 surge, natural disasters, and other bad craziness that’s happening, I choose to focus on what’s good and continue taking steps to live a healthy and enriched life with gratitude every day.

How was August for you?

Shared with #LifeThisWeek, #TheChangingSeasons.

Afloat On Water #SundayStills

August 29, 2021September 6, 2021Natalie68 Comments

I’m delighted to be hosting the Sunday Stills photography challenge while host Terri Webster Schrandt continues her blogging break.

Thank you to everyone who joined me for the Sunday Stills photography challenge last week. I appreciate your beautiful photography and fun conversations. I’ve compiled the list of In The Garden Bloggers’ Links at the end of this post for easy reference.

This week’s theme: Afloat

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘Afloat’? I think of floating art, aquatic plants, water birds, and boats that I’ve seen this summer. Let me share a few photos with you.

The Peacemaker’s Canoe

This temporary art exhibit is floating in Toronto’s Harbour. It’s a geometric, reflective shape that forms into a mirrored crescent bobbing on the water like a canoe.

The Peacemaker's Canoe info board. — The Peacemaker’s Canoe information board.

Island Life

I love observing aquatic life and floating houses when I’m out paddling within Toronto Islands. There are people living in houses on Ward’s Island and a number of floating homes and houseboats in various marinas.

This floating house has a nice painting on the side and pretty potted flowers at the front ‘porch’ and the upper deck. It also has a red kayak ready to go.

The Waterfront

Toronto’s waterfront has several marinas and piers for all kinds of boats, tall ships, and yachts. The marinas are full in the summer. There are also places where I can rent a kayak or a paddle board and go paddling.

Kayaking towards Humber Bay. — I’m kayaking west towards Humber Bay. That’s a wind turbine on the right.

Sailboats in a marina. — Sailboats stay afloat in a marina.

Visitors can book boat tours to sail in Toronto Harbour or take the ferry or water taxis to go to Toronto Islands. In the following photo, see how many things are afloat on the water.

A sunset cruise on the tall ship Kajama.

Those are a few interesting things that I saw afloat. I captured all of the above photos with my cell phone. Shared for #CellpicSunday.

I’m looking forward to seeing all your entries for this week’s Sunday Stills photography challenge. I’m hosting Sunday Stills again next week when the theme is ‘Colourful Murals’.

How to participate in the Sunday Still photography challenge

Please create a new post for the theme.
Title the post a little differently than mine.
Enter the link party by clicking on the InLinkz button below and follow the prompt.
If you’re on WordPress, remember to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post. I also recommend adding your post’s URL into the comments.
Entries for this theme can be shared all week (not just on a Sunday).
Use the hashtag #SundayStills for sharing on social media.

In The Garden Bloggers’ Links

Below are the last week’s links from bloggers who shared their gardens or garden visits with their beautiful photos:

Have a great week!