Hello and welcome to my blog! I’m glad you’re here. It’s week 39 in 2022 and I’m hosting Weekend Coffee Share linkup #89. Come on in for a coffee or tea, and let’s catch up.
It’s the last day of September and a good time for me to reflect on my 2022 focus on Health, Home and Leisure. Here’s my monthly update for a social and adventurous September.
Health
I maintained my wellness routine and enjoyed a lot of cycling and walking throughout September. There is always something beautiful and colourful to see along the way.
Home
Family – My sister and I had a nice evening out together. We enjoyed good conversation, tasty dinner at a new-to-us pub and a walk along the waterfront. The Redpath Waterfront Festival was on that weekend so we saw the For A Better Planet floating installation by Bonterra and Theodore TOO Tugboat, the 65-foot working replica of the original TV character.
Community – I was up early on two Sunday mornings to volunteer for the annual Terry Fox Run and the 40th Longboat Roadrunners Toronto Island Run. The Terry Fox Run raises funds for cancer research. Longboat Roadrunners partner with SchoolBOX North, an organization whose mission is to make education possible for kids in Indigenous communities across Canada. It felt good to contribute to these events.
Friends – A friend and I went for a two-hour walk on a beautiful morning, followed by a break at Dark Horse Café where we got delicious coffee, quick service and nice outdoor seating. This is the last stop of my Tour of Indie Cafés for 2022 which I started in April.
Four friends and I rented a sailboat to go sailing in Toronto Harbour. We lucked out with the weather and enjoyed a glorious, sunny afternoon. It was a fabulous farewell to summer 2022. In the image gallery below, our boat is the closest to the dock on the right.
Leisure
Blogging – I’ve included the links for September’s posts in case you missed any and want to catch up.
- Prime Berth in Twillingate
- The Charming Town of Trinity
- Hawthorne Cottage and Brigus
- Ward’s Island Summer Getaways
Traveling – My adventure of the month was to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. I started and ended my tour in Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia.
After I arrived in Halifax, I met with Dar (An Exacting Life blog) for dinner. I greatly enjoyed our first meet-up and conversation. In hindsight I’m glad that we met before hurricane Fiona hit Eastern Canada.
I had a wonderful trip, visiting two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Nova Scotia and exploring the Bay of Fundy and surrounding cities and towns in New Brunswick. Now I have loads to write about, but it will have to join the queue.
I was in Saint John, New Brunswick when hurricane Fiona hit east of Nova Scotia on Saturday September 24. By the time I returned to Halifax on Sunday September 25 afternoon, the sun came out and downtown Halifax was lively.
While I was safe and didn’t experience any hardship, many people in Atlantic Canada experienced devastation caused by the hurricane. I found ways to help. Here’s how to donate to Fiona relief for Atlantic Canada.
Gratitude
When I think about my 100 days of summer this year, I’m grateful for a summer of health and happiness. I’ve explored and enjoyed Toronto’s beautiful beaches, islands, parks and Lake Ontario. I’ve supported local businesses and volunteered for community events when I could.
At the beginning of 2022, I hoped to resume travel to see family, friends and explore new-to-me places. I’m grateful to have an amazing adventure to Newfoundland and Labrador in June, joyful time with family in Hamilton in July and in Calgary in August, and a wonderful tour in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in September.
Happy October!
Shared with #2022WOTYlinkparty, #TheChangingSeasons.
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Natalie the Explorer 
Oh that was a lovely read and view Natalie. I liked how many of your self-care and health boxes were ticked and giving back to the community. I wanted to add a post tonight (Fri here) to say thank you so much for your kind support of my new Weekly link up #WednesdaysWordsandPics…I know, that you link up when you can and tonight, even though I had already joined other blogging friends about our words of the year, it was time to recognise and share my gratitude to you for your kindness and support. Thank you Natalie.
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Hi Denyse, Thank you for your support and linking up. I greatly appreciate it. I set aside time to connect with my friends, IRL and online. It’s my pleasure to join your new weekly linkup. Have a wonderful weekend!
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Hi Natalie – you’ve certainly been out exploring and enjoying time with family and friends in every single one of your weekly updates. I guess your Summer lived up to everything you’d hoped it would be. Thanks for sharing it with us and I’ve certainly enjoyed seeing all your lovely scenic photos along the way.
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Hi Leanne, Summer months tend to be busier for me as that’s when my family and friends are available to meet, the weather is good for outdoor activities, and touristy places are open. It’s been a wonderful summer. I look forward to a quieter October.
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You’ve had a busy, exciting, and wonderful summer, Natalie. One for the books with all the diversity, travels, beautiful weather, wonderful activities, volunteering, and spending time with loved ones. I was in PEI when the previous hurricane hit the eastern seaboard of Canada four years ago. It’s so strange to deal with them this far north. It affected the short time we had on the island. Happy weekend!
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Hi Liesbet, The warmer months are busier than the rest of the year as the days are longer, it’s easier to be outside, socialize and travel. Some sites are open seasonally, approximately from June to September, so my travels this year were aligned to that as well. Hurricane Fiona caused a lot of damage in Atlantic Canada. I was lucky to see everything I wanted to see and was in a safe place when Fiona hit last weekend. Happy weekend to you, too.
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It’s fun to follow along on your adventures. I like how you’re about to explore and make it all seem relatable. Difficult for me to believe that summer is behind us, but here we are. Hello October!
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Ally, Yes, hard to believe summer is behind us. I think October will be a quieter month for me. Have a great weekend!
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It looks like September was a great month for you! And, of course, any month that includes a blogger meet-up is a good one 🙂 That tugboat replica is fun… I’m not familiar with the TV show but who wouldn’t love that face?
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Janis, It was great meeting Dar in Halifax. I asked if she’d be available to meet and she said yes 🙂 Theodore TOO tugboat looks cute and happy, I had to take a picture.
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Natalie, you’ve had a super summer. Theodore TOO is pretty cool to see. We saw him in Port Colborne. I didn’t know about renting a sailboat. We’ll give it a try next year. Have you rented a houseboat? We rented one this past June, great fun. Give it a try.
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Kevin, Theodore TOO is such a traveler. I haven’t rented a houseboat but would keep it in mind. Thank you for sharing your experience.
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What a great summer you have had! So many lovely memories for you too.
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It was a wonderful summer and I’m still thinking about it.
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Hi Natalie, I am very impressed that you volunteered for the Terry Fox event and that you have a group of friends who sail! Thank you for reaching out to arrange a meet up while you were in Halifax! It was great to meet and chat, and I feel we have a lot in common. I was worried about how much you’d see on your Fundy tour because of the storm and I’m relieved it worked out. PS the coffee shop in Toronto I’ve visited most is Little Nicky’s on Queen W downtown; they make mini-doughnuts in-house!
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Hi Dar, It was my pleasure to meet and chat with you. I feel we have a lot in common, too. I hope we stay in touch via blogging or messaging. I was lucky to be in NB when hurricane Fiona landed in NS. I was able to enjoy all the planned outdoor sightseeing and was cozy indoor when it rained overnight in Saint John. The Sunday ferry crossing to Digby was straightforward and it was sunny in Digby and Wolfville. Thank you for letting me know about Little Nicky’s. I’ll have to check it out.
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All the good stuff here; health, self care, giving back to community travel, nature, exercise, beautiful vistas, interesting places, and books! Wow! What a month, and what a summer you’ve had.
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Hi Maria, It’s been a wonderful summer. I’m happy that everything came together and my hopes came true.
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Well deserved Natalie ❤
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How incredibly cool that you were able to rent a sail boat! It’s the only thing i miss about living in Vancouver. What a way to finish up summer. You were fortunate with yourocation during the devastating Fiona storm. Looking forward to those posts. Bernie
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Bernie, Yes, it’s possible to rent a sailboat by Toronto’s waterfront. My friends and I lucked out with the weather and had a great sail. I was fortunate to be in New Brunswick when hurricane Fiona landed in Nova Scotia. I’ll write about this trip for sure. Have a great weekend!
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Hi, Natalie – I am always so impressed with how much travel, wellness, family/friend time and balance that you include in to each and every month. You are very inspirational. Thank you for the linkup!
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Hi Donna, Thank you for your kind comment and for hosting #2022woty link party with Deb and Sue this month. I focus my activities on just three areas (health, home and leisure). It seems to work so far.
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You’ve certainly made the most of being able to be out and about. Love that tug boat! How cute. And glad the health and cycling are all good!
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The weather has been good for outdoor cycling and walking so I do it almost every day. First week of October forecast also looks good atm.
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I didn’t realize you had a huge storm while traveling.
That can always introduce some stress but you weathered it well it seems.
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Fortunately, I was in another province and out of harm’s way when hurricane Fiona landed in Nova Scotia.
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What a lovely summer you’ve had Natalie with so much variety in your outings. I always enjoy learning about new places you take us to in your posts. Just as an aside, that map of your walk around the Bay of Fundy, looks a bit like a map of Australia!!! I’ve linked up with my latest Word of the Year Post about the Gift of unconditional Love. Thanks for having us over for a cuppa 🙂
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Hi Debbie, I’m glad you enjoy learning about new places that I take you to in my posts. I like to explore and have variety in my day. Thank you for linking up with your WOTY post. The Gift of unconditional love is an excellent share.
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All of this. Amazing read and pictures.
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Thank you for your visit and comment.
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Sounds like a great month 🙂 I did enjoy all of those posts about Nova Scotia. Have a great weekend and a wonderful week ahead!
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Thanks, Trent. i think you meant my posts about Newfoundland and Labrador. Have a great weekend!
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Happy October Natalie. Thanks for hosting another great virtual coffee.
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Thanks, Shari. Happy October!
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Great photos as usual. I am glad the hurricane did not affect you directly.
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Thank you, Deborah. I’m glad you liked my photos. I was very lucky to be out of the hurricane’s path.
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Hi Natalie!
I love your September wrap up! My favorite are the flower photos and the one with the butterfly is AMAZING! Actually, all your photos are beautiful and you have had such a wonderful summer. I can’t believe it’s Fall! Such a wonderful time of year. I also did a Sept wrap up and I so appreciate having a place to link up too. Thank you for hosting and I hope you have a wonderful weekend and week ahead. Take care! ❤
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Hi Diana, Thank you so much for your compliment. I’m glad you’re linking up. I’ll be over to your blog soon. I also hope you have a wonderful weekend and week ahead.
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Your flower pics are just wonderful. And you are always in a beautiful place to share. Thanks again.
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Thank you, Antoinette, for your comment. The gardeners in my neighbourhood parks grow and maintain amazing flower plants from spring to fall. I have many flower pictures on my phone 🙂
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You had a busy September, Natalie, and I love the sunflowers, and I always love when you and others include a map of your journies.
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Terri, My summer months from June to September were full but I anticipate a quieter October and November. Thank you for linking up with your latest post. Have a great weekend!
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So glad you had such a wonderful summer! And thanks for sharing pieces of it with us. I hope fall is equally great for you.
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Janet, Thank you for linking up. October is off to a happy start. I hope you have a wonderful Fall.
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What a great September you had. Love that smiling tugboat. Very nice.
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Thank you, Patrick, for linking up. Glad you also like the smiling tugboat.
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Hi Natalie the sunflower and tugboat face both made me smile. You’ve had another lovely month and I look forward to seeing what you get up to in October. Thanks for linking up with us at WOTY x
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Thank you, Sue. I anticipate a quieter October with beautiful Fall foliage. I hope you have a wonderful time in Tasmania. Happy October!
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Your September photos are so colorful. I love the tugboat picture. It sounds like you’ve had a great month. I never thought of September as summer, but it always feels like summer made perfect, doesn’t it. Summer without the extreme heat. Sorry that Canada’s September was marred with a hurricane.
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Marsha, My summer goes from June 21 to September 21. Sometimes we get a heat wave in September. It’s going to be atypically warm with high 21C (70F) on the next three days. Thank you for linking up with your post. Are you back from your trip?
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Yes, we got back Saturday afternoon. I think I need some rollerskates to catch up, though! It was amazing to meet everyone and soak up their energy and enthusiasm. Now it’s back to normalacy – leave for an eye appointment in 15 minutes, go shopping, prepare for a garage sale, and prep for a new Bible study that starts Wednesday, and get back on my blogging schedule. Sorry for the schedule vent!
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You’re one busy lady. Have a great week!
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You too, Natalie!
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Your September sounds like a pleasant time! I’ve enjoyed seeing your travel photos this summer. Those from Saint John (is that a different place than St Johns? If yes, very confusing!) are wonderful, although I’m not usually a fan of sunset pics! I’m glad you were safe during the hurricane. Have a good October!
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Susanne, Yes, Saint John in the province of New Brunswick is different than St. John’s in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The latter is always abbreviated and with an apostrophe and s. It was surreal to see the sunset in Saint John while I followed the news of hurricane Fiona causing catastrophic damages in other areas in Atlantic Canada. Wishing you a great October.
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I enjoyed this post, Natalie. I always like your travel photos, but my favorite today it the replica tug boat 🙂
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Thank you, Dan. I think that replica tug boat makes everyone smile when they see it. Have a great week!
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So many good things to love about life in September! Travel is always a great bonus and it sounds like you had a fabulous trip. We’re getting just a bit of light rain today from the hurricane that just battered Florida and South Carolina this past week… it has been just heartbreaking to watch the news and see all the loss of life and homes.
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It will take time to clean up the destruction and rebuild areas that have been hard hit by the hurricanes. People are getting help from various sources so there is hope.
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I really liked the idea of thinking of 100 days of summer…I think if I look at it that way, it helps me be more intentional with how I spend those days…something to think about for next year. I have loved your adventures and photos. That little tugboat was cute!
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Kirstin, I’m glad you liked my idea of 100 days of summer. I hope you use it for next summer. That tugboat made everyone smile. Have a great week!
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