Thursday 1 November 2018

October in a nutshell


Greetings! I was looking forward to spending October to explore and enjoy what my home city has to offer before I travel overseas again. It turned out to be a beautiful and fun-filled month in so many ways.

First off, autumn colours were at their peaks in October. I love the different shades of yellow, orange, and red on the trees. I got to see them every day during my walk! Then there were a few fun happenings, such as our Thanksgiving on October 8th, my blog's second anniversary on October 10th, my guest post on Sue's blog on October 18th, and a 5K race on October 21st.

Without further ado, here's my October in a nutshell:

FITNESS:

My October wellness goals, as posted here, kept me active every day. Since I was at home for the whole month, I was able to use the gym, yoga classes, the swimming pool, and consistently complete my daily fitness activities.

On October 21, I participated in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront 5K race with close to 7,000 other participants. It was a chilly morning with temperature hovering at 2 Celsius (35F). We started our run at 8 AM, shortly after sunrise. I chose to run at a steady pace, not fast but evenly paced without a walk break.

I really enjoyed the race and finished it feeling strong, as if I could run a few more kilometers. Out of the near 7,000 participants, there were only 270 female runners in my age category. I'm satisfied to finish in the top 14% of my age category without sprinting.

My 5K finisher's medal and new running shirt

ENTERTAINMENT:

Concerts: I was able to attend eight excellent concerts in October, each lasts for an hour, all with free admission. Most of them were piano, or voice and piano. The amphitheatre at the Canadian Opera Company (COC) is a remarkable space, and to listen to Sofya Gulyak's solo piano concert there was a wonderful experience. Look up her name and read her impressive bio if you like.

R. Bradshaw Amphitheatre, COC

    Movies: In October, I watched four movies as a weekly social activity with my neighbours. Billionaire Boys Club did not hold my interest so I left early. Skyscraper, Ant-man and the Wasp were entertaining, and Mama Mia Here We Go Again was a fun musical.

    ARTS:

    Art Works: I continue to be in awe of the rich art scene in my home city. In October, I had the pleasure to view several diverse art exhibits, all with free admission. I wrote about them here and here.

    Purple by Vera Dernovsek

      Books: In October I resumed reading books that I borrow from the local public library. Within three weeks, I finished three thriller novels, about 500 pages each, all written by Linwood Barclay. I'm now on to his 4th novel titled The Twenty-Three. I look forward to finishing it before I travel to Morocco.

        Gardens: I visited two gardens in October. The Toronto Music Garden looks ready for the holiday season with the light decorations. Allan Gardens Conservatory had an artistic and beautiful autumn show. I'll write about it in my upcoming post.

        Toronto Music Garden

        Language Lessons: I continued with my French and Spanish online lessons throughout October. I spend about fifteen minutes on each language every day. The short duration works for me and the consistent practice helps my progress.

        SOCIAL:

        Blogging: I wrote six posts in October and one guest post as featured here. When my blog turned two on October 10, I asked readers for help. Thank you to everyone who provided comments. I took the feedback received from that post and got to work with some of my own ideas. So far, I made the following additions and may make a few more changes:
        • Added the About Me page,
        • Updated the Countries Visited page with links to the destination posts that I have published,
        • Added the Recent Posts gadget to my blog's side bar - Five recent posts are listed by default,
        • Added the Through My Lens gadget to my blog's side bar with one of my photos that will be updated periodically. 

        Through My Lens: Autumn leaves

        Extended family gatherings: We enjoyed two big family gatherings in October, one was for our Thanksgiving and another one on last Sunday when we had our cousins visiting us from overseas. Plenty of good food, fun conversations, and best of all everyone is healthy.

        Trying new restaurants: I ate out twice with my family and had a fun lunch date with my friend. All three restaurants (Joe Bird, Joey, and Taverna Mercatto) offered very good service and nice seating. I'd have the tuna salad at Joey and the marguerita pizza at Taverna Mercatto again. They were very tasty.

        Tuna salad at Joey restaurant

        TRAVEL:

        My trip to Morocco is coming up next week! The weather forecast at my destination looks good, with warmer temperatures than Toronto. I look forward to sightseeing in Morocco.

        MY CONCLUSION:

        October was an awesome month in my book, with the right amount of variety and at my pace. I gave it an A plus! I look forward to enjoying life as fully as I can in November.

        How was your October? What good things happened? I'd love to hear your updates.

        22 comments:

        1. It's nice when you have so much variety in your month, Natalie!!
          The gardens were fabulous I bet....we have a couple here in Denver, but I always love to see others when we travel.
          XOXO
          Jodie
          www.jtouchofstyle.com

          ReplyDelete
          Replies
          1. I love the variety, Jodie. Thank you for stopping by. Have a wonderful November!

            Delete
        2. What a wonderful month you had. Thanks for sharing it with us. #TeamLovinLife

          ReplyDelete
          Replies
          1. Thanks, Patrick, for commenting. I greatly appreciate it.

            Delete
        3. Wow, what a busy month for you! So many concerts and books and movies...what a great month for being home, you got some much done!

          ReplyDelete
          Replies
          1. Thank you, Sarah, for your comment. The leisure activities have been a lot of fun.

            Delete
        4. I'm loving the art you've been posting lately Natalie...an look forward (with a teeny amount of envy) to hearing about Morocco.

          ReplyDelete
          Replies
          1. Hi Jo - I'm glad you like my sample of art photos. I took a lot of pics! I'll write about Morocco after my trip for sure.

            Delete
        5. The fall colors were just beginning in Japan, but we missed seeing them in full display, so I very much enjoyed your beautiful fall photos instead! It sounds like you can pretty much walk wherever you need to go in Toronto? Or jump on public transit? How fabulous for you if so. Here in California we most definitely have a car culture, which necessitates driving pretty much everywhere, unfortunately.

          I'm so glad you enjoyed a wonderful month, and I look forward to your Morocco trip report!

          ReplyDelete
          Replies
          1. To get the blazing red autumn colours, I think the temperatures have to dip, which is happening where I live at this time of the year.
            I can walk to all the main sights, Tamara. I take public transit as needed. I drive only when I'm on a road trip or going somewhere out of town.
            I look forward to sightseeing Morocco and will write post-trip report :)

            Delete
        6. Oh I can't wait to hear all about Morocco! We just watched Skyscraper last weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it; even if it was quite improbable a lot of the time.

          ReplyDelete
          Replies
          1. Yeah, some of the scenes in Skyscraper was humanly impossible. Thank you for stopping by.

            Delete
        7. I'm looking forward to hearing about Morocco! (And seeing pics!)

          And I love the autumn trees! It's spring here in Australia so flowers and trees are blooming. We don't get much of an autumn where I live so miss those colours!

          ReplyDelete
          Replies
          1. I'm getting excited about my trip. Passport, check! Camera, check! I watch the autumn colours every year and am in awe every time. Thank you, Deb, for stopping by.

            Delete
        8. Sounds like a fantastic month Natalie! Congrats on the run. I love the breakdown {reminds me a bit of how I like my reflection posts too}. Enjoy your trip to Morocco...I'll be keeping an eye as I'm considering it for next year.

          ReplyDelete
          Replies
          1. Thank you, Sanch, for your kind comments. I'll do post-trip report on Morocco for sure.

            Delete
        9. Hi, Natalie - Congratulations on finishing the Scotia Run in the top 14% for your age category. Once again, your monthly goals and accomplishments are incredibly inspirational!

          ReplyDelete
          Replies
          1. Thank you so much, Donna, for your encouraging words. I really appreciate your ongoing support. My 5K run is over in about 30 minutes. Walking the Camino like you have done...Now that's a huge accomplishment.

            Delete
        10. What a great October you had Natalie. Will you remind me what language program you are using? And would you consider adopting me? Canada is such a beautiful country. :)

          ReplyDelete
          Replies
          1. Hi LuAnn - I'm using the free Duolingo app. I agree with you...Canada is a beautiful country. You're welcome to join us here.

            Delete
        11. Thinking you may be in Morocco. If so, hope you are enjoying every moment. Safe travels to and from!

          I look forward to your posts for the glorious art work you feature. "Purple" has such rich colors and interesting movement. I do a post now and then called The World Through My Lens. Going to check out the plugin you have mentioned by a similar name. It would be fun to feature some of my photos on the side bar. Thank you for the great idea!

          ReplyDelete
          Replies
          1. Thank you, Leslie, for your comments. Feature your photos for sure. Have fun doing so!

            Delete