Exploring

When the weather cools down in the fall, it’s time to get out and start exploring again! These days, the daytime high in Toronto is around 20-23 degrees, so it’s the perfect time to go for a walk and enjoy the parks and patios in the city and maybe find a nice new spot. It’s also a great time to do some outdoor activities, like hiking, canoeing, or cycling, or to take a road trip and drive to a nice spot nearby where you can enjoy nature. In mid-September, I’ll take a 5-day road trip with my father to explore northern Ontario, which we call “cottage country.” The only problem is that the bees are very active at this time of year, so we have to be a little bit careful to not get stung!

Building puzzles

Fall is my favourite time to sit down and build a puzzle. It’s a bit daunting to start one, but once you get into it, it’s fun to just spend 30-60 minutes a day working on it while enjoying a cup of tea or coffee. It allows you to slow down, relax, and get away from a screen for a little while. Building puzzles is a little nostalgic for me because I used to build them with my grandfather when he was still alive, and I also build one with my family every year during Christmas. I recently finished a puzzle of London Bridge, and now I’m looking for a new fall or Halloween-themed puzzle to build.

Checking out fall & Halloween decor

As soon as September starts, I feel the urge to start thinking about fall and Halloween decor. I love to collect items like acorns and pine cones from the forest and to buy decorative gourds and corn from the supermarket to decorate my home for fall. I also like to check the local arts and crafts stores for new fall and Halloween decor, but I try to limit myself to one new item per year (since I already have a lot of stuff for fall!).

Enjoying the balcony

A lot of Canadians who live in apartments like to make good use of their balconies, decorating them with plants, lights, and outdoor furniture so that they can enjoy having dinner and drinks there in the evening. I’m no exception! This year I upgraded my balcony with more hanging planters to grow herbs and flowers, and fall is the perfect time to kick back on the balcony and watch the world go by. When I have a free morning, it’s also nice to have a cup of coffee on the balcony and read a book or just listen to the sounds of the city and smell the fall air.

New hockey season 

Fall also means the return of professional hockey, and the first preseason game will take place on September 21st this year. I enjoy watching hockey, though the past couple of years have been quite rough for my team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. You might wonder why I support an American team instead of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and that’s because I only moved to Toronto about 12 years ago, but I got into hockey when I was 7! At that time, my hockey hero was Mario Lemieux (whose nickname was Super Mario), a Canadian player who was the captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins. I have stuck with them ever since!