The View from the Top

They said it wouldn’t last; that once it was mine, I’d stopped seeing how wonderful it was.
They were wrong.

It’s been 12 months today since I moved into my amazing sky-high apartment overlooking Brisbane’s CBD, and I’m still in love.

I’m not sure I explained how I came to swap my two bedroom, two bathroom digs opposite the racecourse for my home high in the sky but, after a tumultuous few months, I literally woke up one morning and decided I wanted to be closer to the city.

But not any old apartment would do; ideally, I wanted a home that was light and airy, not too small (a big ask in inner city living, I know!) and somewhere that didn’t have neighbours looking directly into my space because, pants off Fridays.

Within a few hours, I was looking at rental properties and by lunchtime I’d signed a new contract.

From the moment I opened the door, I knew I’d found my next home. Although it’s not the biggest apartment, the floor to ceiling glass walls on one side, make it feel more spacious. And then there’s the view.

Whenever I used to tell people I wanted to live somewhere with a view, be it the city or the beach, they’d say that it wasn’t worth the added cost, that after a while you simply stop seeing it but I completely disagree.

I have looked at that view everyday that I’ve been home for the past 12 months. Every time I open my front door and see it, I smile.

I sit and watch the world go by, give weather updates on Facebook and send photos of amazing sunsets to friends to make them jealous.

Sure, the task of culling my crap down to fit into a one bedroom apartment was exhausting and somewhat of a fail given I have shoe cupboard in the kitchen, cushions stashed in the dryer and hats on top of the fridge. And if I didn’t enjoy baking so much there would probably be jumpers in the oven.

But this is home and, for now, I couldn’t be happier.

Here are some of my favorite shots of my view from the past 12 months. 

It was love at first sight … with this view. Rise and shine, Brisbane. 3am. Fortitude Valley. Pink sky at night … Brisbane’s delight. When it’s dark, look for stars and when it rains, look for rainbows. Getting ready for Riverfire. Batten down the hatches Even rainy days look good. It’s Stormageddon! (Sept 2015) If you squint you can just make out the city. I believe this is what is technically referred to as “pissing down”. Thursday night’s sunset. One year on and I’m still in love.

As Henry David Thoreau said, “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see” and I see endless possibilities.