My first gardenia, earlier this spring
Looking out of the window is the way I start my morning. And over the years, I have been lucky to live in flats with great views that set a happy tone for the rest of the day.
My first memories of looking out of a window are of sitting on my mother’s lap watching the rain. She found it very relaxing, but I developed an allergy to rainy days!
I then got the habit of checking for the sun, like looking for a best friend. This was more difficult during my years of living in London. But still, I had a magnificent view. My flat in Chelsea overlooked the Pagoda in Battersea Park on the other side of the Thames. Being high up, I didn’t need curtains and would wake up to that beautiful sight and the sound of the birds. The best were the blackbirds, because when they started charming with their chants, you knew spring wasn’t far away. What was missing on most days, however, was the sun! And so I dreamed of looking for my “best friend” and landed in Dubai.
While looking for a flat here, the most important feature was, of course, The Window. And I fell on the ideal one! I begged the landlord not to get curtains and compromised on blinds. And now, every morning, or 99.9 percent of mornings, I open my blinds to sunshine and look out onto a beautiful garden filled with a palm tree currently bearing the most delicious Omani dates, blackberry trees, gardenias, fil, frangipani and three aviaries filled with the most crazy and noisy love birds. This pretty much sets the tone for another amazing day.
Do you look out of your window first thing? What makes your morning? I’d love to know.
(P.S.: A big thank you goes to @PascalAssaf for helping set up this blog... merci toi!)
(P.S.: A big thank you goes to @PascalAssaf for helping set up this blog... merci toi!)
