I would say that one cannot enjoy life and nature to the fullest if he lives in the big city. The one thing I don’t understand is how someone could prefer to live in an apartment. I am aware that sometimes you just don’t have a choice, I get that. But I’ve met people and asked them ‘What do you prefer: living in a house or in a flat?’ and when I hear their answers, saying that ‘living in a flat building has its own benefits, and I like it and I would always prefer to live this way’ I just cannot figure that out. What are those benefits? The noise coming from all directions, or the air smelling of gas fumes and hot asphalt?

I’ve never lived in a flat and I will never want to. And how could I? The two-storey house which me and hubby bought three years ago in the outermost suburbs of Sydney is my dream home. It has an enormous backyard, the larger part of which I turned into a multicolored garden and the rest of the plot is occupied by a summer kitchen and a small barbecue nook. Right after we moved in, we hired these gardeners to remove two dead trees, level the ground, seed and mow the lawn. They did a pretty good job actually, and once I had the canvas ready, I began drawing the landscape, figuratively speaking.

Imagine the feeling of waking up with a scent of spring flowers coming from the window. It makes your day from the very first minutes of it. Then you take a steaming cup of aromatic coffee and go in the backyard to sit back on the comfortable soft cushions of your rattan sofa to plan your daily tasks, while the freshness of the greenery in front of your eyes charges you with a good mood and energy to lead you through the working day. I would never give up those amazing mornings even for the most luxurious apartment downtown.

Every time when I feel down or just a bit tired or stressed, I seek solitude and calmness in the debris of my sacred and beloved garden. I’ve chosen and growed each and every plant in it, and I love caring for this little piece of paradise. Do you like it?