My flat - a tribute

It may not look much from the outside, but I really really love my flat. It felt like home from the moment the estate agent walked me through the door. The buying process was a struggle - moving house and getting divorced simultaneously cannot be recommended - but living here has been instrumental in helping me recover from the divorce. The view alone makes me smile every single day and having a boat on the lake gives me the chance to experience the wildlife - and the methane-producing algae - close up.

My neighbours are fab: Ali opposite who sweeps me off my feet at Salsa every week and his flatmate Matt who's terribly polite, despite being the quietest man in history, who hasn't said more than 5 words since I've lived here (so the complete opposite of Ali);Tom next door who still holds out hope of catching one of the lake's wily carp (no chance mate!); Caroline & Spencer below who are getting married in a typical HUGE Irish wedding (don't think Spencer knows what he's letting himself in for); Rachel who used to rent my flat before buying the flat below Ali, who lives with her cats Richard & Presley and is having a terrible year; the Japanese (Chinese? Oh, that's terrible that I'm not sure) woman whose name I don't know with the gorgeously cute children who live upstairs; the Polish couple, with Kristian the baby, who live above me and are always so friendly but hate us having barbecues; Carey who lives on the top floor and has become Caroline's drinking buddy after she happened upon us all sat in my rather large paddling pool during one our regular impromptu barbecues last summer.

I've loved living by myself - well, more recently with the cats of course - and having my own space. It didn't need any work when I moved in because Belinda & Hilton, who I bought the flat from, had done such a good job. It's open plan and spacious: they'd knocked out a couple of doorways and, having seen some of the other flats which still have the original layout, I think it was exactly the right thing to do. Buying little bargains for it, such as my dining table and chairs has been such fun - eBay is king - and I'm grateful for all the donations I received from my friends, such as my sofa from Zoe & Phillip, leather armchairs (which are now covered in claw marks goddamn it) and my bed, both from Linda & Karl. I've loved building flat pack furniture - my bed, wardrobe, two chests of drawers and a shelf unit to date - and have even (shock! horror!) kind of enjoyed keeping it clean.

So now the great 'pack up' begins. My friends Debbie & Ian move in here the weekend after next while I move to my dad & step-mother's in order to save some money for my trip. I know it's for all the right reasons, but I'm going to miss the flat soooo much. At least it's D & I who are moving in, so I know it'll be well looked after and I can still visit. They're going to be looking after the cats too, who I'm also going to miss big time. I'm trying to have as many snuggles with them now as I can to carry me through. sigh.