ON BRUNSWICK

It is Saturday morning at The Temple Lofts and it is Spring.

I know this because I purposely left my Juliette Balcony

windows slightly open when I went to bed the

night before, and I can now hear the birds

singing from the Ginkgo Biloba trees outside. I

rest for a moment in bed admiring how the

light reflects off the unique angles of my

room, and how the brick seems to

absorb it, keeping it for later in the evening. I say good

morning to my google assistant, she tells me the weather and news

while opening my curtains and turning on the lights for me. At first I admit I found this a bit odd, but now it is like she is my actual assistant, I think I love her. I role out of my king sized bed and into my ensuite bathroom. The skylight above my rain shower illuminates the room. I reach into the shower to check the water forgetting it is always instantly at temperature. I feel like I am showering in a sunbeam, a tropical waterfall over my head. I reach for a warm bath towel, the towel rack having heated it while I was sleeping. The aroma of fresh coffee begins to ascend the gorgeous pine wood stairs, I thank google and then laugh at myself for thanking a computer. I dress, my clothes easily coordinated in the smartly curated storage space of my closets. I am ready.

                                                                Perhaps one of my favourite moments in my day is in the                                                                             morning, that moment I start walking down the stairs and look                                                                        at my living and dining room. It actually makes me stop                                                                                 and grin like some sort of crazed game show winner, it                                                                                   would be embarrassing except google assistant has                                                                                   no eyes, at least not yet, that will be an awkward day.                                                                                   For now though I admire, and the beauty of my                                                                                            townhouse gets me every time, it is so unique, with lines                                                                             that only a really well converted church could create.                                                                                The design that has been integrated into that                                                                                            conversion just makes me proud to live there, the way the                                                                       curved wood is linked throughout, the recessed lighting                                                                             creating an extension of the angles and lines of that design,                                                                and how it all comes together to play with the light from the                                                                 big southern windows, it is magical. I follow the smell of the fresh brewed coffee beans into the place I feel most at home, which to my amazement is my kitchen.  I think it is because of the way it has been designed to be both exceptionally functional, yet still warm, and like any good kitchen, it is made to be a meeting place. I get some coffee and sit on my little patio among the trees and fresh flowers. I am hidden among the

foliage of my perfectly landscaped front, but I hear my neighbour from

across the street call to their dog, and I invite them over for some

coffee and dog snuggles. My coffee done and neighbour dog having

left for the park down the street, I decide that despite how much I

love cooking in my new kitchen, I feel like going out for a patio brunch

in the neighbourhood instead. I have been rotating my weekend

brunch spots, I have nine favourites right now, I keep trying to tighten

the list but I keep finding new ones, all within a few minutes walk.

Today I decide to go to the Victory Cafe at the end of the street,

because I have a craving for their deluxe french toast (and I love their

patio). I see a friend while there and we decide to walk down the street

a couple minutes, to the Bata Shoe Museum, and check out a new

exhibit they have that explores the shoes of Queen Elizabeth. I did not

think I was a big shoe person, but like so many experiences I

have had since moving to this neighbourhood, I am unexpectedly

enthralled by the beautiful building and the exhibit itself. My days and weekends are often like this, and I feel like a kid in a candy store sometimes, with everything I want and so much more I never knew existed, at my finger tips. Yet, I feel like my home at the Temple Lofts is a secluded kind of urban oasis, surrounded by constant and ever changing stimulation, but only if I choose it, a factor that is important to me and one I could not find at any other condo townhouse building in the city. In the afternoon I head home,                      I want to get a quick workout in, and despite the                                                                                              choice of several gyms nearby, I decide to stay home                                                                                    and use my Lu Lu Lemon Mirror Studio system that                                                                                            was pre-installed when I moved in. My neighbour                                                                                             asked me to take care of his pooch, so for the                                                                                                 afternoon I have a workout companion named                                                                                                    Abbey, she is exceptional at downward dog                                                                                                    and the inverted face lick. It's fun to be able                                                                                                         to workout with people from around the                                                                                                          world and the instructors are incredible.                                                                                                              After a little nap, I read for a few                                                                                                                          minutes on my couch, the southern                                                                                                                                 exposure means I get sun most of the day, and I suddenly remember I invited some friends for drinks that evening. I love entertaining here, maybe it is because every time someone comes over they cannot stop adoring my place, it is so unique, special, so much character, but also because it was designed in such a way as to really make entertaining fun. I try not to gloat, but I know I am doing a bad job. The way the kitchens, dining rooms, and living rooms all flow into each other, while still being distinctly separate, and the energy of the place, it just seems to work really organically. I ask my google assistant to play some music and set the lights to dining mode, and my place is instantly transformed, hidden speakers and recessed lighting all creating the perfect mood. I admire the way the wooden beams and curved ceiling accents play with this new lighting choice, creating layers, adding depth, just making my place really cool. My friends arrive while I am still in the shower. I know this because my google assistant tells me and I can see them on the front door camera. I tell my assistant to open the door and I let them know I'll be down soon via the intercom system. When I come downstairs, they are already seated around my kitchen island, one of them having found my wine fridge, champagne has been opened, they comment on how fun the downstairs bathroom is, each unit in the building has a different themed downstairs bathroom, a fun little thing the developers decided would be cool, and we then move to the living room. The plan was just drinks, but I remember there is a documentary playing at the hot docs theatre around the corner I want to see, and everyone jumps on the plan.  A few minutes later we are seated in the newly refurbished turn often century theatre, popcorn and wine (it is a licensed theatre) in hand. When the film ends we are still thirsty

and decide to hit one of the many local

watering holes. The group debates

between the higher end cocktail bar

at the Annex Hotel, the live music at the

Paupers Pub, the cool vibe of the

Ugly Coyote, or the dance beats of

the El Furniture Warehouse. The

Annex Hotel wins, which pleases me

as it is literally at the end of my

street. A couple trendy drinks later

we depart ways and I head home. I

like arriving at my front door. First, the

walk there is always cathartic, it is like the second I turn off bloor street onto Brunswick I enter a little tree lined utopia of calm. Second, my building looks even more incredible at night with the integrated lighting in both the exceptionally designed landscaping and the character elements of the brick facade. Third, all seven units have their own front door, most with a little patio area out front, and so it feels like I am walking into a real home, my real home, but a home with none of the hassles of an actual house. Finally, the doors all have smart locks and so they know when I am                                                          home and they unlock for me when my cell phone gets close enough,                                                              it is just easy, I walk in and the lights automatically turn on, again                                                                          just easy. I make myself a little snack, because I can’t help                                                                                it. All the units have Wolfe stoves, which are incredible,                                                                                        not only because of the unique design, but also                                                                                            because they are some of the best you can get. I                                                                                       get some frozen pizza I bought from the local                                                                                              pizzeria on Harbord from the hidden freezer, and a                                                                                  few minutes later I am full and ready for bed.  The day                                                                            often ends as it began, I say good night to                                                                                                     Google Assistant and she closes my blinds, makes sure                                                                    the door is locked, lowers the temperature for sleeping, and                                                                                            turns off the lights. My only problem since I moved in                                                                                      is that I sometimes find myself being too excited                                                                                            for the next day, but it’s a problem I’ll deal with.