{kung hei fat choy} - chinese new year in the gardens

I spent the day playing tourist in my own city yesterday. It's amazing the difference it makes when you can wander the city in your own time, not rushing from place to place meeting deadlines and dodging traffic jams.

As this weekend is the culmination of the Chinese New Year celebrations, I thought it appropriate to visit the Chinese Garden of Friendship. It was 22 years ago that I last visited these beautiful gardens! Whilst I thought they were lovely back then, I found a much greater appreciation of their design now having studied the intricacy of Eastern Garden design - everything has meaning in these gardens which takes their beauty to an even higher level.

So young! My sister & I ~ 1988 (I'm in the sexy green socks!)

22 years on ~ a solo poser!

Behind their high walls the gardens offer a place of peace, reflection and sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of Sydney's CBD. It is such a lovely place to be alone, just you and your thoughts, a place to rejuvenate the spirit and calm the mind. This feeling of peace is brought about by the sense of everything being in perfect harmony and balance, achieved through the careful use of the four key elements of water, stone, plants and architecture.

In the next couple of blogs I will focus on each of these four elements - you never know you might just be able to take a few ideas and re-create your own sanctuary.

I couldn't recommend highly enough a visit to these stunning gardens. Find out more about the Chinese Garden of Friendship here.