Tell Us about Gardens....

If you've followed my blog for any length of time, you will know I love gardens. When I travel I seek out gardens.  Even in big cities, the gardens tell you a lot about the place, as well as being a sheer delight to enjoy the outdoors. The first time I went to Versailles, I spent 6 hours in the garden before I made it into the palace...I had such an amazing day but I also surprised myself, as I assumed I was more into the oppulance of the chateau but instead just kept getting lured to explore a little bit further in the magnificent garden...

But the garden in literature and imagery is one of my favourite of all. There is an invitation to explore and discover, and more often than not is is a discovery within oneself or an aspect to tame and manage.

 'Tend your garden' is one of the best pieces of life advice in The Little Prince  (discussed in this blog post) A more nuanced version of 'The Grass is always Greener...where you water it' as discussed here years ago. 

Gardens are a symbol of work we do for enjoyment, and to reap rewards of beauty or sustinance later. They are taming nature to our will, working with seasons and animals (insects) to aid survival and allow beauty to bloom. 

Think in fairy stories how gardens are left in neglect while evil reigns, and are restored and tamed once right wins. Think of the hunger caused by barren land and gardens gone to seed but then curses are lifted and prosperity returns.

Of course, the most famous garden of all, the one I have spent my life spying longingly through the keyhole at, too big to enter the door, much like Alice. No matter how hard I try to drink the potion and get in, I am destined to be that grown up who can't quite gain access. But if I squint, for awhile, I can see it all clearly. (I've written at least 12 blog posts about Alice in Wonderland so I probably don't need to go into the importance of that book again here).

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC) summed it up perfectly 'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need'.

(Note most of the photos are gardens in Tokyo but the teapot and gardens ith little characters in them I found on the streets of the Inner West Sydney quite by accident, but they filled me with delight).

Linking with #AwwMondays for the cute little figures turning the ordinary into the adorable.