ξ "Oooh....the memories of childhood, the Fantasy, the Whimsey, the Charm of my own Secret Garden. Fragrances of flower lined pathways and sounds of the water cascading over pebbles....can such tranquility, can such peace, can such harmony be recaptured, ... ever again?"ξ ...I can almost see the teenie fairies peeking out from under that heart-shaped lilac leaf! So...it begins!!!

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We begin searching in, of all places, a scrap metal...junkyard sort of place where the remains of ancient torn down estates and buildings are strewn about in various piles and stacks. The odd pillar, a worn grey stoned fountain...and there it is...a large metal gate lock with the most interestingly adorned skeleton key! An oversized key, slightly heavier than it looks, just the detail that will draw the curiousity of any fanciful grandchild or visiting "munchkin". This is The Key that will open the world of Wonder and Enchantment that my dreams and fantasies have been formulating since my childhood.

I continue to search this amazing complilation of artifacts from years gone by. I half drag/half carry an old mirror, gold leaf faded and scarred from years of storage, probably in some great mansions' attic. My collection grows as I uncover stone carvings, faded fairries, little stone creatures, and here... a forgotten birdbath...needs work, but I can already see it perfectly nestled amist Roses and Hybiscus, perhaps... this angel statue sitting restfully inside its' waterbowl???

My husband and I gather up the parcels we have purchased, at an amazingly good savings, and load up the truck. What we have here is an assortment of items greatly in need of sanding, repairing, painting and a whole lot of creativity...before it will be the magical escape from reality our "Secret Garden" is meant to be.  In the heat and rapid pace of a hub city like Los Angeles, there isn't much expectation to find a place of respite such as I am envisioning....but where better shall there be a haven of rest than in the "City of Angels", hummmm....a haven of Rest?  There's got to be a name for my secret garden in there somewhere?

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I have another unexpected resource where I am planning to forage for long forgotten treasures to embellish this dreamy garden play area; treasures that promise "giggles" and "delighted squeals" from the young and the young at heart.

In my storage area above the ceiling of my garage, stacked in crates of various shapes and sizes, I have squirrelled away the toys of my daughters' younger days. Thought to be long gone are the dollhouses, the tea sets, the angels, fairies and fairytale characters that had surrounded my children during hours of creative imaginings. I have yet a new purpose for these once loved and favored playmates, they will be re-assigned in the Faerie Garden with the little Knomes and Sprites I have found in my searching.

Adding to the whimsey of the garden are thematic areas and color combinations which bring out the fantasy and wonder of the environment.

Planting flowers is simply an addition to the cummulative years of planting I have already worked in. It's a matter of putting the right plant additions that compliment the whimsical figures I am adding to each area.

"Angels' Rest" is becoming the Secret Garden I have been dreaming of since I was a young girl. This will be a place my daughters' children will come to for tea parties and dress-up and just to snuggle amid pillows and fragrant flowers to read a book.

In the evenings we will barbeque and light the firepit, the firelight dancing and creating shadows which perform mysteriously moving patterns within the faerie garden. The facination never ends!

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Updates to this Hub continue at least one per week with more photographs and ideas, a garden grows over the years as our knowledge and understanding continues to grow on the subject.