SUNDAY WALK AROUND CAMELLIA GARDENS

Hello everyone, hope you are all well.

I know people who love winter but I am not one of them.  I didn’t like it back when I was living in Ukraine and although Australian winters are not even remotely as cold, I still don't like it. 

I am convinced that Australians in general are in complete denial.  You’ve probably seen pictures on social media of men and women walking around dressed in shorts, t-shirts and a pair of thongs (flip-flops) on their feet totally ignoring the fact that the temperature outside is no higher than 15 degree Celsius.  Believe me, Sydney’s winters are cold and unpleasant.  

Even when you live near the coast like I do and the temperature is a few degrees warmer, it does not make much of a difference.  For me, the biggest problem is that our dwellings are not properly insulated like the homes in Europe or North America.  

There is no double glazing on the windows and the frames are quite often are not sealed tightly, there is no central heating that keeps your home warm all the time.  If you live in a building that is 40 years or older, they don't even have built-in air-conditioners, you have to install your own which is quite costly or get yourself an electric or oil heater.  Unfortunately, they have to be on all the time because the moment your turn them off, the temperature in the room drops and the air inside your home is about as cold as it is outside.

Of course, you can let them run all night but be prepared for a very high electricity bill.

However, like everything else, there are two sides to each coin.  As much as I prefer warmer months to winter colds, there are few things that I love doing in winter.  Number one – the mulled wine, that is love, is back on the menu and two – visiting parks and gardens that contrary to the continental winter are alive and blooming.

Previously, I shared with you our visits to Breenhold Gardens  and Nooroo Gardens during winter months. Today’s post is about visiting Camellia Gardens.  The beauty of this place that you don't need to drive to Blue Mountains like we did in the past, they are situated within the city limits and it only took us about half an hour to get there.

These gardens are over 50 years old and are recognised by the International Camelia Society as a "Camelia Gardens of Excellence".  They are very popular not just amongst the locals but with tourists alike.   Apart from for its picturesque grounds, you can also find a period looking cafe where you can pre-book your afternoon tea with scones and jam or just have lunch on the veranda overlooking the gardens.  The kids love chasing the ducks and at certain times you can actually feed them.  

There is a calm and clean stream tickling along and you can see ducks and other birds swimming up and down the stream. 

The best time for visiting the Gardens is in autumn or winter because it when the Camellias are in season.

Luckily for us, the day when we chose to go there was sunny and quite warm so there was no need for a jacket. 

All and all we had a very nice relaxing outing, having a nice break from the busy activities of our everyday lives.

Hope you had a nice weekend too.

Until then,

Anna

xoxoxo

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