Progress, and the new decking and veranda to Number 3 is in place and providing the location to ensconce myself upon a chair to imagine the beneficial Chi I hope to create I'm sitting on the chair because this is the place I want as the core of Chi, a place where the energy of my surroundings come to me and harmonise me

Time waits for no one as the saying goes and progress, I'm not too sure It requires commitment and effort, but Number 3 is changing and becoming closer to have a go at some gardening

Transformations, transformations and a need to work, but Number 3 Lorikeet Lane is getting there and the garden is taking shape It definitely is a garden on the curve and I've deliberately set it out to ensure not one straight line of vision or image is projected

Wow What a mess

About 4/5 years ago I read Gill Hale's 'The Feng Shui Garden' and was relieved to have found a publication recognising the potential role Feng Shui could play in gardening practice The publication reinforced my conviction about Yin and Yang influence on 5 element balance and applying this method alone could stimulate positive chi energy accumulation in our surroundings

If we are lucky enough to observe nature, we slowly become attuned to its rhythm and flow and its gentle transition from one state to another Suggesting by living in harmony with our surroundings we accept nature's will to maintain rhythm and flow within a climate of change

No doubt travel broadens the mind Visiting temple gardens in Kyoto in March 2008 was initially confusing because I couldn't work out if the site was Yin or Yang

I've often wondered why our perceptions of a landscape are ones of acceptance or denial No doubt our senses (sight, sound, smell, taste and touch) ''read the site'' and relay its values to us

A pleasant Sunday was spent wandering the streets and lanes of Gion in Kyoto, Japan and viewing temples such as Kiyomizu Temple and the quaint Entouin Temple and of course viewing gardens seen along the way The Japanese and their families enjoying and I think they love Sunday, the Temples, lunch and the street life

Driving around through suburbia to see how the other half lives (more likely the other half per cent), one need go no further than cross the bridge onto Sovereign Islands Estate, Gold Coast, Queensland in Australia Homes start here about $2ml and go up to about $10-15ml

Relocatable Home in Lorikeet Lane ''Bit of a challenge you've got there'', the elderly neighbour said ''It's been neglected for a few years

In March 2008, I had the opportunity to spend two weeks or so visiting the ''Gardens of Kyoto'' It was a tremendous experience, visiting the city, and being in company with its residents, my visiting of buildings, hotels, cafes and restaurants

A few years ago I mentioned to a Feng Shui practitioner, I saw Chi energies as a game between the goodies and the baddies He quietly reminded me that wasn't the case and suggested instead we look at the association between beneficial and detrimental Chi energies

A highlight of a trip into China is traveling south into the province of Guangxi and viewing landscapes seen and experienced by ancient Chinese thousand or so years before and as these ancient people we absorbing the Qi (Chi energy) of the place and wondering why is it so I understand Feng Shui origins come in part from the landscapes of limestone peaks and adjoining rice paddies and fields of Guilin and regions including that of Yangshuo which I recently visited in May 2010

Yin handing over to Yang - Spring Yang handing over to Yin - Autumn During these periods a time arises when they are both in harmony with each other Neither Yin or Yang and that reflected in the ambiance of sunlight, shadow, movement in the season, wind flow and temperature variation

Three stages in life, what an absurdity, how can life be split into stages Life is life and a transition from birth to death, but this journey could be broken down to view life from another prospective

Over the past so many years I've developed a vision of Chi seen through 8 elements I first saw these as a composition at Callala Bay on the New South Wales South Coast of Australia on an extraordinary afternoon gazing over a veranda with beer in hand and the sounds of the Rolling Stones in the background

Recently I've been talking to various people about Chi Gardening and a discussion with two blokes come to mind Both were successful, you know the big house, boat and maybe millionaire tag and both were interested in nature and their need to connect to it

''The lantern is present everywhere'' That might be a rash statement

For most lovers of nature, gardening can be a very relaxing and fulfilling past time Having a beautiful garden in your home, especially if you live in the busy city can offer you an amazing sense of serenity and welcome

''You know, there are two ways of looking at gardening '', I said to some hapless person '' Definitely many more, but these two will do for now''

To a half interested observer of one's surroundings, change is on the make in China Change charging and displayed as change does and not so more obvious in cities such as Chengdu, home of the Panda

Qingcheng Shan holy Taoist mountain, an early home to Taoism and its teachings dating back in time to about 100AD, and I was going to visit it For a student and believer in Taoism it was going to be something of a revelation and catalyst to my first China visit in May 2010

I recently visited the township (and future city of five million) of Yangshuo located about 60 Kilometres downstream from Guilin in the Guangxi province of Southern China Countryside world famous for its landscape of Karst limestone pinnacles dotting the plains and fading into the mists

When I arrived in Kunming, which is located in the Yunnan province of China, a curious thing happened; the city was Yang Now, why would anyone say that