"Max" wrote in message
...
When I think of them, I tend to think more of grottos. It must be my
Catholic school upbringing! :-) I would be described as a lapsed Catholic
these days though g. At various schools I went to, they had some really
beautiful grottos. Built from natural rock and old and moss covered
ferro-cement, with a garden seat inside to sit and pray. Always complete
with ferns growing from pockets in the walls, hanging baskets dripping
with chain-of-hearts, and a white statue of Mary holding baby Jesus or
Mary showing you the bleeding heart of Jesus with thorns and a cross. All
tucked away in some corner of the garden. As a kid these grottos always
seamed shrouded in beauty and very mystical and even magical. Cool and
dark and moist places, surrounded by roses, fruit trees and grass, and
outside that, the dry hot old NSW country side. Probably the only good
thing about going to Catholic boarding school. Thanks for the memories
Klyie! :-)

:-D

i must say, that all sounds much more appealing than what they usually mean
by a rockery, eh ;-) (except the bleeding heart of jesus, maybe - i think
that would disrupt my contemplation something severe.)

we used to live near an (ex?)convent with a grotto like that, & a lovely old
garden. it was fab, but i was always too scared to ask for a look round of
course.

my grandma (oddly, she's from the methodist side of the family) had a saint
teresa with eyes that would follow you all around the room. mon dieu!! it
was horrible. but let's not get started on the perils of catholicism g
kylie