The garden is a place where we can go to get away from the discomforts of everyday life, a place where we can sit back and listen to birdsong and the rustling of the tree's leaves.
One popular type of ornament are garden wind chimes, which as well as their ornamental appeal are beneficial thanks to their relaxing properties when disturbed by a light breeze.
Wind chimes are thought to date back to 3000 BC, originating in India, where they were used to frighten away evil spirits and birds from temples.
From India they spread to China, Egypt, Japan, Tibet and Bali, only arriving in the western world in the nineteenth century.
While they were originally bell like in form, modern garden wind chimes tend to consist of a number of tubular pipes which can vary in length, surrounding a central pendulum that moves in the breeze and creates an untuned sound when it strikes the tubes - the sound produced varies with the size, thickness and material of the tubes.
Common materials include metal and wood, including bamboo, but chimes can also be made from glass, porcelain and even seashells.
Many people find that the sound produced by wind chimes relaxes them as unlike music there is no melody or rhythm to follow.
The sound is much more natural sounding than music, and the effect they produce is more like listening to the ocean waves breaking against the shore, rainfall or a thunderstorm - all of which can aid relaxation and a meditative state of mind.
One popular type of ornament are garden wind chimes, which as well as their ornamental appeal are beneficial thanks to their relaxing properties when disturbed by a light breeze.
Wind chimes are thought to date back to 3000 BC, originating in India, where they were used to frighten away evil spirits and birds from temples.
From India they spread to China, Egypt, Japan, Tibet and Bali, only arriving in the western world in the nineteenth century.
While they were originally bell like in form, modern garden wind chimes tend to consist of a number of tubular pipes which can vary in length, surrounding a central pendulum that moves in the breeze and creates an untuned sound when it strikes the tubes - the sound produced varies with the size, thickness and material of the tubes.
Common materials include metal and wood, including bamboo, but chimes can also be made from glass, porcelain and even seashells.
Many people find that the sound produced by wind chimes relaxes them as unlike music there is no melody or rhythm to follow.
The sound is much more natural sounding than music, and the effect they produce is more like listening to the ocean waves breaking against the shore, rainfall or a thunderstorm - all of which can aid relaxation and a meditative state of mind.