The View

This is a running post.

And a scenery post.

And a little jaunt down memory lane.

See? Something for everyone!

You can thank me later.

I lived in Temple View, which is in the Waikato, New Zealand (think Hobbiton) from 1967 thru 1979. Give or take a few absences of varying lengths. 

Never, in that time, did I run.

Unless I was late for school, or the bus, or the school bus.

Even then, I suspect I probably walked fast.

So it was kinda fun, on this visit, to run around those roads that I love so much.

Come for a little jog with me.

This is what we see as we run down Mum's driveway...

...and then we turn right.

We run past the house that Mum had built after Dad died. 

My sister and her husband bought it from Mum, then added onto it so that it would accommodate their growing family. They only just sold it so that they could move out to their lovely beach house. Now, another family lives there and I was happy to hear children's footsteps running around the upper story as I jogged past.

Past the straggly tropical trees.

Up and around the corner, past the house of the new Kiwi Seventy (non-Mormons won't get that one at all) who is buddies with my sister and brother-in-law.

Next to that is the house where Mum and I lived, for a few months after Dad died, with our dearly departed friend Lamia. Lamia built her own house and this lovely wall.

Down Deseret Road...

...and all the way to the end.

That grove of trees in the distance holds some ... interesting ... memories!

Dad used to take us out at dawn to gather mushrooms in these fields, which backed up onto our house. We would come home with buckets full of the big treasures.

Back out and up the road. This part of the road used to be gravel. 

Mighty nice of them to pave it, don't you think?

Wonder if this bad boy is friendly?

Nope. My hand still holds the bruise to prove it!

That large, dead gum tree that's leaning to the right is only held up by the evergreen next to it.

Major disaster waiting to happen.

Hello, brown cow.

This hill is much longer and steeper than it looks and I confess I walked some of it.

Feeling the burn, so back down the road we go and through the shortcut and around the loop to our old house.

Eight happy years I spent in this house. The current owners have been in it for over 30 years and yet it still feels like mine. I always visit and tell them how much I appreciate their taking such good care of it!

Then, up the hill that I walked every day in my teens, often more than once.

And yes, I did make it to the top.

Even though it aged me several years.

On other days my route included the temple.

This is the view from the bottom of Mum's driveway.

Here we go.

I ran up the steps and back down again.

It felt a little sacrilegious, but strangely satisfying.

If you hung around to the end, thanks for that!
See you tomorrow.
I'm ba-ack!