Mt Eden 1

 Our daughter Jindina was going on a short break up north and I was only too happy to house and cat sit for her as I just love staying there in Mt Eden. Especially now that she has moved into this nice front flat from

 her old digs in the tiny back flat of the same house. Like a lot of old houses it was added onto a few times and this tiny add on was her first flat in her new life after living under our wing for over 10 years as she struggled with poor health. Now here she is working full-time and now embarking on her first half marathon walk.

 I saw her on her way and was very quick to pop down the road and catch the bus into the city with my gold card. It is such fun to travel by buss to downtown then hop on another bus up to Krd and my favourite stretch of this colourful street. I browsed a few quirky shops the several op shop and this wonderful store that is totally Indian themed. As you can see there is so much colour and crafty stuff to feast the eyes on .

 Shelves of lovely lovely things

 This beautiful Kantha quilt caught my eye but I do already have one and it was much cheaper than these.

 I love this patchwork dumpy. Food for the creative mind.

 These dangly beauties are inspiration too. Something to make for my birdcage. The owls are cute.

 At the door was a scrummy array of colourful bags. A lot of them patchwork. More ideas.

 It was soon time for some refreshment so I headed for my favourite place in St Kevens Arcade. The Aleluya cafe has so many tables out in the arcade all old, vintage, and quirky with chairs of the same flavour. I love it

 There is a big menu but I just go for one of their delicious quiches with chutney and as I wasn't driving I had a cider to go with it. Good stuff.

 The inside is also quirky with odd old chairs and old tapestry cushions and piles of books and mags to browse.

 I was browsing a mag and was drawn to this advert for washing powder. The words went
"This is not just a soft toy. This is Bunny: professional cuddled, part-time therapist. Its an important job". Isn't that cute.

 The next morning I pulled back the curtains to see an orange cat on the neighbours roof enjoying the morning sun. It was time for a walk, around the mountain I think.

 Across the road at the lights in the village there is this lovely mural.

 I love the door in the middle

 and this lovely mosaic on the public loos,

 And just a couple of doors down is this place that fascinates me.

 The oldest part of this home that is several flats and with a very rundown appearance.

 It has a joining piece attaching it to the later bungalow style house

 It all needs a lot of tlc. You will come to realise that I love old houses and would love to own and live in one. I am always looking at them and fantasising about what I would do with them.

 Like this sweet cottage which is in quite good nick.

 I'm not interested in the grander styles but I appreciate their beauty and aesthetics.

 Along the way there are open welcoming entrys

 And those that say make an appointment. There was a lovely big period house in the background.

 There are many stone walls. This being a volcanic area , this one covered in moss and lichen.

 Some walls are covered in ivy.

 There are flats and apartments in old houses

 And apartments in grand buildings like The Pines, there in the distance on the slopes of the mountain.

 This is the parklike gardens belonging to the Pines

 This is the entrance. Quite something and I bet theres a hefty pricetag to match. I'll stick to my daughters flat thanks.

 There are old stumps of trees that have passed on

 And huge trees on the pavement. This is an old Norfolk Pine.

 And here are the gates of Government House where royalty stays when in the country and it is famous for being the place where Prince William took his first steps on the lawn.

 This is famous for us as the place where our daughter was born. Right in that room on the end . It is of course the Mercy Hospital though back then 40yrs ago it was known as the Mater and was mainly a maternity hospital run by nuns. Now it is very much larger and is a private general hospital where many dedicated specialists perform their miracles to heal people. Some of the family have been blessed here including me.

And so I walked along the road sometimes blessed by some late cherry blossoms. It was such a lovely walk and its not over so I will continue in episode 2.
I hope you have enjoyed walking with me. Thanks for coming along and blessings,Trills.