Day Seventy Five Abbotsford

 It's been a couple of weeks since I was walking the streets and today I walked 22 streets around Abbotsford.

917. Armstrong Lane
918. Boomer Street
919. Crimp Street
920. Kane Street
921. Harrison Street
922. Christie Street
923. Penrich Street
924. Mitchell Street
925. Percy Street
926. Edward Street
927. Mathew Street
928. John Street
929. Lethaby Street
930. Dall Street
931. Binnie Street
932. Runciman Street
933. Paterson Street
934. Shulma Stret
935. Shipka Street
936. Exmouth Street
937. Unsworth Street
938. Neill Street

Not long after starting my walk today, I walked over the bridge that crosses the Kaikorai Stream.  I have walked beside and over this stream before when I walked the streets of Kaikorai Valley and near Frasers Gully.  

The first part of my walk took me around the streets that border the area where the 1979 Abbotsford slip happened.  Today the area has been transformed into sports fields but prior to August 1979 the area was streets and houses.  Over a period of several months cracks were appearing in the ground and burst water pipes were continually being repaired with most residents voluntarily leaving their homes.  In late July 1979 there was heavy rain which increased the size of the cracks substantially and on 8 August, the hillside slipped away, taking 69 homes with it.  Today the area is peaceful with sports fields.

 

It must have been a very uncertain time for many people living in Abbotsford, including those living on Christie Street as the houses on one side of Christie Street slipped away and the other side was 'safe'.  This photo is of Christie Street with houses on the right and the land on the left now used for sports fields and animal grazing. 

As Abbotsford is a hilly suburb, there were some good views on my walk today and I was able to look down on the streets that I would be walking later on during my walk.  Saddle Hill dominated a lot of the views today.  

I was also able to look over towards Green Island where I had been walking a couple of weeks ago.  It is good to know that I don't have to walk these streets as I have already done so.  

The railway line runs through Abbotsford and I walked along (and over) the railway line for part of my walk today.  A cycle way is being built beside the railway line. 

In Abbotsford today, I walked past a playground with two names.  This playground is called the Matthew Street playground but in the 1970's it was called the Penrich Playground. 

 I was also able to look down on the playground from above while walking the streets on the hill above the playground.

There was piece of public art that I walked past today, this little girl losing her balloons painted on a fence. 

I saw a couple of interesting letterbox today.  This cow letterbox was near animals grazing and while there were no cows nearby, there were sheep on the other side of the road. And the other letterbox is bright and cheerful with daffodils

 

Distance walked:  11.4  km         Walking time  2 hr 6 mins  

 

Total distance: 603.9 km       Total walking  112 hr 51 mins