Sunset at Te Rewa Rewa

After I quiet night I headed in to work where I had a mixture of things to do and different types of challenge to solve. No time pressure. That's the important thing as then I have the full opportunity to engage the reflective process, which is often so necessary to get things right.

That has long been one of my complaints about the MANAGEMENT approach to health. Specialists need time to reflect, not just do. In the 75 - 80% of clinical situations where just doing is appropriate because it's relatively straight forward, there's no problem created by the expectation that time, number or other easily measured but clinically irrelevant target will be met.

But we cannot always know ahead of time that every person we see is in that group. Of course, 20 % or so are NOT in that group. They require the expert to have the time and the resources (often other staff) to consider all options and reflect carefully before doing.

The person I saw yesterday, I have spent much more than the allotted hour sorting out. There is now a possibility that he may accept an offer of something that could make a real difference. I've had that opportunity by taking my lunch time, and because a couple of patients cancelled. Luck, mainly.

The other good thing about today was seeing the positive effects of some interventions begun a few weeks ago, and coming to fruition now. Patients who believed they were beyond help starting to feel that something actually works.

So. I felt so good about things, and had done all but one letter (which I can do more easily tomorrow), that I left early for me and had the opportunity to get back onto the Coastal Walkway to try to finish the whole Port to Bell Block route. Previously I have reached just north of the Te Rewa Rewa Bridge.

Tonight I began at the bridge and headed on towards Bell Block. Almost immediately, I paused to photograph a female blackbird sitting on a gate. As I did, I saw a hen pheasant run from cover. Too fast for a photo, but the cock followed almost immediately. Two quick shots, but the focus and framing were appalling. Nevertheless, this was a clearly identified bird, and the photo, poor quality accepted, is unmistakably a cock pheasant. Bird Nø 51 for the year.

Little else on the way out, stopping short of Bell block because of time. On the way back some okay photos of the setting sun over the Tasman sea. When I got back to the bridge, I went on a bit to see if the sun was colouring the bridge. It wasn't, so I headed back to the car. On the other side of the bridge.

Where this was what I saw.