Surely it's time to head back

Although I'm still on call (for DAMHS matters) until Monday morning, I'm on leave from the ward work until 14 June. Needing the break, even if I will be busy with the new house.

Today was settlement day, and I had to transfer a little extra to the lawyer as they had miscalculated in their earlier statement. I was expecting that (actually rather more) from my rough calculations. All done and dusted. Daughter J was given the keys this afternoon, as I needed to be here for the ZOOM meetings in the morning.

Late this afternoon, I went down the 70+ steps. At the top were two traffic cones. I ignored the message they gave and went on down. At the bottom of the steps, two men were mixing concrete and making a path from the bottom step. The old path there was broken and uneven. With their agreement, I took their photograph (see the extra) and then managed to get around them without either messing things up or falling (it was easy enough, but health and safety would not have approved).

When I got out on the mudflats where the water was rushing in at mid tide, I saw the local group of spoonbills (Kotuku-ngutupapa). Ten of them. With care I was able to get around them so that the late afternoon sun was shining on them. This was my pick of the photos I took. 

And the last, as I then headed back. The spoonbills continued feeding, so it wasn't yet time.