Bus stop, 0622 am

This morning I had limited time for my morning run because of an early start. So I decided to just run the length of Ponsonby Road and back home. On the way out, I passed this man sitting at the bus stop patiently waiting for his bus to come. I got brave, and went back to ask if he would mind if I took his photograph.

He instantly jumped and said "Photo? Sure". I encouraged him to sit down and then talked to him quietly while organising the angle, focus etc. Asked him what he does. He paints cars. "Good colours, I hope" says I. His response (while I was taking this photo) was "Sure; sure". I wasn't quite brave enough to ask his name, and after thanking him I went on my way.

I was pleased to be able to have him in front of the "texan art school". Probably, there are more people who gain pleasure from his work painting their cars than from the texan art school. Or maybe that's just my (non-artistic) prejudice. Another photo for my One Street project.

The reason for the early start was that I needed to leave home early enough to walk to the corner of K Road and Symonds Street; to the hotel and the conference I'm attending over the first three days of this week. The Royal Australian and NZ College of Psychiatrists was formed in 1963 with a NZ president. In this 50th anniversary year, we again have a NZ president. This is the NZ National conference.

There is a strong focus on Intellectual Disability (a big change for antipodean conferences); other themes are covered by the conference title "Strands". One of the most affecting presentations today was from a psychiatrist presenting the background to her PhD thesis, which is based on Autoethnographical techniques. This was very moving and also very valuable as she spoke about healing and what lead to healing for her. Healing, of course, being different to cure, and to recovery. Recovery is the current aim, and truly can only occur if there has been healing. Yet that is not part of standard discourse.

More to come over the next day and a half. Good to have the stimulation of new ideas, and the contact with friends, old and less old, and some even young!