Connecting

This morning's run was through Western Park, where I got a photograph from the path across the sculptures [one of which [url=http://www.blipfoto.com/view.php?id=1006966&month=3&year=2011]featured[/url] a month ago] to the street where one of the buses connecting the outer suburbs with the city was just turning into Ponsonby Road.

Although I was quite pleased with it, I chose this photo (not taken while on my run). Because the morning sun is shining right onto the high arches of the Auckland Harbour Bridge which connects the central city with the North Shore. When I was young, one could cross the harbour by ferry or drive many miles northwest before heading east and then south to reach the North Shore.

This connection has boosted the population of North Shore City, because of the ease of getting to the city. Well. It used to be easy. For almost two hours at the start and again at the end of the working day, cars travel bumper to bumper and stopped almost as much as they move. For the almost nine years I crossed the bridge to work on the North Shore, the traffic flow was fine, as I was going "against the traffic".

Why was I interested in connection this morning? We had a one hour telephone conversation with our younger daughter who arrived back in London after three months as a volunteer worker in Madagascar. Every three or four weeks she was there, there was a flurry of connectedness as she was back to where the internet worked and emails and facebook burned hot. So lovely to be back in closer and more leisurely connection.

Just a note about the picture; I used the telephoto lens and there is therefore a great deal of foreshortening. The street which is visible connects up to Ponsonby Road just around the corner, and that is 2 km from here.