The rose garden in a corn field

This lovely rose garden and picnic area sits amid the rural fields along Hwy 3 near Whanganui.

I could have spent an hour there taking photos, but we had places to be.

Merry Christmas

A real gift

The world has enjoy/endured my existence for a very long time and I have seen a lot of things come and go. I'm old enough to remember when

• children were taught to say, 'sir' and 'ma'am',
• 'the customer is always right' and
• that newfangled tv was just a fad.

One of the sadder things that have gone to the wayside is customer appreciation over the years.

But today I was taken back 50 years to a time when it was the norm. Hubby came in with a package from Vodafone today. It was an actual Christmas present from Vodafone (who put in our broadband fiber last month).

Among the lovely contents was:

• a box of chocolates
• a holiday recipe magazine
• a limited edition book
• a grinch DVD and Christmas sticker
• more chocolate
• a movie pass for two
• $50 credit on the account
• a water bottle
• a family card game
• Christmas candy canes
• and a hand-written note signed 'love, Vodafone!'

I am quite impressed. Well done, vodafone!

Douglas Boarding House

The Douglas Boarding House was built in 1906 by a local farmer by the name of Mr. Arthur Walter. It became a half-way house and later on a stopping place for the frequent travellers passing through the area.

Click here to read more.

compromise

For our 12th anniversary, Hubby wanted a candle light dinner and I wanted fish and chips on the beach, so this was our compromise :)