Sunday

We have, as usual, a hotel breakfast. Our plan is to have a hotel lunch then a walk in the forest.

Well, first is morning tea in the village. Then back home for a rest. Till noon. We're booked in for the hotel's Sunday roast.

We both choose the half size plate (suitable for children 5 to 12:-) I can't finish my large lump of roast pork.

Our first dinner here was... pretentious. Breakfasts and this lunch are real food.

After lunch we drive to bolderwood Deer Sanctuary. It's a government thing, free, so that's a nice change.

We park and walk. A couple of km along Forest trails, it's all very peaceful and pleasant. The trail is well signed. Deb also follows AllTrails, which makes navigation even easier.

There's a "Deer platform" near the start but... half way round we see some deer. For or five, doing what deer do. Which is nothing much, not while we're watching, anyway.

Yes it's a sanctuary but the deer are wild within the sanctuary. seeing these deer is, to me, far more exciting than the caged deer the other day. Well worth the visit to the sanctuary :-)

The forest is... well, what can I say, it's full of trees. Beautiful, really. Some large trees but not a great variety of larger sizes. It was replanted several decades ago.

The road inn and out, for two miles, is narrow, with maybe a20cm drop off the bitumen. When we pass another car, Deb has to be careful of the edge. There's a lot of passing on the way in, less on the way out. But enough that Deb has to concentrate. She does not really enjoy it.

To sweeten the day... there is a Mr Whippy at the carpark.

And that drive is through very nice forest.

On the drive, road signs pointing to Southampton. If only, we think, if only we knew someone we could visit, now we are so close to Southampton... (family reference).

Back in the hotel... we had bought sandwiches, which we eat in our room for dinner.

The BBC will live broadcast Glastonbury festival. Of only we were here in June, we are quite close. No... Glastonbury would be fun, but too crowded for us. Deb reads about the festival. About allowing several hours just to get back on the roads to drive home. And, interesting, the farm has nowhere to recharge an electric car. Something to think about for 24 hour rogaines.

End of another touring but enjoyable day :-)

Tipping.

We pay nearly everything by credit card. My credit card, usually. Mine is quick to grab from my pocket. Also, it has a lower limit, so less risk of we lose it, or whatever.

Anyway, after morning tea, I wave my card. The woman says, just follow the prompts. I'll need to get my glasses, I say. She says, don't worry and presses a button. I tap my card on the machine.

Later I realise that if I could see the screen, it would be asking for a tip.

When the request is obvious, I will tip. Otherwise, not.

Tipping is an offshoot of the master-slave relationship. Kiss my boots or I will not pay you.

We already pay the hotel, cafe, whatever. If they do not pay their staff then the staff are slaves. If I tip then I am supporting an employer which underpays its staff.

And if the service is terrible then I will not return.

That's my view. I am anti tipping.

Sometimes I wonder if a helpful employee is just angling for a tip. the doubt makes me embarrassed. Which annoys me.

If it's added to the bill, I can accept it. Otherwise, I do not, or prefer to not, tip. Smile, say thank you, avoid eye contact (wave the white stick:-) and walk away.

.

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
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If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.