Linda Hall: A perfect day for bit of a run

The Country2Coast race happened over the weekend.

As I write this my legs ache and my feet are rather sore, but I still have a huge grin on my face.

It's now six hours since I completed the 8km run in the Country2Coast and I made it all the way without stopping or walking.

What a fantastic event.

Hundreds of people of all shapes, sizes and ages turned out to walk or run 8km, 15km or 20km.

The day was perfect. A bit chilly to start with but no wind to speak of and clear blue skies.

But what stood out for me the most was the atmosphere and the wonderful volunteer marshalls.

Everyone was encouraging friends and family and the marshalls must have said "well done" or "this way" hundreds of times during the course of the morning.

Although I was curious to see what time I did the event, for me, was all about getting to the end without walking.

I bet there were hundreds of entrants who set themselves little goals.

I watched people cheering themselves over the line, sprint in, give hi-fives to one another, hug and laugh. It was magic.

So well done to all of those that took part and to all the organisers and volunteers - thank you.

Now to something completely different. Our Prime minister has landed himself smack bang in the middle of a scandal. What he was thinking is beyond me. However, I'm not going to get into that here, so much has been written and said about it already and I'm sure there is plenty more to come.

What did catch my attention about this was how badly our hospitality people are treated. They say it's not uncommon for customers to treat them with distain.

They deal with rude customers on a regular basis.

Why do people feel they can treat people like this? Just because they happen to be serving food or drinks does not make them personal slaves.

They are doing a job and earning a living exactly like people who work in offices, retail, - any employment actually.

Now and again we get texts to the editor complaining about how rude this or that shop assistant was.

Yes it does happen but I think Hawke's Bay is pretty good when it comes to customer service.

When you go into a retail shop you really only spend minutes with the shop assistant. It's different for "hospo" employees and there's also a big difference between cafes and restaurants or pubs.

In a cafe you make your order at the counter and then the waitress or waiter brings it to you. You'd be lucky if you spend five minutes together.

In a restaurant it's an entirely different situation.

Tables are usually assigned a waitress or waiter and he or she "attends to you".

This is where it can all go astray, especially when you throw in some alcohol.

For some reason some diners think that no matter how many people there are in the restaurant, they should be looked after first and foremost - and waiting for anything is not an option for them.

Never mind that food actually takes time to cook.

How would these people react if someone came into their workplace and started demanding attention.

We all have jobs and some days those jobs are harder to do than others.

So let's try and make each other's days a little better and just be nice to each other. -Linda Hall is assistant editor at Hawke's Bay Today.