An Ode to the Op-Shop

Let’s take some time to celebrate the endless volunteers who donate their time to New Zealand’s many charity op-shops.

Last week I was fortunate enough to have four members of the Methodist group of Marton stop by Thyme Out for a visit. The day they picked to celebrate the birthday of one of their members was a perfect one. Sunny and balmy all rolled into one.

They arrived just after lunch and were all keen to see the garden. It turns out they had passed the road sign many time and were keen to find out how big the garden was.

We took our time walking through the different parts of the garden and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Later on when we stopped for a warm drink and a muffin, one of the ladies told me that she has been a volunteer for the many years in a local op-shop.

My love of the op-shop goes back many years. As a young immigrant, the op-shop was my refuge to find all those household necessities for the children and I. There is so much choice and all the money went to a good cause – a real win-win situation.

To top off the perfect afternoon, they each went home with a bunch of freshly picked daffodils from the field out back.

So I thought I’d just use this time to say thanks to all the volunteers who gave and are still giving their free time to help people like me to find their feet in New Zealand.