Tuesday 3 April 2012

Redoing storytelling Sunday April as it is in March on blogger instead of April!

Story Telling Sunday April

It was an ordinary day, just like any other. In fact so indistinguishable from any other day that I cannot tell you the date or even the day now. I was home alone, the children were at school, husband at work, a normal afternoon. The telephone rang and I answered it. I had won a holiday!
Off course I had won holidays before, I was familiar with the cold call announcing an amazing win. The caller always explained the fabulous prize, then explained the catch! Sometimes a compulsory attendance for 2 people at a London based seminar (read sales event) and/ or all flights and taxes had to be paid by me ......... so not really a free holiday at all!!


This caller claimed to be from a travel agent (one I had never heard off),she said I had won a holiday for 2 people to New Zealand (not very believable) and that it was the prize in acompetition I had entered (which I didn't even recall!) I listened intently for the catch to come but it didn't. I gave a few of my details said I would discuss it with my husband and the 'travel agent' would call me again.

I immediately looked up the travel agency online and it seemed to be real. I looked up the competition I had entered and it clearly existed, the prize from an online lingerie company no less... a holiday of a lifetime and rather expensive swimwear. I spoke to my husband and we decided to watch and wait.

I was still in denial when we arrived at the airport, I expected to be told there were no flights, no holiday and no win. But it was all real! I had indeed won an all expenses trip for a week to New
Zealand.

We didn't take many photos, we missed the children dreadfully, we wished we had extended our stay (we did manage 10 days in the end) and we really loved the small part of New Zealand we saw.

Hundreds of dolphins (with a few whales) on a boat trip from Auckland

A vineyard tour on the Island of Waiheke

A rainbow over the Coromandel


This is my second story about winning, last month was all about my mum winning a car, this time it was all about me! I think our winning streak has now run out! Also just in case you are interested I never did get any of the expensive swimwear I was meant to win but it didn't really matter!
Please visit Sian's blog from High in the sky for more story telling Sunday tales from around the globe xxx

7 comments:

  1. Ooh what a lovely prize! Glad you had a fab time - I'll remember what you said about wishing you had extented the holiday (just in case, eh)!
    I have won a "big" prize, once in my life. On the face of it, it wasn't terribly exciting, as it was "a year's free shopping orders" from Ocado (we've been signed up for shopping delivery with them since about 2005 and they were quite a new company then, so it was a publicity/customer getting exercise). So, a year of free groceries sounds a bit dull.. except when you work out just how much money you actually spend on groceries each month, then put it away in a savings account... and save up a few thousand pounds!! That paid for a holiday to EuroDisney and the rest went towards our new bedroom extension fund. So a fab prize really, in the end! Like you, though, I was very suspicious when I first answered the phone... Just goes to show we can't always assume the worst, but need to listen carefully and check the details!
    Great photos - glad you had such a lovely prize and have good memories to share.

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  2. What a lovely surprise prize!!
    Alison xx

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  3. It's nice to know that just occasionally, if it seems too good to be true - it is actually true!!
    And a tip - if you ever need to get out of a situation with time share sales people, just tell them you are brother sister not partners - this makes you ineligible - strange but true.

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  4. How lucky was this! I'm delighted you had such a lovely time, and to do something which you might not otherwise have done. Hurrah for nice surprises!

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  5. Wow that must have been very exciting!! Love that last photo of the rainbow :)

    So happy you will be joining in on the MAE :)

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  6. How fun!!! And how exciting to have won such a fabulous prize! Years ago, my (now ex-) husband won a 10 day tour of Italy. I was in denial at first too, so I understand the feeling!

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  7. What a wonderful prize! I would have been waiting for the catch, too! LOL

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