Last year we planted our first vegetable garden and Carlos, the chef, used the fresh produce in his dishes and as garnishes.  The Pacific Giant pumpkins formed the basis of a produce display we set up in the ballroom and in early June we took the display to Auckland to be a focal point for the Boutique Hotels and Lodges stand at TRENZ. 

Autumn is my favourite season of the year and at Sarnia Park it is stunning as there are so many deciduous English trees in the garden.  In Autumn 2008 the colours were beautiful in early May so we had a photographer take quite a few lovely photos on 13 May.  It was a long, relatively wind free season, however, this year it was quite different as early frosts and torrential rain meant that the trees lost their leaves in late April/early May.