Winter is upon us

Dig out your ice scrapers; winter is upon us.

The hot, dry summer is long gone, and the days are swiftly getting shorter. For me, I have to get into the habit of allowing an extra few minutes to get ready each morning as we start to get those winter frosts.

It’s never any fun clutching a chilly steering wheel while the remnants of the icy windscreen finally melt away, but it’s only going to get colder!

Moving to a rural village means we now have foggy mornings most days so that’s another reason to get up a little earlier as the visibility reduces. So don’t forget those low-beam headlights when driving in the morning – park lights do nothing to increase visibility.

As we finish off our fourth issue, I’d like to say a special thank you to you, our readers, and the wonderful businesses, schools, groups, and individuals who have supported our growing community paper with your advertising. It’s a tough financial climate for many, so we really appreciate the support from you, our community of readers and advertisers.

Some of the team from our sister newspaper, Eastern Times, attended the NZ Community
Newspaper Association conference and awards in early May. The Eastern Times’ very
experienced and skilled art director, Clare McGillivray, was awarded the Best Graphic Designer prize.

Congratulations, Clare and a big thank you from the Franklin Times team for your support
and advice as we settle into the swing of things here.

As always, keep those Community Hero nominations coming in! And don’t forget to include the contact details for each person nominated.