Summer 2007

Wow what a crazy couple of weeks it's been! First of all Yuki arrives from Japan, closely followed by our dear friend Karlos from Wellington, and we all move into a flat in Sandringham which we are looking after for some friends of mine, a couple called Mandi and Marcia who are on holiday in Brazil. Within a few days my father is rushed to hospital with a serious case of quickly worsening angina, and scheduled for a triple-bypass operation as soon as possible. I move back home, Mum and I are at the hospital as much as possible and the boys are left to their own devices. Happily they go sightseeing and Yuki discovers he likes hiking. My dad pulls through the operation just fine and is amazingly brave and cheerful every step of the way. Just as he is about to come home, poor old Yuki finds the lovely cat at the flat we are looking after has died in the night. We manage to give Dama (the cat) a proper burial in a lovely spot in my parent's garden, but my friends in Brazil are tormented every time they use a public toilet because on every door there's the sign 'Dama', which means 'lady' in Portugese. Shortly after that all happens things get a lot better cause my dad comes home, and the Aunties arrive, Aunty Margaret from Paihia and Aunty Annette from Oz. Yuki seems to be enjoying Auckland in spite of all the dramas and gets along well with my family, especially Aunty Margaret who tells me that if I don't want him, she'll have him. So anyway Yukes and I are about to head off on a camping trip around the North Island, to get in a bit of Kiwi summer beach action before I start school and he starts looking for work. Can't wait for a swim! It'll be my first one of the year.