Friday afternoon Yani gathered all the gypsy kids together and took us to the science museum. There, to our utter delight was a Lego exhibition! I made a stop motion movie with Lego people. We all ran around crazily laughing exploring the exhibition.

Saturday night all the gypsies went down to the Ten pin bowling alley and bowled for best winner and best loser. It was super entertaining.

Palmy fair was not as good as last year but still lots of happy people.

On Sunday night we dragged our hungry selves to an Indian restaurant with the peculiar name “Arranged marriage” Dads jokes were not funny!

We hauled over the hill to Masterton, parking at the Moata park over property. Dad had the Flu so he was horribly grumpy. Mum and him had a huge row, she chased him around the paddock hitting him with her skirt. It was hilarious yet terrible at the same time.

We had a lovely sleep over with Nana and Pa while Mum and Dad had a date and cooled down a bit.

Down came the rain and our plans for going to Kaitoki regional park were splattered. Instead we sped to Lyle bay, Wellington and the new Te papa art exhibition. The Toi art exhibition was varied, colourful and interactive. My favorite exhibit had hundreds of colourful ribbons from dark to light like a rainbow hanging from the ceiling. At the end of every ribbon was attached a teardrop shaped glass bottle. Inside each one, matching the colour of the ribbon was a crystal, spice or some other natural substance. The exhibit signified hope and new beginnings. It smelt wonderful.

Friday morning was a stormy one, grey and hostile. We schooled then headed down to the marina to wait for the call to go and set up for Cuba Dupa. Bye!

We covered him in crystals to sooth his soul and let him go peacefully.

Saturday and Sunday were a frenzy of preparations for Granddads funeral. Friends and relatives started arriving, patting me on the head and saying “so sorry”. I didn’t know who any of them were.

We woke up early Monday morning, the day of the funeral and drove to Napier to buy savories for 200 people. Then made haste for the church in Puketapu.

The funeral was held; long, sad and heavy on godly talk which was to be honest a bit irritating. Charlotte, Renae (cousins) and I recited a poem. He was carried out of the church to the melancholy strains of Leonard Cohens Hallelujah

Mum was one of the pall bearers. Granddad was very heavy but Mum is very strong. She carried him gallantly all the way out to the cemetery where he was laid to rest on top of Grandma.

That night we drove, exhausted to Haumoana where we slept long and deep, lulled by the crashing waves. We woke up, spent some time on the beach, then I made apple pies for lunch. Yum! The rest of the day was spent relaxing, playing and more relaxing in the shade at the beach. Wednesday we fitted a new lock to Granddads shed, we had to force our way in since he had lost the key ages ago. We then made our way out of town to a reserve in Norsewood.

Thursday we schooled, played and relaxed before moving on to Pahiatua where we arrived late at a dilapidated netball court and playground that served as a campground.

The next day we drove to Palmy (Palmerston North) for setup. Bye!