週末は東京に妻と二人で行ってきた。鳥取のラグビークラブがYC&ACでの定期戦があり、土曜日の午後は山手に行って、関東在住の助っ人の助けもあり(皆、本当にありがとうございました)、豪雨・暴風という最悪の気候の中でのラグビーをした。やはり、いいよね。正面からの体当たり、ぶつかり合い、取っ組みあいが楽しくて、雨なんかクソ食らえだった。

　夜は妻の二人だけで隣のうるさく下品なお上りさんを除けば静かな夕食を食べ、そのあとはマッサージをしてぐっすり寝た。

　日曜日は犬不在の静かな朝を迎え、いつもとぜんぜん違う贅沢な時間を過ごし、好きな店でキャンドルホールダーやらを買ってから日本橋にあるマンダリンオリエンタルホテルで香港を思い出す飲茶をこれも又お上品でゆっくり食べた。香港で食べる飲茶は主にシティーホールだった。今はかなり綺麗になっているが当時はちょっと汚くて、すごくうるさくて、ワゴンで運んで来る飲茶を手振り身振りでお願いして、数人で食っていた時と全く違うけど味はいいですよ。

　地元に帰って来て、朝まだ暗い時に電話で起こされたけど出てみたら、姉の叫び声で目がしっかり覚めた。

無罪　無罪　無罪

　今日から始まる3年以上前から準備していた姉の訴訟で初日の午前中の双方の冒頭陳述直後、証人はまだ呼ばれていない状態で、裁判官がすぐその場で判決を出したという知らせだった。

　兄まで駆けつけて、僕が明後日大阪からビデオリンクで証言する予定だったがその必要もなくなり、ちょっとした費用の支払い義務があるが政府側が求刑していた懲役がない、前科が付かない、今日から生活に戻れる最高の判決。

　これならば朝早い電話が許される。

　お姉ちゃん、やったね。お目出度う。

 We spent the weekend in Tokyo, me to play rugby with my club team at YC&AC and my wife catching up with friends. The rugby was played thanks to the help of several mates and ex-member of our club now living in the Kanto region (thanks to you all) and was in the worst possible conditions: driving rain and strong winds as the temperature dropped sharply. All that aside, we all had a raging time, loving every hard hit and fierce contact.

 I met my wife later for dinner at a very very nice French restaurant, spoilt slightly by the noisy couple at the next table, then it was time for a massage to ease the bruised muscles and a good night's sleep.

 Sunday was a relaxed day, breakfast without three dogs tearing round the room demanding to be made a fuss of, buying some rather unusual candleholders not available here in the boondocks, then dim-sum lunch at the Sense Restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. This was a totally different experience to the dim-sum we used to enjoy at the City Hall in Hong Kong, a noisy, rumbustuous place where you yelled for the wagons and ordered dishes directly from them. Sense is all calm and quiet, but the food was exquisite.

 Back home and we were woken by an early phone call. When I picked up the receiver, all I could hear was the sound of my sister screaming

DISCHARGED WITHOUT CONVICTION

at the top of her voice.

    What she was trying to say was that the verdict in a case brought against her by the NZ government and for which we had been preparing for for over three years had been handed down by the residing judge after he had heard the opening arguments by both lawyers, on the first morning of the trial and before he had heard any witnesses.

   Our elder brother had made the trip to be there and I was scheduled to give witness via a video link on Wednesday, but this was all to prove unnecessary. She has to pay some charges and fees but there was no fine or prison sentence as demanded by the state prosecutor, so my sister walks out of court with no criminal record, free to return to her life immediately.

 That is the sort of early-morning call I do not mind at all.

 Congratulations, sister. We did it!!!!!!

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