Red Dirt Diary 2 Read Online Free PDF Page A

which he tucked away in his diary. Weird!
    Three days until Mum’s birthday.
    Four days until Sophie and Peter return.
    Saturday, 16 December
    Mum was driving the grain truck from the paddocks to the silos today, so I was left at home with Wes and Fez. I hid in my room all day so I didn’t have to see what they were up to. Started making Mum’s birthday present.
    Petal pooped on the photo of Wes and Fez. She’s so clever.
    When I came out of my room to make a milkshake, there was a trail of Band-Aid wrappers through the kitchen and I could see Wes’s bicycle hanging off the edge of thetrampoline. I hid back in my bedroom with Petal and Fluffles and read for the rest of the day.
    Sophie and Peter will be home on Tuesday and I will feel much safer.
    Sunday, 17 December
    Decorated the Christmas tree today. Mum thought it would be a quiet, safe thing for us to do while she and Dad were away from the house. It ended up covered in red and gold baubles, silver tinsel, little white snowmen and strings of rabbit poo that Wes and Fez had spent all afternoon threading together with needles and cotton. They laughed and laughed as though it was the cleverest thing they had ever done. Actually, it probably is the cleverest thing they have ever done, which doesn’t say much about the rest of their lives …
    Mum freaked when she saw it. She made them take it all off, but the lounge room still smells a bit whiffy.
    Only two days until Sophie and Peter are home for the holidays!

    Monday, 18 December
    Happy birthday, Mum!
    Mum loved the scrapbook of her life that I gave her. She flicked through it, smiling at first, then crying a little bit at the photo of Sophie, me, Mum and Granny Parker just before Granny died. She didn’t even seem to notice that there wasn’t any mention of Wes and Fez in the whole thing. I wish they’d slip my mind so easily …
    Didn’t have a party or anything. Mum and Dad are too busy with the harvesting. Mum said there’s no rest for the wicked, but that’s not true otherwise Wes and Fez wouldn’t sleep a wink.
    Mat spent the whole of lunch time making me practise the bridesmaid’s walk for Miss McKenzie’s wedding. Apparently it’s not good enough to just wander up the aisle of the church in front of the bride. You have to do this freaky thing where you step and stop, drag one foot up beside the other, step and stop, drag the other foot up beside the first one, step and stop …
    I tried to do it properly, but I got totally tangled up in my own feet. I just kept limping like I was a war veteran with shrapnel embeddedin my leg. Mat was furious and said I wasn’t taking my bridesmaid duties seriously.
    It was all very, very depressing.
    At least Sophie and Peter will be home tomorrow.
    Tuesday, 19 December
    They are home at last!
    Mrs O’Donnell dropped them off just after Wes, Fez and I got home on the bus.
    I told Gavin that Mat was looking forward to seeing him, and he asked, ‘Who?’ Mat will be devastated when I tell her.
    Wes and Fez celebrated the grand homecoming by teaching Peter their latest stunts on the trampoline. Sophie and I cooked dinner.
    When Mum and Dad came in at eight for a break from harvesting, we all sat down together and ate lamb chops, mashed potatoes and peas, and steamed golden syrup pudding with custard made from fresh eggs. It was just perfect.
    Mum showed Sophie and Peter the invitation to Miss McKenzie’s engagement party. Peter said James Welsh-Pearson sounds like the name of a wrestling manoeuvre. He grabbed Dad in a headlock and pulled his arm back to demonstrate.Dad’s eyes nearly popped out of his head and his shoulder popped out of its socket. Mr Sweeney had to come and pop it back in before Dad could go out on the harvester again. Dad bellowed like a bull getting branded.
    Wes and Fez thought it looked as cool as anything. They are in their bedroom right now, wrestling and trying to