Red Dirt Diary 2 Read Online Free PDF Page B

days’ time at the engagement party.
    Mr Cluff looked kind of sad at all the goodbyes too. Don’t know why. You’d think he’d be glad to get rid of Wes and Fez for a while.
    Anyway, now I’m home and on holidays. Petal is snuggled up beside me in bed and Sophie is flicking through my bridesmaid book again. She told me she likes the pink raw silk in the style with the shoestring straps and A-line skirt, but for all I understand she could just have said something very rude about the Bolivian President’s pet armadillo, Frederico, having bad breath! Wedding, wedding, wedding … yackety, yackety, yack … blah, blah, blah …
    Friday, 22 December
    Mum took Sophie and me to Dubbo today. We went Christmas shopping and ate out for lunch — a girls’ celebration of Mum’s birthday. Sophieand I had two iced chocolates each, even though Sophie pretended she was on a diet, and Mum had a glass of champagne.
    We were having a great day until Mum said we had to go shopping for dresses for Miss McKenzie’s engagement party. I nearly vomited — and believe me, there’s a lot that can come up after chicken ricotta rolls, baked potatoes and two iced chocolates.
    Sophie was beside herself with excitement and must have tried on 600 dresses that all looked exactly the same before she found the perfect one. I chose the first decent dress I saw — blue with no frills or ribbons or flowers. Mum said it looked lovely on me and insisted on buying a blue headband and white patent leather shoes. Who does she think I am? Matilda Jane the Mature or something? (Patent, by the way, is the mysterious, mature, fashion word for shiny. Go figure!)
    Wes and Fez have been trying to learn how to juggle all day. The fruit bowl is full of squashed pears and apples.
    Saturday, 23 December
    Got up early to do Christmas cooking with Mum and Sophie. We made two dozen fruitmince tarts, a pavlova, a slab of rocky road and a plum pudding the size of an overgrown wombat. Sadly, someone left the back screen door unlatched. Gertrude charged in and ate half the mince tarts and the whole plum pudding. She was as fat as a bloated blue whale.
    I don’t suppose it really matters. Christmas is going to be a quiet one this year because Dad is racing to finish harvest in time for Miss McKenzie’s engagement party. It will just be us for lunch, then over to the Sweeneys’ for Christmas drinks in the evening.
    Went to the Country Women’s Association Christmas party this afternoon. Mat ran up to Sophie squealing and gave her not one, but THREE air kisses. Who does that girl think she is? A French movie star or something?
    Even worse, Sophie gave three air kisses back to Mat. Good grief!

    Sophie and Mat went feral talking about Miss McKenzie’s wedding, rolling their eyes and fanning their faces. I got dizzy just watching them, so I went outside with Graceand Lynette. We took a whole plate of chocolate crackles up in the melaleuca tree and played Truth or Dare. I dared Grace to go inside and nick a whole chocolate cake for us to eat. She came back with a chocolate cake and a cream sponge.
    I got such a tummy ache. When I came home I lay down on my bed and moaned. Petal lay down beside me and whined. She’s such a copy cat.
    Sunday, 24 December
    Sophie and I spent the morning delivering sandwiches and tea to Mum, Dad and Peter out on the trucks and the harvester. Couldn’t take them any apples. They’re all bruised and rotting in the chook bucket.
    Things sure are looking great with the harvest. Good crops are like gold!
    After lunch Mum asked us to wrap the Christmas presents. Sophie wrapped mine and I wrapped hers so we didn’t find out what we were getting. Mum must be exhausted from being so busy throughout harvesting, because she has bought Wes and Fez a book called Chemistry at Home . Dangerous! I stuck it right at the back of the presents, halfway in behind the dresser, so hopefully