It’s funny because I got pretty much all horsey stuff and Nate got things for motorbike riding. He also got a drum kit. Mom says that he’s spoilt but Dad says that it’s fair because I have Sparkle. Dad wants us all to be musicians and play instruments like him. Nate is really good on the guitar and I guess now, he’ll have to learn the drums as well. He’s so excited about it. At least he can play them in Dad’s music room up at our shed. Lucky it’s sound proof!
I made Sparkle a special mash for her Christmas breakfast. I chopped up apples and carrots and added her favorite – some mashed banana. Then I mixed it with oats and chaff and added some of her favorite grass hay. She thought it was delicious! You should have seen her licking her lips. It was so cute! She kept dropping bits on the ground but that made Sheba happy. I think she enjoyed it as much as Sparkle! Sheba’s our golden retriever and she ÁLWAYS comes over to the paddock with me when I go to ride or feed Sparkle. She loves it and always has her nose in a bush somewhere. All we can see is her backside and tail poking out and her tail is always wagging. She’s so happy just sniffing around looking to see what she can find. She’s great in the paddock too and loves wandering around when I’m riding. The horses are used to her and don’t mind her at all.
It’s so funny because my cat Soxy - who is the most adorable ginger cat you’ve ever seen - has started coming over to the paddock with us. Mom says it looks hilarious. There’s me, Sheba and Soxy all walking together. I would have thought a cat would be scared of horses but Soxy loves it over there. When we get to the creek though, I have to carry him. He just sits there looking at me and waiting to be picked up. The creek is really low at the moment because we haven’t had rain for ages. So he can jump across without getting wet. When there’s more water in it though, I have to carefully cross by jumping from one big rock to another. Dad’s going to get a proper crossing made soon. That’ll be so much better. He’s just worried about it getting washed away if the creek floods. This happens when there’s lots of rain, but hopefully he’ll be able to work something out.
I had the best Christmas! Mom, Dad, Nate and Nana loved the presents I gave them as well. It was great this year because I saved enough money from feeding all the horses and I could buy really good presents for everyone.
Now we’ve got the gymkhana to look forward to! We’re going to have it next Saturday afternoon and that’s actually New Year’s Eve. The girls are all really excited and so am I!
I LOVE CHRISTMAS!
Tuesday 1 January
New Year’s Day!
Yesterday we finally got to have our gymkhana. We spent all morning getting ready and we were so excited! The girls and I set up a really cool jumping course, the bending poles and also bounce pony. The paddock looked so good with all the colored stripes that we painted on the equipment. And we were so glad that the weather was fine! We were really worried because there’s a cyclone up north and the weatherman said that heavy rain and flooding is on the way. But there was no sign of it at our place, just more beaming sunshine.
The parents started arriving at 3:00 in the afternoon. They all brought fold up chairs and we set them up under the shade of some trees. So they had a really good spot to sit. Dad even drove Nana around to Ali’s place and set up a comfy chair for her in the shade so she could watch the gymkhana from there. They all brought some drinks and snacks and said they were getting ready to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
It all started off really well. We each did the jumping course a couple of times. In the end we decided not to score each other, but just have fun. Tom was helping us all with our jumping and pretty much giving us each a jumping lesson as we went along. This was really cool because he knows a lot about jumping and was really helpful. Then everyone ended up getting a ribbon. Ali ended up making one for everyone!
Just as we were about to start the other events, we suddenly heard a scream. Cammie decided to take Rocket for a ride in the big paddock and for some reason, he bolted. Then almost in a flash I saw Cammie on the ground. She had fallen off Rocket and then he raced off up the hill. Everyone went running towards her in a panic – it was really scary!
I felt my heart stop and I couldn’t move. I could see her lying on the ground but she was completely still. Her Dad bent over her and we just stood waiting – I was really hoping that she was okay. Then he moved away from her and she slowly stood up. She was shaken up and she was crying. I was praying that she wasn’t hurt. We’ve heard terrible stories of people coming off horses and being badly injured and I didn’t want that happening to Cammie.
She took her helmet off and sat down with all the parents. Tom then went to catch Rocket and we all rushed over to her – we were so worried, but thank goodness, she was fine. She told us to go on with the gymkhana, so we did but it kind of wasn’t the same after that.
Then Shelley and Kate’s parents said that they had to go and get ready for New Year’s Eve. Cammie, Grace and Ali asked me if they could stay the night at my house. Their parents said that they might come over as well and have a barbecue with us. Mom and Dad said that this was a great idea.
The girls and I decided to set the tent up so we could camp out for the night, just like at my birthday party. So Dad helped us get organized and set up while Mom got the food ready. Thank goodness, Cammie wasn’t hurt badly. She said that her wrist hurt a bit from the fall and she had some bruises on her hip, but that was all. She was so lucky!
I ended up having so much fun with the girls last night and Nate joined in as well. We had a nighttime swim in the pool and later on we all got torches and played spotlight. It gets so dark on our property at nighttime though and hiding in the bushes can get pretty scary. There was a lot of screaming going on, that’s for sure! Then Mom and Dad gave us some sparklers and party poppers and we let them off right on midnight. We all counted down and then called out HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
Finally we went to sleep in the tent. Mom and Dad had to get up during the night though because it started to rain and they wanted to check that we weren’t getting wet. Then at about 6:00 this morning, Jim arrived to pick the girls up. That was so early for them to leave and the bad part was, I was left to clean up all the mess!
Now it’s pouring with rain. Mom and Dad said that it’s meant to get worse and there might even be flooding. I hope my baby is okay. I brought her down near the house this afternoon so she could graze on the nice grass. But there’s thunder and lightning right now so I hope she’s not getting spooked! I wish I had stables to keep her in, so she can stay nice and dry. I’m glad she now has a summer rug! That will help to protect her from some of the rain at least.
Oh no – the lights are flickering. This storm definitely seems to be getting worse. I hope we don’t have a blackout! I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep tonight – I’m too worried about Sparkle! Maybe I should go and look for her and check that she’s safe. I can’t stop thinking about her. Is she going to be alright????
Books for Girls - 4 Great Stories for 8 - 12 Year Olds Page 11
