Blue

George Man

Description

Blue by George Man

Sandra just finished her first year of school in Holland when she found out that her family planned to move to Outback Australia for five whole years! It was going to be a huge adjustment: learning a new language, making new friends, going to school over a radio and dealing with the unpredictably hot Australian weather.

It took a while to feel at home in Australia, but Sandra realised she was where she needed to be the moment she met an Australian cattle dog puppy with the most amazing fluorescent blue eyes. It was obvious, he had to be named “Blue”. After their first meeting, neither of them could get the other off their mind. And so, fate intervened, and soon they would become inseparable.

Blue was the most loyal companion for Sandra. He would do anything for his beloved mistress, and it quickly became obvious that he wasn't just your average cattle dog. He was special. At first, he saved a little boy from a flash flood. Then, he saved Sandra from a wild bull. Soon enough, the whole world knew the name “Blue”, and his fame grew with each feat of heroics he achieved.

But too soon, Sandra and her family had to return to Holland. Five years in Australia had come and gone. And now Sandra would be separated from her beloved companion. 

How will she carry on?

 

Sujets

• 6-12 ans
• Toute la fiction jeunesse
• Jeunesse Animaux
• Fiction Jeunesse
• Animals
• Australian Cattle Dog
• Juvenilee Fiction
• Jeunesse Aventure

Informations

• Publié par: George Man
• Date de parution: 08 février 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 3
• EAN13: 9780648476214
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Blue

GEORGE MAN
 
 
Blue
 
Copyright © 2019 George Man
Republished by George Man, 2019
 
Second Edition
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, unless declared otherwise by the author. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental, unless declared otherwise by the author.
 
George Man
Gunnedah NSW 2380
eBook ISBN: 978-0-6484762-1-4
Paperback ISBN: 978-0-6484762-0-7
 
Cover Images:
‘Blue Heeler’ — Supplied by George Man
‘Watercolour abandoned cottage’ — By Helen Hotson — via Shutterstock
Cover Design by Felicity Matthews of Web Etch Design and Editing
Editing by Felicity Matthews of Web Etch Design and Editing
 
Table of Contents Dedication For my daughter and my son. Chapter One Changes Chapter Two The Birthday Chapter Three Preparations and The Holiday with Aunt Anne Chapter Four The Flight to Mitchell and The New House Chapter Five The Flying Doctor and Days Turn into Months Chapter Six Sandra Meets Blue Chapter Seven Riding Lessons and A Special Event Chapter Eight Blue is Very Special but Sometimes Naughty Chapter Nine Blue and The Chickens Chapter Ten Training Gives Unexpected Results Chapter Eleven A Country Show and Blue Becomes Famous Chapter Twelve The Time Goes Fast Chapter Thirteen An Enormous Rescue Operation Chapter Fourteen A Brave Dog and A Sad Farewell Chapter Fifteen The Journey and Homecoming in Holland Chapter Sixteen A Sad Dog and An Unexpected Development Chapter Seventeen Sandra’s Unforgettable Television Performance About The Author
Dedication
For my daughter and my son.
 
Chapter One
Changes

Sandra looked through the classroom window. It was the last day of the year, and the holidays were about to begin.
Sandra and her parents lived in a small town in a country called Holland. She was in her first year at school, and she had a nice teacher. She was looking forward to going to her Aunt Anne’s in the coming week for a ten-day holiday.
Aunt Anne lived in a small fishing village on the coast. She was a cousin of Sandra’s father, and her favourite Aunt. Aunt Anne was already quite old, but she was different to other old ladies. She was never angry and made beautiful pancakes, cakes and puddings.
Aunt Anne had four children, but they were married and already had children of their own. Sometimes, they all visited at the same time. What a noise that was, but Aunt Anne thought that was good fun. Her husband passed away many years before. She told beautiful stories about him and about Sandra’s grandfather: her mother’s brother. Aunt Anne’s mother had been ill for a long time and had suffered a lot of pain. However, if anybody asked her how she was going, she always used to say, “I feel better than yesterday”. Sandra thought that was very special.
Suddenly, Sandra realised that her classmates were looking at her. She was so deep in thought that she hadn’t noticed Miss talking to her. Luckily, Miss wasn’t angry but asked her if she was already on holidays. She then told the class to bring their books to the front of the classroom. After that, she went around and gave the children an envelope with their end-of-year report in it. On their way out the door, Miss shook everyone’s hand and wished them a nice summer holiday.
Sandra walked out of the school with Heidi—her best friend since Kindergarten. Sandra and Heidi’s mothers were talking to each other in front of the school. When the girls reached them, they walked together to the corner of the street.
The girls talked about Sandra’s seventh birthday party the next day. She asked her parents for a puppy dog and thought she had a good chance of getting one. Her father had said, “maybe” and had also mentioned that it was good for children to have a pet.
Heidi’s mother talked about their planned trip with their caravan. At the corner of the street they said goodbye, and Heidi and her mother turned left into the street where they lived.
Mother told her that Father was home already, and that they were having a barbeque. For dessert, they were going to have mixed berries and custard—Sandra’s favourite.

Sandra loved her parents: Mother played the piano beautifully and read books to her. Father was tall and quiet but told funny stories and jokes. He worked at an agricultural research station about ten kilometres away.
Sandra was an only child. That meant that she had to help with the washing up and the gardening because there were no other children. She didn’t mind because the three of them did lots of nice things together. They went for long walks, made trips on their bicycles to the beach or they went by train to the middle of Holland to a region with lots of forests.
When Sandra arrived home from school, tea was ready. It was a beautiful day, so she sat with Mum and Dad in the garden.
Dad looked at Sandra’s report. Her marks were good. “Well done, Sandra. I’m proud of you,” he said in a soft voice. “We really have a clever daughter, don’t we?”
Her mother said, “Yes, we do.” She then looked at Sandra and asked, “Do you mind staying an extra week with Aunt Anne?”
“Oh, I don’t mind at all!” Sandra said. Then, with a smile, she asked, “Is it because of my good report, or is there another reason?”
Her father said, “Yes, there is another reason. There are going to be some big changes taking place for us soon. Over the last couple of years, I have done a lot of work with food for people in the many dry parts of the world. I’ve received an offer to work for five years on a research station in the middle of Australia. It would be good to test the crops there because it is dry for long periods.”
Sandra got a fright. She didn’t want her father to go away for five years. Tears ran down her cheeks, and she flew from her chair onto her father’s lap. She wound her arms around his neck. “No, Daddy, we cannot live without you.”
Her mum gave her a tissue.
“Of course not, silly, we’re all going to Australia! Did you think that I could be without you two for such a long time? Drink your tea, and I’ll tell you all about our big plans.”
Her father explained that in four weeks’ time they were flying to Australia, and that their furniture would arrive later by ship.
Sandra would stay with Aunt Anne for two-and-a-half weeks while Mum and Dad organised their passports, the transport of the furniture and the leasing of their house. After that, they’d be on their way for the big adventure. They’d have to undergo a health check and receive a couple of injections against certain diseases.
It was all a bit much for Sandra. What about school? What about Heidi? She was quite happy with her life the way it was.
Father explained, “In Australia you won’t go to school; instead, you’ll do your schoolwork by radio and correspondence. This is called the School of the Air.”
Her mother explained to her that she’d be in contact with her teacher by radio. Mother would help her because Sandra had to learn to speak and write in English.
Sandra knew she would certainly miss her friend, Heidi, but they could write to each other.
Father told Sandra that Australia was a very interesting country with animals like kangaroos, koalas, emus and many types of parrots.
It would be strange not returning to school after the holidays. The long trip to Australia would be a big event in Sandra’s life. Sandra thought about it some more. On the other hand, so many new and exciting things were going to happen to them, and they’d return home after five years.
Father told her more about his new work place, called Mitchell Research Station, over dinner. He explained that there was a house waiting for them and that there were tennis courts and a swimming pool. The region had a hot, dry climate, but it could get quite cold at night. Ten other families lived at the station. He showed Sandra photos of trees with beautiful purple-blue flowers called Jacarandas, and the houses that only had one floor.
The manager of the station was Jack Mackenzie. In a letter, Jack explained more about Mitchell and its surroundings. He finished by writing that his wife and he looked forward to meeting them.
Sandra listened to her father and thought Mitchell sounded beautiful. On one side of the station was bush and mountains, and on the other side about fifty kilometres of desert, and then a cattle station.
When Sandra went to bed that night, she couldn’t go to sleep immediately. When she finally dozed off, she dreamt that they had a kangaroo in the garden shed.
 
Chapter Two
The Birthday

The next morning, Sandra woke up when the door of her room opened. Father and Mother came in to bring her a cup of tea. Then she remembered it was her birthday! She unwrapped the presents they brought in, and told them that with all the exciting upcoming changes, she had almost forgotten that it was her birthday and that she was having a party that afternoon.
Mother gave her a waterpaint set, and from Father she received a watch. They had certainly spoilt her. She gave them a big hug and told them that she thought that they were the nicest parents in the world.
At two o’clock, six of her girlfriends came. They were allowed to stay until seven in the evening and have dinner. Mother organised dinner, and there was a beautiful cake with seven candles that Sandra had to blow out. There were chips, sweets, soft drinks and lots more. It was a really nice afternoon; they had great fun.
After dinner, Father called them together and told them that Sandra wasn’t returning to school after the holidays. All the girls wanted to know why, and he then told them about their planned move to Australia. He explained that Australia was very different, and that the area where they were going to live was mostly warm and dry. There we