Read Online Novels 01 Blue Skies by Fleur McDonald - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Fleur McDonald
Ads: Link
the western coast. Still a day or so before it would arrive at Kyleena, she thought.
But at 12.30 am the first crack of thunder sounded and the wind started to blow.
By daylight, the wind had dropped and Amanda was bleary-eyed, having not slept since the storm started. She was sitting at the window of her mother’s study, her head in her hands, as first light appeared. She peered into the grey light in the hope of seeing if there’d been any damage, but nothing immediate struck her.
Looking around, she couldn’t believe it was dry, save the light, misty sprinkling that came through in waves and that wasn’t enough to wet the rain gauge. To the south, the looming murky clouds held more chance of rain than the dirty ones above her at the moment.
It was too foul to contemplate work today, but knowing Mingus was scared of storms she ventured outside long enough to collect the quivering dog from his kennel.
Amanda felt a drop of rain as her foot hit the front garden. Looking skyward and holding out her hand in anticipation of another, she was disappointed. As her gaze swung over the land, she noticed the trees on the far southern boundary bending as if buffeted by gale-force winds, while where she stood only a soft breeze blew. With her feet glued to the ground, she watched in amazement as the wind came towards her – she could follow its path. First the grass started to move like a rippling sea, then the leaves and loose debris flew into the air, and finally there was a gust that was so strong it almost knocked Amanda off her feet. The rain started almost immediately, the needle-like drops stinging her skin. The temperature plummeted too.
Bolting for the house with Mingus at her heels, she stood on the verandah and watched.The rain drummed into the ground so hard that the raindrops broke into a thousand smaller drops and splashed back towards the sky. The gutters filled quickly and started to overflow under the eaves of the house and she turned to find the paddocks devoid of stock.
With mixed emotions, she shivered as the sweet smell of rain on dry earth rose to meet her. Storms were beautiful but they could be deadly. She jumped as thunder reverberated around the sky and the lightning flashed. The noise of the rain on the ground and tin roof was deafening.
For most of the day,Amanda sat at the window with Mingus at her feet and watched the rain pelt down. She marvelled at the ferocity of the storm and tried to quell her rising anxiety until it eased to a steady, gentle drizzle just before dark.
Beyond the house and sheds, there were gutters in the ground that had been eroded by the force of the water, there were small lakes in the low-lying areas of each paddock and, without venturing outside, Amanda could hear the roar of the river in Karru paddock. There would be a massive wall of water racing through its deep river walls today.
Amanda, dressed in a bright pink windbreaker and rubber boots, sloshed through the mud to get her bike. The shorn ewes that were due to lamb in Karru paddock were her main concern. None of the other ewes had been shorn.
Slipping and sliding on the bike she followed the waterlogged track to the paddock, stopping at a couple of dams to see how much water had run into them.
Her anxiety rose again as she pulled up at the gate. She couldn’t see any of the ewes. She’d noticed on her way here that some of the other stock had ventured out to graze after taking shelter in the bush all day.They were hungry.
The stock usually preferred to graze the clovers at the front of Karru but none were there. She rode alongside a sheep pad, which was flooded but would lead her to the river, and looked out over the gushing water. White foam gathered around the walls and the water was a muddy brown from all the soil it had picked up in its course upstream.
A white body floated past. Then another and another.
She stood still, watching them being carried by the water, bumping into the bank, logs and
But at 12.30 am the first crack of thunder sounded and the wind started to blow.
By daylight, the wind had dropped and Amanda was bleary-eyed, having not slept since the storm started. She was sitting at the window of her mother’s study, her head in her hands, as first light appeared. She peered into the grey light in the hope of seeing if there’d been any damage, but nothing immediate struck her.
Looking around, she couldn’t believe it was dry, save the light, misty sprinkling that came through in waves and that wasn’t enough to wet the rain gauge. To the south, the looming murky clouds held more chance of rain than the dirty ones above her at the moment.
It was too foul to contemplate work today, but knowing Mingus was scared of storms she ventured outside long enough to collect the quivering dog from his kennel.
Amanda felt a drop of rain as her foot hit the front garden. Looking skyward and holding out her hand in anticipation of another, she was disappointed. As her gaze swung over the land, she noticed the trees on the far southern boundary bending as if buffeted by gale-force winds, while where she stood only a soft breeze blew. With her feet glued to the ground, she watched in amazement as the wind came towards her – she could follow its path. First the grass started to move like a rippling sea, then the leaves and loose debris flew into the air, and finally there was a gust that was so strong it almost knocked Amanda off her feet. The rain started almost immediately, the needle-like drops stinging her skin. The temperature plummeted too.
Bolting for the house with Mingus at her heels, she stood on the verandah and watched.The rain drummed into the ground so hard that the raindrops broke into a thousand smaller drops and splashed back towards the sky. The gutters filled quickly and started to overflow under the eaves of the house and she turned to find the paddocks devoid of stock.
With mixed emotions, she shivered as the sweet smell of rain on dry earth rose to meet her. Storms were beautiful but they could be deadly. She jumped as thunder reverberated around the sky and the lightning flashed. The noise of the rain on the ground and tin roof was deafening.
For most of the day,Amanda sat at the window with Mingus at her feet and watched the rain pelt down. She marvelled at the ferocity of the storm and tried to quell her rising anxiety until it eased to a steady, gentle drizzle just before dark.
Beyond the house and sheds, there were gutters in the ground that had been eroded by the force of the water, there were small lakes in the low-lying areas of each paddock and, without venturing outside, Amanda could hear the roar of the river in Karru paddock. There would be a massive wall of water racing through its deep river walls today.
Amanda, dressed in a bright pink windbreaker and rubber boots, sloshed through the mud to get her bike. The shorn ewes that were due to lamb in Karru paddock were her main concern. None of the other ewes had been shorn.
Slipping and sliding on the bike she followed the waterlogged track to the paddock, stopping at a couple of dams to see how much water had run into them.
Her anxiety rose again as she pulled up at the gate. She couldn’t see any of the ewes. She’d noticed on her way here that some of the other stock had ventured out to graze after taking shelter in the bush all day.They were hungry.
The stock usually preferred to graze the clovers at the front of Karru but none were there. She rode alongside a sheep pad, which was flooded but would lead her to the river, and looked out over the gushing water. White foam gathered around the walls and the water was a muddy brown from all the soil it had picked up in its course upstream.
A white body floated past. Then another and another.
She stood still, watching them being carried by the water, bumping into the bank, logs and
Similar Books
