Fortunately Mum rang me first thing to remind me to wear lots of blue (why couldn’t they come up with better house names – Dragon House, for example, Tiger House, House of Happiness – but no, we get boring old colours). Then Polly rang while Dad was trying to plait my hair into lots of little plaits so I could use all the blue ribbon we’d found from last year. ‘Look out the window,’ she said in a mysterious voice. Dad and I shuffled to the window and looked out. ‘So?’ ‘The weather prediction today was for sun. Nothing but sun. See those grey clouds?’ I looked up at the sky. There were more clouds than blue patches. ‘Yeah?’ ‘My work. That’s all I’ll say. Oh, and bring a rain jacket. Over and out.’ ‘What was that all about?’ ‘Polly hates cross-country,’ I told him, ‘so she’s hoping for rain.’ ‘Well it certainly looks as though you’ll get a few drops,’ Dad said. ‘Good for our vegies.’ ‘Wouldn’t you like to meet someone who loved vegies as much as you do?
