SIENNA AND BARNEY A TALE BY DAVID BRYANT WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY ROBYN ROSS

INTRODUCTION For a grandfather, anyway for this grandfather, the birth of a granddaughter is something magical. Having been fortunate to have had a daughter of my own, I never really expected that, one day, I might have the pleasure of welcoming another little princess into the world. And when it happened, I remember crying with happiness. But that little princess, whose name is Sienna, has ever since caused me to smile. She continues to lighten all of our lives and is growing up into a very admirable young person. And I so much enjoyed her childhood and watching her growing up that I felt, like Vita Sackville-West, the English writer, It is necessary to write. How else, indeed, to clap the net over the butterfly of the moment? for the moment passes, it is forgotten. And I did not want to forget those precious moments of Sienna s childhood. So I decided to write about some of those moments, so that I can better remember them, so that Sienna might have a momento of just how much her grandparents loved watching her growing up, and so that, one day, she might be able to tell this tale to her own children.

I have been fortunate indeed to have had the assistance of a very dear friend, Robyn Ross, who entered into this adventure and prepared the illustrations for this tale with so much joy in her heart. Without her help it would have been a much duller affair. So this book is for Sienna from her grateful and loving Grandpa and Nanny. We hope that it will make her smile. July 2015

Sienna and Barney There was once a little girl called Sienna who had a smiling face, sparkling eyes and just enough freckles on her nose. She was loved by everyone who knew her.

She lived in a pretty coffee-coloured house set in small garden that snuggled into a hillside and looked out over the treetops towards Sydney Harbour, the Anzac Bridge and the Harbor Bridge beyond. Colourful birds lived in the trees and there was plenty of room for a cubby house and also a trampoline in the back garden - although you did have to be careful not to bounce over the fence into the neighbour s garden.

She loved her home and her family, especially her Mum, who seemed to understand exactly what Sienna needed even before she knew herself. Her favourite times were when they cooked together in the kitchen to make biscuits or a cake for afternoon tea, and when her Mum snuggled her up into bed in the evening and told her bedtime stories.

And she loved her Dad who played with her, who loved to tickle her and play games with her, and who took her to the park and taught her to ride her bike. And she loved her brother Lachlan, who was just a bit older than she was, and who often teased her but would then let her feed the bright blue yabbie called Claw that he kept in a glass tank in his bedroom.

And she loved her baby sister, Indigo, even when Indigo came into her bedroom and messed things up. And she loved her dog Rosie, a black and white border collie, who could run faster than the wind, who had long sweet-smelling hair that she could play with, and who slept in the doorway to her bedroom every night to watch over her.

However Sienna had one big problem. She found sleeping very very difficult. She found it very hard to go off to sleep and the slightest noise, even the sound of a mouse tiptoeing past, might be enough to wake her and, if she did wake up, she was often very cross indeed. Hoping that this might be due to bad dreams her parents bought a dream catcher net to hang above her bed and catch any bad dreams. However this had no effect at all.

So they gave her all sorts of soft toys to have in her bed to keep her company at night. But things did not change. One day visitors came to her house and saw a sign hanging up outside which said Please be quiet. Tigress sleeping inside. So by then everyone knew that something just had to be done.

However one day, soon after this, a new person came to live in her house. Her Nanny & Grandpa brought Sienna a new friend all the way from England. He had long ears, soft brownish fur, twinkling brown eyes, and was the cuddliest little person that you could possibly imagine. Sienna loved him from the minute that she first saw him. She called him Barney.

No-one was quite sure if Barney was a boy or girl, least of all Sienna. If asked, she would simply say " He is not a boy and he is not a girl. He is a Barney". So that was that.

Sienna loved Barney so much that he went everywhere with her. He went with her when she and her Mum went shopping, he went with her when they went to the beach, and she always held him tight at night, to make sure that they were both safe and warm. The feel of his soft and cosy little body next to hers made her feel just right. And from that day on her sleeping improved and she was a happy little girl, both by day and, to her family s relief, also at night.

Sienna was always careful never to forget Barney. Until one terrible rainy day when it was her turn to bring home the guinea pig from school for the weekend. Because of the heavy rain there was so much confusion, what with umbrellas, with running to the car, jumping over deep puddles, and getting the guinea's cage safely on board. So it was only when they got home that she realised that poor Barney was still waiting back at her school which by now was closed up the weekend.

She felt guilty and heartbroken even though her Mum told her that Barney would be quite safe until Monday morning. Sienna felt sad all weekend and, when Monday morning arrived, she rushed straight into school and hugged Barney and whispered to him "Don't worry Barney, I will never ever forget you again".

When the next Christmas holidays were getting close their Dad announced an exciting adventure for the whole family. They were all going to fly down to Melbourne for a summer holiday with their Gran & Pop who lived near the beach on Port Phillip Bay. When the plane took off Sienna realised that it might be a bit scary for Barney so she hugged him tight and he didn't complain once.

Gran and Pop were there at the airport to meet them and they spent each day playing on the sandy beach down at the bay while Barney sheltered in Gran and Pop's brightly coloured beach hut so that he did not get too sunburnt and because Sienna realized that he would not like getting his fur wet.

She could see that he was happy sitting there watching them all. However she knew that he would be lonely and worried if she were accidentally to leave him in the hut overnight, and remembering her promise, she was always careful to bring him home each evening. Besides, she needed him to be next to her in bed each night, so that they both could sleep soundly.

After several hot days it was decided that everyone was looking a bit sunburnt and it would be best to have a cooler day. So one morning at breakfast their Dad said he thought it would be a great idea for them all to go up into the Dandenong ranges where they would be able to go for a ride on "Puffing Billy", the most famous old steam train in Australia, that goes right up through the middle of the forest to the top of the ranges, where the air is always cool, far away from the heat of the coast.

So with great excitement everyone set off in the car for Belgrave where Puffing Billy started. Of course Barney went along too. When they got there they found the engine with clouds of steam and smoke coming from his chimney stack, all ready to take everyone up into the mountains for the day. After Dad had bought the tickets the whole family piled into one of the wooden carriages, painted bright red and, with a belch of smoke and a shriek of its whistle, they were off. As the windows were all open there were the most wonderful views and Sienna, feeling the wind rushing past, felt so excited.

At the end of the line they all got off and ran to explore the parks, to admire the mountain views, to look around at the shops and then went into the station café for a quick lunch and another look at the engine. It seemed no time at all before the driver yelled out All aboard and it was time to set out on their journey home. Sienna was tired after all the excitement and snuggled up to her Mum as the train took them gently back down the mountain side. It was not until Puffing Billie came to a halt and it was time to get off that she sleepily said Can I have Barney now?

But Barney was nowhere to be seen. And then it dawned on everyone that he had been left on a chair in the café at the top of the mountain. Sienna was so upset that tears welled up into her eyes. So her Dad took her and spoke to the train driver who regretfully explained that Puffing Billie had done his last trip for the day and there was no way that they could go back up the mountain and look for Barney until the following morning. On hearing this news Sienna was so distressed that she just stood miserably and wept bitterly.

On seeing how upset she was the train driver, who was a kindly man with children of his own, bent down and quietly said to her Maybe Puffing Billie would like a final quick trip back up the mountain but only because he is on an emergency rescue mission.

So Sienna told the driver where Barney had been left and then she and her family waited anxiously on the platform while the train sped off. You can imagine her delight when, some time later, she heard the sound of Puffing Billie coming back around the bend. And then she saw the train driver with a broad grin on his face holding Barney up high so that Sienna could see him and so that Barney could feel the wind rushing through his fur.

Sienna held Barney extra tight all the way home in the car and, after dinner, she took him thankfully to bed with her. After her Mum had read her a story and tucked them both up tightly Sienna murmured sleepily You know Mum, I love Barney so much and I will never ever forget him again.

And she never did. Well, at least, she hardly ever did. But that would be telling another story wouldn t it. The End

This book was inspired by a remarkable friendship - that of my grandaughter, Sienna, and her soft little friend, Barney. When I recognised the important role that Barney played in Sienna s life, while she was young, I wanted to write a story, based on real events, to help me, and Sienna, and our families, to recall some of the things that happened to them both. I wanted us all to remember Sienna s childhood and all the love and laughter that she and her family have brought in to our lives.

ISBN: 978-0-9876305-9-9