“With Bluey. Feeding the lambs.” She tucked her head further into her father's neck sighing contentedly.
“Is that safe? I mean, if he’s little should I go and get him and bring him inside?” Del looked around for the child, adrenaline already singing through her veins.
“He’s fine, don’t worry. Royce is under the watchful eye of Bluey and knows what he’s doing anyway. Don’t forget the kids are born and bred county stock, and used to this kind of life.” He smiled to soften the words when Del stepped back. “You look pretty tired, Lilly. Have you had dinner yet?”
“No.”
Blake shook his head. “Let's get you inside and feed you before you fall asleep. Can you give me a hand please, Delilah? I'll get your bags and Royce later. This little girl needs a bath and dinner before she falls asleep dirty and hungry.”
“Um…sure. No worries. Lead the way.” She grabbed her handbag from the ute and followed him through the gate. The outside of the farmhouse was white, the paint faded and blotched with spots in need of freshening up. The cracked concrete path was dotted with weeds and she took careful steps over the rough surface, tottering in her high heels. Flowers fought for space in the garden along the fence line with tall weeds winning the battle.
How nice would it be to spend a morning cleaning it out without the worry of deadlines looming over my head? At least I’ll have time to potter around the house and do some cleaning. I kind of miss bringing a shine to the furniture with old fashioned spit and polish. Ever since the studio upped my deadlines, I’ve had to hand my cleaning over to someone else. Not that I don’t appreciate my cleaning lady, but I preferred to spend Saturday doing my own thing. This little visit is bound to bring back memories for me. She followed Blake into the brightly lit house.
They walked into a kitchen and the smell of home cooking filled the room. She looked around at an open planned kitchen, dining, and living room, and spied what appeared to be an electric pot radiating mouth-watering aromas.
“Something smells good.” Delilah stared at the dishes stacked in the kitchen sink and her heart sank. Chaos reigned in the room. Plates and the remnants of what she presumed was lunch, littered the table. Bottles of tomato sauce, jars of jam, and a butter dish sporting blobs of jam and vegemite sat in the middle of the discarded jumble.
Blake gave her an apologetic grin. “Sorry about the mess. We are kind of fighting a losing battle here, if you know what I mean. I have to bathe this girl before I feed her. If you could make some sort of order out of the chaos in here, I would appreciate it.” He headed down the hallway with Lilly leaning her head on his shoulder.
“Oh, well. I guess this is what I signed up for.” She dropped her bag on the only empty chair in the kitchen and took stock of the room as she rolled up her sleeves, ready to get stuck into it. The divine smell coming from the slow cooker on the corner of the bench was too much and she lifted the lid for a quick peek. Her stomach rumbled and hunger pangs bit hard deep in her gut. The stew was nothing like she was used to, but with the way it smelled, Delilah was willing to try it.
She looked around the room once more and shuddered at the mess. There were clothes stacked on chairs and toys kicked into piles in the corner of the room. A fine film of dust covered every surface in the large room. A dark timber sideboard was barely visible under a pile of newspapers and magazines. The television in the corner of the room had fingerprints on the screen and the cabinet it sat on was filled with children’s games, haphazardly jammed into the open shelves. First things first. Delilah decided to clear the dirty dishes to make room at the table, and hunted for the dishwasher. She opened cupboards, hoping to find one behind a door, but came up empty. Well, looks like they do things the old fashioned way here.
Under the sink, she found a bottle of dish detergent and a scrubbing brush, and set about filling the sink with hot soapy water. When she looked for gloves and came up empty-handed, she sighed. Her manicure was going to be ruined in no time, but after helping Sue out in the shop she had given up worrying about her nails. Braving the harsh detergent, she loaded the first lot of dishes in the sink and set about tidying the table while the grease soaked off the filthy plates. Then she took the scrubbing brush and set to it. It wasn't long before there were more dishes than room.
Finding a clean tea towel was the next mission and after searching every cupboard and drawer in the kitchen, she ventured down the hallway, opening doors as she went. Finally, she scored and grabbed two from the pile in the linen closet.
By the time Blake returned with Lilly bathed and dressed, she had most of the dishes done and stacked away in cupboards. She had wiped down the kitchen table and set it for dinner. In the small freezer, Delilah found frozen vegetables and looked around for a high tech steamer like the one she had at home for her microwave. Every cupboard she opened was filled with old pots and pans, battered frying pans, and well-used baking dishes. This kitchen was going to test her to the limit with the old fashioned cooking tools she had never had to use. Giving up on finding what she was used to, Del settled on an old, battered double boiler she would have relegated to the bin long ago and set them to steam on the stove.
“Thanks, I appreciate this. It's been
