© Raina Ng
They cooked dinner on the second last night of their holiday. Their teenage children chided them but they had also enjoyed the fry-up: southern chicken, calves livers, chips, finishing with golden syrup dumplings.
It was the dumplings that did it. They boiled and spattered all over the wall. When Sonia wiped down the wall behind the oven it had come off easily. But so had all the other dirt. Years of grime. The clean portion of wall stood out, sparkling, necessitating cleaning the rest of the kitchen. They grumbled. Their last day wasted but, it did scrub up well.
This is in response to Friday Fictioneers hosted by Rochelle where if you follow the blue frog you can see other entries in response to the prompt by -© Raina Ng
About Irene Waters 19 Writer Memoirist
I began my working career as a reluctant potato peeler whilst waiting to commence my training as a student nurse. On completion I worked mainly in intensive care/coronary care; finishing my hospital career as clinical nurse educator in intensive care. A life changing period as a resort owner/manager on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu was followed by recovery time as a farmer at Bucca Wauka. Having discovered I was no farmer and vowing never again to own an animal bigger than myself I took on the Barrington General Store. Here we also ran a five star restaurant. Working the shop of a day 7am - 6pm followed by the restaurant until late was surprisingly more stressful than Tanna. On the sale we decided to retire and renovate our house with the help of a builder friend. Now believing we knew everything about building we set to constructing our own house. Just finished a coal mine decided to set up in our backyard. Definitely time to retire we moved to Queensland. I had been writing a manuscript for some time. In the desire to complete this I enrolled in a post grad certificate in creative Industries which I completed 2013. I followed this by doing a Master of Arts by research graduating in 2017. Now I live to write and write to live.
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
Hehe. That happened to us once when we were kids. My sister decided to clean the kitchen for Mother’s Day. Well my mother then spent Mother’s Day cleaning.
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LOL It was the thought that counted.
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Oh I know what that’s like. It’s probably why I don’t start spring cleaning. Once you start you just have to keep on going; and there are always many other things I’d rather be doing than cleaning! 🙂
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I agree with you Norah. I have enough problem just doing the normal weekly stuff let alone a spring clean and heaven forbid I ever have the problem of my flash.
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Indeed! 🙂
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Dear Irene,
I’d grumble, too, if I had to spend my holiday cleaning. Lovely descriptions.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks Rochelle
I have to admit I would be grumbling also.
Cheers Irene
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Oh. I’d definitely grumble if I had to clean, especially on the last few days of vacations 🙂 The food descriptions were yummy.
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Yes this flash has taught me a lesson which I will hold over for the future — never cook in a rental house whilst on holiday and if you do don’t attempt to clean up. Better just not to cook. Glad you enjoyed the food.
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What a lovely family vignette.
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Thank you. I loved that you described it as a vignette. Thanks
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This made me hungry. Well done!
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That’s great. Thanks for dropping by.
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Forget the cleaning. I suddenly have a craving for chicken and dumplings! Great story.
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Thanks Caerlynn. Yes I can feel dumplings coming on – haven’t had them in years.
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Ah.. I had never imagined that deep-frying could lead to a cleaner kitchen afterwards.
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LOL. Probably only where holiday bond money is at stake.
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Golden syrup dumplings? Dear god even reading that makes my arteries fur up. Nicely done!
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Thanks. Our food has certainly changed over time our perhaps going full circle back to what it was.
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Wouldn’t it have been wonderful if she’d found an old message scrawled on the wall! I feel a dumpling coming on!
Rosey Pinkerton’s blog
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Now that would have made for a great story.
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That will teach her for cleaning!
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Yes cleaning should be avoided. They should have gone out for dinner.
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LOL..absolutely!
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Never start what you can’t finish. A story that rings true for me too, Irene.
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Thanks Sandra. I there is an echo of it in everyone’s life.
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It would have been easier if they spilled over the rest of the walls evenly…but no one listens to my advice 🙂
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I’m listening. I’m thinking that might be equally as time consuming.
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I prefer to leave the kitchen walls and tables sparking clean even if its the last day of the vacations.
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You’re with Sonia then. As for me I think it is a lesson never to cook in a vacation rental.
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Step one: chose the eldest child.
Step two: whip liberally until desired cleanliness is achieved.
Repeat as necessary.
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I like your style.
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Blasted dumplings! Cute story. 🙂
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Thanks Lorna. 🙂
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That’s very real. Always that cleaning up to spoil the end of the holiday.
(Would they like to visit us sometime? Our kitchen could do with some scrubbing up.)
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They’d love to but they would demand a holiday for a week or so in your house first.
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The price of dinner I’m afraid. I have been on that vacation.
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Yes I think many have.
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See, this is why I never clean.
Clever story 🙂
KT
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Thanks. I’m with you. Eat out its much easier.
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I can SO relate!
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You are not the only one that can relate.
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a lesson learned. it wasn’t a total waste.
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That’s true.
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Yet another reason to just eat peanuts!
Cool tale, Irene.
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Thanks. Peanuts it is then with perhaps banans for desert.
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Great descriptions, I think that would be my luck too!
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Thanks. Moral of the story – eat out.
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The years of grime is real. Cleaning it is another story…this story.
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LOL I can assure you it wouldn’t happen in my world.
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Oh, not the grimy wall in the kitchen. It came out of hiding, did it? Once it’s out, you have no choice but to scrub it!
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Sadly yes.
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That’s a disappointing finish to a nice holiday. The meal sounded worth it, however. Nicely described.
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Thank you Margaret. Eat out is definitely now my motto.
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This sounds like my kitchen, ha
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Before or after the clean?
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BEFORE — of course, ha
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There is lesson here for the rest of us. Never make dumplings at home. The kids should have dirtied the wall again to match with the rest.
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I think to dirty could take as much time as to clean but perhaps it could be more fun.
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What a way to spend the last day of your holiday! I’d be grumbling too. 🙂 Lovely story.
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Thanks. A bit of a waste of a day for sure.
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My suggestion would be to build some type of frame around the clean area and stop there. I felt tendonitis coming on in my elbow just reading about all that work. 🙂
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Ouch. Tendonitis is not good. I think you have pulled the get out of cleaning card.
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Dear Irene, Your menu sounds delicious but the dumplings didn’t co-operate! Good story! Nan
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This is such a kitchen dilemma! Usually it occurs when the Hub cooks and splatters followed by me cleaning too deeply, thus requiring a deep cleaning all around.
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Haha. Our rule is the cook cleans the pots and pans. The person cooked for does the dishes. Safer that way.
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