MAINLY FOR WOMEN

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 March 1941, Page 5

MAINLY FOR WOMEN

ITEMS OF INTEREST

GRASS WIDOWERS.

“HOME' AWAY .FROM HOME.”

' Greenwich Borough Council has set an example for the rest of England to follow, by apopinting two kindly and exceedingly competent women as hostesses to look after London’s first hostel for working men whose wives and families have been evacuated. The council took a large Georgian house and converted it into a hostel with dining-room, sitting-room and dormitories, and here .twenty-four men have found a “home away from home.” The two housekeepers, one of whom is also a Red Cross nurse, keep the hostel spotlessly clean, and supply a hot mid-day meal on Saturday, and Sunday. During the week, breakfast consists of porridge, plus bacon and tomatoes, or some other breakfast dish. The hostesses cut sandwiches for any men who wish to take their lunch with them. At 6 p.m. they see that the kettle is boiling ready for all who may like a cup of tea when they get in. Tea is followed by a hot meal round about 6.30 p.m. and at 9.30 they bring in cocoa and bread and cheese. The men sleep in bunks in a large basement room. They have their own sleeping bags and army blankets. The council does not think it wise to use the upstairs bedrooms which have been turned into dressing-rooms.

Recently, ten men in the hostel started work oh the garden and hope to produce all their own vegetables this Summer.

FIRST AID FOR CLOTHES

First aid is an expression which the majority of women engaged on war work find familiar these days. But we can apply first aid to our clothes as well as ourselves, states “The Cape Times.” Most of us want to make our clothes last as long as possible, so first aid for clothes is important these days, and here are a few hints that will give clothes a longer life. Many a heartache is suffered by a woman when she stains a favourite frock by upsetting a teacup or wine glass, or has an accident with the ink bottle. These are,- a few aids to removing stains.

Cocoa Stains. —Apply a solution of borax in boiling water. If soap is applied previously, it renders the removal of the stain more difficult. Coffee Marks.—These can be removed by the above method, if it is carried out immediately. A little glycerine rubbed in and washed out with warm water should be effective if the stains are only a few hours old. Boiling water applied immediately will remove black coffee stains. Tea Stains. —Treat these in the same way as coffee and cocoa stains but apply glycerine as a solvent before washing if the stains are greasy owing to cream. «• Ink Spots.—Dip the stained part in a piece of melted tallow, or immerse immediately in milk. When the fabric is washed all the stain should disappear. ■ Wine Stains.—Dab the stain with boiling milk. If this should not prove effective after washing in soap and water, try an application of salt and a few drops of lemon juice. Grease Marks. —Rub a lump of magnesia on the grease spot, or place a piece of brown paper over the spot and another piece underneath it and apply a hot iron. Grass Stains. —On flannels, rub the stain with glycerine and leave on for an hour or so. A lather of soap and warm water should then be applied. Methylated spirit dabbed on with a clean cloth is the treatment for fabrics which cannot be laundered. If the material can be washed, soak the stained part in cold waler, then leave in the sun after covering the stain with a little cream of tartar. Smarten up navy coats and suits in the following way—they will always look clean and fresh. Dissolve a piece of rock ammonia (size of a walnut), in hot water, and squeeze the bluebag into this until it is deep blue. Dip a small nail brush into the mixture, and brush the garment the way of the nap. Iron the wrong side while still damp.

ODDS AND ENDS

One careless person with a loaf of bread and a toaster can make the most immaculate kitchen into an uritidy mess and can undo a good hour’s work in the shortest possible time. The crumbs have such a way of scattering on tables, and into inaccessible corners. Try using your toaster inside a cardboard hat box next time you are toasting.. The sides of the hat box will need to be reduced to about sin to 6in in height. The hat box acts as a crumb catcher. The toaster can be shaken out into it before being returned to its place, and it is a simple matter to remove the collection of crumbs when cleaning-up time comes. Similarly, one side of a large cardboard suit box may be used to cut the bread in, when one sends it sliced to the table. Both these articles have the advantage of being cheap and easy to renew when soiled or worn. When about to bake a large cake, cover the bottom and sides of the cake tin with bran before lining it with paper. When the cake is done it will turn out beautifully without a trace of burning on the outside. Mix a little grated cheese with mashed potatoes when they are to be served with cold meats and salads. It improve sthe flavour and adds a more savoury touch to the meal.

KEEPING PANTRY PURE.

There are fish,’ meat, and certain vegetables which give off definite odours when stored in the pantry, and are therefore likely to contaminate other articles, such -as butter, milk cream, cheese, etc. This can be avoided by the following method: Thoroughly wash and dry a large biscuit tin, perforate it well with holes the size of a shilling, and fill it with coke which has been broken up. After breaking the coke, wash and dry it, and then put on the lid, which must also be perforated. If this tin is placed on a shelf m, •the pantry, it will not only purify it, but will keep fresh any butter or milk placed near. SHIRLEY TEMPLE. After attending a girls’ school for a year Sl*irley Temple is returning to film work at a weekly salary of £625. She is to appear in the “Andy Hardy” series-with Mickey Rooney.

BRIDAL BOMB.

STORY WITH HAPPY ENDING.

LONDON, February 3

While a pair of newly-weds were holding their bridal reception in a London hotel (states a “Daily Mail” reporter) this happened, unknown to them, to the suburban bungalow they had got ready as their new home: A fire-bomb from a Molotoff bread-basket dropped by a German raider burnt through the roof and started a blaze above the sittingroom ceiling. Women neighbours, aided by two of their husbands, broke into the bungalow and attacked the fire with sand— avoiding the use of water in order to keep down the damage done. Other women shifted furniture. One carried the sitting-room carpet to safety, others chairs, ornaments, curtains. Some filled buckets and carried them to the fire-fighters, in case the use of water became essential. But only a little had to be used when the flames began to break through. The fire was put out. Then a neighbour sat down at her telephone and did not leave it until she had fourid a builder who could repair the roof and ceiling at once. The women set to work to clean up the mess. Next they carried back the carpet, relaid it, rehung the curtains, replaced the furniture. The builder arrived and did the repairs. Women finally went over the bunalow dusting and polishing with a will. “When the couple finally got home this evening, ’’ said Mrs. Jack, one of the neighbours, “their new home was as nearly perfect again as it could be.”

SECRET IN BOOK

RICHES TO HAIRDRESSER.

Forty-five years ago, Frederick Armand Chaventre, a London hairdresser, read a book about ancient Egypt and the reigns of the Pharaohs, writes the well-known London journalist, Mr Andrew Kidd. . One chapter intrigued the hairdresser immensely. It was an account of the use of the henna plant for dyeing women’s hair. Mr Chaventre thought that what was good enough for Cleopatra might be fashionable for London ladies, and experimented with samples of the plant. Greatly daring—it was in 1897—he introduced his henna shampoos and dyes to the women customers of his Oxford Street shop. It was sensational. The vogue spread like wildfire among the ladies of fashion. They paid £5 to £lO for the treatment. Mr Chaventre experimented further and made compounds which produced shades from blonde to black. His discoveries were placed on a commercial basis. Mr Chaventre became managing director of the company. It prospered. But he had little interest in salesmanship. He went back to his hairdressing shop. Not long ago, at the age of 74, Mr Chaventre died. His will, published in London, revealed that Mr Chaventre had left £58,000 —a fortune earned by reading a book and glorifying woman’s crowning glory.

SHORTER SKIRTS

TWENTY INCHES FROM GROUND

Skirts are to be even shorter in 1941, say Sydeny fashion experts. Twenty inches from the ground is forecast as the fashionable dress length by the dress adviser of a leading city store. Skirts will be to the knee or just below it, but no longer.

If the stockingless vogue is generally adopted, skirts may swing well above the knee, for then there will be no unsightly stocking wrinkles to cover she adds. The trend to shorter skirts will be further encouraged by the introduction of knee length hose, following the English and American leads. “It’s a matter of individual taste, but skirts are shorter for the younger women. Probably the fashion originated in England. War economy is one reason,” said a store buyer of ready-to-wear frocks. Uniforms worn by members of women’s organisations would be unlikely to change in length, however, since they were designed to suit all ages and types. • ... Many girls dispensed with slips ana wore only scanties and brassieres beneath summer frocks, so that an untidy inch of petticoat would be unlikely. j , The need for good posture would, however, be emphasised. Heels would remain a- matter for individual choice, but stilt heels piopised to continue and hold their own.

GOERING TOOK PAQDIN COAT

NEW YORK, December 21.

Goering’s dictatorial shopping methods were described to-day by Lady Decies, who, as Mrs Harry Lehr, was one of the leading figures in fashionable American circles. Arriving here from Lisbon in the American liner Excalibur, she told reporters how she chose a beige cloth coat with a fur collar at Paquins. She was about to leave when the Reich Marshal, who had come to buy a coat for his wife, formerly Emmy Sonnemann, an opera singer, saw it. He liked it so well that he said: "I’ll take the coat.” “I did not try to argue—l bought another coat,” said Lady Decies.

LEMONS USEFUL

When ivory backs and handles of toilet brushes and mirrors become so soiled that ordinary washing is of little use, mix lemon juice and powdered whiting to a soft paste, rub this on the ivory, leave for 30 minutes, and then wash off, advises an exchange. Dry thoroughly, polish with furniture cream, and finish with a chamois leather.

Half a lemon dipped in salt will, help in restoring discoloured ivory articles to their original beauty. After rubbing with the lemon, wash them in lather, rinse,, and polish. Ivory piano keys must not be washed. Moisten a soft cloth with methylated spirit and remove marks and stains with it.