WOMEN’S CORNER.

Temuka Leader, Issue 10489, 31 December 1929, Page 4

WOMEN’S CORNER.

(By " Amic*.’’) (All correspondence to be addressed to " Amies,” c«re of this offles. Letters to be written on only one side of the paper, and name and address to be attached as guarantee of good faith.) POOL AND STREAM. Beside the hermitage on the mountain slope gloomed a Pool of dark, still water. It lay at the heart of quietness. No wandering breeze crisped its surface and the great winds roamed far away. Every leaf and intricate bough that hung above had a motionless fellow in the water; every bird that fluttered among the branches was answered from below in all except its song; all night the stars sailed smoothly from edge to edge of the Pool like little golden ships. ”Oh, perfect image of my peaceful days!” the Hermit said, bending beside the water. But although the Pool stood still on the mountain side, its clearness was never tarnished. Year after year it glassed the leaves and the sailing clouds most purely, not like a. marsh or a standing fen. Ancient as the mountain itself, it looked at the stars with the eyes of childhood. “How does the water remain so clear?” the Hermit mused.

And while he was pondering he heard a distant song and shout of rejoicing water that rose from far down the glade. It was the voice of water loose and running free, yet with an errand in the world—an errand and a goal. He listened wistfully, thinking of the mills this happy Stream would soon be gurgling under, imagining the cities it would some day pass and the ships it would some day float. “Oh, dark and unhelpful Pool,” the Hermit said in his pondering. “For you receive all beauty and give nought in return. The skies bend blue above, stars come and go on mysterious missions, the great and friendly trees give you their magnificence to hold in your heart, the mountain girdles you round with ancient and everlasting silence, yet these and many other gifts you , gather unthankfully into yourself. Oh, perfect Image of my useless days!” Yet even while the Hermit spoke the clearness of the Pool rebuked him. And suddenly, while he was musing there, ho saw that the Pool must feed the Stream below, for it lay in the same rift of the mountain and no water came from higher than this. Some hidden channel, of which he had never known or guessed, led down from the still to the dancing water, from quiet to song, from peace to joyous labour. His Pool remained clear, he knew now, because it was sending its beauty into all the world, and the song of the Stream below was only its song of deliverance. From this quietness and peace came the strength that would turn millwheels and float great ships tomorrow.

The Hermit bent his head beside the Pool and sat for an hour in thought, as motionless as the water before him. Then he rose and took his wallet and staff and closed the door of his hermitage and looked farewell at the Pool he had loved so long, and strode down the mountain slope until he came to the singing water. •Aind he, too, went singing. “There can be no Pools without Streams,” the Hermit sang. “There can be no Streams without Pools,” the dancing water replied. VALUE OF BARLEY IN DIET. It. is well-known that barley is a valuable food for infants, taken in such forms as barley jelly, barley water, porridge made half of barley, half of oats. In summer it is really a necessity for children, and for everyone barley in some form should be taken at least once a week—in soup, in broth, or as a cooling drink. If I perceive the advent of a cold in any member of the family, I produce a favourite “appleade,” says a writer, made with barley, hoping to, and generally succeeding in washing the offending germ out of the system with the aid of my great friend, barley. Appleade can be made at the same time as an apple pudding is prepared, as only the peel is used. Buy good, large, green cooking apples, clean well, and as you peel them, throw the peel into a saucepan containing one pint of cold water, until it just covers the peel. Add the rind of two lemons, bring to the boil and simmer for halGan-hour or more. Pour into a basin or jug to cool, add sugar to taste, then add the juice of two lemons. The lemon juice is added when the liquid is cool, so as not to destroy the vitamins. Barley water lemonade is made in the same way, but the juice of four lemons should be added, and a little more sugar.

For infants, no lemon juice is added. A good recipe is to add five parts of boiling water to one part of barley jelly. o«o HAVE YOU TRIED? Cutting a boiled pudding with a hot knife to avoid making the pudding heavy? Or dipping a knife into hot water before cutting new bread for the same reason? Painting a rusty-looking wire mattress with some laluminium paint to improve its appearance? Worn-looking baths are so quickly

renovated by the use of this quickdrying paint. • * ♦ TO MAKE CORKS AIRTIGHT. Immerse them in pure olive oil for five minutes; or dip them in warm mutton suet or white wax. Fix into the bottles immediately, and leave to harden.

Before pushing the cork down in a pickle or sauce bottle, double a piece of string across the neck so that it passes under the cork, leaving the two looped ends hanging out. Steam the cork, so that the string will sink in and not leave any air space, and seal firmly, When you want to open a bottle or jar thus sealed, break through the two loops of string and pull out the cork. It will come out easily and in good condition. A soft cement for covering the corks of preserved fruit bottles may be made by melting yellow wax with an equal quantity of resin. If your corkscrew has been mislaid by any chance, an effective substitute is an ordinary strong screw with a piece of stout string attached. • • « THINGS YOU OUGHT TO KNOW. When it is Sunday, and you have forgotten to order shoe polish, don’t worry! Try using a lemon instead. A few drops gives a brilliant polish to shoes of any colour. When Mr Husband grumbles about the bacon at breakfast, don’t always blame the grocer. It may be your fault. Do you keep it uncovered, and in a cool place, where there is a continuous current of air? If you have a persistent attack of hiccough, or hiccup, as it is more generally known, hold your chin in a cupful of cold water. The resultant cure is almost instantaneous.

If you are plagued with moths, rub the sides of the drawer in which you store your woollies with the following:—Equal parts of oil or cedar, oil of cajeput, and oil of cloves. It is a cheap and absolutely certain preventive. Ink will not run on newspaper if the paper is warmed before use. If you do your own housework and have a kitchen stove to polish, try adding a little liquid ammonia to the polish, and watch the result! If soot falls on the drawing-room carpet, there is no need to worry, for it will sweep up without any ill-effect if you cover it with ordinary dry kitchen salt, and sweep both up together. • • « THE WORKER’S SANDWICH. It is a thankless task to prepare packed lunches dap after day to be taken to the office or works. For the workers invariably get tired of the assortment, however, much you may try to vary it. Here is a tip that may introduce a little variety of flavour. Before spreading the bread with butter beat up the latter with a little chopped parsley. When used with fish-paste filling, ham, a mixture of cheese and tomato, or egg, a charm of flavouring is added that is generally appreciated.

THE VALUE OF HERBS. There is scarcely a popular flower ot plant in the garden but has some medicinal or healing virtue. Here are a few of what were considered cures for simple ills. A drop of oil of lavender put on aching teeth will kill the pain. The same mixed with a little sugar is good for a hoarse cold. Equal parts of oil of lavender and refined fat mixed together make a good application for stimulating the growth of the hair. The fresh root of a daffodil bruised and applied to a wound, is said to heal it. Sprains and bruises may be cured also by a similar application. Tea made from the tops of rosemary flowers is good for headache and countless minor ailments. • * * TESTED RECIPES. CHOCOLATE RAISIN PIE. One tablespoon cornflour, half a teaspoon cocoa., two tablespoons sugar, two eggs, vanilla, one cup seeded raisins, two cups milk. Mix cornflour, sugar and cocoa together. Warm milk, pour a little on cornflour to blend, and bring the remainder to boiling point. Stir in tlie cornflour mixture and cook two — three minutes. Cool, add beaten egg yokes, raisins and vanilla. Line in a tart-plate with sliortpaste, pour in filling and bake 20 minutes in moderate oven. Beat egg whites till stiff, fold in a tablespoon sugar. Pile on top of tart and brown. SPONGE SOUFFLE. Four eggs, Jib sugar, juice of one large lemon, three teaspoons granulated gelatine, one eggspoon rum or sherry. Beat sugar and yolks of eggs together, melt gelatine in a. little hot water and add to it the lemon juice and flabouring; stir all together, and when beginning to get thick beat mixture into the stiffiy-beat^,-white of the eggs. Pour into mould', and in ten minutes, with or without ice, it will be sufficiently set to serve. DELICIOUS JELLY TRIFLE. Have a shape with a hole in the ■centre if possible, and place in a layer of sponge cake, a layer of oranges, then a layer of bananas repeat until mould is full, having cake layer last. Pour liquid jelly over whole, and set. Turn out and fill hole in centre with whipped cream. Serve with custard. BANANA BUTTER. Melt together Jib butter and 11b castor sugar, and stir into this three

well-beaten eggs, the grated rind of a lemon, and four large bananas mashed into a pulp. Put this into a basin in a saucepan of boiling water and stir till it thickens. Very nice as a filling for cakes. HONEY MEAD. After straining honey, put wax into a tin and fill up with water. Let stand for 24 hours, then strain well into another tin, and if it will float an egg it is the right sweetness: if not, keep adding more honey and stir until it does float; then add two teaspoonfuls ginger, two teaspoonfuls cloves, two teaspoonfuls whole allspice, one teaspoonful chillies, all tied in a bag. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for four hours, stirring occasionally and take the scum off as it comes up, then let it stand. Don’t disturb it, and bottle off next day. Add six grains of rice to each bottle. Let it work —it might take a month. When you think it has worked enough, cork down. •APPLE SAUCE. (Fot Duck. Goose, Pork).

About i'lb of apples, two cloves, two tablespoonfuls water, two tablespoonfuls sugar,. b'utter; peel, core and slice apples; put on with the cloves, sugar and cold water, simmer gently till tender, remove cloves, mash with a fork, add butter, and re-heat. TOMATO GRAVY.

Put one tablespoonful oil or melted butter into a frying-pan with a small teaspoonful flour; brown, stirring constantly—do not burn; then add one cupful stewed strained tomatoes, stir till it comes to the boil and quite smooth; to serve with cutlets, rissoles, etc. ONION SAUCE.

Four or five onions, J pint hot milk, loz butter, pepper and salt to taste. Peel onions and boil until tender, squeeze water from them, chop and add to them butter, melted with the milk. Boil up at once.