LADIES' COLUMN

Thames Star, Volume LXII, Issue 17388, 28 March 1928, Page 2

LADIES' COLUMN

WOMEN WHO DRIVE CARS. There ;ire a great many women motorists in these days—iilmost as many as men, says a Home paper. Most women love driving a car, which they find a very useful possession. Jn many suburbs and country districts hear large towns it is a very common thing to see a woman driving her husband to the station early in the morninf, in order to enable him to catch his 'train in comfort. Then perhaps she takes her children to school. She ; runs home in the car. sees to her l house-keeping, and an hour or so later motors to the nearest town or into ! the village to do the household shopping. A.car enables her to have lunch or tea with a friend some miles away from her home, or takes lier to the golf links so that she may start her game im tired by walking.. Then perhaps she meets her children from school, and fetches her husband from the station, so that he is home in gOod time for the evening meal. During the day she has had greater leisure and opportunities for pleasure. There, is, however, one thing which many women motorists hate—night driving. The glaring head-lights of other cars dazzle one's eyes, and there is always the fear of running down in a dark lane some pedestrian or cyclist without a. rear light. If, however, certain"precautions are taken the risks are considerably lessened. The driver should be particularly, careful at corners and crossings, sounding the horn frequently, never going too quickly, and keeping well to the left. Common safety calls for efficient front and rear lights, but not for glaring head-lights in the streets or lighted suburban roads. Side lamp's or wing lamps should be adjusted periodically so as to give a shghtly downward beam of light. Spotlights Drove useful in a fog. There are many practical devices very useful to motorists for dipping head-lights. FASHIONS FOR AUTUMN-. . . Summing up what I've seen at the shops and elsewhere, it seems to me that the chief novelty of the autumn designs is their diagonal line. All the new coats and frocks, except the severely, sports ones seem to show this in oiie way or another: Usually, but not always,' it is a right-to-left line sloping downwards to the left. Often there are more lines tlpnn one—a series of flounces, perhaps, and that design is typical of the useful day "frocks foliate smhiner wear, . and would be chai'ming in any #'-the 'new light woollen materials. These frocks must be belted too. as belts are still as important as ever.

Talking of- skirts, the newest and almost practical design for a sports or any sort of 'skirt for hard wear is perfectly plain and straight, with the necessary fullness given by three or four large, flal pleats at one side. You'll find this a very smart and becoming shape.to wear, and it carries out the new one-sided idea—"lopsided." The idea of centring the interest at one side seems to have spread to our new hats, too, judging by the popularity of the new moels. Our little helmet hats are still popular and the same shape, but pulled_ down to make a side-bow effect, will rival them. With a shingled nape, there is a softening effect about a bow just there which is somehow very "younging." I would certainly advise you to have one of your autumn bats in this stvle before it gets too popular. Oh, and by the way, hats remind me of jewellery—please don't ask me why, but they, do—so here are some hints!. You must never now, wear anything "odd" in jewellery. Your necklace must match your bracelets, your earrings must match both. Their smartness lies not in their value but in the fact that they are all the same. Another very definite autumn tendency is towards the "afternoon" dress. Two years ago there was no such thing—a ten-o'clock-in-the-morning dress, and a six-o'clock-in-the-evening—one were as twin as the Dolly Sisters. But that is all changed, the great dressmakers of Paris have said firmly that "sports" dresses are for the opon-air only, and for indoor functions they are going to give you beautiful and quite elaborate affairs in velvet, moire and so on. The smartest colour for these, frocks at present is black. You could have grey, of course—l wouldn't advise a bright colour for daytime in these materials, it looks rather clumsy, somehotv, and brown has a tendency to look useful and insignificant. But after all, why not black? Black velvet, you know, with a few nice ornaments, does take a awful lot of. beating. TWO CUCUMBER RECIPES. Stuffed Cucumbers.—Cut a cucumber in pieces about l£in. long. Then .cut away strips of peel, leaving a striped green p4id white effect. Now scoop out centres of cucumber slices to form cups, place in a marinade of French dressing. Meanwhile chop the pulp very fine. Chop yolks of two hardboiled eggs, add one tablespoonful of

butter, two boned sardines 'and finelyc. hopped parsley. Mix well and add cucumber pulp at the last moment. Fill cucumber cups with mixture piled high in centres. Top with a star oi pimento. Baby Cucumber Pickles.—These sweet'pickles make a delightful appetiser as an accompaniment to a sandwich. Wash one peck of freshly picked cucumbers in cold water, pack in three-gallon stone par-to within a few inches of the top, then cover with one cupful of ground horse-radish. Heat to boiling point, but no do boil, one gallon of vinegar, three cupsful of granulated sugar, one cupful of brown sugar, one cupful of ground mustard, one cupful of salt, oiie cupful of pickling spices and one teaspoonful of alum. Pour over the. cucumbers jind cover with a, layer of fresh grape leaves and a weighted plate. They will be ready for use in several days. W packed in small attractive containers, these pickles make welcome little gifts to one's friends. TWO HOMEMADE FLOOR STAINS. One and a quarter ounces pulverised gilsonite, one quart turpentine. This is a brown stain that can bemused on either soft woods or hard woods. Half a pound raw sienna (ground in oil), two ounces raw umber (ground in oil), one pint boiled linseed oil, half a pint ground Japan drier, one pint turpentine. Putting these materials into a bottle and shaking vigorously is perhaps the best wav of mixing this stain. It ha.% been found to give excellent results on oak.

To dilute either stain use some of the original solvent, either water, turpentine or oil. Stain should be used without a wood filler. The object is to let the stain penetrate the pores of the wood. In using a commercial stain, sttuly the coloured samples of stained woods and decide which one you want; then follow directions on the can. Two coats of a light coloured stain are better than one coat of dark stain. Beware of getting your floor too dark. All floors grow darker with age anyway. The newly stained floor should be allowed to dry.for 24 hours with closed windows and doors. Then apply wood filler wax or .varnish with .the prescribed process for either.