THE Good Neighbour

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 62, Issue 5, 15 May 1941, Page 375

THE Good Neighbour

| z ■ BY

MARY

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is something that comes to every one of us —it comes to me, and it comes to you. Nothing we can say or do will prevent it, nothing we can say or do will alter it. It is as well, often, that we do not know what is ahead of us, for sometimes we would so easily lose faith in ourselves if we knew what the years had in store for us.

Nowadays, more than ever before, change is ever-present in our everyday lives. We scarcely dare to hope —and if we do, it is never with 'any certaintywhat to-morrow has in . store for us: sometimes these changes that come along, quite uninvited, are not the happiest things for us; other times, we, would not believe beforehand that any change could be so much for the better. But the important thing about change is to take it as it comes. It is no. good fighting against it, however much you may wish to. If the change is not a good 'one, the only thing to do is to keep your chin up, as the saying goes; and on the other hand, if the change is for the better, then there is little difficulty in smiling.' There is a pattern in our lives, and every turn of events has a purpose. Don’t fight against events, fight with them, and you will very soon find that events are with you rather than against you. In the lives of some people there is more change than in the lives, of others. But change will always be

with us, and the more often you experience a little different set of circumstances, the stronger you will become to face the next set. Life is a peculiar thingit seems to have a way of being down on you when you are down, and up with you when you are up. . - . If you do not like things, alter them, said a wise man once, but if you cannot alter them, like them. So it behoves us all to make the best of every change that occurs in our lives, for without change our days would be dull, and life would be monotonous instead of being a glorious adventure, each day unlike the day preceding it. I believe Life was meant to be beautiful, and if it is not so, then it

is ourselves who have stolen the beauty from the days, and it is up to us to replace it. Faith, and hope and love make life beautiful —it is the ugly things, such as selfishness, intolerance, and impatience that make it drab and uninteresting. Do not shrink from change. Even though, to-day,.it may not seem for the better, make the best of it, and to-morrow you will find that, after all, you were wrong, and everything has worked out all right. Remember that God never shuts one door t but He opens another, and it is only becaluse of change t that we can ever hope to progress. /

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J’ HERE is a little creek running through our farm, and in the spring it is just lovely. Many a walk I’ve had along —there are poplars and weeping willows along either side. I have stepped across the creek in many places, but this morning I went down, and what a change!,With all.the rain, our peaceful creek had vanished, and in places it was easily a chain wide, all dirty, swift travelling water. However, we are up on a good rise, and there is l not much chance of us getting flooded. When I was small, we used to live at Balclutha, and we lived in a continual dread of floods when the river was — Mrs. M. Hamilton, Oamaru.

'ILf'AY I draw into the friendly circle of your “At Home” and tell you an incident from over the other side? “Oh,-we’re tough, mighty tough in the West, and I think some of my ancestors must have come from the West,”’ writes a lady from Swansea, “because it surprises ourselves what we can stand up to.” Two years ago this lady paid a visit to one of her sons in New Zealand. Now she is back in Wales. Though nearer 70 than 60, she is caring for two young grandsons while their widowed mother goes to work, and she is also a warden for putting out incendiary bombs in their street. Quite casually she writes: “I

had to wait until I got my tin ha before I began my warden duties, for there is so much flying shrapnel about.” She goes on to describe the wonderful beauty of the z snow-clad city lit by the flares of torches and incendiary bombs. “If it was not for the roar of the guns and the flying splinters, one would think one was looking at a marvellous fireworks display.” What an inspiration there is in the thought of that gallant little 'whitehaired figure battling about in that inferno. Some of her indomitable spirit must have been bequeathed to her sons, for one of them has his captain’s certificate in the merchant service,; and the youngest, aged only 24, is a British Army captain who came back safely from Dunkirk. Kowhai, Mangatainoka. npHERE is a lot to be said for the folk who plan their work for the. day, and get through it, come What may. They do .accomplish a, lot, and I am always making resolutions to do the same, but on our farm at least there is always the unexpected happening to take my attention from a set programme. We have 35 of the cutest little pigs, which are always turning up where they “shouldn’t oughter.” The other day I saw that about a dozen of them had squeezed under the wirenetting, and were eating away at our precious oat-stack, intent on making tunnels through it. There was such a hullabaloo when I descended on them with ferocious wuff-wuffs. In the emergency they had forgotten where they got in. and round and round they went, and it was quite a time before the last - one managed to wriggle out through an incredibly small space. Mrs. Carlow, Timaru. \

T’M about to step off the solid ground ■*" of everyday routine on to the sea of holiday adventure! , For hills and harbour, I’ll exchange ( flat fields and wide sunset skies — the, rattle and clang of the city, the quiet of a country village. And for the space of three weeks or so I expect it will be a good exchange. I’m counting on other treasures, —sleep, and bookshelves to explore, music, and maybe fresh adventures in friendship. Young Tyke, Wellington. / ,

Z'ANE day I was extra busy, and could not watch the baby for too long. He was ten months old, '-and could crawl-round anywhere. I was busy in the dining room, when I missed him, and as everything was very quiet I began to wonder if he had crawled outside. I went out to the kitchen, and there he was. He had managed to lift the top from a 601 b tin of honey, and he had his arm up to the elbow in honey! Well, he had honey all over him, and all I could do was put him in the bath.— Whangarei.

TTERE is how I first became introduced to you, Mary. “Are you

awake?” came a voice at 10 o’clock at night. “Here’s the mail, and a letter for you.” So, sitting up in bed, I received an introduction to you who signs in such a friendly way the word “Mary.” How interesting it makes the “Journal” to have your section to turn to, because after all one sees a lot of the agriculture side in the country all day.— Feilding. • 1 T NOW have a week-day daughter "*■ Miss Nearly Six, who is the daughter of . friends who live several miles from school, and not on one of. the roads catered for by school buses. As my home is only half a mile from the school, I offered to care for her 'from Monday afternoons until Friday, morning, when I send her off to school. This is the second term I’ve had her, and her parents are most grateful—and she is, as I have written, just my week-day daughter.— Crossroads, Apiti. T WOULD like to say how much I “* like your pages in the “Journal.” They are a big improvement from the woman’s point of view, and we look forward to each new “Journal.” Have tried several of your Recipes, and have found them very nice and useful; they are homely ones that a busy farmwife has, time to try. We have a young man in our house, aged 16 months, to take up our time and interests. These young people are very amusing; what they do and try to say. This little man has been walking for some . time, so gets into plenty of mischief; found an oil-can one day, so sets about oiling the lawn-mower in such a (businesslike way—did someone say/he is going to be a mechanic? Blue Bell, Temuka. JUST now life is doing a whirl for me. I enlisted for. transport work with the W.A.A.F., and last Friday had to appear before the selection committee. The result was that I have to take a heavy traffic test next Wednesday, with the hopes of having my driving licence 1 endorsed for heavy traffic. As a result of that I spent three hours yesterday driving a local sixwheeler over some of the roughest country imaginable. • I’ve done some tricks'' with the car, but what I had to do yesterday was double worse, and I had a strange steering wheel. However, now I’ve no fears for Wednesday! At least I’ll have a decent road to play tricks on.— John-in-the-Middle, Rangiora. A T the Centenary celebrations at Moturoa last Monday there was a tremendous crowd. The landing of the first pioneers was re-enacted. The spectacle ’ was very interesting, but I couldn’t help thinking of what the pioneers really had to put up with. What courageous men and women they-

must have been. I wonder how many of their descendants would brave the perils that those wonderful people braved. We certainly are not nearly as self-reliant as they had to be. — Mary Ann, Bell Block.

T WAS telling my family that I’d read in the paper recently that carrots are good for the eyes, so that they should eat plenty of them. “Oh,” said the youngest and wag of the family, “if they are good for the eyes, mother, why not hang a bunch on the wall where we can see them any time?” — Hastings.

RECENTLY I read Noel Coward’s V autobiography, so I was glad you had met him. People are interesting, aren’t they, even those . who are not famous? ; All the women living, near my home belong to the Women’s Division, and it helps us to pull together. I have marvellous neighbours, always doing things to help me along.— “F.,” Oxford.

YOUR GREATEST FRIENDS YOUR BOOKS

YES, they are your greatest friends. Once you have met and known a book, it will always be true to you. Once you have loved a book, it is always waiting for you to go back to it, waiting to snare its joys with you again. So, be very careful how you treat your book friends, for if they are going to be faithful to you down the years, you must be faithful to them.

Whereabouts do you keep your books? I do hope you have plenty of proper shelves for them, and do not have to keep some of them packed away for long periods at a time. Nothing will destroy the beauty of a book quicker than being packed away in a box, for besides the harm that dampness may cause, you will forget you owned it once, and will be done out of the joy of re-reading it now and then.

Your book shelves should be in some place where the sun does not penetrate, and not too near an open fire. Classify them as much* as you can: fiction, poetry, study, travel. It is a great help to know just where you can put your finger on a certain book when you want it. Every now and then devote a little time to looking after your books. Take them all out, and shake them gently to rid them of dust; if they are leather-bound, some of them may appreciate a gentle polishing with a colourless shoe-cream; if the bindings are at all torn, mend them with adhesive tape, and paint it over to match the 'colour of the book. Be careful, too, when you are reading a book. Never turn down the corners to mark your place. A friend of mine once said to me that if you could not remember where you left off in' the book, then the book was not worth reading. But - nevertheless a book mark is often a great help! Do not leave

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“The Art of Living.”

— by

—by Andre Maurois.

IT is a curious fact that, although the greatest problem in the world is living, yet we rarely acknowledge its existence and importance, and yet more rarely ever read books on this so vital subject. To live well—that is to live fully, and happilymust surely be the most important question that we . as human beings ever have to face, but the number of good books written on and about this tremendous topic is woefully small. Andre Maurois, however, has added one more book to this list with his delightful volume “The Art of Living.” M. Maurois has a long list of books to his credit, books such as “Ariel,” which is a study of the life of the poet Shelley, and “Whatever Gods May Be.” Now he writes on Life itself, which, as he says, must be the same in England as it is in France. There are nine chapters in this book, on the nine arts of life. Perhaps you would like to know what this writer considers the nine arts of life? Well, here they are, in the order in which he has talked on them in his book: Loving, marriage, family life, friendship, thinking, working, leadership, growing old, happiness. These nine

which will perhaps influence your actions, too. In the first chapter ; M. Maurois defines art as Nature worked up and improved. Many people think of life as pure Nature, but here, as in other things, Nature provides us only with the rough materials, and leaves us to build our loves and our lives into shining towers, pinnacled with glory.

To live well is a difficult task, but with effort and sacrifice we can each make our lives a work of art. A more companionable book than M. Maurois’s “The Art of Living” I have not read for many, a day, and I am sure you will agree, after reading this book — which is a recent publication and has been translated from the French by James Whitall—that an art well worth our finest efforts is the art of, living.

the book in the sunshine, or read it too close to a hot fire, and do be as careful of other people’s books as you are of your own. So often books are carelessly treated because - they are borrowed, or are library books; And do be prompt about returning borrowed books. You never know when the owner may want to read it again, or possibly lend it to another friend. I think all that I want to say to you about books is summed up in this verse by Margaret Lloyd, and which I found written on the flyleaf of a book which was lent to me. ' “Books should never be dusted By those who do not love them. Books should never be borrowed ' 1 By those who cannot return them. Books should never be lent Unless the owner’s name is clearly written inside, And the owner is pretty sure Of getting them back in good condition. But — • . Books should be borrowed, and loved, and dusted, and lent, and lived in, And read inside out, and back again, And loved, and shared with one’s friends. And counted among them, all the same.”

Our Competition

I HOPE no one ever writes to me and tells me their life is humdrum - for I simply wouldn’t believe it! There were so many entries for this competition, so many cures for this humdrum that sometimes creeps into our days, that amongst them all you must find one that will chase boredom from your days. Yet it was remarkable that so many of you agreed on one point— out in the garden, dig your soil, grow your flowers. Yes, it is a good cure! Well, here are the winners, and I have tried to print as many different cures as possible, so if your entry isn’t here this time, perhaps you will be lucky next time. First prize goes to “Mary Marie,” Halcombe; second prize to “Biddi-Jan,” Redcliffs; and highly commended “F,” Oxford, and “Nes,” Meeanee. Bored? Well, read these cures: — . ■

What Do You Do To Take The Humdrum Out Of Your Days?

First Prize. VVHENEVER I feel particularly ’’ ’ bored with the. house, the first thing I do is to turn out the vases and do the flowers again, if possible in different colours. I (think most farm women find in the garden an escape from the trammels of the kitchen’s four walls, and I dash out for . a few minutes whenever I can. Kipling’s cure for the “hump”—“to take a large hoe”has not been over-rated, for there is a joyful magic in creating a garden that lifts one far above troubles, real or imaginary. There are so many interesting things to do in a home of our. own that I am never, bored unless I am not well, and the days go by with nothing done but the uninteresting necessities. Then I feel really lonely, missing the variety of crowds and shops. Something must be done about it, as we countrywomen cannot indulge in the usual tonic, namely, go out and buy a new hat. So I try to break the monotony by doing ' the chores in a different order, then rearrange some things as I replace them in the cupboard, and place moveable pieces of furniture in different positions. Sometimes I move the curtains to other rooms if it can be done without spoiling colour schemes. Another helpful idea is to have a room arranged with a .neutral. background, but with accessories interchangeable, such as cushions with each side a different colour. A room with cream or pale green walls looks wellwith autumn coloured cushions, and humpty with brown and yellow figured cover. Turn over the cushions to show various shades of -purple, mauve, and green, slip a loose cover of dark green over the humpty/put the brass candlesticks in the cupboard, and bring out

OUTSIDER I cannot share your grief, O mother Of the man who goes to war; Dry-eyed and brave, you smile farewell To the one whom you adore. I cannot share your grief, my friend, And yet .... love him too. Last night, when moonlit blossoms slept, We walked in dappled dew, ’Neath starlit skies we loved awhile, Your soldier son, and I . . . . And yetit is your boy who goes So bravely forth to die. I cannot share your grief, O mother Of the man we both adore, For he is yet your baby son, Though the man has marched to war. ■ —■ » ai ■ » m-wi-o oo » iw i m i

a piece of pottery, and in just a few minutes there is a refreshing change. ’ Sometimes one can prepare an easy tea, 'and give the children an extra hour of reading or playing games. Do they appreciate it? Just try it. Here’s to many happy times. — Mary Marie (Halcombe) . Second Prize. UNTIL two months ago I was a ' maternity nurse in a small, select private maternity home, and I met many patients who suffered from boredom. My advice was always the same —WORK, , with capital letters. I do not

mean to stick .to one thing, but find out what suits one, and then get on with the job, be it housework, gardening, painting, knitting, or the hundred and one things that one can do, whether rich or poor. My experience has been that the poor woman has so much to do that she does not have time to get bored. 'Personally, I never have been bored, as I always seem to have something to

doin fact, I want a 48-hour, day to cope with all I wish to do. However, if the day ever comes when I do get bored, I shall go for a long walk, walk until I am ready to drop. I am sure that by the time I had walked a mile I would have found so much to interest me that the rest of the walk would be sheer delight. One does not need to live in the country to see things on a walk —any city street is a play all on it’s own if you 'keep your eyes open. So, you people who get bored, next time, grab your walking shoes, leave your husband in peace with his paper, and step out Biddi-Jan (Redcliffs). Highly Commended. A PITY it is to be a sufferer from this ailment. Prevention is better than cure so they say, so if you are not yet a sufferer, , fill your days with things to do, and boredom won’t be able to creep in. But sometimes the monotony of things is all-pervadingbones ache for a rest, tired feet just nag. Half an hour’s rest on the old couch doing and thinking nothing cures that. And sometimes dishes and floors and beds seem endless. Then —never mind the tuneconcentrate on the words of all the old songs. you used to know, and the cure will begin. If you have the courage, go into the piano for five minutes, and you will come back to the broom a new woman. The next time there is half an opportunity, seize it, and go out for., the afternoon. Listen sympathetically to other women’s troubles, and silently compare them with your own, and perhaps you will find contentment that way. But never permit boredom to be your companion for “the world is so full of a number of things, I am sure we should all be as happy as kings.”— F. (Oxford). T AM a New Zealand land girl, and, "*■ believe me, many of .my days are “humdrum.” Rising at 4 a.m., milking 70 cows, and then going to the hayfield for five hours, to return again to the cows, is often more than enough. Here's how I overcome the humdrum. My voice isn’t one of the best by any means, but the cows don’t mind, and my two brothers say they can just bear it. 'So I sing. You would really be surprised if you tried singing when you feel you have had enough of work.

I never notice the length of time we take to finish at night, and I always feel better tempered, and : less .tired. Do try it! — Nes (Meanee). IJVERY woman is all the better for J an interest that lifts her right , out of the usual round, and for that I think we can point with pride to the various Women’s Institutes and branches of the Women’s Divisions of ' ■ the Farmers’. Union that now exist in almost every

centre of New Zealand. These organisations have done much for the country, woman, not only in providing interest and pleasure, but also in many other ways. They provide a common meeting ground for , all women, irrespective of' creed, colour, or personal possessions, and how much they teach! Women learn to . conduct a meeting, to think on various subjects, and to express , their thoughts clearly and concisely; they learn to “give and take,” to understand another's veiwpoint, - to be loyal to their officers and organisation; they learn to play the game, and if we could instil that lesion into the hearts and minds of the peoples of the world, how much misery we could avoid. My cure for boredom then is to join up with some organisation, and you will find it of benefit to yourself, and to everyone with whom you come in contact.— Silver Birch (Otago). "PERSONALLY, I get great fun out of “spending” the first prize in the art union, if I happen to have a

ticket in the current one. Although we do . not always have a ticket, we have one often enough to give me many exciting hours through the year.' Plain Jane (Taupiri). - ' best tonic for boredom in normal “*■ times is a visit to the milliners, for there is no doubt' that a new frock or a gay autumn hat does have a pyschological effect, not only on the wearer, but on those who look at-her as well. So go to your store to see the gay company of autumn hats that have arrived. ' Hats with crowns the size of a coffee cup,. and brims in the corresponding saucer shape, , beset with birds and flowers, airy twists of tulle, and all manner of cunning devices, are bound to put even the most depressed wearer into a cheerful mood. —■ “E.N.” (Foxton). •

BOREDOM.

Boredom is a dreadful thing. For when it comes it seems to cling Till all your world seems black and glum And only others have the fun. Day after day I'm left alone ■ For all my six dear chicks have flown, But I work outside as well as in: My garden is a lovely thing. Then, too, the mail comes round each day, And in the box a mile away I often find a letter long t ' That fills my heart with joyous ' song. There’s Mary with her children two, And all the naughty things they do; Joan, from afar, in Air Force blue, Writes reams about the work they do, i While her brother . tells of work and fun Of the soldier’s life that he’s begun; And my Baby— claims to a modest eighteen, Sends news of her doings, you’d ' think her a queen! And that’s how I keep old boredom away, For no one must know I am lonely today. —Grannie (Amur!).

■ I it eSS S *Z> V*

If you stand on a cushion while ironing, your feet will thank you. < - ; if. if. Wrap your cheese in a cloth which has been dipped into a solution of vinegar and water.. Wrap a dry cloth round the damp one and your cheese will stay very much fresher than if wrapped in greaseproof paper.

. When you'are washing your cretonne covers, add. a crushed aspirin to the water. This brightens the colours, and prevents them from running. Apply your floor polish with a crumpled newspaper, and then, keep your papers for lighting the fire.' # * Keep a stiff wire brush, such as is used for cleaning suede shoes, with your electric cleaner. This will be found invaluable in 'removing the fluff that collects on the brush appliance. ■¥> If you have to prepare your . fruit salad a little ahead of meal-time, you can prevent the fruit from becoming discoloured by sprinkling with lemon juice. This adds to the flavour too. * * * . Have your tea-towels gone fluffy with age? They do so often, and 1 like many other things nowadays, one has to use tea-towels to the very end of their life. Try dipping them in a little starch water, and the fluff won’t come off on your glasses and crockery.

The Finish On Your Furniture

IT’S there when you buy it, that finish on your furniture, but can you say-the same when you have had your furniture for, say, five years? Time and people have not been too kind to your dining-room table, and instead of having a high polish, it is dull, and perhaps ornamented with circles where hot plates have been put in careless moments. It’s not too late to bring

out the high lights of polish again, but before you begin you must make a resolution to be patient, and to do your polishing regularly. . A good wax polish is always popular, but have you tried a good furniture oil in its place? Most wooden furniture is given a hard-surfaced finish with varnish or shellac, and' as the surface of the varnish dries, it becomes less elastic, thus causing it to crack in very fine lines. If you regularly use an oil polish, you will feed the varnish, and thus prevent the breaking of the finish. - To remove those hot-plate marks, try cigarette ash on a damp cloth. It will work wonders. Scratches can be made a lot less noticeable if you treat them first with wood stain of the . proper colour, and finish with wax or oil polish. You may find that oil alone is

sufficient if the wood is light coloured, but if it is dark, try touching up the scratch with iodine, before polishing.

If you do use a wax polish, remember to apply it very sparingly. If you damp your cloth you will find that it helps to keep the coating thin. After applying the polish leave it for a few minutes before rubbing it with a fresh cloth. If you prefer to use furniture oil, be sparing with it, too, and don’t forget that an oil will clean as »well as polish, so after applying the oil, rub it well with a cloth, and then finish with a third and clean cloth. A good polish is always the source of admiration, and nothing is as beautiful as the reflection of flowers in the high polish of a dark coloured table. So remember, when you are polishing, that there are two secrets of success firstly, you must always use clean cloths, and, secondly, you must not be sparing with your elbow grease.

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Beauty From Your Pantry HAS it ever occurred to you how much beauty there is to be found in your pantry? No, I don’t mean the beauty that you see, like rows of bottled fruits, or jars of tempting chutneys. . I mean the . things that come from your pantry, and which help YOU to become beautiful. What about an egg pack for your face? Beat 2 oz. of fresh yeast to a paste with the stiffly beaten white of an egg. Apply ,this to your face, and leave on for quarter of an hour. Your face will feel tight, and you will look like a ghost for that fifteen minutes, but you will feel a hundred per cent, better when it is off. Oatmeal, too, is good for . the skin. Fill small muslin bags with fine oatmeal, and use them, dipped in warm water, for washing your face. This is especially beneficial if you suffer from acne. There are ever so many aids to hair beauty in your pantry. Break an egg into your shampoo powder, and beat them together well. This makes a splendid hair tonic. Don’t forget that hot olive oil applied before you wash your hair will drive away dandruff, and that lemon juice added to the last rinsing water will bring out all the golden lights in your hair. But perhaps your hair is grey, or white? Well, treat it like you treat your washing —to a little blue in the last rinsing water. Asked out unexpectedly, and your head greasy, with no time to

wash it? Well, dust it lightly with a little powdered starch, then brush it all out briskly. Result: a head of hair, all clean and shining. Barley water is a tonic in itself, but if you add some lemon juice to it, and take it regularly, you will find your skin will benefit. Try taking a mixture of sulphur and honey, too, if you want to clear your skin. It is not very appetising to take, but it does the trick. Your feet will appreciate a soak in a solution'of warm water and washingsoda if they are tired; and if you have

been doing a lot of walking, rub the feet with methylated spirits after the soaking is over. Ever used a friction towel? This is a boon if you suffer with that very irritable complaintan itchy bgck. Make a solution of warm water and 1 lb. of salt. Soak an ordinary bath towel in this, and when the towel is dry, rub it gently to soften it. Now give your back a good rub after your daily bath with your friction towel, and itchiness will disappear. Your towel will'be good for quite half a dozen uses after each soaking.

If your lips become dry or chapped —and they may be doing this quite soon with winter on the way—massage a little cream from the top of the milk into them. And don’t forget, never throw away your lemon peels. Keep them handy above your sink, and rub them into your hands after you have finished the washing-up/ , - Well, we seem 'to have found something in the pantry for almost every part of ourselves that requires attention. The way to beauty, after all, is not as expensive as you imagined it to be—help yourself to your pantry, and keep at it regularly, and, believe me, you will be surprised at yourself in a month’s time!

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LENTIL SOUP. Stock or water, 1 pint; lentils, 1 teacup; onion, 1 small; carrot, 1; celery, 1 stick; mint, a pinch; salt and pepper, a little; butter, J teaspoon; milk, a little; flour, 1 tablespoon. Wash lentils, put them in a saucepan with sliced mint, stock, and seasoning. Cook gently till soft. Pass through a sieve and return to the saucepan. Mix flour to a smooth paste with milk. Add to soup. Stir until boiling. Add butter and serve.— Miss Therese Deegan, New Plymouth. MY FAVOURITE SOUP. 1 boiling fowl, 1 of each carrot, onion, apple, all peeled and diced. Put all into pot with cold water to cover fowl. Salt and pepper to taste. When the water boils add the following:—l of each 1 tablespoon rice, barley, and sago. Simmer several hours. Add 1 teaspoon parsley before serving. Mrs. R. A. Bruce, Geraldine R.D. ARTICHOKE SOUP. \ Put a knob of butter into saucepan, add 2 onions cut finely; simmer a few minutes, add 3 cups stock, about 6 artichokes cut finely. Cook half an hour. Put contents through a sieve, add 1 jug milk. When it boils . thicken with about one-third cup cornflour, season to taste.— Lumsden. < DUCHESS SOUP. 1 quart milk, scalded, 1 teaspoon salt, i cup grated cheese, 2 tablespoons finely-chopped parsley, 2 tablespoons butter, -j- teaspoon pepper, 1 tablespoon onion grated, 2 tablespoons tapioca. Method. tapioca, salt, pepper, and onion to hot milk;, cook in double

- 1 ■ V Hot Soups For '% C Cold Days

boiler, if possible, .for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. When tapioca is clear, . add butter, cheese, and parsley. Cook until cheese is melted. Serve with croutons of fried bread or toast. — Mrs. W. R. Powell, Halcombe R.D. OYSTER SOUP. Quantity for 4 persons.Pottle of 1 dozen oysters. Remove beards from oysters. Add about a pint of water to beards and oyster liquid and , 1 onion; boil for 20 minutes. Make thick white sauce, add oysters, and then the strained liquor from beards and season to taste. Simmer for 7 minutes; must not boil, as it toughens oysters.-— Bluebell, Waitohi.

IMITATION HARE SOUP. 1 lb. gravy beef, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 turnip, 1 oz. dripping, 1 oz. flour, 1 quart stock, 4 pepper corns, 2 teaspoonfuls Worcester sauce. Melt dripping and fry onion. Cut meat very small and remove fat. Fry meat in fat and then brown flour in the pan. Cut up vegetables, add cold liquid and put everything in saucepan. Simmer for 1| hours. Plain Jane, Taupiri. BARLEY BROTH. Take two shanks of mutton, put into pot with three pints water and a small cup of well-washed barley. Cut up 2 onions and 2 turnips, grate 2 carrots, and boil for 4 hours. Add salt and pepper, and skim well before serving. Two tablespoonfuls of chopped parsley put into the tureen improves it. Add more water if necessary. Mrs. G. Walker, Hawera. WATERCRESS SOUP. 1 lb. potatoes, 2 onions, J cup milk, 1 quart water, vegetable salt, . 1 bunch .watercress. Cut up potatoes and onions, cook till soft. Mash, heat, well, then add hot milk and watercress, finely chopped or put through very fine mincer < retaining all the 'juice. Bring to boil, add salt and serve. Devonshire, Clinton. CREAMED TOMATO SOUP. About 1 lb. tomatoes, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 pint milk, 1 small onion, 2 tablespoons butter. Cut up tomatoes and onions and cook for half an hour. Rub through a sieve and return to pan, seasoning with salt, pepper, and a teaspoon of sugar. Stir in gradually 2 tablespoons of butter rubbed into a tablespoon of flour and simmer about 3 minutes. Add a pinch of soda to a pint of milk in another saucepan and boil. Pour both together into the tureen and serve at, once. ' By bottling plenty of tomato pulp this soup can be had all winter. — Mrs. J. I. Joines, Timaru. BANANA CHUTNEY. 3 lb. apples, 3 lb. bananas, 1 lb. raisins, 2 lb. brown sugar, 1 oz. salt, 2 oz. garlic, 1 dessertspoonful curry

powder, 1 oz. mixed spices, 1 teaspoon red pepper. Mince the apples, raisins, and garlic, add the other ingredients, and boil in 2 quarts of vinegar for three hours. APPLE STUFFING. 5 or 6 apples, a little water, 1 oz. butter, .grating of nutmeg, . 1 lb. breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 egg. Peel and quarter the apples, put them into ’a lined or earthenware saucepan with the butter, and enough water to moisten the bottom of the saucepan. Cook slowly until the apples are tender, but not broken. Add the sugar and nutmeg, allow the fruit to cool, then stir in the breadcrumbs and the egg well beaten. This stuffing is used principally for pork or goose. CURRIED RICE. 1 cup rice, boiling salted water, 2 , tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoonful sultanas, 1 onion, 1 tablespoon chut--1 ney, 1 tablespoon curry powder, salt, cayenne, hot buttered toast, chopped ' parsley. ' ’ ■ ' Wash rice thoroughly, drain and place in boiling salted water with a slice of lemon. Boil quickly until ' the rice ,is : tender, and drain through ’a colander. Peel, dice and fry the onion in hot butter until tender without browning it; then add cleaned sultanas, curry-powder, and chutney. Simmer for a few minutes, then add the prepared rice, mix and heat' thoroughly. Season with salt and cayenne, pile rice on finger-lengths of toast, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve piping hot. VEAL AND HAM PIE. l-J lb. veal, -j- lb. cooked ham, 2 hard boiled eggs, j pint stock or "gravy seasoning, puff pastry. Cut the veal into small pieces, and cover each piece with ham. Pack tightly into piedish, and season with salt, pepper, and a: little tomato sauce if desired. > Slice the hard-boiled eggs on top of meat, and pour stock over. Cover with puff pastry, and bake for 1| hours in a fairly hot oven. ICED NUT CAKE. I lb. butter, j- lb. sugar, creamed well. ■ Break in 1 egg. a pinch of salt, add i lb. flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder. Roll out and divide. Put on slide and spread with thick raspberry jam, and put other piece on top. Bake in moderate oven. When cold, ice with pink icing, and cover with, chopped nuts. This mixture is hard to handle when rolled out, so roll the lower half out on the greaseproof paper which it is cooked on, and put the top half on |>y cutting it in strips. BENGAL BISCUITS. 3 oz. flour, 2 oz. butter, 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon mustard, J teaspoon bak-

ing powder, 3 oz. grated cheese, -j teaspoon curry powder, 1 tablespoon milk. Mix flour and curry powder, mustard, baking powder and cheese. Rub in the butter finely, add salt and pepper. Mix egg yolk with milk, pour into the mixture, and make into a stiff paste. Roll out thinly, cut.into rounds, and cook in a slow oven. Delicious with butter. MARSHMALLOW FILLING. • 1 breakfast cup water, j lb. sugar. | oz. gelatine, -j teaspoon vanilla. Dissolve the gelatine in half of the water for 10 minutes. Add the rest of the water, heat until quite dissolved, then add sugar and boil very gently for half an hour. Add essence and pour into a > basin to cool. Beat to a stiff froth, and spread on cake. An ideal filling for sponges. FIGIT PIE. Peel, core and slice one pound of apples, and 1 lb. of onions. Take a 1 lb. piece of bacon, cut into small dice, add a little pepper and salt, one teaspoonful of golden syrup with 2 tablespoonfuls of water. Put in a piedish, and cover with pastry. Bake three-quarters of an hour in a moderate oven. ‘ ’

CHEESE CUTLETS. Put into. a bowl 2 teaspoonfuls of mashed potatoes, breadcrumbs, small quantity of grated cheese, two tea- , spoonfuls of mixed mustard, pepper and salt to taste. Mix all together, and form into cutlets. If the mixture is inclined to be dry, add a little milk. Dust over with flour, and fry in fat. ■.c. SATURDAY PUDDING. 1 teacupful flour, 1 tablespoon marmalade, i teaspoonful bicarbonate of soda, 2 tablespoons golden syrup, 2 oz. butter, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons milk. Rub the butter into the flour, add syrup, marmalade, and egg, beat all well together, lastly adding - the bicarbonate of soda dissolved in the milk. Steam for 2-1- hours in a well-greased basin. SHORTBREAD. 6 oz. flour, i lb. butter, 2 oz. ground rice, -2| oz. castor sugar. Mix the sugar, and ground rice, and knead them into butter, sift the flour, knead them ■ all together, flatten out with the hand (do not use a rolling pin), and bake in a cool oven till slightly browned.

What is happiness? It, is the air we breathe without knowing i' it; the dappling of sunlight in the depth of a wood which is so quiet and still that we go by without noticing it. It is ourselves when we forget ourselves.

illlill i iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin i ii in mi iiiiiimaiiiaii chapters are nine talks by a very companionable gentleman, who never tries to preach, but just talks gently about the problems of man and woman, of living and loving, making friends, and growing old; problems that are as old as man himself, but which will exist as long as thinking beings exist in this world. This is no novel, no light fiction, but you will find it full of many deep truths which, especially when applied to yourself, will set you thinking on an entirely new line of thought, and

The soul would have no rainbow, had the eyes no tears.

r— ~ ——— ~i ! MY FAVOURITE SOUP i !_.' - - _ A

i The prize of 2/ 6 for the best j I soup recipe is awarded to Mrs. J. i t Ferguson, 20 Torrance St., Epsom, | | Auckland, for the following re- $ 1 cipe:— ' . J SCOTCH BROTH. . | j 31b. neck of mutton, 2 table- j I spoons pearl barley, 1 stick J i celery, 3 quarts of water, 1 • | | carrot, 1 turnip, 1 onion, J j chopped parsley. | | Cut up mutton removing fat. J ♦ Put it | into a saucepan with any | | other meat bones available and ( t cover with water. Bring to boil | | and simmer for two hours or more. | | Add pearl barley and vegetables j ♦ cut into dice. Cook until barley, ! I vegetables and meat are cooked. i • Season with pepper and salt, add | j parsley. | ! _ . -J

STEWS ARE IN STYLE

Yes, stews are in style ; the whole -year round, but never more so than in the middle of winter. Stews—they are nourishing, appetising, moreish. Send your favourite recipe for stew to the “Mixing Bowl.” A prize of 2/6 will be paid for the best recipe received by June 15.