HOUSEHOLD TIPS NOT FOUND IN WOMAN'S WEEKLY

[Stanley]

It worked! Now I am just angry and vindictive hoping that the disloyal MPs all lose their seats!
There is nothing like three hours doing something that you enjoy and working with your hands to calm you down..... Something very therapeutic about hand work.....

[Stanley]

The therapy worked yesterday..... Not really a tip but perhaps one for our legislators. If tobacco is such a threat that advertising has to be banned why not do the same for childhood obesity and ban all adverts for junk food?

[plaques]

....and ban all adverts for junk food?

It looks like Corbyn has been reading OG.

[Wendyf]

It's such a shame that fat is included as junk food.

[Stanley]

I agree Wendy. Another example of the power of big advertising budgets to skew reality. As I said many years ago when the saturated fat scare was first raised, "If cholesterol is that bad why did God put it in eggs and mother's milk?" That was what triggered me into reading everything I could find about lipid research. Yet again, I recommend you all to get hold of 'Queen of Fats' by Susan Allport. It's a readable, well informed overview of the history of the science and is totally convincing.

[Stanley]

I know I bang on about my love affair with bleach but I get so much pleasure out of my morning routine with boiling water, bleach and my pint pot and sink. It's such an efficient way of ensuring that at least one part of my life is as near sterile as I can get it. I don't know about you but a dirty sink in someone's house offends me! If their sink is dirty what chance the rest of the house! When I was in Northfield Martha used to call me the 'Sink Fairy' because I always cleaned it thoroughly after I used it.

[Tripps]

I'm with you on bleach. and at 29p for a 2 litre bottle it's one of Tesco's star buys.
Don't tell anyone.

[Stanley]

That's cheaper than I can buy it in 5litre bottles David. Right on!
Another forgotten cleaning agent is common soda. It, or a derivative, is a key ingredient in most of the expensive sprays that crowd the shelves and advertisements. One of the cheapest cleaners you can buy dressed up in a fancy package and massively advertised.

[Julie in Norfolk]

With bleach, vinegar (or similar acid) and soda you have everything you need.

[Wendyf]

This little poem was doing the rounds on Facebook yesterday....

[Stanley]

Good advice. I was just going to say that dust never killed anyone but that of course isn't strictly true. Household dust is not very dangerous but Wilfred Spencer, local historian of Colne, died from a lung complaint contracted from dusty old documents. His wife Helen told me that so it's kosher.

[Stanley]

I've just done maintenance on my CI frying pan. Wash with boiling water and oil up immediately afterwards. I've never looked back since I reverted to the cast iron instead of the worn out Teflon coated superpan!

[Stanley]

Ignore modern design gurus who tell you that the old cluttered life style and furniture is 'out' and minimalism and Ikea are in. If you wait long enough you will be back in fashion again. 'Brown' furniture is having a revival in the auction rooms and 'shabby chic' is the new rage. Auctions report that the Scandinavian look is not as popular and prices are easing.

[Tizer]

That comment about the `sink fairy' could be applied to me too, I love to see the shine of that stainless steel so why let it get grubby? If it was a classic car or a Spitfire I wouldn't let it get grimy! We're regarded by friends and relatives as being `tidiness freaks' but it pays off now when we've put the house on the market. When there's a viewing all we need to do is remove a few things into a cupboard or drawer and away we go. The family who came on Monday to view replied to the agent saying the house is STUNNING (their capitals). They've chosen another house to buy but said they'd definitely come back for ours if that falls through.

[Stanley]

That's encouraging Tiz, good luck with it!
If the enamel on the inside of your microwave starts to break down, consider getting a new one. I have that syndrome at the moment and as soon as probate eases the lolly I shall be ditching it and getting a new one....

[Gadge]

I've just done maintenance on my CI frying pan. Wash with boiling water and oil up immediately afterwards. I've never looked back since I reverted to the cast iron instead of the worn out Teflon coated superpan!

G'day Stanley,
I'm with you on cast iron. My favourite is a Breville electric cast iron 'Country Kitchen' frying pan, that was marketed here some time ago now.

BTW, I just 'repurposed' a Sunbeam non-stick aluminium electric frying pan last weekend - as a steam generator, for converting rust to a black oxide passivated surface,on steel objects. Anything from hand tools to rifles! This is actually the traditional Brit gunmakers' 'blacking' technique.

[Stanley]

Mine's an El Cheapo Chinese one but I re-surfaced the base with a fly-cutter to get better heat transmission.....
That's today's tip, find a man with a milling machine and get your pans done!

[Stanley]

Sometimes it is a good thing to cast off 'common sense' and go for something you want, regardless! I have ignored my natural urge to save money and spent money on something I really want that will benefit everyone. So, if you have a similar decision, stop beating yourself up and go for it.

[Stanley]

Don't knock having a shed full of esoteric machinery! Apart from fun and entertainment it can be a good thing for other purposes at time.....

[Stanley]

Years of collecting small taps and dies paid off yesterday for Ian. I had all the ones we need for his job. I think he was quietly impressed by his glimpse into the treasure chest! This philosophy applies to the house, it saves so much time if you have the right tool for the job in the kitchen, garden or sewing room!

[Stanley]

If something is nagging at the back of your head, do something about it! Action is the cure for worry and stress. I shall be writing articles for the BET for exactly this reason..... Nowt like a stock pile!

[Stanley]

I wrote four articles yesterday, on a roll and happy now!
Today I try the new Co-op washing tablets instead of the sachets. Never be afraid of trying something new, who knows, it might be better!

[Stanley]

I think the tablets are a shade better than the fancy sachets......
The concealed cavity at the base of fitted kitchen units is a happy home for crawling insects. I don't advocate regular use but the occasional blast underneath with crawling insect aerosol isn't a bad plan.....

[Stanley]

If you are a bit later up than usual, don't rush to catch up, it's not productive. Just plug quietly away at the tasks of the day and everything will soon fall into place...... Console yourself with the fact that the extra sleep was good for you!

[Cathy]

Haha I do that often Stanley, only an extra hour or so mind, otherwise I feel slow and find it a bit hard to get a momentum up. It's nice to get up when your body wakes up naturally.
I always was a sleeper.