Mummy at the School Gate

I've had quite a few messages asking for more of my home-made preparations....who'd've thunk it! Apparently they're getting more hits than my titillating tales of the yuckymum homestead! Funny thing though, just as I was flicking through my books, out dropped a picture of Simon le Bon!  I did have a penchant for him for a while, but I had no idea I tore out paper cuttings of him. I'm pleased to say I outgrew him! Home-made Bath Preparations Grain Bath -  for rough skin 1/2 cup barley 1/2 cup rice 1/2 cup bran 3/4 litre of water Soak the grains for approx one hour, then simmer for 1 hour, Strain.   Use approx 2 cups for each bath. Mint Bath - to refresh 1 cup of pine needles (you can pick these up on your walks) 1 cup of peppermint leaves 2 drops of rosemary oil. Mix the dry ingredients. Add the oil and stir well.  Put into cheesecloth bags (or even a tied jay-cloth) and let it bob around in the water.  This should last for a few baths. Let me know how you

Right, you lot, I'm on a roll here!  Here's another couple to try. Most of the cleansers on the market these days are made mainly from water.  The other stuff printed on the label I have no idea about, but it all looks pretty dodgy to me!  I have a drawer full of cleansers but rarely use them as sometimes, something in them makes me break out in all kinds of skin allergies. I've started using my own recipes now, and for the most part they're easy to make and I soak them in cotton wool and leave them in the fridge. Lovely and cool to use when you need them.  They seem to make a difference and clean off most of the make up, although I'm going to have to try and find one that removes the dreaded mascara.  If you're a vegan or have an allergy to dairy, you could use almond milk, or any of the non-diary products you normally use in your tea! Homemade Cleansers Herbal Cleansing Milk 2 tablespoons of elder flowers 1/4 pint buttermilk Slowly

When I was a kid I would be found either plucking all the petals from my Ma's prized roses or breaking off huge swathes of blossom from the most fragrant bushes I could find and mixing them with pond water in an attempt to preserve and bottle their scent. I would crush the dandelions and buttercups into pastes and mix them with flour and pummel the fallen apples from the trees to make apple juice.  As I grew older my Nan would share her tips with me, and as she was from an era of austerity, her "make do" regime stood her in good stead.  Even in her eighties her skin was creamy, with very few lines and she swore by her natural remedies. Sorting through my old notebooks and papers from days gone by I found some old skincare recipes that I had collected. The plan was to collate them into some kind of book.  Well, they've been sitting there for donkeys and I still haven't shared them and I think it's time that they saw the light of day. Most of the thing you