elastic waists

Those convenience foods are a killer - all sugar and fat and 'empty' calories. And so much easier to face than starting from scratch. Lots of people haven't got the time to cook, some don't ever learn how, and organic food is more expensive when it ought to be subsidised to make it cheaper. It's no wonder people buy junk.

Admittedly we are spoilt here in France, though this is to the dismay of my poor American friend Trever, who can't believe the lack of fast food here. I hated to have to tell him that his supermarket has about three times as much fast food as mine, but his idea of a balanced lunch is chicken nuggets AND curry sauce - I don't allow that sort of thing in the house.

The French do have junk food, of course - Old El Paso has made inroads, and the French aren't immune to the lure of Macdonald's (no ketchup, though - they eat mayonnaise instead), but on the whole, processed food is rarer, because the French enjoy cooking. Food appreciation is also taught in schools - quite a separate class from 'home ec' and whipping up a decent omelette and salade vinegrette is within the abilities of almost everyone.

Speaking of France, spare a thought please ladies for the ten thousand people spending tonight in emergency centres as the whole of the South succumbs to flooding. Here in Normandie the house is being buffeted by

90kmph winds, but down there they're up to 150kmph, and they've had 12 inches of rain in the past 24 hours. Some of the houses are now 10ft under water and it's washing away bridges and roads. Fingers crossed for everyone

- so far, the death toll is low.

:0 Trish

That's what grad[1] students used to say of the layout of the campus at Purdue -- our dorm was a mile from the classrooms, and you had to go back to your dorm for meals.

Joy Beeson

I dont eat fast food at all. We are now retired and I now have time to prepare proper nutritious food, but I realise that people like me are in a minority! All the same, I have put on 6 or 7 lbs lately and want to get it off! My daughter (who knows a great deal about these things through sports nutrition and reading widely on the subject) tells me that in non-sports people carbohydrates can be the real problem - and that I should try never to eat any after lunch. I will have to change a few things round here I guess. My husband can eat all he likes and never puts on weight - but he walks a golf course 3-4 times a week - and that's a lot of exercise.

The list of no nos for me are: white bread, cookies and cake. No pastry and watch anything made with white flour. I can have some pasta so long as it's not in the evenings and really cut down on potatoes. Have to watch the cheese intake also. (I love cheese!) The advice was to snack on fruit if I am really hungry and don't be fooled by "light" crispbreads or similar! I can have yoghurt (which I love) for breakfast and I can have toast then also.

Fruit and vegetables are unlimited - and meat is apparently not a problem.

I am not a sweet tooth, so won't have to worry about candy or chocolates thank goodness.

I live in hope this will work!

Daisy.

I had a book out of the library recently published in the USA which contained a load of tips from professional fashion houses for home sewers.

One tip was about professional casings for elastic on skirts and pants. I tried it and it worked very well. I can't of course show you the pictures but the text was as follows:

1. Ensure that the pattern has 1 and a half inches allowed above the natural waistline - if not adjust the pattern yourself.

1. Cut non-roll elastic to fit (usually two-thirds of your waist measurement), and overlap the edges and sew together.

2. Fit a piping foot to your machine. Overlock the top of the casing allowance.

1. Fold down one and a half inches to the wrong side of the garment and press.

2. Place the elastic inside the fold and sew as close as you can to the elastic without catching it. You will need to bunch the elastic up behind the needle when you cannot sew any further without stretching the elastic.

When I had finished, I found I could move the elastic enough to spread it where I wanted. I like to have more elastic at the rear than in the front.

I hope this helps.

Daisy.

The non-roll elastic should be 1 inch wide. I should have specified that. For a 1 and a half inch casing, the elastic should be 1 inch wide.

Daisy.

Daisy, I saw this method done on Sewing With Nancy on summer, about 12-13 years ago, and immediately went to my sewing room and sewed up about 9 pair of shorts for me and my two little ones (at the time, now they're huge). It was the day of ripstop nylon running shorts (in DayGlo colors, no less), and all of our shorts were made of that. Between this method, and cutting them out with a rotary cutter, it took just a couple hours to do all that.

Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati

This always reminds me of the Irish golfer (Feherty) who is a golf commentator/writer; on clothes he said he buys expensive trousers one size too small as an incentive to lose weight! He didn't say how successful this strategy had been however!

Daisy.

Don't assume malice for what stupidity can explain.