Woman's Own February 20 1960 Page 7

Content
----------
STAR FEATURES

Fiction:
With All My Heart, by Lois Dykeman Kleihauer 
The Shy One, by Audrie Manley-Tucker 
Serial:
Fuel For The Flame, by Alec Waugh

Specials:
Spice of Life
Once I Was a Nun, by Teresa Lightwood
The Way I See It
John Osborne-The Story of a Rebel
My World
Pattern of the Week  (sewing)
Emergency-Ward 10
Knitting for All the Family (knitting)
Vivien Leigh's Big Chance, by Sir Michael Balcon 

Plus 
Between Friends 
Doctor's Diary 
EVERYDAY RELIGION
Take Your Pick!
Smart Shoppers
NEXT WEEK'S
Pearly BEAUTY 
Service to Readers
SHOW PAGE
SCHOOL of COOKERY 
MOTHER AND CHILD SERVICE 
Undiscovered British Beauties
READER'S GUINEA RECIPE
PROBLEM PAGE
YOUR FATE in the STARS  

Letters to woman’s own plus Content
Cover 
20th FEBRUARY 1960
woman’s own
TOWER HOUSE
SOUTHAMPTON STREET
LONDON, W.C.2 TEMPLE
BAR 4363
 * *
-----------------------------------------------------------

Letters YOU WRITE THIS WE PAY

-----------------------------------------------------------

My family are all the fans I need *

As the 'Mum' of a large and noisy family, I have little time for my favourite hobby, scribbling stories to, read to the children. Not long ago my husband brought a publisher friend home for the week-end, and during his stay he read one of my stories. "You know," he said, "you could be another Enid Blyton if you gave your ego, your real self-half a chance. All you need is time to yourself, away from the family." Flattered, I furnished a small, empty room at the top of the house with a desk and a typewriter. There I sat, neglecting everyone, while I gave my ego its chance. But nothing happened. I couldn't write a word. So back I went into Bedlam. And as soon as I resumed my normal routine, back came the stories, too! As long as my children enjoy them, what else matters?- MRS. S. G., OXFORD.

Am I odd? *

Although I have been married for years and dearly love children, I have no desire to have any of my own. I much prefer my office job to the idea of staying at home and focussing all my attention on a child. Yet I'm sure that if I ever have a baby, I shall be able to give it my complete love. Have other wives felt like this in pre-baby days, or am I the odd one out?--C. STEWART, DRINGHOUSES, YORKSHIRE.
 Lots of others feel like you do, Mrs. Stewart, until the baby arrives. Then they wonder why they ever worried about lacking a mother instinct.-ED.

Clean beak *

When I've done my weekly mending on the sewing machine, the floor is always littered with bits of cotton, often in places where the carpet sweeper can't reach. I used to go down on my hands and knees to pick them up one by one, until I discovered that Jane, our canary, was anxious to do the job for me. Now I just give her the freedom of the room for an hour or so while she hops in and out of her cage, carrying beakfuls of cotton to make a nest.- MRS. E. B., LEICESTER.

Happy truant*

Taking a tip from a TV star who ended his programme with the words: "Be kind to yourself," I decided to play truant the other Sunday and leave the family to look after themselves while I went for a bus ride. I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon off. And it was so nice to know, when I got home, that my husband and children had missed me, even though I had been away only for a couple of hours.- MRS. CLIFFE, CARDIFF.

Weed garden *

In the Austrian village where I was born, people still use wild herbs for making wines, cordials and simple remedies. When I came to this country my husband helped me to grow a patch of wild plants in our garden. English friends laugh at my 'weeds', but they provide us with delicious summer drinks, warming winter cordials and fragrant potpourris. - Mrs. BRUCE, DARLING' TON, Co. DURHAM.

All change *

How the names of rooms have changed down the years! From the salon of 500 years ago to the with-drawing-room of the Victorian era, later shortened to drawing-room, it is now the lounge or living-room. And the dining hall has changed through dinning-room to dinette and the kitchen to kitchenette. What will the next generation call them, I wonder -  A. C., ANGUS, SCOTLAND.

Kitchen link *

Not long ago, your magazine published a biscuit recipe of mine. Imagine my surprise when a complete stranger who is also one of your regular readers, wrote to me to say how much she had enjoyed the biscuits! I was delighted, and Wrote back to her. Thanks to WOMAN'S OWN, I feel I have made a new friend. - Mrs. G. McNAB, TRINIDAD, WEST INDIES.

Why don't they*

..provide tea-strainers with pots of tea in all cafes and restaurants?- MRS. HELEN WHITE, LONDON, N.3.
..make housewifes’ money-boxes divided into separate compartments labelled gas, light, rent, coal, etc.?-MISS H. VINCE, CROYDON" SURREY.
..put cotton tape ties into baby's vests instead of silky ribbon which always slips undone?-MRS. ELLIOTT, LIVERPOOL.
..pattern wallpapers with modern pin-ups for teenagers' rooms?-A. ROBERTS, PRESTEIGNE, RADNOR- SHIRE.

In charge! *

Walking down a city street I saw. a small boy wearing a policeman's helmet. His mother was with him and I noticed they were handcuffed together. What a wonderful idea! A game for the child, but his mother could not lose him in the busy shopping centre.-PAULINE HAR- VEY, ROBY, NEAR LIVERPOOL.

No treat *

I strongly protest against Mr. J. M. B.'s view that working girls are unfair if they don't go Dutch treat on dates with their boy friends. Every time I offer to share expenses with my boy friend, I have to force him to take the money. Then he is offended and I am embarrassed. - F. LAVERTY, DOWNPATRICK, CO. DOWN, N. IRELAND
..I should like to point out that, despite wage equality for the fair sex, most girls spend their money on making themselves more attractive for their boy friends.-Miss B. M. H., BROMBOROUGH, CHESHIRE.
..I quite agree that girls nowadays should offer to go Dutch on a date. But in the office where I work I was told that a young man would feel insulted if offered money by the girl. - MISS K. PRINGLE, RUTHER- GLEN, LANARKSHiRE, SCOTLAND.

Design for living*

When, at 19, I asked permission to share a flat with there other girls, my parents agreed; but they told me I would have to change a lot of my ways. How right they were! I have learnt to accept other people's weaknesses and improve my own. And, above all, I have learnt to appreciate my family as I never did before. - MISS J. DAVIS, . EDGWARE, MlDDX.

Gnawing suspense! *

I have mixed feelings about your new serial, Fuel For The Flame, by Alec Waugh. I admit I am enjoying every word, but the suspense has brought back old nail-biting habit! I long to know the ending, yet I dread the thought of finishing this thrilling romance. -  E., BATTLE, SUSSEX.

Things they say *

Told by her mother to eat up her crusts because they would make her hair curly when she was older, my six-year-old niece retorted: "But I want straight hair when I grow Up."-MRS. WEST, BIRMINGHAM.
..Listening to her small nephew describe his wedding day, a friend asked him: "What about the bride?" "Oh," he said, "it's going to be a very quiet wedding. There won't be a bride."-A. NEWBIGGIN, RICHMOND, SURREY. 

Cutting comment.

There must be something about long hair that is specially attractive to men. Since I had my own hair cut short, I've noticed that my husband's favourite film and TV stars invariably have long tresses. Maybe I should have resisted those scissor’s - MRS. J. M. LONDON, N.W.

*Suzy Parker, model girl turned screen star, has her crowning glory flowing to her shoulders.
*Deborah Kerr lets her hair down in the 20th Century Fox film, Beloved Infidel, now on general release.
*And it's long hair, too, for TV's Maureen Seek.

-----------------------------------------------------------
£1'1' 0 (about $2.95)? For every reader's  letter published there is' a guinea to be won, so send yours to 'Letter Page' at the address given on this page. They should be original and must not be duplicated in any other magazine or newspaper. 

----------------------------------

(?about)

----------------------------

The average price of a new home then was $12700. about 2.46 times the yearly average wage of $5162. Which was about 1.99 times the price of a new car $2600. And the future was progressive not regressive