The hints and ideas in this collection belong to a time and a generation of Australian women when making the best of things, living within one's means, turning one's hand to any task and lending a helping hand to others were the accepted practices of everyday life. It was a time of reusing and recycling, prompted as much by practical necessity as by gratitude for the bounty of the land, when women kept their families in good health, and well fed and clothed, with home-grown food and hand-made garments. In many ways, their lives were richer than many in this day and age, and this gorgeous handbook will inspire readers to turn their hand to practical tasks which leave a lighter imprint on the earth. A novel way of presenting a slice of social history.