Gardening Gloves

There are a whole range of gardening gloves available but it can be difficult to find just the right pair for you. Perahps you find rubber gloves uncomfortable or are allergic to them and the canvas and leather ones too clumsy for many tasks.

Ursula Buchan recommends Atlas Nitrile gardening gloves, "as sensitive as rubber gloves but breathable and easier to get on and off".

From: Back to the Garden by Ursula Buchan (Frances Lincoln Ltd, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-7112-3017-0)

Ten Minute Gardening

Keep a bucket by the back door to use whenever you have a spare 10 minutes. This is enough time to do some spot weeding or to tie in new shoots.

The bucket should contain a handfork, a kneeling pad and garden gloves for weeding, plus string and a knife for tying in.


From: Back to the Garden by Ursula Buchan (Frances Lincoln Ltd, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-7112-3017-0)

Lactose Intolerance

Lactose intolerance means the body cannot easily digest lactose, a type of natural sugar found in milk and dairy products. This is due to the lack of the enzyme lactase,which the body needs to digest lactose, in the digestive tract. When lactose moves through the large intestine without being properly digested, it can cause uncomfortable symptoms such as gas, belly pain, and bloating.

Lactose intolerance is common in adults. It occurs more often in Native Americans and people of Asian, African, and South American descent than among people of European descent. It is thought that original human populations did not retain the ability to make the enzyme lactase after childhood. Subsequently populations that began herding milk producing mammals, favoured individuals with genetic mutations that meant lactase was produced in adulthood.

Lactose intolerance most commonly runs in families, and symptoms usually develop during the teen or adult years. Additionally, sometimes the small intestine stops making lactase after a short-term illness such as the gastric flu or food poisoning or as part of a lifelong disease such as cystic fibrosis.

Although lactose is present in cow, goat and sheep milk, there is a difference. Goat and sheep milk does not contain as much lactose and is coated in vitamin K; this coating means that it is passed through the gut and does not remain there, allowing easy passage through the large intestine, without giving the reaction that cows' milk can give. Goat milk is also higher in calcium and lower in cholesterol than cows' milk.

Some people with lactose intolerance can take small amounts of lactose without showing symptoms (e.g. some lactose is present in some tablet medications, including birth control pills). These people amy be able to eat cow's milk yoghurt, as the process of turning milk into yoghurt uses bacteria that convert lactose to lactic acid, thus greatly reducing the amount of lactose present. 


Various sources

Paper Tissue on Clothes

We've all done it - put something in the washing machine without checking the pockets. Out it comes (and the rest of the wash too) covered in little flecks of white paper tissue. If this happens, do the following:

Pull on a pair of rubber gloves and rub your hands over each piece of clothing. The tissue will clump together and is more easily removed.

Eye Care

We use more products nowadays around our eyes, but we need to take care that we do not damage our eyes in the process.

Itchy, sore eyes can be caused by too much anti-ageing cream. These products prmote faster regeneration of skin cells, but too much close to the eye can cause a build up of skin on the edges of the lid. The ducts on the top and bottom eyelids become blocked and people can develop a condition called blepharitis. Worryingly, people have also glued their eyelid to their eyeball when attaching false eyelashes.

• Don't use eye cream too close to the edge of your eyelid.
• Apply eyelash glue carefully.
• Gently wipe the area with a solution of water, baby shampoo and half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda.

Red-eye relief. Dry eyes can be caused by windy days, age, computer use, certain medications or menopausal hormone changes.

• Use a warm compress over your eyes for about 10 mins. A flannel soaked in boiled water (cooled to warm) will do.
• Take regular breaks from computers. Staring at a screen causes us to blink less often, which can lead to eye irritation.
• Use artificial tears to help lubricate the surface of your eyes, but use preservative free solutions because they are less likely to cause irritation themselves, especially if you use them several times a day. Try Hycosan Original, available from pharmacies, which can be used with contact lenses.

Sources: London Eye Hospital consultant in Good Housekeeping 2013 and feature in Good Housekeeping September 2017