How to Widen a too tight skirt with ribbons or panels of triangles or oblongs

Problem
Your skirt is too tight.

Answers
You can let out a seam or insert fabric.

SEAM
Look for which seam is easiest to slit open.

Does one seam have lots of extra material?

Is the skirt the right length?

If it is too long, you could cut the skirt shorter and use the cut off fabric to make it wider.
If you don't want to sew up the seam, add fabric and make it a wrap around skirt.

You could insert two ribbons of fabric, one either side. Or two large panels, one either side, or one or two or more panels, either ribbon shape, or tapering to narrower at the waist. Alternate two types of fabric in the same colour, such as two matt black skirt panels with two pieces of black ribbon, or two same type of fabric in different colour such as black satin and pink satin.

To find extra fabric, separate your skirts into three piles, just right, too small and too large.  You might be able to move fabric from the too large garment into the too small garment.

Another system is to make a colour block dress like a checker board.

Author

Angela Lansbury. 

PS Pick two contrasting but complementary colours, such as black and red or pink and navy.

Watering Plants While On Holiday

Fill up plant watering devices to the brim with water. (Stocked at garden centres.)

An improvised plant waterer can be made from a small plastic funnel filled with water in your plant pots.

Alternatively an inverted small plastic water bottle with top removed and bottom cut off for filling.

Leave instructions with pictures. Photograph plant with name of species. Photograph watering can and cupboard.

Buy plants which do not require frequent watering.

Move plants into garden or outdoor balcony.

Water last day before leaving home.

Set one week reminder for yourself and family or colleague to water plants.

Ask for a photo of your plants so you can check their condition.

Offer a reward to plant carers, for every plant which lives!

Visit garden centre or plant centre and ask about watering devices. Look online. Add them to your birthday or Xmas wish list.

Take plants to neighbour if they are not mobile enough to visit your home or you do not want to give out your spare keys.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Author of How To Get Out Of The Mess you're In.

Lost keys, lost and found

Problem
You have lost your keys and can't get in.
Your tenant or neighbour loses keys and calls you for help from miles away.
You have a spare key but think you may need to change the locks.
You have lost: the front door key, the back door key, the shed key, the jewellery box key, the side gate key, the car key, your suitcase key, your second home's key, the postbox key.
You have dozens of keys but can't work out which one is the one you need.

Answers
In the old days people kept the key under the mat or in a nearby flowerpot. Most people were honest. Most people lived nearby. Now all that has changed and you are told not to leave the doorways under the mat because any burglar will look there. They don't know you have left a key there. They don't need to. If they look there at every house in the street sooner or later they will find a convenient key.

Tips (Americans say hacks)
Keep duplicate keys nearby.
Keep the name of the local 24 hour locksmith in your diary.
Sign up for a service for returning keys.

Post Box
Know the number of your postbox. It is inside at the back for that reason, so you can order spare keys or replacements if one is lost or broken. 

If you have a spare key at another address, or a photo, you can find out the number and then order one to be delivered next day - before the bills pile up in inaccessible envelopes!

Stories - Deceased Mum's Lost Doorkey
My mother lost key: She came home from holiday and had lost the doorkey. My father had used his.

Where was hers? Had she dropped it in the street? Did they need to change the locks.

A week later, after she died, her keys were still missing. We were considering changing all the locks in case she had dropped them in the street nearby. That meant also giving three more keys at least, one for each of the flats in the block which had four flats. If they had two sets of keys, not just our two or three sets, but two or three sets for all their flats would have to be replaced. costing them or use money and time. Meanwhile, we had other urgent things to do. My father wanted her clothes moved out of the bedroom.

I went through all my mother's handbags, checking for money and vital items, prior to taking them away from my widowed father, to keep the bags for myself or give them to a charity shop. Every one of the first eight bags was empty. 

My father said, "Don't bother opening any more." 

But I insisted on checking every one. The last one was the straw bag my mother had taken on holiday . Inside, guess what, you've guessed, inside were the missing door keys!

The moral of the story is: That's one place to look. The bag you took on holiday. The suitcase. The beach bag. The rucksack. The jacket. The outside pockets or inside pocket of the wheel-on suitcase.

Other places to look for keys:

CAR 

Under the car seat. Under the boot of the car. (Americans say trunk of the car.)  

CLOTHES

Pocket of what you wore earlier in the day, when driving, or leaving the car. For example:

Jacket, winter coat, trousers (Americans say pants), 

SHOPPING

In the tote bag, carrier bag, pile of shopping, under the newspaper. In your rucksack - at the bottom.

FURNITURE

Rolled under the sofa when you sat on the floor.

MOVED BY ANOTHER

Back in the key box. Attached to the car keys. Sent to lost property. Placed in a drawer for safekeeping.

The other problem with keys is the key you find and you don't know which lock it fits. For example, you have a dozen window and door keys to give to a tenant. You need them listed on the inventory. 

They want the back door keys. But which set fits the back door?

The back door has three locks, at the top, the middle, and the base.

The windows all have similar style keys, but one pair fit the kitchen window, one pair is for the living room, another for the bedroom one, another for bedroom two, and another for the bathroom window.

One solution is to photograph the keys alongside the door, or the label showing the dwelling or unit number, and the door itself, or the window.

Angela Lansbury, author of How To Get Out Of The Mess You're In.

For recycling clothes, see

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

Odd Socks, Odd Gloves, Umbrellas Without Covers - Prevention and Cures

 I just paired up gloves, and folding umbrellas with covers. I have two covers which match no umbrellas. 
In addition I have 23 odd gloves, several black, a few red, a couple of browns, purples. Mostly knitted types. A couple are leather or fake leather. 

What can I do with them? I have several ideas. 

GLOVES
1) In future, link all gloves with a ribbon as if I were a toddler. 

SOCKS
2 I could do that with socks if I wore trousers. 

GLOVES
3) Hang gloves upside down from a peg board to store pens and paintbrushes. 

SOCKS AND GLOVES
4) Wear odd socks and odd gloves and become a recluse. 

UMBRELLA COVERS
Attach umbrella covers to the umbrella handle with a ribbon.

SOCKS
Have you any suggestions?

WEARING ODD GLOVES
A friend suggests wearing one, keeping the other in your pocket to wear if it gets very cold (or nobody is looking).

 If I'm feeling bashful, I might imply I'm colour blind, or broke my glasses. The rest of my family order six pairs of identical black socks, once every ten years. 

ODD SOCKS COMPANY
There's also an odd socks company. You get two or three pairs, six different patterns of sock, all in rainbow colours.

SCHOOLS
 Schools could do this. If a pupil loses a sock, they just take one out of the 'lost sox box', school colours, all different patterns.

Angela Lansbury, author of How To Get Out Of The Mess You're In. 
See Amazon and lulu.com.
 I have several posts on packing on my blog on travel. Please share your favourite posts.

Albanian pronunciation.

Flag of Albania from Wiki

Albanian.


36 letter but double letters are counted

Ch sound like Russian has a cedilla and Czack as in the English word Chance

SH as in should counts

xh - J as in Jack

uncle - xhaxhi - pronounced judge ee

th - a new letter. A little th as in thing think, fifth

dh - a strong th as in the or this, themselves, leather

I am reading a book

un - i

yam
duke

 ledur

says my Albanian friend.

Many Words Are The same
hotel
taxi
train


Author
Angela Lansbury

Post or mail 'nobody in' when you are in!

In London, UK, I have a neighbour who has a loose gravel drive. The gravel makes a mess everywhere. You sink into it. 

I asked her, "Have you ever considered having a solid drive? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this kind of loose gravel?"

She replied, "I know it makes a mess. But I can hear anybody walking up to the house or driving in. That makes me feel safer."

If you are indoors and expecting a delivery, in a safe neighbourhood, but afraid you might not hear the knock, what can you do?  You can leave the door ajar, on the latch, a kind of u shape catch which stops anybody pushing the door, but enables you to hear them, and see them if you stand nearby.

Add a sign please knock loudly or shout. Or have your office in the front any window overlooking the drive.   Work or watch tv on a laptop and as soon as a car or van stops outside, you dash out to meet them. 

Useful Websites

SCAM Failed delivery notices

https://www.ncconsumer.org/news-articles-eg/scammers-still-targeting-unsuspecting-consumers-with-fake-missed-package-delivery-notices.html

About the Author

Angela Lansbury, author of How to get out of the mess you're in.

The Printer Is Not Printing

Problem:
Your printer is not printing.

First check the light on your printer. Is it plugged in. When you press on the printer power button does it come on. (Keep the printer box under the printer or printer table and use it to store spare paper and inks. Use the box to find the power switch and helpline. No space? Photograph the outside of the printer box. When you get the printer working, you can print off the guarantee, the picture of the printer and the instructions and helpline.

Reasons:
WRONG PRINTER CONNECTED

Your laptop / desktop is connected to the wrong printer and signalling a printer in a country or office you last used a week ago, or which is still the default printer. Check printer you are connected to. 

If you can't find the model number of the printer in your building, but you know you were once connected, try printing from both printers on your list. It wastes paper. However, you get the job done.

PRINTER OFF
You can also get somebody to watch the printer. Does it say: Power is off. Perhaps you had a power cut when you were out and need to take off pause and click on resume printing on your laptop.

INK RUN OUT

If you are out of a colour, convert to black and white printing. If you still need colour, print in black and white and add colour with  highlighter or children's crayons or watercolour pencils.

INK STOCK

You are out of ink. Keep a stock of inks. 

LOCATING INK

Note where the inks are kept.

Keep the inks near the printer.

Tell everybody in the family or office where the replacement inks are kept. And/or leave a note on the side of the printer saying where to find the inks.

Instructions are on the inks but they are tiny print and not clear. Find instructions online. Copy instructions and print them large - before you need ink!

NEW PRINTER

Failing all else, buy a new printer. Get it delivered overnight, especially if you have a large order or are on Amazon Prime.

Printers are often cheap because they make money on expensive ink. You may be able to claim back the cost of the new printer and ink from office expenses on your income tax.

PRINT OFF SPARE COPIES

Print off spare copies of forms you need regularly. In my case that would be evaluation forms for Toastmasters speeches. Every time I print a form, I print a spare.  Then, if my printer fails on the day, I already have a spare copy.

SEND SLIDES IN ADVANCE

Send to a colleague, committee member, event organizer, friend or family member or neighbour.

Send your slides to another in advance. If the printer fails on the day, you can ask somebody else to print.

SEND SLIDES AFTERWARDS

If those who attended did not receive the handouts, tell them your contact details and send the slides by email or whatsapp.

Useful Websites

Try  looking for answers on the website for your brand of printer.

https://windowstechies.com/-/en/filename-gen/?file=Printer%20Problems%20Epson

Buying a replacement printer?

https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/printers-and-ink/article/recommendations/which-best-buy-printers-and-ink?gclid=CjwKCAjwq7aGBhADEiwA6uGZp35Dti_3liupThgIZ-KOePLNqXO_2ovPE3swcvuyGBKwD5nevrIxjhoCZtsQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

About the Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.