The New Zealand Home Companion: A Practical Guide to Domestic Bliss is filled with hints, shortcuts and good advice on all sorts of things. From it you will learn how to cook the perfect steak, bath a screaming baby, get sweat stains out of a T-shirt, organise the junk drawer, and singlehandedly strip and re-polish your living room floorboards. And that's only the beginning. The New Zealand Home Companion is structured for easy reference, with the following sections:- Organisation: Planning ahead, getting rid of clutter, creating a productive home- Food and drink: Cooking and serving shortcuts, basic kitchen inventory, useful recipes- Housework: Cleaning, home laundry, clothes care with fabrics guide, care of furniture and valuables, stain removal guide, ideas for streamlining everyday tasks- DIY repairs and maintenance: Painting and decorating, choosing the right tools for the job, measuring and buying- Gardening: Planning and managing a garden, easy-to-care-for plants, flower arranging, houseplants- Law and finance: Summary of laws applicable to the home, budgeting tips- Child care: Feeding babies and toddlers, day-to-day care- Pet care: Choosing and caring for pets, training- Health and safety: Basic first aid, action for emergencies, home security. An essential reference book for every Kiwi household, The New Zealand Home Companion is also the ideal gift for soon-to-be and current homemakers.

Table of Contents

Organisation: Planning ahead -- getting rid of clutter -- creating a productive home -- Food and drink: Cooking and serving shortcuts -- basic kitchen inventory -- useful recipes -- Housework: Cleaning -- home laundry -- clothes care with fabrics guide -- care of furniture and valuables -- stain removal guide -- ideas for streamlining everyday tasks -- DIY repairs and maintenance: Painting and decorating -- choosing the right tools for the job -- measuring and buying -- Gardening: Planning and managing a garden -- easy-to-care-for plants -- flower arranging -- houseplants -- Law and finance: Summary of laws applicable to the home -- budgeting tips -- Child care: Feeding babies and toddlers -- day-to-day care -- Pet care: Choosing and caring for pets -- training -- Health and safety: Basic first aid -- action for emergencies -- home security.

Author Biography

Kirsten Matthew is an award-winning journalist who has been published in Metro, North & South, The Listener, Next, Urbis, Cuisine and the Sunday Star Times. From 2002 to 2011 she lived in New York City where she wrote for The New York Times, New York Post, nymag.com, Marie Claire, Page Six Magazine and Time Out New York. She's worked as an editor at the New York Post, InStyle.com, Country Living and myhomeideas.com. In 2006 she wrote Crossing the Line, the biography of Marc Ellis.