If you feel debilitated on a very hot day, do as the wasp-waisted maidens of the Victorian era did. Reach for lavender smelling salts to ward off 'the vapours'. Sitting down and putting your head between your knees will also help control the nausea which results from a nasty shock.

Our favourite Indian restaurant serves fennel seeds as after-dinner breath sweeteners. Other herbs which freshen and mildly disinfect breath without upsetting the natural balance of bacteria in the mouth are rosemary and caraway. Most effective of all is parsley. Chewing a few leaves or rinsing your mouth with parsley tea is far more effective than any peppermint lollies. And for those who love the taste of garlic, but not the smell, one way of eliminating 'garlic breath' is to eat a few orange segments after the meal.

To make a spicy mouthwash, soak nutmeg and peppercorns in red wine for two weeks straining before use. Chopped ginger root may be included, too. Used warm, this version in the recipe will also soothe swollen tonsils or a sore throat or for those who suffer from bucolic!

Out of breath, out of water, half crazy with fear, the aborigine man stumbled across the wasteland of the Australian desert, baking under the heat of the midday sun. Although weak from exhaustion and days of scrambling in unbearable heat, the man rarely paused in his panicky flight. When he did stop, it was to search the horizon behind him for a sign of his hunter. No matter how far or how fast he ran, he found he was never out of sight of a distant, lone figure walking relentlessly in his direction.

That solitary person was a Kurdaicha, a voodoo magic killer hired by an aborigine witch doctor to deliver a death curse to his intended victim. The killer carried no weapons except for a specially prepared curse bone in the pouch that hung from his waist. The hex bone had been carefully crafted by a Nangarri, an aborigine witch doctor, to deliver the curse imbedded in it to the victim for who it was intended.

It was only a matter of time before the Kurdaicha got close enough to unleash the curse. The voodoo-magic hunter was a man of great patience. He would take all the time necessary, weeks, months or even years to track down his victim and unleash the hex. There are few places where a man could hide from the hunter who carries the curse.

Among the aborigines of Australia, for example, the most powerful and most feared man is the Nangarri, the local witch doctor.

Black magic is not restricted to the remote areas of like the Australian desert. It is practice in cities and towns throughout the world. Like all special skills and powers, the powers of the Nangarri of the aborigines are still reserved for the chosen few who understand their secrets.

The fate of Cinderella offers hope to all of us who have occasionally felt that life is passing us by. Still, when you think about it, a kitchenmaid is better placed in the beauty stakes than your average princess, anyway. She has access to oatmeal, honey, lemon juice, garlic ... and if any wicked queen upsets her, she can soothe her eyes with cold tea, or use a poultice of mashed potato to combat puffiness.