These compilations of handy hints and old-fashioned know-how have something of the tone of those old “Enquire Within” manuals, but with more of an emphasis on the “green”.

Admittedly, some of the advice is so obvious it hardly needs stating (if a lightbulb has a screw fitting, for instance, we are urged to “simply screw clockwise until it is firmly in place”) and the author clearly wrote her section on social etiquette with her tongue tucked firmly in her cheek.

But there is much here of real value, covering such areas as basic DIY, unblocking sinks and toilets, healthy eating, first aid, general health and children’s ailments.