Q. At this time of year my husband and I,
plus three small children, are generally touring round Norfolk and Cornwall staying with family friends. No matter how hard I try, I find that I invariably leave masses of things behind at each place where we stay.
Short of impregnating our possessions with electronic bleeping devices, how can I keep track of everything we unpack in these often huge and rambling houses?
R. Sr C., London N1 A. Stock up with holdall-sized brown padded envelopes available from major stationery suppliers. Buy up sheets of first-class stamps. As you cross the thresholds of these houses, hand over to your hostess everything necessary to reduce the nuisance to a minimum in the wake of your departure. Tell her she can keep it as a house present if it proves unnecessary. For an outlay of no more than £10, this tactic will enable you to relax more fully during your stay. It will also encourage your hostess to be more vigilant during your packing-up procedure, since it will be in her interest to ensure that you have everything.
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