Table of contents for 05-Jan-2017 in Chat

The thought of my daughter out there, alone in the cold, tormented me. ‘We have to find her,’ I told John and Michael. We formed a search squad – hiring sniffer dogs and diggers. We crawled through sewer pipes, drained ponds and even cleared a rubble-filled mine shaft – boulder by boulder. No sign. After three years of this hell, I wrote to Simms. Please tell me where she is so we can both get on with our lives. His reply was sickening – urging me to repent my sins and promising that, one day, he would have justice. I hit rock bottom... In 1995, I joined a charity called Support After Murder And Manslaughter (SAMM) in Merseyside. Helping other bereaved families gave me purpose. Simms made unsuccessful appeals against…

Peely good idea   The secret to using half a banana and saving the other half without it spoiling? Keep it in the peel, put it in a plastic bag and store it in the fridge. Joni Cooper, East Finchley Bubble top-up   If your handwash is empty, why pay top price for a new one? Top up several times with a litre of supermarket-brand bubble bath. It does the job just as well, and recycles your hand-pump container at the same time! Marie Maher, Sheffield Iron advice   I iron silk shirts on the wrong side, so it doesn't take the bloom off and helps them stay shiny! Colleen Brunton, Enfield Flower power   To display artificial flowers, fill the vase with dry sand and they'll stay upright instead…

Lidl Goody Cao Instant Hot Chocolate, 400g, £1.15 Not overly sweet, and with a rich, subtle flavour, this is hot choc for grownups! There's a lot of powder in a serving, so stir well or use a mini whisk as 7 you pour in the hot water. Aldi Choceur Instant Hot Chocolate Drink, 400g, £1.15 Lovely, milk-chocolate flavour that's very creamy, but it's also very sweet, so no need to add sugar. Asda Instant Hot Chocolate, 400g, £1.58 With a rich, deep, creamy flavour, this one's tops for us because it tastes just like molten chocolate! Absolutely delicious. NEW Crosse & Blackwell Best of British soups, 99p, Tesco, Morrisons Five new, hearty varieties, all made with British-grown produce, they'd make a tasty, satisfying lunch or supper.…

Then I saw a lump the size of a golf ball on Cam’s neck ‘Let’s go!’ called my sons Cameron and Dominic from the back seat of the car as I made sure the house was locked up. I didn’t need any encouragement – our home was a building site. With me a painter-decorator and my husband Joe, 36, a builder, we thought it would be easy to rip out the kitchen and build a new extension on the back of our terraced house. But the mess and dust were already getting on our nerves. There was only so much sneezing I could take. Now, for Dom’s 7th birthday, we were going for a weekend away to Legoland. On special occasions like this, I always felt especially thankful for our…

1 Preheat oven to 190C/Gas 5 and lightly grease a baking tray. 2 Knead 2tsp ready-made yellow mustard into 220g pizza dough, roll out on a lightly dusted work surface to 20 x 30cm, then cut into 10 strips. 3 Drain and dry 10 canned hot dog sausages, then roll a strip of dough around each hot dog. 4 Bring a large shallow pan of water to boil. Add the bagel dogs a couple at a time and boil for 1 min, then remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper. 5 Mix 1tbsp black onion seeds and 1tbsp sesame seeds on a plate. Brush dogs with beaten egg, roll in seed mixture, place on baking tray and bake for 15-20 min until golden and puffed up. 6 Meanwhile,…

1 Treat yourself to some me time… with a spa break at Whittlebury Hall. Try the unique Heat and Ice Experience, take a dip in the pool or book a relaxing treatment. Then indulge in some gastronomic delights in one of three restaurants…bliss! 2 Live life in the fast lane Silverstone, the home of British Motor Racing, is on Whittlebury's doorstep. If you fancy yourself as a bit of a Lewis Hamilton, you can book a driving experience and take in all the twists and turns of this famous racing circuit. 3 Shop till you drop If racing around the shops is more your style, take a pit stop at Bicester village in nearby Oxfordshire. There are over 130 boutiques offering designer brands at up to 60 per cent off!…

Aries 21 March - 20 April Will you play the hero and dive into a pit of snakes, to bring back the treasure chest that’s at the bottom? Chances are, there’s no treasure in it, but the snakes are real enough, and poisonous, too. You have better things to do! Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April - 21 May They’ve left it to the last minute to reveal their true feelings, and now your lives must go in different directions for a while. But love’s a strange thing. The more awkward the circumstances, the more it seems to thrive. Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May - 21 June Ssh! Don’t move. The flow of fortune has brought things to just the right place for…

What I loved The sparkly twig trees that I bought to decorate the dark corners of the house. I may have to keep them there all year! What hacked me off Never remembering that brandy butter is the food of the devil and that bread sauce is only eaten by the dangerously insane… What made me laugh Catching a glimpse of the big bloke that lives a few doors down wearing feathery angel wings to put the bins out. I'm looking at him in a whole new light now! Hope the year ahead is packed with smiles! Stay happy!…

 ‘Hello, can I take your order?’ I asked. Soon we’d be celebrating Doreen’s 86th birthday As a waitress at Tomassi’s in Southend, I must’ve said that a hundred times a day. It was 2003, and I’d worked there since I was 21. I loved it. This time my customer was an elderly lady who ordered plaice and chips with a glass of wine. But, when I returned with her drink, she looked a bit down. Sensing that she needed somebody to talk to, I started chatting about the weather. And, as we talked, the lady perked up. When she left, she thanked me. ‘I’ll come again,’ she said. After that, Doreen Mann started coming in for lunch most days, and we became fast friends. ‘The food is great, but I…

Serves: 12 Prep: 20 min Cook: 20 min 75ml oil 75g light Muscovado sugar 1 over-ripe banana, mashed Zest of 1 lemon 220ml buttermilk 2 eggs, lightly beaten 250g gluten-free self-raising flour 1tsp baking powder 200g blueberries Topping: 150g quark 150g cream cheese 40g icing sugar 1tsp lemon extract Dried banana slices 1 Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4. Put cases in a muffin tray. 2 Whisk oil and sugar together, then beat in banana, lemon zest, buttermilk and eggs. 3 Sift flour and baking powder on mixture and fold in, then fold in some blueberries, keeping a few for decoration. 4 Spoon mix into paper cases, and bake for 20 min until springy to touch. 5 For topping, mix quark and cream, then stir in sugar and lemon extract. Spread…

‘Erm,it’s a bit... personal’ Iron deficiency Q I eat the same as my husband, but I've been diagnosed with anaemia due to lack of iron. He hasn't. Why? Laura, 29 A Because, as a woman, you lose blood through periods. Anaemia means a lack of oxygen-carrying haemoglobin in your red blood cells. Iron is essential to build haemoglobin, and as you lose more, you need to take in more. Iron tablets should do the trick. Scary lump Q A lump has appeared in my groin and I daren't see my doctor in case it's cancer. Sheila, 52 Kids' bit! Poo changes Q The contents of my daughter's nappy change - yellow, green or brown, smooth or stringy! Is it normal? Tash, 29 A Almost anything goes, but see your GP…

To cheer her up, we sang our song, Little Me by Little Mix My daughter Tarly nestled in my arms, just hours old. ‘She’s beautiful,’ I whispered to my fiance Luke, then 19. She’d been born at 36 weeks, weighed 6lb. But on our first day home… ‘Luke!’ I cried, panicked. The top of Tarly’s right foot was bright red, as if the skin had worn away. Worried, I raced her straight to the doctor. ‘She was early, so she’s just shedding skin like she would’ve done in the womb,’ he assured us. Antibiotics cleared it up. Tarly’s skin was always dry, though, and she’d sometimes have angry red patches. Doctors diagnosed eczema, and prescribed steroid cream. Soon, doctors realised she was allergic to cow’s milk. ‘It’s linked to her…

Eventually, I wouldn’t even undress in front of him Snuggling into bed, my hubby Lee, 40, lovingly put his arm around me. Panicking, I flinched, shrinking away. ‘What’s the matter?’ Lee asked, looking hurt. ‘I’m just tired,’ I lied, switching off the light. But the sad truth was, the thought of Lee touching my rolls of flab turned my stomach. It hadn’t always been like that. When we’d married in February 1995, I’d been a size-12 and we’d had a healthy sex life. But I’d just suffered a devastating ectopic pregnancy – and then, that April, my dad William, 55, died of cancer. Grief-stricken, I turned to food for comfort, gaining 3st in a year. On our first wedding anniversary, I fell pregnant with Billy. I already had three kids,…

A doctor explained I’d been in a coma for 23 days Every morning in our house was the same. Hectic! My daughter Katie, 10, was upstairs doing her hair for the umpteenth time, while her brother Shaun, 11, was trying to find his school book. ‘Ham or cheese sarnies?’ I called. ‘Ham!’ they shouted back. Shaun then headed to school, while I took Katie in the car. ‘Have a good day,’ I smiled. ‘Love you,’ she said, kissing me. Once I’d watched her go into school, I picked up a friend. We were headed to Preston to see another mate. ‘I’ve got to be back after lunch for work,’ I said. ‘Then I have to pick Katie up.’ ‘Do you ever stop!?’ she said. On the way, my back ached.…

And then, unbelievably, my last number popped up! I screamed and danced around in delight, celebrating Flicking on the telly, we settled in for the evening with a Chinese takeaway. ‘I fancy a few games of bingo,’ I said, curling up next to my partner Martin, 36, on the sofa. With our three kids aged 6, 3 and 2 all in bed, evenings were our chance to relax together. So, as Martin watched footie, I bought a few tickets for a game on Chat Mag Bingo. I’d joined years earlier after a friend raved about it. ‘It’s such fun,’ she’d told me. ‘I’ll try it, then,’ I’d said, and I couldn’t help but agree. I enjoyed playing all the bingo and slot games – Tiki Island, Bejeweled Bingo and Tiki…

Rebecca was walking home when a car pulled up... Gary Ridgway looks like an average man. Perhaps that’s how he was able to become one of the world’s most prolific serial killers, evading capture for so long. Ridgway got the nickname The Green River Killer after dumping the bodies of his first five victims in Washington’s Green River. Dozens more followed. Most of his victims were sex workers or vulnerable teen runaways – people he assumed wouldn’t be missed. After picking them up from the street, often with the promise of cash for sex, Ridgway would then strangle his victims. Even more disturbing was his tendency to return to his victims’ bodies a few days after the murder, to rape the corpses. Clearly, the man was a maniac. But, incredibly,…

SNAIL MATE Meet Jeremy (below, left), a Nottingham snail with a rare genetic mutation. It's caused his shell to spiral anti-clockwise, and his sex organ to be on the opposite side to normal. A global appeal to find Jeremy love was answered by two females, who also share the condition - one in Ipswich, another in Mallorca. An ex-shellent match! WHAT A DOPE! During a recent performance of the Fantasmic! musical at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Florida, one of the Seven Dwarfs took a tumble. Yup, Dopey, of course! He accidently slipped through a boat railing but, luckily, Goofy broke his fall. Both actors involved received medical treatment. TROUBLE AT T’MILL ALabrador puppy got the wind up him…after swallowing a garden windmill! He needed surgery at Framlingham…

She would ring from a phone box if she was going to be late The lamb chops sizzled under the grill. Just how Helen likes them, I thought. It was 5.15pm on 9 February 1988 and my 22-year-old daughter was due back from her job at an insurance firm. Gale-force winds had been blowing all day. I’d be glad to have her in safely. But two hours later, her dinner was ruined. ‘Maybe she’s been delayed,’ said my partner John. But Helen would always ring from a phone box if late. I called her office in Liverpool. Then her colleagues, friends, train and bus companies... Helen had left work as usual. And her journey home was unaffected by the storm. ‘Something’s wrong,’ I said. John got the car out. I…

Soon, Lauren moved in, and the three of us started sharing a bed Both my boys were having naps, so I was messing about on Facebook. I wonder what Lauren’s doing now, I thought. Lauren was my ex-girlfriend. We’d dated for a year in 2005. She was beautiful, kind, cool, but the time hadn’t been right to commit to each other. I’d always liked men and women. And, since splitting up with Lauren, I’d married Buddy and we had two boys, Owen, 3, and James, 1. Buddy knew I’d dated women before. ‘Cool with me,’ he’d grinned. We were so happy. Now, I’d decided to look up Lauren, 29. It didn’t take me long to find her on Facebook. As soon as her photo popped up on the screen, my…

I still have to pinch myself to believe he’s here… With my son Euan, I had a textbook pregnancy. It all went well and when he was born in August 2011, he was perfectly healthy. In September 2013, me and my husband Robin, 42, started trying for another baby. By November, I was pregnant. I put Euan in a T-shirt saying I’m going to be a big brother. Then I surprised Robin. On a high, we took Euan away for a few days to Wales. ‘This time next year, there’ll be four of us!’ I kept beaming. But while we were away, I noticed spotting in my underwear. Back home, my GP did a blood test… then dealt me a cruel blow. ‘I’m afraid you’ve lost the baby,’ she said.…

More moggy mysteries The Mega-moggy Mystery story (10 November issue) rang a bell for my family. I can't believe that Danielle's rescue cat Millie had an enlarged kidney weighing 1½lb removed! It's absolutely incredible what vets can do to help our poorly pets. My mother's cat had the same problem, and he was operated on successfully as well, although his kidney wasn't as large! A Hammett, Neston Like father, like son One little girl in my nursery class was crying, and told me that one of the other kids had called her a baby. I went to speak to the boy responsible. ‘Did you call her a baby?’ I asked him. He replied, ‘I said ‘Hey, baby’, like my dad does when he wants my mum…

Manuka Doctor Age-Defying Eye Cream, £9.99, Holland & Barrett Contains Manuka honey and bee venom to smooth and brighten skin. Top tip: Pat onto your skin instead of rubbing, to avoid damaging the delicate eye area. Nspa Ever Youthful Eye Cream, £5, Asda Plumps the skin around your eyes to reduce the appearance of fine lines and crow's feet. Top tip: Apply morning and night for best results. Dr. Organic Eye Rescue Rollerball, £8.99, Holland & Barrett The rollerball not only soothes tired eyes, it also makes it really quick to apply! Top tip: Natural products are great for sensitive skin. Simple Kind to Eyes Soothing Eye Balm, £3.65, Boots Works to reduce puffiness - just what you need after the party season! Top tip: Keep in the fridge for…

She shared the most amount of genes with him As my daughter Eve, then 4, raced around the garden on her bike, I felt a wave of sadness. My son Jack, 2, was watching her through the patio doors. But, unlike his big sister, he was too poorly to do normal kids’ stuff. See, Jack was born with severe kidney problems. One was missing and the other barely functioned. Doctors had warned he’d need a transplant in the future. But, until that time came, Jack just had to get on with things. The poor little mite was constantly back and forth to the hospital. At 15 months, he’d had a PEG feeding tube fitted, which goes directly into the stomach. Still, he was constantly sick, weak and was delayed in…

I serenaded our guests and they stood and applauded If you’re unhappy, in my book there are two things you can do about it. Number one – give someone a hug. Number two – have a sing. And I like to think I’m an expert in both departments. Me and my husband Roger, 70, run a B&B, The Old Post Office Guest House in South Marston. We first opened our doors 10 years ago, when Roger retired. Soon after, one of our guests came back from a quiet pint in the local pub with a question. ‘The barman told me you were an opera singer,’ he said. ‘He was having me on, right?’ ‘He certainly was not,’ I replied. See, I’d started singing classes at 40 for a bit of…

One day, she drank half a bottle of tomato sauce The sonographer could hardly believe it. ‘You’re measuring as though you’re 46 weeks pregnant, not 39!’ she said. ‘But your baby’s small. It’s just your waters.’ ‘Whatever it is, I’m bloomin’ enormous,’ I moaned. Thankfully, the next week I was taken into hospital – but it took midwives 15 minutes to break my waters. Molly was born, weighing 6lb 8oz, and had bilateral choanal atresia, a serious blocking of her nasal airways. ‘It’s why you had so much amniotic fluid,’ a doctor explained. ‘She couldn’t breathe it up.’ She was beautiful, but I hated seeing her on a ventilator. She had to be tube-fed too. Then, at 12 days old, Molly had surgery to remove the blockage. But, afterwards, a…

A florist offered to do my flowers, a baker made a cake Flicking through wedding magazines, me and my mum Jane, 51, drooled over the lavish gowns. ‘You’d look gorgeous in this one,’ she said, pointing out a lace number. It was August 2015 and I’d just got engaged to my boyfriend of 11 years, Ayden, 27. Our three boys, aged 4, 3 and 9 months, were so excited to see Mummy and Daddy get married. Ayden and I booked our local church for November 2017. ‘We’ve got plenty of time to get everything sorted,’ I told Mum. Of course, that didn’t stop us talking for hours about dresses, flowers, wedding favours… Mum and I were so close. My dad Mark had died in a car accident when I was…