Table of contents for 18 April 2024 in Chat

If you need a reminder that mums are amazing, look no further. I was astonished by Peggy's story on p10. Her girl Jennifer woke from a five-year coma when everyone else had written her off. Who knows what would have happened without Peggy's strength and love. Then we hear from Chelsey, who refused to give up on her daughter Armani, despite doctors’ stark warnings (p38). Inspiring stuff! Have a great week, PS If you're entering the puzzles online, this is the link to use: comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles…

TRUE-LIFE Mariam Hijab, 27, Birmingham Dressed in my black robe and square cap, I stepped on stage and took my scroll. ‘So proud of you, Mariam!’ my dad, Mohammed Istakhar, then 40, boomed from the audience. I chuckled. Typical Dad. My mum, Nasira, then 41, stood beaming beside him, cheering, too. It was July 2019 and I'd just graduated from Aston University, in Birmingham, with a degree in audiology. The eldest of five, I was the first in our family to go to university. I owed it all to Dad. ‘Couldn't have done it without you,’ I told him after, burying my head in his big broad chest. Dad had always worked so hard. Since the age of 18, he'd juggled back-to-back shifts sorting parcels and working as a cabbie.…

TRUE-LIFE Peggy Means, 60 I clamped my hands over my ears as my daughter Jennifer bounced up and down beside me. ‘Great pass, Skylar,’ she cheered. Jennifer, then 35, had signed her three boys up for football as soon as they were old enough. Now she was always the loudest mum on the sidelines! My grandsons, Skylar, then 15, Daeton, 13, and Julian, 11, were good boys. I put that down to Jennifer's brilliant parenting. I loved going along to their football games when I could, but she never missed a match. ‘I couldn't even hear my coach, you were so loud,’ Skylar moaned, as he trudged off the pitch, laughing. A few weeks later, on 25 September 2017, I was at my job as an industrial seamstress when Jennifer's…

TRUE-LIFE YOU'RE THE JUDGE! Whenever Karreon Franks, 15, arrived at school, he had one thing on his mind. ‘Eat, eat, eat,’ he said. His first words to teachers most days. Karreon suffered developmental delays due to a rare genetic disorder. It left him autistic and almost non-verbal. He was also legally blind, used a cane, and suffered with digestive issues that saw him regurgitate his food sometimes. But despite the tough hand he'd been dealt, he was an active lad. Enjoyed riding a tricycle and throwing a basketball around in PE. Teachers loved his vibrant spirit, and always made sure the hungry lad was tucking into a full breakfast before classes began. Karreon and his two younger brothers were being brought up by their maternal aunt, Felicia Adams. After fostering…

1 Pet free sleep We love them like family, but if your beloved cat or dog goes outside, don't let them sleep with you. ‘Pollen can get lodged in your pet's fur so it's best to keep them off the bed and preferably out of the bedroom altogether,’ says airborne allergens expert Max Wiseberg*. ‘Washing pets regularly also helps.’ 2 Don't bring pollen home To avoid pollen entering your living space, put dirty clothes straight in the laundry and shower after being outside. ‘Remove shoes at the door to prevent pollen being brought inside,’ adds Max. Adapt your cleaning routine, too. ‘Vacuum and damp dust regularly. Damp dusting helps prevent pollen being dispersed back into the air.’ 3 Watch what you eat Some of the things we consume can make…

Hayley Newman, 54, Cornwall Ilingered in the doorway as my daughter Natty, then 10, grinned from ear to ear. It was 2016 and she was on a video call with her new friend Olly, 12. ‘One day we'll live together at Number 3 by the sea,’ Olly told her proudly. He'd written Natty a poem and drawn her a picture of their future house, with a heart on the door. ‘Yes, we will,’ she replied matter-of-factly. I wiped away happy tears. When Natty was born, me and her dad discovered Natty had Down's syndrome. It'd been a huge shock, but we quickly adjusted. And Natty was more than we'd ever hoped for. Intelligent, fabulous, funny, full of love. A caring little sister to Mia, two years older. Natty started modelling…

ARROW WORD WIN £500 Puzzle 10 The paintings, The Madonna of the Pinks and The Sistine Madonna, are both by which Renaissance artist? Solve the puzzle by following the arrows and writing in your answers. Then read down the letters in the shaded squares to find the prize answer. Your answer: SUDOKU To solve the puzzle, each 3 x 3 box, each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9. Solve the puzzle and the numbers in the highlighted squares will give you the prize puzzle answer. WIN 2x £30 Puzzle 11 Your answer: WORDSEARCH WIN £40 Puzzle 12 Which of these fictional cats gave its name to the 1995 debut album by US band Blink-182? The answer is the one missing from the grid. ALLEY CHESHIRE CHLOE DUCHESS FELIX FIGARO GARFIELD KITTY OLIVER PUSS SALEM SNOWBALL SYLVESTER TOM YZMA Your…

We're rowing about money Q My husband's business troubles have caused big money problems and lots of arguing in our family. Our kids have seen us fighting a lot, and it's making them upset. My 9-year-old even said maybe we should live with Nana to get away from it. I feel like a terrible mum. Elise, 41 A There will be families up and down the country in your situation, pet. Probably up and down your own street! Money makes things fraught, lack of money even more so. So don't be so hard on yourself about this. Rather than you and your husband being at loggerheads, try and fix the problem together. The pair of you should review all your household expenses like food, bills and debt. And then create…

3 ways to… MAKE EXTRA CASH Can you earn some more money with these handy tips? 1 Share your thoughts One way to make some cash from the comfort of your sofa is by filling in online surveys, such as with market research company Ipsos iSay (ipsosisay.com). Once you've accrued enough points, you can redeem them for rewards such as PayPal or Amazon gift cards. It won't make you rich but if you do enough, it should all add up. You'll find loads of sites online offering paid surveys – just make sure to read the reviews carefully and the T&Cs before signing up. 2 Rent out your car Could you earn cash from your car when you're not using it? There are apps such as Hiyacar and Turo, which let you…

Blue Lights BBC1 ● Catch up with rookie police officers Grace Ellis (Siân Brooke), Tommy Foster (Nathan Braniff) and Annie Conlon (Katherine Devlin) in the second series of the Belfast-set drama. The six-parter starts a year after the first series and there's more than enough to keep the trio and their colleagues occupied with protection rackets, violent criminals, dangerous robberies and hostage situations to deal with. Meanwhile, Grace is having to deal with her son being away at university and Tommy is looking for love. Annie teams up with a new recruit, Shane Bradley (Frank Blake), who has an immediate impact in a tense situation. All episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer. DON'T MISS DON'T MISS Feud: Capote vs the Swans DISNEY+ ● British actor Tom Hollander is virtually…

TRUR-LIFE Lyvona Muchekesi, 44, Rotherham Rifling through my make-up bag, my daughter Deborah, then 6, pulled out a shiny tube and flipped open a compact mirror. Staring at her reflection, she splodged on pink lip gloss… loads of it! ‘Beautiful,’ I winked. ‘Now I look like you, Mummy,’ she giggled. It was summer 2023 and Deborah was super girly. Twirling in tutus, tottering in my high heels. And playing ‘beauty salons’ with the contents of my make-up bag! She brought sunshine into the home we shared with the rest of our family, her dad, Crispen, then 56, and our older kids, Denford, then 22, Declan, 12, and sister Daisy, 11. And she adored our dog. Socks was only a tiny puppy when we got him in June 2021. We'd been…

Solutions to Chat issue 12 (21 March 2024) Puzzle 2 Clove Puzzle 3 Hutch Puzzle 4 They have shaved their heads Puzzle 5 1D,2B,2D,3D,4B Puzzle 6 Pail Puzzle 7 Cairn Puzzle 8 Nadir Puzzle 9 Space Oddity Puzzle 10 Rapunzel Puzzle 13 Rhea Puzzle 14 Yosemite Puzzle 15 Midge Puzzle 16 Tom Cruise Puzzle 17 Urchin Puzzle 18 Breaking Bad WE WON! Chat winners issue 3 (18 Jan 2024) Anyone from your town in the list this week..? £1,001 CASH D Priddis, Peterborough £500 CASH C Platt, Orkney F Beck, Guisborough £250 CASH E Jones, Gwynedd T Smith, Ipswich £200 CASH E Clarke, Armagh £100 CASH L Pearce, Shropshire J Williams, Cardigan D Blackburn, Salibsury £50 CASH I Rooke, Poole S Houghton, Melton Mowbray S Jackson, Congleton D Davies, Swansea C…

STYLE TIP Pair soft, creamy shades with hints of gold and brown for a classic, elegant look. STYLE TIP Mix up different shades of warm tones, such as raspberry, terracotta and putty pink. STYLE TIP Use denim blue as the main hue and add stripes or prints in the same shade. STYLE TIP A co-ord is the easiest way to tap into this trend. Matching accessories finish off an outfit.…

Natalie Williams, 41, Ebbw Vale True-life PATIENT CASEBOOK Walking through the dim car park with my partner, something hard slammed into my tummy. ‘Ouch,’ I cried. I'd walked straight into a bollard. It was February 2012 and we'd spent the day shopping in town. ‘How didn't you see that?’ he frowned. ‘It's too dark in here,’ I moaned. Only, I worried it was more than that. I'd worn a hearing aid since I was a little girl, and later that night I confessed to my partner I'd been struggling to see properly at night for the last year. And even avoided leaving our house. ‘What if I trip or walk into someone?’ I worried. I'd never learnt to drive, but taking the bins out or popping to the shop filled…

OVER TO YOU Can you set a puzzle in this format? Send it, with a photo of yourself, to the address on p5. There's £20 for every one we use! WIN 5x £20 Puzzle 6 ACROSS 1 Fabric of matted fibres 2 Region 3 Wedding band 4 Finishes DOWN 1 Cost of travel 2 Girl's name 3 Allow to borrow 4 Labels Your answer: HALF & HALF In July 2023, an environmental protester disrupted the wedding of former chancellor George Osborne and his partner; what's her first name? Cross out a letter in each square to get a grid filled with words. The uncrossed-out letters in the shaded squares give the prize answer. WIN 3x £50 Puzzle 7 Your answer: BRICK TRICK The English city of Leeds is twinned with which French city? To find out, solve…

‘I'm so pleased to know Natty and I love her friendship with Olly. They love lots of the same things and find each other really funny. To me it looks like they're the most in-love couple of all time but they're both clear that they're not romantically involved. They make my heart swell every time I see them together. It's the absolute dream, my child having a friendship like that. It's a brave new time for people with Down's syndrome and I hope people are learning to see people with disabilities as people rather than poor suffering unfortunates, and seeing what they can offer society. A wise person once said the special-needs club is one that nobody wants to join, but once they do they realise all the best people in the world…

Vicky Howe, 53, Bedfordshire Tucking into a feast of bangers and mash, I gobbled up every last morsel. It was the late 1970s, I was 9, and we were taught never to waste food. ‘Clear your plate,’ my mum always said. It helped that she was a brilliant cook. She'd pile my plate high with hearty meals, and as well as sausages, Sunday roasts were my favourite. As a result, I was a chubby kid. I became more body conscious in my teens, pushing my plate away once I'd had enough. ‘That was delicious, but I'm full,’ I'd tell Mum. By the time I met Daren on holiday in Tenerife in 1989, I was a size 12 and full of confidence. We enjoyed date nights and seeing friends at weekends.…

Chelsey Milby, 32 Standing side-on in front of my bedroom mirror, I stared down at my rapidly growing bump. ‘Look at the size of me already!’ I said to my husband Blake, then 33. It was the summer of 2022 and I was 17 weeks gone with our third child. Our first scan had shown one healthy baby. ‘But I swear they've got it wrong. I look like I'm carrying a litter!’ I said now. ‘Could you be further along than we thought?’ Blake suggested. Surely not. The pregnancy had come as a total surprise when our youngest daughter, Nova, was still only 4 months old. Her sister Marley was 9, and we weren't sure how we'd cope. But now, despite my larger than expected bump, we couldn't wait. At…

THE BIG QUIZ WIN £500 Puzzle 18 The answers to all but one of these quiz questions can be found hidden in this wordsearch grid, reading forwards, backwards, up, down or diagonally. To help you, we'll tell you that the answers are in alphabetical order in each section. However, one answer can't be found in the grid. This is your prize answer. See page 56 for entry details. MOTHER 1 What was the maiden name of the late Queen Mother, who died in 2002? (5-4) 2 Which Beatles song begins, ‘When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me’? (3,2,2) 3 Y tu mamá también (Spanish for ‘and your mother, too’) is a road movie set in which country, birthplace of its director Alfonso Cuarón? (6) FATHER…

This week we meet… Brita Bevis, 73, from Lincoln City break or beach holiday? While I do love historic cities, I prefer a small town like Nerja in Spain, where I recently went on holiday. It has several beaches. Some are small and secluded, and the largest one, Burriana, is lovely! What's your favourite book? I love travel writer Bill Bryson as his books are quirky and very funny. My favourite is probably Notes from a Small Island. Hilarious! What did you want to be when you grew up? When I was young, I wanted to be a writer, and that continued into adulthood. I especially love writing funny poems. What's your favourite thing about yourself? I'm pretty proud of my ability to rise above any misfortunes. Just as well, as they…

THE BIGGIE What do actors Julianne Moore and Lupita Nyong'o have in common? To find out, solve the crossword then read down the shaded squares to find the five-word prize answer. ACROSS 1 Javelin (5) 4 Mix of black and white (4) 6 Draw near to (8) 13 More junior (7) 14 Difficult to catch, evasive (7) 15 Dairy product (5) 16 Short cloak (4) 17 Doing sums (6) 18 Royal residence (6) 20 End of a prayer (4) 21 Filthy (5) 22 Summer month (6) 25 Roughly guess (8) 28 See 54 30 _ Goulding, Love Me like You Do singer (5) 32 Cut off a limb (8) 34 Country, capital Athens (6) 35 Come to a halt (4) 38 Let up or give in (6) 39 Stringed instrument (5) 40 Choice (6) 43 Christian _, fashion designer (4) 44 Is unable to (6) 45 Kids (8) 48 Short-legged dog (5) 49 Cutting tool…

Can I kill a cough? Q I have no underlying health conditions, but I keep getting coughs. Is there any supplement I can take? Maeve, Castlefield A It's understandable that you want to fortify your immune system, but as you are otherwise healthy, supplements are unlikely to help. However, there are other steps you can take to enhance your body's defences. Firstly, maintain a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains to ensure that you're receiving essential vitamins and minerals. Regular exercise, stress management, keeping well hydrated and getting enough sleep are all vital for a resilient immune system. Lastly, minimise exposure to illness by avoiding contact with sick people, practising proper hand hygiene and making sure that you're up-to-date with vaccinations. Help! I'm in agony Q My…

OR24 ASM Perhaps this one was forbidden because it's too easy to fake? FA24 NNY Banned because it's being reserved for Sweet Ms Adams, obvs. AS24 HOL There were simply too many bad drivers to pick a suitable owner for this one. W24 UKR The Highway Code does say you should drive or ride with both hands on the wheel! SH24 GED Not just an innocent bird. Maybe Austin Powers needed this one to find his mojo? PS24 CHO Norman Bates called, he wanted his number plate back. FF24 RTD DVLA bosses worried this number plate could cause a bit of a stinker! TO24 ERR It took us a while to figure this one out. It's really willy silly.…

FILL ME IN WIN £100 Puzzle 14 Which African city was ruled by England for around 20 years in the 17th century, having been handed over as part of the dowry of Catherine of Braganza when she married Charles II? Solve the puzzle by following the arrows and writing in your answers. Then read down the letters in the shaded squares to find the prize answer. Your answer: CIRCLE TIME Which titular opera character forms part of a love triangle with Roman proconsul Pollione and priestess Adalgisa? Fit the words into the grid, then read down the letters in the shaded circles. 3 letters EEK EEL ELM ERE INN IRE IRK MEN MOB MOO 4 letters ELKS EMIR EVER EXAM EXIT GEAR GENE 5 letters ICING MASON MODEM 6 letters EMBARK EMERGE EMPIRE IMMUNE INMATE INSTIL 8 letters SCROUNGE WIN £100 Puzzle 15 Your answer: TO ENTER Turn to page 56 for…

Top tip Use any tender veggies you fancy – asparagus, grated carrot or sugar snap peas would all work well. Salmon noodle salad Eating the rainbow has never tasted so good! SERVES 2 PREP 20 MINS COOK 10 MINS ● 100g thin rice noodles ● 1tbsp sesame oil ● 100g mangetout, halved ● 1 red pepper, sliced ● 1 orange pepper, sliced ● 2 spring onions, thinly sliced ● 2tbsp coriander leaves ● 1tbsp sesame seeds ● 200g hot smoked salmon fillets, flaked FOR THE DRESSING ● ½ shallot, diced ● 1 clove garlic, crushed ● ½ red chilli, chopped ● 1tbsp lime juice ● 1tbsp fish sauce ● 1tbsp soy sauce ● 1tbsp brown sugar ● 2tbsp sesame oil 1 In a large bowl, pour boiling water over the rice noodles to…

12-18 April 2024 Aries 21 March-20 April With Mercury retrograde in your sign, you may feel like you're not getting the recognition you deserve. But be patient and let events unfold naturally. ● Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April-21 May Being just two days away from the Sun moving into Taurus, this is a really good time for you to work towards one goal that's closest to your heart. ● Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May-21 June Patience is a virtue, and right now it's time for you to sit back and allow opportunities to find you. Take inspired action as it comes, then let go. ● Call 0905 817 0692* for more Cancer 22 June-23 July It's time to relax and start a…

LETTER of the week! QI've really overdone it on gel manicures – my nails are so damaged. What can I do to help? Jackie Butler, Cardiff AHaving acrylics and gel manicures can damage the health of your nails if you have them too frequently. Due to dehydration and poor removal, nails can become weak, brittle and broken. Help bring them back to life with some simple and affordable steps. Begin with a hard-working nail treatment like Sally Hansen 7-in-1 Nail Treatment, £11, Boots, which promotes growth, strengthens, brightens, hydrates and fills in ridges. Pop a layer on your nails after removing your gels to help give them the TLC they need. Next, follow with Essie Good As New Nail Perfector, £10.99, Boots, which visibly improves the look of your nails…

BEHIND THE BIG CRIME TRUE-LIFE Everyone knew Tony Eastlake. The born-andbred Londoner was the popular and well-loved Flower Man of Islington. Had been since he was just 14 – it'd been his father's stall back then, which Tony took over at 16. Early every morning, he'd walk the few hundred metres from his home to open the Florence & Fleur flower stall outside Essex Road Station. The green-painted stand was a beloved fixture in north London. Familiar faces would go by on their way to work. Call out, ‘All right Tone.’ And, come rain or shine, Tony, 55, greeted everyone with his trademark smile and friendly chat. Just as he did on Saturday 29 May, 2021. Only, shortly after shutting up shop, Tony was seen staggering down Essex Road, then he…