Table of contents for September 10, 2015 in Pick Me Up!

What A Yarn! We’ve had some great entries for our summer short-story comp! There’s still time to enter, so if you’ve an idea for a tale other readers would love, get writing! (Details below.) What A Treat! I had a great time when the Honeydukes Express sweet trolley (from Harry Potter) came to the PMU office. Chocolate frog, anyone? 12 …that’s how many years it’s taken for 1950s-themed Dreamland Margate to reopen. A mate and I visited the seaside funfair and had bags of fun. We even had a boogie in the Roller Disco! What A City! I felt really homesick when I wrote a nostalgic list about my home city, Newcastle, for our website recently. To find out all about Geordieland, go to www. lifedeathprizes .com and…

Taking our baby to his 4-week check, my husband, Steve, and I weren’t worried. Logan had been born with a cleft lip and palate, but was absolutely adorable and had been desperately longed for. I’d suffered three miscarriages before giving birth to him in June 2013. But doctors at Singleton Hospital were concerned. ‘Logan has a hole in his heart,’ the consultant said. He failed his hearing test, too, was diagnosed with glue ear. We had to take him for regular hearing and cardiologist checks. Yet Logan was a content baby. ‘We can’t change it,’ Steve, 29, said. ‘And Logan’s happy.’ We were positive, got on with things. After Logan’s first birthday, Steve landed a new, dream job. ‘I’ll be working away from home, but I’ll be back every weekend,’…

Over a fancy steak dinner in a top London restaurant, attached woman, Katie, 40, is openly flirting with a handsome man. But he’s not her long-term partner, who’s at home, unaware. This man is also ‘taken’. They met on adultery website, Illicit Encounters. Katie is one of over a million UK users of the site, which allows people who are already otherwise attached to date each other. There are other sites, too, offering ‘discreet’ extramarital liaisons. Like Ashley Madison, recently the victim of a hacking scandal, which has 1.2 million UK members. Or Marital Affair, with 800,000. Cheating on a partner is generally seen as bad and immoral. So why are so many people signing up to find others they can actively commit adultery with? Katie joined Illicit Encounters 10…

The first time it happened, I was 12. I woke up in the night and, though my eyes were wide open, I was trapped, unable to move my limbs or make a sound. Was I paralysed? Terrified, I eventually managed to wake up enough to be able to move. This started happening on a monthly basis. And, by the time I was 16, I started having visual hallucinations at the same time. I’d be awake, so I knew I wasn’t just dreaming - although the experience is described as a dream crossing over to a hallucination. I’d come to with a terrible feeling of dread, see shadowy men surrounding my bed, but be unable to move a muscle. It was utterly terrifying because it felt so real. I told my…

Walking to school, I bit into a juicy apple. Only, once I got there, I had to go straight to the nurse’s office. My lips were tingling and I felt nauseous. I also had an agonising pain in my tummy. Not again! It was February 2008, and I was 15. Nobody knew why but, after eating, I’d sometimes get horrible stomach cramps and feel sick. And the tingling, pins-and-needles feeling in my mouth was so scary. My mum, Alison, now 54, took me to the doctor’s, but he couldn’t find anything wrong. ‘Are you eating enough?’ he asked me. Though I was skinny, I ate like a horse. I wasn’t anorexic, if that’s what he was thinking. ‘I eat loads,’ I replied. ‘I know there’s something seriously wrong.’ But what?…

I Won £10,025! With her winnings, Rosemary’s going on an amazing trip! It was a long way to go. And I was going to miss them. ‘But you’ve got one shot at life,’ I told my daughter, Natasha, 25. ‘One chance to make your dreams come true.’ It was November last year. Natasha had just told me and my husband, her dad, Robert, 44, that she’d booked her tickets to Australia. She’d be going on a one-year working visa with her partner, Jonny, 27, and their boy, Lewis, 3. Jetting off! Natasha had been daydreaming about giving it a go in Oz for years. We were so close. I can’t tell you how much I’d miss our catch-ups. ‘Just promise to Skype all the time,’ I told her. Three months…

Makes: 4 x 300g jars Prep Time: 5 min + soaking Cook Time: 1 hr 1 Put apricots in a large pan, add 1.5L water, cover and soak overnight. 2 Next day, add lemon juice, put pan on hob and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for around 30 min until apricots are starting to fall apart. 3 Tip in sugar, stir until dissolved, then turn up heat and boil rapidly for about 20 min until setting point is reached – when mixture reaches 105C/220F*. 4 Turn off heat, then carefully pour jam into hot, sterilised jars, top with a disc of wax paper and seal with a lid, then leave to cool and set. *Use a thermometer spatula, £14.97, from Lakeland, www.lakeland.co.uk Find more…

As I heard a gasp from the lounge, I knew my madcap man was up to something. A maintenance engineer by day, my partner, Mark Harper, 43, has always loved tinkering with cars in his spare time. And then there’s the mound of odds and ends cluttering up our garden. Including two rusting dodgem cars he’d picked up from a reclamation yard and was forever threatening to renovate. What now? Wandering in, he glanced up at me from his laptop. ‘Look!’ he said. He’d found a 3.15 metre fairground log flume car on eBay, originally from Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach. ‘Wouldn’t it be great to stick some wheels on it?’ Mark rambled on. Had he lost his wheels? Once he has an idea, though, Mark won’t let it go. So, before…

ASK JESS QI want to try a cleansing oil to help with my dry skin, but they all seem really expensive. Are there any cheaper options? Laura Davidson, 31, Romford A Try Good Things Argan Oil Nourishing Cleansing Oil, £5.99, Boots. It leaves skin feeling really soft and clean. Jess’Beauty Hero Rose & Co Rose Petal Salve, £3.99, www.asos.com , can be used on your lips, cuticles and even cracked nostrils! READER’S TIP To avoid breakage, be sure to always file your nails in one direction instead of going back and forth. Rosie Turner, 45, Long Sutton TRIED & TESTED Spray-on moisturiser Fragrant: Yes to Coconut Ultra Light Body Lotion Spray This light formula is great for daily use and smells amazing. It’s also made from 97…

ROARING ROCKET Use an empty water bottle to create a rocket. Either spray the bottle with silver spray paint or cover it with aluminium foil. Make a cone from silver card and fix it over the top of the bottle. Cut out some triangular side fins from the card and tape them on. Finally add some red crepe paper streamers to the bottom of the bottle for blast-off fire. ART GALLERY Wet afternoon? Get painting! Choose a theme, such as insects, and offer some ideas to get your kids started, such a ladybird with black spots, a caterpillar with lots of legs, or a butterfly with beautiful wings. At the end of the session give each picture a title and display them in the kitchen for an instant art gallery.…

My daughter, Lexie, 6, has an incredible spirit. She was born severely deaf in both ears. In January 2009, doctors told us hearing aids may help, but she’d never hear fully. At first, my hubby, Andrew, 34, and I felt lost, but with support from the National Deaf Children’s Society, meeting other deaf kids attending mainstream schools, we realised she’d be fine. Lexie’s big sisters, Kiah, 16, and Tayler-Leigh, 8, looked out for her, and learned sign language. At 2, Lexie had an op to fit two grommets, widening the tubes in each ear, so she could hear sounds. Surrounded by her family, Lexie’s speech developed, improving tenfold when her baby brother, EJ, arrived, in 2011. ‘Hey, little bro!’ Lexie cooed. Despite lots of painful ear infections, Lexie never grumbled.…

I heard about Quidco in 2009, through an advert I’d seen on Facebook. I have to say, I was a little sceptical at first, wasn’t too sure about signing up... But, after doing some research, I found so many positive reviews. So, in the July, I joined up and started using Quidco straightaway when I shopped. What do I normally buy that uses Quidco? I thought, as I scoured the Internet. My hubby, Nigel, and I use Quidco for pretty much everything now. We even have our own separate Quidco accounts. The main things we splurge on are holidays and hotels. So far, we’ve used Quidco to get money for New York, Frankfurt, Portugal. But, of course, we use Quidco for everyday things, too. It’s brilliant for pet insurance, and…

VIRGO 24 Aug–23 Sept Work isn’t your first choice this week, but I can understand why after all the stress it’s created for you, my friend. New paths in your career open up towards the end of the week via a face you didn’t ever expect to cross paths with again. Call: 09058 170 715* LIBRA 24 Sept–23 Oct I know it may feel as if a close one is neglecting you lately, but many of the signs have had more on their plates than you may realise. Your ruling planet, Venus, makes you more possessive but know when to back off and who to back off from. Call: 09058 170 716* SCORPIO 24 Oct–22 Nov The Moon makes you more sensitive than usual, but this can be a good…

Opening the door, a delicious smell hit me. ‘Stir-fry for dinner,’ called my boyfriend, Danny, now 31. ‘And I’ve run you a bath...’ Jammy, right? Danny had always spoiled me since we’d got together a year earlier. I was so lucky to have him. We wanted the same things - to settle down, start a family... But first, we wanted to travel. We spent many nights down the pub, planning our adventures. One night in September 2007, I felt I’d overdone it. ‘My head...’ I groaned the next morning. ‘White-wine hangovers are the worst,’ said Danny. That evening, my legs were tingling with pins and needles. I went to bed early but when I got up to go to the loo, my legs crumpled beneath me. ‘Danny!’ I called. He…

Mole change Q We’ve just returned from holiday and my man says he’s noticed an old mole has changed shape. Should he see the GP? Lorna, Hartlepool A Yes. He should have the mole assessed, as a change in shape is suspicious. Skin lesions are so easy to check and, if necessary, remove. It may be nothing sinister, but the earlier it’s checked, the better. Lumpy thighs QI have really painful, hard lumps under the skin on my thighs which seemed to start after a recent viral infection. I’m better now, but the lumps keep appearing. What are they? Jill, Waltham Cross, Herts A This is inflammation of the fat layers of the skin, and is called panniculitis. It can settle after six weeks. Ask your GP for blood tests…

Q I’m always so tired, even though I must sleep deeply, as my wife complains about my snoring. As I’m an HGV driver, this tiredness really worries me. Larry, Birmingham A It sounds like you have sleep apnoea, when the airways close and interrupt deep sleep. See your GP as soon as possible, and contact the DVLA if diagnosed, as excessive daytime sleepiness can be dangerous, even lethal. 3kg …that’s how much weight (equal to 6.6lb) the average mum will have put on during the long, school summer holiday.…

Raspberry & Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins Makes: 18 Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 20 min 1 Preheat oven to 200C/ Gas 6, and line mini muffin tins with 18 paper cases. 2 Drain raspberries, reserving 75ml syrup. 3 Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl and stir in sugar. 4 In another bowl, combine oil, eggs and raspberry syrup and beat together well. Pour into the large bowl with flour, baking powder and sugar and stir well. 5 Fold in raspberries and chocolate chips, then spoon mixture into paper cases. Sprinkle oats on top of each muffin, and bake for 15-20 min until well risen, firm and golden. Find more recipes at: www.cannedfood.co.uk What To Eat Now…

I’d always wanted to be a mum. But it was in my early 20s that I first felt that broody tug. ‘Let’s have a baby,’ I said to my hubby, Dean, then 27. By July 2003, we were cradling 7lb 4oz Charlotte. She was everything we’d dreamt of. Life felt complete. But, five years on, I came off the Pill because it was giving me migraines, and I accidentally fell pregnant. Frustrating ‘It’s meant to be,’ I beamed, once the shock had worn off. Only, at 12 weeks, I suffered agonising backache, bleeding. At hospital, we were told I’d suffered a miscarriage. I was bereft - Dean, too. I’d fallen utterly in love with our growing child. ‘I want another baby,’ I wept. We both did. We started trying, and…

The celebrity lifestyle can be alluring – fame, adoration, money… But some people have a more chilling reason for craving the headlines – to go down in history as a famous killer. ‘Becoming a top footballer, actor or singer is difficult, but if you’re desperate to find fame at any cost and have narcissistic tendencies, killing’s an easy way to make headlines,’ says clinical forensic psychologist Mike Berry. ‘You’re a lot more likely to be killed by somebody you know than a stranger. So, when somebody’s murdered by a stranger, it creates a massive media circus, with TV and print reporters and audiences alike fascinated by these crimes. Killers who seek fame will usually choose a random victim, as it will help them gain more publicity.’ JUST LIKE FREDDY KRUEGER:…

The morning of 1 July this year started like any other. I fed my moggy, Alan, his cat food, kissed my fella, Ray Lee, 35, goodbye, then dropped our three girls - Katie, 8, Anna, 6, and Aimee, 3 - off at my mum Margaret’s before heading to work as a teacher. In the afternoon, looking out of the window, I saw the sky darken. A storm’s brewing. Sure enough, when I was about to leave work at 3pm, I heard it. The roar of thunder and crack of lightning. I decided to stay in and watch it with the children I was teaching. ‘Brilliant!’ they said, squashing their faces against the window. ‘Wow! Look!’ the children gasped, nudging each other as flashes lit up the inky sky. Once it…

Tongue sticking out, my 2-year-old Shih Tzu, Cooper, looks daft. Yet, believe it or not, he’s been compared to Einstein! After buying him from a local breeder, in August 2013, at puppy training, he quickly learned to sit and lie down. And, working from home as a web developer, I’d spend a couple of hours a day teaching Cooper more tricks. At 3 months, he often stuck his tongue out, so I decided to teach him to do it on command. Using a clicker, I’d then reward him with kibble. Our instructors, Becky and Hannah, said it was unheard of for his age. So, in November 2013, I got him a toddler’s shape sorter. At first, I’d hand over the shape and he’d drop it into the corresponding hole. Gradually,…

A vulnerable, innocent girl Paid pocket money for sexual acts Long and painful wait for justice Growing up, I’d always felt isolated. Like the odd one out... My mum and dad, Anthony, were foster parents and looked after lots of children. Dad was well respected in the community. People always said hi to him in the street. Yet I didn’t see what they saw... ‘Go to your room!’ he’d shout at me, over nothing at all. As I got older, he was always grounding me, even though I behaved just like the other kids... Was he harder on me because I was actually his? Then, in 1983 when I was 11, I got into trouble over something silly. I can’t even remember what. That night, I was in bed, wearing…

1 Snazzy threads Fancy-up plain jumpers or tops by adding studs and sequins f ound in craft shops. Fiona Ogunjimi, Coventry 2 Big kid If you’re petite, large-size children’s clothes may fit you – and they’re often cheaper and better quality than adult clothing. Lynne Bryan, Bolton 3 Sweet smell Wrap dried lavender in fabric and pop in your drawer – it gives clothes a lovely scent that lasts ages. Elizabeth Heywood, Basildon 4 Second life If your old clothes are too worn for even the charity shop, cut up the material to make soft toys. Lindsey Browning, Ilkeston…

‘I understand that people have sexless marriages or that things aren’t what they used to be. But they should accept it or end it.’ Alexandra McGahey, Manchester ‘Why set out to cheat? Why not be honest, end the relationship and move on? It may hurt the person initially, but being cheated on must be horrific.’ Debbie Hadden, Wordsley ‘These sites are for people who want to have their cake and eat it. They’re only out for themselves.’ Amanda Lea Jackson-Rickets, Coventry…

1 A stroke is always a medical emergency. 2 One of the main symptoms is slurred speech. 3 People can’t recover from a stroke. 4 Lifestyle changes can help prevent a stroke. 1 TRUE It’s a serious and life-threatening medical condition which occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. 2 TRUE The main signs and symptoms of a stroke are a drooping face, inability to lift the arms and keep them there, and garbled or slurred speech. Ring 999 if you notice somebody having any of these symptoms. 3 FALSE Though injury to the brain caused by a stroke can cause widespread and long-lasting problems, some people recover quickly. Others need extensive rehabilitation. 4 TRUE The best way to prevent a stroke is to…

A lois Pichler, 77, hadn’t held out much hope of finding love at his age. Then, in November 1995, he saw a lonely-hearts ad in the newspaper. It was placed by Elfriede Blauensteiner, who offered to be a housewife, nurse and faithful companion to any ‘good-hearted’ men who wished to share the ‘autumn of their life’. And Alois had diabetes. But, just five weeks after meeting, the former postman died of heart failure. And £20,000 worth of his estate had been left to Elfriede. His relatives were suspicious and alerted the police, who ordered a postmortem. Alois had been poisoned! Their prime suspect: Elfriede Blauensteiner. But officers were in for a bigger surprise... When the OAP was arrested in January 1996, she confessed to the killing, along with five other…

1 Asda Apricot Jam, 454g Smooth preserve with a rich, fruity flavour – perfect on hot, buttered toast for a tea-time treat. 2 Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference Apricot Conserve, 340g This easy-spread, soft set conserve won’t last long – because it’s irresistible! We used it to sandwich a Victoria sponge and scoffed it on top of scones, both delicious! 3 Lidl Maribel 75% Apricot Fruit Spread, 250g With a high fruit content, this soft spread doesn’t set to a jelly and has an intense and delicious apricot flavour. Try a dollop over ice cream, or stir it into plain yogurt.…

Tortz, £7.50, www.tortz. co.uk Dare to bare your legs without the fear of chafing between your thighs thanks to these clever thigh tights. The lace detailing is so pretty, and they’re available in both nude and black. Verdict: GENIUS! We reckon plenty of ladies will be stocking up! Raw Camel Milk, £19, www.musclefood.co.uk Packed full of vitamins, minerals and protein, this unusual drink is good for you! It isn’t cheap – but that’s because there’s one camel for every 12,000 cows Europe! Verdict: BONKERS! Cows’ milk is much cheaper. in Barbecue Steak Stamp, £19.95, www.luckies.co.uk This metal stamp has three different sides so you can brand your steak to show how well it’s been cooked. With options of ‘black & blue’, ‘nearly…

With the summer holidays over for another year, your kids will be busy getting back into the school routine. To help them make the most of their time in the classroom, you’ll want to make sure they’re fighting fit. You can help them do their best by getting the right balance between school work and play, and by making sure they are well hydrated. Keeping hydrated is vital for all of us as our bodies depend on water to survive, but as kids don’t always think about drinking, even when they’re thirsty, it’s important for us to remind them. Health experts recommend children drink between six and eight glasses of water a day* , so encourage your kids to drink water throughout the day - at home and while they’re…

Bold, bushy eyebrows were all the rage. Thick, dark, dramatic. A trend led by supermodel Cara Delevingne - Queen of the power brow! I like to follow fashion, had mine waxed, used eyebrow pencils. ‘But they’re never defined enough,’ I moaned to friends. ‘Get HD brows,’ one suggested. It was a popular new eyebrow treatment. A seven-step procedure including tinting, waxing and threading to get super, high-definition eyebrows. I’d already planned to get my brows reshaped. ‘May as well go for the whole shebang,’ I grinned. I was at uni in Buckinghamshire studying Dance and Performance. So, in May this year, I booked in for a £35 HD eyebrow treatment at a local salon. The salon did a patch test 24 hours before. Dabbing some dye on my forearm to…

Tears streaming, I locked myself in my room. ‘What’s wrong, love?’ my mum, Lorna, asked. I simply couldn’t tell her, or my dad, Andrew, that I was being bullied. Most days, cruel taunts included ‘ugly’ or ‘four eyes’. Sometimes, the girls physically attacked me. One day, aged 14, I snapped. Barricading my door, I refused to come out, having panic attacks. Mum took me to the GP, where I finally broke down and told all. Horrified, Mum enrolled me in a new school, arranged counselling. Slowly, I got back on track. Interested in beauty therapy and hairdressing, I studied both hard, and passed my maths and English GCSEs. Meanwhile, I’d three jobs and made good, supportive mates. On Facebook last December, I saw a post about the ‘Miss Gloucester 2015’…

Get more for your sales shopping by earning extra cash through Quidco, the UK’s No1 cashback site where you can earn £££s and get cashback from over 4,000 retailers! Go to www.quidco.com  and sign up for tons of great offers. 1 Browse through thousands of retailers to check out their deals. 2 Click through to the retailers of your choice and start shopping for whatever you want. The prices will be the same as if you’d gone directly to the sites, but you’ll end up getting a percentage of your money back.…

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Sitting in the doctor’s office in March 2013, I held my hubby Christopher’s hand. I was 12 weeks pregnant for the second time, and it was my first scan. While the doctor was telling us about the baby on the screen, I couldn’t help but notice something else in the corner. A white, bean shape. ‘And here’s baby number two,’ the doctor said, pointing to the blob. ‘You’re having twins.’ Christopher, 39, and I stared at each other. ‘Twins!’ I squealed, smiling. Christopher was so stunned, he couldn’t speak! It was a shock, but I think on some level I must’ve expected it. My family has something of a history with twins... My grandmother, Joyce, was a twin, and she gave birth to my dad, Kevin, 60, and his twin…