Table of contents for 18-Nov-2021 in Pick Me Up!

During my time at college, I enjoyed the nursing course that I was enrolled on. But after completing my exams, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my career. I worked as a prison custody officer for over 15 years, transferring offenders from the police station to courts and then prisons. Although I had a duty of care, I wasn’t able to change people’s lives for the better and that was something I had always wanted to do. I was involved in a serious car accident, where the van carrying the prisoners crashed. In that moment, I knew something had to change. I can’t do this anymore. So, in 2011, I took the plunge and changed careers. I applied to be a caregiver. As soon as I walked…

Answer on page 47. ACROSS 6 Rebuke or scold (5) 7 Actor who played both Kray twins in the 2015 crime film Legend (8) 10 Illegal (7) 11 Swiss cheese (7) 12 Dummy pill (7) 13 Referee’s item (7) 14 Actor’s fear (5,6) 19 Long exciting journey (7) 21 Colonist (7) 23 Predicament (7) 25 Find in the ground by digging (7) 26 Contemplate mentally (8) 27 _: Let There Be Carnage, 2021 superhero film directed by 24 Down and starring 7 Across, 1 Down, 17 Down & 18 Down (5) DOWN 1 Michelle _, four-time Oscar-nominee, most recently for 2016’s Manchester by the Sea (8) 2 Save (6) 3 Writing materials (10) 4 Excessively self-satisfied (4) 5 TV commercial (6) 6 Light and crunchy (6) 8 Mildly entertaining (7)…

Q My dad has chronic back pain and is on prescription painkillers. I’m worried he’s addicted. Will there be any effects from taking them long-term? Ben, Cambridge If high strength painkillers are taken for extended periods of time, in the longer term it can then potentially lead to psychological addiction. If you’re concerned, try having a sensitive conversation with him to ask how he is feeling. Encourage him to speak to his care team to see if they can provide any support for him. There is an increasing number of safe, well-evidenced, non-medicinal alternatives to traditional pain relief methods that I would recommend you explore further. New technologies are available that use microcurrents, applied with stick-on patches, to support pain management for chronic pain.…

Wet dog weather When there is wet, windy and cool weather it’s important to start thinking about how this will affect your four-legged friends. Bruce Casalis, the founder and CEO of Bruch’s Doggy Day Care, shares what your dog needs the most during the colder months. 1. SCRATCH THAT Omega 3 and 6 oils are great for calming the skin and reducing scratching from the inside out. 2. STIFFENED UP Green-lipped mussel is renowned for reducing doggy joint pain and protecting cartilage. 3. SCRUB UP Brush their coat to remove dead hair and distribute their natural coat oils for a glossy sheen. 4. SOMETHING FISHY Feeding your pooch oily fish can contribute to a shiny coat – also they’re full of omega oils. 5. KEEPING FIT Ensure your doggy gets…

On my way home from a wonderful wedding with my partner, Dan, I felt full of love We’d had a great time dancing and toasting the happy couple on my cousin’s big day. But I couldn’t get something off of my mind. And I couldn’t hold it in. ‘We should get married!’ I suddenly blurted. Dan gripped the wheel, looked at me and raised an eyebrow. We’d always been happily ‘partnered’ and had a son, Samuel, four. We’d also both been married before and felt no need to get a piece of paper now. After all, we had a child. How much more committed could you get? But now, after a beautiful wedding weekend, I wanted a taste of that again. ‘Is that a proposal?’ he asked, smiling. ‘Suppose so,’…

BBC Children in Need 2021 Live from Media City UK, Salford, for the very first time, the BBC Children in Need Appeal show is back on Friday 19 November. The evening will be packed full of exclusive sketches, exciting music performances and special guests. Hosted by some of the biggest names in entertainment, the show will be a brilliant spectacle not to be missed and will raise money for children and young adults here in the UK who need our support, as well as highlighting and thanking the fundraisers who do so much. Dr Alex: Our Mental Health Crisis, BBC One Children and young people across the UK are facing short, medium and long-term impacts on their mental health and emotional wellbeing as a result of the pandemic. This film…

W7 Beauty Blast, £19.95, w7makeup.co.uk Featuring 24 spectacular doors, you’ll be in for a treat with this one! If the selection of makeup for eyes, lips and skin wasn’t enough, you’ll also find some gorgeous, accessories to dance and dazzle in. 24 Beauty Treasures Advent Calendar in Support of Macmillan, £85, Boots For the third year running, the ever popular Boots advent calendar in support of Macmillan is back. Featuring 24 best of beauty products from their top-selling brands such as No7, Soap & Glory and Liz Earle, every advent calendar donates £2 to the cancer charity. OPI Celebration Advent Calendar, £69.90, Very Get your fingertips in the mood for Christmas with OPI’s Celebration Advent Calendar. With 25 iconic mini nail lacquers in a selection of seasonal shades, this is…

WE’RE LOVING Calling all chocolate lovers! World renowned luxury chocolate producer, Lindt & Sprüngli has announced the launch of their new hot chocolate. A velvety smooth and luxuriously creamy hot chocolate drink crafted with passion using the delicious Lindt chocolate. This new hot chocolate is the first drink to be produced by the iconic chocolatiers. With frosty mornings and shorter days, enjoy everything you love about Lindt in a warming drink during the winter season – guaranteed to satisfy any chocolate cravings! • Available now from Tesco, £4 Fun days out Birmingham can boast that it’s home to the world’s largest Primark, but now it has another claim to fame as Legoland Discovery Centre opens the doors to the world’s smallest store! The LEGO model, which will be situated within…

Lugging her bags through the door, I was glad to have my girl home. It was March last year, and due to Covid, my daughter Emily, then 21, was forced to return home from university. ‘I hope this doesn’t go on for too long,’ she sighed as she sat on the sofa. At the time, Emily was studying business psychology at Loughborough University. In her second year, she was studying for her exams and Covid had really put a spanner in the works. However, despite now being at home, Emily knuckled down, and put all of her energy into revision and studying. After completing her degree, she planned on doing her PGCE training so she could achieve her dreams of being a primary school teacher. We were so proud of…

Sue Tappenden is a coach and people expert, who helps her clients improve their relationship with themselves and others. (www.headspaceforchange.com) Going it alone Q I’m single but I want to adopt an older child. My friends were so shocked – and some have even suggested it’s not very fair without a ‘father figure’, when the kid will likely come from a tough background. It’s made me question it all. Jess, Hampshire A Anyone who chooses to adopt a child will go through a long and detailed process, designed to ensure they have thought deeply about it from all perspectives. Becoming a parent – however it happens and whatever your circumstances – is a huge step, and it is entirely normal and definitely a positive thing that you are questioning along…

Settling down in our seats, I turned to my husband Baz, 34. ‘I can’t wait to relax in the sun,’ I smiled. As our plane set off, my mind was only on one thing – chilling by the pool at our hotel in Corfu. I’d been born with complex congenital heart disease. It essentially meant I only had half a heart. Dealing with it had had a negative effect on my mental health, too, and I struggled with depression and anxiety. But over the years I’d learnt to manage my disease, and since I was 12 I’d worn a MedicAlert ID bracelet, just in case of emergencies. Thankfully, I’d never had to use it. I didn’t let my heart condition stop me living my life, and I was looking forward…

Haemophilia 1 It’s a blood condition. □ True □ False 2 There are no symptoms. □ True □ False 3 It’s inherited. □ True □ False 4 It’s a debilitating condition. □ True □ False 5 There are treatment options. □ True □ False 1 TRUE Haemophilia is a condition that affects the blood’s ability to clot. This means an individual with the condition bleeds longer than usual. It’s rare and mostly affects males. Around one in every 5,000 male births are affected. 2 FALSE Symptoms include bleeding that takes a long time to stop from nosebleeds and wounds, bleeding gums, skin that bruises easily as well as pain and stiffness around joints. 3 TRUE Haemophilia is caused by a change to a gene. If both parents have the gene there is a…

Adjusting the hat on my little pug Princess, I smiled. ‘There, you look perfect,’ I said. Dogs were a passion for my husband Phil, 65, and me. We’d always had pooches, but our current brood consisted of pugs Frankie, 12, and Princess, nine, as well as chihuahuas Genni, three, and Pixie, two. Our little chihuahua puppy Shiloah, just four months old, completed us. I made adorable little hats for dogs as a hobby, and I loved seeing them in my creations. I loved taking my dogs to pageants, and Phil was just as keen as me. So I made the hats to complement their outfits. Phil was so supportive, and got really involved. He’d go out hunting for vintage hat boxes and feathers to decorate with. But I wanted to…

Cleaning has become a real sensation in recent years, with many people turning to social media platforms to share their tips and tricks, and the name of these ‘cleanfluencers’ has seemed to stick! Tuning into TikTok you come across individuals cleaning their sink with powders and brightly coloured cleaning products, toilet bowls being scrubbed and rooms being tidied in a 10 minute speed run. Seeing the latest cleaning product that is all the rage on Instagram, you decide to rush to the shops to see what all the fuss is about for yourself. But as soon as you get there you’re fronted with a mass of empty shelves. Damn it! The world has gone crazy for the hottest cleaning products. Lynsey Queen of Clean is a showbiz cleaning sensation! She…

With winter fast approaching, we are now spending much more time cosying up at home. This doesn’t mean we need to say goodbye to the calming beauty of nature however, as kitchen suppliers Magnet are here with their expert advice Transport the natural splendour of the great outdoors into your home by considering design elements, lighting and styling finishes within your kitchen space. If you are looking to change your space, Magnet is on hand to help you connect with nature. Visit: www.magnet.co.uk Natural materials Whether it’s through a worktop or door frontals, using a natural material such as rich oak will evoke a peaceful and calming mood. Materials and elements inspired by nature will create a smooth transition from outside to in. This is particularly effective in kitchens that…

Hot in here Around 34% of people suffer from night sweats and this can be the cause of bad quality sleep. Chris Tattersall, clean sleep environment expert from bedding specialists, Woolroom, shares some steps you can take to prevent sweating while sleeping at night, leading to overall better health. ‘Firstly, leaving a window open, having a fan pointed at your bed, and keeping a glass of ice water nearby can help,’ Chris says. ‘Also, having nightwear and bed linen made out of natural fibres, such as cotton, linen and wool, which are breathable, helps to reduce sweating while sleeping at night. ‘Finally, changing your duvet, pillow and mattress to wool-filled alternatives can work a dream. ‘Wool can absorb up to 30% of its own weight in moisture, but cotton can…

Holding my darling boy in my arms for the first time, I breathed in that amazing newborn smell. As my fiancé Adam, 34, snapped a picture, I smiled at the camera. I couldn’t believe we had a son at last. Cameron was everything we’d hoped for and more. We already had a daughter, Morgan, now 12, and now a son would be joining us. Passing all his newborn checks, we were soon discharged. At home, I got out all the new baby toys for Cameron to play with. Waving teddies in front of his face, I soon noticed that he wasn’t focusing on anything in front of him. By six weeks old I had hoped that his eyes would widen and he’d begin to show an interest. But he didn’t.…

Champagne Can Cake, £9.99, firebox.com This tinned treat is perfect for those who want to mark a big celebration without firing a cork through the ceiling. Wish someone good luck or share the love with this unique pudding! Bath Noodles, £10.99, firebox.com Bath bombs are a thing of the past when you can transform your bathtub into a big bowl of relaxing ramen. Also, each noodle contains essential oils which will leave you glowing afterwards. King Corn Set, £13, redcandy.co.uk These quirky corn holders will keep messiness at bay and will keep you looking wonderful. There’s no monkey business here!…

Being a second wife means your husband has an unavoidable history with his wife before you But for Diana Alejandra Keel, the past was very much still in her present. Her husband’s first wife had tragically died, and Diana was living in the same house where the freak accident had happened. It was inescapable for Diana, but she felt nothing but love and compassion for her husband. Diana, 38, was married to a man called Rexford Lynn Reel, who went by his middle name, Lynn. A decade earlier, Lynn Reel, 57, had been married to his first wife, Elizabeth Bess Edwards, 42. On January 1, 2006, she had died after falling down a small set of outdoor concrete steps at their family home near Momeyer in North Carolina. It was…

Wellness with a view like no other has arrived in London. The lastminute.com London Eye reveals the new Wellness Pod, a unique mind-body experience hosted by luxury lifestyle leader Equinox. Taking yoga to new heights and horizons, the daily classes offer yoga and meditation with uplifting views of London’s iconic skyline. The Wellness Pod will see one of the 32 iconic pods transformed into a regenerative yoga studio, where Equinox’s globally renowned group of fitness instructors will lead the brand’s lauded signature yoga practice. The class, which incorporates a yoga flow and meditation, embraces high performance at a grand, new scale, allowing six guests at a time to fully immerse themselves in their practice, whilst enjoying 360? views of the capital. Complete with bespoke design elements that enhance the unparalleled,…

YOU’VE GOTTA LAUGH! Entering the front room, I gasped. It was my birthday and I’d expected to find a few flowers, maybe a few balloons. Instead, my mates Leanne and Charlotte had put glitter everywhere in my living room. ‘I’ll get you!’ I yelled as they collapsed in fits of giggles. This was not unusual behaviour. We were three mates who were always trying to take the mick out of each other. We silly-stringed Leanne’s car one year – inside and out – and were always planning inventive ways to annoy each other for our birthdays. Nothing was too much trouble if it got a good laugh and a prank. Then this September, Charlotte’s 29th birthday had approached. Leanne and I got together to plan. What can we do?’ she asked. What…