Pick Me Up! -julkaisun 15-Mar-2018 -irtonumeron sisällysluettelo

I’d like to thank my lovely mum for being there for me through the hardest times. She never let us kids suffer or stress about things. Mum raised us on her own and had three different jobs! I remember Mum going to university and working at the same time when I was young. She’s been trained in so many professions just to look after her kids. She’s now 52 and is a dump-truck driver! As her only daughter, my mum is like my best friend. She helped me through my pregnancies and supported me through my stillbirth. Now, she’s the best nanny to my children. She knows when I’m struggling and offers all the help I need. I can’t put into words how much Mum’s done, and I can never…

Hands up! As I opened the front door, all hell broke loose Piling his shopping on the counter, Steven Webb flashed me a cheeky smile. ‘Hello, beautiful, it’s your lucky day,’ he said. It was July 2013 and I loved working in my village shop. There were always familiar faces popping in. And Steven, then 41, who worked at the local horse stud, never failed to make me smile. He popped in most days for his lunch, beers after work. ‘I suppose I should do some work, then,’ I’d laughed. A single mum with four kids - Lucy, then 19, Christina, then 17, and two boys at primary school - I wasn’t looking for love. But Steven was so charming. So, that month, when he invited me to dinner, I…

As soon as I heard Mum’s car pulling out of the drive, I’d run up to her room. Flinging open her wardrobe felt like opening the door to another world. A world I was desperate to be part of. High-heeled shoes, floaty dresses, pretty skirts and tops, all waiting for me to try on. It was the same every Saturday. Mum would go out to the supermarket for a couple of hours and I’d raid her wardrobe and make-up. I’d been doing it since I was 8. Now 14, I had a slim frame and curly, blond hair. In Mum’s clothes and make-up, I felt beautiful. But what I should probably tell you is that I was a boy. At least that’s what the doctors said when I was born,…

Opening up the game, I did a double-take – I’d hit the jackpot! I won £1,976 a day after I joined! Daniela Rusu, 38, Isle of Wight One Saturday last October, I was due at work in a few hours. ‘Come and get breakfast!’ I shouted to my 3-year-old lad. He was a handful, but so much fun to be around. I loved being a mum and couldn’t wait for my second baby in January. We were expecting a girl. One of each! Patting my bump, I started up the laptop. I’d only signed up t o play Pick Me Up! Bingo the day before. I’d come across it online. I started with a few different games. Some I even won a fiver or a tenner on! Then I saw…

I think maybe my bunny Bun might need a bigger hat! Michael Joseph, Manningtree My cat Socks loves nothing more than a good grooming! Demi Roberts, Llanbedr Here’s Oliver Poliver snacking on one of his five-a-day! Louise Milne, Worthing Since my cat Dinky laid down on my laptop, the screen has shown everything upside down! I wonder what button she pressed..? Jean Cooper, Dunfermline My gorgeous dogs Zeus and Rogue have such kind personalities, and they give the best cuddles in the world! When they aren’t cuddling each other, that is! Kimberley Fraser, South Croydon So far my shih-tzu Max has chewed his way through cushions, books, shoes, sofas and most of the house! If there were a doggie chewing contest, Max would definitely be champion! Les Holt, Prestwich…

A flash of blue and red zoomed past the telly and jumped onto the settee. Captain America - otherwise known as my little boy Bailey, 6 - was charging around the living room. ‘Saving the world again,’ I smiled. Bailey was a typical little lad, always going a mile a minute. He loved superheroes, and if he wasn’t dressed as Captain America, he’d be pretending he was Iron Man. He had the energy of both combined! Until February 2016, when he changed overnight... ‘Mummy, my head hurts,’ he cried one day. ‘Now, now baby,’ I hushed, giving him Calpol. But, plagued by throbbing headaches, Bailey would occasionally be sent home from school. Grouchy and tired, he’d curl up in his room, lights out, curtains shut tight. His superhero costumes didn’t…

MESSY NIGHT This is what happens when you play Pie Face with your mates! Emma Matthews, Heaviley FOR THE CHOP My son-in-law has a pretty unique way of chopping onions! T Griffin, Bristol YEE-HAW! Me (right), my bestie Christine and my daughter Abbie all had an amazing time at Buffalo Billy’s! I didn’t want to take that hat off! Jackie Cruickshanks, Paisley NAP PARTNERS Here’s my daughter Phoebe, 4, enjoying an afternoon snooze with her Jack Russell pal Peppa! Natalie Wright, Radcliffe HEAVY SNACK Boy, this crisp got really heavy for me and my girlfriend Deena to hold during our visit to the Egyptian desert! Len Allen, Huntingdon NUTTY PROFESSOR My lovely daughter Lucy won first prize for dressing up as a wild scientist in her school’s costume competition! Lisa…

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Menopausal migraine Q I've had about three to four migraines a month since I was 12, but they’ve got worse now I’m starting my menopause. Will they worsen when my periods stop totally? Lana, Kettering A Migraines can worsen during the menopause, but then stop forever once the menopause is over. Strange lumps Q I have raised, painful lumps on my shins which look hideous. I've just got a boyfriend and we want to start a relationship, but I can't show my legs. How do I get rid of them? Holly, Ashford A This is called erythema nodosum and can be triggered by the Pill, so try alternative contraception. Once the trigger is removed, the lumps settle after a couple of weeks with over-the-counter pain relief but it might leave…

She’d used her sister to entice Elizabeth into the woods With her daughter happily watching TV, Patty Preiss set about making dinner. Just then, there was a knock at the door. It was her daughter Elizabeth’s friend from down the road, and she wanted the 9-year-old to come out to play. Straightaway, Elizabeth begged her mum to let her go. Patty glanced at the clock. It was nearly 5pm. But she couldn’t resist her little daughter’s pleas. So she agreed, but told her to be back by 6pm sharp, as dinner would be on the table. Elizabeth was full of smiles as she waved goodbye to her mum and dashed out. Patty carried on preparing dinner, but 6pm came and went, with no sign of Elizabeth. The mum tried not…

It bugged me that he was always glued to his phone As my phone beeped, I felt my heart skip. ‘You’re like a giddy schoolgirl,’ my mate Hannah teased as I rushed to unlock my phone. The message was from Paul Leighton, 29. We’d met through friends and had been exchanging flirty messages. I liked that he was so chatty and confident. He wasn’t bad on the eye either. Fancy hanging out? Paul messaged. Excited, I invited him to my place that night in 2015 to share a takeaway. As we cosied up on the sofa, I enjoyed being in Paul’s strong arms. And when he kissed me, sparks flew. I’d been single for a while and didn’t want to rush things. ‘I’m not ready for anything more than kissing…

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ARIES 21 March–20 April Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. That’s why I know (and you should, too) that you’re capable of sorting out what’s gone wrong over the last few days. You meant no and now it’s time to say so and really mean it! Call: 09058 170 710* TAURUS 21 April–21 May Your ruling planet Venus has brought out your jealous streak. You find problems where there should be none and you also find it enticing to accuse close ones of things you have no proof of. Be honest, say what’s on your mind. Support is waiting. Call: 09058 170 711* GEMINI 22 May–21 June There’s a really busy feel to your chart currently, which is making it particularly hard…

Iwasn’t somebody who worried about my weight. At 25st, though, some might say I should have! But my size had never held me back. Confident and bubbly, I wore what I wanted and still got plenty of attention from men. I was happy being big. When I had my daughter Bethany in November 2011, I didn’t lose the baby weight. A single mum, the last thing on my mind was my size. But then in early 2015, I started suffering extreme pains in my hip. I went to my GP and he blamed my weight. ‘Have you considered gastric-bypass surgery?’ he asked me. I wasn’t convinced that surgery was the answer. I was no dieter, I liked my food too much, so perhaps it was my only option? ‘If you…

Alzheimer’s disease 1 Alzheimer’s affects brain function. 2 It’s caused by a virus. 3 Symptoms include hallucinations. 4 Meds can cure it. 1 TRUE Alzheimer’s is a neurological condition that affects brain functions. It’s progressive, meaning that it’ll get worse over time. 2 FALSE The cause is unknown, but increasing age, family history and previous head injuries are thought to increase your chance of developing it. 3 TRUE Alzheimer’s begins with minor memory problems, but can lead to confusion, speech and language trouble, anxiety, low mood, delusions and mobility problems. 4 FALSE There’s no cure, but medication can ease symptoms and slow progression. Psychological treatments may also help.…

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She says she’s special, has something extra With my newborn baby girl content in my arms, I tried hard to take in what I was being told. ‘Your baby may never walk,’ all the doctors said. Not just that, she’d be slow to develop, struggle with school and making friends... Just hours old and the list of things our baby would never do seemed endless. Our girl Eva had been born with Down’s syndrome. I’d decided not to have the test to find out while I was pregnant - I knew it wouldn’t make any difference to how much I’d love her. A few hours after Eva was born, doctors confirmed it. I’d known as soon as I saw her. I looked down at my baby girl sleeping in my…

The crimes have made me nervous about letting my cats out. I follow SNARL closely, and have been leaflet distributing for them to make other cat owners aware of the threat. His actions are disgusting and inhumane, and we’d love to see him locked up! Diana Hill, Southsea There has been more than one victim in my town. This horrid person has already stepped up his spree from just killing to taking body parts to putting the decapitated body back on the owner’s property. I feel it’s only a matter of time before he escalates again. What will he do next..? Shirley Matthews, Crowborough I find myself not wanting to let my four cats out as much as I used to. If anything happened to them, I don’t know how…

What if your kids’ art came to life? All those wonky-eyed, three-legged beasts would make us want to run a mile. Or, in the hands of Tom Curtis, burst out laughing! Dad-of-two Tom uses computer wizardry to turn adorable animal drawings by his sons Dom, 8, and Al, 6, into ‘realistic’ images. The boys loved them so much, that Tom set up an Instagram account (@things ihavedrawn) to show them off. And, within weeks, the super-cute (and super-creepy!) pictures of animals had gone viral, even appearing on TV in Japan, Australia, the US and the UK, as well as in a French music video! Now Tom’s versions of his boys’ artwork are on sale in a book, Things I Have Drawn at the Zoo, based on sketches they made at…