Pick Me Up! -julkaisun 05-Apr-2018 -irtonumeron sisällysluettelo

There’s nobody more deserving of some lovely flowers than my beautiful nanny Gloria. As matriarch of our family, she has a big personality and a bigger heart to match. She’s given us a roof over our heads, cared for me during a bad illness and held our hands through children, marriages and losses. She nursed my mum through a tough illness and when she passed away last year, Nan’s only concern was for everybody else. She stood tall and held me while I cried many a night, and held our hands through the dark days. She always kept her head held high through Mum’s illness and sudden death. She’s like a second mum to me. I’ve no idea what I’d do without her. She’s the light at the end of…

Stepping off the treadmill, I was gasping for breath. ‘Smashed it!’ I said, chuffed with myself. I’d just done 20 minutes of running and had really worked up a sweat. That’s enough for one day, I thought, packing up and going home. I was only 15 and I didn’t really have a clue about working out. I wasn’t overweight, but I was an early developer and my boobs and hips made me look curvy. So I’d decided to get fit and lose a few pounds. I’d joined a local gym with my mum Ouadia, now 49, and went a couple of times a week. But I still ate whatever I wanted, so I didn’t shift any weight. Frustrated, I started obsessing over it. Why can’t I look skinny like my…

Pouring a pint, I handed it to the customer at the bar. Glancing up, our eyes locked. He’s a looker! I thought. I couldn’t help smiling at him, spent the evening stealing glances, flirting. By the end of the night, we’d arranged a date. It was early 2017, and Lee Mitchell, 34, had it all - good looks, charm, a great sense of humour. I couldn’t believe my luck! Maybe I’ve finally met Prince Charming, I thought. Our first date was perfect. He took me for a meal, booked a hotel so we could spend the night together. Presumptuous perhaps, but I liked his confidence. Before long, the pair of us were inseparable. Lee would come to the pub after his bricklaying job, wait for me to finish. The only…

QI've heard lots about the prostate gland, but I don't really know what it is. What does it do? Jack, Poole A It’s a walnut-sized gland between the bladder and the penis. It produces some of the fluid in semen and is crucial to a man’s sex life. If you notice urinary changes or troublesome sexual symptoms, see your GP for advice. Give yourself a lift It’s a kind of magic… Known as the magical fruit, guarana berries are said to have calming properties that help improve mental health and provide a natural remedy for stress. They’re also beneficial to the digestive system and blood circulation. 100,000 …that’s the average number of hairs on our heads, although it varies with colour. Blondes have an average of 150,000 – redheads, 90,000.…

Muddy wellies, dirt under your fingernails and the smell of manure in the air. Yep, life on the farm was grubby. But I loved it! I’d lived on a farm for as long as I could remember. My parents, Melanie, now 68, and Roger, 78, had moved to the village of Bottalack in 1984. So I’d grown up looking after the animals, with Dad teaching me the ropes of farming life. It was hard work, especially in the winter months. ‘A spot of rain isn’t going to kill you!’ my dad would scoff. So, despite gale-force winds and the endless rain, we’d venture into the fields. Looking after the horses was always my favourite part of the job, especially after Maple came along. She’s been a quirky little thing ever…

It was October last year, and I was about to have a night in by myself, which was very rare. My husband David, 64, had ordered a cab and was waiting for it to turn up. He was going to see our local football team play. ‘I hope you win!’ I cried, as he was tying his shoelaces. What shall I do tonight, then? I thought. ‘Why don’t you play a game of bingo this evening?’ David suggested. It was almost like he’d read my mind! I’d been a member of Pick Me Up! Bingo for ages - since January 2011. Although I’d not won a big jackpot, I’d won a couple of hundred quid here and there, which was nice. I mainly played for the friends that I’d made…

Social media makes our generation the loneliest ever. People don’t greet each other in the street as many are too engrossed in their mobile phone. Even around the dinner table, when conversation should be flowing, family members are on their gadgets and are more focused on having a conversation over the Internet than with their loved ones. Gemma Davies, Tuffley, Gloucester Meeting in person and spending quality time together seems to be happening less and less. I feel incredibly lonely. People predominantly interact with me through social media or text messaging, maybe the odd phone call. It’s sad. Kimberley Joanna, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire Nobody has the time to stop and check on others these days. We’re all too busy working, raising families, or fitting as much into our days as possible.…

I looked down at her angry little face, and felt… nothing The feeling that tingled from my toes to my fingers when my wife Mel, then 21, broke the news is something I’ll never forget... ‘I’m pregnant!’ she cried. Together for 18 months, we’d been trying for a baby since we got married in June 2012. I was thrilled. And with each scan, my excitement grew further. Would it be a boy, a little mini-me? Or a girl, sweet and pretty like Mel? Not that it mattered. ‘Daddy’s going to spoil you rotten,’ I said to Mel’s bump. On 12 June 2013, I held Mel’s hand throughout the 12-hour labour. And finally, baby Elizabeth was born, wailing at the top of her lungs. After Mel cradled her, she was then…

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When a photographer came into our insurance shop one day, offering a professional family photo shoot, my hubby Dave, 44, and I jumped at the chance. We’d only been married three years and both had boys from previous relationships. Dave’s son Cade, 12, and my son Conner, 8, were already close. But some beautiful photos of us together, with our beloved pug-cross dogs Oshie and Yadi seemed the perfect way to celebrate our modern family. We booked a session for May 2017 and handed over the cash. ‘It’s a beautiful day,’ I smiled as we headed to a nearby park. ‘Perfect for photos,’ Dave said. Dave’s mum, Sharon, 67, had also come along, too. And, when we met with the photographer, she asked us to stand together and smile. I…

I love this photo of my children gathered at the church where I got married four years ago! Laura Cooper, Torrington What do you think of my hubby Shane’s new look? I’m not too sure, to be honest! Lisa Lewis, Swansea Silly, I know, but our sides split when we saw this road sign in Norway! We think it means ‘speed bumps’. Karen Gomersall, Newent I was such a proud mum on my daughter Josie’s graduation day at Cardiff University Jayne Woodhouse, Salisbury Here’s my son Sean, 49, striking a pose at his sister’s wedding. He’s always up for a laugh! Pauline Wheeler, Roby Mill This is my daughter El trying virtual reality for the first time. She didn’t have a clue I was next to her! Debra Stokoe, Sunderland…

HRT concerns QI was having hormone-replacement therapy (HRT), but my blood pressure went up, so my GP took me off it. Now my menopause symptoms have come back. What can I do? Delia, Salisbury A Latest evidence suggests women with high blood pressure who are on HRT can continue to take it, as long as their blood pressure is also controlled. See your GP to discuss this, or if alternative treatments may be suitable for you. Mental health Q My brother’s never had a formal diagnosis, but I'm sure he has schizophrenia. I’m so worried about him, but he refuses treatment. Can I ask for him to be sectioned? Brodie, Scarborough A You can request an urgent mental-health assessment. If he’s deemed to be a danger to himself or others…

Growing up, Scott Dyleski was, according to friends, just a ‘normal preppy kid, kind of a nerdy kid’. Good at baseball, he was a Boy Scout who worked hard and got excellent grades. When he was 5 years old, his mum, Esther Fielding, and dad, Kenneth Dyleski, broke up. Esther married another man about a year later, but Scott still saw his dad regularly. When Scott was 10, his mum split up from her second husband. Just three years on, something terrible happened - Scott’s 18-year-old sister Denika died in a car crash. Friends say Scott, 13, was never the same. That he was ‘very sad for a long time’. That afterwards, he turned up at school wearing a black trench coat, black nail varnish, lipstick and silver jewellery. Apparently,…

When I first met Anthony Mantova, I thought, Poor man! It was Christmas 2010, and I’d gone to switch on the lights in our town. I was 18 and life was going really great. I’d passed my driving test, won the title of Miss Prestatyn - and, best of all, just been signed to a music management company. Singing songs at concerts all over the country was a dream come true, so I was in high spirits. Spotting a bloke standing on his own, I’d gone over to wish him Merry Christmas. He seemed lonely, and I felt sorry for him. He’d introduced himself shyly as we shook hands. And that was that. Or it should have been... Next morning, I had several friend requests on Facebook from people I’d…

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ARIES 21 March–20 April If you believe in what you want, then others will, too. The lack of faith you had in yourself earlier this year is what took the wind out of your sails. From here on in, it’s all about making you the best version of you. Remember, think positive and life will be positive… Call: 09058 170 710* TAURUS 21 April–21 May Travel is well-starred and it doesn’t seem to be the short-distance kind that’s written in your stars, either. There are bigger things in the planning. Family want more of your time and, if you don’t give it, you may cause a rift that isn’t easy to resolve. Call: 09058 170 711* GEMINI 22 May–21 June A bad judgment you made was just an obstacle and…

Opening the door, I saw the flowers first. ‘These are for you,’ said a voice from behind the blooms. It was Nyasha Makunike, 16. He was my first boyfriend. ‘Thank you!’ I gushed, feeling the luckiest girl in the world. I’d first met Nyasha three months earlier, sharing shy smiles over burgers and fries with our mates in McDonald’s. We’d swapped numbers, texted non-stop. Finally, he’d asked me out. Now we were head over heels. Me and Nyasha spoke about our hopes and dreams. ‘I want to join the Army,’ he told me. And we both wanted to get married and have kids one day. I was sure we’d be together forever. So I supported his decision in 2012 to move down south for a few months, for Army training.…

The problems began when I was just 14 years old. I’d been a perfectly healthy teenager, but suddenly I was plagued by constant sickness. When I became badly jaundiced, doctors at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle ran tests. We were told that I had a rare genetic disorder called Wilson’s disease. My body was retaining too much copper, which my liver was failing to filter out. ‘She needs a liver transplant,’ a doctor told my parents. ‘Or she may not last the next 48 hours.’ It was terrifying, but thankfully an organ was found and was flown by air ambulance to Birmingham QE Hospital for the transplant in December 1990. I was given meds to stop my body rejecting the liver and had regular checkup scans. Keen to move on…

Joking around on the dance floor with my friend Tansy, 16, I could feel the stress just slipping away. It was a Saturday night in May 2015, we were in the middle of sitting our GCSE exams - and both needed to let our hair down. We’d gone along to an under-18s event at a club near where we were living in Wales. ‘I’m loving this!’ I laughed, spinning Tansy round. But then, suddenly, a girl stormed over. ‘Get out, Sasha!’ she screamed right in my face. She was drunk, could hardly stand. ‘But I’m Queenie, not Sasha,’ I stuttered, confused. Then, before I knew it, the girl smacked me hard in the right eye. I stumbled backwards in pain. The girl was dragged out of the building by security,…

Jumping on the bed, my son Joshua’s giggles rang throughout the house. Age 3, mischief was his middle name. If he wasn’t emptying cupboards, he was getting in my make-up drawer. Everything was an adventure, and his baby sister Jessica, 2, was his shadow. Double trouble! Not that I was complaining. I loved that Josh was such a curious kid, asking questions, cracking jokes, keeping me on my toes. I reckoned he was destined for big things. ‘I’m going to get you!’ I joked, hopping on the bed myself and tickling Josh that day in October last year. He giggled again and I couldn’t help but join in. Then I stopped, felt something by his ribcage. What is that? I touched it again, pretended I was still tickling. But I…