Pick Me Up! -julkaisun 02-Apr-2020 -irtonumeron sisällysluettelo

My face was badly swollen and bruised, and when Mum asked me what had happened, it all came pouring out. I told her everything. ‘Why didn’t you tell me about this before?’ Mum cried, wrapping me in her arms. ‘I would have helped you.’ I felt relieved that she finally knew everything. Mum took me to the doctor, who then referred me to the Calderdale Royal Hospital. There, I was treated for bruising, and I had blood tests and an X-ray, which showed that I had bumps on the back of my head. Doctors advised that they were hematomas – lumps of clotted blood which had been caused by my injuries. But I was told they would go down eventually. After that, Chris started texting me, threatening to kill me…

ACROSS 1 Caress (6) 4 Small external building (8) 10 Rebuke (9) 11 Willem _, Oscar nominee for playing Van Gogh in At Eternity’s Gate (5) 12 Common water birds (5) 13 Translate orally (9) 14 Edible (7) 16 Money owed (4) 19 Ceremonial splendour (4) 21 Hugged (7) 24 Traffic policing method (5,4) 25 Mushroom (5) 26 Crowd of people (5) 27 Repentance (9) 28 Was plentiful (8) 29 Painfully, grievously (6) DOWN 1 Device for destroying documents (8) 2 Greed (8) 3 Joins closely (5) 5 Revised (7) 6 Indian city (9) 7 Unroll (6) 8 Puts up (6) 9 Spite (6) 15 Vegetable (5,4) 17 _ Pugh, star of Little Women (8) 18 Marital infidelity (8) 20 Food associated with Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire (4,3) 21 Infamous…

As a drop of blood oozed from my finger, the nurse smiled at me. ‘We’ll just get this tested,’ she said. It was December 2017, and I was due to donate blood at my local donation centre. A few minutes later, though, I was turned down. ‘I’m afraid your iron levels are too low for you to donate,’ the nurse frowned, suggesting I see my GP about it. It came as a surprise. I was tired, but being a single mum to three kids – Finley, 10, and twins Imogen and Austin, seven – it was to be expected. A week later at my GP, a blood test revealed I was anaemic. Keen to find out why, he referred me to Leicester General Infirmary for an colonoscopy. ‘You could have…

Spot the seal Spotting a seal colony is one of Britain’s greatest wildlife spectacles. Here’s Countryfile’s guide to Britain’s best seal watching spots… 1 ORKNEY ISLANDS, SCOTLAND Home to 25,000 grey seals and 7,000 common seals. 2 BLAKENEY, NORFOLK Find species of seals on the Blakeney National Nature Reserve. 3 WEST CORNWALL COAST Find grey seals along the sheltered bays, cliff tops and offshore islands. 4 DONNA NOOK, LINCOLNSHIRE Observe 3,000 grey seals from the foot of the sand dunes. 5 SKOMER ISLAND, PEMBROKESHIRE Watch seals lazing all year round among the Garland Stone. What spot will you visit first? Insta love @sealrescueireland Seal Rescue Ireland is a registered charity dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of sick, injured and orphaned seals across Ireland. Last year they saved 116 seals!…

Gordon’s Sicilian Lemon Distilled Gin, £16.60, all major retailers. Serving up a taste of Sicily, Gordon’s have launched a brand new citrus flavoured gin that adds a zesty twist to the original recipe. Quality Street Intrigue range, £5, Asda. The first all-new Quality Street product in almost 85 years, this new range of indulgent truffles are inspired by classic Quality Street flavours and include salted caramel, orange and praline. We can’t wait to give them a try! Knorr ‘Veggie Cook’s Essentials’ stock pot range, £0.95, Tesco and Morrisons. Filled with a variety of rich, tasty ingredients, these pots are the perfect partner for all family-favourite meat free meals. Heinz Tomato Ketchup 50% Less Sugar and Salt, £1.99, Tesco. We did the taste test ourselves, comparing the 50% less sugar ketchup with the original and could…

In June 2018, a 12-year-old boy nearly died after his prescribed medication was confiscated at Heathrow Airport. The medication in question? Cannabis. Billy Caldwell’s mum, Charlotte, was stopped at customs after returning from Canada with illegal high concentrate cannabis oil. The young boy had relied on the drug to control his severe epilepsy, and as a result of the confiscation, took seriously ill in hospital. In the end, it took an intervention from the then Home Secretary Sajid Javid for the Home Office to return the cannabis oil. As his mum promised, Billy made a swift recovery, apparently proving the medical benefits of cannabis. Billy’s case sparked campaigners all over the country to call for the legalisation of cannabis for medical use. That November, it was made available to patients…

The year of 2019 was extremely hard for two North East mothers. Ashleigh lost her beautiful girl Jess at two years old, and Ria lost her fighter Leo at just 13 days old. Both mums want to honour their children’s memories by putting care packages in the Royal Victoria Infirmary and Freeman Hospital in Newcastle to help families going through bereavement. They aim to raise £5,000 to register their own charity and raise important funds. Go to gofundme.com and search for ‘Jess and Leo’s helping hands’ to help.. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? Getting that perfect holiday snap is a priority for many of us, with some risking it all. Case24.com conducted a survey of over 2,000 people to find out how far we’ll take it… Shockingly, 41% of respondents have…

Sitting in my barber shop, I scrolled through my phone playing online bingo. I spent the spare, boring moments in between clients betting the odd fiver or tenner here and there. ‘You’ve won £50!’ flashed up on my phone screen. Result! I thought. Finally a win! It was June 2018, and playing online bingo had become a bit of a habit. I didn’t realise quite how much money I was wasting, until I saw my monthly bank statement… ‘I spent almost £1,000 this month!’ I cried to my husband Damien, 43. ‘This has to stop.’ And so, I banned myself from the bingo app for the next 12 months. Downloading free gaming apps instead, I didn’t really miss it. Over the next year, Damien and I tried to save as…

Sitting with my partner Ben, 24, he gave me some tough love. ‘Babe, you look like you’ve put a bit of weight on around your stomach,’ he said, trying not to upset me. ‘When was the last time you had a period?’ I knew instantly what he was getting at, but I was on the pill, I couldn’t be pregnant. Only, when I took a test a few days later, it was positive. Since having a kidney removed five years prior, I suffered with irregular periods. I could often go months without having one, so I just hadn’t thought twice when I’d gone without one for three months. Then, at my doctor’s appointment, we discovered not only was I pregnant, but I was already 13-weeks gone. It was a huge…

White Acres Holiday Park, Newquay, Cornwall When it comes to golden sands, you’re spoilt for choice at Newquay Holiday Park. Take a picnic, pack your frisbee and enjoy any one of Newquay’s 11 unforgettable beaches – all just minutes away. You’ll find plenty to do on-park, too. Practice your golfing skills at the 9-hole pitch and putt, or try your luck in the arcade. You can make the most of the weather in their three heated outdoor swimming pools and whizz down their whopping 200ft water slide! From £99 for three nights Camber Sands Holiday Park, Camber, East Sussex Beach lovers will be in their element here. Discover seven miles of golden sand right opposite the park. You’ll find lots to do with crazy golf, go-karts, an all-weather sports court…

Bursting into tears, I was in the middle of a rant about falling out with a group of my close pals. ‘Don’t worry, I’m here for you,’ my friend Christopher Ellam, 22, said, wrapping his arm around me. He was a shoulder to cry on and was there when I felt like I had no one else. Chris and I had known each other from school, had been friends since 2013. But it wasn’t long before our friendship turned into something more. ‘I’ve liked you for months,’ Chris confessed one day in December 2014. ‘I had no idea,’ I smiled. I had to admit, I had feelings for him, too. But not everyone was bowled over by my new boyfriend. ‘I’m not sure about him,’ my mum Deborah, 38, frowned…

As the smell of fresh coffee wafted up my nose, I was greeted with a smile. ‘What can I get you?’ the waitress chirped. It was September 2015, and I was on a weekend away in Dublin, keen to soak up the sights of the beautiful city. I’d only just arrived, was unfamiliar with my surroundings, but a local café near my hotel seemed welcoming, so I headed in to get some breakfast. As a steaming plate of bacon and eggs arrived, I smiled. ‘Thank you,’ I said to the waitress. ‘I’m on holiday here, is there anything you’d recommend I do first?’ I’d never been afraid to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger. My job as a hairdresser suited me perfectly – I could spend all day…

THE MINI BAG TREND Good things come in small packages! For many fashion seasons, mini bags have been trending on the catwalk and on the high street. The perfect petite accessory to style up your outfit. Upgrade your handbag collection with these mini bags……

Helping my friend out at a local food fayre, I stood at her stall selling pasties. ‘How are you doing? I smiled at a gentleman, as he handed me a pasty. Good thanks,’ he beamed. I waved him off and carried on chatting to people. Then suddenly, he turned back around. Can I leave you my number?’ he asked. ‘It would be great to go out sometime.’ Sure!’ I said. That was four years ago, and the moment I met my partner Mike, now 53, – over a pasty. He stopped breathing 62 times an hour Since, we’ve made lots of memories, had lots of laughs, and many sleepless nights. You see, Mike’s always been a loud, strong snorer. When we moved in together, it was a shock at first.…

Strolling through the countryside with my friend, Claire, 35, I watched on as the dogs mooched their way across the field together. Claire and I had met through a mutual friend 18 months earlier, and when our pet pooches seemed to hit it off, we started walking them together most weeks. Fiji was my faithful black retriever and Dotty was Claire’s gorgeous golden equivalent. As soon as the pair met, it was clear they’d fallen head over paws for one and other. ‘Look at them both,’ we’d coo, as they nestled into each other on their mid-morning walks. The pair were smitten and whenever either me or Claire went away, the other would look after the dogs together. Their romance soon blossomed, so when Claire came to me with the…

The Great Stand Up To Cancer Bake Off, Channel 4 There’s another celebrity edition of Bake Off on our screens that not only provides us with classic entertainment, but also raises money and awareness for a very important charity. The latest batch of bakers to enter the tent are Alex Jones, Alison Hammond, James Blunt and Joe Sugg. Regulars Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding will be on hand to provide support and puns, as Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith put them all to the test. Stacey Dooley Investigates: Spycam Sex Criminals, BBC Three Stacey Dooley investigates a new sex crime sweeping South Korea. In a country where pornography is illegal, ‘molka’ is a DIY alternative where tiny hidden cameras capture footage of women turning their most intimate moments into pornographic…

Sitting opposite my daughter Eva, nine, I watched her spoon cake into her mouth and sip hot chocolate. ‘Are there any shops you’d like to go in after?’ I asked. ‘Yes please!’ Eva grinned. Saturday was our daddydaughter day, and we loved going out for a hot drink in our local town centre. Other days, we spent time with her brother Jonathan, 10, or she was with her mum Kaye, 37. Then one day in November, I was watching YouTube on the television when Eva wandered into the living room. Staring at the screen, she saw a clip of the general public misbehaving towards the emergency services. Turning the video off, I left the room. ‘That’s not right, Dad,’ Eva said with a concerned look on her face. She was…