Table of contents for 19-Aug-2021 in Chat

What is the most expensive item that DJ and presenter Edith Bowman has ever bought? To find out, solve the crossword then read down the shaded squares to find the two-word prize answer. ACROSS 11 North American country (6) 12 31 October (9) 13 Corrosive substance (4) 14 Flower that is a symbol of Wales (8) 15 Eating plans (5) 16 Marzipan ingredient (6) 17 Typical, normal (7) 18 Former England and Newcastle footballer (4, 7) 20 Group of singers (5) 22 Journalists (9) 24 First Greek letter (5) 28 Capital of Thailand (7) 29 Telling lies (7) 32 Structure for crossing a river (6) 34 Dependable (8) 36 Straight line through a circle (8) 37 Quicker (6) 39 Comfort, soothe (7) 40 Northern Irish capital (7) 45 Opposite of…

Sonya Williams, 41, Barnstaple Burying her head in my jeans, my daughter Marlie-Rae, then 2, clung to my leg. ‘It’s OK,’ I said, prising her gently off so that she could join the group. It was summer 2016, and I’d brought her to a gymnastics class, hoping it’d bring her out her shell. Marlie-Rae wasn’t as outgoing as some kids. She stuck beside me rather than join in the nursery games. ‘I want to go home,’ she begged, lip trembling. Eventually, we both joined in with some hops and jumps in a circle of children. To my relief, Marlie-Rae grew to love gymnastics, going a few times a week to Falcon Gymnastics Academy, Barnstaple. She still struggled with anxiety, suffered sensory sensitivity but, despite that, gymnastics was her outlet, the…

How to treat my lump? Q I have a painful lump on my ear and a specialist has diagnosed chondrodermatitis helicis. Is it serious? Brenda, Widnes A These lumps are tiny, usually just a few millimetres across, but common. They are formed of inflammation and scar tissue on the rubbery outer part of your ear and are probably the result of repeated rubbing due to always sleeping on the same side, or maybe from a hearing aid that doesn’t fit properly. They’re harmless and can be safely ignored if you don’t have any symptoms, but unfortunately they can become extremely tender and may interfere with sleep by waking you up with pain whenever you roll on to that side. Treatment might simply mean a soft pillow, or one with a…

ARROW WORD In English legal terminology, a man travelling on an omnibus in what location is considered to be the standard of ordinary, reasonable behaviour? Solve the puzzle by following the arrows. Then read down the shaded squares for the answer. WIN £1,000 Puzzle 10 Your answer: SUDOKU To solve the puzzle, each 3 x 3 box, each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9. Solve the puzzle and the numbers in the highlighted squares will give you the prize puzzle answer. WIN £60 Puzzle 11 Your answer: WORDSEARCH Old Folks at Home is the official state song of which US state? The answer is the one missing from the grid. ALASKA FLORIDA GEORGIA HAWAII IDAHO INDIANA IOWA KANSAS MAINE NEVADA OHIO OREGON TEXAS UTAH VERMONT…

Tatiana Bee, 24, London Scrolling through my phone after finishing another eight-hour shift at the local supermarket, I saw a message from a friend. Fancy some drinks after work? she asked. Can’t tonight, I replied. I was totally skint. It was early 2019 and, as a 22-year-old living in London, I found it difficult to make ends meet each month. The 30 hours I worked during the week only covered rent for my houseshare, food and bills. There was barely anything left to enjoy nights out with mates. Or treat myself to any new clothes or make-up. Staring at my phone at home was all the entertainment I could afford. A few months later, in April 2019, I was doing just that when an intriguing social-media ad caught my eye.…

Mediterranean layered sandwiches Packed with tasty veg and oozy mozzarella, these ciabattas are guaranteed to impress MAKES 8 READY IN 10 MINS • 2 ciabatta loaves • 1-2tbsp pesto • 4tbsp extra virgin olive oil • 2 x 200g jars marinated and grilled peppers, drained • 4 plum tomatoes, sliced • 4-6tbsp black olives, sliced • Fresh basil, torn • 2 x 125g packets mozzarella, drained and sliced You will need: • Baking parchment, string 1 Cut the loaves in half, lengthways. Mix the pesto and olive oil together, then brush this over the cut surfaces of the bread. 2 Use half of the rest of the ingredients for each loaf. Working on 1 loaf at a time, spread half the peppers over the bottom of the loaf, then arrange…

Aries 21 March-20 April You’re talking about taking a vacation to relax and unwind. Hiring a camper to explore the countryside will be more enjoyable and less hassle than endless unpacking. • Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April-21 May If you feel like someone is treating you unfairly it is worth remembering that their attitude is an aspect of their personality and no reflection at all on your personality. • Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May-21 June Someone you thought wasn’t interested in you surprises you when they show their caring side. Sparkles in their eyes when they look at you show their true feelings. • Call 0905 817 0692* for more Cancer 22 June-23 July You might be having an issue with someone…

L’Oreal Paris Unbelieva’Brow Longwear Top Coat, £10.99, lookfantastic.com Tame unruly brows with this amazing brow gel. The tiny wand is easy to use and the formula keeps hairs in place while stopping your brow pencil from fading or smudging. A makeup bag must-have for defining your arches. Catrice Cosmetics Clean ID Pure Eyebrow Pencil, £2.99, justmylook.com The small tip of this brow pencil enables you to draw tiny lines, mimicking hair strokes. It’s brilliant for adding more structure to your face and defined brows give an instant facelift effect. NYX Lift & Snatch! Brow Tint Pen, £10, Superdrug Don’t worry, it doesn’t come out like you’ve got busy with a felt tip! This brow pen is actually very user-friendly and gives subtle, buildable colour so you can create as much…

CLOSING DATE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS 31 AUGUST (Three days later for postal entries) HOW TO ENTER TEXT Simply text CHATD followed by a space and your answer/s (spaces between answers please) full name, door number and postcode to 63333 Texts cost 50p plus standard network charge (maximum 160 characters per text). When you enter by text, you may in future get SMS marketing messages from Future plc and Chat. If you want to receive these, please end your text with OPTIN. Texting tips ● Don’t put any spaces in an answer that has several words: eg: CHATISTHEBEST not CHAT IS THE BEST. ● If the answer is a name, you need only give the surname: eg: CLOONEY not GEORGE CLOONEY. ● You can use capitals or small letters, but…

Lyndsay Kilpatrick, 48, Ayrshire Groaning, I rolled my eyes as my friend tapped on her phone. ‘You need a bit of fun,’ she giggled. It was September 2016 and she’d arranged for me to meet her mate after our shift as carers. ‘He’s round the corner,’ she grinned. ‘And gorgeous.’ I’d only just divorced after 20 years of marriage. The split was still raw. But maybe she’s right, I thought. Time to put myself out there, rather than be swallowed by loneliness. And the moment Gary Difolco, then 28, sauntered over in his paint-splattered overalls, my tummy flipped. He was a decorator, and 15 years younger than me. But his smile and brown eyes left me weak at the knees. Later, he popped over for a cuppa. Told me he…

Michaela Foster Marsh, 54, Glasgow Glancing between us, the teacher looked puzzled. ‘Twins?’ she gasped. My brother Frankie and I, both aged 5, giggled. It was 1971, and since we were babies, we’d been causing a stir. ‘Yep,’ I grinned. ‘Frankie’s my twin.’ It was no surprise people did a double take. Frankie was black and I was white, and while we weren’t biological twins, he was just four weeks younger than me. He’d been adopted at 13 months by my parents Bill and Morag Marsh. Strangers would peer into our double pram. ‘How come you’ve got different coloured children?’ they’d ask Mum. She’d say we were special. Frankie never asked about his biological family, and we were raised like any other twins. Inseparable, best mates. We even dressed the…

As Nou Loeung, then 33, sat down with his wife and kids and his friend, Duc Le, for dinner, all he could hear was his family chattering away happily. It was 12 February 2016 and they were enjoying a quiet evening in. Only, suddenly, they were interrupted by sharp knocks on the front door. It was Loeung’s neighbour Anh Tran, frantic and terrified. Breathless with fear, she described how her boyfriend Danny Nguyen had threatened her. Drunk and angry, Nguyen had told her in a text message that he planned to come to her house and smash up her car. Loeung, a mobile-phone technician, had never been in trouble with the law. A proper family man, he loved the quiet life in the sleepy Sydney cul-de-sac. But he also wanted…

Natalie Burns, 24, London Woken by my alarm, I sat up in bed and instantly knew that something wasn’t right. My eyes felt tight, and when I blinked, there was a clicking noise. Weird. It was December 2014, I was 18 and in my first year studying Graphic Design. The college course involved lots of computer work, so as the day went on, my eyes felt worse. Later that week, the clicking was still there. And one bright morning, as the sun shone through my window, I felt pain in both eyes. Putting on my sunglasses, I did feel slightly better. But I was embarrassed about keeping them on in the classroom. ‘I’m sensitive to bright light,’ I told friends. Yet I didn’t really know what was going on. After…

OVER TO YOU Can you set a puzzle in this format? Send it, with a photo of yourself, to the address on p3. There’s £20 for every one we use! ACROSS 1 Serum, cream 2 Continent 3 Stair, tread 4 Touch lips DOWN 1 Relax in a glow 2 Fizzy Italian wine 3 Untruths 4 Plans of roads and motorways This week’s puzzle was compiled by Bailey Mcguire, Cleethorpes, NE Lincs WIN 5x £25 Puzzle 6 Your answer: CHAIN WORDS The heraldic badge of the Prince of Wales bears three feathers from what bird? Get from Start to Finish, making words by joining two boxes together as you go, eg: RO + BOT, BOT +… you decide! When you reach Finish, two unused boxes join together to give you the prize answer.…

Measuring almost 11ft by 11ft and made during the reign of Elizabeth I, the ‘Great Bed’ of which Hertfordshire town currently forms part of the Victoria & Albert Museum collections? Solve the crossword, then read down the yellow squares. The yellow shaded squares will spell out the competition answer. ACROSS 1 Move through water (4) 5 Correct (5) 7 Star of Taskmaster, _ Davies (4) DOWN 2 Hairpiece (3) 3 Small piece of carpet (3) 4 Boast (4) 6 Pig (3) WIN £50 Puzzle 15 Your answer: TO ENTER Turn to page 56 for details or visit comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles…

3 ways to... manage car insurance When it comes to insuring your motor, it’s critical you don’t invalidate it – unintentionally or otherwise. Here are the RAC’s top tips… 1 Flag any changes If you change jobs, don’t forget to tell your insurer, as occupation title and type are factors insurers consider when setting premiums. You’ll also need to tell them if you start using your car for work or commuting. Failing to tell your insurer of these changes could invalidate your cover and leave you uninsured. Similarly, if you move house, notify your insurance company of your change of address straight away. 2 Get it right Parking on the street outside your home might sound harmless enough, but if you’ve stated that you leave your car in a garage,…

Browsing the newspaper dating ads one evening in January 2003, one caught my eye. He sounds nice, I thought to myself. Dave described himself as having brown hair and a sarcastic sense of humour. I’d been single for a year after a 15-year relationship, and was a single mum to two girls, aged 5 and 6. So, I duly responded. My name’s Vickie, I spotted your ad...I wrote. Dave replied, and I found him easy to talk to, shared the humour he’d described in his ad. A few weeks later we met for a drink. I was nervous, but Dave put me at ease, as if we’d known each other years. Our relationship moved quickly, and by August we’d bought a house together. The girls adored him. We married in…

Q I’ve just started going through the menopause and I’ve noticed some changes in my skin. What should I be using now? Shannon Fowler, 46, Milton Keynes A If your current skincare isn’t working or you’ve noticed changes in your skin, then consider switching up your products. Fluctuating hormone levels can affect the skin and every woman is different. If your skin has become spotty or excessively greasy, try The Inkey List Succinic Acid Blemish Treatment, £6.99, Boots, to combat pimples. If your skin has become dry or dull, up your moisture levels with a rich, nourishing cream such as Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré, £20, lookfantastic.com. It’s full of fatty acids and leaves skin plump and glowing. If hot flushes are leaving your skin red, try a colour-correcting moisturiser such as Dr…

Chat winners issue 20 (20 May) £1,001 CASH A Roberts, Gwynedd £1,000 CASH S Wiliams, London £500 CASH M Andrews, Bristol; S Piper, West Molesey £250 CASH R Lovell, Halifax £150 CASH L Monette, Sheffield £100 CASH K Stewart, Plymouth; L McCleave, Doagh, W Meakin, Manchester; K Lloyd, Shrewsbury; E Miles, Worcester £60 CASH P Kearney, Corby £50 CASH L McCormack, Birmingham; J Adshead, Stockport; I Martin, Chester £30 CASH R Turner, Penrith; J Antiss, Iver; N Barlow, Melton Mowbray; J Baines, Market Harborough; P Cooper, London £25 CASH J Tozer, Huddersfield; C Belsey, Folkestone; R Smith, Newent; L Archer, Harrow; H Megraw, EbbwVale; J Lacey, Northampton; L Want, Sutton-in-Ashfield; C Jassi, Ormskirk; C Gray, Sheffield Anyone from your town in the list this week..? Chat PUZZLE 1 5422 Chat…

DRESSES STYLE TIP Stand out from the crowd in one of these bold styles. Cinch your waist with a wrap or try a smock frock for a relaxed fit. BAGS STYLE TIP Give your outfit an update with accessories in fiery colours that look great when teamed with gold metallic jewellery. SHOES STYLE TIP A pop of colour on your feet can liven up your look. Try pairing with a black or white dress to add interest. BLOUSES STYLE TIP Elevate your jeans with a breezy blouse in warm tones. Look for blouson sleeves if you’re conscious of upper arms.…

In May 2019, a jury found Nou Loeung not guilty of murder or manslaughter. You could sense the relief in the courtroom from family and friends when the verdict was read. The jury agreed with Loeung’s claims that he had acted in self-defence. Protecting his home, his family, and his neighbour, who’d turned to him for help. In August 2019, Loeung was found guilty of two lesser charges. Wounding Danny Nguyen with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and being armed with intent to commit an indictable offence. Duc Le was found guilty of being armed with intent to commit common assault. The case was described as unusual and deserving of leniency by their defence lawyers. Justice Natalie Adams decided to spare Loeung jail. However, she noted the importance of…

FILL ME IN Which biblical figure was beheaded during a battle in the Valley of Elah? Solve the puzzle by following the arrows and writing in your answers. Then read down the letters in the shaded squares to find the prize answer. WIN £100 Puzzle 13 Your answer: CIRCLE TIME In Irish mythology, the hero Finn MacCool gained extensive wisdom after eating what animal? Fit the words into the grid, then read down the letters in the shaded circles. 3 letters ASH HEN INN OWN SAC SAT SAY SKI WAS 4 letters EGGS LIPS PALM PASS PIPS PREY 5 letters CORAL MURAL NYLON TITAN 6 letters GALLOP GERBIL GROWLS NATION 7 letters HARVEST HORMONE WIN £100 Puzzle 14 Your answer: TO ENTER Turn to page 56 for details or visit…

OCD is killing our love Q My boyfriend of a decade has issues with germs. Nobody can stand too close to him or touch his things. I can’t even touch him, and if I sit too close, he recoils in disgust. He wants to be intimate, but it doesn’t happen a lot. However, if he can’t touch me without needing a shower afterwards, how are we ever going to manage? He says that I’m being unreasonable – but, Nelly, I’m actually just so frustrated. Please help us through this. Nancy, 44 A Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) can have a serious impact on mental health and relationships. Tell him how you feel and ask how you can work together on this. Don’t take it personally, educate yourself on how you can…

Q I’ve heard about people falling victim to investment scams on social media. Can you tell me more? M Hall, Leeds A New figures from Action Fraud reveal that between November 2019 and October 2020, more than 5,000 reports of investment fraud referred to a social media platform. For info on how to avoid the scams, visit fca. org.uk/scamsmart. If you think you’ve been a victim, report it to Action Fraud (actionfraud.police.uk, 0300 123 2040). In Scotland, report it to Police Scotland via 101.…

Dave says, ‘If anyone is thinking about reporting a case of historic child sex abuse, my advice is don’t be afraid. Contact your local police station – you will be believed, and you will get justice. ‘I was lucky to have family support, too. So, if you have a support network, reach out. ‘It’s not easy, and it’s been a long journey, but I held on to it for 30-odd years and a weight has finally been lifted off my shoulders.’ • For help and support, call the National Association for People Abused in Childhood on 0808 801 0331, or visit napac.org.uk.…

Aveeno Dermexa Daily Emollient Body Wash, £10.50, Boots If daily showering leaves your skin dry and itchy, switch to this body wash. It’s so soothing and replenishes moisture, so your skin is left feeling hydrated and comforted rather than stripped. Collection Cosmetics Gorgeous Glow Stick in Blush, £4.99, justmylook.com These buildable, creamy blush sticks come in a range of colours and are great for giving cheeks a rosy flush. Blend with a brush for a sheer wash of pink or use your fingers. Revolution Pro Restore Lip Balm, £7.99, lookfantastic.com Added hyaluronic acid and vitamins B5, C & E make this balm a must for dry, cracked lips. It hydrates without feeling sticky and soothes any flakiness away. It’s easily mistaken for a high-end lip gloss. Autograph Riviera Neroli Eau…