Indice dei contenuti per 28-Jul-2022 in Pick Me Up!

Picking up my medical kit, I got my entire family to practice their best patient. It sounds cringy, but I had always wanted to be a nurse from a young age. I made it my mission, studying hard as I hit school and university. So much so, I can now proudly say that I’ve been a nurse for just under 26 years! And for every single second it’s been a privilege, with patients welcoming you into their lives. Over that time, I had worked in a variety of senior nursing roles, but one stood out to me the most – dementia care. So, just over 12 months ago, I became a consultant admiral nurse with Dementia UK – not only would I help those suffering with dementia, but the families…

This summer, families across the nation are being encouraged to get muddy and help beat cancer. Pretty Muddy Kids is a fun obstacle course where children can scramble up climbing frames, crawl under cargo nets and whizz down mud slides, all while raising money for life-saving research into all types of cancer. This event is not about who is first to cross the finish line, but about taking part. In partnership with Tesco, Cancer Research’s Race for Life events are taking place until mid September – so sign up today and help save lives! ● cancerresearchuk.org/org…

Watching my toddler Jack stubbornly shake his head, I let out a sigh. ‘Come on,’ I said, wiggling a spoon at his mouth. ‘Just one little bite?’ But he refused. Jack hadn’t had an easy start in life. He was born prematurely in September 2001, after I’d had a molar twin pregnancy. It meant one of the babies turned into a cluster of cancerous cells, and after Jack was born at 32 weeks via C-section, I had to have chemo. It wasn’t easy on any of us. My husband Fabian, 46, and our older son Kurt, then three, just had to try to muddle through. After spending time in the special care baby unit, we brought Jack home – but we were told he could have learning difficulties and developmental…

Enter now to win these and many more fantastic prizes… Find out more at comps.lifedeathprizes.com How to register It’s FREE to enter and It’s so easy to do, just visit, comps.lifedeathprizes.com and register by hitting the join button and then you can enter as many competitions as you like. Go on, have fun! Look what you could have won! REGISTER NOW AND NEVER MISS THE OPPORTUNITY OF A WIN! * these have now closed For website rules of play, go to comps.lifedeathprizes.com/rules. Terms and conditions apply, UK only…

Summer is all about feeling comfortable in your own skin! Forget beauty standards and sizing – find a bikini that you feel most sexy, beautiful, and empowered in… Whether you swim every week or you pop on a swimsuit for your annual holiday, it’s important that you feel happy, confident, and comfortable. Fashion expert and award-winning stylist, Lisa Talbot, is on hand to help you feel your best this summer… For more visit: lisatalbot.co.uk The pear For the pear shape it’s all about rebalancing the lower body with the upper body. A higher leg shape will make your legs look longer and slimmer and the halter neck makes the shoulders look amazing. By drawing the eye to the shoulders you instantly rebalance the lower body. The top heavy For the…

Looking after the birds and the bees is what helps to keep our ecosystem in check – but in recent years, many species have rapidly declined and it’s now more important than ever to take care of our wildlife. With a looming climate crisis, it’s one of the easiest things we can all do to help look after the environment! WHY SHOULD WE HELP? Fiona Jenkins, gardening expert at myjobquote.co.uk, says: ‘Many of our wildlife species are on the decline, especially animals such as hedgehogs, voles and shrews. As urban areas have grown over the decades, it has eaten up valuable wildlife habitats. ‘Surprisingly, residential gardens make up 29.5% of the total space in Britain’s urban areas. ‘That’s why gardens are now valuable havens for these species and many birds…

Lidded ice cube tray, £10, Pro Cook There’s nothing better than a refreshing drink with homemade ice, only as soon as you go to put the ice cube tray in the freezer it’s full! How are you supposed to fit it in? Gone are the days of playing Tetris with this effective design. With a flexible lid, you can stack several trays at once, or juggle the frozen peas around on top! Made from silicone, it can be used as a chocolate mould, too. Verdict: GENIUS! Nice trick Fiat 500 x Smeg collaboration, £12,000, Smeguk.com Rev up the style factor with this statement drinks bar! From the iconic kitchen appliance brand Smeg, this fashionable bar will keep people talking for days, as it really is bonkers! You might ask what a…

With a beautiful home and a loving husband, Ana Weed’s life appeared to be perfect. Married to her husband Scott for 22 years, she was a doting mother and grandmother, and she adored her pet dogs. Ana could often be spotted out walking her miniature Schnauzer pooch, Maggie. She was close to her tightknit family, kind and always wanted to do the right thing. A pillar of the community, she volunteered at church and taught bible studies to the youth group. The friendly 53-year-old gran got on well with most of her neighbours in the 3,400 block of Mourning Drive in Spring, Texas. But her tranquil home life in the quiet, leafy suburb was blighted by one of them. They were involved in a simmering dispute Other neighbours in the…

Answer on page 47. ACROSS 1 _ Miller, actor whose film credits include Layer Cake and American Sniper (6) 4 2022 TV series starring 1 Across, 31 Across, 1 Down & 25 Down (8) 10 A rest (3-4) 11 Seedless raisin (7) 12 Silent or voiceless (4) 13 Unintentional (10) 15 Usual (6) 16 Unoccupied job (7) 20 Tableland (7) 21 Easily bent (6) 24 Wildly funny, informally (10) 26 Jump over a twirling rope (4) 28 Extract or remove (4,3) 29 Covered entrance to a building (7) 30 Reluctant (8) 31 Steve _, actor whose TV shows include I’m Alan Partridge and Saxondale (6) DOWN 1 Sarah _, actor whose TV credits include Him & Her and Bad Education (8) 2 Of elections or electors (9) 3 Midday (4)…

With summer here, Zoflora’s resident Vet, Cat Henstridge, is here to tackle your pet related dilemmas. Make sure to keep up to date with Zoflora on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube, Twitter and Pinterest, by following @LoveZoflora. MUCKY PUP! Q I’m starting to toilet train my 12-week-old puppy, however, there have been quite a few accidents in the house. How can I get rid of the smell safely without harming my pooch? Gemma, Norfolk. A Little accidents are to be expected with young puppies, we have to be prepared, ready to clean up quickly! Also, their little noses are very sensitive, so my recommendation is the Zoflora Mountain Air range. It’s specially formulated to be better tolerated by your pet’s sense of smell. THEY WON’T STOP Q I have adopted…

Maryland, BBC One Maryland is a TV adaption of a play and tells the story of two women, both called Mary. Zawe Ashton and Hayley Squires play the lead roles of two individual Marys who meet at a police station in the aftermath of their respective sexual assaults. Guiding them through this world is police constable Moody (Daniel Mays) and his colleague PC Eddowes (Justine Mitchell). They are supported by a cast as the drama examines the injustices the women face and reflects real world issues. The Supervet: Noel Fitzpatrick, Channel 4 A brand-new series is back showcasing the extraordinary work of veterinary surgeon Professor Noel Fitzpatrick and his incredible team. Feisty three-month-old kitten Fury is brought in with a suspected tibia injury, sustained during playtime at home. All the…

THIS WEEK Banish wasps When the sun’s shining and the weather’s warm, who doesn’t enjoy a spot of al fresco dining? But with the warm weather comes the worst kind of pest, out to ruin our BBQs and picnics – wasps. The experts at The Greenhouse People have shared their top tips to ward off these buzzing critters safely this summer. 1 Cover up The best way to stop wasps from getting to your food is to block their access to it. Wasps send out a scout when searching for food and will alert the colony once they catch a whiff of tasty treats. So, be sure to keep lids on any Tupperware when picnicking, to block the smell and prevent a swarm of wasps from heading your way. Mesh…

The yummy cookie dough brand Doughlicious has teamed up with breast cancer charity CoppaFeel to create these tasty Dough•Chi boobies – all to raise awareness of the importance of knowing your body and early detection of breast cancer. Squeeze your Dough•Chi’s and support the campaign with this delicious summer dessert! YOU’LL NEED: □ Eton Mess Dough•Chi□ Double cream□ Honey□ Meringue□ Fresh strawberries□ 50g white chocolate□ 1 piece of dark chocolate METHOD: 1 Break up some pre-bought meringue into chunky pieces, and set aside. If you’re feeling creative, make your own! 2 Put the double cream and honey into a large bowl and start whipping – stop when your cream starts to thicken like clay, and leave in the fridge. 3 Cut your strawberries into quarters and set aside. 4 Put…

Entering the living room, I walked gingerly into the centre of the large space in front of me. ‘Don’t worry – they’ll come to you,’ the breeder said. I was here to pick a cat. I’d just relocated from London to Sheffield and had grown up with pets – cats, dogs, rabbits, even turtles. Now I had my own space and wanted a cat. I was seeing a litter of four Russian Blue-Ragdoll cats. Only, three of them had darted under the sofas and weren’t coming out. Will any of them like me? I thought to myself. Just then, one of the kittens darted out, ran at my leg, attacked it, then ran off again. It looked back at me with a cheeky gleam in its eye. ‘That’s a little…

Us brits love a pub garden and Emmy and BAFTA award-winning British documentary filmmaker Doug Allen has been exploring these humble habitats. Teaming up with Warner’s Gin, this mini-series highlights how nature can thrive in even the most unexpected of places. The short documentary brings the same filming techniques from blockbuster nature films to chart a day in the life of a quintessential pub garden. It captures pubgoers of all different shapes, sizes and species! ● Watch on YouTube – Warner’s Nature Marque Documentary…

Lynette Gray uses meditation and deep coaching techniques, to help her clients. Lynette run’s weekly personal development and meditation sessions in Edinburgh and monthly women’s circles. (lynettegray.co.uk) I want to be different Q Growing up, my parents were really strict which made me miserable as they never let me do anything. But now I'm being that way with my children, which I don't understand. How can I break the cycle? Maria, London A It is great that you have recognised that you are behaving in similar ways to your parents. Growing up in a strict environment has conditioned this behaviour within you. All your habits, beliefs and thoughts are stored in your subconscious mind, and your mind has been programmed from a very young age. The good news is you…

Arriving home from the school pick up, my daughter emptied her bag. ‘The squash didn’t taste very nice,’ Hawys, then 12, said, passing me the full bottle. It was a little strange, but I didn’t think much of it. Only, over the next week, she started to become quite unwell. Hawys has always been a quiet girl and usually keeps herself to herself, but she seemed more drawn in. She was constantly tired and started vomiting and having terrible nosebleeds. Me and my husband Aled, 47, hoped it would pass, but after a week, I took her to the GP surgery. ‘I know something is wrong, but I don’t know what,’ the doctor told me. Only, after taking her heart rate, which was running at 99 beats per minute, we…

Feeling the cold jelly on my stomach, my heart skipped a beat. My partner Michael, 29, and I had been waiting for five months for our first baby scan. It was September 2020, so with Covid, a move from Wales to Blackburn and changing GP practices, we couldn’t get an appointment until then. ‘You’re having a girl,’ the sonographer announced. The pair of us beamed. Finally, it all felt real. But then… ‘Something isn’t quite right,’ the nurse said. My heart dropped. What could it be? I thought, looking to Michael for reassurance, but I could tell he was as scared as me. ‘It looks like your baby has a hole in her heart, but we’ll send you for tests,’ she continued. Hearing those words, I went into panic mode,…

Gather the botanicals, stock up on the tonic and host your very own cocktail party, just the way you like it, at home. You can listen to your favourite music from the comfort of the sofa, sipping on perfected cocktail favourites from Barcardi’s latest ready-made range – Tails Cocktails. To know how to host an event to remember, make a note of Tails’ trendy tips and tricks… Find out more by visiting: tailscocktails.com ELEVATING YOUR SPACE However big or small, you can dress your party space to give it that mid-summer magic in no time… REUSE AND RECYCLE: Use clear, empty Tails bottles for makeshift candle holders and add greenery of your choice with stems of your favourite blooms. You can also fill vintage vases or jam jars with bright…

A Mediterranean diet with plenty of colour provides a feel-good factor like no other – particularly if eaten al fresco in the warm summer sun with friends and family! Plus, a diet including fresh fruit and vegetables has numerous health benefits. Create some magical food this summer with the range of new and inventive and nutritious summer recipes from I Love Fruit & Veg from Europe. • Please visit: ilovefruitandvegfromeurope.com Thai cucumber, prawn & lettuce salad □ 200g folded rice noodles□ 1 cucumber□ 1 round lettuce, roughly shredded□ 350g cooked king prawns□ Juice 1 lime□ 2 tsp fish sauce□ 2 tsp light soy sauce□ 2 tsp toasted sesame oil□ 25g pack parsley, leaves only 1 Cook the noodles according to pack instructions, drain and cool under cold water. 2 Meanwhile,…