Indice dei contenuti per TAK2516 in Take 5

Wowsers, there are some inspiring stories in this issue! We love the Lions family over the page, who made their dream life come true – thanks to their fridge! Sarah on page 10 hopes to destigmatise incontinence and Peter on page 54 has lived a life worthy of a movie. As well as all the usual great real-life reads, prize puzzles, fashion, beauty, and delicious recipes, this week feels extra exciting as we launch our brand-new competition, $25k Golden Riches! We’re giving away not just one, but five prizes, to give more of our readers a chance to win. The grand prize is a whopping $10,000, and the lowest someone will walk away with is $2000. Still, imagine what you could do with that! Simply fill out the coupon on…

Conceived from a one-night stand, Dad had no idea I existed Kennedy Wilson, 29. A song came on the radio and my mum Claire, 30, turned it right up and started dancing around the kitchen. “This was your dad’s and my song,” she said as she sang along. “Really?” I asked, intrigued. I was eight and knew very little about my biological father, so every nugget of information I got from Mum felt precious. She told me I came from a loving relationship and that my dad’s name was Keith Allen. Things didn’t work out with them and when she was pregnant with me they broke up and she never saw him again. Mum raised me on her own but suffered with mental health problems. She struggled to hold down…

Sashi Perera, 38, Melbourne, Vic. Delivering the punchline of my final joke, the crowd erupted in laughter. “You guys have been amazing, thanks so much!” I said over the applause. I’d been working as a comedian for three years, and making others laugh had been my saviour when all I felt like doing was crying. It was 2021 and, recently, I’d had two miscarriages. My husband Charlie and I had been left heartbroken. Doctors couldn’t figure out why this was happening to us. “Keep trying,” they encouraged. The stress of trying to fall pregnant took over my life. I felt so much guilt and shame Having sex had become about as fun as lining up for the guillotine, and I hated my body for failing to give Charlie and I…

Marble cookies MAKES 32 PREP 25 MINS COOK 15 MINS 250g butter, softened ¾ cup icing sugar mixture 2½ cups plain flour, sifted 1 tbsp Dutch cocoa powder 50g white chocolate, melted 1 In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and icing sugar together until pale. Stir in flour until mixture forms a dough. 2 Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Mix cocoa into one half and white chocolate into the other. Chill dough 30 mins. 3 Roll both dough halves out between 2 sheets baking paper to 5mm-thick rectangles. 4 Place white chocolate  dough on lightly floured surface. Top with dark chocolate dough. Fold into thirds widthways, then in halves lengthways. Cut dough in half again. Shape each half into a log (about 6cm in diameter). Wrap…

Love thy neighbour As I was driving around Australia, I came across this board in front of a house and I couldn’t help but take a photo. It made me smile. Zerjei K. Green, Christchurch, NZ. WE PAY $100 FOR EACH LETTER PRINTED Meant to be Reading Editor Rachel’s letter about fate (issue 6) got me thinking about how certain people and opportunities are destined to come our way. Almost 30 years ago I took a job working at a call centre and met my friend, Jenny. She introduced me to her sister, Susan, who also became a good friend and when Susan left her admin job in a big company she recommended me for the position. I would never have got it if it weren’t for her. There, I…

I’d had accidents in all sorts of places, but surely I’d be safe on my big day? Sarah Stevenson, 34. Girls, come outside!” my friend’s mum called to everyone at the birthday party. I was 10, and while all the other girls started squealing, delighted to see a jumping castle, my heart sank. “Come on, Sarah,” one of my friends said, pulling me on. After a few bounces, I lost control of my bladder and wet myself. Mortified, I ran to the bathroom with a bag I’d pre-packed with fresh pants and undies. It was something I always did, in case of accidents just like this one. Seeing it had happened again, my mum, Julie, took me to the doctor the very next day. “It’s perfectly normal for a kid…

WHITE JEANS The white jean in straight- and wide-leg shapes is your new staple this year. Pair with contrasting colours, like bright red and deep blues, for a bold look. Cream and ecru tones also apply if a vivid white jean is too much. BARREL JEANS The biggest trend to hit the jeans category is the barrel leg silhouette. Also known as the carrot, balloon or arch jean, this shape kicks out from the mid-thigh to the calf and tapers back into the ankle. It’s not a shape for everyone but worth a try. CUFF JEANS The wide-leg jean is getting a little update with the addition of a wide-hem cuff. This look is best on a dark-wash jean to create a more sophisticated look – perfect with heeled boots.…

We woke up to an orange glow behind the curtain Kate Shaw, 63, Beldon, WA. The taxi dropped us off outside our hotel. “Thanks, mate,” my boyfriend, Tom, 62, said to the driver. We gathered our bags and walked up to the Padangbai Beach Inn in Bali. It was July 21, 2024, and it was my birthday. The very next day was Tom’s. We’d been together for nine years and always celebrated our birthdays by heading off on a holiday. This time, we’d chosen Bali. For the previous four nights, we had stayed at a five-star hotel outside Ubud, but we’d come to Padangbai for one night because it was located near Blue Lagoon Beach, famous for its snorkelling. Our balcony was on fire! The hotel was only one star,…

Peter Norris, 52, Wodonga, Vic. Waking up, I was horrified to see blood on my pillows. “I’ve got a bloody nose,” I cried. “What a mess you’ve made,” my foster father said angrily, belting the back of my legs. It was 1977, and although I was only four, I could sense I wasn’t with my real family. Two weeks later, I was in the garden when a tall man with big blue eyes like mine walked up. “You’re coming with me, mate,” he said, picking me up and hugging me. Instantly, I knew he was my real dad. Climbing into his car, I met my sisters, Tina, seven, and Kelly, six. I learnt that after my dad, Clarence, went to prison for robbery when I was 18 months old, our…

Country egg & bacon pie SERVES 6 PREP 10 MINS + CHILLING COOK 35 MINS 1 sheet frozen shortcrust pastry, just thawed ¼ cup tomato chutney 1 onion, finely sliced 3 rashers rindless bacon, halved lengthways ½ cup tasty cheese, grated 8 eggs Parsley leaves, to serve 1 Preheat oven to 180°C. 2 Lightly roll pastry sheet out with a rolling pin to fit a 25cm pie plate. Ease into pie plate, crimping edges. Chill 15 mins. 3 Spread chutney over pastry base. Scatter over onion, bacon and cheese. 4 Break eggs evenly over filling, pushing aside ingredients to allow eggs to seep around the filling. Season to taste. 5 Bake 30-35 mins, until  filling sets and pastry turns golden. Scatter with parsley to serve. TOP TIP  Swap tomato chutney for…

I begged them not to let my attacker walk free Krystle Strong, 36. Hanging out at my friend’s place, I got up to go to the loo. “Look at her flat bum!” my mate’s boyfriend, Jesse, 18, cackled. She laughed with him and I felt my cheeks flush. “He’s weird,” I snapped, embarrassed. My friend and I had known each other since we were little but we were different. I was a good student, while she fell in with a bad crowd and started dating Jesse. Our friendship had waned until she’d asked me to hang out again in 2001. This was a mistake, I told myself, leaving. I kept my distance from them after that. Two years later, when I was 17, I’d just arrived back from a party…

There’s no doubt that Easter can stir up some tricky emotions when it comes to food – especially with the slew of chocolate eggs and hot cross buns on offer. But, before you get stuck in the supermarket aisle looking for a ‘healthy’ chocolate bunny, accredited practising dietitian and founder of Love What You Eat, Zoe Nicholson, says changing how we think and talk about food is the first step to truly enjoying Easter. “When people are struggling with feelings of guilt, the food is not the issue, it’s the symptom of something else that’s going on,” explains Zoe. “Unfortunately, a lot of this is perpetuated through how we talk about food.” ADOPTING NEUTRAL LANGUAGE According to Zoe, unlike positive and negative food language, a neutral approach to what you…

A night out changed my life! Ollie Witney, 35, Townsville, Qld. Gazing up, I was completely mesmerised. Aerial silks were hanging from the nightclub roof, and women were performing beautiful tricks and acrobatics from them. Awestruck, I watched as they climbed higher, twisting and turning, then wrapped the silks around themselves, before unravelling and dropping with perfect control. Aged 23, I regularly attended the gym, and had been looking for another fun way to gain fitness. I want to do that! I thought. Doing some research, I found a studio that taught aerial arts near my home in Townsville. Using my strength from the gym, I was soon able to climb the silks and learn static tricks. Sadly, after a flood, the studio closed down. A second studio I tried…

Spicy chorizo hot pot bliss SERVES 4 PREP & COOK 30 MINS 2 cured chorizo, sliced into rounds 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve 1 onion, diced 1 tbsp crushed garlic 2 x 400g cans crushed tomatoes 2 x 400g cans cannellini beans, drained Handful of basil Crusty bread, to serve 1 Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Tumble your chorizo coins in and let them sizzle away until they’re golden and your kitchen smells like a Spanish fiesta. 2 Now, it’s onion time! Add the diced onion and crushed garlic to the pan. Give them a stir and let them mingle with the chorizo. Cook until the onion is soft. 3 Ready for some tomato magic? Pour in the crushed tomatoes and…

ARIES Mar 21 -Apr 20 The April Full Moon in your Love Zone means it’s time to turn the page on at least one relationship. Maybe you’re moving on, or you and your partner are leaving an old upset behind. You will have increased communications skills now, thankfully. ★ Talk things through kindly! TAURUS Apr 21 – May 21 If you’re feeling at the end of your tether, hang on in there! This week sees the Sun moving back into your sign for the first time in a year. The Sun brings warmth and energy so if either of those have been lacking in your life, expect a boost! ★ Vitality awaits! GEMINI May 22 – June 21 You are still in a really lucky cycle, so make the most…

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