Table of contents for 11-Jun-2020 in Pick Me Up!

I started working for Water Babies in 2008. It’s an organisation that helps teach babies the early skills of swimming. However, watching on, I always wanted to be a teacher – in the pool with the little ones. Only, with no swimming qualifications, I had to train through the company. Thankfully, by 2018, I’d done what I needed and started teaching newborns to four-year-olds. I loved it, but I realised I wanted to push myself, too. So, in January of last year, I started doing a 28 day, no alcohol challenge. To replace alcohol, I needed to do a physical activity, and naturally, it was swimming. To mix things up, I wanted to do open water swimming as I knew it would be more of a challenge. And so, with…

Watch out! With our canine companions spending more time at home, they are under higher risk of contracting lungworm. Bayer Animal Health have partnered with behavioural ecologist Dr Bryony Tolhurst to warn pet owners of the dangers of lungworm. Lungworm is a type of parasitic worm that affects the heart, blood vessels and lungs of infected dogs, and can be fatal. The disease is carried by common garden dwellers, like slugs and snails. Here are some easy ways to reduce your dog’s exposure to lungworm: 1. Keep food and water bowls inside the house 2. Tidy toys away indoors 3. Pick up fox and dog poo in your garden Symptoms of lungworm include coughing, lethargy, abnormal blood clotting and vomiting and diarrhoea. If your dog is showing signs of lungworm, speak…

Top tip Try on clothes in a different room for a change of scenery. Top tip Create continuity and space by investing in one style of hanger. Top tip Use acrylic drawers to organise makeup, underwear and swimwear. WARDROBE MAKEOVER I t’s time to switch out your spring wardro be for summer essentials! To keep your clothes collection organised and tidy, Showertoyou.co.uk sought the help of Gill Hasson, author of Declutter Your Life. Here are Gill’s expert tips… 1. START EASY Most of us wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time. To help you choose what to keep and get rid of, the two most important questions to ask are: ‘Do I love it?’ and ‘Do I need it?’ TOP TIP: Start by choosing 10 items you definitely…

Walking into my first ever pole dancing class, I was absolutely terrified. You must be Faye,’ one of the instructors smiled. ‘Hello, nice to meet you’ I replied nervously. I’d just turned 16 and wanted to give pole dancing a go after watching a video on YouTube. It looked great fun and certainly seemed like a full-on workout to me. With that in mind, I found a class at The Art of Dance school, near my home in Plymouth and plucked up the courage to go along and give it a go. But stripping down to a pair of shorts and a crop top for the class was my worst nightmare. Since the age of 14, I’d suffered from anorexia and had a huge problem with my body. Determined not…

The Yes Peas! campaign, run by the British Growers Association, is now in its thirteenth year. The campaign aims to promote how fantastic frozen peas can be as an ingredient in everyday cooking! It's supported by hundreds of recipes developed by campaign ambassador and TV chef Rachel Green, which are all available at www.peas.org. Pea dal with coconut chutney ☐ 500g frozen peas☐ 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped☐ 2cm piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped☐ 2 green chillies, seeds in, roughly chopped☐ 1 tsp sea salt☐ 1 tsp black pepper☐ 1 tbsp vegetable oil☐ 2 tsp black mustard seeds☐ 2 tsp cumin seeds☐ 1 tsp ground turmeric☐ 1 onion, finely chopped☐ 400ml can coconut milk☐ 6 curry leaves (optional)☐ 2 tsp garam masala☐ Small handful chopped fresh coriander leaves,…

After spending another Sunday afternoon chilling out at home, I was beginning to feel a little bit uncomfortable. ‘No sign yet then,’ my partner Tim asked, rubbing my bulging tummy. ‘Nothing,’ I sighed, feeling a tiny bit fed up. I was nine months pregnant and was now five days overdue, but our baby boy didn’t seem keen to make an appearance just yet. I already had my little girl, Caitlyn, seven, from a previous relationship and I couldn’t wait for Tim and I to expand our little family. We’d found out I was expecting back in May 2019, and both of us were thrilled. Caitlyn was pretty chuffed too and couldn’t wait to have a little brother to boss around. I was feeling great and as my due date flew…

What’s your favourite? With Disney+ providing us with some much-needed entertainment, OnBuy.com discovered which classic animated Disney movies are the most popular in 42 different European countries. The iconic Lion King (1994) is the favourite in the UK and nine other European countries. Aladdin (1992) is the most popular in 14 countries, including France, Germany and Italy. Interestingly, Tarzan (1999) has swung his way to the top in Moldova, Romania and Slovakia. Peter Pan (1991), Mulan (1998), Cinderella (1950) and The Jungle Book (1967) are also among Europe’s favourites. What Disney film have you got on repeat? WHAT A GREAT IDEA! Struggling to make homeschooling fun? Combine your love for cats with education to keep your children entertained while they learn! Comedian Bob Mortimer has lent his support to Cats Protection’s…

Complete the grid then read down the shaded squares to reveal the hidden answer. Clue: Heating device. Fill it! pg 13 Radiator ACROSS 7 Branch of Islam (5) 8 American state (9) 10 Demi _, pop star (6) 11 Learned (8) 12 Fail to achieve a desired effect (4,4) 13 _ Lendl, tennis great (4) 15 Marsupial (7) 17 Revokes (7) 20 Male deer (4) 22 Taciturn or reserved (8) 25 Cardinal number (8) 26 Bruce _, Die Hard actor (6) 27 A journey there and back again (5,4) 28 Strong dark beer (5) DOWN 1 Get rid of (5,4) 2 Similarity or comparison (8) 3 Emma _, American Horror Story actress (7) 4 Statuette (8) 5 Albanian capital (6) 6 Situated inside (5) 9 Top layer of land (4)…

Calculating dates in my head, I worked out that my next period was only due in two weeks. But, staring down at my pants in the office bathroom, there was no mistaking it – there were spots of blood. It was 1991, and at 30, my periods had always been regular –but lately, I’d been bleeding in between. A single mum to Jessica, then six, and working full time at an accounting firm, I was rushed off my feet. Perhaps it’s stress, I thought. When the bleeding continued, I went to my GP and asked to have a smear test. A few days later, when my results came back abnormal, I had a biopsy done right away. ‘You have cervical cancer,’ my doctor told me. I was devastated, and my…

Stepping into a red boiler suit and harness, I was getting ready to do my first ever skydive. It was something I’d wanted to do for years, and as tiny planes whirred overhead, I could feel the adrenaline surge through my body. ‘You ready?’ the instructor asked, checking everything was tightly fastened. ‘As I’ll ever be,’ I replied, following him into the plane and making our way up to the skies. Before I knew it, I was dangling out the plane door at 15,000ft. ‘Here we go,’ the instructor shouted, as he pushed us both out of the tiny aircraft. Free falling through the clouds, the next five minutes were a blur. It was exhilarating, and as we made our way to the ground all I could feel was excitement.…

Working for technology company, IBM, in Calgary, Canada, Nancy Cooper fell in love with her colleague, Brad. Despite being polar opposites – Nancy sporty and popular and Brad shy and reserved – the two were head over heels for each other. After Brad was offered a high-paid job in Cary, North Carolina – a place dubbed ‘Pleasantville’ after the 1998 film – the two settled down and had a picture-perfect life. It was an affluent area with huge houses, well-kept gardens and gorgeous white picket fences. Residents and neighbours would regularly gather for BBQ’s, board game nights and parties. By 2008, Nancy and Brad had two daughters, Bella, four, and Katie, nearly two. On the outside, they were living the American Dream, but little did anyone know, their marriage was…

Robinsons Superfruit Cordial, £2.50, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons. These new cordials from Robinsons come in two delicious new flavours, Orange & Acerola Cherry and Raspberry & Goji Berry. Pots & Co Upside down baked lemon cheesecake, £2, Waitrose. Pots & Co have reinvented the classic lemon cheesecake, with this new upside down version that’s topped with a crunchy biscuit crumble. McCain Naked Oven Chips, £1.79, stores nationwide. These naked oven chips contain just two simple ingredients you can be sure to feel good about; potatoes and sunflower oil. Barefoot Wine Seltzers, £1.80, Tesco. Sparkling water, white wine and natural fruit flavourings are combined to create these luscious, crisp seltzers from Barefoot wine. Choose from strawberry and pineapple flavours. Gordon’s Mediterranean Orange Distilled Gin, £16.50, Tesco. The latest addition to Gordon’s gin range,…

All mums dream of the person their child will one day grow up to be. They look forward to milestones – his first steps, first words, his first day at school, going to university and his first job – and one day his own wedding. For my baby, though, these milestones will never come. ‘Enjoy it while you can,’ other mums say, referring to the magical newborn phase. ‘They grow so fast.’ Don’t get me wrong – when Freddie arrived in June 2017, I loved every moment of that phase – his tiny hands and feet, the smell of new life in his wispy blond hair. My husband Tony, 28, and I were overjoyed, and our son Frankie, then three, was so excited about being a brother. Freddie completed our…

Immune boosters Whilst social distancing continues to help reduce the transmission of COVID-19, there are a number of additional ways we can better our immune system to help protect ourselves from the coronavirus. Cheryl Lythgoe, Head Matron at Benenden Health shares her top tips… PRACTICE GOOD HYGIENE Contact with a surface, object or person that’s been contaminated, then touching your face can lead to spreading the infection. Wash your hands well before eating, after visiting the toilet, as well as returning from visiting a supermarket or other essential travel. EAT A BALANCED AND HEALTHY DIET Ensuring your body gets the right vitamins and nutrients is a great way to boost your immune system. By including seasonal fruits and vegetables in your food shop, you are more likely to snack on…

Standing in the concert hall, I could feel the music pounding through my chest. It was April 2013, and I was at the Civic Hall in Wolverhampton watching my favourite band, Marillion, perform – a yearly tradition. I’d met up with fellow superfans Trevor Tyers, then 44, and his partner Carolyn, 40, who I’d met through the band’s Facebook page. What better than a night of good music and good company? I thought to myself. The concert was spectacular, as it was every year, and so worth the 650-mile journey I’d taken to get there from my hometown of Bryne, Norway. Not that I wasn’t used to travelling to the UK – my fiancé Pete Hamill, then 42, lived in Windsor, and I’d be over regularly to see him. We’d…

Sitting in the living room, I feel a wave of panic and fear hit me. Post-traumatic stress is very common,’ doctors had told me. Sometimes, I can go from being happy and peaceful to worried and sad in seconds. But every time I feel that way, I just look at my little boy. And instantly, the anxiety washes away. Sina, two, is my baby of hope. He distracts me from my life-changing diagnosis… In September 2018, I was having a shower when I noticed a lump on my breast. ‘You should go to the GP,’ my husband Ibrahim, 46, said. I booked an appointment straight away, and saw my GP two days later. ‘It’s probably nothing to worry about, but let’s get you checked to be sure,’ she said. I…

Taking a cheeky, intimate snap of yourself, you send it to your long-term, loving partner. It makes you feel confident and attractive and sparks the sexual tension. A consensual nude to someone you trust. But as soon as you press ‘send’ on your device, the power is completely out of your hands. It is possible for the recipient to share the sexual image or video across many different platforms – with or without your consent. They might post it straight away, or they might keep it stored on their phone for months, years even. One day, that photo could haunt you by a jealous, controlling ex-partner. Revenge pornography: the creation and sharing of non-consensual, intimate images and videos. 1 in 10 Brits are revenge porn victims Victoria Myers, Head of…

Catch Claire live on Facebook www.theastrologyroom.com ARIES 21 March–20 April It is always the simple things that produce the marvellous. Try to take time out especially for yourself this week. You seem to be the loner in the crowd at the moment, which tells me that you need to find yourself again. Don’t blur into the background. Events this weekend give you the chance to do just that. Make it so, the stars are behind you! Call: 09058 170 710* LEO 24 July–23 Aug Look on every exit as being an entrance into somewhere else. Yes, your hand has been forced, but you start to see that life evolves, that is part of the experience. Memories are great to look back on, but they are not part of your present.…