Table of contents for 18-Feb-2021 in Pick Me Up!

Growing up, I was always a sociable lad. With a love of rugby, sports and spending time with my mates, I never imagined that in my early twenties, I’d begin to struggle with my mental health. Only, that’s what happened. At the beginning of my second year at university, I was diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety and depression. I dreaded going out or seeing anyone and as a result, I became incredibly isolated. Only, true to the stereotype, I didn’t want to talk about it. Instead of acknowledging the problem, I became embarrassed about it. Over time though, I began to open up and confide in therapists, as well as loved ones. However, it wasn’t easy. As much as I had an amazing support system, no one could understand. It was…

Strolling through the town of Oxford, in my school uniform, I idly passed the time. ‘Hi, how are you?’ a man asked, flashing a smile. He was with his brother and they introduced themselves as Akhtar and Anjum Dogar. They were clearly quite a bit older than me – both in their early 20s while I was 12 – but they seemed so nice. ‘Aren’t you meant to be in school?’ they asked. ‘Yeah, didn’t fancy it,’ I replied, trying to sound cool. The brothers seemed so mature– completely different to the boys at school. After that, the two of them started meeting me almost every day. Picking me up from school in their fancy BMW and helping me bunk off without raising suspicions. ‘Ever tried alcohol before?’ they asked…

Waiting for my little boy, Jake, then four, to finish his trial football session on 19 January 2020, I could see he loved every minute of it. Welcoming in the new year, and having Jake’s 4th birthday just the month before, I decided it was time for him to start trying some new hobbies. ‘How was it?’ I asked him, with a smile. ‘Great!’ he beamed back. Jake and I are a great team. Being a single mum, we spend every minute of every day together – and we love it. Wow, he’s sweat a heck of a lot more than the others, I briefly thought to myself. ‘Let’s get you home then, you must be hungry!’ I said. That evening, Jake went extremely quiet. ‘Mummy my tummy aches, I…

With national parks, bushland and miles of pristine coastland, South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula is a perfect place to escape busy life, and back in the 1970’s, it was even quieter than it is today. Colleen Adams lived in the small town of Maitland on the Peninsula with her painter husband Geoffrey, 26, and their two children. It was 1973, and the couple had no telephone, no TV and no car, but it wasn’t unusual to have a slower paced way of life in the rural area. Colleen loved to keep her house tidy and was a devoted mum. Although, a secluded life did have downsides. Young mum Colleen, 24, was raising her two daughters, then aged three-and-a-half, and 18 months, without many friends around her. Her nearest family were also…

DON’T MISS THIS Sure to delight hungry herbivores around the country, Asda has announced a partnership with vegan concept creator Kbox Global to trial a supermarket vegan butcher counter in one of their stores. The new counter, Veelicious, is in Asda’s Watford store for a six-month trial and will have a consistent vegan butcher offering – including fake bacon, bean burgers and meat-free meatballs. With prices starting from 75p, Veelicious will serve a range of meat-free alternatives such as mock lamb and vegan ‘black pudding’, as well as a small selection of vegan cheeses, ready-to-eat meal kits and classic vegan staples, such as chutneys and base cooking sauces. Asda hopes to provide consumers with access to high quality and flavoursome vegan foods. HAVE YOU HEARD OF? Herpetophobia is a specific phobia…

Stretching one arm over my head, I lengthened my body across the yoga mat. ‘Inhale through your nose, exhale out your mouth,’ the yoga instructor said, calmly. I felt my bump as I took deep breaths in and out. It was February 2020, and I was in my first trimester of pregnancy, having recently taken up pregnancy yoga. I had always wanted to be a mum, and me and my boyfriend Ryan, 28, couldn’t wait to welcome our baby girl into the world. At 21-weeks pregnant, I noticed that I was spotting blood. Worried, I went straight to the specialist pregnancy ward at St Thomas’ Hospital. ‘Is my baby okay?’ I asked. After lots of checks and scans, the doctor confirmed that the baby was fine and healthy. But they…

Complete the grid then read down the shaded squares to reveal the hidden answer. Clue: Dance. ACROSS 1 For the most part (6) 4 Pimento (8) 10 Forget how many (4,5) 11 As a joke (2,3) 12 Inappropriate (5) 13 & 25 Ac. 2020 film adaptation of a Charles Dickens story starring 21 Across, 1 Down and 22 Down, A _ _ (9, 5) 14 Public sale (7) 16 Republic in SE Asia (4) 19 Walk heavily (4) 21 Daniel _, Get Out actor (7) 24 During pregnancy (9) 25 See 13 Across 26 One who steals (5) 27 Gradual increase in loudness (9) 28 Nudism (8) 29 Resident of Nairobi, e.g. (6) DOWN 1 Carey _, played Daisy Buchanan in 2013’s The Great Gatsby (8) 2 Case or particular…

Grabbing a doughnut from the kitchen side, I soon started tucking in. Covered in sugar and filled with raspberry jam, it was delicious. It might have only been 9am, but that certainly never stopped me before. You see, my sweet tooth was out of control. No matter the time of day, I always made room for something sugary. Cake, chocolate, doughnuts – you name it, I’d eat it. And I’d been that way for most of my life. ‘Fancy some breakfast?’ my husband Peter, 57, would ask. ‘No thanks,’ I’d say, my face almost wincing. For me, breakfast food always seemed to make me feel sick and I’d often choose to go without. If I did have something, I’d go for a cake or chocolate bar and for some reason…

Humming along to the film’s opening credits, I snuggled up on the sofa and settled down after another busy day. It was 12 November 2020 and I was on annual leave from my job in pathology. Between shopping, cleaning, ironing and cooking I was ready to put my feet up and relax. But as I settled down onto the sofa, I was beginning to feel cold. With my husband, Chris, 46, on a night shift, I decided not to put the heating on just for me and grabbed a warm blanket instead. ‘I’ll make a nice cuppa,’ I thought to myself before I really got cosy. But as soon as I got up from underneath the blanket, I felt even colder. My bare feet walking across the cold tiles, I…

Vanilla, cotton candy, custard, strawberry and cappuccino. We used to know them as flavoured scoops of ice-cream, but now they are among hundreds of popular e-cigarette flavourings available on the market. Gone are the days of dry, grey smoke wafting through the air. In the 21st century, we are more familiar with the faint whiff of bubble-gum vapour drifting down the street. As the estimated number of smokers globally has decreased, the number of vapers worldwide has massively risen. Market research group Euromonitor estimates that the number of adults who vape will reach almost 55 million this year. But are these electric cigarettes saving smokers, or creating new addicts? Do they do more harm than good? And should we expect a nationwide ban in the UK? In 2014, Australia made…

Trotting into the road, I called for the traffic to come to a halt. It was December last year and I was on my last shift as a lollipop lady. ‘These are for you,’ one of the pupils from the nearby primary school smiled, handing over a beautiful bunch of flowers. By the end of the shift, I had a dozen bouquets, chocolates and gifts. You see, I’d been doing the job for 30 years and I was well and truly integrated in the school community. Even old pupils came back to say goodbye. ‘Recognise me?’ they smiled at me. Over the 30 years, there were a lot of faces to remember, but I tried my best. I first picked up the lollipop when my daughters Kelly, now 38, and…

This week, our tip of the week will receive a great product from Addis! Organise that never ending flow of laundry with this stylish designed linen hamper. Complete with a lid, the linen hamper comes with a large 50L capacity, allowing for ample storage for organising the family laundry. For more ways to make your life easier, visit addis.co.uk Time urgent Any piece of correspondence that needs to arrive by a certain date, put the date in the stamp area to ensure you post it in good time. iz Tubby, Norfolk Clear as day Wipe your lenses with an antibacterial wipe then let them air dry to prevent them from steaming up while wearing a mask. Maureen Harper, Glasgow Hydration station Keep your plants happy when you’re away by filling…

Walking through the supermarket, I felt like everybody was staring at me. With awful red blotches across my face, I wanted the ground to swallow me up. ‘No one is looking at you,’ my mum would reassure me. But I couldn’t help the way I felt. Having suffered from terrible eczema all my life, I was incredibly self conscious. And by now, the condition had spread to my face. Itchy and sore, the red patches were all around my eyelids and I hated the way I looked because of it. Whenever I left the house, I couldn’t help but feel like people were looking at me. So instead, I’d choose to stay at home as much as I possibly could. ‘I promise nobody is looking at your skin,’ Mum would…

Walking through the hospital, the place truly felt like my second home. For my entire life, I’d been in and out, constantly needing blood tests and appointments. You see, I was born with liver cancer and after two years of treatment, nothing was working. Eventually, doctors gave me just three months to live unless they could find me a new liver. Thankfully, by the time I was two-and-a-half, they had found a match. The whole ordeal was absolutely terrifying for my parents, Sandra and Mick, who are now separated. However, after a long recovery, I made it through the other side. What it did mean, was that I had to go for check-ups with my consultant every six months and had to be careful. However, I never let that hold…

It’s Pancake Day on February 16 but we should be eating them all year round! Pancakes are flippin’ delicious whether they are sweet or savoury, and looking out for the red British Lion mark on the shell of your eggs, will ensure they have been produced to the highest standards of food safety. British Lion eggs are also the only eggs safe for vulnerable groups to eat raw or runny. More than 90% of UK eggs are produced under this scheme, so they are easy to find. For more delicious ways to use eggs just visit: www.eggrecipes.co.uk Chorizo and pulled pork pancakes Serves: 4 FOR THE PANCAKES… □125g plain flour□2 medium British Lion eggs□375ml semi-skimmed milk□2tsp ground coriander or 2tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander□1tbsp sunflower oil FOR THE FILLING… □1 tbsp…

McCoy’s Fire Pit Range, £1.70 per 5x25g multipacks and 89p per 45g singles, Tesco, ASDA, Morrison’s & Sainsbury’s. Inspired by the rustic flavours of cooking meat over an open fire, these new flavours from McCoy’s are anything but bland. The Groovy Food Company plant based one calorie cooking sprays, £2, Waitrose. The Groovy Food Company has expanded its range cooking sprays with three new editions: Organic Butter, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Organic Sunflower Oil. My Goodness prepared meal range, from £3.50, Sainsbury’s. Sainsbury’s have expanded their My Goodness prepared meal range with some exciting new dishes, including Jerk Style Jackfruit with Sweet Potato and Mexican Style Beef Chilli. Rustlers ‘The Moroccan Vegetarian Burger’, £2.50, Tesco. Rustlers have gone veggie with this brand new, meat-free option. The falafel patty is made with a scrumptious…