Table of contents for 04-Nov-2021 in Pick Me Up!

Iyawned loudly whilst staring at my computer. It was November 2017, and my job in PR meant meeting deadlines and having late nights. ‘Why don’t we all head down to the gym after work? I heard they do boxing classes, it could be fun,’ my colleague suggested. I loved watching major boxing matches on the telly, but didn’t really think much of a boxing class. ‘Why not? I could do with a break,’ I replied. With that, me and my work friends all headed to the gym. The class lasted for an hour-and-a-half and I loved every single second! As a group, we decided to go back every week – I looked forward to every session. But I soon realised I had a talent for boxing and it was something…

Growing up, my son Jack was such a quiet but cheeky young lad. After splitting with his dad when he was three-years-old, it had always just been the two of us, and we were so close. Jack absolutely loved dinosaurs, cars and dragons. Like most boys his age, as he grew, he became obsessed with his Xbox, but he always wanted his mum. I loved that about him. When I met my now husband Andy, 43, in 2009, Jack was super supportive and the two of them got along well. Although Jack still saw his dad, it was nice that he accepted Andy. And when his little sister Lucy, now eight, came along, he was the best big brother. That being said, I think he would have preferred a brother!…

BIG health story Watching my 18-monthold daughter Anouk tottering around, I frowned. That doesn’t look right. Like other kids her age, she was stumbling around with a walker as she learnt to walk. But I noticed her legs were dead straight. Anouk hadn’t had an easy start in life. When I was pregnant with her, I’d lost my waters at just 18 weeks when I had a premature rupture of membranes. My pregnancy was suddenly high risk, and doctors told me to terminate more than once. It was terrifying. But my husband Mike and I refused to give up on our baby. I’d managed to keep her safe inside me until 34 weeks, when she was born via an emergency C-section in March 2018. She spent 12 days in neonatal…

Is it safe to walk my dog in the rain? Daily exercise is an essential part of keeping our dogs happy and healthy. But, with a heavy rain forecast for much of the UK, should we be walking our canine friends even when the rain is pouring? Pets at Home share their top five tips for walking your dogs in the soggy weather For more advice visit petsathome.com/pet-talk 1. PROTECT THEM FROM GETTING WET THROUGH While it’s fine to walk your dog in the rain, you should try to avoid getting them completely drenched. Just like we’d put on our coats for a walk in the rain, you might want to consider a doggy raincoat to protect dogs from the weather and prevent them from getting soaked through. Always make…

HOT TOPIC The fridge is full, the laundry basket empty and the lingering smell of teen hormones has finally gone. That’s right, you’re living in an empty nest. For some, this is a moment you’ve been counting down to. However, for others, this is a moment of sheer sadness and anxiety. For those of you who may be struggling with empty nest syndrome, it’s important to understand that you are not alone. Although you may have actively encouraged your children to become independent, it doesn’t make it any less painful once the flock has flown. ‘Preparing for an empty nest is a challenging time for parents,’ Celia Dodd, author of The Empty Nest: Your Changing Family, Your New Direction, says. ‘Feeling uncertain about the future is natural when a child…

Be a winner! This week, our tip of the week will receive a great product from Addis! This foldable chopping board provides a clever chute which easily guides chopped food into a pan. Just squeeze the comfortable soft grip handle. Dishwasher safe, with a non-slip base and a knife-friendly cutting surface. For more ways to make your life easier, visit addis.co.uk Grow wild! Make a lightweight watering can by punching holes into the lid of a large plastic milk bottle. Make small holes for watering seedlings and larger holes for bigger plants. Colleen Brunton, Enfield Kitchen idea! I was fed up of having nowhere to hang my tea towels in the kitchen. Turns out a hanger from the wardrobe works a treat for keeping them in check! Sara Sweeney- Lewis, Nottingham…

Smell ya later? New research conducted by experts with smell loss charity AbScent’s long Covid online group has recorded the impact of altered sensing on daily lives – and it’s a big turn-off. Key findings showed that it affected intimacy with partners – with people reporting ‘kissing tastes bad’. One woman said: ‘His natural odour used to make me want him – now it makes me vomit.’ Participants also reported difficulty explaining and managing an altered sense of taste and smell, appetite loss and loss of pleasure in food. It’s the first study of its kind to actively involve those experiencing anosmia (smell loss), parosmia (distorted smell), phantosmia (phantom smells) and dysgeusia (changes to taste) after recovering from coronavirus. Smell affects intimacy Professor Vincent Deary of Northumbria University Newcastle, lead…

Sitting opposite the consultant, I let what he’d just said sink in. Words span around in my mind. ‘Kidney failure?’ I repeated. He nodded gravely. ‘But I feel so well,’ I said. It was 2013, I was only 33 and had never felt unwell. Only a bit of blood in my urine had sent me to the doctors a few days earlier. What followed was a fast track to see renal experts and to have scans and tests. And now I had a diagnosis, my kidneys were failing. ‘What will happen?’ I asked. The consultant explained that at the moment my kidneys were working enough to keep me going. But in time he said I would need dialysis – being hooked up to a machine for hours at a time…

Remember, remember, the 5th of November…but the most important thing to remember on Bonfire Night is safety! It’s an exciting night full of dazzling fireworks, warming fires, hot dogs and hot chocolates – but safety comes first, so follow these tips to make sure your night goes off with the right kind of bang! THIS WEEK Bonfire night 1 Follow the firework code Although beautiful, fireworks can be very dangerous. It is vital that only sober adults deal with fireworks and properly dispose of them throughout the display. It is important that you only purchase legitimate fireworks which carry the CE mark, and you should thoroughly read instructions before setting them off. This should be done one firework at a time, at arm’s length, with a taper. Never return to…

Let’s GO! Britain’s punk princess Toyah Willcox joins Proud’s Cabaret All Stars for a limited run this November and December. Toyah is no stranger to the stage and screen, with over 40 plays and 10 feature films under her belt. A singer, actress and TV presenter with eight top 40 hits, and 20 albums, Toyah is bringing her magic touch to Proud’s flagship venue, Proud Embankment, this autumn. She’ll be leading a cast of world-class Cabaret, circus and burlesque superstars, in an extraordinary, exciting show in the heart of London. With performances embodying the spirit of the swinging sixties and sexy seventies, Proud Cabaret give you an experience of a lifetime. Enjoy worldclass jazz musicians and on-stage bands, award-winning acrobats, fire breathers and burlesque beauties. Prepare to be amazed! After…

My pensioner husband David complained of a bad back – he’d been doing a 1,000-piece Lion King jigsaw and it still wasn’t finished! Margaret Anderson, Sunderland I think Petal loves me… Kat Easton, Ysceifiog STAR LETTER This is our new kitten. He’s called Murko and this is his first day at home. He’s settling really well. He’s very cheeky and likes cuddles. Maria Van Raalte, Norfolk Here is my daughter and her cousin. They get on like sisters, I tried to get a nice photo… Vicky Burgess, Malton Burgess, Malton This is my gorgeous granddaughter Mia at 12-months. She was a bridesmaid at my son’s wedding on a cruise ship in Norway. Doesn’t she look adorable? Mary Hadley, Cradley Heath…

It was my cousin’s wedding, the dancefloor was full of life and I was showing off my best moves. I was around five years old, full of energy, spinning around in my pretty dress. ‘Shall we dance?’ my grandpa, Nelson, now 94, asked me, taking my hand. My grandpa was a way better dancer than me and was set on pulling out all of the stops. He span me around and around until I felt dizzy. We spent the whole night dancing together! ‘I can’t wait to dance with you at your wedding,’ he whispered, proudly. I didn’t get to see my grandpa that often as I lived in Virginia and he lived 800 miles away in Florida, but we would try and spend Christmas and birthdays together. My dad,…

JUST FOR FUN Complete the grid then read down the shaded squares to reveal the hidden answer. Clue: Reptile. ACROSS 1 Good sense and judgment (6) 4 The _, 2006 crime film starring 16 Across, 30 Across, 1 Down, 23 Down & 27 Down (8) 10 Short axe (7) 11 Speaker’s platform (7) 12 Part of the wicket in cricket (4) 13 Steady and even (10) 15 Antelope type (6) 16 Vera _, co-stars with Patrick Wilson in the Conjuring film franchise (7) 20 Protective spectacles (7) 21 Influx (6) 24 Fairground stall (7,3) 26 The fifth-brightest star in the night sky (4) 28 Mythical creature (7) 29 Give out, issue (7) 30 _ DiCaprio, actor who received his first Oscar nomination for 1993’s What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (8) 31…

Leyla Moudden, naturopath and director of education for Enzymedica UK, shares her top tips to beat the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) bloat… Take digestive enzymes Taking a digestive enzyme can help poor stomach digestion by helping your body gain more nutrients from your diet, clear excess hormones and dramatically reduce bloating, gas and bowel irritation. Increase green leafy veg The best way to help to detoxify your body is to increase the amount of green leafy vegetables in the diet, such as cabbage and broccoli. Reduce blood sugar Insulin resistance in PCOS can make gaining energy from food difficult, leading to tiredness, low energy, sugar cravings and consistent weight gain. Reducing the glycaemic load of meals will help to reduce the severity of the insulin resistance. Improve sleep Sleep will…

Gripping onto my son’s hand, I waited anxiously to be told the news ‘The mass has shrunk and he’s going to be alright,’ the doctor said. I let out a huge sigh and almost collapsed in relief. My son Liam had been back and forth to doctors for a year. He had fevers every 30 days and despite my visits to the GP, we’d had no referral. Finally, after going private and getting a referral Liam, six, had been diagnosed with a mass on his appendix. Luckily it wasn’t cancerous and an antibiotic drip had shrunk it. After a year of worry, we were in the clear. My husband James, 44, and I also had another son, Joseph, three. He’d always been the healthy one while Liam had been in…

Smiling down at my newborn son Idris, fast asleep in his cot, I felt a pang. I’d longed for a baby for years, and my bundle of joy was finally here. But it was bittersweet. My mum Vicky would have been an amazing grandmother, but she’d died three years earlier, on my 36th birthday. She’d had throat cancer, and she was just 59. Mum was my best friend, and her death broke me. I still missed her every day, and it broke my heart that she’d never know my baby boy. I was glad Mum wasn’t suffering anymore, but it didn’t make it any easier. And raising my newborn without being able to turn to Mum for advice was hard. I knew Mum was always with me, in my heart,…

DON’T MI SS Doctor Who, BBC One The Doctor is back! Series 13 is the last time Jodie Whittaker will play the role of the Time Lord – but before that, there are six action packed episodes and three specials next year to keep us glued. The episodes will link together instead of being stand-alone storylines and the Doctor will be joined by new companion Dan Lewis, played by John Bishop. A mysterious space-traveller called Vinder, played by Jacob Anderson, will appear and there is a new monster, Karvanista! Escape to the Chateau, Channel 4 The Strawbridge family return with more heart-warming adventures, epic renovations, and a truly magical Christmas at the Chateau. In series eight, Dick, Angel, Arthur and Dorothy continue the renovation of their 19th-century fairy tale home…

Create your favourite PizzaExpress recipes at home with their new cookbook PizzaExpress, From Italy With Love: 100 Favourite Recipes to Make at Home (published by Seven Dials, £18.99). PizzaExpress bread doughballs Makes: 1 quantity of bread dough Use this dough to make our super-tasty dough balls, dough sticks, bruschetta and flatbread. ⁕ 75ml warm water (about 27°C)⁕ ½ tsp caster sugar⁕ 1 level tsp dried yeast, or 7g fresh yeast⁕ 112g plain flour, plus extra for dusting⁕ ½ tsp salt⁕ 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil GARLIC BUTTER ⁕ 4 tsp salted butter, room temperature⁕ ½ tsp finely chopped garlic Treat of theweek 1 Pour the warm water into a bowl and add the sugar. Stir in the dried yeast, if using, or crumble fresh yeast into the water. Mix…