Table of contents for 20 October 2022 in Chat

Welcome to this week’s Chat… With many people looking for ways to make a bit of extra cash these days, I found Laura’s idea very enterprising (p24). She rents her hubby out by the hour! Would you be tempted to do the same? Meanwhile, poor Christine finds herself in the middle of a truly bizarre mystery - one that involves short men with beards… (p22) It's a funny old world, isn’t it?! Have a great week, PS If you’re entering the puzzles online, this is the link to use: comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles…

All sizes 8-24 TU at SAINSBURY'S STYLE TIP Buy now and wear later. These embellished jeans are the perfect addition to any party-wear looks. All sizes 8-24 GEORGE at ASDA STYLE TIP Toughen up floaty floral midi dresses with a pair of must-have chunky soled boots. Available up to a size 8. All sizes 6-22 F&F at TESCO STYLE TIP Easily inject bold colour into your wardrobe with a gorgeous green blazer. Team with a crisp, plain white tee. All sizes 10-22 NUTMEG at MORRISONS STYLE TIP Stay warm in style and reach for a belted shacket. Perfect for when it’s not yet cold enough to dig out a winter coat.…

Stomach pain confusion Q My 12-year-old was rushed to hospital with suspected appendicitis, but they said it was just swollen glands because she had a sore throat! How can that cause stomach pains? Kelly, West Wickham A It’s called mesenteric adenitis, which means inflamed glands in the abdomen, and usually affects children or teenagers. An infection such as a sore throat or stomach bug causes lymph glands, part of the body’s immune system, to swell. Besides obvious swelling in the neck or groin, glands inside the abdomen might enlarge and start to hurt. Usually the pain is worst in the lower right-hand part of the abdomen, exactly the spot that’s painful and tender in appendicitis, so it’s easily mistaken. But adenitis is harmless and will clear up on its own…

Torn between my hubby and child Q My husband and my grown-up daughter aren’t speaking. He comes from a strict background, so when our girl’s boyfriend came to stay with us, he banned them from sharing a bed. Then he caught the boyfriend sneaking out of her room in the morning. He and my daughter argued and she left with her boyfriend and hasn’t returned. He says he was disrespected and has done no wrong, but my daughter says she won’t come home until her boyfriend can stay with her. Who’s in the right? Emma, 44 A It sounds like you’ve got two children, not one! I guess your girl has her dad's stubborn streak and you re the sensible one in the family. My advice is to just leave them to…

MONEY MATTERS 3 Ways to… As the evenings get darker, try these ways to secure your home. 1 Put up lights and an alarm Think about installing security lights outside your home that are triggered by movement to deter potential burglars. And it’s a good idea to invest in a burglar alarm too, says Halifax Home Insurance - not only is it a deterrent, but it can reduce your home insurance premium as well. 2 Stay locked up While we all know to lock doors and window: when we leave the house, do it when you’re at home too, says Aviva. Its research found that 24% of people don’t lock doors while at home and 45% leave windows unlocked in rooms that are unoccupied, which could allow easy access for…

14-20 October 2022 Aries 21 March-20 April Jupiter is under your sign’s influence and it’s important to focus on the finer points when learning anything new. A money-saving idea could be on the table. • Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April-21 May You can easily let go of people who don’t have your best interests at heart and seek out more supportive souls. You’re very busy, so leave time for yourself. • Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May-21 June You can always negotiate a fair outcome, and your clear communication skills help others to see your point of view. You also make a good listener this week. • Call 0905 817 0692* for more Cancer 22 June-23 July Your serious intentions will make a…

TRUE-LIFE BEHIND THE BIG CRIME Millionaires Bianca and Lawrence ‘Larry’ Rudolph spent their fortune doing something many find repugnant. Travelling the world, hunting big game. The pair posed proudly for pictures, holding their guns over their fallen kill, smiling in satisfaction. The couple had met at the University of Pittsburgh, where Larry had studied dentistry. They married in 1982 and went on to have two children together. Larry made millions through his dentist practice, which, over the years, expanded into a franchise over five locations, and he became a regular on local TV, advertising his services. The two appeared to have everything anyone could possibly want. So when Bianca dreamt of hunting a leopard, the pair set off to Zambia’s Kafue National Park in October 2016. Yet the trip passed…

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YOU'RE THE JUDGE Randolph, New Hampshire. It was around 6:30pm on 21 June 2019 when a group of motorbike enthusiasts - the Jarheads Motorcycle Club - set off. The group of ex-marines and their spouses joined the motorway and headed to a fundraising event. On the other side of the motorway, in the lane closest to the central line, a huge, black pickup truck with a trailer attached was being driven by 23-year-old Volodymyr Zhukovskyy. Somehow, the truck and bikers - driving on opposite sides of the road in opposite directions - collided at full speed, the truck instantly going up in flames. Along the middle of the road, a trail of carnage was left behind. Eyewitnesses tried to help, while the surviving bikers took in the harrowing scene. No…

As I pulled my car into the driveway, something caught my eye. It was February 2021, and there, standing in my front garden, was a tiny man in a pointy green hat. ‘Where on Earth did you come from?’ I said, getting out of the car and picking him up. We already had one garden gnome, perched beside a water feature with a fishing rod in his hand. But he’d been by himself when I went out. Now, there were two. ‘Have you seen this?’ I called to my husband Stephen, then 71, as I walked through the front door. ‘Well, look at that!’ he laughed. We both agreed he was good company for the gnome we already had. But we’d no idea who had left it there. Later that…

Top tip To make this in a slow cooker, add all the soup ingredients apart from the beans (add these for the last hr). Reduce the stock to 200ml, and cook on high for 2 hrs. Tomato and black bean soup This simple soup will have you looking forward to lunchtime! SERVES 6 PREP 15 MINS COOK 40 MINS TOPPINGS, TO SERVE (OPTIONAL): Take out half the soup and blitz with a stick blender. Return to the pan and stir. Serve in warm bowls with your choice of toppings. PER SERVING: 150 CALS, 6G FAT, 1G SAT FAT, 16G CARBS Pitta pizzas Yes, you can have pizza for lunch - and our version is a cinch…

Checking the time, I picked up my handbag and looked around for my mates. It was October 2021 - the night before Halloween. I’d been at a house party, planned to meet friends at a nearby nightclub. But after arriving in a taxi and getting myself a drink, I couldn’t find my friends anywhere. Checking my phone, I realised there’d been some sort of mix-up. They weren’t coming. ‘I’m here now,’ I sighed, knocking back my drink. With Halloween decorations up, the atmosphere was great. I wasn’t in Halloween gear, was wearing a green dress. Deciding to make the most of it, I had a few more. Chatted to some people. As the night wore on, I started to feel tipsy. Unsteady on my feet. At 4am, I made my…

Q I need better coverage from my foundation - can you recommend any new options? Tara Graves, Portsmouth A When it comes to your foundation, what works during the summer months to make you look fresh and glowy isn’t necessarily the right thing come autumn/winter, when your skin needs a little more help to look radiant. Luckily, full-coverage foundations have come a long way since the heavy, cakey formulas of yesteryear. New L’Oreal Paris Infallible 32HR Fresh Wear Foundation, £11.99, Boots uses oxygen technology to give a barely there feel. It’s a bonus that it has SPF25 - a non-negotiable even in the colder months. Bourjois Healthy Mix Ariti-Fatigue Foundation, £11.99, Superdrug melts like butter into your skin and can be layered until you reach your desired coverage. Thanks to…

ALI BEG, 50, FROM SOUTHAMPTON, SAYS: At our non-profit community radio station, Awaaz FM, I we have so many amazing volunteers. Barry Barnett, aka Bazza, is one of them. Two years ago Bazza, now 50, joined the station to escape his stress. Working full time at a special-needs school in Winchester, Bazza spent his time off as a Drive Time presenter for Awaaz radio, building a large fan base and social media following. Before joining Awaaz FM, Bazza weighed over 28st, but with his confidence growing, he started his Challenge Bazza scheme. Every month, Bazza completed a new challenge that would help him lose weight while raising donations for the specialneeds school where he worked. Since April 2021, Bazza has walked from Winchester to Southampton and the length of the…

Snuggling the tiny baby in her arms, my little sis smiled. It was February 2007 and she was cuddling my daughter, Mykenzi. Me and my sis, Maggie, were 13 months apart, had grown up inseparable. And as adults, we remained best friends. Bringing Mykenzi home, Maggie was great with her. A natural. I was a single mum from the outset, and Maggie was a wonderful help. ‘I can’t wait to have a baby of my own,’ she told me. So when Maggie and her boyfriend Danny married in June 2013, they started trying straight away. ‘Hurry up, Mykenzi needs a cousin,’ I teased, excited for auntie cuddles of my own. But after trying for six months, one of Maggie’s nipples began leaking fluid. She put it down to coming off…

Q When I visit friends I’m happy to sleep in their dirty bed sheets, but my mum thinks that’s disgusting! Ellie, Poole A Scientists have found horrifying collections of bacteria in used bed sheets, including some that can cause throat, chest and stomach infections. The bacteria come from the skin, mouth and anus of people sleeping in the bed and the longer the sheets have been unwashed, the more bugs appear. But before your mum says she told you so, remind her there’s a big difference between bugs lurking on bedding and actually causing an infection. Unless the person using the bed was ill, or you have an open wound on your skin or a deficient immune system, the risk to you is tiny. Creepy-crawlies, such as fleas, bedbugs and…

Diving into the cool water, I started to splash around. It was summer 1989 and I was thousands of miles away from my home in Scotland, working as a counsellor at Camp America in Michigan. At 21, it was my first time working abroad and it had been the perfect summer. Long days under blue skies, evenings spent toasting marshmallows over campfires. Making friends from all over the world. But it was tainted when a group of us fell sick. ‘I’ve got a weird rash on my leg,’ a friend said. ‘Me too!’ I cried. It was raised and red, in the shape of a bull’s eye and about the size of a fist. A few of the other camp counsellors had one, too. After a couple of days, we…

The Larkins ITV • It’s back to 1950s Kent for the second series of the comedy drama following kindly couple Pop (Bradley Walsh) and Ma Larkin (Joanna Scanlan) and their brood. Following the wedding of daughter Mariette (now played by Joelle Rae) to Charley (Tok Stephen), gossip in the village quickly turns to new arrivals, including hunky Reverend Candy (Maxim Ays), who turns the head of Primrose Larkin (Lydia Page), and the Jerebohm family, led by mum Pinkie (Morgana Robinson) and dad Cuthbert (Julian RhindTutt), who soon make enemies of Pop and Ma… DON'T MISS DON'T MISS London Kills BBC1 • Shown across the week, the daytime crime drama about an elite murder investigation squad in London is back for a third series. Hugo Speer reprises his role as DI…

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From the moment you were born you brought me joy It was April 2003 and, thanks to your big sister Lucy, then 4, I was prepared for life with a newborn. You were calm and quiet, seemed content to lie peacefully. But worry niggled at the back of my mind. You’d been born ‘floppy’ and didn’t seem able to hold eye contact. Only, tests hadn’t shown any sign of anything wrong, and your paediatrician confirmed you were healthy. ‘Shouldn’t she be smiling by now?’ I fretted to your daddy Andrew, then 37, when you reached 8 weeks. ‘She’s probably just a late developer,’ he said. Then, when you were 14 weeks old, we went on holiday to Menorca. 'Lovely baby! a Spanish lady cooed. ‘How old?’ When I told her…