Table of contents for 24-Sep-2020 in Pick Me Up!

Training for the Ironman Triathlon back in 2015, at 39-years-old, I was the fittest I’d ever been. Only, by the following January, things were starting to go downhill. I felt tired, I’d put on weight and my periods were all over the place. And when I went to my doctor, they decided to put me on antidepressants. I persevered, but I knew they weren’t helping. Soon, I started wondering whether it was my implant that was causing all these problems and so I had it taken out. ‘Hopefully this will help,’ I confided in my doctor, desperate to get my life back. By this point, I was really struggling with day-to-day life. I was gaining weight, my emotions were everywhere and most days I struggled just to get out of…

As I sat in the passenger seat of the car, my boyfriend Ben Carter, 33, and I were out running an errand. We were near Stockbridge, Hampshire, and as I watched the scenery whizz by, I smiled. It was May this year, and Ben and I had been together for nearly two and a half years. We’d met when we were working together as teachers at a school in Worthing, had hit it off right away. Unfortunately, we soon got jobs in different cities – I was in Poole, Dorset, and he was in Hove, Sussex – around 110 miles apart – and we ended up in a long-distance relationship. But we were committed, would speak on the phone every day, and take it in turns to visit each other…

Be a winner! This week, our tip of the week will receive a great product from Addis! The ultimate Superdry Plus mop is fast drying, and in one sweep it cleans, absorbs and dries all in one. When the mop is immersed in water the hair, dirt and dust is simply dispersed in the water. The mop head features an antibacterial agent which prolongs the mop life and reduces odours. For more ways to make your life easier, visit addis.co.uk New use After losing my beautiful Labrador, I had a redundant food bowl. I’m delighted with the new use I’ve found for it! A great dual plant pot for the garden. Maureen Fisher, South Wales Keeping clean In place of hand towels, I put a kitchen roll out instead. It’s…

Placing my hand on my back, I slowly walked down the stairs, wincing with each step. Finally at the bottom, I heaved myself onto the sofa, exhausted. ‘Feeling any better?’ my husband Terry, 32, asked. ‘No,’ I grumbled. A few weeks before, on 22 September 2014, I’d given birth to our daughter Madison at Pembury Hospital. It was a traumatic 23-hour labour – Madison had been breech, and my placenta had split, causing a lot of bleeding. Afterwards, I was in constant agony. Even now, when I should have been cherishing being a new mum, I was suffering with chronic back pain, fatigue, forgetfulness, insomnia, and muscle pain. Doctors put it down to the traumatic birth, said it would pass. But it didn’t pass. In fact, over the next few…

Shopping for my two sons’ Christmas presents, I filled my basket with toys. Picking up a Disney princess dress, I thought: Matti will love this! My youngest son Matti, then seven, has always been into girly things. As a child, he was the polar opposite to his older brother Charlie, then 11. Whilst Charlie loved Transformers and being outdoors, Matti was obsessed with Disney and Barbie. I loved them both the same, and always encouraged their interests. Growing up, we spent a lot of time in Disneyland. It was Matti’s dream! Around the age of eight, Matti saw drag queen Danny Beard performing on ITV on the television. ‘I love his glitter beard!’ he said, excitedly. As Matti grew older, he discovered a passion for make-up and hair. Practising techniques…

Timeless fashion Elegantly floral and feminine. The latest drop from Liena is perfect for sunset drinks, strolls through the park and special occasions. A collection of beautiful, fresh pieces all under £50! Available now at www.liena.co.uk…

Did you know that the average person spends anything up to £1000 on coffee every year? With weekly trips to coffee shops, it all adds up. So, Breville’s resident barista, Chloe Taylor, is here with her top tips to producing delicious coffee at home. Are you a coffee addict? Why not try Breville’s Barista range! Prices start from £299 at Currys. 1 Selecting the right beans Whether you’re purchasing your beans from the supermarket or from an independent roaster, make sure you check the roasting date first. Beans should always be left for seven days after roasting to ensure they have the right level of oxidation for the oils to be released. It’s these oils which create the delicious crema on the top of your coffee and give that authentic coffee…

WHAT A GREAT IDEA Sometimes little ones ask the biggest questions. How do bees talk to each other? How does a rocket work? Where does rain come from? Join CBeebies presenter Maggie Moate on a sound adventure to find out the answers, with the help of experts along the way. Maddie’s Sound Explorers is a new educational podcast series aimed at 5-10 year olds. In this podcast, kids can go anywhere: down the plughole, deep into the forests of India, or to visit the very first dinosaurs. At the end of each show, a new piece of music is made from all the sounds and conversations heard throughout the episode. Episodes are up to 20 minutes long and are available on all podcast providers. Did you know? Every year, a…

When my daughter was born, she was diagnosed with brain damage and cerebral palsy. I remember falling asleep and hoping that she would, if nothing else, be able to smile. Just to let me know when she was happy. That was all I could hope for. Now, at three years old, Inka proves her life-changing prognosis wrong every day. She is a funny and strongwilled little girl who fills our lives with smiles and laughter. But that doesn’t mean it has been – or will continue to be – plain sailing… In September 2017, I was pregnant on holiday in Spain with my partner John, 34. We were expecting a healthy baby, and enjoyed every moment away on our last break as a couple. When we arrived home, it was…

More and more people are choosing to enhance their natural appearance with facial fillers. Plumped pouts, fuller cheeks and chiselled jawlines are becoming ubiquitous across the nation. But with cosmetic surgery clinics closed in the global pandemic, some regular clients have resorted to at-home procedures, dubbed ‘DIY tweakments’. Taking it one step further than at-home haircuts, Brits have been following YouTube videos and purchasing starter kits online. Dr Rosh, leading aesthetics practitioner and medical director of KLNIK (KLNIK.co.uk), explains: ‘Over lockdown, many people could not access their usual aesthetic regime. This led to an increase in stress and anxiety. Some turned to doing the tweakments themselves, like injecting filler.’ To learn how to do this, many followed video tutorials by surgeons intended for cosmetic professionals. And others listened to beauty…

Roxy and Ben – creators of the online global platform SO VEGAN (wearesovegan.com) – have developed 80 fuss-free and delicious recipes for their new book One Pot Vegan which prove that vegan food is fun, tasty and simple to make. One Pot Vegan by Roxy Pope and Ben Pook of SO VEGAN (£16.99), published by Michael Joseph, is out now. ‘Chicken’ supreme Fried oyster mushrooms have an uncanny resemblance to chicken! Serves 4 □ 500g oyster mushrooms□ 3 tbsp vegan margarine□ 1 tbsp chicken seasoning mix□ 6 shallots□ 3 garlic cloves□ 3 tbsp plain flour□ 200ml dry white wine□ 500ml vegetable stock□ 1 tsp Dijon mustard□ 1 tsp herbes de Provence□ 200g green beans□ A small handful of fresh chives□ A large handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley (20g)□ 250ml vegan…

Pukka’s Vegan Chicken & Mushroom and Vegan Minced Steak & Onion Pies, £1.89, stores nationwide.. The nation’s favourite pie brand has reinvented two of their most popular flavours and made them vegan friendly. The brand new vegan versions are available now. Henry Westons Vintage Rosé, £2.10 per 500ml bottle, Tesco and Morrisons. Newly launched from Westons Cider, this rosé cider is the perfect pink tipple with just a hint of sweetness to balance out those salty snacks. Grilling Cheese Skewers (4 pack), £1.79, Aldi. Perfect for grilling, frying or popping on the BBQ, these cheesy skewers are available in two varieties, punchy pesto and fiery chilli. WKD MIXD, £1.69, Londis and Budgens. These premixed tipples from WKD require absolutely no effort, with flavours including Raspberry Rhubarb & Vodka, Apple Elderflower…

Opening up my emails, my heart suddenly sank. I read the one from Stacie’s school twice before summoning up the courage to go and break the bad news. ‘Stacie, I’m afraid the school has to cancel prom, I’m so sorry darling,’ I said, waiting for my daughter’s reaction. ‘But they can’t, I’ve got my dress and all my accessories!’ she wailed. I knew Stacie,16, would take it hard. She suffers from cerebral palsy and epilepsy after being starved of oxygen at birth. She’ll never be able to walk, and so was wheelchair bound from an early age. Although there were lots of differences to the way we brought up our eldest daughter, Samantha, now 20, we made it work. When Stacie wasn’t using a wheelchair we would carry her, and…

ACROSS 1 Evaluate (6) 4 Runs away secretly (8) 10 Inspect carefully (7) 11 Noise from lightning (7) 12 Jon _, actor whose movie credits include The Town, Baby Driver and Richard Jewell (4) 13 Outstanding (3-7) 15 To question people in a poll (6) 16 The Spice Girls’ first UK No. 1 single (7) 20 Adjusted (7) 21 Jason _, former member of boy band Take That (6) 24 Lacking in vitality or force (10) 26 American state (4) 28 Detectives (7) 29 Imprecise (7) 30 Fire raiser (8) 31 Arrange or negotiate (6) ACROSS 1 Purple quartz (8) 2 Stuttered (9) 3 Sea-going vessel (4) 5 Incidentally (2,3,3) 6 Serving as a warning (10) 7 Push gently (5) 8 Elfin creature (6) 9 Halle _, starred with Keanu…

As any true football fan will know, the love of the game runs in your blood. I’d been a huge Wigan Athletic fan since the age of 12. And so it was no surprise that in 2013, I met my husband Stephen, 40, at a Wigan match. We’d been chatting online before, so I knew he was a fan, and the DW Stadium in Wigan seemed like the perfect place for a first date. We hit it off right away, spent our time watching football on the telly and going to every match we could. Stephen was also great with my three kids from a previous relationship – Jordan, then eight, Katie, five, and Kai, three. We were so happy together, and on 23 August the following year, Stephen and…

Scattering a bucket full of chopped carrots into their pen, a group of rabbits came hopping over, all hungry for their breakfast. As the operations manager of the Newpark Hotel in Kilkenny, one of my duties was to feed the animals on the on-site farm. As a family friendly place, we had all sorts of creatures for our guests to visit – Shetland ponies, chickens, llamas, emus, geese, ducks, peacocks, and of course, the rabbits. Every morning, I’d head out to the farm armed with delicious meals, and lately, I was noticing something interesting. Two of our rabbits – Roger and Bugsy – seemed to have formed a special bond. They were only about a year old, but the pair of them seemed inseparable. It was definitely love. ‘Romance is…

Grayson Perry’s Big American Road Trip, Channel 4 In this personal three-part documentary travelogue, award-winning artist and social commentator Grayson Perry is going to travel across the US, to explore the meaning of the American Dream today. At a time when the nation can sometimes seem more divided than ever, he will spend time with people from very different walks of life, to try to understand how Americans today view issues of identity, race, money and class. Strictly: The Best of The Movies, BBC One As we excitedly await the new series, we get a treat of another Come Dancing special ahead of the delayed 2020 launch. It will celebrate all the iconic moments from the very popular movie week. We get to enjoy a sequined trip down memory lane…

Despite spending her working days teaching high school students about health and wellbeing, Chelsea Watrous Cook, was not in control of her own life. Her colleagues at Skybridge High School in Lehi, Utah, had no idea what the popular teacher was up to in her personal time. Health and yoga teacher Chelsea, 33, had been married to Travis Cook until their divorce that was finalised in January 2018. They had three-year-old twins together and the young children should have been her priority – but over the next few months, Chelsea’s attention was obsessively focused on Travis’ new girlfriend. Travis had recently started dating a bank teller named Lisa Vilate Williams. Friends described Lisa, 26, as incredibly gentle, loving and generous. She had moved to the area initially to look after…

ARIES 21 March–20 April Nothing is impossible. The word itself says possible. The things you say and do this week will be remembered for a long time to come. Think before you speak and be especially wary of saying things that you do not have proof of. You’ll be giving all the aces you held away if you do, Aries, so do be careful. Tuesday brings more progress in family affairs. Call: 09058 170 710* TAURUS 21 April–21 May It’s never too late to be what you might have been. This pandemic year has been proof alone that things can change when you least expect them to, or when you want them to, Taurus. Embrace that change. Try not to repeat words or rumours that you have heard third hand…