Table of contents for 23-Nov-2023 in Pick Me Up!

Scrolling through social media, I often interacted with the posts on my feed. And when I came across a friend’s selfie, my finger hovered over the like button back in 2018. Posting a snap of himself flexing in the gym, I commented on the post. I wish that I had the motivation to go to the gym, I typed, jokingly. I’d known Robert, 35, for about five or six years – he worked with my ex-partner. Having him on social media, I knew him well enough to say ‘hi’ if we passed in the street. I had typed the comment innocently – I would have said the same on anyone’s post – but Robert messaged me privately soon after. It’s a small world, he said. Starting a conversation, catching up…

INSTANT appointment With Dr Omar Abu-Bakr, consultant venous surgeon at The Whiteley Clinic (thewhiteleyclinic.co.uk) Heavy footed Q Despite not doing any exercise apart from walking, my legs feel heavy and achy. I have noticed that they look swollen, too. Why is this happening? Kate, Georgeham A Your legs feeling heavy, achy and appearing swollen despite minimal exercise can often be a sign of venous disease. At The Whiteley Clinic, we like to refer to the acronym ‘veins’. V – Visible veins on the surface of the skin or just under. E – Enlarged veins that are blue or dark purple in colour. I – Itchy, sore skin over your veins and discoloration of the skin, too. N – Nodular, bulging or twisted veins. S – Swollen, achy or heavy legs.…

Verdict: GENIUS! Have you seen this? Sellotape Easy Start, £4.99, Available from Amazon As the countdown to Christmas is on the horizon, it’s time to start thinking about wrapping presents. But finding the end of the Sellotape is the most annoying job. That’s something that Sarah Thorp struggled with all too well – and after making a prototype design for a special contraption to easily find the end of the tape, Sellotape loved her design, incorporating it in their rolls. So, now everyone can easily find the end on the go, without needing to faff around. Cutting present wrapping time in half! Verdict: BONKERS! All wrapped up Could you do this? If you had a perfect square box in front of you, how long do you think it would take for…

Browsing round the shops, you grab items off the shelves. That’s perfect for my mother-in-law. My sister will love that! Oh, the dog will look so cute in that Christmas jumper… Before you know it, your basket is full and you’re gazing in complete horror as the total on the cash register creeps higher and higher. And that’s just presents. The festive frivolities bring a whole host of Christmas-related spending – from the Christmas dinner to the tree, decorations, lights and activities, too. And a new survey by Creditfix revealed that one in four will be using a credit card or Buy Now Pay Later schemes to afford Christmas this year. Many of us are still in the grips of the cost-of-living crisis – and according to the Cost of…

16-22 November Catch Claire live on Facebook ARIES 21 March–20 April Saturn brings an intense feel to financial affairs. Don’t delay facts you know you’ll have to deal with, or you’ll only end up making yourself look like you’ve got more to hide. Venus hands you the power to talk others into seeing the good in your ideas and aspirations. A week to go to the top, not the middle, if applying for back up both personally and professionally. Call: 09058 170 710* LEO 24 July–23 Aug The full moon brings lack of organisation to things you had wanted to be in control of. But instead, you are beginning to feel lost in them. Don’t be afraid to ask questions as it’s going along with the crowd which has caused…

Looking in the mirror I found it hard to even recognise myself. With huge amounts of excess skin causing bleeding, boils and cysts on my legs, the weight of it all was literally holding me down. There must have been at least 3st worth of skin hanging from my body – despite the fact that I’d already undergone a huge transformation. Diagnosed with stage 5 endometriosis and then adding more health conditions on top of that due to my weight increasing to 24st during Covid, I couldn’t be myself. Always struggling with my weight from a young age and needing to take prescribed steroids, I just ballooned – it wasn’t the fact that I didn’t want to exercise, I just couldn’t. I couldn’t even eat anything due to the amount…

Holding my baby girl for the first time, it felt surreal. Milanna, now one, born at 11.53pm on 14 May last year, weighing 7lb 3oz, really was our miracle baby. I had always wanted to be a mum, and trying for a baby with my partner Malaky, 29, we had seven miscarriages. But when we felt like giving up, after trying for two years, along came Milanna – it really was surreal having her here. And for the first seven months, we were in our own little newborn bubble. Milanna was the best baby – racing through her milestones, she was really was going above and beyond. Smiling away at Malaky and me, she was so happy and sweet – everything we could possibly have wanted. Playing her Dancing Fruits…

It’s Black Friday on 24 November, swiftly followed by Cyber Monday – a mega weekend of discounts and deals, so the perfect time to get any Christmas shopping done! Adam Bullock, UK Director at TopCashback, shares his top tips to make the most of it. Visit: topcashback.co.uk • Buy from trusted retailers ‘There are a few golden rules when online shopping,’ says Adam. ‘Firstly, all legitimate websites with have a SSL certificate, which is the ‘padlock’ sign by the URL – don’t shop on a site without this. ‘Another good sign that you’re shopping with a genuine retailer is when you can see honest reviews underneath many of the items on their website – this can be the case for both large and small retailers. ‘Also always remember to double…

The slow cooker is a seasonal favourite, and the queen of kitchen gadgets Clare Andrews is back with 80 mouthwatering recipes. The Ultimate Slow Cooker Cookbook by Clare Andrews, £20, Waterstones Sticky Toffee Pudding COOK 8 HOURS ON LOW YOU WILL NEED: ◻ 125g butter ◻ 250g dates, stoned ◻ 125ml boiling water ◻ 1 tsp vanilla extract ◻ 275g brown sugar ◻ 325ml double cream ◻ 5 tbsp treacle ◻ 2 large eggs, beaten ◻ 200g self-raising flour ◻ 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda ◻ Sea salt TO SERVE: ◻ Clotted cream, custard or ice cream HOW TO: 1 Preheat your slow cooker on low for 10 minutes and make sure your pudding bowl fits into your cooker when the lid is closed. Grease your bowl with a tablespoon…

Tying my little girl’s hair in sweet bunches, I grabbed a tube of hair gel and squeezed a pea-sized amount onto my finger. ‘There,’ I said, smoothing the little flyaway hairs down to four-year-old Molly’s head. ‘You look perfect.’ ‘Thanks Mummy,’ she grinned at me. Rounding up her and her sister Bella, two-and-a-half, I grabbed Molly’s things ready to drop her off at nursery back in May this year. Getting back home, with my partner Kyle, 30, out at work, I decided to take Bella to a local ‘stay and play’ session – she’d been before and loved it. ‘Stay there and put your shoes on,’ I told Bella. ‘I’m just going to the toilet, and then we’ll go.’ Leaving her in the kitchen for a minute, I quickly nipped…

If your letter makes Star Letter of the week, you will receive some beautiful blooms from Flying Flowers. With over 30 years’ experience of helping celebrate life’s special moments and FREE delivery by post, a gorgeous bouquet by Flying Flowers is a lovely way to celebrate sharing smiles and happiness. See flyingflowers.co.uk for more details.…

This week, our tip of the week will receive a great prize from Addis. This automatic touch-free sensor soap dispenser makes washing your hands both more hygienic and convenient. Simply add one part of your chosen hand wash to two parts water, and the clever device will turn it into a foam wash, ready to use. Which means your solution will last longer, too. For more ways to make your life easier, visit: addis.co.uk Deck the halls In the weeks leading up to Christmas, I collect greenery when walking the dogs to make a lovely stair display.  Carole Gasan, Dundee Squeaky clean I dip a baby bud in an antibacterial solution to clean the seal of my fridge door.  Tina Vowles, Stroud Christmas cutbacks As the festive season approaches, it’s time to…

Want to curl up with this winter? Look no further than these sweet seasonal stories - the book version of a Hallmark film! • All available from Waterstones A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss, £8.99 Half-sisters Maggie, Simone and Star couldn’t be more different – and they have hardly seen each other in years, since summers spent in the quaint village of Rowan Thorp at the home of their eccentric dad Augustus. Augustus certainly kept tongues wagging and ladies swooning – but he was loved by all and known by none, not even his daughters. But years later, the three women are reunited at the reading of Augustus’ will – and he has engineered a series of hoops for them to seemingly jump through to unlock their inheritance. So…

Cate Campbell is a sex, relationship and trauma therapist. She is also a writer, co-host of The Real Sex Education podcast and member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. To find out more about counselling visit: bacp.co.uk and please see: catecampbell-psychonatter.com I’m hornier than ever… Q I discovered that my husband has been cheating on me. However, instead of being down in the dumps – it’s made me really horny. And strangely, it’s made me want him even more. How do I approach this now? Gail, Newport A It’s becoming much more acknowledged that many people feel this way. After all, it’s reassuring to know that other people find your partner attractive. How you approach this is up to you, but you don’t necessarily have to do anything…

Holding a special place in her heart for all animals, it was no surprise that a tender and loving personality such as Angela Nicole Bradbury, 29, grew up on a farm in Nora Springs, Iowa. Known to be kind to the ‘underdogs’ in the world, whether they were animals or people, she had a special ‘little giggle’ that she shared with her extended family. Despite struggling with addiction throughout adulthood, Angela would remain active on Facebook, her main way of communicating with her friends, even if it meant that she would often disappear for months at a time. It wasn’t clear where Angela would venture, who she would visit or where she would be, but she always had a way of finding her way back home when she finally felt…