Table of contents for 20-Jun-2024 in Pick Me Up!

Gazing at the wisteria in the garden, it was like I was in a scene of Bridgerton. Every week, I’d spend my spare time as a volunteer gardener at Marie Curie West Midlands Hospice. Keeping the garden pruned was my way of giving back. However, it also helped to keep my mom’s legacy alive. My mom Barbara had been diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer on 21 October 2016. Everything was a huge shock – she’d kept her symptoms a secret as I’d just given birth to my daughter Millie, now seven. It was a time when I needed Mom the most – and it felt like that time was taken away from us both. Even though Mom loved going for countryside walks, as time passed, I knew that she wasn’t…

Blue hues are trending this season – incorporate colour through your kitchenware…

BIG health story Raising a glass in January last year, I was celebrating my friend’s hen do. Only I couldn’t say I was having a lot of fun – I was in a lot of pain. Passing stool felt like being stabbed with a dagger. My symptoms had started a day before the hen weekend, on 12 January. ‘You need to go to the doctor when we get back,’ my friend Jane urged. I didn’t think it would be anything serious, but on Monday 16 January I went to the GP, where I had to give a urine sample. A few days later, the doctor called me. ‘I’ve had the results for the urine test and they’re not what we expected,’ she said, before sending me to the Royal Infirmary…

Sneaking outside with a McDonald’s bag in my hand, I had to hide the evidence. Putting the empty wrappers underneath our household waste, I didn’t want anyone to know what I’d been snacking on. With my parents, Olinda and Lionel, due to come home from work, in Melbourne, Australia, it wasn’t long until a feast was going to be on the dinner table. However, the urge to soothe my savoury cravings was all too strong – I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed my fast-food fix. Ordering a large Big Mac meal on UberEATS, it was something I’d do multiple times over the span of a week. Using my own money, at 16, takeaways were the perfect option. They were cheap, quick and close by, meaning I didn’t have to…

The sun is shining and you’re suddenly in the mood to get yourself outdoors. What better time to dust off your bike, lumbar up those legs and start pedalling? It’s an idea that 7.4 million of us have in the UK every single year, according to Statista. Most of us have chosen to participate in cycling during summer for either sport, leisure or travel purposes. Only with more riders hitting the road, experienced or not, comes a 50% traffic increase, according to Gov UK. Which means that bicycle-related incidents are known to peak in warmer months. In 2022, 91 cyclists were killed in Great Britain, while 4,056 were reported to be seriously injured, in statistics revealed by Gov UK. The three top contributory factors leading to these types of incidents…

Hastily grabbing my handbag, I rushed out the front door. ‘I’m ready now,’ I called to my husband Charles, 53. Only, after taking a couple of steps outside our house in Long Island, New York, my hands flew to my pockets. They were empty. Not again, I thought. I’d forgotten my house keys. With a smile, Charles popped back inside for them. But it was those little things that I’d had to slowly adjust to. All because back in September 2015, my whole world changed. Preparing for a skydive, it was a normal day – I’d been an instructor for 15 years. Yet as me and a novice jumper took the plunge out of the plane, they weren’t paying attention. They flew straight into me and knocked me unconscious. The…

Shaking my head, the punters quickly stopped their drunken antics. ‘Excuse me,’ I sighed. ‘Hop it!’ Being stern with a mother’s look always did the trick. Over the years, being a barmaid in my local boozer, The Journey’s End, I’d had my fair share of great Peggy Mitchell moments. ‘I’m sorry, Nanny Ann,’ the regulars would apologise. And that’s the nickname I’d coined over the years. As I wasn’t just someone who poured the pints. At 82 years old, I was a part of the furniture – and a grandma figure, too. Back in 1960 after me and my husband Les had our children Karen and Keith, we needed white goods to deck out our basic house. With Les’ income the only thing we could rely on, I knew I…

Sitting on the sofa, the telly lit up as the footie players dribbled across the screen. Only, it wasn’t a live match that me, my son Harry-Lee, seven, and my daughter Zofia, then six, were watching. Instead, with his PlayStation controller in hand, Harry-Lee was the man of the match. ‘Come on!’ he yelled. Playing FIFA was Harry-Lee’s favourite hobby – unless he was watching Liverpool FC. Although he’d never seen a live match, I promised he’d get to see Mohamed Salah – his favourite player – one day. ‘Mum, I want to be a pro footballer,’ Harry-Lee told me. He loved kicking a ball about with Zofia in the garden. Only, I didn’t let him join his school’s footie team. As when he was four years old, Harry-Lee was…

Plating up a piece of my delicious Trooper pie, I had my eyes on the prize. And that prize was a man called Gary. It was a real rock’n’roll pie – made with Iron Maiden’s Trooper ale, steak and veg. A musician, Gary, 56, was a huge fan of Iron Maiden. In January 2014, I was working in a bar and Gary had come in to enquire about his band playing there. When I clapped eyes on him, I felt electricity. So, what better way to woo him than with a plate of delicious food? ‘It’s your turn to take me out now,’ I said cheekily. ‘Yeah, I’ll take you out,’ he agreed, smiling. ‘Have you heard of Wowcher?’ I suggested. ‘You can get a three-course meal for cheap, save…

The Yorkshire Vet, Channel 5 The last in the series, there’s an unusual visitor to the Thirsk practice – a vulture called Vinnie, who isn’t strutting his stuff like a normal vulture would because of a troubling leg problem. Meanwhile, Shona and David team up to deliver a calf by caesarean, and Julian operates on his friend’s naughty dog Timmy. DON’T MISS Cold Call, Channel 5 If you missed this intense series back in 2019, this is finally your chance to catch up. June Clarke (Sally Lindsay) is a carer – barely getting by, she works tirelessly at a care home then returns to look after her mother Sophie (Melanie Kilburn). When June loses her job and discovers her daughter Hana (Taj Atwal) is pregnant, she makes the rash decision…

Fastening the clip tightly on my helmet, I wheeled my road bike out of the house. As an avid rider, road cycling had become a real passion over the years. Which meant that safety was at the forefront of my mind, too. Wearing a helmet and sharing my location on the Life360 app with my friends was a must. Hitting the road in July 2021, I’d planned a ride in the Elan Valley, Wales – a rural, yet enjoyable route. However, as I began to slope around a bend, I noticed a vehicle coming towards me. Watching as the pick-up truck came closer, within seconds, everything went black. In and out of consciousness, I woke up vomiting in an air ambulance. I had no idea how I’d been thrown off…

JUST FOR FUN Bitesize! pg 3 Puss Strike it! pg 13 Jellybaby (Cross out: 2, 16, 23, 39, 46, 52, 68, 76, 80) Cross it! pg 36 Carriage Fill it! pg 13 Ragdoll Movie links! pg 20 (Ben Stiller – DODGEBALL – Vince Vaughn – WEDDING CRASHERS – Isla Fisher – THE GREAT GATSBY – Tobey Maguire – SPIDER-MAN – Kirsten Dunst) Crack it! pg 23 Scrambled Number fit! pg 13 4313 Sudoku pg 36 7,2,8 Follow it! pg 6 Kittens PLEASE NOTE Pick Me Up! will still be bringing you great puzzles to pit your wits against, but will no longer be offering prizes. Don’t forget, you can do puzzles for big cash prizes every weekin our sister magazine, Chat.…

We’re loving Did you know 15 to 23 June is English Wine Week? Well, why not try a tipple from Norfolk’s family-run Burn Valley Vineyard? With 10 new vintages for 2024, give English wine a go this summer. If you’re in the North Norfolk area, there are plenty of events on at the vineyard, too – like wine tastings throughout the summer from £25pp and a jazz party at the end of August. Book your tickets now! • Visit: burnvalleyvineyard.co.uk • Follow on Instagram: @burnvalleyvineyard Reason to smile Have you seen the new family of rare Roloway monkeys at Chester Zoo? They’re one of the world’s most endangered species of primate – and now you can see them at the zoo for the first time since 1974, as part of…

What are the risks? Every year, 7,400 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the UK – that’s one in 200 women. But what risk factors can increase your chances of ovarian cancer? Target Ovarian Cancer has shared some of the risk factors connected to developing this type of cancer. • Please visit: targetovariancancer.org.uk 1. Age Women aged 50 and over have a greater chance of developing ovarian cancer. Most cases normally happen when a person has already gone through menopause. However, ovarian cancer can affect young people, too, which is why we should all be aware of the signs. 2. Family history Family history can relate to ovarian cancer. It is believed that 20 in 100 cases of ovarian cancer were caused by an inherited gene. You should speak…

Pulling on my PJs, I couldn’t wait to get under the covers for some shut eye. After a mind-boggling day, studying to become a nurse, getting an early night was the only thing on my mind. And after I’d cooked dinner for me and my daughter Amelia, now 14, at roughly 7.30pm, I finally got tucked up. Leaving Amelia to her own devices, on 23 January this year, it was just us in the house – like it had always been. Playing on my phone, before putting it on the side, I rolled over and closed my eyes. As my thoughts slowed down and I started to drift off, that’s when I felt a surge of pain radiating through my head. It wasn’t the start of a migraine – it…

Fun prints, embellishments and accessories – it’s in the details. Adorn your outfit this summer with these sensational must-haves from Accessorize. Perfect to pack in your suitcase – hello holidays! • Shop in store or online now via: accessorize.com…

BIRTHDAY GIFTS This year, Superdrug turns 60! And to celebrate they've launched a gorgeous limited edition range with prices starting from just 60p. With everyday essentials and self-care delights, this range has you covered from head to toe. As well as fan favourites from brands you know and love, the birthday range includes a Fruity Rainbow Sherbert Show Gel, Candy Floss Candle, Extracts Dragon Fruit Birthday Scrub, plus a new vanilla fragrance in the popular Mine Mist. And if that’s not enough, Superdrug will also be bringing back some beauty icons. Cult classics like Rimmel’s '90s must-haves Heather and Coffee Shimer Lipsticks are back while stocks last! FEELING FIGGY Add a fruity twist to your routine with Soap & Glory’s returning Fresh as Fig range. With a range of body care…