Table of contents for TAK2543 in Take 5

I love reading horoscopes but I tread with a fraction of skepticism. Sometimes I think my weekly star sign is spot on for me but then I think of my twin sister and it seems so far from what is happening in her life. Or vice versa. Still, it’s entertaining and if it guides you well, it’s worth it. Be sure to check out yours in our Stars section on page 70. I loved reading Lizzie’s story on page 10 this week. She started noticing certain number sequences in her life and found they had power and meaning. I can’t disagree. When I was 12, I won a bike with a number 17 raffle ticket and it’s been my favourite number ever since. I’ve also learned it’s a popular winning…

Standing in front of my mum, Jean, I shook with anger, confusion and fear. In my hand were my DNA results – proof that the man who’d raised me wasn’t my biological dad. “Mum,” I stammered, “what’s going on?” “Well, if he’s not your father, then I’m not your mother,” she replied. “I’ll take a DNA test to prove it.” It was winter 2000. I’d just started dating a lovely man, Scott, and had four wonderful children, Chris, Lindsay, TJ and Austin, from a previous relationship. I was happy. Then Mum had called and dropped a bombshell. “Dad wants you to take a DNA test,” she said bluntly. Dad had recently developed a serious heart condition. “He wants you to know who your father is before he dies,” Mum continued.…

Add chicken stock to omelettes to make them taste yummier. Jayne Perkins, Croydon, Vic. If you’re making chocolate chip cookies, brown the butter in a frying pan first. It tastes unbelievable! Donna Cooper, Maitland, NSW. I love mango but hate slicing it up, especially when I’m in a hurry. So I buy frozen mango pieces and leave a handful in the fridge to defrost overnight, ready for breakfast in the morning. Gemma Phan, Cairns, Qld. I collected a bunch of paint sample strips from a store and I use them as pretty bookmarks. Janine Atkinson, Bray Park, Qld. Before I go to bed I think about one good thing I achieved that day, so I feel better about the day before I go off to sleep. Kathy McKay, Kambah, ACT.…

Sitting in class, I suddenly felt my skirt tightening around my waist. What’s going on? I thought, as a wave of nausea hit me. It was 2000, I was 12, and I was experiencing the worst pain of my life. By the time I got home from school, my stomach had swollen so much I looked five months’ pregnant. I began vomiting, doubled over in agony. “It’s going to be okay,” my mum, Sharleen, said, calling an ambulance. She explained I was probably having my first “attack”. Five years earlier, my older sister Kylie, 14, and I had both been diagnosed with hereditary angioedema (HAE) – a rare genetic blood disorder that causes severe swelling in the stomach, face, hands and throat. Children have a 50 per cent chance of…

Lemon cream lamington cake with raspberries SERVES 8 PREP 30 MINS COOK 30 MINS 4 eggs, at room temperature ¾ cup caster sugar 1⁄3 cup self-raising flour 1⁄3 cup plain flour ¼ cup cornflour ½ cup lemon curd 1½ cups shredded coconut Fresh raspberries, to serve LEMON CREAM 300ml thickened cream 2 tbsp icing sugar mixture ¼ cup lemon curd 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 Grease a large, straight-sided loaf pan (top measures 15cm x 23.5cm x 9cm deep). Line base and sides with baking paper, extending paper 5cm above pan edges. 2 Beat eggs and sugar in small bowl of an electric mixer for about 5 mins, or until pale and thick. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. 3 Sift combined flours twice onto a sheet of baking paper.…

OCT 30 - NOV 5 SCORPIO Oct 24 - Nov 22 The current cycle you’re in may not be the most fun one you’ve ever experienced, but here’s the thing; life goes in cycles and right now it’s all about you deciding what your aims are and then how you’re going to achieve them. ★ Don’t worry, fun is around the corner. SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 22 The most important thing right now is to decide what you want and make some wishes about it. Neuroscience shows us that intentions are as powerful as we ‘woo woo’ people have been saying for millennia! ★ So what do you want to create next? CAPRICORN Dec 23 - Jan 20 Capricorns have a reputation for being not just ambitious but also…

Tapping my fingers on the kitchen table, I stared longingly out the window at the horses in the paddock. “Listen to your teacher,” my mum, Catherine, said, pointing at the radio. “Yes, Mum,” I sighed. It was 2000 and I was eight, growing up on a cattle station in Gamboola, Far North Queensland. My dad, Mick, was the head stockman. Once our School of the Air lessons finished, Mum let my brothers and me ride our horses while she carried on with her chores. It was my favourite part of the day. Dad had us on horseback from the age of four, and by the time we could read, we could also round up cattle. During school holidays, we’d join Dad and his men on mustering trips. It was hard…

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Pottering around at home, my phone pinged. A message from a woman named Anna made my heart skip a beat: We’re looking for a masseuse to work in hotels. Would you be interested? It was 2021 and I’d signed up to a recruitment app months earlier, uploading my CV and a photo. I was living with my mum and had been out of work for several months. I’d already scored a couple of cleaning jobs, but a masseuse role at a posh hotel sounded incredible. I messaged back immediately. I’m interested, but I don’t have any experience, I admitted. That doesn’t matter. We provide training, Anna replied. She asked for my measurements for the uniform. Excited, I sent them over and told my boyfriend. “Nice one,” he smiled. Next day,…

I’d just sat down to sip the coffee I’d poured that morning – now stone cold – when the clinic door burst open. A woman rushed in, breathless, dragging a chocolate-brown Labrador who looked as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “My dog ate my engagement ring!” she cried. For a second, I thought I’d misheard her. “You’re sure?” I asked. “I can’t imagine a diamond ring being very tasty to a dog.” “I’ve searched everywhere,” she said, near tears. “He’s the last place left to look.” I crouched down to pat the Labrador, who wagged his tail happily, tongue lolling. “It was just small enough to slip down” He was in perfect spirits – not at all like a dog who’d just swallowed a 3.5-carat diamond.…

Beef with black bean sauce SERVES 4 PREP 10 MINS COOK 10 MINS 1 tbsp vegetable oil 500g beef stir-fry strips 200g green beans, trimmed 1 red capsicum, seeded, sliced 225g can water chestnuts, drained, thickly sliced 4 green onions, 5cm lengths, plus extra, to serve ¼ cup black bean sauce 2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp dry sherry Fresh Thai basil, steamed rice, to serve 1 In a wok or large frying pan, heat half oil on high. Stir-fry beef in two batches, 1-2 mins each, until browned. Transfer to a plate. 2 Heat remaining oil in same wok. Stir-fry beans and capsicum 2-3 mins until tender. 3 Return beef to wok with water chestnuts, onion, sauces and sherry. Stir-fry 1-2 mins until heated through and sauce has thickened…

Spring is the perfect time to get out and explore the world. Not only is the weather finally warming up, making it more enticing to go outside, you don’t have to contend with the sweltering heat (or crowds) of summer. The flowers are in bloom and many places are looking their best. Yep, there’s something about spring that gives even the most stunningly beautiful places in the world a little something extra. These destinations really shine in the springtime… PARIS, FRANCE There’s never a bad time to visit Paris, but there’s something extra special about the French capital in spring. The flowers are in bloom, and fewer tourists makes it a more enjoyable experience. Pick up some baguettes and a bottle of wine, and enjoy a picnic lunch in Jardin…

Stringing up the balloon archway, I felt a rush of excitement. It was July 6, 2021, the night before my son Kewan’s 2nd birthday. Although I was heavily pregnant, I’d gone all out planning a big party, complete with inflatable waterslides, at our home. Suddenly, I felt some sharp pangs. It can’t be contractions, I thought. Bub isn’t due for two weeks. The pain was mild, so I went to bed, hoping to sleep it off. But early the next morning, my waters broke. It had happened around the same hour with Kewan, and he hadn’t arrived until after 11pm, so I figured I’d have plenty of time to go to hospital after the party. But my contractions only got worse from there. Fortunately, my mum arrived to help with…