Table of contents for 27-Aug-2020 in Pick Me Up!

As a manager for the charity Roots4Life, I’ve been helping to tackle food poverty and social isolation within my area for a few years now. We were in the midst of getting planning permission for a community centre before COVID-19 struck and put a halt to the proceedings. The centre was meant to be a place for the community to come together for food, company and activities. Before lockdown was enforced, the charity had already identified a number of people who needed food delivering to them. We’d already fundraised £500 and prepped all the food, so I figured I may as well deliver it. If they needed it before lockdown, then they definitely needed it now. So, I made it my mission to go around the community and make sure…

Puperami The meat masterminds behind pork snack Peperami have announced a prototype spray designed to lure missing pooches. The plans for the pork-scented mist labelled ‘Puperami: Eau De Lurette’, follows news of a missing dog who survived two days without food and water after falling into a hidden hole – lured out with the smell of the popular salami stick. The striking green bottle will contain a water-based solution spiked with the distinctive scent of Peperami, and aim to help future dog-owners find their beloved furry friends. This paw-fect solution is in its first stages of development, so keep a paw out for it! @tunameltsmyheart If you could use a little bit of joy and laughter, follow Tuna the Chiweenie on Instagram. His best friend is his cute teddy called…

Holy fish In 2003, Fred Whan of Ontario, Canada, discovered what many believe to be a heavenly work of cod – a burnt fish finger resembling Jesus. Whan said he was cooking dinner for his kids when the blessed event occurred. ‘No one wanted them because they were burnt,’ he said. ‘So I was going to give them to the dog.’ But before Whan threw the charred fish to the dogs, he took another look, and that’s when he saw the face of Jesus. He has since preserved the fish finger and kept his burnt offering as a conversation piece. The ‘NunBun’ of Nashville A good cup of coffee is hard to find, and so is a breakfast roll with a likeness to Mother Teresa. In October 1996, the store…

Crack it! Work out which letter each number represents. When you’ve filled the grid, put the correct letters into the answer boxes at the bottom to spell out a word. We’ve given you four to start you off. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z ANSWER Crack it! pg 38 Goldfish Genius or TOTALLY BONKERS? Personalised Scrabble style chocolate box, £11, Yumbles.com Looking for a present for a board game enthusiast? These chocolate truffles are even the same size as Scrabble tiles! Verdict: GENIUS! Spell it out in treats! Plant name badges, £9.99, Firebox.com Label up your beloved plants with these plant name badges. The best bit? Coming up with silly…

Their romance had been a whirlwind. Joshua Fury and Maria Pew had met and got married quickly. Some worried it was too fast to commit, but Maria, 28, believed in love more than most people. Adopted from Mexico City when she was an infant by her parents Lissa Weimelt and Bill Pew, Maria had been welcomed into a large family and surrounded with love. She’d grown up in Minnesota and had always been encouraged to try everything in life. Talented Maria loved the outdoors and threw herself into activities from wake boarding to skiing, to fishing and riding a snowmobile. By April this year, Joshua and Maria had been married a year, and were living in Maple Grove, Minnesota. Maria loved animals and adored her black Labrador. Posing for photographs,…

TOUGH START When I was born, I was diagnosed with a Bilateral Tessier cleft. It meant that not only did I have facial deformities from my lip up, but I was also blind in my left eye. My mum, Livi, now 38, had no idea I’d be born like it. My mouth was split from my lips to my eyes, meaning there was a gaping hole in my mouth. When I was just eight-months-old, in April 2003, I underwent major reconstruction surgery to close up one side of my face and adjust my eyelids. Then, a few months later, the second side was done. From my very start in life, all this meant was I bound to be treated differently. Although my mouth had now been shut, I hardly looked…

Sue Tappenden is a Coach and People Expert who helps her clients improve their relationship with themselves and others. www.headspaceforchange.com) Never got over it Q When I was younger, I dated a guy and he broke up with me. I was heartbroken and even though I’ve dated other people, and it’s been seven years, he’s all I can think about. What if I never get over him? Felicity, Stafford AThere may be a number of reasons why you are feeling this way. Firstly, could it be that how you feel about this guy is actually more related to how you were left feeling about yourself when he broke up with you? For example, if the break-up really knocked your confidence and your brain is connecting your confidence and happiness with…

Quickest white fish tagine Serves 2 Total time: 15 minutes Sweet cherry tomatoes, harissa, asparag us & fluffy couscous □ 150g couscous□ 4 cloves of garlic□ Olive oil□ 250g ripe mixed-colour cherry tomatoes□ 250g asparagus□ 2 heaped teaspoons rose harissa□ 2 x 150g white fish fillets, skin off, pin-boned, from sustainable sources□ 1 lemon□ 2 tablespoons natural yoghurt Place the couscous in a bowl, add a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then just cover with boiling kettle water, and cover. Peel and slice the garlic, then place in a shallow casserole pan on a medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, stirring while you halve the cherry tomatoes, adding them to the pan as you go. Snap the woody ends off the asparagus, roughly chop the spears and…

Lodgers for Codgers, Channel 4 This new series sheds the light on the UK housing crisis. With pensioners with spare rooms and youngsters unable to get onto the housing ladder, this programme brings them together. It kicks off with Ted and Claudine who have a five-bedroom house in Hastings. They are paired with Nicole, 26, who gratefully moves in. They have a lot to learn, and the trio form a surprising bond. George Clarke’s National Trust Unlocked, Channel 4 With lockdown came the sad closure of The National Trust’s 300 houses and gardens across the UK, but luckily for us viewers, George Clarke used this unique opportunity to go behind the scenes. The presenter was granted exclusive access to historic locations and gardens – and we get to come along…

NEW TO L’ORÉAL This August, meet the newest members to the L’Oréal family. L’Oréal Paris Lash Paradise, £11.99, Boots Say hello to the new and improved Lash Paradise. With one sold every minute in the UK, this is a lash staple, and now, it’s better than ever. With an upgraded ring wiper, it means that the product remains fresh after each use and has proven to glide onto lashes more smoothly, making it even easier to apply, whilst maintaining the same beloved and voluminous results. With new additions of cornflower and rose, this product is perfect for those of you with sensitive eyes. Keeping the same beloved brush with its alternating straight and wavy fibres for maximum impact, loyal followers of this mascara won’t be disappointed with its updated look.…

Cross it! Solve the puzzle to find a word. Fit the words back in the grid and the letters in the highlighted squares spell out the answer. We’ve put in one word to help. 3 letters Dig Doe Dry Ode Old 4 letters Band Bend Oboe Orca Owed 5 letters Alarm Barge March Spurt 6 letters Agenda Arcade Attack Audits Crabby Museum Rhumba 7 letters Breadth Breathe Grammar 8 letters Caboodle Ciabatta Embarked Explicit Sudoku! To solve the puzzle, each 3 x 3 box, each column and each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9. Solve the puzzle, then read down the numbers in the highlighted squares for the answer. Cross it! pg 45 Bridges Sudoku pg 45 7,5,6…

Up all night Q My husband snores and I’m worried for his health. What can he do? Lucy, Wiltshire A Snoring is very common and usually carries no health risk, even though it can be very frustrating for others! It’s more common in people who are overweight, peope who smoke, sleep on their back, or drink too much alcohol, so addressing these lifestyle factors can make a big difference. It can also help the snorer’s general health, too. If he sleeps on his back, try asking him to sleep on his side instead. You can buy special pillows or wedges that promote this position. It’s best that he does not use medicines to help him sleep as these can make snoring worse. If the snoring continues, ask him to talk…

Often, when people are diagnosed with a fatal condition, they feel nothing but negativity. When it happened to me, I chose to remain optimistic. I smiled through every consultation, operation, scan and treatment. My three girls needed me to stay strong and brave. I truly believe that the more positive you are, the better the outcome will be.Radioerapy Which is why I’m sharing my story – to inspire others that may be going through the same thing, to look at the bright side. It all started back in December 2018… I was watching my little girl Shani, then eight, in her school nativity play, when I suddenly felt like I was having an out-ofbody experience. It was as if I was watching the Christmas production from a location outside of…

Standing on the side of the football pitch, I proudly spurred on my daughter. ‘Go on Kayleigh,’ I yelled when she had the ball. Kayleigh,13, had been playing football for two years and loved it. Most of the time, I’d struggle to get her away from a ball. However, during this particular practice, I could see that she was struggling. She was diagnosed with asthma when she was a child, and it looked like it was playing up. Always at hand with her inhaler, I was ready to give her a few puffs at half-time. ‘Is that blood?’ one of the other mums said to me, pointing to Kayleigh’s face. She was having a nosebleed and looked a bit white. ‘I think I need to stop,’ she came over and…

Do you sometimes struggle to handle your anger? Psychologist and mental health nurse practitioner Dr Timothy Legg (www.crediblemind.com) shares his top tips on how to control pent up feelings… Mentally Escape Slip into a quiet room and close your eyes. Practice visualising yourself in a relaxing scene. Focus on simple details, such as what colour the water is, how tall the mountains are, and what the birds sound like. This practice can help you find calm amidst anger. Even imagining yourself in your favourite location such as a holiday spot, spa or someone’s house can help. Count down Close your eyes and count down from 10. In the time it takes you to count, your heart rate will slow down, and your anger will likely subside. Past studies suggest that…