Table of contents for October 2024 in Take a Break Monthly

Snack time! Here’s my pet rat, Alma, taking a break and enjoying her cucumber. It’s almost as big as she is! Amy Haines, 39, of Tipton, W Mids Kickin’ back My husband Stephen and I had a fantastic holiday travelling across Canada. We stayed in some quirky places along the way, and we especially loved these bath seats. Andrea Richardson, 65, of Great Leighs, Essex The cutest pumpkin My little boy Caiden Blake, four months, was so ready for his first Halloween. Although he doesn’t look too sure about his outfit! Bethany Blackburn, 27, of Kirklees, W Yorks Happy camper I love this photo of my daughter Marley, six, enjoying her s’mores on a camping trip. Angharad Jones, 32, of Holyhead, Anglesey Wedding belles Here I am with my pals at…

My son James breezed into the kitchen with his usual bright smile and bouncy walk. ‘Hi, Mum,’ he said, as he headed straight for the fridge then sat down at the table to tell me about his day. James was 27, the second eldest of my three boys, and always bubbly and outgoing. He was often getting in trouble at work for being late because he’d stopped to help a stranger in need. Behind his big smile though, James had been having a rough time lately. He’d recently separated from his partner, so he was staying with me and his dad Ray until he sorted out a new place. He had two girls from previous relationships, and doted on them. The following morning, James went off to work as usual.…

As autumn arrives and the days grow shorter, it’s time to cosy up and enjoy long evenings in with family and friends. Crack our competition and, if you’re our lucky winner, you’ll have £1000 in cash to splash out on home comforts and special seasonal treats. But what would you spend such a windfall on? With loads of great new shows lined up for autumn, why not head off to the high street and splurge on a brand-new, supersize, ultra HD smart TV to watch them all on? Sign up to a streaming service and you could be bingeing on fantastic films and brilliant box sets too. If you’re more of a music fan, treat yourself to a state-of-the-art speaker system so you can play your favourite songs all over…

Win! £500 Write your answers following the arrows. Some of the boxes have clue numbers which refer to the clues below the puzzle. CLUES 1 Emma Raducanu’s sport (6)2 Comprehend, anagram of SAND TURNED (10)3 Atmospheric pressure line on a map (6)4 Take part in a ballot (4)5 Seldom-seen thing (6)6 Descend from a train, eg (6)7 Association formed for mutual benefit (8)8 Contemptuous (8)9 Porridge ingredient (7)10 - - - your stuff, dancing with confidence (9)11 Mix with a spoon (4)12 Sings softly and smoothly — like Dean Martin, eg (6)13 Card game such as Texas hold ’em (5)14 Root crop that yields sugar (4)15 Impressive display (5)16 Night - - -, person who’s active after dark (3)17 Absolutely famished (8)18 Quaint country abode? (7)19 Large species of deer…

Health Bone booster More than 14,000 postmenopausal women in England could benefit from a new drug that helps prevent bone fractures, after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) approved Abaloparatide for use on the NHS. Abaloparatide – which is sold as Eladynos and made by Theramex – increases bone density by stimulating the cells that make new bones. It has been recommended for osteoporosis patients at high risk of bone fractures. Abaloparatide is injected at home once a day and is administered via a pre-filled pen. Dementia risk Eating processed red meat could be a significant risk factor for dementia, according to a large study that tracked 130,000 people over four decades. Processed red meat has previously been shown to increase the risk of cancer, heart disease…

Flopping into bed, I was exhausted after another long day of working and looking after the children. ‘I need a holiday,’ I said to my husband Cam. Running my own cake-making business for six days a week took its toll. And, as Cam worked away on an oil rig, we felt like ships passing in the night. By the time Sunday rolled around – my only day off – I was far too tired to venture past my front door with our kids, Brody, nine, and three-year-old Sienna. ‘Enough’s enough,’ Cam said. ‘How could we afford it?’ We wanted a break with a difference so we booked a seven-week adventure to South America to coincide with the school summer holidays. And we topped off our fabulous jaunt with a stop-off…

Big Bonanza is Take a Break’s big prize, big choice comp. Our winner can pick any prizes on this page that tot up to £1200! Fancy giving your mornings a boost? Waking up after a great sleep in a new bed is a good start. Now, how does a delicious latte made by a super-stylish coffee machine sound? But don’t forget to grab your fitness tracker and trainers afterwards for some invigorating exercise! Or you could just blow a £1000 Apple gift card, before indulging your inner designer on a new sewing machine. Or take £1200 in cash! CODE BREAKER Each number in the grid represents a different letter. We’ve placed one word which shows that 24=S, 2=U, 23=R and 19=E. We’ve filled in the Ss for you. You can…

Win! £100 AND THEN SUM This puzzle is like a regular sudoku, but with an added twist! Start off by filling in the squares in the grid, so that every row, every column, and each of the 3x3 squares contains all the digits from 1 to 9. NEED A HAND? To get you started, look at the top-left 3x3 block. One of the missing numbers is 7. It must go in the top row as there are already 7s in the middle and bottom rows of the other 3x3 blocks along the top. HOW TO ENTER When you’ve completed the puzzle, use the boxes above to add up the three numbers in the pink squares in the grid – the total in the yellow box is the prize answer. Enter…

Capital class Traditionally, New York hogs the limelight, but Washington D.C. will reward you with world-class museums, arts and culture, and a cutting-edge culinary scene. With dozens of free things to see, including the Smithsonian museums, the National Mall and an array of outdoor activities, prepare for action-packed days full of fun. The capital city is best visited in autumn or spring when the beautiful Japanese cherry trees are in full bloom. From the rich history on Capitol Hill and the high-end boutiques in Georgetown, to the buzzing wharfside waterfront and picturesque neighbourhoods found on the outskirts, D.C. offers something for everyone. See the sights Book the Monuments at Night bike tour (unlimitedbiking.com), which takes you to the White House and Presidential memorials, just as the sun sets. Visit one…

Win! • Two nights’ B&B accommodation• Evening meal• £200 spending money Escape to stunning Snowdonia – Eryri National Park – with this fabulous prize. Get puzzling and you and a partner could be enjoying a two-night B&B stay, in a luxury room, at the Saracens Head Hotel, a beautiful country inn in the village of Beddgelert. The prize also includes dinner on one evening and £200 spending money. Open all year round, the Saracens Head is a great base for amazing walks and for exploring the glorious mountains and lakes of Eryri National Park. The charming village of Beddgelert is more than worthy of a look around too. You’ll find an ice-cream shop, a village store and a woodcarving gift shop. And throughout the summer you can jump on a…

Win! £100 CLONE AMIDARMYAVERCLAMCORMEMIREVILFAIRGLUE GRINICONLADYLAICLUNGLUTEMANYMILEMULE OILYPALEPUMAROPETURFTYREUPONURGE HOW TO ENTER Fit all the words in the list into the grid in either a clockwise or an anticlockwise direction. Where the squares touch, the letters in the adjoining boxes are the same, as shown with the ‘N’ in the starter word we’ve given you. Careful though, as one word won’t fit. This leftover word is the winning answer. Enter by post, phone, text or online – see page 73.…

Waking up refreshed after yet another full night’s sleep, I smiled at my gorgeous little girl in her cot. ‘We’re lucky to have such an easy baby,’ I said to my partner Lee. Willow really was a dream. Lee and I already had three children between us when we got together. When I found out I was pregnant again, we were delighted to add to our blended family. Right from the start, Willow was a happy, smiley baby, sleeping through the night and rarely crying. Soon she was sitting up, beaming at us with her toothy grin. Yet something niggled me. My little girl was certainly smiley and engaging. But while other babies were already pulling themselves up in their cots, Willow would just lie there. ‘Surely I should be…

Win! £100 Take your pick from ● Beefeater ● Pizza Express ● Brewers Fayre ● Café Rouge ● Table Table ● TGI Fridays ● Pizza Hut NETWORK ACROSS 1 Outlook, anagram of CROP PEST ● Agave fibre2 Occur ● Auction item ● Back of the neck3 Witty reply ● Repeat from memory4 Soon ● Poke fun at ● Notion5 ‘No need to make a - - - and dance about it’, saying ● Mistake ● Wooded hollow6 Fencing sword ● Recount, tell ● Towards the stern7 Fine, forfeit ● Sewing tack ● Feminine pronoun8 Insect ● Undo ● INXS song, Never - - - Us Apart9 Conifer ● Following ● Garden pest10 Fashionable ● Competent11 Ship of the desert? ● One of the Great Lakes ● Profit12 In the past…

• Two-night stay with breakfast, dinner and cocktails• Spa treatment• £200 spending money LOOK FOR ALDERBADGERBATSBIRCHBUTTERFLYCONIFERDORMOUSEFOXESFUNGIHARE HEDGEHOGMOTHPINE MARTENRED DEERSALAMANDERSPRUCESQUIRRELSTREAMTAWNY OWLWOODPECKER HOW TO ENTER Look for the forest-related words in the wordsearch grid. They run in straight lines in all directions. The winning word is the one that’s left over at the end. Enter by post, phone, text or online – see page 73.…

• Return flights and transfers• Four-night hotel stay with breakfast• £200 spending money• Cooking school experience One of the oldest cities in Morocco, Fez is rich in history and considered the spiritual and cultural capital of the country. Within the city lies the labyrinthine medina, the largest in Morocco, and one where visitors get hopelessly lost at least once per trip! But the joy comes from discovering what’s down the next street — fabulous shopping, an ancient mosque, or a lively square where you can take a mint tea and simply sit and watch the world go by. Crack our competition and you and a partner could be on your way there for an amazing four-night getaway. If you’re our winner, you’ll be staying at the Palais Amani, the city’s…

Win! Fancy updating your wardrobe ahead of the new season? Simply crack our competition and you could win £500 to spend at Joe Browns. We have two vouchers to give away. From bold prints, boho dresses and colourful jackets, to vintage-inspired designs, with intricate details, in stand-out shades — there’s something for everyone to feel their absolute best. The collection will make you want a total wardrobe overhaul! Get puzzling for your chance to win… • For more information, go to joebrowns.co.uk ANAGRAMS HOW TO ENTER Solve the anagrams with the help of the clues and write the answers in the corresponding spaces in each row. When complete, the yellow squares will reveal a prize word. Enter by post, phone, text or online – see page 73.…

Our Lives Dipping my hand into the multipack, I pulled out the last packet of crisps and crunched my way through them. After polishing off every bag in one hit, I licked the salt off my fingers and thought, What next? At 18 stone, I knew I shouldn’t eat anything else, but I couldn’t stop myself. Cheese toasties, sandwiches, biscuits, Belgian buns, packet after packet of crisps, I just couldn’t get enough. ‘This is the answer’ Yet when I’d met my hubby Garry, I’d been a size 10. Working as an industrial cleaner, I was on my feet 12 hours a day and could eat what I wanted and never put on weight. Then I’d fallen pregnant and everything changed. We were renovating Garry’s house at the time and didn’t…

Health Menopause can feel very challenging, both physically and emotionally. While HRT is often recommended to manage its many symptoms, it’s not an option for many women, including those who’ve previously been treated for cancer, or those with certain conditions or allergies. ‘I am a cancer survivor who has been in surgical menopause since the age of 39,’ says Dani Binnington, founder of not-for-profit support organisation Menopause and Cancer, and the host of The Menopause and Cancer Podcast. ‘It’s been really challenging to figure out what I can do to help my symptoms and look after my long-term health. If you’ve been advised HRT may not be an option for you, it can leave you feeling like there are no viable alternatives or advice. ‘People with a medical history of…

Win! £100 FITBACK 3 LETTERS ALBANYARTASPATEDIEENDINNNIBPETREDYOU 4 LETTERS AKINCOVEIDLEIRISISLEKINKNONEPLUGSERFUSER 5 LETTERS ADOBEARENAASPICBAREDBERETBRUNTCANALFUMEDIVORYLOFTYLUNGEONIONPRONESALADSAUCETOKEN HOW TO ENTER Fit all the listed words into the crossword grid. We’ve placed one word (IDLE) to get you started. When you’ve finished, list the letters in the yellow squares for the winning word. Enter by post, phone, text or online – see page 73.…

Octograms Each clue leads to a five-letter answer beginning with ‘R’, which we’ve already placed. Write the rest of each answer so the remaining four letters read clockwise in the octagons around their central ‘R’. 1 US cattle farm (pictured)2 Wash through with clean water to remove soap, eg3 Group of mountains, or scope4 Rule as a monarch5 Respond6 Proportion7 Scoundrel, rascal8 Team game played with an oval ball in which you can score a try9 Extend a lease – or a library book!10 Semisynthetic fibre also known as viscose11 Race with a baton?12 Extended exchange of shots between tennis players13 Stir from sleep14- - - Drive, two-mile stretch in Beverly Hills known to be one of the most expensive shopping streets in the world15 Speedy, quick16 Answer…

Evenly cooked Enjoy perfectly cooked kebabs, vegetables and jacket potatoes by using what we think is a pretty nifty piece of kitchen kit… mySpike allows you to cook food vertically in ovens and air fryers, ensuring food cooks evenly from all sides. Choose from 1x20cm spike and a silicone mitt (£29.99), or a set of four mini spokes with mini tongs (£39.99). From Lakeland stores or lakeland.co.uk Stir it up We love a pesto here at Take a Break, and Sacla never fails to deliver. The new Tomato & Ricotta Pesto is made with Italian tomatoes, creamy ricotta, basil, garlic and Parmigiano Reggiano, which will elevate lunch or dinner times in the blink of an eye. Stir through pasta, spread on grilled chicken or veg and enjoy. £3.35/190g from Sainsbury’s…

Our Lives The waiter offered me a middle table in the hotel breakfast room. ‘I’ll be fine over here,’ I said, taking a seat at the side. Minutes later, I was lying in a pile of rubble, covered in blood. A gas explosion had ripped through the Royal Darroch in Aberdeen, and six people were dead. If I’d sat on that middle table, I would have been one of them. As I recovered from a back injury and some nasty cuts, I knew one thing – anything could happen and life was for living. I went on to marry a lovely man called Peter and we had two children – Kirsty and then Jamie. I stayed fit with Pilates, until I had a hip replacement and had to start again.…

Our Holidays 1 Step back in time Caernarfon Castle is recognised around the world as one of the greatest buildings of the Middle Ages, earning it the prestigious label of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Despite dating back to the 13th century, this immense structure is still intact. Kids can take the Castle Quest to find hidden beasts, and in the Eagle Tower’s ‘Game of Crowns’ room, you’ll meet the Princes of Wales. You can also visit the Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum with exhibits, films and models telling the story of Wales’s oldest infantry regiment. Afterwards, stop by the castle’s new café, Coffi Castell, for a bite to eat. There’s a focus on local produce, including cheese from Snowdonia and an array of Anglesey ice cream. 2 Shop till you…

Fiction Someone had come into the shop. The bell had tinged and Nella could see movement at the far end of the aisle. Someone wearing something grey. From the indecisive way they searched the shelves, she guessed they didn’t know where to find what they wanted. ‘Can I help?’ Nella called out. Her instinct was to go and see what the customer was looking for, as she was sure to know exactly where it was located, but Den had impressed on her that she was never to leave the counter when he wasn’t there. He’d explained: ‘It’s what these young tearaways do. Wait for you to leave the till unattended, then they’re over the counter and nicking the cash before you can say knife.’ ‘What cash?’ Nella has asked incredulously.…

My husband Nick slid out from underneath his car and winced as he stood up. ‘I’ve been getting this backache lately,’ he said. ‘Working on the car has knackered me out.’ ‘Must be your age,’ I joked. ‘You are 56!’ ‘Oi, you!’ he replied. I was only 42, but when I met Nick when I was 18, the 14-year age difference hadn’t mattered because we’d just clicked. Sometimes I’d rib him about it, but of course, he didn’t really mind. Over the next few weeks, Nick couldn’t get rid of his backache and he always felt tired. Then one morning, after he’d taken our twins, Emily and Ben, 12, to school, I got a phone call. ‘Nick has collapsed,’ a voice told me. He was taken to hospital and kept…