Table of contents for 10-Feb-2022 in Pick Me Up!

Flicking through my students’ art folders, I sat with a cup of tea in hand marking their work for school the next morning. Being an art teacher was incredibly rewarding and it was lovely to be able to share my knowledge with others, seeing what they would create. For as long as I can remember I have always loved painting, making, and creating. And getting creative with my children is something I have always encouraged. Giving birth to my eldest daughter in 2007, we discovered that she had been born with a cleft lip and palette. I felt the need to read and educate myself on everything cleft to ensure I could do my best for her. She had her first surgery within six months and has had three other…

Watching my mum Joanne drawing pictures with my six-year-old daughter Esmae, I smiled. ‘Look, Mummy!’ Esmae said, proudly showing off her latest masterpiece. ‘That’s lovely,’ I said. ‘Did Nanny help you?’ She nodded, beaming. Mum and I had always been very close, and being an only child, we had a special bond. Now she was such a handson grandmother, too. When I’d fallen pregnant with my eldest, Oliver, now nine, I was just 17. I was so young, but Mum was so supportive. ‘You can do this,’ she said, when I was scared about the future. ‘You’ll be a great mum.’ Esmae came along three years later, and with Mum, 55, and my stepdad Steve, 57, just around the corner, they were an amazing help to me and my husband…

Sex myth buster 1 The clitoris is the most sensitive part of the body. ◻ True ◻ False 2 Condoms stop pleasure. ◻ True ◻ False 3 The vagina stretches during sex. ◻ True ◻ False 4 Only men get erections. ◻ True ◻ False 5 Bacteria in the vagina is bad. ◻ True ◻ False 1 TRUE The clitoris has around 8,000 nerve endings – making it around twice as sensitive as a penis. By the time a woman hits her 30s, her clitoris will be around four times its original size. 2 FALSE A lot of evidence suggests that condoms don’t affect enjoyment of sex for both men and women. Despite this, nearly half of Brits don’t always use a condom with a new sexual partner. 3 TRUE The vagina is…

Sliding open my case of dominoes, the atmosphere in the room was rising. Lining the tiles in a row, I braced myself. ‘DOMINO!’ I screamed at the top of my voice, the audience cheering. Growing up in Jamaica meant I was introduced to dominoes at a young age. It is a very wellloved sport in the Caribbean and boy did I know it. Using black and white tiles, I would line the double sided deck on the game table. Trying to match a pair with the aim of scoring the most points. However, joining my local domino club at 15, I felt very out of place. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to continue The room was largely dominated by adult men. Although there were other women like…

Changing some medication for a palliative patient I was working with, I suddenly had to stop. ‘Ouch,’ I whispered, clutching hold of my belly. Steadying myself on a chair, I called in a colleague to take over for me. Struggling to the staff room, I sat on a chair, with a shooting pain inside my stomach. An ambulance was called, and I was taken to an emergency room in the local hospital – Mater Public Hospital in Brisbane, Australia. After some tests, they found something in my tummy. ‘I’m three weeks pregnant!’ I told my husband, Jessie, in February 2019. It was an unexpected but welcomed surprise. We’d always wanted a baby but due to my polycystic ovarian syndrome, we accepted that the chances were, it would never happen. There…

The Curse, Channel 4 This 80’s crime-comedy is set in London and follows a gang of hopeless small-time crooks who through their own stupidity, find themselves embroiled in one of the biggest gold heists in history. The 80’s saw the elevation of materialistic values, in a decade where the rich got richer. The same era saw a rise in armed robberies and the comedy is a fictionalised tale loosely inspired by real-life crimes. It seems the naïve gang royally bites off more than they can chew, trying to make ends meet during the recession. They will need to rid themselves of the loot before they get nicked or even worse, end up dead… Chloe, BBC One The Crown actress, Erin Doherty, stars in this new psychological thriller, written by Sex Education…

We’re loving Guilt-free chocolate, it sounds too good to be true, right? Thanks to Prodigy, you can enjoy a delicious plant based chocolate bar that’s not only low in sugar and high in fibre, but helps to save the planet, too! For every bar sold, Prodigy will fund the removal of 10 ocean-bound single-use plastic wrappers – making them the UK’s first plastic negative chocolate bar. They’re also carbon neutral, offsetting their footprint by funding a forest preservation project in Peru – where they get their cacao from. With new flavours Coconut Cahoots and Peanut & Caramel Cahoots, as well as classics like Chunky Orange and Chunky Roasted Hazelnut, there’s something for everyone. • £1.75 per bar, available at Ocado, Holland & Barrett or prodigysnacks.com Have you heard? Looking for…

Kegel pelvic floor exercises, are all too easily forgotten about. Stephanie Taylor, at Kegal8, shares her knowledge on the importance of this exercise. ‘If your pelvic floor muscles are weak, you are more likely to suffer from bladder incontinence, a prolapse where the pelvic organ slips out of place and see your sex life deflated,’ Stephanie explains. ‘First, sit, stand or lie with your knees slightly apart. ‘Slowly tighten your pelvic floor muscles, starting with your anus, as though you are trying not to pass wind. Then tighten around the vagina and squeeze both areas as hard as you can, hold for the count of five and then relax. ‘Then repeat, but more quickly. ‘Hold for two seconds, then relax for two seconds and repeat five times,’ Stephanie says.…

Music is a very powerful thing. Certain songs can bring memories flooding back, make us cry, smile, dance or even send us to sleep. Playing instruments and producing music can be an incredible way to express ourselves and it can massively improve lives. Music has been shown to help people with mental health issues, autism, learning disabilities and dementia, as well as those who have had a stroke or acquired a brain injury. Music is a language that can help people find their own unique way of expression which is why music therapy has been used to help people since the ancient times – appearing in the writings of Greek philosophers. It was first recognised as an effective form of therapy in the 1800s. Since then, it’s improved the lives…

Delicately bending the mould into place, I admired my work. Perfect, I thought. ‘Let’s see yours then?’ I asked my fiancé, Daryll, 31. ‘What do you think?’ he smiled, showing me his design. We’d been together for five years before Daryll proposed, and we knew early on that we wanted to make our own rings. The two of us are very artsy, and Daryll had even designed my engagement ring. We were thrilled with the results, and on 28 September 2019, we slipped on our gold bands for good. Saying our vows in front of 100 of our closest friends and family, it was a wonderful day. After being plunged into lockdown, the first two years of our marriage weren’t exactly how we’d imagined, but we made the most of…

Finishing up my shift, I quickly dashed back to my room. Touching up my makeup, I checked myself over in the mirror. It was the summer of 1985, and I was working as a waitress at Butlin’s. At 18-years-old, I wanted something fun. Growing up in a village, I’d switched rural life for the thrill of a holiday resort. Having completed my first week on the job, I was spending my Friday night celebrating in the Busby’s Nightclub on the resort. Dancing and drinking with the girls, we were having such a good night when suddenly, a stranger caught my eye. I just couldn’t stop looking at him. With blond hair, he was wearing a light blue shirt with a grey waistcoat on top. That may not be fashionable today,…

ACROSS 1 Celestial bodies (6) 4 Stocky in build (5-3) 10 The Phantom of _, 2021 biographical film starring 11 Across, 26 Across & 28 Across (3,4) 11 Mark _, actor whose films include Bridge of Spies and The BFG (7) 12 Inflamed nodule (4) 13 Food often served on toast (5,5) 15 Maid _, figure in English folklore (6) 16 Punishment (7) 20 Impelling force or motion (7) 21 Spanish woman (6) 24 Easily seen or detected (10) 26 _ Ifans, Welsh actor and musician (4) 28 Sally _, star of the films The Shape of Water and Paddington (7) 29 Happen again (2-5) 30 Warring (8) 31 Consequence (6) DOWN 1 Underground cemetery (8) 2 Powerful whirlpool (9) 3 Long narrow strip of material (4) 5 Toughened by…

Rubbing my 17-month-old daughter Summer-Rae’s back as she coughed, I sighed. ‘It’s OK,’ I soothed. My twins – Summer-Rae and her brother, Dillan – were lockdown babies. When Summer-Rae suffered with recurring chest infections, doctors said it was because she had a weakened immune system, from not mixing with many other babies. She’d even been in hospital with it, on antibiotics. But apart from that, my twins were perfect. They were the sweetest pair. Summer-Rae was really cheeky, sassy and so clever. Dillan was quieter, and they complemented each other really well. Her chest rattled, and she looked lethargic One morning, in July last year, I went to get the twins out of bed and I noticed Summer was poorly. When she coughed her chest was rattling, and she looked…

Growing up with my twin brother, Sam, I noticed that he was special from a young age. When I got to the age where I was curious about all sorts of different things, I would experiment with new activities and hobbies, but Sam didn’t. He was always drawn to one thing – music. When Mum was pregnant, she and my dad were told that Sam was going to be born with a disability. Then when he was four years old, he was diagnosed with autism. Being in a musical family, music was already a huge part of my parents’ lives. CDs were always being played or Dad would be strumming away on the guitar. And as soon as the music started playing, a look of peace and pure joy filled Sam’s…

It takes compassion and a genuine desire to help people to work with the homeless community. Joseph Shaw had those qualities and more. He’d also been homeless in the past and knew how difficult it could be. Joseph, 44, was a natural ‘people person’, and he helped out at shelters in Brockton, Massachusetts. Joseph had worked in the construction trade, but he wanted to support those who had fallen on hard times and was a regular volunteer. He was always looking out for vulnerable people and took the time to talk through their problems. Everyone noted how Joseph, known as ‘Joe Joe’, instinctively knew when people needed help. It was through his volunteering that he met Kathryn Podgurski, in 2017. Kathryn, 33, was homeless, but after the pair started dating,…

Fly into the sky with the newest ride at Paultons Park! With over 80 rides and attractions, the theme park have announced the opening of a brand-new rollercoaster, the Farmyard Flyer. This family coaster is perfect for riders to enjoy an exciting flight around Tornado Springs World. Zooming through the sky, this rollercoaster is the perfect mix of thrill and excitement for all the family. Since opening in April last year, Tornado Springs has eight new rides and experiences for visitors. With the world’s first dedicated Peppa Pig World and now Tornado Springs, Paultons Park has lots to offer! James Mancey, operations director at Paultons Park says; ‘Farmyard Flyer completes the ride offering in Tornado Springs. ‘The detailing and theming are in keeping with the area and delivers an authentic experience.…