Table of contents for 7 March 2024 in Chat

Welcome to this week's Chat… Reliable. Steady. Dull. Not the usual words we think of when we're looking for love online. But it's what Danielle was after, and on a Facebook page, Dull Men's Club, she met just the fella to bore the pants off her – literally (p23). James wooed Danielle with his tales of dog poo bags and recycling bins. Not convinced? Wait till you try his carrier-bag folding trick, it's a real game-changer for space. Hmm, maybe I need to sign up to that Facebook group… Have a great week,…

TRUE-LIFE Music blared and drinks flowed as I got ready for a night out with my friends – and my mum. ‘What do I wear, girls?’ she asked as I wrapped her hair around a curling iron. ‘One of my dresses,’ I grinned to her. It was early 2013, I was 19 and my mum Michelle Hanson was 37. But boy, did she know how to party! I did her make-up, gave her a sparkly blue dress to wear, then we hit the club – where Mum was first on the dance floor. ‘Come on you lot!’ she called over to us. I was lucky to have her. She was the life and soul – always had been. Growing up, Mum inflated bouncy castles for me and my older brother,…

What word connects a 1975-76 concert tour led by Bob Dylan and a 1994 comic production by Christopher Luscombe and Malcolm McKee for the Royal Shakespeare Company? To find out, solve the puzzle… The three answers in this puzzle read the same across and down. The clues are given, but not in the right order. Read down the shaded squares to spell the prize answer. WIN 5x £20 Puzzle 3 FOOT LEVER CATEGORY EGG-SHAPED Your answer: TO ENTER Turn to page 56 for details or visit comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles…

KNITWEAR Classically stylish, a neutral knit never dates but you can change up the look by adding a scarf or layering with a Breton or shirt. JACKETS Look for quilted styles and pocket detailing to add texture to your outfit. Use your jacketas a layering tool during cold snaps. ACCESSORIES Large blanket scarves add a luxe look. And try a belt over the top of your coat to accentuate your waist. TROUSERS Choosing the right footwear is key with light-coloured trousers. Tan, white or metallic shoes add to the chic tonal look.…

In November 2023, Charlie Adelson, 47, was convicted of firstdegree murder, conspiracy and solicitation. ‘I would just like to say that I maintain my innocence,’ he said after the verdict. But he was jailed for life, without parole. In court, Dan's father, Phil Markel, said not only had he lost his son, but effectively his grandsons too. ‘Many nights I wake up in the middle of the night in a terrible sweat with thoughts of Dan's murder and all that has happened,’ Phil said. ‘I miss him with all my heart. Danny's marriage produced two boys… who were his absolute world and the love of his life. ‘We still do not have a meaningful relationship with them. Visits are limited and very controlled. ‘For six years we were denied any…

But why? We all know that a day is 24 hours long, right? Well kinda… This is just an average. Due to the earth's position as it moves around the sun, days are rarely, if ever, bang-on 24 hours long. It actually takes the Earth about 365.242189 days – or 365 days and around 6 hours to circle once around the sun. The leap year aims to make sure that our calendar still works in relation to the solar year, so that each month properly aligns with the seasons. If we didn't add an extra day every four years, we'd, in effect, lose almost six hours a year. And after a century, our calendar would be off by about 24 days. Confusing, absolutely. But it works! The summer Olympic Games…

3 ways to… avoid money mistakes Stay in control of your finances and save cash too with these tips. 1 Save wisely It your savings are sitting in an account that pays little or no interest, take action or you'll be missing out on money. The best account depends on whether you're prepared to tie your money up for a long period or if you'll need ready access to it. Do your research to find the best one for your circumstances. Visit themoneyedit.com for the Best Savings Account guide. 2 Check your rates Are you paying more than you need to on your mortgage? For example, if you're on your mortgage lender's Standard Variable Rate, you might be paying hundreds of pounds more a month on your mortgage than if you…

Celebrity Big Brother ITV1, ITV2, ITVX • A host of famous faces have been lined up for this celebrity version of the TV's most iconic reality show, which made a comeback last summer after being axed by Channel 5 in 2018. AJ Odudu and Will Best are back to host, while some of the celebs who are rumoured to be entering the famous house include Strictly Come Dancing's Shirley Balias, The Traitors’ winner Harry Clark and former EastEnders star Lorraine Stanley, who played Karen Taylor in the soap and Miriam Margolyes is even tipped to appear! The show is followed by ITV2's Celebrity Big Brother: Late & Live, and Celebrity Big Brother: Live Stream will air nightly on ITVX. DON'T MISS DON'T MISS The BRIT Awards ITV1 ● Get ready…

Skin Proud Mini Everything Bairn, £2.95, iamproud.com This is a clever little multitasker. It's a nourishing balm formula, made using a blend of jojoba and coconut oil. You can use it on lips, but you can also use it on any dry patches of skin that need soothing. Keep it in your bag and it'll come to the rescue daily. PS…Brow Pencil, £1.50, Primark A good brow pencil can transform your face, and this one costs just pocket change. It's available in four shades and comes with a handy sharpener on the lid. Plus, it has a spoolie on the other end, making it a twoinone buy. Brush up your brows then pencil in any gaps to cheat a fuller look.…

Chat winners issue 47 (23 Nov 2023) £1,001 CASH M Hannell, Berkhamsted £500 CASH J Chattington, Sevenoaks J Bamford, Glasgow £250 CASH J Jessney, Hull D Roberts, Hayle £200 CASH P Roberts, Gillingham £100 CASH V Stewart, Birkenhead G Watson, Barnard Castle R Rowley, Halesowen £50 CASH S Lord, Stourport-on-Severn B Harrison, Oldham ASneap, Barnsley E Padley, Barnsley L Schaefer, Cannock J Thornley, Matlock £40 CASH K Hunt, Taunton £30 CASH B Ward, Ferryhill P Lowe, Dukinfield £25 CASH M Adamson, Bradford L Pearce, High Wycombe £20 CASH K Priddis, Peterborough J Preston, Newquay S Howes, Newcastle upon Tyne R Ryan, Eastbourne F Watson, Westbury V Linwood, Hereford J Watkinson, Ormskirk D Keene, Cardiff G Barker, Leeds B Jones, Wrexham A Davis, Wednesbury K Walters, Thatcham E Rawlinson, Hatfield C Murrell, Benfleet S McEvoy, Middlesbrough M Morgan, Brighton W Goddard, Gainsborough W Durkin, Doncaster A Young, Stoke-on-Trent R Kane, Blackpool M Warner, Slough D Watson, Gateshead R Cogger, Maidstone R Jackson, Chelmsford Anyone from your town in the list this week..? ●…

Jackie Perrins, Worksop Tina Williams, Blaenau Anya Coonor, Belfast We pay £25 for any photos rat we use on Chat To Us! Joanne Jow, Sheffield Janet Robertson, St Annes Michaela Bryn, Liverpool Get in touch! EMAIL chat_magazine@futurenet.com POST Chat, 121-141 Westbourne Terrace, London W2 6JR Find us online at facebook.com/ChatMagazine…

What do actors Megan Fox and Pamela Anderson have in common? To find out, solve the crossword, then read down the shaded squares to find the five-word prize answer. WIN £1,001 Puzzle 4 ACROSS 1 Thick sweet liquid (5) 4 Roman garment (4) 6 Actor who starred in Forrest Gump (3,5) 13 Answers (7) 14 Runner (7) 15 Divine messenger (5) 1t Agony (4) 17 Vehicle fuel (6) 18 Sculpted figure (6) 20 One who inherits (4) 21 Very bad (5) 22 Most unusual (6) 25 Type of pasta (8) 28 American state (6) 30 First Greek letter (5) 32 Fragrant flower (8) 34 _ Harry, singer with Blondie (6) 35 Lower leg bone (4) 38 Series of eight notes (6) 39 High temperature (5) 40 Begins (6) 43 Feel concern or interest (4) 44 Roam (6) 45 Least expensive (8) 48 Sunday lunch (5) 49 Spring flowers (6) 51 Nickname for New York (3,5) 54 Shirt…

True-life PATIENT CASEBOOK Holding my son George for the first time in February 2017, I was elated. After a healthy pregnancy I'd been induced at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire. Now George was here, brother to Holly, then 3. My husband Tom, then 30, and I felt blessed. But a few hours after he was born, George began gasping for air and turned blue. Nurses rushed him to the neonatal intensive care unit, put him on a ventilator. ‘What's going on?’ I begged. But it was two weeks before doctors could tell us that our beautiful son had lung surfactant deficiency. Tom and I listened in shock as they explained that it was a rare condition caused by a faulty gene, and meant that George's lungs didn't work properly. He'd…

Flicking through pics of lads posing, I rolled my eyes and shut my dating app. ‘Why can't I just meet someone normal?’ I groaned. In September 2023, I was done with online dating. I'd only met blokes who were more interested in social media or looking muscly in the gym than being a decent partner. I just wanted someone to have a laugh with. A mum-of-two, I didn't care whether they had a buff body, flash job or designer clothes. Someone genuine who'd put the bins out was good enough for me! After ditching dating apps, once the kids were in bed, I'd scroll through Facebook. Noticing a post from someone called James Warburton, I chuckled. He was talking about the colour of bins. Here in Manchester we have four…

TASTY TREAT TEA FOR TWO BARGUN BUY…

He's still on dating apps Q l've been with my boyfriend for six months. Things were going great until I saw a dating app notification on his phone. I confronted him and he confessed to chatting with other women out of boredom. My friends have told me to end things, but I'm confused. What should I do? Ruby, 33 A The six-month mark in a relationship is a big deal, flower. It's usually when a couple starts to consider the next steps. But this seems like a huge red flag to me. If he's bored and looking at dating sites now, what's he going to be doing in another six months, hun? If you don't think you can trust him, you know what you have to do. Alone on my…

Watching my younger sister, Jeanette, then 3, as she practised her dance steps, I was impressed. ‘I want lessons too!’ I said with a grin. ‘Let's get you signed up,’ my mum, Emily, suggested. It was 1950, and at 9 I couldn't wait to join Jeanette as she learnt to tap. I soon got the bug. When Jeannette hung up her tap shoes a few years later, I enthusiastically carried on with lessons throughout my childhood. Dancing was one of my favourite things. I lapped it up, loved showing off on stage. And over the years, I got to share my passion, entertaining others. At Christmas, I'd put on a show for Mum, Dad, my four siblings and anyone else who was with us for the day. Donning a frock…

WIN £500 Puzzle 18 The answers to all but one of these quiz questions can be found hidden in this wordsearch grid, reading forwards, backwards, up, down or diagonally. To help you, we'll tell you that the answers are in alphabetical order in each section. However, one answer can't be found in the grid. This is your prize answer. HARTNELL 1 Which future Dad's Army officer actor appeared in the 1963 film This Sporting Life alongside Richard Harris and future Doctor Who star William Hartnell? (6,4) 2 What was the first name of fashion designer Hartnell, who created Queen Elizabeth M's coronation gown? (6) 3 Jack Colgrave Hirst played Able Seaman Tom Hartnell in which 2018 horror series, presenting a fictionalised account of Sir John Franklin's lost Arctic expedition? (3,6)…

Noughty Frizz Magic Flyaway Taming Wand, £11.99, lookfantastic.com If you have frizz-prone hair or baby hairs, you'll love this magic wand. Sweep through any flyaways to set them in place, it'll give you an instantly sleeker finish. E.I.f Camo Liquid Blush, £7, elfcosmetics.co.uk Liquid blushers can be more flattering than powder formulas – they're glowy, and won't sit in wrinkles. This brand new formula is impressively pigmented, and comes in a choice of nine gorgeous shades. Cetaphil Gentle Clear Clarifying Blemish Cream Cleanser, £14.49, Superdrug This cleanser is ideal for spotprone skin. It has salicylic acid, which will keep blemishes at bay, and the creamy formula prevents that tight, dry feeling. Skin feels clean, but content. Revolution Pro Vegan Collagen Peptide High Shine Lip Gloss, £7.99, revolutionbeauty.com Two handy plumpers…

What's better, a bunch of flowers or box of chocs? As someone with quite a sweet tooth, I'd prefer to get a box of chocolates over flowers. Especially if they've got a variety of flavours and fillings! Best way to spend a rainy day? If it's a rainy day, I like to bring out my artistic side and paint either on canvas or wood with my acrylic paints, while listening to 80s CDs, of course! Time flies when I'm being creative, and it's useful to have art to give as gifts. What was the best lesson your mum taught you? Mum always told me to never judge a book by its cover. It's advice that I've carried throughout life, always cautiously forming opinions about people, places and events. WE PAY £50…

The lunar ‘seas’, such as the Sea of Tranquility, are areas that largely consist of what type of rock? The number next to the clue tells you which line the answer's in. We've put a section in to start you off! There may be two Across answers in one line. Down words fill themselves in. The shaded squares spell out the one-word prize answer. WIN £100 Puzzle 2 1 Edible marine fish • Expert, enthusiast 3 Unaware 5 Clothes fastening • Burnt wood remains 7 Roman fighter 9 Lazily, casually • Encounter Your answer:…

Finishing my school lunch, I went to run around the playground. Suddenly, a bruiser of a girl shoved into my stomach. ‘I feel sick,’ I groaned, before projectile vomiting. Afterwards, I cleaned myself up and went to class. Being sick was the norm for me, you see. I was 9 and had been born with cystic fibrosis. The disease, known as CF, causes sticky mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive system. It also causes wheezing, coughing, chest infections and difficulty breathing. Back home, I told my mum, Ann, then 29, what had happened. ‘It's your bad tummy,’ she said. ‘You must sit and let your food digest.’ I took handfuls of tablets daily, and while my friends ate fancy lunches, I had bread and butter. Now and…

TRUE-LIFE When Daniel Markel and Wendi Adelson's marriage broke up, things got nasty. Wendi acrimoniously filed for divorce in September 2012. After that, the former couple bickered over the financial settlement. Dan accused Wendi of hiding money and assets. Mostly, the couple argued over their two young sons. Though they shared custody, Wendi was determined to take the boys from Tallahassee and move 400 miles away to Miami. Her parents, Harvey and Donna Adelson, lived there, running the family's successful dental practice. Wendi's brother Charlie Adelson was in Miami, too, and was also a dentist. But Dan blocked her request to relocate. The two battled it out in court, where Dan, a brilliant lawyer and talented professor at Florida State University, was winning. The judge wasn't on board with letting…

I'm scared I'll drop baby Q I'm getting wrist pain and I'm terrified I'll drop my new baby. My GP calls it De Quervain's, what's that? Lauren, Morpeth A lt's short for De Quervain's tenosynovitis which means inflammation around those long tendons on the side of your wrist, which you can see leading to the back of your thumb. It's most common in women and is especially common if you have a new baby, particularly if you are breastfeeding. This could be because of the effect of pregnancy and breastfeeding hormones, or just wrist strain from repeatedly lifting the baby – no one's sure. Lifting your thumb becomes painful and the tendon is tender to touch. Symptoms usually disappear by the time you stop breastfeeding. Treatment might mean avoiding painful…

Trudging into the living room, I dumped my school bag on the floor and looked up at Mum. ‘What does thunder thighs mean?’ I frowned. It was summer 2016, and a lad in my class had been saying it to me all day. ‘Kids are cruel,’ Mum sighed, explaining. And boy did I know it. Aged 16, I weighed 20st and was twice as big as the other girls in my class. At 5ft 5in tall, I wore a size 18-20. Growing up, I'd loved baking fairy cakes with Nanny Jean. Licking the mixture off the spoon was the best part. Mum was a brilliant baker too. Made me and my twin sister, Eloise, the most elaborate birthday cakes. Treasure chests that opened with chocolate coins and hedgehog cakes so…

Putting on my bikini in my hotel room, I ran my fingers across my chest. There it was. A lump. Still there, I thought. On holiday in Cape Verde in April 2023, I'd noticed a small lump in my right breast a few days earlier. Part of me hoped it'd just go away. I was only 34, told myself it'd be nothing. But when I got back to England and the lump hadn't gone, I plucked up the courage to visit my GP. ‘I'll refer you for tests,’ she said after examining me.‘But if it is what you're worried about, then it's easily treatable.’ Dread filled me, especially when a letter arrived from the breast clinic for an emergency ultrasound. I went round to see my mum Kathleen, then 53.…

Asian chicken noodle broth Curry paste is the star ingredient here, adding tons of flavour in one easy dollop. SERVES 4 PREP 10 MINS COOK 15 MINS • 1tbsp sunflower oil • 1 red pepper, sliced, or 125g frozen sliced peppers • 300g chicken breast fillets, cut into very thin strips • 2-3tbsp Thai red curry paste, to taste ● 2 chicken stock cubes ● 200g fine egg noodles ● 225g tin bamboo shoots, drained ● 225g tin water chestnuts, drained ● 300g/2 heads pak choi or ½ pointed cabbage, shredded ● Soy sauce, to taste ● Juice 1 lime, plus wedges, to serve 1 Heat the oil in a very large saucepan or wok, add the pepper and chicken fillets and cook for 2-3 mins, until the chicken is opaque. 2 Add the curry paste and stir for 1 min. Pour in 2ltr…

1-7 March 2024 Chat astrologer Sally Trotman reads your week ahead Aries 21 March-20 April A social person, you love organising get-togethers. Now would be a great time to arrange a day out or a short trip with friends to bring a sense of community. • Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April-21 May You find change to be challenging, but are ready for it. Take a leap of faith. The universe knows what you need – trust everything will work out well for you. • Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May-21 June You've been reflecting on areas of life that mean the most to you and how to take a new direction. Notice the signs you're receiving and follow your heart. • Call 0905…

Q Are hairdryers bad for your hair? Sue Robins, Southampton A Any form of heat can damage your hair, whether that's from your hairdryer, curling tongs or straighteners. But you can lessen the damage by using your dryer differently. Avoid always using it at the hottest temperature – start on the lowest and work it up to medium, finishing off on high if needed. Your hair is incredibly fragile when wet, so high temperatures when it's soaking can lead to more dramatic damage. The other key thing is to use a heat protectant, applying liberally before picking up your dryer. They shield and protect your hair, preventing damage. Pantene 5-in-1 Pre-Styler, £9.99, Boots, works brilliantly and has bonus benefits including strengthening and smoothing hair. Avoid using heat every day – you…