Table of contents for 01-Dec-2016 in Pick Me Up!

What A Cutie! I was thrilled when I was sent this PG Tips Monkey plant. I’m not the most green-fingered, so I presented it to my mum! Watch this space to see him again when he’s fully grown. 833.9 That’s the speed in mph Felix Baumgartner reached free falling from 24 miles. Read about others who’ve survived extreme falls at www. lifedeathprizes.com What A Barking Skirt! Ahh, pugs – my favourites! I was mid-manicure when a woman came in wearing this very skirt. I literally accosted her, found out she made it and immediately put in my order! What A Crazy Crossing! When I saw this funky zebra crossing near work, which looks like a huge rug, I had to stop and take a picture. It…

It was the perfect day. The sun shone, as me and my new hubby Dave sipped cocktails at the pool bar. With our daughter Jessica, 1, back home with family, all we had to do was relax. Just how we’d planned our honeymoon, not a single worry. But, with just a couple of days left before heading back, my thoughts were turning to home. ‘I wonder what’s waiting for us,’ I groaned. Dave, a farmer, and his friends had a strange tradition of pranking each other’s houses after they’d tied the knot. The first had been eight years earlier, when Dave’s friend Tom partner Claire got married. While the couple were on honeymoon, blissfully unaware of the chaos back home, Dave and his friends put eight For Sale signs in…

1 This condition affects the eyes. 2 It can be congenital. 3 Kyphosis can’t be treated. 4 It can cause breathing difficulties. 1 FALSE Kyphosis is a curvature of the spine that causes the top of the back to appear more rounded than usual. Everyone has some level of curvature, but a curve of over 45 degrees is considered excessive. 2 TRUE The condition can develop in the womb as a result of abnormal spinal development, but can also be a result of poor posture, spinal injuries and aging. 3 FALSE Treatment depends on how curved the spine is. Children may be treated with non-surgical methods like bracing, but in more severe cases surgery may be needed. 4 TRUE If the spine compresses the lungs and airways, breathing trouble can…

‘There was no family history, and I was only 24’ It’d been a tough start to the year. My hubby Steven and I had been thrilled to discover we were expecting our third child. We already had two gorgeous girls - Louise, then 5, and Jayne, 2 - but we were excited about extending our family. Only, in April last year, heartbreaking funeral and tried to pick ourselves back up. ‘I wouldn’t be getting out of bed if it wasn’t for the girls,’ I told Steven, who agreed. Then, in July that year, Steven and I were chatting. He was always watching and reading medical things online, was adamant about checking himself regularly for lumps. ‘You should, too,’ he said. I didn’t know where to start. ‘Let me do it…

‘There was no mistake, I was definitely a winner’ Pouring a cup of coffee, I listened as my mum Rose, 80, chatted away. ‘We won a few quid,’ she beamed. ‘And had such a laugh.’ Mum often played bingo at the halls with her friends. Me? I prefer online bingo. Like Mum, I love to play. But I enjoy it more playing in the comfort of my own home. I’m often busy with housework and cooking. When I have free time, it’s feet up, a cuppa and a game of Pick Me Up! Bingo. I’d joined the site in June 2013 after a friend recommended it. ‘You’ll love it,’ she told me, talking me through all the games she liked. And she was right. The site was so much fun…

‘Online porn is damaging and parents and schools should take responsibility. Children need to be taught that porn sites aren’t a reflection of real life or relationships.’ Natalie Allen, Colchester ‘Government need to step up, put bars on porn sites – like registering a credit card to prove the user’s over 18. Porn can make boys see women as just sexual objects.’ Michelle Underwood, Woking ‘Kids are in danger of being oversexualised. People say use parental controls, but most kids are better at tech than adults. It wouldn’t take long for them to disable it!’ Kelly Marie Khan, Hednesford ‘Kids have always been curious about sex. If parents block sites, they’ll look on friends’ computers. All we can do is teach children porn isn’t a true picture of sex.’ Colleen…

‘The culprit remains unknown to this day’ UK: SHOT ON HER DOORSTEP On 26 April 1999, journalist and much-loved television presenter Jill Dando left the home of her fiance and returned alone to the house she owned in Fulham, London. As she reached to open her front door, she was shot once in the head by a 9mm-calibre semi-automatic pistol. The method used, known as hard-contact execution, meant the killer pressed the gun firm against Dando’s head to silence the shot and protect the shooter from any blood splatter. Dando was declared dead on arrival at hospital. Her murder was reconstructed on Crimewatch, a show she had presented. Police made an arrest and, in July 2001, a man named Barry George was found guilty of her murder at the Old…

Browsing Facebook one day in 2011, I saw a post calling for someone to re-home a Weimaraner dog. I’d kept the breed previously, and immediately volunteered. Bobo, now 10, is daft as a brush and great with my kids Jenson, 5, and Amari, 4. But he’s a devil for swiping food! Once, he snaffled our three dinners before we’d had time to sit down. And another time, he scoffed a full roast chicken I’d left out on the kitchen top, bones and all! On 15 March this year, Bobo wasn’t himself. Off his food, he hadn’t had a poo all day. The next morning, he was barely able to walk. Concerned he’d eaten something dodgy, I rushed him to the Blue Cross Animal Hospital in Grimsby. A full-time single mum,…

For my training, I needed to eat 3,000 calories a day When my sister Kelly asked me to be her bridesmaid in summer 2014, I knew it was time to do something about my weight. At 14st and a size-18/20, I’d always been the biggest of my friends. As a mum of two, it was hard to find time to exercise. Now, picturing myself squeezing into a bridesmaid dress, I knew I’d have to try. ‘It’s time to step up my game,’ I said to my hubby Stephen, 40. Signing up for CrossFit classes, I took part in circuits made up of different workouts, but the one I excelled in was weight training. After three months, I was lifting heavier weights than most of the other men and women in…

My daughter Hallie had been poorly since birth. She struggled with breathing and feeding, and minor things like tonsillitis would send us straight back to the hospital. And when she was just a year old in 2012, tests showed she was permanently blind. Me and my partner Ian, 31, were devastated. ‘She’ll never see our faces,’ Ian sighed sadly. But there was more to come. At 15 months old, Hallie tripped and broke her arm, but she hadn’t shown signs of pain, so we’d only spotted it the next day when her arm swelled up. An X-ray showed that her bones were very brittle. I asked if it might be osteopetrosis, as my cousin had it and it was rare and hard to diagnose. Unlike osteoporosis, where bones are thin,…

I woke, clutching my stomach in agony. It was the middle of the night in late 2013, and this pain was nothing new. The first time it happened was a few months before. A sharp pain came out of nowhere, then disappeared. It could come at any time of day or night and it was so bad, it’d stop me dead in my tracks Now, the bursts of pain were getting worse, happening more often and for longer. My GP suggested I had IBS. The pain in my tum was so bad, on five occasions I ended up at A&E. But doctors there didn’t have any answers, either. That night, I got out of bed, thinking a hot bath might soothe the pain. At the time, I was living with…

Strawberry Jam Cheesecake Serves: 8 Prep Time: 20 min + chilling Cook Time: 10 min 1 Preheat oven to 200C /Gas 6 2 Melt butter with honey, stir in oats, then press firmly into base of an 18cm round, loose-bottomed tin and bake for 10 min. Put into the fridge to chill. 3 Soak gelatine in a small bowl of cold water for 5 min. Heat 5tbsp jam with 1tbsp water in a small saucepan. Shake off excess water from gelatine and add to melted jam, stirring until dissolved. Allow to cool. 4 Whisk together Quark and soft cheese, stir in jam mixture and spoon over oat base. 5 Marble remaining jam into cheesecake surface and chill in fridge for 3-4 hr until…

Advice from Cancer Research UK states that breast cancer during pregnancy is very rare, and happens in about 1 in 3,000 pregnancies. Most women are able to carry on with their pregnancy but some may be advised to end their pregnancy. Usually this is only necessary if the patient needs chemotherapy and is less than 14 weeks pregnant. Evidence shows that chemotherapy is safe if women are in their second and third trimester, but can damage the baby or cause a miscarriage in the first trimester.…

I’ve always loved playing bingo, used to go with my friends. But over the years, with two kids aged 8 and 11, I found I had less time to play. Then, this May, I joined Pick Me Up! Bingo. I checked out the games. Sapphire – a 90-ball bingo game – was a lot of fun. I bought a few tickets and had a couple of games. A few hours later, after clearing up at teatime, I had another quick game of bingo. Soon, I realised I needed just one more number. Then… Number 76 suddenly flashed up on the screen. ‘I’ve won!’ I shouted. I’d scooped £1,250! Phoning my hubby, I couldn’t wait to tell him. ‘I only joined this morning, too!’ I told him excitedly. ‘Well done, that’s…

Couture Ultimates Seamless Ladder Proof Hosiery, £12.50, UKtights.com These tights are seamless and, thanks to a clever, unique knitting technique they’re also ladder proof instead of just ladder resistant! Verdict: GENIUS! Every woman will want a pair. Levington’s Lord Nut Spicy Bloody Mary Peanuts, £5.99, www.firebox.com Why not combine your nuts and hangover cure drink in one Bloody-Mary-flavoured snack? These boozy, spicy fellas really do pack a punch! Verdict: GENIUS! Nutty? We don’t think so, we love ’em! Gin & Tonic Bathing Gel, £7.95, prezzybox.com Calling all gin lovers! It’s time to run a bath and pour your favourite tipple, well, straight in! This fresh- smelling bath gel may not be advisable if you’ve got a hangover, though… Verdict: BONKERS! Is this what they…

‘Pageants celebrate more than just outer beauty’ Tall and skinny as a teen, my classmates nicknamed me ‘Olive Oyl’ after Popeye’s gangly girlfriend. At 15, to lift my confidence, my mum entered me in a modelling competition...and I won it! Feeling fab, I went on to win Miss Dyfed 1986, Miss Llanelli 1987 and Miss Great Britain Wales 1989. After marrying my hubby David, then 31, in 1991, I went in for Mrs England...and won! But then I hung up my sash to focus on being a mum to our son Rhys and daughter Erin. After gaining a teaching degree as a mature student, I’d all but forgotten my glamorous past - until Spring last year, when I read a newspaper article about a mum and daughter entering beauty pageants.…

ARIES 21 March–20 April Try not to act out of spite, but work instead on making peace with those you fell out with last month. It’s the key to you making some very interesting social introductions over the coming days. Adverts you read midweek lead to a new career path. Call: 09058 170 710* TAURUS 21 April–21 May To know that you have survived before is to know that you will do so again. What you’re feeling right now is a case of nerves, that’s all. Try to focus on the future you want, not the one you think you have to accept. You’re stronger than that. Call: 09058 170 711* GEMINI 22 May–21 June I know you feel confident that you have others’ support, but just check in with…

‘Suddenly doctors realised my girl wasn’t breathing’ As pregnancies go, it was pretty textbook at first. My partner Chris Morrison, 33, and I found out we were expecting our third child in March last year. For the first three months I suffered morning sickness. Then it stopped, and we had our first scan and broke the news to our older two, Brooke, then 8, and Mollie, 3. ‘You’re going to be big sisters,’ I beamed. Bless them, they were so excited, they burst into tears! Our 20-week scan arrived. Another little girl! Induced Only, in late pregnancy I developed a liver condition called cholestasis. Triggered by pregnancy, it causes intense itching and can be dangerous for the baby, in some cases causing stillbirth. Terrifying. I was monitored and was told…

‘I needed to go to hospital – he refused to let me leave’ Waving off my kids, then 9 and 6, at the school gates, I felt my phone vibrating in my bag. It was my boyfriend Jajay Flynn, 25, calling me. ‘Are you on your way home yet?’ he asked. A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. He always phoned me when I was doing the school run. He liked to check up on me, but I thought it was sweet. He’s just being protective, I reasoned. We’d only been together a month, after meeting through Facebook friends last December. A big character, Jajay was such a laugh. And he was great with my two children, too. But soon, Jajay’s possessiveness started getting on my nerves. He…

Weight-loss tablets QI find it very hard to lose weight and I’m thinking of trying weight-loss supplements. Would they affect the other medication I’m taking? Jane, Ashford A There are no regulations governing such supplements. No-one really knows how effective they are and they may contain banned substances linked to increases in strokes and heart attacks. Don’t take them, especially if you have a pre-existing condition. Bent fingers Q I’ve had bent little fingers since I was a child and I was told that nothing could be done about them. Now it looks as if my daughter’s getting them, too. Should I take her to see the our GP? Mandy Davis, Edinburgh A This is a hereditary condition linked to, or caused by, anatomical abnormalities which may be treatable with…

1 Asda Italian Chicken & Mushroom Risotto, 350g With a soupy consistency, this has some nice big chunks of chicken in it, plus slices of mushroom in a rich and creamy rice. The overwhelming flavour, though, is of mushroom. 2 Tesco Healthy Living Chicken & Asparagus Risotto, 385g Only 367 cal, this meal is filling, with plenty of chicken, lots of asparagus and a pea-flavoured rice. 3 Morrisons Italian Chicken & Mushroom Risotto, 350g With lots of chicken and mushroom, this not only looks homemade, it taste it, too. Delicious.…

Barmy About BACON? If you can’t get enough of the streaky stuff, you’ll be drooling when you check out these sizzlingly good bacon-related treats… SO MUCH CHOICE Remember when all you had to choose between was white or brown bread, or ready salted or cheese & onion crisps? Here are the top four shopping decisions drive us crazy… Coffee… A flat white? A latte? A skinny latte? An Americano or a cappuccino? And don’t get us started on size – small, regular, tall, grande... From fancy focaccia, brioche, ciabatta or panini to wholegrain, wholemeal, wholewheat, wholey-moley! As for spreads, it’s low-fat and unsaturated, soya spreads or the olive oil and sunflower sort Oh, and Utterly Butterly, which isn’t actually butter... Once, it was simply ready salted, cheese & onion, salt…

Ashamed. Guilty. Addicted. Words children are using to describe their feelings after watching porn online. Yet more young people than ever are accessing sexualised material on the Internet - at home, at school, using apps on mobile phones. In fact, Childline has reported a 60 per cent year-on-year increase in counselling sessions with kids worried after watching online porn. Many said they’d felt peer pressure to view adult sites. One girl told counsellors, ‘My boyfriend said he liked watching porn, so I watched it with him. Since then, I’ve felt insecure about my body.’ NSPCC Chief Executive Peter Wanless warns that online porn strips youngsters of their childhood. ‘A generation of young people are being exposed to extreme or violent sexual acts online,’ he says. ‘This is robbing children of…

TRIED & TESTED This week: Handbag-sized scents 1 Bronnley Citrine Lagoon Eau de Toilette Rollerball, £10, Boots This rollerball is the perfect size for my clutch bag and so easy to apply on the go. I love the fresh, zesty scent, too! 2 Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Eau de Parfum, £14.99, The Perfume Shop Just like the name suggests, this fragrance is most definitely fruity! I was impressed with the staying power, and the mini bottle is so pretty. 3 The Body Shop Vanilla Eau de Toilette, £8.50, The Body Shop If you like sweet scents, then this is the one for you! It’s really feminine and not the least bit overpowering. A quick spray is all you need to keep you feeling fresh on a night out. Jess’Beauty…

Anna Lindh was a popular politician in her native Sweden. As foreign minister, it was assumed she’d become her party’s leader. Perhaps even go on to become prime minister. But on 10 September 2003, while shopping in a Stockholm department store, Lindh was the victim of a knife attack. She died in hospital the following day, having suffered severe blood loss. The assassination shocked the globe. Two weeks later, the police arrested Mijailo Mijailovic, 24, for murder. Some said that Mijailovic’s attack on Anna Lindh had political motivations due to Lindh’s stance on air strikes in the Kosovo War. But, when he faced trial in March 2004, it emerged that he was an obsessive character, besotted with famous people, including Anna Lindh and actor Tom Cruise. Mijailovic had said that…

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