Table of contents for 25-May-2023 in Pick Me Up!

Resting my head on the wheel, I heard a knock on my car. ‘What are you doing here, Mark?’ the postman, Gary, asked. ‘Things haven’t been too good lately,’ I confessed. ‘I want you to go home and talk,’ he added. In that moment, at the start of 2021, I knew he was right. Starting a new sales job, not only did I have the stresses of work, but I had the pressure of sorting care out for my mum, Thelma, who had become bedridden due to ill health. Sitting in my car I wanted to end it all Rather than talking, even to my partner Annette, 57, I kept it all bottled up instead. And sitting in my car, I wanted to end it all. Only, the postman came…

Sat on the sofa with my little girl Florence, I could tell I needed the toilet again. For a little while it had felt like I had UTI. And after a couple of weeks, I also began to get an aching feeling in my left testicle. ‘I’m going to get checked out,’ I told my wife Olivia, now 45, in April 2020. And my GP told me I most likely had a bladder infection as a result of kidney stones. Satisfied with the doctor’s advice, I went home and continued with life as normal. I was active – cycling, rowing, playing football and running. However, I began to develop an aching in my lower back. And when a large, funnylooking lump popped up near my collarbone, I began to feel…

Reaching for another Fruit Pastille and downing a Lucozade, I was craving sugar. ‘I just need something sweet and sharp,’ I insisted to my husband Jakub, now 36, breathing through a contraction. It sure did feel like having a baby was like running a marathon, I needed short amounts of energy along the way. Only, then on 11 February 2021 at 12.07am, we welcomed our baby boy Sebastian into the world weighing 8lb 1oz – a moment that we had certainly been waiting for. Sebastian was a perfectly healthy, brown-eyed boy. In a newborn bubble, we were able to take our boy home the following day and we quickly realised what our new normal was going to be like. It certainly wasn’t how everyone described it on socials or on…

Lying back on the bed, I took a sharp breath in as I felt a blob of cold jelly on my tummy. ‘Let’s have a look then,’ the sonographer smiled. It should’ve been exciting – hearing my baby’s heartbeat for the first time – but I was more nervous than anything. Me and my husband Nathan, 33, had been trying for a baby for five years, and I’d been diagnosed with unexplained infertility. But after our second round of IVF we’d finally had a positive pregnancy test. As we saw them grow I felt a flutter of excitement We were both over the moon. I was at an early eight-week scan back in April 2021, and with Nathan waiting out in the car due to Covid restrictions, it felt wrong…

Katie is a qualified Happiness Club Trainer, delivering Happiness Club training to schools, corporate clients and charities to improve mental health and emotional wellness. She is also a Hypnotherapist working with clients to let go of the things that are holding them back. To see more please search Katie The Happiness Trainer. Am I getting cold feet? Q I have a small family, however my fiancé is the opposite – there are going to be people at my wedding who I don't even know. Is it too late to change our plans? Hallie, Ashford A Talk to your fiancé and explain how stressful you are finding it. Do they really want or need everyone on the potential guest list? Compromise is the way forward – maybe a small ceremony for those…

Common cold sore Q My 12-year-old daughter keeps getting cold sores. Is there anything she can do to avoid them? Joanne, Birmingham A Cold sores are common and usually clear up on their own within 10 days – they are caused by the herpes simplex virus. The virus spreads from one person to another through close skin contact with someone who has a cold sore. Once you have the virus, it stays in your skin for the rest of your life and sometimes it causes a cold sore. They usually present with a tingling, itching or burning sensation and are highly contagious from the first tingle up until the moment they have healed, so it’s very important not to touch the cold sore. The first step is to understand whether…

JUST REGISTER AND GO TO INSTANT WINS 1 PRIZE TO BE WON Win an Overnight Glamping Experience for Two If you’re someone who loves to explore the great outdoors and enjoy a touch of luxury, this could be perfect! One reader will win an overnight glamping experience for two people. You will be able to have a relaxing break in the middle of the countryside but in comfort and style. 1 PRIZE TO BE WON Win a 4K Ultra HD Smart TV Love watching telly, then what could be better than winning a 4K Ultra HD Smart TV? With its crystal-clear 4k Ultra HD resolution and built-in Amazon Fire TV, it is perfect for streaming your favourite shows, movies and more. Plus, with Alexa built-in, you can easily control your…

With a hint of ‘70s crochet and beach-ready essentials, your summer outfits can be fresh, trendy and stylish with Primark – who’s ready to hit the sand? FIVE FASHION QUESTIONS WITH… Ellie Jones, owner of Ear Candy – a handmade jewellery business • Follow @earcandyhandmadeuk on Instagram or search EarCandyHandmadeUK on Etsy for jewellery starting from £14.50. 1. Tell us how you started your business and how has it grown since? Ear Candy is a small, zero-waste brand based in Swansea which launched in June 2020. It started off as me wanting to find a hobby in lockdown while still studying for my degree from home. So I started making earrings for myself, family and friends. Then, it escalated, I practised a lot, I learnt a lot and made a…

Make it your mission to turn your furniture from drab to fab this summer. With UK households binning around a million tonnes of furniture a year, according to eBay, updating your interior with pre-loved goods is better for the planet and your wallet. Take note and feel inspired… • To shop, please visit: ebay.co.uk BARGAIN HUNT Trawling through post after post looking for your next furniture fit can be a daunting task – however in collaboration with eBay’s Better Than New Homeware Hub, interiors expert Lisa Dawson, shares a thing or two about finding show-stopping pieces for less… 1. Go in with a plan It’s really helpful to have an idea of what it is you’re after before you start searching. Creating an online mood board is a good way…

Pack a picnic and make sure to get outdoors! Surrounded by glorious gardens, wild grass and some of the UK’s best insects, the National Garden Scheme has over 3,500 perfect days out for you. Here are just some of our favourites that give a donation to support the NGS every single year… • To see more please visit: ngs.org.uk Plant World, Newton Abbot If you can’t get enough of summer flora, trapsing through a garden of delights, then this day out is perfect for you! Representing the five continents of the world, experience a wide range of exotic plants, wind through pathways that will guide you through the ‘world map’, with the beautiful rolling Devon hills in the distance, too. If you spot a favourite growth on your way around,…

Catch Claire live on Facebook Wear your star sign on your sleeve! Our resident astrologist Claire has joined forces with Toff London to bring you these beautiful Zodiac wrist watches – featuring a hand-drawn design and powered by a Japanese quartz movement. You can even add free engraving to make it extra special. £89 each – use the code LENGRO25 for 25% off Please visit: tofflondon.com ARIES 21 March–20 April Venus gives you back your pride in abundance, and you see with ease who was with you for their own needs and who wants to look after you and your wellbeing. The blinkers have well and truly come off. Energy levels return and you finally begin to see a life you want to live. Well, it’s about time, Aries! Welcome…

Feeling my phone buzz in my pocket, I reached in and took it out. I had a Facebook notification – my friend Tarl Williams had liked my photo. I didn’t really know Tarl – he’d added me out of the blue, but we had mutual friends, so I’d accepted. Now he was often popping up, liking my photos or making sweet comments. ‘Do you know much about him?’ I asked a mutual friend. ‘Not much, but he’s alright,’ she reassured me. And then one evening, in November 2021, he added me on Snapchat, too. What I found out was shocking Hey Chloe, what you up to? he messaged. I’m just on the train home from work. Feeling curious about him, I messaged back – we got chatting and seemed to…

This week, our tip of the week will receive a great prize from Addis. This kitchen caddy will make the perfect addition to your home. With an easyaccess flip top lid and clip lock to hide those pesky bin smells, organise your waste in style. Ideal for storage or waste, the easy to wipe surface will keep it looking spick and span! For more ways to make your life easier, visit: addis.co.uk Be a winner! Every last drop If you can never get the last drop from a plastic moisturiser bottle, even though you squeeze as hard as you can, then carefully cut the bottle in half with a sharp knife on a bread board. You can easily get inside with your finger to get every last drop of lotion.…

Mark Brown RN BSN, oncology nurse and co-founder of Dermavitality, shares his top tips for supporting your immune system with cancer. • Please visit: dermavitality.com 1) Eat smart Vegetables, fruit and plant-based proteins are the best foods to consume when living with cancer, as they offer the most vitamins and minerals. These are essential for a stronger immune system, which can help you recover quicker when undergoing treatment. 2) Manage stress Unfortunately, stress can alter your immune system by making you more susceptible to infection. While it is incredibly difficult to manage stress when undergoing a major life event like cancer, relaxing hobbies like journalling, yoga and meditation may all help. 3) Exercise regularly Movement leads to an increase in antibodies and white blood cells, which are vital to fighting…

1. What should you do if mail delivered to your house isn’t yours? Sometimes us posties can deliver to an address where an old tenant/owner hasn’t redirected their mail. If the post doesn’t belong to you, you can write ‘not known at this address – return to sender’ in bold on the front and give it back to your postman in the morning. You can also post it back into your local postbox or return it at your nearest post office. 2. What is the weirdest item you have delivered? Being a postie for over 35 years, there have been a few! Visiting a honey farm in Hartland, North Devon, I had to deliver a live queen bee to a farm as a special delivery. I’ve also had to deliver…

Fat cat! We all know how uncomfortable it can be to carry an extra few pounds around – so spare a thought for this chunky cat! Four-year-old tortoiseshell and white feline Rainbow weighed in at a whopping 12.7kg when she arrived at Cats Protection’s Bridgend Adoption Centre in March last year – twice the weight of an average cat! The poor puss had been overfed and was barely able to walk, groom or clean herself – and she had red, crusty eyes and was riddled with fleas, because the treatments didn’t contain enough medication to treat such a flabby feline. Rainbow was put on a strict diet under lots of supervision, and now she’s shed an impressive 4.6kg. ‘Her owner had not intended to do her any harm, but had…

Waking up in September, I could tell something was a little off. I couldn’t feel my feet! At 20 weeks pregnant with my first child, I didn’t think too much of it. ‘My feet feel weird,’ I told my then fiancé Danny, 29. ‘Rest up,’ he told me, kissing my forehead. Back in August 2021, we had found out we were having a girl and I was over the moon. I couldn’t wait for girly days and family holidays. Only the next day, the sensation got worse and after a few days, I couldn’t move my right leg and struggled to walk. Deciding to go to my GP, I was back and forth for various appointments and scans. I didn’t think it was serious, but not long after, my world…

YOU’VE GOTTA LAUGH! Waking up, I noticed that I was thirsty. I’d been out in town for a few drinks in November last year, and perhaps I’d had one too many! Groggily getting out of bed, I plodded downstairs and poured myself a glass of water from kitchen the tap. Noticing my Spaniel Bear sat by the door wagging his tail, I twisted the lock and let him out for a wee. The fox trashed my house Only, he soon started barking into the darkness. ‘Come on Bear,’ I called. ‘Let’s go back to bed.’ And before long I was fast asleep again. But not long after, I heard banging and crashing from downstairs. That must be Grace and Mason, I thought, drifting back to sleep. My daughter Grace, 18,…