Table of contents for 10-Aug-2023 in Pick Me Up!

STAR LETTER I found my wife Fiona standing next to this sign. I warned her not to do so, as passing drivers might get the wrong idea! Mike Lunn, North Ayrshire My little granddaughter Billi, eight, went on her first fishing trip with Grandad and she was so proud to catch a tiddler! It was so much better than her playing on her ipad! Patricola Cordon, Cheltenham My 85-year-old grandmother came to Aberystwyth with us and even fancied a go on the bouncy castle! Susan Quin, Newtown My three-year-old grandson Oliver looks very cool in his paddling pool, especially wearing his hat and those trendy shades! Tina Vowles, Stroud If your letter makes Star Letter of the week, you will receive some beautiful blooms from Flying Flowers. With over 30 years’ experience of…

Wheeling my cabin bag towards the aircraft, I couldn’t wait to jet off. Working as a flight attendant in 2018, I loved the fast-paced lifestyle – jetting off for a few days before returning home to my partner, Tom, 32, and our German Pointer, Vinnie. I loved being able to catch-up with my mum Sam, 51, too, especially as she was battling breast cancer at the time. But being up in the sky was so fun. Only, this day I felt a little run down and looking in the mirror, I spotted a few ulcers on my gums. I kept getting ulcers on my gums Not exactly alarming, I carried on as usual, but over the next few weeks and months they seemed to get worse. And in 2019, a…

The Seeing Dogs Alliance Every person who loses their sight has a different experience. The Seeing Dogs Alliance is a small charity that trains dogs in a way that is bespoke for their owner. And the charity has three core principles it follows. For more information and to donate to the charity, please visit: seeingdogs.org.uk 1) A seeing dog should be trained to support the life the client wants. They do not insist on restrictive criteria about who can have a dog. For some people a dog that can guide for a few minutes makes all the difference between being independent and not. For others, a higher energy or more challenging dog is appropriate. 2) Every dog trained can guide a totally blind person. All dogs are tested by their…

Flipping over the test, I braced myself for a negative result. A few missed periods may be a hallmark sign of pregnancy for lots of women, but I wasn’t convinced. In 2021, my fiancé Anthony, 32, and I had a miscarriage. We had been trying for a fourth baby – a sibling for Savannah, seven, Michael, six, and Jack, four. And when I miscarried at 19 weeks, it was devastating. ‘No more babies for us,’ I’d said sadly. What’s more, Jack has autism, so I thought my missed periods came down to the stress of our miscarriage and caring for Jack’s needs. So, you can imagine my surprise when the stick revealed two red lines. It was positive! We were going to have baby number four. ‘I can’t believe it!’…

EDITOR’S WARNING Ignoring all superstition, I hoped that scouring the internet for a cute black kitten would somehow bring us luck. After being diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2017, I wanted to give my girls Aaliyah, now 11, and Tiana, now eight, some kind of comfort for when I would need to spend time in hospital. Only, it was a plan that I had to come up with in secret as my partner Thomas, now 44, wasn’t the biggest fan of cats – but he didn’t need to know… And after discovering a perfect little mongrel on Gumtree, later that month I found myself picking our new kitty up from a local lady, before sneaking him back into the house. Our puss had never spent a night away ‘You’ve…

EXTREME CRIME With close friends and family and a plan of working in medicine, Summer Tatum worked hard to support those she loved and be there for them when they needed her. She was the youngest of three daughters, being the most introverted of them all. She didn’t enjoy the spotlight but was a devoted friend with a gentle and comforting soul. Although her social circle was small, her list of hobbies was large. She dived straight into anything that interested her – spending hours researching and buying hair products one night, spontaneously purchasing several ducks on the way home from school or spending hundreds of dollars on plants during the pandemic. Summer wanted to be happy Summer, 26, wanted to be happy and would do whatever she could to…

Match made in heaven When savoury and sweet come together, it can lead to a truly mouth-watering explosion. That’s why Papa Johns have launched the ultimate dessert – Papa Bites made with Oreo Crumb. Wrapping irresistible crushed Oreo cookies in Papa Johns’ fluffy fresh pizza dough, it takes cookie dough to a whole new dimension. Tempting Oreo Crumb is swirled in a cheesecake-inspired filling, enveloped in the iconic original dough, baked to perfection and drizzled in icing – sounds delicious! Each box includes eight mouth-watering bites, so it’s up to you whether you decide to share them… • Available now on collection and delivery from £5.29…

Be a winner! This week, our tip of the week will receive a great prize from Addis. This four arm Rotary Airer is strong and durable, perfect for any outdoor area. Easy to use and install using an umbrella clip system, it is rust resistant – so it can stay up in blustering conditions, all ready for your next wash! For more ways to make life easier, visit: addis.co.uk Ready to eat? If you don’t have a skewer to check if a cake is fully baked, just use a piece of dry spaghetti instead! It always does the job! Melanie Lodge, Mirfield Tip of the week Dirt-free drains Mix coffee grounds with soap and boiling water to unclog your drains. Pour it in along with a kettle of boiling water –…

BIG health story Walking through the town with my trusty seeing dog Rosa, I had my independence back. With Rosa by my side, I could hear the birds singing, babies crying in their pushchairs and planes overhead – I felt completely aware of my surroundings with Rosa. You see, I was diagnosed with infantile glaucoma – a condition that can damage the optic nerve in the eye which can result in blindness when I was a baby. I retained some useful vision throughout my childhood but by the time I was 13, I was registered blind. And it was so hard at first. When you lose your sight completely, life turns off a lot – suddenly you’ve lost your independence and it’s hard to go anywhere without assistance from others.…

Who doesn’t love a good game of bingo? Now fan favourite Dabbers Social Bingo have announced their Next Top Bingo caller for 2023 – singer, songwriter and hilarious performer Amy Webber! We caught up with Amy following her big win… • Please visit: dabbers.bingo 1. How did you get into bingo calling – and what’s the best part of the role? I got into bingo calling by accident really! I decided to enter the Dabbers competition because I just love being on stage – I thought bingo calling could be a good way to combine my love of comedy, singing and silly dancing. I’d never actually even been to a bingo game myself but have a lot of friends who said it’s fun, so I thought I’d give it a…

LATTE LOVERS Have you heard of the ‘latte trend’? Taking inspiration from the rich hues and velvety textures of your go-to coffee shop beverage, the latte trend is the latest craze in the makeup world. With a helping hand from e.l.f cosmetics, you can brew the perfect look, ready for whatever the day throws at you. Available from Boots and elfcosmetics.co.uk Base: Said to be a fantastic dupe for Charlotte Tilbury’s Flawless Filter, the Halo Glow Liquid Filter (£14) is perfect at creating a flawless, flowy canvas for your look. Eyeshadow: Embrace the warm tones of a latte with warm browns, mocha and caramel shades. With the Bite-Size Eyeshadow in the shade I Love You a Latte (£4), you can create an effect that mirrors the layers of your favourite hot…

Where to stay The Leonardo Royal Hotel Birmingham has reponed after a huge refurbishment costing £8 million following a rebrand from the old Jurys Inn Birmingham. Just three tram stops to Birmingham New Street Train Station, the refurb has a modern feel with a distinctive Art Deco twist. With a 49-inch television, a fully stocked mini fridge, luxurious White Company toiletries and Leonardo Hotels’ exclusive Dreams beds, you’ll sleep so well, you won’t want to leave! With a breakfast buffet every morning you can enjoy a selection of continental and cooked delights – there is even an egg station where you can dictate just how you like your eggs in the morning. And afterwards, you can head to the new hotel gym to burn off your bacon sarnies and pastries.…

www.clairepetulengro.tv Catch Claire live on Facebook ARIES 21 March–20 April You’re allowing others to dictate how you live your life. Focus more on how you feel instead, Aries – and not what others may or may not be saying about you. If you could just live the life you want to lead, you’d be showing others how happy it makes you, so be your authentic self. Throwing a tantrum, as was recently the case, did no one any favours at all. Call: 09058 170 710* TAURUS  21 April–21 May Wednesday’s new moon in Libra sees you with added sparkle in all you do. You’ve realised that what started off as temporary fun has the potential to be a permanent fixture in your life now. Relationships come to the fore as…

WE’RE LOVING Parma Violets, Love Hearts, Refreshers, Drumsticks… they’re iconic, right? Well sweetie fans can rejoice, as to celebrate Swizzels 95th birthday, they’ve teamed up with independent tea company Bird & Blend to release custom sweets-flavoured teas – the perfect way to combine candy and a cuppa. The exciting new flavours have been created using herbs, flowers and fruit to give each brew that classic sweetie taste we all know and love. Which one will you go for? • £10 per box containing 12 single-serve teas • Please visit: swizzels.com and birdandblendtea.com GET IN TOUCH Send us your stories and photos, including all names and ages, a daytime phone number and full address. E-mail hello@pickmeupmag.co.uk WRITE TO Pick Me Up! Media Centre, Emma-Chris Way, Abbey Wood Park, Filton, Bristol, BS34 7JU PHONE…

Go wild with animal accents in your décor…

Kate Ashley-Norman is a psychotherapist and public relations strategist who believes that knowledge, communication and education are the foundations of good emotional wellbeing. (kateashleynorman.com) What am I doing wrong? Q I’ve been dating on and off for around six months now – and I’m exhausted. I just want to be able to build on a relationship with someone but all I have had is failed dates, ghosting and the occasional hook-up. How do I navigate modern dating? Amiya, Suffolk A Do you think you might be expecting too much? Sometimes when you are so focused on achieving your ‘goal’, you actually miss what is going on around you. Take a step back and just enjoy the process of going out and meeting people. If you have a ‘wish list’, chuck…

INSTANT appointment With Muhammad Hussain, Senior Pharmacist at Specialist Pharmacy (specialist-pharmacy.com) Ankle angst Q I recently sprained my ankle when working out at the gym and I’ve been taking painkillers to numb the pain but it doesn’t seem to be easing! How can I helpalleviate it? Brendan, Dublin A It is common for sprained ankles to take about two weeks to improve and heal. But the first step is to protect the area by having a short rest period. As soon as you are able, introduce gradual exercise to ensure the healing process reduces the likelihood of recurrent sprains. Introduce movement with resistance to build up slowly to a full range of motion. It should cause minimal pain in the absence of pain relief and ice should be used to…

As Miley Cyrus reminded us – you can buy yourself flowers! And houseplants don’t just make your home look pretty, they can help keep your wellbeing on track, too. According to UK Therapy Rooms, these are the easy-to-care-for plants and flowers we all need to get to lower those stress levels… Lavender Famed for its dreamy scent that helps you drift off into the land of nod, lavender is the ideal plant to have in your bedroom – as its benefits not only include stress relief, but improved sleep, too. Lavender is remarkably easy to grow, and when placed in a sunny spot like a windowsill, its flowers will bloom to provide colour and scent all through the summer. The flowers can be cut and used in a herbal tea.…