Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 2, 2026 i that's life!

Letter from the Ed My first overseas holiday was as a young adult. My friend Claire and I got a last-minute deal for a cheap trip to Turkey. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, I got a nasty stomach bug and then an ear infection that was so bad I spent most of the trip saying ‘Sorry what did you say?!’ to poor Claire every time she spoke. And, It didn’t put me off visiting other countries I stupidly got very sunburnt, forgetting that sunscreen is just as important overseas as it is at home. We did see a bit of the town’s cultural sites, and being young, its bars. But I’m glad that first experience, mixed at best, didn’t put me off visiting other countries. However, at my age I…

Pulling on my hat and sunnies, I jumped onto my tractor and set off down the hill of my 17-acre property. It was December 2022, and as the morning sun shone brightly, I planned to slash the grass in one of my paddocks, around 700 metres from the house. I’d lived on the sprawling property in Talarm, NSW, for 46 years. I sometimes had help from two farm hands who helped maintain the paddocks, but today I was alone. As I continued down the grass I noticed a large hose in my path. Turning off the ignition, I dismounted the tractor. But as I went to move the hose, I suddenly saw the tractor rolling forward. I hadn’t used the brake! Grabbing the wheel to try to steer it away…

Lying in the operating theatre, I felt my heart hammering in my chest. Are my babies going to make it? I fretted. It was November 2023, and at 33 weeks along with twins, doctors had urged me to undergo a caesarean after the bubs’ movement had severely reduced. Suddenly, their tiny cries filled the room as they were lifted from me, allowing me to breathe a sigh of relief. ‘It’s girls!’ the doctor announced. The babies were conjoined. Doctors had first suspected something was amiss during my 27-week scan when they struggled to see any space between the babies’ bladders. They looked very close to each other, but doctors couldn’t be completely sure they were conjoined until they were born. Now, I struggled to process the news as my little…

ROCKMELON & PINEAPPLE WITH GINGER LIME SYRUP SERVES 4-6 PREP & COOK 30 MINS 1 large lime 2 tbsp caster sugar 2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, sliced 2 lemon and ginger tea bags ½ rockmelon (800g), peeled, seeds removed  ½ pineapple, (600g), peeled, core removed Fresh mint leaves, to decorate 1 Using a vegetable peeler, cut a 5cm strip of rind from lime. Cut lime in half. Squeeze to extract juice. You will need 3 tsp juice.  2 Place sugar, ginger, rind and 1 cup water in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add tea bags. Bring to a boil.  3 Boil gently, without stirring, for about 12 mins, or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in lime juice. Strain into jug. Refrigerate…

NABBED! BY FAKE NAILS When Margarita Jimenez, 34, discovered text messages on her boyfriend Jorge Garfias’ phone from his ex, she was enraged. The photos and messages between Jorge, 38, and Yanelly Vargas, 35, were recent, and Margarita was convinced they’d rekindled their romance. ‘I felt anger. I felt betrayed. I felt lied to,’ Margarita later testified in court. Margarita demanded to know the truth, and on March 17, 2024, Jorge sent Yanelly a text message asking her to meet him outside a bar. It was a ruse. Luring her into his truck, he drove to a carpark where Margarita was waiting to learn ‘what was really going on’. The conversation quickly became heated and just before midnight police received a call about a fight on the street. While police…

Did you know? Sunscreen has an expiration date, and once it’s past its use-by, it may not protect you properly. Unfortunately heat, sand and being tossed in your beach bag can break it down even faster. If it’s chunky, watery or smells a bit off, toss it. Fresh SPF is the only kind that will actually save your skin this summer! 50% Around this many of us get sunburnt every summer. Remember to slip, slop, slap! SUMMER SLUMBER If you struggle to sleep in summer, you’re not alone. Hot nights mess with your body’s natural cool-down cycle, while extra daylight, late dinners and holiday chaos throw off your sleep pattern. Keep things chill by swapping to light bedding, having a lukewarm pre-bed shower, and aiming for the same bedtime each…

Don’t you think you should stay home and save money?’ I asked my husband, Nathan, as I watched him tuck into dinner with our kids, Ella, then six, and Riley, 13, and my father-in-law, James, 75. It was a Friday night in August 2023 and, after a long week working as a timber mill benchman, Nathan, 43, was headed to the pub with his mates in nearby Maryborough, Qld. Nathan was strong and caring – a loving father and a doting husband – but that night I was slightly annoyed at him. We were in the middle of renovating our home and I’d hoped he would stay in with us for the night. But he’d been so busy with the house, he hadn’t had a night out in over two…

KATSU SUSHI TRAY SERVES 6 PREP & COOK 50 MINS 1¾ cups medium grain rice, rinsed 400g packet frozen sweet chilli chicken breast tenders ⅓ cup Japanese sushi seasoning ¼ cup Kewpie mayonnaise 3 green onions, finely chopped 1 avocado, thinly sliced 2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted Tonkatsu sauce, pickled ginger, to serve 1 Grease an 18cm x 28cm rectangular slice pan. Line base and sides with baking paper, extending paper 5cm above long edges of pan. 2 Cover rice with 2⅔ cups cold water in a large saucepan. Place over a medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until almost boiling. Cover. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 mins. Remove pan from heat. Stand, without lifting lid, for 10 mins until rice is tender. 3 Meanwhile, cook chicken according to packet…

RASPBERRY ICE-CREAM BARS MAKES 10 PREP 25 MINS RASPBERRY LAYER 85g packet raspberry-flavoured jelly crystals 2 cups (250g) frozen raspberries, thawed ½ cup icing sugar mixture ICE-CREAM LAYER 395g can sweetened condensed milk 300ml tub thickened cream 1 cup creamy vanilla yoghurt 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 Lightly grease a large, straight-sided loaf pan (15cm x 23.5cm x 9cm deep). Line base and sides with baking paper. 2 RASPBERRY LAYER Dissolve jelly crystals in ¾ cup boiling water in a heatproof jug. 3 Blend raspberries and icing sugar in a blender until smooth. Press through a sieve sitting over a large bowl. Discard seeds. Stir in jelly. Pour into prepared pan. Freeze for 1 hour 30 mins. 4 ICE-CREAM LAYER Beat condensed milk, cream, yoghurt and vanilla in small bowl…

See you next month!’ the vet nurse said cheerily, handing me two boxes of tablets and a bottle of ear drops. I smiled weakly. My dear little dog, Buddy, 14, has cost me a fortune in medical expenses over the years. Buddy is prone to ear infections, has itchy skin, a sensitive stomach and extreme separation anxiety. But making regular trips to the vet, prescription medication and a specialty diet don’t come cheaply. I couldn’t have foreseen that the tiny rescue puppy I brought home all those years ago would become a fluffy, loveable money pit. A whopping 73 per cent of us are pet owners and collectively we’re spending $21 billion a year keeping them healthy. Here are a few tips for saving on your pawed and clawed family…

NEXT IN NAILS What’s hot for fingers and toes in 2026? Deep jewel tones, cool greys, milky manis and jelly finishes are all on the cards. JELLY NAILS! MILK NAILS! 1. $16.99 Ardell 1 Step Gel Polish Venetian Red chemiswarehouse.com.au 2. $6 OXX Cosmetics UV Gel Nail Polish Jelly Finish in Dusk kmart.com.au 3. $25.95 OPI Infinite Shine in Belly Button Bling adorebeauty. com.au 4. $23.95 OPI Nature Strong in ll Heal Queen Mother Earth myer.com.au 5. $18 Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Nail Polish in First Glass woolworths.com.au…

Feng shui – the ancient Chinese art of balancing energy – can transform your home into a magnet for luck, harmony and prosperity. These simple practices refresh your space and invite good fortune into your daily life. Clear the way for luck Every feng shui ritual begins with decluttering. Remove anything broken, unused or draining from your home, car, and workspace. When physical clutter disappears, fresh energy can move freely and carry luck straight to you. Lucky bamboo Lucky bamboo is one of the strongest symbols of prosperity. Ensure yours stays healthy and vibrant, as a thriving plant attracts good energy while a neglected one blocks it. For complete balance, include all five elements. Wood: the bamboo Earth: stones Water: growing medium Metal: a glass or metal container Fire: a…

Listening to my friend Julie as she nattered away about a charity initiative she’d heard of, my ears pricked up. ‘That’s a good idea,’ I said, my interest piqued in an organisation called Knitted Knockers, based in the US. They provided soft, cotton knitted prostheses free for women who’d had a mastectomy. ‘I’m going to make one to try out,’ I told Julie. Twenty years earlier, then a fit and healthy 42-year-old, I was diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine mammogram and biopsy. Following a lumpectomy to clear the cancer, unfortunately it reared its ugly head again within a year and I decided to have my right breast removed. Recovering from the mastectomy, I intended to have a breast reconstruction, but my wonderful husband Ian, then 56, fell sick…

CHICKEN SCHNITZEL SOFT TACOS AND AVOCADO CREAM SERVES 4 PREP & COOK 25 MINS 600g packet (4) crumbled chicken schnitzels 8 x 15cm mini soft flour tortillas 310g can corn kernels, drained Hot chilli sauce, fresh coriander sprigs, to serve AVOCADO CREAM 1 large avocado ⅓ cup sour cream 2 tbsp bottled ranch dressing 2 tbsp finely chopped pickled jalapenos 2 tsp lime juice, plus wedges, to serve 1 Cook schnitzels according to packet directions. Thickly slice.  2 Meanwhile, spray a large, non-stick frying pan with cooking oil. Heat over a medium to high heat. Add tortillas in three batches, spraying pan with oil in between batches.  3 Cook for about 1 min on each side, or until light golden. Remove and wrap in foil to keep warm.  4 AVOCADO…

The sun beamed down as a dusty path snaked ahead. I was part-way through a three-hour hike along the Nong Khiaw trail in Laos, South East Asia, and looking around, I marvelled at the lush greenery and towering mountains. ‘This is magnificent!’ I gasped. Pulling my water bottle from my waist, I passed it over my shoulder to my daughter, Luana, then two, who was strapped to my back with a blue and white scarf. She took a big guzzle and then I did too – the route was dazzling but also a mighty challenge! If you’d told me three years earlier that I’d be travelling the world with my baby girl, I would have struggled to believe you. I’d always had a sense of wanderlust, but back then I…

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Why don’t you buy some clothes for your baby doll with this?’ smiled my nan Beverley Grace, then 66, handing me a $50 note. Nan wasn’t well-off, but she knew how much I loved my doll, which I pushed everywhere in a pram. I was eight and couldn’t wait to have a real baby one day. My parents had recently separated, so I guessed Nan was trying to cheer me up. I adored Nan, my mum Linda’s mother. We’d go to the movies or go shopping together, and I also spent weekends with her. When she got sick and died of breast cancer at 70, when I was 12, I was distraught. But soon after she began appearing in my dreams. Time passed and I trained to become a psychic…