Innholdsfortegnelse for 25-Feb-2016 i Pick Me Up!

What A Surprise! I recently ordered some boots online, and only one boot showed up! Customer Services were great, but they didn’t seem to find the whole thing as funny as I did. 3 …that’s the number of times my group of friends has done an escape game and managed to get out (once with only a minute to spare!) We’ve got another one booked in a few weeks, so hopefully our winning streak will continue. What A Shock! I’ve been watching Making A Murderer on Netflix and it has blown my mind! It’s all everyone seems to be talking about. Visit www. lifedeathprizes.com  and search ‘Making A Murderer’ if you want to get involved. Be warned, it’ll make you question everything..!…

‘I had my old implants replaced with DDs’ ‘The hole started off about as big as a pea, and black...’ Some women have big boobs, some have small ones. Me? I was one of the unlucky ones who didn’t have any at all. ‘Your boobs are so small, I need binoculars,’ one boyfriend told me when I was in my 20s. Charming! My minuscule 32AAs got a bit bigger when I was pregnant with my first daughter at 17, but afterwards, they vanished again. Same thing happened when I had my second daughter five years later, and my son two years after that. It really got me down. I wouldn’t take the kids swimming, used to put chicken fillets in my bras, and suffered depression. By 24, I was so…

‘When Stirling was just 3 weeks old, Christian felt a pain’ Cradling our newborn boy, Stirling, we grinned from ear to ear. ‘The start of our family,’ my husband, Christian, 35, beamed. Christian and I had married in 2007, and when my work in biotech took me to America three years later, we’d set up home in Maryland, just outside Washington DC. Stirling was the final piece of our happy jigsaw. Only, in June 2013, when Stirling was just 3 weeks old, Christian felt a pain in his side. ‘And I’m really tired,’ he said. We put it down to the sleepless nights. But then he got a stomach bug, struggled to eat. ‘Go to the doctor,’ I insisted. Christian was referred for an ultrasound, but before the appointment he…

1 This cancer also affects women. 2 In the early stages, there are no symptoms. 3 PSA testing can help diagnose it. 4 It will get better on its own without treatment. 1 FALSE As the prostate is a small gland found only in men, this doesn’t affect women. It’s the most common cancer in men, usually those over 50. 2 TRUE It doesn’t normally cause symptoms until the cancer has grown large enough to put pressure on the urethra. This leads to problems with weeing. 3 TRUE All men have a small amount of PSA, a protein produced by the prostate gland, in their blood. Raised levels of PSA may be a sign of the condition in its early stages. 4 FALSE If the cancer is getting worse, radiotherapy,…

‘Doctors diagnosed meningitis. But we’d seen no symptoms’ As plans go, this one was pretty cunning. Not! ‘We’ll tell him wearing an eye-patch is the coolest thing ever,’ my fiance, Mattie, 31, laughed. I wasn’t convinced, but was willing to try. It was September 2015, and doctors had told our little lad, Jacob, 4, that he had to wear an eye-patch. ‘But I don’t like it,’ he’d cry, pulling it off. See, when he was just 4 weeks old, we’d woken one morning to find him struggling for breath, and we’d rushed him to Glan Clwyd Hospital. Doctors diagnosed meningitis. We were shocked and terrified. There’d been no rash, no symptoms we’d seen. Transferred to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, Jacob was hooked up to a ventilator. ‘My baby!’…

Sitting there in the ex-servicemen’s club, I was playing bingo, celebrating a friend’s birthday. I’d been chatting to another one of the guests, too, and there was something about Darren Turfrey, 39. ‘I’m single, have two teenagers,’ he said. I explained that I was a single mum to my toddler, Joe. Then, the following weekend, I bumped into him. Soon, we were Facebook friends, chatting every night. Darren was warm and caring. Two months later, in August 2013, he introduced me to Harry, then 15, and Megan, 14. And I introduced them to Joe. ‘We want you to stay over,’ Megan said. After that, Joe and I never left... I’d found my soulmate and, although we weren’t a traditional family, we were so happy. Within weeks, Darren and I talked…

1 HOW TO JOIN Online bingo is very similar to traditional bingo, but played in the comfort of your own home. There are great prizes on offer and it’s simple to play. Head to pickmeupbing.com home. and sign up! When you join Pick Me Up! Bingo and make your first depoist, you’ll get a 250% Welcome Bonus. 2 HOW TO PLAY Check out the Games Lobby, which will list all the bingo rooms, the jackpots you can play for and the cost of the tickets. Select the room in which you’d like to play and, once you’ve bought your tickets, sit back, relax and let the game begin! Your numbers will be dabbed automatically by your computer. 3 HOW TO GET YOUR WINNINGS Any winnings are immediately credited to your…

‘I pop to the supermarket in the evenings to buy the food which is heavily reduced to clear it off the shelves. Then I freeze it. It’s an especially cheap way to buy pricier items, like meat.’ Coleen Brunton, Enfield ‘Keep your head at the supermarket by planning your trip with military precision. Check voucher and price-comparison websites first, then write a list and stick to it!’ Jessica Powell, Cwmbran ‘I spend less when I shop online. I can check products from lowest to highest price and compare offers side-by-side. If I do go to the supermarket, I go late in the day for the bargains.’ Jackie Wilson, Basingstoke ‘I compare unit prices, but the shops don’t make it easy! They combine metric and imperial measurements, and alternate between price-per-100g…

Take 3… hot chocolates Cup of Cadbury’s Highlights hot chocolate…38 cal Hot chocolate made with skimmed milk…152 cal Hot chocolate made with whole milk…205 cal Flattering Fashion This gypsy-style blouse has elbow-length sleeves to hide upper arms, and vertical lines to draw the eye down. Get Moving! Petsercise with Louis Smith This 11-minute video is for you and your dog! It’s been developed by a vet and a personal trainer. Follow Louis Smith as he puts you and your pooch through your paces! See MoreThan. com  and search ‘petsercise’. Pick Me Up! FOR LESS £1 at Waitrose until 15/3/16 (usually £1.85) Food Swaps Swap AN APPLE DOUGHNUT … 203 CAL For A PINK LAD Y APPLE… 47 CAL Try this…. Slim Nite, £12, health…

As a baby, my daughter, Henrietta, had an unusual babysitter... A sheepdog named Fell! I’m a sheepdog trainer, so I’d head into our fields and secure Henrietta’s basket safe in the roots of a nearby oak tree. Protective and loyal, Fell wouldn’t leave her side. Growing up around animals, Henrietta loved walking the dogs. I also run dog obedience classes and, soon, Henrietta volunteered to help. At 6, I gave Henrietta her own sheepdog puppy, Lad, to practice her skills. Learning tricks together, she developed a great bond with Lad. To date, she’s trained Lad, now 7, another sheepdog, Sell, 4, and two Labradors, Purdy, 1, and Nala, 8 months. In 1990, I was the first woman to win the competition One Man and His Dog. But I hadn’t come…

‘I’m so grateful for all of the small things’ My partner, James, 26, and I were expecting our first child in September 2015. But, as a first-time mum, I felt a bit anxious - as if something might go wrong. ‘It’s probably just nerves,’ James said, soothing me. Staying strong Then, at my 12-week scan at the Raigmore Hospital, Inverness... ‘Your baby has gastroschisis,’ the doctor told us. I’d never heard of the condition, but it sounded worrying. The doctor explained there was a hole in her abdominal wall and her bowel was growing outside her body. It meant she’d need treatment as soon as she was born, and I’d have to be more closely monitored during pregnancy. ‘I knew something bad would happen!’ I cried. But, somehow, I found…

‘The guys raised £3,600 for Teenage Cancer Trust’ Last summer, I spent four days camping with mates at a music festival. We had a blast. After, though, I felt run down, had a hacking cough. ‘I just need rest,’ I told my mum, Maura, 60. Only, I’d had the cough for a few months already. Then I found a strange lump by my collarbone. The doctor thought it could be hormonal, but just in case, I was booked for a scan. Meanwhile, we went on a family holiday. There, I found a second lump on my neck. Bad news As soon as we got back, my dad, David, 53 took me to the GP, insisting on a next-day referral. I was sent to the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital for tests.…

Fit fella Forget tropical beach scenes, this is what screensavers were made for! My hunky fiance, Ben, 25, in Antigua, where we got engaged. Poppy Murray, Yelverton Look who I met! We were so excited to meet Sooty (and his assistant Richard Cadell). From left to right, that’s Heather, me and Jacqui – the bar staff at Ferneham Hall. Ashley Harley, Fareham In paradise Just look at how truly amazing the beaches in Bali are. And they go on for miles… Stacy Gibson, Kidderminster Piggy back He’s a baby micro-pig, but that didn’t stop our adorable Claude from finding someone even smaller to give a lift to! Jaime Paul, Saltburn Poo-culiar product Well, this sauce might taste great, but I really don’t think its name is doing it any favours!…

‘Looking at her, I felt full of love, but also shocked’ It was at my 20-week scan at the Royal Bolton Hospital where I got the bad news. ‘Your baby isn’t developing properly,’ the doctor told me and my husband, Paul, 42. ‘She’s likely to die in the womb, so I’d recommend a termination.’ ‘I need to give her a chance,’ I said firmly. Breaking the news to our other children - Dylan, 21, Faye, 15, and Joseph, 11 - was hard. But I knew we needed to stay strong as a family. I had to have scans every four weeks to check on our girl, who we decided we’d name Lydia. They showed that her head was growing abnormally, due to fluid on her brain. On 10 May 2011,…

It was October 2011, and I’d planned a fun, family activity - tobogganing on an indoor slope! My daughter, Lola, now 8, had been looking forward to it for weeks. As she got into her snowsuit, she was giggling in excitement. Only, around half an hour in, she started complaining, saying she didn’t want to do it any more. Strange. So I got her off the slope. And then she started projectile vomiting. The rest of the weekend, she did nothing but sleep. Worried, I took her to the GP, who said she just had a virus and it’d pass. However, after that, I noticed that whenever we went out she’d get a big, red rash across her face. One morning, her feet and hands started swelling up when she…

Cranberry Banana Bread Serves: 8 Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 1 hr • 100g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing • 225g caster sugar • 3 ripe bananas, peeled and cut into 1-2cm chunks • 4tbsp milk • 2 eggs • 300g plain flour • 2tsp baking powder • 50g chopped walnuts • 150g dried cranberries 1 Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 5. Grease then line a 1kg loaf tin with baking paper. 2 Mix butter and sugar together until blended. Add banana, milk and eggs, mixing well. Add flour and baking powder and mix again. 3 Stir in walnuts and cranberries and pour mixture evenly into the tin. 4 Bake for 1hr, until a toothpick inserted into centre of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out and leave to…

Wow! I Won A Fab £1,000 Jenna won just weeks after joining! Jenna Radford, 25, Tipton, West Midlands I couldn’t seem to stop smiling. It was May last year, and me and my partner, Dave, 33, had recently tied the knot. It’d been beautiful. Our son, 2, had looked adorable in his shirt and tie. And we couldn’t wait to move into our new house when it was ready. Then, one day in July, I was reading Pick Me Up! when something caught my eye - a woman had won a few thousand playing Pick Me Up! Bingo. Even happier! She’d used the cash prize to treat herself to a new car and holiday. I’d never been a bingo player, but I thought I’d give it a try. I picked…

‘Aaron had screamed to his colleagues that it was his family’ It happened so quickly. It was last June, and me and my son, Jonathan, then 7, were driving to the local swimming pool. But, before I knew it, my small, gold car had collided head-on with a pick-up truck. I woke up in hospital five days later. ‘You were in a car accident,’ a nurse said. ‘You’ve been in a coma.’ Before long, my husband, Aaron, 38, was by my side. ‘You’re lucky to be alive,’ he told me. He explained that, after colliding with the truck, I’d been thrown from the car and landed in the road. Jonathan had been trapped in the wreckage by his legs, and had to be freed by firefighters. He’d broken his left…

Lady Prelox, £37.95 for a month’s supply, www.ladyprelox.co.uk Made from natural ingredients, this dietary supplement promises to help improve your sexual desire, comfort and pleasure! Kidsflush, £9.99, www.kidsflush.com All parents know that toilet-training your children can be a task! To make sure they flush – this fun button sits over the top of a standard toilet button flush, and even plays a trumpet sound when pressed! Clarks Abracadabs, £26, www.clarks.co.uk If your little one is a budding artist, these trainers will be right up their street! Colour them in, and they can go in the washing machine, and be painted on all over again!…

PISCES 20 Feb–20 March Much good can come of sticking to pre-made plans as certain faces will have gone out of their way to ensure events are special and memorable for you. Some sort of proposal or offer that’s heading your way will change everything! Call: 09058 170 721* ARIES 21 March–20 April You don’t really want to admit the truth, but you need to know others know more than you think already – so if you continue to deny, you’ll just end up looking and feeling the fool. Admissions you make on Tuesday gain you some allies. Call: 09058 170 710* TAURUS 21 April–21 May A close one really does seem to be going out of their way to make life extremely difficult for you lately. But, luckily for…

Putting on a ‘skull and crossbones’eye-patch, I grinned at my reflection. The finishing touch before heading out to a mate’s 18th birthday bash in October 2002. Only, it wasn’t pirate-themed – the patch was to cover my shrivelled left eye. Diagnosed with juvenile arthritis as a toddler, I’d inflamed, stiff joints. At 7, I developed uveitis, chronic swelling in my left eye, causing sight loss. My right eye was unaffected but, 10 years on, my left eye died. ‘It may turn cancerous,’ my doctor had warned. So, later in October 2002, I had it removed, then had a glass eye, matching my natural brown, fitted. No longer hiding behind eye patches or lenses, I felt fantastic. Single, in April 2009, I got chatting to my friend, Ben, 24, on a…

Bargain Beauty There’s an exclusive 15% off for readers until 25 February at www.stylondon.com on its range of temporary tattoos and gel nail wraps. Just enter the code LOVESTYLONDON at the checkout to redeem the offer. Blend It If you’re still on a health kick, now’s the perfect time to get your mitts on this ElectriQ Sports Blender from appliancesdirect.co.uk. It’s now just £14.98, down from £29.99 – bargain! Winter Break Save up to 25% on a stay at an Ibis hotel in the UK and Ireland, when you book before 1 March, for stays between now and 10 April. Even better, you can save an extra 5% when you book online at www.ibis.com Coffee Time! Treat yourself to this bargain VonShef Capsule & Coffee Pod Machine for just £51.99…

‘Too afraid to tell anyone, I became ill...’ I used to love lazy Saturday mornings, watching cartoons. It was my treat. My time. Until my great-uncle Allan Benton, then 44, moved into our attic room. He wasn’t a blood relative, but he’d split with my great-aunt on Mum’s side. My mum, Rena, then 29, and stepdad, John, had taken pity on him. And I’d liked Uncle Allan at first. He’d take me to the park, watch telly with me at the weekend. So when he plonked himself on the sofa one Saturday morning a few weeks on, I didn’t mind. But as I got up to walk to the kitchen, Allan followed, cornering me in the back room. Before I could speak, he grabbed my hand, thrust it down the…

Night cough Q A few weeks ago, my daughter, 3, had a cold. She was chesty then, but is better now, apart from a cough at night. How long should I expect this to go on? Petra, Bradford A A night cough is often an early sign of mild asthma. See your GP so she can have an assessment and be given an inhaler, then they’ll want to know how she responds to it over the next few weeks. Sweating worries Q Since the menopause, I’ve suffered from horrendous sweats. I’m now 60 and still on HRT, but it’s not helping. Maureen, Bicester A You must rule out other worrying causes with blood tests first. Then, if HRT is not enough, another medication called oxybutynin might help. Speak to your…

1 Asda Extra Special Hand-Finished Victoria Sponge, £2.65 A good, dense sponge with a delicious buttercream and raspberry jam filling. One slice is never enough! 2 Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference Victoria Sandwich, £2.65 A lovely rich, buttery sponge with a good thick layer of buttercream filling and jam. Nigh on perfect! 3 Tesco Fresh Cream Strawberry Jam Victoria Sponge, £2.65 This is SO good – but it’s the fresh cream that takes it into a different league – definitely posh enough to grace afternoon tea! Make it yourself... Serves: 10 Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 20-25 min • 150g soft butter, plus extra for greasing • 150g caster sugar, plus 1tbsp to serve • 3 large eggs • 150g self-raising flour • 1tsp baking powder • Half pot raspberry…

Taking a person’s life is the most despicable of crimes, and causes public outrage when sentences are seen as lenient. Yet, once killers have served their time, they’re free to start afresh. For fear of revenge attacks from vigilantes, a handful are granted the right to new identities on release. In 2010, then UK Justice Secretary Jack Straw said anonymity orders would be granted when the ‘physical safety, indeed the life of somebody being released, could only be preserved if they are given a new identity’. Reportedly costing £250,000 per identity to the UK taxpayer, ‘lifelong anonymity’ orders are rare. Just four individuals have been granted them in Britain – including 1968 child killer Mary Bell and 1993 child killers Jon Venables and Robert Thompson. The fourth was Maxine Carr…

BOGOF, 2-for-1, 3-for-2, 2-for-£3, Meal Deal... Supermarket shelves are packed with these irresistible offers. And, in a bid to bag a bargain, who hasn’t snapped up something labelled Special Offer during the weekly shop? But take a closer look. Are you really getting as good a deal as you’re led to believe? It seems not. ‘Supermarkets are designed in a way to tempt you to buy additional bits,’ says Nick Hill, money expert at The Money Advice Service. So what exactly are the supermarket industry’s secrets? Take the 2-for-£3 deals. On the surface, these brightly coloured, cleverly worded offers seem great but, in reality, you’re often only saving a few pence on a product you only need one of. Essentials It’s the same with 3-for-2 offers. You come out with…

ASK JESS Q My hair’s really starting to thin, and it’s affecting my confidence. I’ve tried a few shampoos supposed to combat hair loss, but nothing seems to work – is there anything else I could try? Claire Allen, 40, Norwich A I’d suggest giving New Nordic Hair Volume supplement a go. It’s £24.99 for a month’s supply, from Holland & Barrett. It’s said to help encourage hair growth for longer, stronger and, most importantly, thicker locks. TRIED & TESTED Hand cream 1 Fenjal Classic Hand Creme, £4.25, from independent pharmacies This softening Swiss formula is quickly absorbed, with no greasy residue. I liked the floral scent, too. 2 Lanolips Antibacterial Hand Cream, £8.99, Waitrose This brilliant multi-tasker kills off 99.99 per cent of germs on your hands, while working…

Relationships are always a focus of concern in our lives. Are you seeking a romantic partner? Are you experiencing difficulties in your current relationship? Are you both compatible? Our team of specially selected love psychics can help you find the answers you’re looking for on all matters of the heart. Using the ancient art of the tarot, your psychic reader will provide revealing answers. LIVEPSYCHICS & MEDIUM! Call our live Psychics and Mediums now! Pay by your phone bill… Love Psychics 0906 174 1693 (£1.50/min)** Live Mediums 0906 174 1777 (£1.50/min)** Call Freephone 0800 063 0687 Book your reading with our friendly advisors Enjoy your consultation Or simply text LOVET (Space) plus your question to 86655 (Texts £1.50 per msg x 2)***…

‘I wanted to do something daring and unusual to raise cash’ Strolling down my high street in March 2013, I spotted a sign for a food bank. I decided to head inside to find out how to donate. I was upset to learn many local residents relied on the charity, supported by The Trussell Trust. And it struck a chord. In 2011, I’d struggled making ends meet after graduating university, often skipped meals. Thankfully, my mum, June, 77, had sent me food vouchers. Others aren’t so lucky. Perhaps my son, Jacob, now 17, would need similar help one day. I couldn’t bear the thought. So, despite working full-time at Linlithgow Palace, I began volunteering at Linlithgow Food Bank each week. Making friends with fellow volunteers and chatting with community members…