Pick Me Up! 05-May-2016

What A Read! I live in the East End of London, so I loved Secrets of the Sewing Bee, by Kate Thompson. It’s a novel about ladies who survived the Blitz while their men were fighting in WWII. They made ’em tougher back then! 33 That’s how old I am this week, which is great, as a study shows that 33 is the age at which people have said they were happiest. I’ll let you know if it's true next year. What A View! My boyfriend and I went up to the Sky Garden at the top of the ‘Walkie Talkie’ building in London. The views are amazing, plus it's free! What A Giggle! I couldn’t help sniggering at some of the number plates that have…

Look who I met! Bumping into Brad Simpson from The Vamps was a wonderful way to top off my London shopping trip! Paige Bradshaw, Leicester Peak position I made it to the top of Doi Inthanon , the highest mountain in Thailand. That’s me with my son Richard, left, and his friend Andrew in the cap! Patricia Milner, Pudsey PMU mates It looks like there’s a third girl in this photo but it’s just the back of our favourite mag – me and my bestie Karen never travel without it! Mary Molloy, Dublin Yes Sur! Here’s me, spoiling the view of the stunning Big Sur coastline in California. It’s a spectacular drive but very twisty-turny! Tracy Davidson, Stratford-upon-Avon Ice and lemon? No, too much tonic! My cheeky cat Elsa taste-testing…

‘He was lurking around, trying to catch me on my own’ ‘We carried the burden of his dark secret for so long’ Arriving at my nan’s house, my big sister Helen, 11, and I ran up and hugged her. ‘Hi, Roy,’ we smiled politely, seeing her husband Roy Glazebrook, 60. ‘He’s your grandad and you should call him that,’ our nan Alma insisted. ‘Sorry, Nan,’ we mumbled. Our mum Colleen’s dad had died when she was just 11, and Nan had married Roy. But although he’d always been there, we were so used to Mum calling him Roy, we’d slipped into the habit, too. It didn’t help that we found him odd. He’d interrupt chats to bore on about computers or his beloved CB radio. At family gatherings, he’d say…

‘You never know what’s going on behind closed doors. In their own family, too! It’s frightening, but I’m glad they can move on now that he’s finally been dealt with.’ Jenny Pierpoint, Lydiate ‘That’s a disgraceful sentence. He abused three people, and they had to grow up carrying that cruel burden. The justice system needs to get tougher.’ Alexandra Nicolaou, Morden ‘I’m glad Karen found justice, and that Glazebrook got the punishment he deserves for taking her childhood. Now she can find peace and move on with her life.’ Melanie Lodge, Mirfield…

‘At least they’d caught it early… I was positive’ ‘Doctors don’t know how long I’ve got left’ I was pregnant with our second child when I first noticed it - a little flat, brown mark on the top of my right ear. ‘I’ve got hair dye on my ear!’ I sighed to my fiance Lee, 42. Only it wouldn’t budge. As the pregnancy progressed, the mark got bigger and itchy. Probably just hormones, I thought, realising that it wasn’t dye. By the time our son Sid arrived in October 2012, it was about 2cm big, and scabby, too. ‘I need this removed,’ I decided. Lee told me to go to a GP, and, a couple of months later, I had it removed under local anaesthetic and sent for testing. Soon,…

Line an empty fruit tub with flowery fabric and you have a pretty hot-drink sachet holder. Sharon Taylor, Runcorn If your earrings are always getting jumbled up in your jewellery box, pair them up in buttons. Lucy Robinson, Bristol Knot in your bracelet? Sprinkle a little baby powder over it and then loosen with a pin. Angela Clifton Felixstowe Hang on to the drawstring bag that cotton pads come in – it’s ideal for carrying your kids’ toothbrush and paste when they go on a sleepover. Michelle Underwood, Woking I revamped our plain, white outdoor table by covering it with sticky-back plastic – what a transformation! Helen Baldwin, Leeds Cut the top off a plastic water bottle and you have a perfect pot in which to store your kitchen cleaning…