Pick Me Up! 16-Jun-2016

What A Flick! I’m so excited that Secret Cinema is putting on Dirty Dancing this summer! I can’t wait to dress up with my friends and watch the movie in the open air. 3 That’s the number of strikes in a row I managed to get when I went tenpin bowling with my mates recently! And they say bad luck comes in threes… Not in my world, it doesn't! What A Sizzler! I’m a real rasher lover – but I’m not sure how I feel about bacon-flavoured toothpaste! Visit www.lifedeathprizes .com  and check out '11 things all bacon lovers will adore'… What A Cutie! I absolutely love this snap I took of my dog Alfie this week. Fast asleep, tongue poking out... How gorgeous is…

Hungary honey A kiss in front of the Buda Castle. My son Socrates and his girlfriend Mary obviously enjoyed their trip to Budapest. Eva Vida, Prestatyn Tot in tiger It appears this handsome beast has nearly swallowed my daughter Rosie whole! Nicky Partridge, Lordswood Petal paws Looks like my kitten Lulu is doing a bit of flower arranging! Lee Hall, Sittingbourne Daddy’s girls Here’s my father Rodger on his 70th birthday with three of his daughters. L-R: Rachel, 29, Dad, me, 25, and my sister Faye, 28. Stacy Gibson, Kidderminster Jump for joy I love this photo of my daughters Jessica, 15, and Katie, 12, having fun on a beach in Turkey. Lynsey Hutsby, Ancaster PMU abroad Couldn’t jet off on holiday to Gran Canaria without taking my favourite mag!…

‘The nasty jibes really knocked her confidence’ ‘We knew our kind girl wanted to donate her organs’ You could always rely on my Gail to make you smile. At 14, she had a wicked sense of humour. She shared a bedroom with her older sister Jenna, then 18. To wake her up, she’d lie on top of her. ‘Wakey, wakey,’ she’d giggle, refusing to budge. ‘Get off!’ Jenna would shout, before bursting into laughter. Gail was a chubby teen, but always the first to poke fun at herself. She didn’t dwell on her weight, was happy in her own skin. She’d have me, Jenna and her other siblings - Matt, 24, Leigh, 20, and Lloyd, 10 - in stitches. ‘You’re crackers,’ we’d joke. Gail was such a happy, jokey character,…

‘I had to know if my girls had been harmed by that man’ After splitting up with my ex, Eddie Sloan, we remained on good terms with each other. My eldest girls Caitlyn, 15, and Natalia, 12, got on brilliantly with Eddie, and we’d gone on to have Demi-Lee, 5, and Lexi-Mai, 4, so he’d visit often. When I moved into a new house in May 2012, Eddie came along to help. Outside, he got chatting to a bloke who lived five doors down - Mick Lawson, then 58. A friendly chap, Mick immediately offered to clear my garden. ‘Anything you need, just ask,’ Mick insisted. My go-to DIY expert, he’d come over whenever I needed anything fixing. I got to know his wife Susan, too. She was a laugh,…

Colourful plastic measuring cups make great bath toys for the kids! Tracey Griffin, Bristol To give my bedside lamp a second life, I lined the shade with plastic bags and drilled holes for a hanging chain. Now I have a colourful flower basket for my garden! Renata Rejmer, Salford Keep track of the herbs you’re growing with pebbles and a marker pen. Jan Savage, Ipswich I needed a large seed pot to grow some broccoli – the bottom of a milk carton was perfect! Brian Betts, Sheffield My old footstool looks as good as new after I recovered it with a pair of cheap curtains from a charity shop. Patricia Walker, Manchester You can make fun fridge-note holders by sticking bottle caps onto small magnets. Pat Lowther, Durham Once you’ve…

1 Slippery slope Rub olive oil on your knife before cutting and your eyes won’t water. Lyndsey Clayton, Swansea 2 Big chill Put the onion in the freezer for 15 minutes before chopping – you’ll complete your task with dry eyes. Colleen Brunt on, Enfield 3 Paper cut Cut it on a piece of kitchen roll – it absorbs the spray that makes your eyes water. Jett Reid, Worcester 4 Water relief Keep dipping your knife in water when chopping – no more tears! Helen Baldwin, L eeds…