Pick Me Up! 12-Jan-2017

What A Move! My dad is finally hanging up his farming wellies and retiring… No more freezing-cold farmhouse for Mum! I mean, this is how they heat the bathroom at the moment… It’s like something from the 1940s! Brrr! 70 I’m rich! The human body of a 70kg person contains 0.2mg of gold… Might be time to cash in my bod! What A Cheeky Monkey! I was lucky enough to go on safari in South Africa’s Kruger Park recently. Here’s the stealthy monkey that jumped through the tiny crack in the open car window and stole our snacks! What A Gag! If you were 7 years old when Red, Red Wine was released, UB40 today! What A Trip Tip! If you do get the chance to…

I reckon my godson Noel looks adorable in the new penguin hat I got him for his 2nd birthday! Gillian Jackson, Todmorden Girl power! I recently tried my hand at quad biking, which was so much fun, even if I was one of the few girls there. Thumbs-up from me! Shannon Workman, Birmingham Prickly visitor The mysterious, nightly rustling in my garden turned out to be coming from this cute little hedgehog. My son loves it! Julie Surtees, Gateshead Lip-smackingly good! My daughter Lacey, 9, was very pleased with the chocolate sponge cake she made with her dad, but it didn’t last long in our house! Michelle Redman, Blaenavon Krak-ing photo… Here I am celebrating my 24th birthday in Krakow, Poland, with my boyfriend Sam, my dad David and his…

‘Any trace of the man I loved was gone’ Row over cigarettes sparked brutal assault Locked up and battered in four-hour ordeal Rescued by Mum in the nick of time At 17 and single, I felt flattered when a cute lad messaged me. You’re gorgeous, it read. I’d never met James McCourt, also 17, but we had mutual Facebook friends. He made me smile as we chatted online. We got together a few weeks later, in February 2015. Teenagers, we had no money but we had fun hanging out at weekends. I studied Hairdressing while James worked on building sites. ‘You’ll be with me forever,’ he promised. James was often sweet and attentive. But at times he was immature and would start rows. Once, he threw a drink over me…

Kelsie’s mum Susan, 51, says, ‘I never liked James, he had an attitude problem. I suspected Kelsie was covering for his jealous behaviour, but never anything as sickening as what he did. He’d been mouthing off that night, so I kept my phone by my bed in case she needed me. Thank goodness I did. My blood ran cold when I read that message. Finding my girl covered in bruises was horrendous – the memory will haunt me forever. I’m just glad I got there in time. I’m relieved McCourt will never touch Kelsie again. And I’m proud of her for speaking out. Others need warning about McCourt and scum like him.’…

‘Dylan had been deprived of oxygen for 45 minutes’ ‘We’re raising money for the unit treating him...’ Icouldn’t get my head around what had just happened. It’d been a normal day. Just like every other normal day. Except now, my 4-year-old son Dylan was being airlifted to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. And me and my mum Sweetie were bombing up the A39 in a police car, my partner Roy, 41, following close behind. Please be OK, please be OK... I kept repeating what had happened in my head. As if it would make any difference. Dylan had choked on a ham sandwich. He ate them all the time. But this lunchtime, a bit of ham had got stuck in his throat. Doing CPR ‘You OK, pet?’ I’d asked him…

An easy way to thread a needle is to place it on a sheet of white paper and spray the end of the cotton with hair spray. Gloria Wilding, Prescot To stop my clothes slipping off the hangers, I just use an elastic band. Now, everything stays put! Lindsay Matthew, Heywood Cut rounded edges from the sharp points of your tablet strips to avoid cutting your fingers and going back to the chemist for plasters! Margaret Anderson, Sunderland Rubbing half a lemon on glass shower doors and other shower parts twice a month causes the hard water stains to bead up and roll off. Rebecca Lunt, Willesden Use a jug when you’re mixing together cake ingredients. The mixture will be easier to pour into the cases, rather than struggling with…