Pick Me Up! 23-Feb-2017

What A Ride! I recently went on the ArcelorMittal Orbit slide at London’s Olympic Park with my friends. It’s the world’s tallest and longest tunnel slide. We had so much fun – and, apparently, reached speeds of 15mph! 94 That’s what I scored on the EastEnders quiz. To see how you fare, go to www. lifedeath  prizes.com and search ‘EastEnders’. What A Quacker! My dog Jess hates baths. But how adorable is she in her new, fluffy duck bathrobe? She doesn’t look too impressed, mind… What A Beano! When I went out with the girls for a bottomless, boozy brunch, I made sure I got my money’s worth of bellini cocktails! And I wasn’t even hungover the next day…honest! What A Walkover! My…

Bottoms up! Looks like my wife Caroline enjoyed her Singapore Sling at the Raffles hotel in Singapore! Richard Smith, Nelson Funny feet This sign made me wonder if chiropodists always deal with that many feet in one go! C Davies, Wadebridge By day, he’s Archie, my 9-month-old son, but by night he becomes the caped crusader himself, ready to save Gotham City! Kate Hughes, Liverpool Monkey business When I met this cheeky chimp recently, he reminded me a bit of my husband! Carol Firth, Burgess Hill Cook me up! The highlight of the week at our Manchester uni house is a delicious meal and a natter about this week’s stories... Georgia Carr, via e-mail It’s simples! Here’s our adorable terrier Elise doing her best impression of a meerkat. Lindsay Matthew,…

‘Peter was such a kind, caring boyfriend’ ‘I worried nobody would believe me if I told them’ My knight in shining armour... That was my boyfriend Peter Cotterill down to a T. We’d started dating in 2012, when I was 19. I’d known him for years through friends, but we’d lost touch. Then I’d bumped into him on a night out and he’d proved what a gent he was... I suffer from asthma and started having an attack outside a bar. When I spotted Peter near the door, I grabbed his arm. He held me and kept me calm until an ambulance arrived. It was an unexpected reunion, but it set off a spark between us. Peter was such a kind, caring boyfriend - I was smitten. When I was…

‘Each time we touched him, he would cry in pain’ My little boy Rhys took his first few tottering steps across the living room and I burst into applause. ‘Well done!’ I beamed. But next minute, his smile vanished as he tripped over. Instinctively, I reached out to grab his arm, to steady him. But to my horror, a handful of his skin came off in my hand. Poor Rhys screamed out and I felt dreadful. ‘I’m sorry, darling,’ I said. He was in so much pain. And yet I couldn’t even comfort him with a cuddle. See, after Rhys was born in September 2005, he was diagnosed with a severe case of a rare skin condition called epidermolysis bullosa (EB), which means his skin literally falls off at the…

Freeze water in empty chocolate trays to make some unique, decorative ice cubes. Gloria Wilding, Prescot If you have a rough seam on your clothes that scratches, a rub with a nail file will soften the stitching! Helen Baldwin, Leeds Store your bracelets by looping them over a deodorant canister, and you’ll always be able to find the one you want! Lilian Smith, Preston I cheered up my porch with these pot-mums. All you need to do is line your plant pots with colourful gift wrap. It’s cheap but very effective! Heather McEwen, Norwich Whenever I save knitting to pick up later, I plug the needle with a wine cork to keep the stitches so I don’t lose them. Andrea Hazeldine, Greenford Make dinner times more exciting for your kids…

1 Good Grip Wrap an elastic band around a stubborn bottle lid to make it easier to open. Cassandr a Driscoll, Inverness 2 Page-turner Rubber bands make great bookmark s if you wrap them around the cover – they don’t fall out! Sophie C oulson, Hereford 3 Chop Chop If your chopping board slips when you slice, wrap a band around it to help it stay in place on the counter. Hayley Vick, Tamworth 4 Flower power Keep your flower display tightly packed by wrapping a clear elastic band ar ound the stems before you put them in water. Jean Hill, Dartford * Remember, these are YOUR tips – we haven’t tried them ourselves…