Pick Me Up! 01-Nov-2018

Hands shaking as she opened the scary looking brown envelope, I knew my daughter Lauren was nervous. ‘You’ll be fine, Loz,’ I said. I just want her to know how immensely proud I am of her The envelope contained her GSCE results, but if Lauren was worried, I felt confident. I’d seen how hard she’d worked these past few months. The stress had been huge. ‘There’s so much to remember,’ she’d panicked. Hugging her, I remembered how much I’d hated exams when I was her age. And she had 10 of them in the space of three weeks. Terrifying! But then Lauren’s always been a fighter. A premature baby, she had astounded me with her strength. So I knew, come her exams, she’d tackle them no worries. Still, we barely…

My daughter Emma-Louise and I were in Florida recently, and we just had to visit the Kennedy Space Center. It was out of this world! Karen Smith, St Helens Check out this stunning view from my recent holiday to New Zealand. I couldn’t help jumping for joy on that trip. Corrina Williams, Rhuthun On a trip out to the park the other day, my 3-year-old son Brody kept stopping to pick flowers. When I asked why, he said they were for his girlfriend! What a little gentleman. Hayleigh Kennedy, Tyne and Wear Look who my grandson Ethan met – none other than Ant-Man himself, Mr Paul Rudd. He was so excited. Vail Gibbs, Dronfield Woodhouse Here’s my husband Glyn and his twin sister celebrating their 80th birthdays. Vivienne Colwill, Caerphilly…

Sitting behind the wheel of the No 32 bus, I opened the doors for the passengers. ‘Morning, Imre,’ the old ladies smiled as they showed me their passes. I’d see the same people day after day going about their business. But, every so often, a new face would appear. It was in spring 2012 when I first noticed a slim, blonde woman stepping on board my bus with her free concessionary pass in Didcot, Oxfordshire. ‘Hi,’ she said with a shy smile. ‘Hello,’ I nodded. But as the day went on, and passengers got on and off, this woman stayed put. And when we pulled back in to Didcot hours later, she was still in her seat. Strange. ‘You all right, love?’ I asked. ‘Yeah,’ she giggled getting off. Maybe…

Sitting in class, eyes fixed firmly on the blackboard in front, I tried my best to ignore the sniggers all around me. ‘Hey, midget girl!’ said one boy, sending the rest of the class into fits of laughter. Mortified, I rushed out to the toilets. Slamming the cubicle door shut, I burst out crying. Why do people have to be so mean? All my life, it’d been the same story, the same cruel comments, the same thoughtless stares as I walked down the street. But it wasn’t my fault I looked the way I did. When my mum was six months pregnant, doctors discovered I had a common type of dwarfism, achondroplasia, which causes people to be short in stature with a regular-sized torso and short limbs. It meant I’d…

A great cuppa Carte Noire instant coffee is back due to public demand. You can pick up a jar of Classique or Décaféiné for just £2.50 (usually £3.99) at Tesco until 6 November. Fragrant trio Prism Parfums has created three new signature scents for jewellery brand Seksy – the sweet and fruity Entice, the dynamic Embrace and the oriental Elegance. Each bottle is embellished with a Swarovski crystal. Quote SEKSYPMU10 at the checkout to receive 10% off 100ml (RRP £45) at seksybeauty.com until 11 November. Take the cake Treat your taste buds to the new Gü-Zillionaires’ Cheesecakes – layers of chocolate ganache, treacle cheesecake and salted caramel on a chocolate biscuit base. They’re only £1.60 (usually £3.20) for a pack of two at Co-op until 6 November. Fully loaded Oozing…

Micro brainwave Prevent cooking splatter from getting on your kitchen appliances and keep them spotless by simply wrapping them in clingfilm. It’s easy to remove, and means you won’t have to spend ages scrubbing. Rebecca Jepps, via e-mail Bottled up When going for picnics or on self-catering holidays, you don’t want to take full bottles of sauces with you. Instead, decant your favourites into small travel bottles. They save room but still help keep things tasty. Ian Laird, Prenton Come unstuck If you want to reuse an old jar but are having trouble getting the label off, just give it a quick spritz of WD-40, then rub the label off with a cloth. Colleen Brunton, Enfield Don’t get it ringing wet! You can still use your phone but keep it…