Pick Me Up! 16-Jun-2022

Bouncing my knee up and down, I propped a book on my leg. With my daughter Polly, three, pointing at the pictures and my 18-monthold son, Bobby, happy gurgling along, it was a usual home setting. Teddy bears scattered all over the house. Only, after putting my babies to bed and turning on the TV, the scenes on the news broke my heart. Witnessing innocent children, some the same age as my own, in Ukraine, alone and needing to flee their home. Clutching onto a teddy bear or soft toy for hope. And as more footage played, there were more and more children in desperate need. Sleeping in an underground shelter and roaming the wartorn streets looking for help. Taking a moment to digest what I was seeing I asked…

HAVE YOU HEARD? BBC Gardeners’ World Live and BBC Good Food Show Summer will return to Birmingham’s NEC this month! For four fabulous days, this event is packed with the latest garden ideas, plants, products and trends, alongside inspirational tips, advice and a host of famous faces. With stunning show gardens, the country’s largest Floral Marquee and specialist nurseries and growers, you can immerse yourself in the sweet scent of summer with Gardeners’ World Live. Plus, the BBC Good Food Show Summer will see the likes of James Martin, Dame Mary Berry and Nadiya Hussain, as well as a selection of producers and brands. • Takes place between 16 and 19 June. Prices from £26. • www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com FUN DAYS OUT Sunshine-filled days mean one thing – ice cream! If you’re…

I caught my husband Ant smooching another woman – on our honeymoon! How dare he! Sian Salsbury, Cradley Heath. Family fun! My gorgeous nephew Tristan, three, and I having fun at our local farm. He is our little ray of sunshine! Melissa Shackleton, Stockport. Shell-sational. Our tortoise Georgie has awfully big lips! Mrs Gibli, Penarth. Self-care scare! Our Sue loves pampering herself, imagine waking up to this in the morning! Patricia Cordon, Cheltenham. My son Alfie, five, just loved the hotel pool in Skiathos! Carol Cassan, Tiverton. If your letter makes Star Letter of the week, you will receive some beautiful blooms from Flying Flowers. With over 30 years’ experience of helping celebrate life’s special moments and FREE delivery by post, a gorgeous bouquet by Flying Flowers is a lovely way to celebrate…

Looking over at my girlfriend Catherine having the time of her life, I grinned like a lovesick teen We hadn’t been dating for long, but I was smitten. ‘Come on,’ she grinned. ‘Dance with me!’ ‘I don’t dance,’ I laughed. But when Cat flashed me her bright blue eyes at me, I was mesmerised. She could always get away with anything, and I’d do anything she wanted. The sun was shining at T in the Park, and we boogied the night away. It wasn’t long before we moved in together – I already had an older daughter, Shannon, and Cat had two children from a previous relationship, too – and we all moved into a big five-bedroom house. When Cat fell pregnant in March 2015, it was a shock for…

When I got home that afternoon, I sent her a quick text. Is everything OK? Shall I come round? When my phone rang, I assumed it was Cat. But it was her ex. ‘I’m so sorry…’ he began, and I knew straight away something terrible had happened. ‘But Cat’s gone.’ I felt my knees hit the ground and I heard a gut-wrenching scream leave my mouth. I was heartbroken. Just two days earlier, we’d been celebrating Mother’s Day together, smiling and laughing and having fun. Now, my beautiful Cat had taken her own life. I knew she’d been struggling with everything. A gut-wrenching scream left my mouth But I really thought she was getting better. I thought I was helping her. But Cat couldn’t bear the fact that she couldn’t…

Putting my cuppa down on the coffee table, I curled up on the sofa and pointed the remote at the TV. My little girl Macy, four, was sat in her favourite spot by the window, colouring in, and my older daughter Courtney, 10, was in her bedroom. My husband Gary, 36, was out at work – I’d made dinner for the kids, everything was ready for them to go back to school after the weekend, and the house was clean and tidy. Finally, I had time to chill out and put my feet up! ‘Mummy, I’m going to go upstairs and watch telly with Courtney,’ Macy said. I suddenly heard a massive crash from nowhere ‘Go on then, love,’ I said. ‘I’ll be up to tuck you in later.’ The…