Pick Me Up! 26-Jan-2023

Pressing play on my bright-pink CD player, I waited for the music to kick in before busting out my best moves. I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want… Spice Girls were my favourite girl group, and I’d spend every minute after school practicing dance routines in front of the mirror. Growing up on a council estate, other kids would play outside in the streets, but I’d be in my bedroom instead, dancing and singing into my hairbrush. It wasn’t just exercise to me – it was therapy. I started attending dance classes at the age of three, and, after my teacher saw something in me, I went from being a shy little girl to a confident young woman. At 14, she let me teach some of…

Good to know Heading out for dinner? If you download the free Turtle Bay app, the Caribbean-inspired restaurant is offering a £10 no-strings attached gift, from now until 16 February. It can be spent on anything on the menu…we’ll raise a cocktail glass to that! • Please visit: turtlebay.co.uk What’s trending Forget spring cleaning – January is the perfect time to give your home a spruce up! And thanks to Fabulosa, it’s never smelt better to pull on your Marigolds and get scrubbing. The new winter Luscious collection features three fragrances – two sweet and fruity, and one fresh and spicy – available in products across the range, including disinfectant, kitchen and bathroom sprays. Choose from… Winter Angel: a vibrant, sweet and fruity fragrance, with notes of bubblegum and pear drops,…

Here is my son enjoying your magazine whilst on holiday in Bulgaria! Katie Uphill, Cardiff I love this pic from New Year’s Eve as we counted down. Lisa Adams, Halesowen My inner child is forever giggling now that I know the Norwegian phrase for speed bump is ‘farts-bumper’… Fiona Deans, North Ayrshire As you can see, my 10-month-old grandson wasn’t very impressed when I brought down his mother’s old rocker from the attic! Tina Vowels, Stroud 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 sharing smiles and happiness. See flyingflowers.co.uk for more…

Sipping on my Magnum cider, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. Looking at the screen, I saw it was my friend Clare*. ‘Hey Nik, what you up to?’ she asked. ‘Not much,’ I replied. With my daughter Poppy, then three, at her dad’s for the weekend back in August 2020, I was just making the most of chilling out in the summer sun with my mate Sophie*. ‘Fancy coming to a party?’ Clare asked. ‘Yeah, why not?!’ I smiled. We’d not long come out of lockdown, so it would be nice to let my hair down. So an hour later, Clare came to pick me and Sophie up, and drove us to her mate’s house in Penarth, just outside of Cardiff. The party was being thrown by two…

A tidy home equals a tidy mind – so get organising!…

Grabbing snacks for the evening, I’d have a range of everything balanced on my lap. From multipacks of crisps to chocolate bars, it wasn’t long until the Indian menu intrigued me enough to place another order. It was always a Tandoori mixed grill or lamb Madras with a keema naan. And it was true that I liked my food With my weight creeping up on me every year that I got older throughout my 20s, by the time me and my husband David, now 72, welcomed our daughter Danielle, now 31, into the world, I’d already reached a size 18. Only, as being a new parent took its toll, comfort eating was something that I turned to time and time again. And just as quickly as Danielle was old enough…