Innholdsfortegnelse for TAK2419 i Take 5

We all have a natural, physiological tremor. It’s caused by continuous ‘traffic’ down the nerves from our brains to the muscles that control bending and stretching each joint. But we’re not usually aware of it, unless it becomes exaggerated – for example, by the adrenaline surge we get when we’re anxious or angry. Hangovers or alcohol withdrawal can also cause temporary shakiness (a sign that you’ve overdone it). Many medical conditions can cause tremors, which can be embarrassing, inconvenient or disabling, so it’s important to find out the cause. Many things cause tremors Essential Tremor (ET) can run in families and becomes more common with age, affecting one in 25 older people. It doesn’t usually occur until you try to use the affected part, but may fluctuate, depending on what…

Dear Take 5ers, I’ve recently moved into a granny flat in my daughter Emily’s garden. My husband passed away three years ago. The house felt too big without him and I wanted to be closer to town. When Emily and her hubby, Dan, kindly suggested I move in, I sold the house and used the money to build the flat. It’s been fantastic. I’m close to the bridge club and the library, and I get to see more of my three grandkids. Emily usually cooks for me as I’m not much of a chef, in return I mind the kids after school. Last week Emily asked me to contribute $400 per month for bills and groceries. I know the cost of living crunch is hitting everyone and I did charge…

I loved the colour so much, I decided to make it official! Kitten Kay Sera, 60. Stepping into a pair of baggy blue trousers, I looked in the mirror. “Happy birthday to me,” I sighed. It was my 20th, but it just felt like any other day. I was the youngest of five girls and had become used to wearing my older siblings’ hand-me-downs, which were mostly boring and plain. But I’d woken up on my birthday wanting fun and excitement. “I’m going to be bold and brave,” I said to my sister. “Good for you,” she replied. She took me on a shopping spree and I chose an all-pink outfit. Back home, I dressed in my new pink top, a pink fluffy skirt, pink shoes and pink accessories. I’d…

We all wanted a baby, so we came up with a deal Amy Cardenas, 39. My fiancé John, got up from the restaurant table to go use the bathroom. And as soon as he left, my friend Neva leant over. “Amy, do you think John would donate his sperm to us?” she asked. I laughed. Neva and I had been friends since we were 18 and at college together, and when she’d met her wife Kelsey, I’d grown close to her, too. I knew they’d been discussing having a biological baby together. They’d already adopted three children, Adi, eight, Tig, seven, and Hammie, four, as well as fostering a teenager. The pair of them had joked about them using John’s sperm in the past. But this time, Neva looked serious.…

My photo subject sure knows how to jam Jason Moore, 57, Kallaroo, WA. I stretched my neck and yawned. “I reckon I’m done here,” I said to myself. I’d gotten up early to head to a lake near my house to catch the best light. It was a favourite spot of mine to take bird photographs. I’d been an amateur wildlife photographer for over 30 years, ever since I got my first camera at 21. Over the years, I’d won a few competitions for my photos of wildlife and had even been invited to talk at conferences. It was an interest I pursued on the weekends. During the week, I’d worked in finance and in recent years had invested in a local business. Packing up my gear on this Saturday…

My mobile home is fit for a king! Jono Simpson, 40, Winton, NZ. Dropping my work colleague off at home, I noticed a bus parked in his neighbour’s yard. “That looks like the Playford house bus,” I said. I wandered over and knocked on their door. “Did your house bus used to belong to the Playford family?” I asked the bloke who answered. “Yeah, do you know them?” he replied. “I do. I used to play with the kids when I was a boy. That’s a beaut of a house bus,” I said, admiring it. “I’m selling it,” the bloke said, and my jaw dropped. “Well, I’m buying it then!” I said. It was 2018, but I’d been drawing that house bus since I was 13, dreaming of owning one…

It’s late, you’re really tired – sooo tired! – and you’ve got an early start tomorrow. You really should go to bed, but these are the only minutes you’ve had to yourself all day. So you keep scrolling through social media… and scrolling… and before you know it, it’s after midnight. The next day, you’re exhausted and cranky, so you resolve to get an early night. But that night, you end up doing the exact same thing. BREAKING THE CYCLE Here are Professor Haslam’s tips for breaking up with revenge bedtime procrastination… • Schedule some ‘me time’ during the day rather than leaving it until late at night when it disrupts your rest, and protect that time fiercely. • Do an honest audit of how many hours of sleep you…

I keep a packet of balloons in my bag when I’m travelling. When the kids are bored, I blow up a balloon to keep them entertained. Caitlin Wu, Greensborough, Vic. Add a few drops of foundation to your face cream for a DIY tinted moisturiser. Emma Parsons, Busselton, WA. To clean the residue off the inside of a glass vase, swish around a handful of raw rice in warm water. Remove it, then add detergentent and hot water, and leave it overnight. Diane Kaminski, Dubbo, NSW. When I’m adding herbs and spices to a meal, I mix them together in a little cup then add them to the pot together, so that I don’t get steam in the containers (which makes the herbs go clumpy). Mel Sharma, Gosford, NSW. Lint…

Wartime secrets I wanted to know what my father experienced in WWII Dr Kathryn Spurling, 76, Canberra, ACT. My young sons, Ashley and Bryden, listened intently to their grandfather, Maxwell Norris, as he regaled them with stories of the war. With his hands in position, he demonstrated how he’d shot down a fleet of Luftwaffe, Germany’s air defence, from a Halifax bomber. Yeah, all right Dad, I thought, smiling. He had a habit of embellishing his war stories. My father had served with the bomber command of the Royal Air Force and flown many operations over Germany during WWII. As I had a PhD in military history, I was well aware he’d never personally shot down any aircraft. When I was little, Dad rarely spoke to me about his service.…

A WELCOME RETURN The last time I’d come to the Thai capital was in the mid-90s. I stayed for just a night or two before continuing on to a beachside holiday. Apart from a must-see trip to a temple or two, most of my time was spent in the tourist den of Khao San Road. It didn’t leave much of an impression – certainly not enough for me to return in the following 20-plus years or to even choose to stopover there on a longhaul flight. But either I’ve changed (most likely) or Bangkok has (probably), because after five days there recently, I would return in a heartbeat. One thing that hasn’t changed in the time between visits is the white-knuckle ride you can get in the back of a…

Healing power of nature Reading how being in the ocean helped Sally Taylor and Jen Rogers after breast cancer (issue 9) I could relate. Pregnant with my second son 15 years ago, I had an emergency caesarean which was extremely traumatic. Physically, I healed quickly, but mentally I really struggled. The only thing that helped me push through my post-natal depression was heading to the beach, breathing in the salty spray and letting the waves wash over my feet. It was, and still is, my peaceful place. Amanda Hoffman, Narooma, NSW. You gotta laugh! WE PAY $100 FOR EACH LETTER PRINTED While driving with my best friend of almost 50 years, Ellie, to our favourite coffee shop, we were chatting about the fun we had together as 20-year-old nursing students,…