Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 44, 2025 i that's life!

Neighbours’ props turned up in an op shop It’s no secret that we love a good op shop find here at tl!, whether it’s a huge saving on a dress or pair of shoes, or a cute homewares find. But I have to admit I would have been beside myself with excitement if I’d popped into a Forest Hill, Vic, op shop recently. As explained in this week’s Trending (page 14), props from the sadly now cancelled but beloved series Neighbours turned up on the shelves. The show’s famous Ramsay Street, otherwise known in real life as Pin Oak Court, is in a neighbouring suburb, so when filming wrapped, scripts, costumes and even character ID cards were donated to the store. For the first 20-odd years of Neighbours, I was…

WORLD CLASS CUTENESS Bastian, a seven-year-old rat terrier mix from New York is People magazine’s 2025 World’s Cutest Rescue Dog. The gorgeous pooch was rescued from floods during Hurricane Florence in 2018. Owner Joelle Andres, 41, said when she saw him online at an animal shelter, ‘His eyes were very soulful… he looked kind of shut down and forlorn.’ Joelle drove through torrential rain to meet the pooch and fell in love instantly. ‘He was just a little, sad, skinny boy… I was like “That’s it. You’re coming home with me”,’ she said. Now Bastian uses a communication board with buttons for walk, outside, and ouch to help him express his needs. As the winner, Bastian receives a year’s supply of dog food, and $1000 for his former shelter in…

RASPBERRY JAM DOUGHNUT CUPCAKES MAKES 12 PREP & COOK 50 MINS 1 cup frozen raspberries 440g packet golden butter cake mix 2 eggs ⅔ cup milk 75g butter, softened 1 tsp ground cinnamon 300ml tub thickened cream 2 tbsp raspberry jam 12 mini cinnamon doughnuts 1 Line a 12-hole muffin pan (⅓-cup capacity) with paper cases. 2 Spread raspberries over a large plate. Stand for 20 mins or until thawed. Gently crush with a fork. 3 Meanwhile, place cake mix in a small bowl of an electric mixer, reserving icing sachet for another use. 4 Add eggs, milk, butter and cinnamon. Beat on low speed for about 1 min, or until combined. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for a further 2 mins, or until thick. 5 Divide mixture evenly…

Waking up, I was buzzing with excitement. My eighth birthday party was later that day. I begged to stay home to help prepare, but of course Mum insisted that I went to school. At home time, my older brother, who I usually walked with, was chatting to friends, so I hurried ahead alone. A block away from our house, a man was parked in a car, watching me in his rearview mirror. My gut told me to cross the street, so I did, but when he got out to follow me, I saw he had a limp. ‘I hurt my hip,’ he said to me. ‘Can you pick something up for me?’ ‘Sure,’ I replied. He had no teeth and reeked of nicotine, but seemed harmless. As I bent over…

Yawning, I trudged up the stairs to bed. My daughter Jess, 19, was already fast asleep, and my wife Cath, 51, was away on a work trip in Adelaide – so I’d decided to have an early night at home. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror brushing my teeth, I suddenly felt a searing pain in my back. I’d had a few back issues in the past, so tried to stretch it out. Maybe I’d just jarred it brushing my teeth? I thought. But the pain got worse. I was in agony! Then nerve pain shot down my left leg, almost knocking me off my feet. My leg went completely numb. Somehow, I managed to drag myself to the phone to call an ambulance. When the paramedics arrived, I…

WE PAY FOR EACH PHOTO USED WINNERS ARE GRINNERS As I’m the cook in our house, I’m extremely happy my wife Susanne’s years of entering competitions every week has paid off for us with this prize. Errol Phillips, Rochedale South, Qld Loving life and reading that’s life! – perfect! Lesley Smith, Busselton West, WA Brothers Tommy, six, Louie, seven months, and Lachie, seven, enjoying the park. Brianna White, Curlewis, Vic WHAT’S ODD? PUZZLE $50 CASH HOW TO WIN... This image has been taken from the film Jumanji. We have tinkered with the image and added something that doesn’t appear in the original scene (6). Write which object doesn’t belong only on the entry coupon and you could be a winner. Turn to entry coupon (p50) to enter! Hermione posed on…

MIXED BERRY OMELETTE WITH HONEY CREAM SERVES 2 PREP & COOK 30 MINS 1¼ cups frozen mixed berries 1 tbsp honey 4 egg whites 1 tbsp caster sugar 2 tsp butter HONEY CREAM ¾ cup thickened cream 2 tsp honey 1 Combine berries and honey in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Bring to a boil. Remove. 2 HONEY CREAM Beat cream and honey in small bowl of an electric mixer until soft peaks form. 3 Beat egg whites with sugar in same, clean bowl of electric mixer, until soft peaks form. 4 Heat half the butter in a small, non-stick frying pan (top measures 20cm) over a low heat. Add half the egg mixture. Spread to cover base. Cook for about 4 mins, or until just set. Transfer…

I can’t wait to meet my sister,’ my daughter Ellie, four, cried pressing a kiss to my swollen belly. ‘Sister!’ my youngest girl, Ayla, two, echoed with a giggle. It was May 2024 and, at nine months pregnant my husband Brent, 36, and I couldn’t wait to welcome our new baby. Later that day, around 3pm, Ellie woke up from a nap screaming. ‘My belly hurts,’ she managed between sobs. Through it all my beautiful brave girl kept smiling I called my parents to look after Ayla, then Brent and I bundled Ellie into the car and rushed to Emergency. There, an ultrasound found a mass in her abdomen. ‘We think it could be appendicitis, but she’s too small for us to do any emergency surgery here,’ the doctor said.…

Stretching my arms out wide, I let out a yawn as I opened my eyes. But as I rolled over, I realised I was lying on the bathroom floor. Didn’t I only have a few drinks last night? I fretted. It was April 2017 and I’d gone out for dinner and a few drinks with my wife and in-laws. I’d woken in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom… After that my mind was blank. The drinks must’ve been stronger than I realised, I thought, feeling hungover. That whole day I felt a little off, but when I woke the next day, my left leg felt numb. ‘It’s probably just bad circulation,’ I commented to my wife. But as the numbness spread throughout the day, I decided…

ROAST PUMPKIN, SPINACH AND RICOTTA PIE SERVES 6 PREP & COOK 25 MINS ½ large butternut pumpkin (about 750g), peeled and cut into 2cm cubes ⅔ cup (165ml) light olive or vegetable oil ½ tsp ground nutmeg 1 tsp salt ½ tsp black pepper 2 brown onions, sliced 2 garlic cloves, chopped 100g baby spinach 6 eggs 1 cup self-raising flour 1 cup grated tasty cheese 250g ricotta 1 Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease and flour a 24 cm springform cake tin. Toss pumpkin cubes with 1 tbsp of oil, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Roast in a baking tray for 30 mins or until soft and golden brown. 2 Meanwhile, in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat, sauté onion and garlic in 1 tbsp oil until soft. Take…

FULLY LOADED LOLLY ICE-CREAM CAKE SERVES 12 PREP 45 MINS 250g packet Butternut Snap Cookie biscuits, chopped 60g butter, melted 4 x 46g Picnic chocolate bars, cut into 1cm slices 250g packet Maltesers 2 x 2-litre tubs vanilla ice-cream Snickers, Violet Crumble bars, Turkish Delight chocolate, Roses chocolates, Cherry Ripe and extra Picnic bars and Maltesers, Caramel dulce de leche, fresh raspberries, to decorate 1 Invert the base of two x 22cm round springform pans (base measures 21cm). Grease base and side, and line with baking paper, extending paper 2cm above pan edges. 2 Process biscuits in a food processor until finely crushed. Add butter. Process until combined.  3 Press biscuit crumbs evenly over base of one of the pans. Arrange a single layer of Picnic bar slices around the…

SIMPLE SWAP My clean washing can sit in the laundry basket for a week before I have time to put it away. By then we’ve been rifling through it for socks and shirts and everything becomes a crumpled mess. Considering that my most despised chore is ironing, this is not an ideal scenario. Then my friend Lisa told me she puts her clothes onto hangers while taking them off the line, so they go straight into the wardrobe before they crush. I felt like she’d shared one of the great secrets of the universe with me. Not only am I saving money by not switching the iron on, but I’m saving time by not slaving over an ironing board. Thanks, Lisa! When my son, Xander, was little I loved shopping…

EDITORIAL Editorial Director Kate Kirsten, Editor Sarah Firth, Deputy Editor Beth Young, Art Director Darren Monaghan, Picture Editor Holly Campbell ARE MEDIA Chief Executive Officer Jane Huxley, Director of Sales Anna Quinn, Director of Content Sally Eagle, General Manager Entertainment Susan Armstrong, Commercial Brand Manager Jessica Ashworth, Director of Marketing Carly Bowra Subscription enquiries: Customer Service 136 116 (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm AEST) International +61 2 9692 3535 Email magshop@magshop.com.au Website www.magshop.com.au Advertising enquiries: advertising@aremedia.com.au Published by Are Media Pty Limited (ABN 18 053 273 546), 54-58 Park Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. ©2025. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without prior written permission. that’s life! is a registered trade mark of Are Media. Use of trademark strictly prohibited. Licensing Inquiries: www.contentshop.com.au / syndication@aremedia.com.au…

Keep floaty dresses from feeling too sweet with structured or sporty touches – think a leather tote or chunky slides. Pair with sandals for day, swap in platform heels for night. Cinch your waist with a belted style – or just add your own! Brow WOW From tinting and tweezing to adding the luxe effect, here’s your DIY brow kit Tint Grow Shape Thicken Define…

Have you ever had the feeling that the universe is trying to tell you something? Maybe you’re seeing repetitive numbers such as 11:11 on a clock, overhearing a conversation that answers a question you’ve been pondering, or stumbling on a book that speaks directly to your situation. These are more than coincidences. They’re cosmic breadcrumbs – subtle, often mysterious signs that guide us along our life path. What are they? The term cosmic breadcrumb comes from the tale of Hansel and Gretel, who used real breadcrumbs to try to find a way back home. Spiritually, these breadcrumbs work in a similar way, offering guidance as we navigate our personal, emotional or professional journeys. Just like breadcrumbs leading a lost soul home, the signs help steer us on our way. They…