Home//Pick Me Up!/23-Nov-2023/In This Issue
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023One in a MILLION!Popping into The Entertainer, I was on the hunt for the perfect new toy. My son Sheni’s birthday was coming up in spring 2018 and I wanted to find him an unforgettable present – a toy that he would adore and also see himself in. Only, as I strolled through the aisles, I couldn’t spot a single toy that looked remotely like him, let alone represented our Nigerian heritage. Is there seriously nothing? I thought, shocked. It wasn’t the only time I’d been at a loss. Every time Christmas rolled around, I scoured toy shops for the perfect gifts for Sheni and my younger son Teni. But finding nothing suitable in the Argos catalogue, I couldn’t help but feel it put a damper on the special day. There were no…2 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023SMALL WORLDScrolling through social media, I often interacted with the posts on my feed. And when I came across a friend’s selfie, my finger hovered over the like button back in 2018. Posting a snap of himself flexing in the gym, I commented on the post. I wish that I had the motivation to go to the gym, I typed, jokingly. I’d known Robert, 35, for about five or six years – he worked with my ex-partner. Having him on social media, I knew him well enough to say ‘hi’ if we passed in the street. I had typed the comment innocently – I would have said the same on anyone’s post – but Robert messaged me privately soon after. It’s a small world, he said. Starting a conversation, catching up…3 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023Naughty or nice?Santa’s making a list and you should, too – full of all the Christmas events you would like to visit this festive period. And top of the list – seeing the big man for yourself. Whether you want to tell Santa what’s on your Xmas list or want to experience the magic of his home, here are some of the best grotto experiences on offer. Book now to avoid disappointment. Festive Grotto at White Rose Shopping Centre Leeds Celebrate Christmas like never before with the White Rose magical festive grotto. It’s time to say all aboard. Embark on a journeythrough the North Pole, looking at all the glorious sights and whimsical scenery from the comfort of the train carriage. Tell Father Christmas all about your hopes and dreams this year,…3 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023Fill it!Complete the grid, then read down the shaded squares to reveal the hidden answer. Clue: Type of passageway. Answer on page 44. ACROSS 1 Possessors (6) 4 Amethyst, say (8) 10 Brief __, 1945 romantic film starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard (9) 11 and 20Dn. The __ __, 2023 comedy drama film starring 14 Across and 29 Across (5,7) 12 __ Wilkes, fearsome ex-nurse played by Kathy Bates in Misery (5) 13 En route (2,7) 14 __ Caine, star of films The Italian Job and Harry Brown (7) 16 Stephanie __, star of TV series Waiting for God and Keeping Mum (4) 19 Run away (4) 21 Landmass extending from Portugal to Korea (7) 24 Morally wrong (9) 25 Do the __, 1984 single by Black Lace (5) 26…1 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023Genius or TOTALLY BONKERS?Verdict:GENIUS! Have you seen this? Sellotape Easy Start, £4.99, Available from Amazon As the countdown to Christmas is on the horizon, it’s time to start thinking about wrapping presents. But finding the end of the Sellotape is the most annoying job. That’s something that Sarah Thorp struggled with all too well – and after making a prototype design for a special contraption to easily find the end of the tape, Sellotape loved her design, incorporating it in their rolls. So, now everyone can easily find the end on the go, without needing to faff around. Cutting present wrapping time in half! Verdict: BONKERS! All wrapped up Could you do this? If you had a perfect square box in front of you, how long do you think it would take for…1 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023LIKE MOTHER LIKE DAUGHTERWaiting alone backstage, I couldn’t wait to praise my daughter. Chloe, then 15, had busted out her best dance moves for an annual competition in town. She’d been dancing since she was three and I knew she had a superstar quality. So I wasn’t surprised when a leaflet was thrust into my hand as I waited for her to finish. ‘What’s this?’ I asked. With a smile, the woman introduced herself as a member of the rotary club. ‘We’re running a local pageant,’ she explained. Reading through the leaflet, it sounded amazing – boosting young girls’ confidence and encouraging them to get involved in the local community, I knew Chloe would love it. ‘Wow! Can I go, Mum?’ Chloe begged me. Of course, I’d never say no. And so began…5 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023DEBT THE HALLSBrowsing round the shops, you grab items off the shelves. That’s perfect for my mother-in-law. My sister will love that! Oh, the dog will look so cute in that Christmas jumper… Before you know it, your basket is full and you’re gazing in complete horror as the total on the cash register creeps higher and higher. And that’s just presents. The festive frivolities bring a whole host of Christmas-related spending – from the Christmas dinner to the tree, decorations, lights and activities, too. And a new survey by Creditfix revealed that one in four will be using a credit card or Buy Now Pay Later schemes to afford Christmas this year. Many of us are still in the grips of the cost-of-living crisis – and according to the Cost of…3 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023ALWAYSWalking into Waterstones, my daughter’s face lit up with joy. Ellie, then eight, was an avid reader – she absolutely devoured books, including her favourite series, Harry Potter. ‘Have you found what you wanted?’ I asked with a smile. Nodding, she had her next read in hand and we made our way to the check-out queue, before heading to McDonald’s for a cheeky Happy Meal. It was our little treat – we left my husband Roy, 55, and Ellie’s sisters Kylie, now 32, and Rachel, now 25, at home. And I wanted to treat Ellie, especially because of all the hardship she’d been through. You see, Ellie had been using a wheelchair for six months, due to a mystery illness causing stiffness in her legs. Sheadaptedquickly, being so accepting of…6 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023Stars16-22 November Catch Claire live on Facebook ARIES 21 March–20 April Saturn brings an intense feel to financial affairs. Don’t delay facts you know you’ll have to deal with, or you’ll only end up making yourself look like you’ve got more to hide. Venus hands you the power to talk others into seeing the good in your ideas and aspirations. A week to go to the top, not the middle, if applying for back up both personally and professionally. Call: 09058 170 710* LEO 24 July–23 Aug The full moon brings lack of organisation to things you had wanted to be in control of. But instead, you are beginning to feel lost in them. Don’t be afraid to ask questions as it’s going along with the crowd which has caused…4 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023Your Pick me upsBuy of the week There’s nothing that spreads Christmas joy quite like sending out cards – so why not do a good deed at the same time? We love these sweet pooch-themed Christmas cards – designed by illustrated card and gift brand Lil Wabbit in collaboration with the charity StreetVet. The cute watercolour pictures feature some of the charity’s adorable patients and their stories – including Bella, who got life-saving treatment for an infection, English Bull Terrier Daisy who had help with dental care, and Freddie, who came back from paralysis thanks to hydrotherapy treatments. Even better, 50% of profits go straight to StreetVet – helping bring veterinary care to pets belonging to people living on the streets across the UK. • From £3.25, available from lilwabbit.co.uk Fun day out…3 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023JOINING FORCESCONTINUED FROM P8 Sitting on the sofa eight weeks pregnant, Robert was in a foul mood. And through the wall, I could hear him smashing up the kitchen. The pots and the drainer had gone flying, he’d scraped the wallpaper off the wall, and he was ragging the fridge around like a madman. ‘You need to stop, you’re scaring the dog,’ I said, pointing towards our dog. ‘You need to clean that up,’ he demanded. And I didn’t question it – whenever I had in the past it had just made him more angry and agressive. On my hands and knees, I wiped the kitchen floor as he stood over the top of me shouting abuse. I blocked out a lot of the insults – I was used to him…7 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023TURKEY TERRORLooking in the mirror I found it hard to even recognise myself. With huge amounts of excess skin causing bleeding, boils and cysts on my legs, the weight of it all was literally holding me down. There must have been at least 3st worth of skin hanging from my body – despite the fact that I’d already undergone a huge transformation. Diagnosed with stage 5 endometriosis and then adding more health conditions on top of that due to my weight increasing to 24st during Covid, I couldn’t be myself. Always struggling with my weight from a young age and needing to take prescribed steroids, I just ballooned – it wasn’t the fact that I didn’t want to exercise, I just couldn’t. I couldn’t even eat anything due to the amount…7 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023Your healthHelp us, help you A new survey by NHS England has revealed nearly half of adults aren’t confident in recognising a heart attack. Over a third of those surveyed said they would not call 999 if a loved one was experiencing chest pain. But your chances of surviving a heart attack are far higher if you get treated as soon as people. More than nine in 10 people survive – if they are treated quickly. The latest NHS figures show that there were more than 84,000 hospital heart attack admissions from 2021 to 2022. But what is a heart attack? A heart attack is a serious medical emergency where the supply of blood to the heart is blocked – usually by a clot. A lack of blood flow to the…2 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023HANGING ARTPulling up my chair by the window, I set up my canvas and settled in for a painting session. With my furry friend by my side, it was bliss and my favourite way to chill out – but my Enzo wasn’t your usual household pet. He was my little pet sloth! I’d always loved sloths and dreamed of having one of my own, but my husband Terry, 44, had been a little reluctant – but after seeing them on a trip to the zoo, he fell in love. ‘They are pretty cute,’ he agreed with me. Needing no more encouragement, I started researching and found a sloth that needed rehoming – and that’s how Enzo came to live with us, back in 2016. With everything we needed to home an…4 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023MILANNA’S FIGHTHolding my baby girl for the first time, it felt surreal. Milanna, now one, born at 11.53pm on 14 May last year, weighing 7lb 3oz, really was our miracle baby. I had always wanted to be a mum, and trying for a baby with my partner Malaky, 29, we had seven miscarriages. But when we felt like giving up, after trying for two years, along came Milanna – it really was surreal having her here. And for the first seven months, we were in our own little newborn bubble. Milanna was the best baby – racing through her milestones, she was really was going above and beyond. Smiling away at Malaky and me, she was so happy and sweet – everything we could possibly have wanted. Playing her Dancing Fruits…6 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023Pick of the weekDON’T MISS Children in Need, BBC One BBC’s Children in Need 2023 will be a live entertainment extravaganza from MediaCityUK in Salford with three hours of non-stop fun for viewers. Ade Adepitan MBE, Mel Giedroyc, Jason Manford, Chris Ramsey, Lenny Rush and Alex Scott MBE will host an evening of exclusive sketches and performances featuring well-known faces as you’ve never seen them before. The night will feature special one-off sketches from some of the UK’s most loved TV shows, including MasterChef and a very special parody of Race Across the World. There will be live performances from singer-songwriter Jerub, the UK’s Junior Eurovision act Stand UNIQU3 singing their anthemic entry Back to Life, and Leigh-Anne who performs her track My Love for the first time on TV. David Holmes: The…2 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023BAG A BARGAINIt’s Black Friday on 24 November, swiftly followed by Cyber Monday – a mega weekend of discounts and deals, so the perfect time to get any Christmas shopping done! Adam Bullock, UK Director at TopCashback, shares his top tips to make the most of it. Visit: topcashback.co.uk • Buy from trusted retailers ‘There are a few golden rules when online shopping,’ says Adam. ‘Firstly, all legitimate websites with have a SSL certificate, which is the ‘padlock’ sign by the URL – don’t shop on a site without this. ‘Another good sign that you’re shopping with a genuine retailer is when you can see honest reviews underneath many of the items on their website – this can be the case for both large and small retailers. ‘Also always remember to double…3 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023LOW AND SLOWThe slow cooker is a seasonal favourite, and the queen of kitchen gadgets Clare Andrews is back with 80 mouthwatering recipes. The Ultimate Slow Cooker Cookbook by Clare Andrews, £20, Waterstones Sticky Toffee Pudding COOK 8 HOURS ON LOW YOU WILL NEED: ◻ 125g butter ◻ 250g dates, stoned ◻ 125ml boiling water ◻ 1 tsp vanilla extract ◻ 275g brown sugar ◻ 325ml double cream ◻ 5 tbsp treacle ◻ 2 large eggs, beaten ◻ 200g self-raising flour ◻ 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda ◻ Sea salt TO SERVE: ◻ Clotted cream, custard or ice cream HOW TO: 1 Preheat your slow cooker on low for 10 minutes and make sure your pudding bowl fits into your cooker when the lid is closed. Grease your bowl with a tablespoon…4 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023OH, BELLA!Tying my little girl’s hair in sweet bunches, I grabbed a tube of hair gel and squeezed a pea-sized amount onto my finger. ‘There,’ I said, smoothing the little flyaway hairs down to four-year-old Molly’s head. ‘You look perfect.’ ‘Thanks Mummy,’ she grinned at me. Rounding up her and her sister Bella, two-and-a-half, I grabbed Molly’s things ready to drop her off at nursery back in May this year. Getting back home, with my partner Kyle, 30, out at work, I decided to take Bella to a local ‘stay and play’ session – she’d been before and loved it. ‘Stay there and put your shoes on,’ I told Bella. ‘I’m just going to the toilet, and then we’ll go.’ Leaving her in the kitchen for a minute, I quickly nipped…3 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023Snapped!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 details.…1 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023Your homeRich, luxe tones are big news this season!…1 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023Brainwaves…This week, our tip of the week will receive a greatprize from Addis. This automatic touch-free sensor soap dispenser makes washing your hands both more hygienic and convenient. Simply add onepart of your chosen hand wash to two parts water, and the clever device will turn it into a foam wash, ready to use. Which means your solution will last longer, too. For more ways to make your life easier, visit: addis.co.uk Deck the halls In the weeks leading up to Christmas, I collect greenery when walking the dogs to make a lovely stair display. Carole Gasan, Dundee Squeaky clean I dip a baby bud in an antibacterial solution to clean the seal of my fridge door. Tina Vowles, Stroud Christmas cutbacks As the festive season approaches, it’s time to…2 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023LIFE OR DEATHGetting to work on 18 April, it was business as usual. A teaching assistant at a primary school, I had a few minutes to chat with my colleague Jane before classes started. ‘I’ve had to join the gym,’ she told me. ‘I’m getting out of breath walking up the hill!’ ‘I can show you round, and how to use the different machines,’ I offered. I used to work as a PT and had worked out six times a week for the past 12 years. With the sound of children’s chatter, it was time to get to work and morning lessons went smoothly. And after finishing up a phonics lesson, I turned to look at the timetable. Only as my eyes flicked over maths, English and science, I felt a pain…4 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023Festive readsWant to curl up with this winter? Look no further than these sweet seasonal stories - the book version of a Hallmark film! • All available from Waterstones A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss, £8.99 Half-sisters Maggie, Simone and Star couldn’t be more different – and they have hardly seen each other in years, since summers spent in the quaint village of Rowan Thorp at the home of their eccentric dad Augustus. Augustus certainly kept tongues wagging and ladies swooning – but he was loved by all and known by none, not even his daughters. But years later, the three women are reunited at the reading of Augustus’ will – and he has engineered a series of hoops for them to seemingly jump through to unlock their inheritance. So…2 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023Your styleCounting sheepGetting home, slinging off your bra and putting your comfies on – yes please! Whether you’re snuggling up on the sofa to watch a winter movie with a hot choccy or want to dress to impress, you can hit the hay in style this season. You’ll be out like a light… If you’re stuck on what to get someone as the festivities loom, think about a snuggly PJ set – you can never have too many!…1 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023Your beautyFAIRY DUST It’s officially pamper season and Lush’s Snow Fairy range will transport you into a magical, candyfloss realm. The best-selling winter range has been spreading sparkle and joy in the run up to Christmas for 18 years and this year is no different. There’s something for everyone – here are just some of our favourites. Have a Lush fan in your life? The Snow Fairy range makes the perfect gift this Xmas! Luminous skin With party season fast approaching, you may find that you want to give your skin a golden glow. With Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Natural Bronze Gradual Tanning Lotion (£6.49, Boots) you can give your skin a boost of intense moisture and hydration, while developing a consistent, even, sunkissed glow. With a stunning cocoa butter scent,…1 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023Your Dilemmas……Cate Campbell is a sex, relationship and trauma therapist. She is also a writer, co-host of The Real Sex Education podcast and member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. To find out more about counselling visit: bacp.co.uk and please see: catecampbell-psychonatter.com I’m hornier than ever… Q I discovered that my husband has been cheating on me. However, instead of being down in the dumps – it’s made me really horny. And strangely, it’s made me want him even more. How do I approach this now? Gail, Newport A It’s becoming much more acknowledged that many people feel this way. After all, it’s reassuring to know that other people find your partner attractive. How you approach this is up to you, but you don’t necessarily have to do anything…4 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023THE DEVIL INSIDEHolding a special place in her heart for all animals, it was no surprise that a tender and loving personality such as Angela Nicole Bradbury, 29, grew up on a farm in Nora Springs, Iowa. Known to be kind to the ‘underdogs’ in the world, whether they were animals or people, she had a special ‘little giggle’ that she shared with her extended family. Despite struggling with addiction throughout adulthood, Angela would remain active on Facebook, her main way of communicating with her friends, even if it meant that she would often disappear for months at a time. It wasn’t clear where Angela would venture, who she would visit or where she would be, but she always had a way of finding her way back home when she finally felt…7 min
Pick Me Up!|23-Nov-2023This week’s puzzle answers!Bitesize! pg 3 Seal Strikeit! pg 15 Woodwork (Cross out: 9, 11, 13, 28, 35, 36, 47, 52, 76, 81 Cross it! pg 36 Wisdom Fill it! pg 15 Tunnel Movie links! pg 28 (Emma Stone – ZOMBIELAND – Woody Harrelson – SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS – Christopher Walken – CLICK – Adam Sandler – THE WATERBOY – Henry Winkler) Crack it! pg 23 Emotional Number fit! pg 15 2156 Sudoku pg 36 4, 7, 8 Follow it! pg 6 Flightless PLEASE NOTE Pick Me Up! will still be bringing you great puzzles to pit your wits against, but will no longer be offering prizes. Don’t forget, you can do puzzles for big cash prizes every weekin our sister magazine, Chat.…1 min
