Innholdsfortegnelse for Monday, August 26, 2024 i Woman's Own

Holiday season can see us all tightening our belts. Regardless of whether we’re jetting off or not, the summer months always seem to be pricey – days out, ice creams all round (99s haven’t actually cost that in years, have they?!) – it all adds up. For some thrifty recipe ideas – under £1.30, no, I’m not kidding – turn to p32. These crowd-pleasers won’t disappoint. For more money savers – and if you’re looking for a little home makeover on a budget – on p40 there are 30 bargain buys all £10 and under. If it’s calories you’re wanting to cut back on, turn to p26. Picnics spell constant grazing for me (cocktail sausages are my absolute fave, along with a crisp!) however, this healthy guide can help save…

THE SIGNS OF A HEALTHY MARRIAGE Would you take a quiz to find out how happy in love you will be? Wedding season is in full swing and if you’re in your 20s or 30s you’ve probably eaten more wedding cake than anything else over the past few months. If you’re in your 40s or 50s it’s possibly more likely to have been sour grapes as yet another mate gets divorced. ‘EVERY RELATIONSHIP IS ABOUT GIVE AND TAKE’ And if you’ve made it through to your 60s or 70s with your marriage intact at least one of you has lost your hearing! I’m kidding. Long, happy marriages are of course very possible. It’s coming up to 39 years for us and the husband’s hearing is wonderful – joking obviously, he’s…

Buy of the week Formulated with the highest UVA five-star rating, Sun Protect Moisturising Sun Spray SPF50+ (£5.75 for 200ml, Sainsbury’s), shields your skin from both ageing and burning rays. THE TO-DO LIST TRACK Wearing a fitness tracker could see you taking an extra 1,200 steps each day and completing nearly 50 minutes more exercise each week, says research**. WEAR HEELS Small, comfortable heels, that is. They can strengthen the muscle fibres in the pelvic area, helping to beat bladder weakness***. WET YOUR BRUSH A quick rinse under the tap before adding toothpaste will help to activate the toothpaste’s ingredients, boosting their ability to fight bacteria. If you do one thing Sit correctly in the car Planning a long road trip for your summer break? Car journeys can be bad…

I don’t enjoy sex Q I’m 52 and have started HRT after getting menopausal symptoms. The one that bothers me the most is the lack of sex drive. Despite the HRT, it hasn’t come back, and though I make myself have sex, I’m not enjoying it like I used to. A A dip in libido is common when you’re going through the menopause. However, you’ve only just started HRT, so give it time to work. It can take anywhere between six weeks and three months to kick in. In the meantime, do what you feel is right. If you’re in the mood, engage; if you’re not, don’t be afraid to say no and wait until you are. MY EX IS GAY Q I was very hurt to find out the…

‘LIKE MANY GIRLS, I LACKED BODY CONFIDENCE’ As wildly un-PC as it may seem now, when I was 20 I was resigned – like many women – to my breasts doing the talking. Whatever my mouth was saying, it just didn’t seem to command the same attention. This astounded me when I first grew ‘lady lumps’ as a teen. What was it about breasts that drained common sense from otherwise decent males? All these years on, I’m still not sure I fully understand their appeal. And, while I’m still the happy owner of a considerable embonpoint, times have changed now I’m older, as has the response of onlooking men. As many women know, the blessing of youth and looks can be a double-edged sword. Like so many girls, I lacked…

READER QUESTION Q What’s the First Homes Scheme, and who can take advantage of it? AIt’s a scheme that enables first-time buyers in England to buy a home for 30-50% less than its market value. There’s eligibility criteria that you’ll need to meet and the same percentage discount will be passed on to future buyers when you sell. However, finding these properties can prove very tricky. Find more details at gov.uk/first-homes-scheme. Go green for less Save up to 20% off this Do Good canvas bag, from Leiho, (£12, leiho.co.uk), when you opt to delay your delivery. Doing so minimises the firm’s carbon footprint by cutting stock waste. 3 easy ways to... save on home insurance Don’t pay more than necessary to protect your home and its contents 1 DON’T TAKE QUOTES…

IDRIS ELBA Hollywood hunk Idris, 51, looks particularly suave and distinguished when he’s not clean-shaven. DUKE OF SUSSEX Without a beard, we’re reminded of 39-year-old Prince Harry’s party-boy days. He definitely looks more sophisticated now. BRAD PITT A-lister Brad, 60, looks ready for the red carpet with a clean-shaven face, but we wouldn’t say no to him with a beard, either. DAVID BECKHAM When it comes to Becks, it seems there’s nothing he can’t pull off. The 49-year-old always has us swooning! TRAVIS KELCE We think NFL player Travis, 34, looks better clean-shaven, but we’re not sure his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, would agree. RYAN GOSLING While Barbie star Ryan, 43, definitely suits both, we prefer him looking a little more rough and rugged.…

Cat and Ben IS IT ALL OVER? They only took over as main hosts of This Morning in March, but could Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard’s time already be up? In May it was revealed that viewing figures had dropped from over a million on their first show to just 500,000. And since the pair have been away for the summer, fans have made it clear they prefer their holiday stand-ins. One said of Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle, ‘I wish you two presented it permanently! By far the best!’ While another added, ‘You are the best even before Ben and Cat came. You two are great.’ And another said of presenters Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary, ‘Love these two. Not sure about Cat and Ben.’ Following Cat, 47, and…

ZEBRA CROSSING The classic animal print gets a vibrant upgrade. Shirt, £17.99, sizes 6-22, New Look SHELL SHOCKED Bring a hint of the beach into your home. Mirror, £5, Flying Tiger TIME FOR TEA A print for the kitchen. Poster, £14 (unframed), Dunelm BUCKET LIST Personalise your everyday crossbody. Bag, £25.99, Zara BOHO BABE Add denim for a festival vibe. Waistcoat, £17, sizes s-xxxl, Matalan IN THE LIMELIGHT Swishy skirts and staple tees make for a wearable weekend look. Top, £16, sizes 8-34, skirt, £29, sizes 8-32, both JD Williams; earrings, stylist’s own PEAS IN A POD A delight on the dining table. Salt and Pepper Shakers, £15, Oliver Bonas CHECK OUT Give your daily cuppa a stylish update. Mug, £3, B&M GOLDEN GIRL Go big or go home in classic statement hoops.…

Smart Stripes Draping effortlessly over your figure, this satin skirt oozes elegance. Not only do the bold stripes look striking but the clever design creates a slimming effect too. Team with a simple tee and a barely-there sandal to let the statement print take centre stage. In autumn, offset the slinkiness and layer a chunky knit on top. Belted Tap into the utility trend with this cool cargo skirt. The paper-bag waist cinches you in to create an hourglass silhouette. Swap the self-tie belt for a sleek leather number for a luxe finish that offers extra definition. Finishing at the knee, lean into that smarter aesthetic and wear with a crisp white shirt and heels. Printed midi A patterned skirt creates endless outfit possibilities, doing most of the hard work…

SAVE OVER 1,300 CALORIES! Heading outdoors to make the most of the holidays? Chances are you’ll be taking a picnic, but it can be hard to keep tabs on your diet when feasting on calorific finger foods. Not sure what to nibble on? With a little planning you can avoid the ‘picnic panic’ faced by 41%* of Brits when grabbing from supermarket fridges. ‘With a few substitutes to your classic picnic, it can be a great opportunity to provide friends and family with delicious and nutritious food,’ says Matt Taylor, academy health and wellbeing physiologist at Nuffield Health. Here’s how… DID YOU KNOW? ‘We eat 75% more when faced with over three varieties of food, as every new taste, flavour and texture stimulates the appetite and makes us…

Grilled chicken pesto salad £1.28 PER SERVE COOK TIME: 30 MINS, PLUS MARINATING CALS: 451 FAT: 26G SAT FAT: 2G CARBS: 33G SERVES 6 Pesto chicken meets potato salad in this fresh combo that’s tasty and filling. YOU WILL NEED 6 skinless, boneless chicken thighsZest and juice 2 lemons1tsp Dijon mustard1 garlic clove, crushed30ml olive oil, plus extra for frying1kg new potatoes, large ones halved200g green beans, trimmed100g frozen broad beans, podded (or garden peas)Bunch spring onions, sliced100g natural yogurt150g basil pestoHandful almonds, roughly choppedBasil leaves, to garnish (optional) HOW TO DO IT 1 In a large bowl, mix the chicken thighs, juice of 2 lemons and zest of 1 lemon, mustard, garlic and oil. Season well, then cover and chill for 1 hr, or longer if making ahead. 2 Boil…

CLUES & ARROWS Fill in the clues in the direction of the arrows Sudoku To solve the puzzle, each 3 x 3 box, each column and each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9. Wordsearch Which of these rooms is also the name of a 60s film made by Andy Warhol? The answer is the one missing from the grid. ATTICBATHROOMBEDROOMCELLARDENGARAGEGYMHALL KITCHENLIBRARYLOBBYLOUNGEOFFICESTUDIOSTUDY CROSSWORD ACROSS 7 __ Hauer-King, star of TV series World on Fire and The Flatshare (5)8 Baltic country (9)10 Shopkeeper (6)11 Cure for poisoning (8)12 Survey response (8)13 Leg, say (4)15 Stumble (7)17 __ McCarthy, star of films The Heat and Bridesmaids (7)20 __ of Dogs, 2019 animation film starring the voices of Bryan Cranston and Edward Norton (4)22 Continental (8)25 Large theatre (8)26 Halle __, one…

Film THE CROW In cinemas 23 August Singer FKA Twigs and Bill Skarsgård star in this remake of the cult classic film. When Eric and Shelly are brutally murdered, Eric sacrifices himself to save his true love. Traversing the worlds of the living and the dead, he returns to seek revenge on their killers. Music BATTERSEA PARK IN CONCERT 24-26 August, Battersea Park, London SW11 4NJ. Tickets from £43 Pack a picnic (or pre-book a luxury hamper!) and pop the fizz as Battersea Park’s concerts return for bank holiday weekend. Sit back and relax as the esteemed Royal Philharmonic and Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestras showcase the best in classical, West End and jazz music. Tour PRETTY WOMAN THE MUSICAL: UK TOUR 20-28 September, multiple locations including Northampton Nottingham and Sheffield.…

Lorraine Ashbourne ‘I LOVE PLAYING A CRIMINAL MATRIARCH’ The actor on the return of Sherwood… When the BAFTA-winning drama set in a former mining community returns for a second series, Lorraine Ashbourne reprises her role as Daphne Sparrow, the matriarch of a drug-dealing family, who was at the centre of a major revelation when we last saw her… Inspired by ‘spycops’, a practice which saw police officers going deep undercover to infiltrate groups that opposed government policy, the first series revealed that Daphne was a cop who had been sent to report on the striking miners back in 1984 and was still living in Sherwood under her false identity! ‘What I loved most about it was that people expected the “spycop” to be a man,’ says Lorraine. ‘In the cases…

The world thought Jennifer Lopez had finally got her happily ever after when she tied the knot with Ben Affleck in 2022 – 20 years after first getting engaged. But now there’s widespread speculation that the A-list couple have split, with Ben moving out of their marital home, J.Lo cancelling her tour, and the pair both being spotted without their wedding rings. Here, we take a look at one of showbiz’s most talked-about marriages. ‘THERE HAVE BEEN SOME UNEXPECTED OBSTACLES’ SEPARATE LIVES In May, rumours began to swirl after fans clocked that the couple hadn’t been seen together for 47 days. Then it emerged that Ben, 51, had moved out of their $68 million Beverly Hills marital home. ‘They have been staying in separate homes and the tension has been…

Cradling my daughter Liberty, I gazed at her wide blue eyes, blonde locks and cheeky smile. It was 29 December 2015 and, while 18-month-old Liberty looked like me, the person she resembled most was my mum Jane, who’d been a real ball of energy with the kindest nature. Tragically, they’d never got to meet because Mum had died of breast cancer, aged 56, in 2002, when I was 27, which had left me feeling lost and alone for years. Thankfully, that changed when Liberty arrived, in June 2014. Raising her as a single parent, we were inseparable and she’d toddle after me wherever I went. I still did a nightly breastfeed, which neither of us wanted to give up. Only now, as I adjusted my bra after feeding Liberty, I…

WHAT WILL STOP MY FEET FROM SMELLING? Q I’ve taken up running and have surprised myself by how much I’m enjoying it. Sadly, I seem to be plagued by athlete’s foot. Between my toes is so sore and my feet smell! I’m treating it with antifungal cream from the pharmacist, but how can I stop it from coming back all the time? A Fungi love warm, moist areas. Wash your feet with a pH-balanced product and dry thoroughly between the toes. Only wear cotton socks. Avoid man-made materials and, if you can afford to, invest in a second pair of running shoes. It can take 48 hours for trainers to dry out fully, so leaving your shoes with dry newspaper inside on alternate days will help. CHOLESTEROL WORRIES Q As…

Relief for rough areas Just like my face, the skin on my body needs a daily hydration hit, so I make sure I apply Dove Pro Age Body Lotion, £5.69, Boots, after every shower to keep my arms and legs in check. It’s infused with olive oil and vitamins that bring instant relief to tight and rough areas, and the formula soaks in speedily to save hassle during a busy morning. Sarah Tropical scented and silky I love Garnier Vitamin C Body Superfood, £7.99, Boots, as the tropical-scented body cream not only smells amazing but also absorbs instantly. I hate waiting around for thick creams to soak in to my skin before getting dressed and this gets to work immediately, giving me silky soft limbs and smelling like a fruity…

Thrifty grilling tips Handy ways to make ingredients go further and reduce food waste… BUNS Freshen up past-its-best bread by brushing with water. Put buns in an oven at 180C Fan/Gas 6 for 5 mins – they’ll be good as new! BULK OUT BURGERS Add grated frozen or stale bread to the same amount of mince with chopped onion, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, pepper and egg. COLESLAW Avoid waste and add crunch by using up veg scraps in homemade coleslaw – mix with mayo and a squeeze of lemon. Free movie night Buy two Co-op Stonebaked Pizzas and a tub of Ben & Jerry’s, then upload your receipt to claim a FREE Amazon Prime movie. The food deal saves members £6 (total £8.25) and non-members £5 (£9.25). Movie coupon not…

And… relax ARIES 21 Mar – 20 Apr The North Node in Aries guides you towards a new start in your working life as August draws to a close. Do what you love and love what you do! TAURUS 21 Apr – 20 May Life’s quieter for you now than it has been in previous months. It’s time to enjoy the lull and indulge in some much-needed self-care to fully rest and rejuvenate. GEMINI 21 May – 20 Jun Mars and Jupiter have been travelling together in your sign for the whole of the month, so make the most of this potent energy to make some radical changes. CANCER 21 Jun – 22 Jul The Moon in Cancer at the end of August gives you the chance to consider what’s…

EAT SLAY LOVE by Julie Mae Cohen (£16.99, HB, Bonnier Books) Sometimes, you need to go to extreme lengths to become a better person. After all, how bad can abduction and murder be if they help you find the best version of yourself? One man has been lying to three complete strangers. Cash-strapped Opal is a postmenopausal fitness fanatic. Introverted Lilah spends her days hiding away in the library where she works. Marina is a divorced mum of three young children. These women have little in common, besides their shared vendetta against the man they are holding hostage in the basement. This whip-smart thriller explores the transformative power of female friendship… and murder. WIFE by Charlotte Mendelson (£18.99, HB, Pan Macmillan) What are you left with when a beautiful romance…

HE’S A MARVEL He found global fame as Charles Xavier in the X-Men flicks but James McAvoy takes on a far more sinister role in his latest movie Speak No Evil as one half of a couple who befriend another on their hols, with terrifying results. James admits to a passion for delving into dark minds. ‘If it’s a good story, yes,’ the BAFTA-winner tells me. It’s a cracking roller coaster of a ride – catch it in cinemas from 12 September, and my exclusive chat with James on GMB next month. TO THE MAX! Ex-EastEnder Max Bowden – Albert Square’s Ben Mitchell – is getting down in the trenches for his latest gig, on tour in stage play Birdsong. ‘It’s my most physical role to date,’ the actor tells…