Innholdsfortegnelse for 13-Dec-2016 i Woman's Weekly

Making An Entrance This clever sculpture and these rather fabulous shell chairs (below) were both in the foyer of a hotel in central London where I met a friend for a drink. Have to admit, though – the chairs looked a lot better than they felt to sit in! That’s What I Call A Birthday Cake! I am so stealing this brilliant birthday cake-decorating idea. The only problem is deciding which section you want a slice from! Checking In My younger daughter is travelling in the Philippines at the moment and sent this pic of all the things that had to be removed from hand luggage before check-in. They include crystal balls!…

Vintage Powder Compacts Since ancient times, face powder has played a major role in the beauty regimes of women. In the early 1900s it was not considered seemly to apply make-up in public, so compacts were ingeniously concealed in jewellery, hatpins or walking sticks. However, by the 1920s and with the arrival of the flapper girl, it became acceptable to touch up your make-up in public and so compacts became more aesthetic in their design. They were made in a variety of materials to suit every pocket, from base metal to silver, gold and enamel. The condition and quality of the materials and workmanship are important factors when determining value. Stratton was a prolific producer of compacts, manufacturing at its Birmingham factory from the 1920s and producing half of the…

Experienced NHS midwife Terri Coates – who's been involved in creating these life-like births since the first episode – explains how her work begins with actresses playing the mothers-to-be: ‘Most of the them have never given birth, so they don't know what noises will come out of them! The babies themselves are only on set for a few minutes at a time, because we rehearse with soft-body dolls. Then they'll film it with our prosthetic babies. And only for a bit, when you can no longer suspend your disbelief, we put in the real baby. I'm here to make sure the actresses handling the babies – and who are supposed to be midwives – have hands that are clean and warm. I look after them as kindly as I would…

‘The loss of a companion animal can be just as agonising as a human death’ Although my career as a writer began in 1969 – and during all that time I have tackled many deeply personal subjects – when my little dog died a year ago all words left me. I was dumb. All I wanted to do at first was howl. At last I truly understood what so many readers had written to my Daily Mail advice column about over many years – experiencing for myself the awful grief of losing a beloved pet. Let nobody insult you by saying, ‘It’s only a cat or dog’ Many people reading this will know exactly what I’m talking about. After all, a pet’s life is so short – but your love…

Baileys Chocolate Ice-Cream Bombe Easy and impressive! Makes 2 puddings; serves 8 Suitable for freezing FOR THE CHOCOLATE COVERING: TO DECORATE: 1 Whip the cream until peaking. Pour in the Baileys and condensed milk and whisk in. Stir in the ginger, cherries, amaretti and chocolate. Pour into the pudding basins lined with cling film and freeze for at least 7 hours. 2 Put the holly and a few truffles on to baking parchment and cover with gold spray. 3 To make the covering, put the cream, chocolate and sugar in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water to melt. Stir to combine; cool for 5 mins. Upturn pudding on to…

These jolly Christmas fascinators are an ideal way to use up oddments from your stash. They’re crocheted around headbands and make a quirky alternative to flimsy paper crowns. MATERIALS For the set: 1 x 50g (120m) ball of Rico Design Essentials Merino DK (100% wool) in each of Red (05), Natural (60), Green (42) and Wood (53)*. Size 3.50 crochet hook; small amount of toy stuffing; 5 small and 3 larger red beads for holly berries; 2 beads for robin eyes; 4 hairbands. ABBREVIATIONS Ch, chain; st, stitch; dc, double crochet; htr, half treble; tr, treble; dtr, double treble; slst, slip st; dc2tog, work 2dc together thus: [insert hook in next st, yarn round hook and pull through] twice, yarn round hook and pull through all 3 loops on…

Bell’s is the most common cause of facial palsy – paralysis of the muscles that control our facial expressions. It’s caused by sudden pressure on the right or left facial nerve (and, rarely, both), which carries signals to and from each side of the face, inner ear and back of the tongue to the brain. One in 60 of us may develop it, occasionally more than once; it’s more common in some families, and in pregnancy and in people with diabetes. Viruses are the main cause, particularly herpes simplex type 1 (cold sore virus) and chickenpox. The symptoms Bell’s usually starts abruptly, with facial muscle partial paralysis/weakness on one side. Complete paralysis is unusual, but your lower face may be more severely affected. You’ll notice you can’t close your eye…

A Balanced Approach To bating After 13 years as an NHS consultant and weight-loss surgeon, I have witnessed first-hand how people’s behaviour and subconscious habits can have disastrous effects on their health. Two thirds of us are overweight or obese while stress, poor sleep and too much time sitting at a desk or slumped on the sofa is playing havoc with our wellbeing. But I realise how difficult it is to make changes. We are confused by conflicting information – every time we read the newspaper, there’s a different piece of advice. Over time, it made me angry and determined to help people to help themselves. So, rather than fume in silence, I spent years researching what actually does work and turned it into VavistaLife – an online hub for…

THE STORY SO FAR On her 84th Christmas morning, PELAGIA, who lives with her son, NIKOS, his wife MARINA, and their daughters ELECTRA and COSIMA, on the Greek island of Kos, finds a family living in her cellar – KAROL, his wife YUSRA, 11-year-old NOOR and little LILITH. They have fled Iran. She lets them stay in her holiday cottage, but one day, a man in uniform arrives looking for migrants. She had seen him coming and hidden the family, but the danger is still there. The 7th Day Of Christmas Christmas comes but once a year. It’s just as well. This year’s celebrations have spun them round and around, from happiness to sadness, from pain to joy. It’s too much for an old yia-yia to bear. Even one as…

The fiction stories in Woman’s Weekly are such an important part of our content mix and I don’t write about them very often. But I always enjoy reading the pages our hard-working team of master story-finders, Fiction Editor, Gaynor and her deputy, Clare, source, polish and present each week. And I know you feel the same from the many emails and letters we get commenting on and complimenting them. It is, as I’m sure you can imagine, no easy feat to ensure you get the best and most diverse mix of theme, style and quality in every issue. This week, however, Gaynor has come up with something new and completely different. For the first time, in my time as editor, anyway, we at Woman’s Weekly are delighted to present the…

Aries 21 Mar - 20 Apr A friendship has the potential to become a romantic relationship. This is a great week to meet some interesting people. Taurus 21 Apr - 21 May Travelling, planning a trip, even moving could be on the cards for you. This is a good time to create those big dreams. Gemini 22 May - 21 Jun You may receive a bonus, a promotion or some kind of financial investment from someone else. Cancer 22 Jun - 23 Jul This is a busy time for you at work. Be prepared to take on some extra responsibilities if needed. Leo 24 Jul - 23 Aug You may decide on some renovations to your home. Make sure you’ve extra funds for any unforeseen eventualities. Virgo 24 Aug -…

At the end there was a horrible, embarrassed silence A little tip, Steve,” my brother said, as we stood at the bar that night. “When you get out there, smile and wave at an imaginary friend in the audience –” I nearly choked on my pint. “What?” “– and then mouth, ‘Hi! See you later!’” “And the point of that is?” “It makes you look relaxed and popular. And it’ll give you time to assess the room and centre yourself.” “Centre myself?” I was laughing but I rather liked the idea. It was my first open mike event here and the first since my disastrous ‘debut’ at another pub last year. If John’s little scenario was going to help conquer my nerves, it had to be worth a try. It’s…

Frosted Posy Time to make:: 15 mins YOU WILL NEED • 7 Long Stem Red Roses • 1 pack Glittered Gypsophila (use as little or as much as you like) • 1 pack Frosted Hypericum Berries • Eucalyptus Parvi from 1 pack of Decorate Your Home with Shimmer • Pine cones from 1 pack of Winter Foliage Bouquet • Container/vase, we used Hammered Bouquet Vase, 23 x 21.5cm, £19.50 All flowers and vase from M&S • Elastic band • Gold ribbon • Sharp scissors 1 Prepare your flowers and foliage by stripping away the bottom leaves on each stem so that no foliage is immersed in the water. 2 Place 3 different stems on a flat surface then rotate the bunch a quarter of a turn, add another stem and…

Cervical Screening Saves Lives Regular cervical screening can reduce our risk of early-stage cervical cancer by two-thirds, and advanced cancer by four-fifths. Screening women every five years could prevent 80% of deaths from the disease. The test is quick and only slightly uncomfortable. You should be invited if you’re registered with a GP. Find out more at nhs.uk. True Or False? Lifestyle illnesses cost the NHS £11 billion a year. True, according to NHS England, which says 40% of us have at least one long-term health condition by midlife. It recommends a healthy diet, regular exercise, not smoking and drinking alcohol only in moderation. Pain, Rain, Go Away Early results from the ‘crowdsourcing’ smartphone app that I mentioned in March suggest there may really be a link between pain symptoms…

Please don’t tell me that I should have thought this through and not ‘threatened my family’. Last year, we had a terrible family Christmas. My sister was in the middle of separating from her husband and my brother was in a new relationship and couldn’t take his hands off his new partner. My mother tutted throughout the day at everyone’s behaviour and my two teenage children got drunk and one threw up on the hall landing, while the other w as rude to my father-in-law. After that, I swore I wouldn’t do a family Christmas again and, if they wanted one, they would have to do it themselves. Well, my sister has chosen to go on a singles holiday and my brother is going to his fiancée’s. Sadly, my mother…

This Week CAROLINE RODRIGUES is a home economist and interiors writer. She’ll answer your questions on home appliances. Our Experts • Appliances • Internet • Digital • Animals • Finance/ consumer • Legal Q Can you suggest a traditional espresso maker to give as a gift? These machines make coffee the same way it’s been done for years in Italian bars, by forcing water through the coffee under pressure. Look for one with 15-19 bars of pressure for an authentic brew. Though the method is the same today, the machines have moved on, some taking pods as well as ground coffee, such as the Distinta coffee maker ECI341CP, £199.98, De’Longhi. It has a matt metallic finish and includes a professional filter holder for ground coffee, a stainless steel boiler, 15-bar…

It turns out we’d all rather have been playing Scrabble Oh dear, this is rather awkward. You’ve caught me, I’m afraid, at a rather difficult moment. Where are my manners, though? Let me describe the scene. Mr Dear and I are seated at a small table, our faces lit by flickering candlelight. There is a slight tension in the air as he gazes across at me and pours himself another glass of the rather tasty red wine. He smiles, and I notice a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. There’s absolutely no mistaking his intention. ‘You’ve landed on my hotel,’ he says. ‘That’s £1,200 you owe me.’ Well, what else is there to do in the middle of a power cut? My memory might be playing tricks, but surely we never…

This week’s columnist: Writer and broadcaster Libby Purves Once upon a time passwords belonged in the Arabian Nights – ‘Open Sesame!’ Or in spy stories, where you could imagine creeping up to a border at night and whispering, ‘The grey geese are flying tonight, Ivan.’ to hear a voice reply, ‘They fly well, comrade. Pass freely.’ You might also have a combination padlock on your bike or your gym locker, unless you were so lazy and trustful that you always left it on 0000. But in normal life you just had a signature and an address, and your face was likely to be recognised anyway by the commissionaire at the office or Joanne at the bank. Ah, cosy bygone days! For now the hi-tech age of universal mistrust has come…

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Visit the fresh flower department in participating M&S stores between 6-15 December 2016, present this voucher and enjoy 20% off fresh foliage and flower bouquets to decorate your home for the festive season. Terms and conditions: Voucher valid 6-15 December 2016 in M&S stores in the UK with the exception of the Channel Islands, M&S outlet stores, BP Connect stores and M&S stores located in airports, hospitals, railway stations and motorway services. Subject to availability. Cannot be used with any other discount vouchers. Discount applied after other discounts at till. Must be handed in on redemption. Offer not valid with staff discount cards. Offer not valid with any other promotional vouchers. Promoter: Marks & Spencer Group plc, Waterside House, 35 North Wharf Road, London W2 1NW…

1 A thin-rimmed cup /glass and smaller sips may reduce dribbling. Use a barrier cream to prevent chapping. 2 Add gravy, sauces or yogurt to make food easier to chew. 3 Take particular care brushing and flossing teeth, especially on the affected side, and/or if saliva is reduced. Have regular dental checks. 4 Drink little and of ten, or try artificial saliva lozenges to relieve a dry mouth. 5 Press your hand against your cheek when speaking, to project sound forward. 6 For support, information and advice call Facial Palsy UK on 0300 030 9333 or visit facialpalsy.org.uk…

This isn’t your fault Q My stepmother has two children and four grandchildren from her first marriage. She married my father when I was a young adult and I’ve never bonded with her. Every other year, we split Christmas between my mother and father; it’s usually only one night and a day, so just about bearable. This year, my mother is joining her new husband’s family so we’re going to my father for three days. All my stepmother ever does is tell us how wonderful her children and grandchildren are and I end up feeling useless and hurt. Susanna, Taunton A Why do you think she does this? Not, I expect, because she feels secure in the knowledge that in the competition she’s set up her family are better. Probably…