Innholdsfortegnelse for 24-Oct-2017 i Woman's Weekly

Keep the birds fed this winter I’m lucky enough to live near Greenwich Park, a patch of peaceful green amongst the London hubbub. Whenever I cycle through on my daily commute, I’m always struck by the chirruping chorus coming from the leafy canopy of trees. The park boasts a flock of parakeets, recognisable by their citrus-green plumage. Catching the colourful birds in mid-flight is a cheerful sight to behold as the days turn cold and dark. Sadly, the UK has seen a dramatic drop in its birdlife over recent years. But if you turn to page 16, the RSPB has some great advice for keeping our feathered friends well fed this winter. Time to stock up on sunflower seeds! Esme Variety Is The Spice Of Life I love having friends…

Hermione Norris is telling me about her latest play. Produced by her husband SimonWheeler, it’s a staging of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet at the couple’s home in Somerset. The cast are all children – family and friends of their 13-year-old son, Wilf, and daughter, Hero, 10. ‘My son’s playing Romeo,’ she says a little sheepishly, as if the casting showed favouritism. Hermione, who plays Karen in ITV’s Cold Feet, and Simon met when she was starring in the Robson Green drama Wire in the Blood, which Simon was producing. They moved from London to Somerset five years ago – a big change for Hermione, who was born and bred in the capital. ‘It’s a really different way of life and it’s taken me a while to get used to it,’…

Starters Spiced Lamb Koftas With Raita Serves 8 Calories: 135 per kofta Fat: 8.5g Saturated fat: 4g Carbohydrates: 2g ✱ 500g (1lb 2oz) lean minced lamb ✱ 1 red onion, finely chopped ✱ 2 garlic cloves, crushed ✱ 2tsp garam masala ✱ 1 small red chilli, chopped ✱ Small bunch of mint, chopped ✱ 1tbsp oil ✱ 12 metal or wooden skewers For the raita: ✱ 200g (7oz) Greek yogurt ✱ ½ small cucumber, peeled, deseeded and grated, with excess water squeezed out ✱ Bunch of fresh mint, chopped ✱ 1-2tsp ground cumin ✱ 2 spring onions, chopped 1 Mix together the lamb, onion, garlic, garam masala, chilli and mint. Season and divide mixture into 12 portions. 2 Form these pieces into a sausage shape around the skewers. Chill for…

Recognised as Britain’s favourite flower, it’s good to know that roses aren’t as hard to grow as people believe. For roses to thrive, it’s important to grow them in a sheltered, sunny spot with rich, well-drained soil. Where possible, avoid planting them in an area where roses have been grown in recent years and they shouldn’t become victim to soil-borne re-plant disease. You’ll find many gardeners offer tricks and tips to improve the soil and make it more acid, which roses love. The most popular advice given is to sprinkle coffee grounds and used teabags around the plants, and even a banana skin! Although pot-grown roses can be bought and planted all year round, specialist nurserymen also offer roses that are grown in an open field and then dug up…

Our bodies constantly monitor our blood levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide and acidity, adjusting breathing as necessary – for example when we’re exercising or oxygen levels are low (high altitude). But unexplained rapid/laboured breathing, at rest or on slight exertion, should ring alarm bells. Lung problems When we inhale, air travels down to the alveolar sacs where oxygen passes into the blood and carbon dioxide is collected for breathing out. Conditions that narrow the airways (eg asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), damage the alveoli (fibrosis) or target lung tissue (pneumonia, cancer, TB, immune-system disorders, blood clots or toxins) force us to breathe more rapidly. There may be other symptoms such as a cough, wheezing, chest pain, weight loss, blood-stained sputum, sweats or cyanosis (blue lips, tongue or nails). Treatment may…

Think about both of your needs QMy mother’s only 73 and she’s been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I can’t bear the thought of her forgetting us and still being there as a person, but not as the woman she was. Gillian, Aberdeen AI’m sorry, as it’s a horrible illness. It must be a shock for you all and I fully understand that you’re sad. Unfortunately, being upset won’t help you or your mother. What will is focusing on what you can do to help her and enjoying the time you have together. It’s really important to concentrate on what you’ve got for what could be many years ahead. It’s also important that you consider both your and your mother’s needs, as she will also be struggling with this. Support her and…

WORD COUNT 28 = Good. More than 33 = Well done! Wordwise You have 15 minutes to find as many words as possible using the letters shown in the grid. Each word must contain four or more letters, one of which must be the central square. No letter can be used more than once in each word. No proper nouns, plurals or foreign words allowed. There is one nineletter word in the grid, for which this week’s clue is: Extremely wicked. You can work it out... Linkwords Fit 10 words into the grid so that each links with the end of the word on its left and the beginning of the one on the right. Then unscramble the letters in the shaded squares to make a word. Clue: Measure of…

PAWS FOR THOUGHT This is my beautiful cat, Holmes. I think he’s the most gorgeous cat I’ve ever seen (I’m very biased) and thought he might make your readers smile. Sarah Carson, Chippenham, Wiltshire Got a pet pic that makes you smile? We can give it a good home £25 Letter Of The Week Your article titled ‘Should parents give financial handouts to their adult children?’ (15 August) really resonated with me. We have four adult children and over the years we have given them handouts and gifts totalling thousands of pounds. We knew we had entered an unhealthy spiral of expectation that was difficult to break out of. When we were both made redundant at the same time a couple of years ago, it gave us the perfect opportunity…

TesTed by us so They Work For you If you’ve got leftover scraps of wallpaper you don’t want to throw away, create these upcycling projects instead! Craft & Home Editor, Esme Esme’s Tip Before cutting your wallpaper, hold a section in front of a lit bulb to double check you like the pattern and style. Wallpaper can look very different when backlit. Paper pendant YOU WILL NEED ✤ Old lampshade ✤ Ruler ✤ Pencil ✤ Patterned wallpaper ✤ Scissors ✤ Wallpaper paste ✤ Pasting brush 1 measure the height and circumference of the shade, adding 2cm to the circumference measurement. 2 using a ruler and pencil, draw a rectangle to these dimensions on the wrong side of the wallpaper and cut out with a pair of scissors. 3 mix up…

‘SCENT FROM HEAVEN’ is the Rose of the Year 2017. A climber producing orangesalmon blooms with a rich, fruit fragrance. Visit rosesuk.com. ‘CHARLES DICKENS’ from styleroses.co.uk is a hybrid tea-bush rose with pretty lightly scented, bright red swirling blooms. ‘PAPWORTH’S PRIDE’ bears clusters of perfumed, raspberry red, peony-style flowers that unfold to reveal bright yellow anthers. Visit classicroses.co.uk. ‘90TH CELEBRATION’ from Fryer’s Roses (for details, visit rosesuk.com) is a hybrid tea with intense purple-red blooms that open to reveal yellow stamens. The English Rose ‘DAME JUDI DENCH’ bred by David Austin produces rich apricot blooms, which have a lovely tea scent. Visit davidaustinroses.co.uk. ‘DYNAMIC DUO’ is has fragrant ruby blooms, which are silverywhite on the petals’ outside. Visit styleroses.co.uk/buy-plants/ dynamic-duo-bush-rose.…

Healthy Eating Made Easy! To help you lose up to 7lb by the start of December, our supersimple meal plan has minimal salt, to help combat bloating, and the perfect balance of stomach-filling fibre, protein and carbohydrates to keep hunger pangs at bay. And the great thing is, none of the meals featured here take more than a few minutes to prepare – so there’s no fussing around in the kitchen trying to cook complicated food at this busy time of year. We’ve even woven some seasonal goodies into the snack list to help you if you’re starting the party early and don’t want to turn down a glass of fizz! Choose from these healthy options – you’ll feel nicely full without the bloating, and look your very best in…

Our Experts ✱ Appliances ✱ Internet ✱ Digital ✱ Animals ✱ Finance/ consumer ✱ Legal This Week FRANCES QUINN is a journalist who specialises in finance and consumer issues. She’ll answer your questions on everything from savings to shopping QDoes it matter which credit card I have – aren’t they all pretty much the same? It’s true that most credit cards are still operated either by Visa or Mastercard, but within that, there’s a huge range of different interest rates and extra benefits. Finding the right card for you could save you hundreds of pounds a year – and using the wrong one could cost you a lot of money. QI owe quite a bit on my card. How can I save money? You can switch your balance to a…

Thinking about it, the obvious thing would have been to take Mrs Beasley aside during a quiet moment at the shop and drop a series of unexploded hints. ‘I saw Alan from down the road last week,’ we should have said in all innocence. ‘He was in the coffee shop and making up to Beverley. Do you know Beverley? She runs the shop just down the road from the fire station. I didn’t know they were an item, did you? Of course, she’s a remarkably attractive woman, if you like that sort of obvious style, and she doesn’t look a day over 39.’ Yes, that would have been the obvious thing to do. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind and all that. Newer readers, of course, won’t…

Aries (21 Mar – 20 Apr) Don’t be afraid to take a risk. The aspects favour new challenges so, if you can go beyond your comfort zone, you’ll reap dividends. Taurus (21 Apr – 21 May) Only commit yourself to what you know you can fulfil and you will curb your stress levels immensely. Gemini (22nd May – 21st June) If you can focus on bringing lightness into your life consistently, you’ll manifest more of what you want. Cancer (22 Jun – 23 Jul) Home repairs, upgrades and enhancements are under positive stars, so why not make changes? Leo (24 Jul – 23 Aug) You may be feeling restless, and this is a good time for a spontaneous outing or trip to somewhere new. Virgo (24 Aug – 23 Sep)…

This week’s columnist: Model, fitness expert and journalist Diana Moran I’ve been away for a couple of weeks filming for a new series – so you can imagine my delight at finally being able to wake up in my own bed and seeing ‘British sun’ shining through the window. Now, it’s time to wake up properly. So, bend and stretch, lithe body and long limbs extend, then curl and roll over, then up and away at great speed… No, I’m not talking about me. It’s just the everyday antics of my best friend, Maisie. With glossy black hair and piercing green eyes she is my superior companion who, like many of her kind, has demanded my full attention over the years. She is, of course, a cat, not well bred…

TESTED BY US So It Works For You Knitting Editor Teresa This nifty crocheted game board doubles as a bag for the noughtsand- crosses pieces, making it the perfect travelling companion. Easy-peasy A Bit More Tricky Hard–ish Quite A Challenge MEASUREMENTS Board bag measures 24 x 26cm/9½ x 10¼in. MATERIALS 1 x 100g (295m) ball of Stylecraft Special DK (100% acrylic) in each of Mustard (1823), Aster (1003), Magenta (1084) and Kelly Green (1826). Size 4.00 crochet hook; toy stuffing, tweezers. The yarn is available from theknittingnetwork.co.uk. TENSION One square measures 8 x 8cm, using 4.00 hook. ABBREVIATIONS Ch, chain; st, stitch; dc, double crochet; tr, treble; htr, half treble; dtr, double treble; slst, slip stitch; chsp, chain space; dc2tog, work 2dc together thus: [insert hook in next st, yarn…

WELLBEING SOLUTIONS For your body and mind YVONNE YATES, 49, a cake maker and exam invigilator, from Southwick, West Sussex, found an innovative new solution to her deafness My hearing loss first became noticeable in my 20s. People had to repeat themselves so many times that they would tell me how frustrating it was. But I put off having a hearing test until my 30s. Sure enough, I had significant hearing loss – but no one could tell me why. I was prescribed hearing aids, but they kept falling out and amplified everything so the background noise was so loud it drowned out voices. They were cumbersome and made me more conscious of my hearing loss – so I stopped wearing them. Working from home as a cake decorator meant…

Dinner at Casey’s house that evening had been a very taut affair. Giles had been hauled over the coals by his headmistress for punching another boy. He’d done it to defend a pupil, Johnny. The lad was being held in a headlock by an older boy, who’d later threatened Giles into silence. That evening, the Clunes’ young houseguest seemed to have withdrawn completely into himself. He kept his eyes fixed on his plate, ignoring all attempts to draw him into the conversation. By contrast, Finlay’s dad, Dom, seemed compelled to fill the silence with a volley of empty chatter. It was all Casey could do not to tell him to put a sock in it. When Giles finally rose from the table, took his plate over to the dishwasher and…