Innholdsfortegnelse for 27-Oct-2020 i Woman's Weekly

Coming together with cake When I was a boy, my gran always baked the Christmas cake for our family, and her arrival on Christmas morning, carrying it gingerly, was a highlight of the day. However, as years went by and her health deteriorated, sometimes she couldn’t come, but she still made a stunning cake every year, saying it was her way of still joining us on the day. On page 23, you’ll find some amazing cake recipes to have the little ones in your family open-mouthed in awe. We don’t yet know what this ‘Covid Christmas’ will look like, but perhaps a cake can help bring us together, even if we can’t all be in the same room.…

GREAT GAP YEARS I loved your story about Christine Simmons’ grown-up gap year [7 April] – go us oldies! Here I am feeding elephants in South Africa, it was an amazing experience. We were told not to bend down in front of them or they would see that as a sign of weakness and knock us off our feet with one sweep of their trunk! Fortunately, these elephants just used them to eagerly grab at the food we had for them. It was the most amazing experience! Pauline Buckley, Wood Grove…

This week’s columnist: Runner Paula Radcliffe MBE “If I’m flying anywhere, I always have my running gear in my hand luggage, so if my suitcase doesn’t make it, at least I can still go for a run. When I was competing, that was the most important thing I had to get there. I’d heard stories of pole vaults being sawn in half to fit on the plane – because obviously you couldn’t have them as hand luggage, so I was grateful I could put a pair of trainers and running spikes in my backpack! ‘I phoned the police because I thought my car was stolen’ Before we were married, my husband Gary and had a lovely beach holiday in Florida. He went back to the hotel to move the hire…

I lost 2st during LOCKDOWN When lockdown was first introduced in March, I weighed about 13st. I was furloughed and initially, I started wallowing in self-pity – I sat indoors, eating. I felt sluggish and down. My sleep was poor too. I’d go to bed late and wake throughout the night. I knew I had to get myself in check so I turned to my Fitbit. I began tracking what I ate and discovered that snacking was my downfall. My meals were pretty healthy but I love sweet things. I cut back and had healthier snacks, such as fruit. Being at home helped because at work in the office I could never say no to a biscuit! At home, I didn’t buy them because I knew if I opened…

✢ Pelvic floor exercises. Theses can help strengthen the muscles around the vaginal entrance, preventing drooping of the walls and easing the symptoms to some degree. ✢ Lifestyle changes. Weight loss, avoid lifting heavy weights or high-impact exercises such as trampolining, have a high-fibre diet to avoid constipation, and stop smoking to avoid coughing. ✢ GP review. Talk to your doctor if things worsen, or your symptoms affect your quality of life, so you can consider specialist referral or surgery. ✢ Hormone treatment. Your GP may prescribe local oestrogen hormone treatment, as creams, vaginal tablets or rings, to ease symptoms such as vaginal dryness or discomfort during sex.…

I want to help her out financially Q My granddaughter is very bright and her parents wanted her to go to the local private school. She got a scholarship, but now they’re struggling financially with hidden extras. She’s 15 and her parents haven’t got the money to let her do what her friends do. She’s desperate to go on a school trip, but they can’t afford it. It breaks my heart to watch her. I’ve a little spare money saved so I could pay for it, but I couldn’t afford to do this for all my grandchildren. Clare, Bristol A There are lots of ways to support children and it isn’t always money that they need. I know you’d like to support them all but, as you say, you wouldn’t…

ARIES 21 Mar – 20 Apr You’re learning how to be patient and trust in the flow of life. Accept the things you cannot change. TAURUS 21 Apr – 21 May This is an excellent time for learning, studying and sharing information. You may be signing up for a course to extend your skills. GEMINI 22 May – 21 Jun You may be thinking of moving home or country. Don’t rush your decision, examine all your options. CANCER 22 Jun – 23 Jul This is an excellent week for decluttering and making some space in your life. Let go of the things you haven’t used in years. LEO 24 Jul – 23 Aug Someone who is lonely may need your loving touch. See if you can reach out to at…

SHARON MALTBY, 59 Tell us about your look My top was a fabulous find in Primark. It’s quite old, but I love the colours and print. Best of all is the loose swing shape and floaty sleeves. My jeans are Mint Velvet and my sandals are New Look. My bag is by Coach. It was a good buy. And the best bit of your body? My long legs. ALISA ROBBINS, 55 Tell us about your look I really like unusual skirts and this Cos skirt – with its flattering tulip shape – is a favourite. The cardigan and scarf are both from Kettlewell – they have an amazing selection of colours, which means you can always find the right shade, regardless of season. My 70s-inspired shoes are by Esska –…

✣ All UK bat species use echolocation to navigate and hunt for insects in the dark. ✣ Things we get from bat-pollinated plants include dates, vanilla, bananas, breadfruit, guavas, iroko timber, balsa wood, sisal, tequila and chewing gum. ✣ Bats are more closely related to humans than they are to mice. ✣ The majority of the world’s bats eat insects – just like British bats. But in the tropics, bats also eat foods such as fruit, flowers, frogs, fish, blood – and even other bats. ✣ Bats usually only have one baby a year and can live for up to 30 years.…

Vaginal prolapse, also known as pelvic organ prolapse, occurs when one or more of the organs in the pelvis slip down from their normal position, pushing the vaginal wall down, causing a bulge into the vagina or out past the labia. Occasionally the walls themselves droop but usually it’s the womb (uterus), bowel, bladder or top of the vagina that have descended, pulling the wall with them. Symptoms vary but include a feeling of heaviness in the lower abdomen or genital area, dragging internal discomfort, a feeling of swelling or something coming down inside the vagina, difficulty peeing, discomfort during sex, seeing a bulge coming out. Sometimes there are no symptoms but it’s noticed during examination, such as for a cervical smear. Your doctor will examine you, including doing an…

A All medications have possible side effects, and their use is a balance between those risks and the benefits. ‘Water tablets’ are diuretics – medication that will make you pass more urine. They’re used for a variety of conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart failure or other heart disease, or where there is fluid retention, the different diuretic groups have different actions. The most common are loop diuretics such as Furosemide, potassium-sparing drugs such as Spironolactone, and Thiazides like Bendroflumethiazide. Which one your doctor prescribes depends on many factors, such as your age and diagnosis, other medical conditions, a kidney function assessment, and known allergies. It’s important to report back if they cause any side effects, or if you want to take over-the-counter medications, which may interact. Recently, several…

Q I recently went to a car-boot sale and bought an old plate, which was pretty, and which I thought would look nice on my wall. My daughter’s boyfriend asked me about it the next time they were over. He’s a specialist in ceramics. He said it was a special edition and it was worth a lot of money. I said I thought I should return it, as I paid less than £5, and I know the family were selling things to help make ends meet. They both said I had bought it honestly, so I should either keep it or sell it, but not give it back; it was now mine. I’m not sure. Name and address withheld A They’re right legally – you are under no obligation to…

KEEPING ’MUMS Not as fashionable as dahlias, but equally beautiful, hardy Chrysanthemums come into their own in autumn. These perennials put on a fabulous show from September and if you pop them into a greenhouse before the frosts hit, expect blooms until Christmas. Plant in spring, in a sunny, well-drained spot. They also do well in pots, though may need protecting to make it through winter. TIME FOR BEDDING It’s not too late to plant autumn and spring bedding. This goes for hardy plants only – wallflowers, forget-me-nots, sweet williams, bellis daisies, winter-flowering pansies and violas, plus primroses and primulas. Moist soil encourages roots to establish, giving a head start for spring. Pansy flower buds will develop too.…

Christmas with the Teashop Girls by Elaine Everest (£7.99, PB, Pan Macmillan) It’s late 1940 and it’s back to the Kent coastline to revisit the Teashop Girls in the second book in the series. Rose Neville and her staff are working hard to put on a brave face for their customers, but when the cafe is hit during a bombing raid, they are left wondering whether it can survive. Charming characters abound in this historical wartime drama. In the Crypt with a Candlestick by Daisy Waugh (£8.99, PB, Little, Brown) Paying homage to the golden age of crime, Waugh offers a modern twist on the classic country house murder. The wife of Sir Egbert Tode of Tode Hall has been widowed and, fed up with playing Lady Tode, she wants…

Where I read mine I read mine at my cabin by Shepherd Lake in the Timiskaming region of Northeastern Ontario, Canada. Thank you so much for your magazine, which I have had the pleasure of enjoying for years. I’ve made things from your knitting patterns and cooked many delicious meals from your recipe pages. Lesley Simms, Canada Holy macaroni My seven year old granddaughter is learning about famous inventors. I had to laugh when I saw in her school book she had written ‘Macaroni invented the radio’. Maybe he was just inventing things to pasta time…! Carol Gasan, Devon Paws for thought I thought readers may enjoy this picture of my two kittens! They are 10 weeks old and brothers. Scooter and Trooper are wonderful additions to our family. Jill…

Pamela Andrews, 1974 I love this Laura Ashley dress – it cost £8 (£77 in today’s money), which seemed quite expensive at the time, as I had only just started working as a teacher. I still have the dress and need a new function to go to to wear it, probably a 70s event! ✣ We’d love to see how great you looked in any era up to and including the 1980s. Please send a good-quality photo with your name, address and daytime phone number clearly written on the back, to: Fashion Dept, Woman’s Weekly, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP. Photos will be returned.…

BROWN BUTTER, PECAN AND RUM CANDLE DRIP CAKE Yes, those are edible candles on our indulgent boozy cake, with an edible almond wick too! SERVES 32 ✣ 1.5kg (3lb) unsalted butter, cubed ✣ 8 large eggs, separated ✣ 400g (14oz) soft light brown sugar ✣ 400g (14oz) self-raising flour ✣ 1¼tsp baking powder ✣ 200g (7oz) pecans, toasted and chopped ✣ 3tbsp dark spiced rum For the dark chocolate ganache: ✣ 150g (5oz) dark chocolate ✣ 150g (5oz) double cream For the buttercream: ✣ 200g (7oz) brown butter (see step 1 of the method) ✣ 6tbsp rum ✣ 400g (14oz) icing sugar ✣ 3tsp dark cocoa powder For the white chocolate ganache: ✣ 250g (9oz) white chocolate ✣ 125g (4oz) double cream You will need: ✣ 4 x 20cm (8in)…

Future diagnostics may start with selfies. A study is using computer algorithms to identify heart disease risk through facial features. Physicians use features, such as cholesterol deposits around the eyes, male pattern baldness, earlobe creases and skin wrinkling, as risk markers. But putting a facial image through AI assessment now makes an easily applicable, effective screening tool for first-line diagnostic testing. Other diseases being studied include hypertension and diabetes.…

1 LEG ELEVATION Varicose veins are caused by the small valves in the vein stopping working, limiting blood return to the heart. Elevating the legs helps. 2 COMPRESSION STOCKINGS Avoid standing or sitting still for long periods. Move regularly. Ask your GP or pharmacist about compression stockings. 3 EXERCISE Take regular exercise to strengthen the muscles around the veins, to improve circulation. Maintain a healthy weight, as being overweight worsens them. 4 SURGERY? Varicose veins aren’t routinely operated on now but report severe pain, skin irritation or ulcers to your GP, as there are treatments available.…

YOU WILL NEED ✣Rico small weaving loom (19x29cm) with comb included ✣Rico essentials crochet cotton yarn in white ✣Rico essentials cotton DK in dark turquoise, terracotta and caramel ✣Large darning needle ✣ Scissors ✣ Ruler 1 Begin by screwing the metal rods into place on the loom. Position the rods at least 9cm apart, as this determines the width of the coaster. 2 Using the white crochet cotton, knot the end around one of the metal rod screws and then thread the cotton up and down through the channels to form the warp threads. For every channel, we’ve threaded two lengths of cotton to suit the thickness of the yarn. 3 Thread the turquoise cotton through the darning needle and begin weaving the needle over and under the white yarn,…

“It was a cold rainy morning and Mr Dear was staring out of the sitting room window. He does this because a) he thinks it makes him look wistful and sensitive, and b) he knows it annoys me when I’m dusting because he could be lifting up all the useless clutter that we keep on the mantelpiece. Mantelpiece clutter is definitive proof that the Almighty is male. A female deity would not have caused mantelpiece clutter to come into being, knowing that it is very irritating and gets in the way of the cleaning. Where were we? Ah, yes. Mr Dear. Window. Staring. ‘There’s a woman next door and she’s behaving very suspiciously,’ he said. ‘What do you mean, suspiciously?’ I said, lifting up a scale model of a Mallard…