Innholdsfortegnelse for 5-Jul-2022 i Woman's Weekly

The British brew My mum loved a cup of tea at any time, and if she couldn’t sleep, she would even get up and make one in the middle of the night. My dad, in contrast, never drank any hot drinks at all. While I was not a massive fan as a child, I’ve become more and more enthusiastic about a refreshing cup of tea as I’ve got older, and now my whole family is the same – we get through a lot of teabags – with the exception of my eldest son, who, like his grandpa, just can’t see what the fuss is about. But what I didn’t appreciate is that drinking tea also has well-documented health benefits. See page 25 to find out more.…

Stunning tea rooms Entrepreneur Celia Sinclair is Founder Patron of The Willow Tea Rooms Trust. In 2014, she bought the Willow Tea Rooms in Glasgow, now called Mackintosh at the Willow, and oversaw the restoration to the original designs of architect and artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been inspired by Glasgow’s art and architecture. When I came to restore the Willow Tea Rooms I knew that, besides being a faithful restoration, I wanted the project to inspire young people. I was a trustee of The Glasgow Art Club when I heard the tea rooms were at risk. They were opened in 1903 by entrepreneur Kate Cranston and were the height of elegance. Mackintosh was given carte blanche to design everything – the facade,…

WHERE I’VE BEEN On the Caledonian Express from Glasgow to London. I slept in the top bunk because you don’t get as many judders. I prayed I didn’t need the loo in the night! WHAT I’VE BOUGHT A big print as a present for my Loose Women friend Jane Moore’s 60th birthday. It’s a mock-up of various newspaper stories about her. WHO I’VE MET The singer Bryan Adams, who appeared on Loose Women. He was a sensitive soul with a lovely sense of humour and quite shy. WHAT I’VE SEEN The documentary Joe Wicks: Facing My Childhood. He’s my go-to for any online fitness, and the documentary showed he was a lovely guy.…

1 FOR BETTER DIGESTION Fennel, lemon balm or ginger ‘Fennel acts as a diuretic, so it can help with water retention and bloating,’ says nutritionist Lily Soutter. ‘Try lemon balm for indigestion, or ginger for nausea.’ 2 FOR A PICK-ME-UP Peppermint At Northumbria University, studies found that drinking peppermint tea boosted alertness, helping to improve the memory. 3 FOR RADIANT SKIN Nettle ‘One of my favourite “nutritional” herbs for the skin, is nettle, as it contains vitamins A and C, iron, calcium and magnesium,’ says medical nutritionist Dr Newman-Beinart. 4 FOR BONE HEALTH Rooibos American Research has linked habitual rooibos and black and green tea intake with higher bone mineral density, particularly in postmenopausal women. 5 FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE Green tea This tea might reduce hypertension risk by 46%,…

The Bartholin’s glands are a pair of pea-sized glands found just behind and either side of the lips at each side of the vaginal opening. They secrete fluid that helps lubricate the vagina during sex. Sometimes the ducts of these glands become obstructed and fluid backs up, forming a cyst. It’s unclear why the ducts block, but usually affects sexually active women aged 20-30, possibly linked to sexually transmitted infections, such as gonorrhoea or chlamydia, or other bacterial infections, such E coli. Symptoms include a soft, painless lump, which doesn’t usually cause problems. However, if the cyst grows very large, it can become uncomfortable, with pain in the skin surrounding the vulva or vagina when you walk, sit down or have sex. The cyst can sometimes affect the labia surrounding…

Ben felt his phone vibrate and reached into his pocket to retrieve it. On the screen was a photo of a newborn, swaddled in a blanket, wearing a white hat with blue trim. Congratulations, Pops! read the message from his son-in-law. A surge of love shot through Ben’s heart as he zoomed in on the image, his grandson’s face so similar to his daughter’s when she was born. He swept away a tear, remembering the elation and exhaustion he and his wife Tandy had felt that day, and wished she was here to share this new life. He chuckled at the bittersweet thought of how she would have been beside herself with happiness, no doubt twirling in circles at the news. ‘What would you do to celebrate?’ he asked, still…

Magical Minsmere Suffolk’s coastal nature reserve, RSPB Minsmere, celebrates its 75th birthday this year. It was founded when twitchers spotted rare avocets nesting at the site. The long-billed birds, with their characteristic black-and-white feathers and blue legs, were thought to be extinct in the UK, but careful management has seen their population grow. They now live with 6,000 other species, including marsh harriers and booming bitterns, making the reserve one of the UK’s most diverse wildlife spots. ANYONE FOR TENNIS? The Wimbledon championships are taking place right now. Approximately 54,000 tennis balls will be in use throughout the tournament, and hungry punters will munch their way through about 28,000kg of strawberries, and enjoy 10,000 litres of cream! DID YOU KNOW? Hummingbirds are the only known bird that can fly backwards.…

My mother-in-law was a Tiller Girl at the London Palladium in the 1950s. I love this photo of her with all the girls in the dance troupe. They look so glamorous, and what a lovely selection of fashion! ✢ 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, Future plc, 121-141 Westbourne Terrace, London W2 6JR. Photos will be returned.…

IN YOUR 40s Time-poor and stress-rich, you may struggle to fit exercise into your schedule – but this is a decade when your muscle mass is starting to shrink and you’re probably noticing more body fat than you’ve been used to. ‘A lot of women also to start to notice varicose veins at this age,’ says Vanessa Livingstone, specialist vein nurse at ukveinclinic.com. TRY THIS ✣ Express Pilates or yoga sessions, or a power walk or run, can all help with stress management while also improving overall fitness. ✣ HIIT High-impact squat jumps, plank jacks and star jumps can reap rewards in just two or three 20 or 30-minute sessions every week. ✣ Seated calf pumps Pointing and flexing your toes with your legs extended – will help your vein…

TIGHTEN AND TONE Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, £20, lookfantastic.com The smell alone will get you in the summer spirit, but the rich, toning cream will make legs, bums and tums feel tighter and smoother. PERK UP THAT BUST Noughty The Booster Neck & Décolletage Serum £14.95, lovenoughty.co.uk This illuminating serum plumps and smooths to leave your chest and neck looking rejuvenated. CALL TO ARMS Prai Ageless Upper Arm Creme, £20, M&S Tighten up saggy arms with this caffeine-infused complex, which helps to improve the skin’s tone and texture. SOOTHING START CeraVe SA Smoothing Body Cream, £12.50, lookfantastic.com Get rid of red bumps on the backs of your arms or thighs with this salicylic acid-enriched cream to gently exfoliate and smooth. GET A SUN-KISSED LOOK Sienna X Self…

I work in a hotel in a busy town centre, and last year I started walking to work to get a bit fitter, lose some weight and hit my daily 10,000 steps. Although the exercise helped, I noticed that I began to cough and sneeze more once I arrived at work, due to the air pollution I experienced. I had COVID last year and I still had a lingering cough and a tight chest, and it was especially triggered by the pollution. The centre of Blackpool in the height of summer can be extremely busy, with traffic jams and exhaust fumes, and pollution levels are very, very high. I also got hay-fever symptoms, like itchy eyes. During the pandemic, I bought a face mask called the Silver Life Face Covering,…

ARIES 21 Mar – 20 Apr Whatever has been stuck can start to move again now. Commit to baby steps and you’ll achieve great results. TAURUS 21 Apr – 21 May Financially, you may be looking at some different options. Research carefully before committing yourself and trust your instinct. GEMINI 22 May – 21 Jun This is the perfect time for launching a product. Stop questioning yourself and go forward with confidence. CANCER 22 Jun – 23 Jul You may be thinking about moving home or making changes to brighten up your immediate environment. LEO 24 Jul – 23 Aug Sometimes new beginnings are disguised as painful endings. Don’t be afraid to move on. Opportunities will be coming your way! VIRGO 24 Aug – 23 Sep If you don’t want…

She’s been on our TV screens for an incredible 30 years, so how does Amanda Holden still look like she’s in her 30s? The actor, presenter and Britain’s Got Talent judge says it’s all about the attitude. Amanda married her music producer partner Chris in 2008, who she describes as her ‘best friend’, and the couple share two daughters, Lexi, 16, and Hollie, 10. Amanda tells us why she refuses to conform when it comes to fashion, and reveals the one thing in her wardrobe she’ll never get rid of. You’re passionate about wearing what you want, when you want, irrespective of age, aren’t you? ‘I think fashion is now for everybody’ I am and we have to educate the rest of the world that it’s OK. To do that,…

Everything looks brighter after a cup of tea. But experts says there’s more to it than that. According to a study in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, people who drink tea three or more times a week may live longer and have a lower risk of heart disease and stroke. It doesn’t stop there. US research says that drinking tea can enhance cognition. It can help to reduce depression and anxiety, claim Singapore studies. And it can cut your risk of type 2 diabetes, say Chinese and Thai scientists. A study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology found that tea could lessen your risk of glaucoma and cataracts too. The Health Council of the Netherlands even published guidelines in 2016, recommending people drink between three and five cups…

1 GET ACTIVE Regular exercise helps ease mild anxiety and depression, and is important for weight management, strong muscles and sharpened focus – all impacted by menopause. 2 EAT BROCCOLI It contains phytoestrogens, plant compounds that are like a natural hormone replacement therapy. They’re also found in soya products, seeds, garlic and dried fruits. 3 REDUCE CAFFEINE It can trigger hot flushes, as can alcohol, and spicy and sugary foods. Caffeine and alcohol are also stimulants, which can disrupt sleep, another menopausal symptom.…

Greece is most known for its arid, rocky landscape, whitewashed houses and, of course, those phenomenal coastlines, but it’s less known for its green-carpeted mountains and forests. That is, unless you visit the petite island of Skiathos in the north-west Aegean Sea – a dazzling kaleidoscope of greens and blues with over 60 heavenly beaches. From the unspoilt fairy-tale forests to the tree-lined hiking paths along streams and over hills, it’s the perfect place to walk. And with a stunning coastline that will have you reaching for your camera at every pine-fringed turn, exploring is a must – although there are plenty of other delights to discover too. Ways to explore Hiking is big news on this island. With 26 routes on offer, from a lazy one-hour stroll to a…

Floral feast With many of our native butterflies in decline, gardens can play an important part in providing the food and shelter they need to survive and thrive. In return, their colourful flight brings life to the garden and, if you have nectar-rich plantings, you can enjoy watching them feast on flowers, unfurling their rolled-up tongues (proboscis) to sip the liquid nectar that gives them energy to fly, find a mate and lay eggs. Warm welcome Butterflies need warmth to fly, so site a nectar border in a sheltered south- or west-facing part of the garden. It helps if it’s next to an open area too, such as a lawn or patio, so the butterflies have space to flutter in and out. Aim to grow a diverse range of shrubs,…

THE STORY SO FAR: Travel writer Liv Potter has returned to the picturesque mountain village of Gordes in Provence to complete a work project. It is almost four decades since she was last in the region, on a long, stressful family holiday, during which time her parents’ already rocky marriage disintegrated further. Basking in summer heat and surrounded by fields of sweet-smelling lavender, Liv happily settles into a top-floor apartment above cafes, cake shops and quaint fountain-filled squares. Years earlier, the 15-year-old Liv, then using her full name of Olivia, is desperate to escape her warring parents and find somewhere cool and quiet to read. Sneaking away from their rented house early one morning, Olivia stumbles upon a serene, green pond where a woman of her mother’s age bathes, completely…