Innholdsfortegnelse for 2-Aug-2022 i Woman's Weekly

Mellow meadows We live down a very narrow lane and the hedgerows on either side, rather bare and sparse in winter, are brimming with thriving plants, wildflowers and the wildlife of high summer at the moment. It is often places like this, pretty much left alone by humans, apart from a periodic trim, where our wildflowers proliferate best, as many grazed agricultural pastures have been ploughed and reseeded, losing their wildflower inheritance. However, there’s a lot being done to protect the many wildflower meadows still surviving around the country, so we can still enjoy their historic sights. Find out what’s to spot on page 10.…

From you to us PAY IT FORWARD I’m a carer in a wonderful residential home. After suffering poor health for many years, joining a running club changed my outlook mentally and physically. So I set our staff and residents a challenge: I signed them up to bike and walk the virtual Great Wall of China – 161 miles. Residents ‘cycle’ with an adapted bike, staff walk and I will run the last 26 miles on a marathon in autumn. They are all excited, especially at the idea of raising money for a good cause, Tenovus Cancer Care. But I’m excited about paying forward some of the support and encouragement I have had over the years, and inspiring them to keep active. Leanne Parsons, Bridgend Important! All contributions to Woman’s Weekly…

My healthy life ANNE JONES My fail-safe remedy When I feel overwhelmed, stressed or just out of sorts, I turn to nature. This can be pottering in my greenhouse planting seeds, planting out, weeding or just sitting watching the birds. We live in the New Forest, so my daily dog walk with Labradors Buddy and Lucy is the perfect start to my day. A special treat and the perfect cure-all is taking a trip to the sea and walking along the sand. My favourite meal I’m a complete sucker for a crab! Cooked but not dressed. Preferably with a tomato and onion salad, and crusty bread and butter, with mayo on the side. There is nothing I love more and it takes me back to my childhood of Saturday suppers…

ECO-FRIENDLY Using fabric made from renewable wood, these will hold their shape all day. £49.95, sizes 6-18, wearethought.com PASTEL PERFECTION This flattering Bermuda style sits just above the knee – and it has a matching blazer. £24.99, sizes 4-22, H&M TANGERINE DREAM Made from cool linen fabric with an elasticated waist for a comfortable fit. £49.95, sizes xs-xl, gb.benetton.com…

DORIS HICKS, 61 Tell us about your look It all depends on my mood. I love natural fabrics and found this pure cotton dress in Uniqlo. It’s such a pretty print and I love the puff sleeves. The length is also good for me. My purse is Tory Burch and my sandals are Gabor. Linen dresses or separates are also a firm favourite for summer. And the best bit of your body? My boobs! NICOLA RENISON, 74 Tell us about your look I bought this dress just two days ago while on a trip to Paris. It was love at first sight! It’s so cool and floaty, and the delicate pintucking and floral embroidery detail is just beautiful. I’ve accessorised it with lots of chunky silver jewellery and a pair…

STORE-CUPBOARD CHICKEN CURRY Forget the takeaway, this curry is so simple to make and contains fewer calories. PER SERVING 310 cals, 5.5g fat, 1g sat fat, 26g carbs SERVES 4 ✣ Sunflower oil cooking spray ✣ 1 onion, thinly sliced ✣ 2 garlic cloves, crushed ✣4cm piece of root ginger, grated ✣500g cubed chicken breast or thigh ✣1 large potato, approx 350g, peeled and diced ✣ 3tbsp madras spice paste ✣ 400g can chopped tomatoes ✣400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained ✣300ml chicken stock ✣Coriander leaves, to garnish ✣Steamed wholegrain rice or chapatis, to serve For the raita: ✣ 6tbsp natural yogurt ✣ Small bunch mint, chopped ✣ ¼ cucumber, diced ✣ Squeeze lime juice 1 Spray a large saucepan with oil and cook the onion for 10 mins until…

Sunshine is good for vitamin D production, but it is easy to underestimate your time in the sun, not realising you’re burning. Sunburn can be very painful, increases the risk of later skin cancer and accelerates skin wrinkling. Children and the elderly are more prone to burning and heatstroke. Prevent both by limiting sun exposure time, even in the shade if it’s very hot. Frequent cool drinks keep you hydrated and cool you, but avoid caffeine and alcohol. Use high-SPF sun cream and wear light, loose, natural-fibre clothes, a hat and sunglasses. Cool your skin by sponging with tepid (not cold) water. Apply water-based cream as a moisturiser and, if needed, take ibuprofen or paracetamol for the pain. Sunburn Seek medical help from your GP or call 111 if you…

BANANA PUDDING Our take on the popular Southern American dessert, which is made from layers of vanilla biscuits, custard and, of course, fresh banana slices. SERVES 6 ✣ 500g fresh custard ✣180g pack almond cantuccini biscuits or biscotti, roughly crushed ✣4 small bananas: 2 sliced into small rounds and 2 halved lengthways ✣ 150g raspberries ✣ 300ml double cream ✣ Clear honey, for drizzling (optional) You will need: ✣ 20x25cm oval dish 1 Spoon half the custard into the base of the serving dish. Top with half the crushed biscuits, then add a layer of sliced banana rounds. 2 Scatter over a third of the raspberries then cover with the remaining custard. 3 Layer on most of the remaining biscuit, but reserve a little for decoration. Top with the remaining…

YOU WILL NEED: ✣ 1ltr clip-top green bottle ✣Needcraft 30cm drum lampshade kit, £15.98, dannells.com ✣Needcraft bottle lamp holder adaptor conversion kit, £9.98, dannells.com ✣1m x 30cm cotton fabric ✣ Iron & fabric scissors ✣ Light bulb 1 Iron the fabric and lay it flat on a work surface with the printed side down. Follow the instructions in the kit to create the fabric lampshade. 2 Carefully twist and push the bulb holder into the neck of the bottle (it’s a tight fit but it will go). Undo the plastic cone of the lamp holder and fit the lampshade in place before securing with the cone. Add a bulb to complete the light.…

MEASUREMENTS To fit bust 82-86 (92-97) (102-107) (112-117) cm/32-34 (36-38) (40-42) (44-46) in. Actual measurements 101 (113) (125) (137) cm/39¾ (44½) (49¼) (54) in. Length to shoulder 56 (57) (59) (60) cm/22 (22½) (23¼) (23¾) in. MATERIALS 9 (10) (11) (12) 50g (116m) balls of Sirdar Cashmere Merino Silk DK (75% wool, 20% silk, 5% cashmere) in Sand Stone (422)*. Pair each of 3.25mm (No. 10), 3.75mm (No. 9) and 4mm (No. 8) knitting needles; stitch holders; safety pin; removable stitch markers. Yarn is available from theknittingnetwork.co.uk TENSION 22 stitches and 28 rows, to 10 x 10cm, over stocking stitch, using 4mm needles; 25 stitches and 28 rows, to 10 x 10cm, over pattern, using 4mm needles. ABBREVIATIONS K, knit; p, purl, st(s), stitch(es); psso, pass slipped st over; skpo,…

ARIES 21 Mar – 20 Apr Remember to smile and to be light-hearted. Your attitude makes all the difference in tackling even the most difficult challenges. TAURUS 21 Apr – 21 May You may need more alone time. Make sure you listen to your body when it needs rest. You’ll be glad you did. GEMINI 22 May – 21 Jun This promises to be a busy time filled with fascinating opportunities. You may well be spoilt for choice. CANCER 22 Jun – 23 Jul Look back and see how far you’ve come. Your progress has been immense and it’s now time for you to acknowledge it. LEO 24 Jul – 23 Aug This is a week for taking action and move forward. If you can commit to taking at least…

The Crane Wife: A Memoir in Essays by CJ Hauser (£16.99, HB, Penguin) In this honest memoir, CJ Hauser sets about dissecting a long series of failed relationships. These failures, she decides, spring from a lack of self-sufficiency, which has turned her into a needy, clingy woman. But, is she or any woman really meant to contain within themselves everything necessary for their happiness? Seemingly not, as Hauser realises when she looks at some of her favourite novels and films. Deception by Lesley Pearse (£20, HB, Penguin) One of our best-loved writers, Lesley Pearse is back with her 30th novel – and it’s a gritty, gripping drama. Alice has accepted her mother’s death, but an uninvited guest at the funeral shares a shocking revelation that shakes Alice to the core,…

Gino D’Acampo has got to be one of the busiest men on television. As well as his regular stint on ITV’s This Morning, his presenting work and the entertaining travel shows he makes with friends Gordon Ramsay and Fred Sirieix, he is currently filming a TV show in Italy, while also working on his first-ever computer game. So we asked him, just how does he do it all? I work very hard for six months of the year and I take the other six months off on holiday. I’ve been doing that for the past six or seven years, so when I work 15 or 20 hours a day I don’t care. Then, when I’m on holiday, I’m on holiday, and I am relaxing and doing bits and pieces. The…

I discovered music listening to Radio 1. Actually, I don’t think it was called Radio 1 then, it was still the Light Programme. We didn’t have any way of playing music at home except on the radio – and it was on all the time. I started piano lessons when I was eight and, by 12, was doing exams, but the guitar’s draw was stronger. I began playing at 14, and would practise in my bedroom and sing along. I just wanted to join a band, but my dad wasn’t taking that very seriously, so when I left school I started an apprenticeship at a car factory so I could earn money to buy a guitar. Then I found the band Kat Kool & the Kool Cats, and I quit.…

Health How do I avoid a bad reference? Q I want to apply for a new job but I know my present boss will give me a bad reference – he doesn’t like me. I’ve been in the company for 12 years and this man has been my boss for two. The previous one left and is not contactable. I really don’t want to put him as a referee, so I wondered about not mentioning my current job at an interview – but I would then have a 12-year gap on my CV. Vicky, Newcastle A You can’t have a gap like that on your CV unless you can explain it. Just because you don’t work well together doesn’t mean he‘ll give you a bad reference – he may want…

One of the ways I keep fit is by mowing my neighbour Brenda’s lawn. Brenda is 94 and has quite a large lawn. If she had to mow it herself, I suspect it would be much smaller. As she leaves all the mowing to me, she had no hesitation last year in asking Mr Dear to fill in a rather overgrown, thistly flower bed to expand the grassy area. He is kind like that. The year before, he turned the gravel path to her compost heap into an extension of the lawn. Also, the path which led to the back gate. I’m not complaining about all the extra work, though, because every time I mow the lawn I get asked in for tea and cake. ‘Look out, here she goes…