Innholdsfortegnelse for 25-Jun-2024 i Woman's Weekly

"It used to be thought that England, in particular, saw waves of people over its early history, with each new group taking over from the previous one – the Saxons replacing the Celts, etc. But modern thinking suggests that perhaps much of the population remained throughout. Cheddar man, a 10,000-year-old skeleton found in Somerset (who, interestingly, had dark to black skin), is it seems directly related to some present-day inhabitants in the same area. And so, incredibly, a lot of our fascinating folklore may well also have its origins from thousands of years ago, handed down by word-of-mouth over many generations. See page 10."…

I feel blessed,’ is how Claire Sweeney describes her current state of mind, as she reflects on the whirlwind that has been the past 18 months. ‘If you’d have told me a year and a half ago that I’d be in Coronation Street and that I’d have done Dancing on Ice, I wouldn’t have believed you,’ she smiles. ‘The nature of this business is ups and downs, and I feel hugely grateful that I’ve had another bite of the cherry and I’m in a job that makes me happy.’ Regular viewers love her character Cassie Plummer, the sassy daughter of Evelyn (played by Maureen Lipman), but Claire admits that she’s not been placed on quite the same pedestal at home. So does her nine-year-old son Jaxon even watch the show?…

"Many of my girlfriends are becoming grandmothers and it’s such a joyous time, except for one thing – baby names. All across Britain, bemused grannies are huddled in cardiganed covens, whispering about the bizarre choices of their offspring. Delusions of grandeur have resulted in my friends’ grandchildren being christened as ‘Emperor’, ‘King’, ‘Pharaoh’, ‘Judge’ and ‘Heiress’ – although it will no doubt be pronounced ‘Airhead’ when the gal fails to live up to this financial destiny. And therein lies the problem. Imagine the burden to succeed when you’ve been christened ‘Fortune’ or ‘Prosper’. And what of the wallflower who’s baptised ‘Charisma’? The only ‘Chastity’ I ever met ran a brothel. In my experience, calling a child ‘Charity’ guarantees a skinflint, just as ‘Truth’ indicates a future fraudster. And ‘Echo’? Well…

Chicken and Med veg with romesco sauce Try this nutty, smoky sauce, which includes vitamin-packed peppers. SERVES 4 PREP 20 mins COOK 20 mins ✱ 8 boneless chicken thighs✱ 3tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle✱ 2 yellow peppers, trimmed and quartered✱ 4 baby leeks✱ 6 baby courgettes, halved✱ 100g feta, crumbled✱ 30g toasted flaked almonds✱ Dill, to garnish FOR THE ROMESCO SAUCE ✱ 200g roasted red peppers from a jar✱ 80g toasted flaked almonds✱ 100ml olive oil✱ 2 garlic cloves✱ 1tbsp paprika 1 Heat a grill or a barbecue to a high heat. Put all the sauce ingredients in a blender or small food processor, and whizz to a smooth but chunky sauce. 2 Brush the chicken thighs with 2tbsp of the oil and season generously. Grill for 10…

Coping with… phaeochromocytoma These rare tumours secrete hormones that affect us These tumours occur in the inner part of the adrenal glands, small organs above each kidney, which make the fight-or-flight reaction hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline. Phaeochromocytomas can make excessive amounts of these hormones, causing symptoms of sweating, tremor, headaches, nausea, anxiety, pain, weight loss and high blood pressure. Symptoms may occur as specific attacks, often lasting from 15 minutes to an hour, and becoming more frequent, leaving you tired and weak. Occurring at any age – commonly between 30 and 60 – and in both sexes, most phaeochromocytomas don’t spread, but around one in 10 do to the lymph nodes, bones or liver, and are known as metastatic phaeochromocytomas. It can’t usually be predicted which tumours will come back or spread,…

Mini scones with blueberry jam Quick and easy, these are a joy to eat on a warm, sunny day in the garden. MAKES 8 PREP 20 mins COOK 12 mins ✱ 225g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting✱ 50g unsalted butter, cubed✱ 2tbsp caster sugar✱ 110ml whole milk✱ Clotted cream, to serve FOR THE BLUEBERRY JAM ✱ 300g blueberries✱ 2tbsp caster sugar✱ 1tbsp limoncello YOU WILL NEED ✱ 5cm fluted or plain cutter 1 For the jam, put the blueberries in a pan with the sugar, then warm over a medium heat until the berries start to burst. Once softened, turn up the heat and bubble for a few minutes to thicken. Take off the heat and leave to cool. Stir in the limoncello. If not using straight away, chill…

Crochet Difficulty level MEASUREMENTS 23cm/9in from top of head to bottom corner. MATERIALS 2 x 20g (43m) balls of Sirdar Happy Cotton DK (100% cotton) in White (Dolly 761), 1 ball in each of Pink (Piggy 764), Pale Lilac (Frilly 766), Pale Pink (Puff 763) and Mid Pink (Flamingo 760), oddment of Black yarn or thread*. Size 3mm crochet hook; stitch marker; toy stuffing. Yarn is available from theknittingnetwork.co.uk ABBREVIATIONS Ch, chain; dc, double crochet; dc2tog, double crochet 2 sts together (to decrease 1 st) thus: [insert hook into next st, yrh and pull loop through] twice, yrh and pull through all 3 loops; slst, slip st; sp(s), space(es); st(s), stitch(es); tr, treble crochet; yrh, yarn round hook. NOTES Yarn amounts are based on average requirements and are approximate. Figures…

Books Woman's Weekly LOVES Garden of Her Heart by Zoë Richards (£9.99, PB, UCLan) Even in the middle of a crowd, jobless Holly always feels lonely. Over the years, bereavement, a brutal attack and depression have left her isolated and anxious – but now it’s time to face her fears and make changes. The supportive community of Pinewoods Retreat is hopefully the answer – a deluxe package of treatments, social events and meditations. Forced to question her bleak situation, Holly is drawn to the haven’s unloved garden, and in tending to it, begins to address her own needs. Through physical work, new friendships and heady romance, her healing process slowly confirms that life has no limitations – unless they’re self-imposed. Sandwich by Catherine Newman (£16.99, HB, Transworld) This entertaining, acutely well-observed…

Horoscopes ARIES 21 MAR – 20 APR Going into nature, walking, meditating, writing, playing music, cooking and relaxing are all ways to calm you now. TAURUS 21 APR – 21 MAY Financially, you may need to make some important decisions. Take your time and make sure you do your homework. It will pay off. GEMINI 22 MAY – 21 JUN You may be contemplating the deeper meaning of life. Why are you here? What’s your next step? Allow your intuition to guide you. CANCER 22 JUN – 23 JUL This promises to be a very creative and productive time for you. The best way to access this is through your inner child. LEO 24 JUL – 23 AUG Your health and wellbeing may need more of your attention. Listen to…

CELEBRATING BRITAIN Thousands of people up and down the country will be up at dawn on Thursday 20 June to herald this year’s summer solstice and celebrate the longest day of the year. The summer solstice has been a sacred festival in the UK since prehistoric times. This time is also shrouded in mystery, as it was supposedly believed to be when the veil between this world and the spirit world is thinnest, and many traditions and rituals are built around keeping watch for devils, fairies and spirits trying to make human contact. Many festivities are originally linked to the ancient Celtic religious order of Druids (or their antecedents), high-ranking professionals such as teachers, scientists, judges and philosophers, who followed nature’s cycles and worshipped the sun, the moon and the…

It’s all about the preparation A flawless tan begins with well-prepped skin. Exfoliate 24 hours before you tan, to remove any dead skin cells and smooth rough patches. If you need to shave, do this the day before as well, to avoid the tan settling in pores and peppering legs with brown pinprick marks. Self-tan clings to dry skin, so avoid patchy colour by lightly moisturising dry spots like knees, elbows, hands and feet a couple of hours before. Keep the rest of your skin clean and lotion-free. For best results, use Boots Glow Face & Body Tanning Mitt, £2, to apply. It helps to blend out any stripes and prevents orange palms. Gently does it Gradual tan is a brilliant option for mature skin. It’s loaded with moisturising ingredients…

Bugs can be a garden’s best friend. Many are a vital part of our food chain, helping with pollination and maintaining balance in the wonderful outside world. Unfortunately, the insect population is in decline. But the good news is that we can all use our gardens to help boost these falling numbers. You may have seen bug hotels popping up around your local area, as town councils start to implement rewilding schemes. The more homes these vital creatures have, the better, so why not try to build one in your own back garden? Insect hotels can be as complex or as simple as you would like to make them. On a basic level, these little garden critters just need a hiding spot. This can be achieved with a pile of…

Health My new job is not working for me Q I retired from my full-time job and have joined a group to work part-time with people who do virtual administration. I’m finding this transition hard, as I’m on my own with my computer for a lot of the day. I find it hard to motivate myself so I end up getting behind and having to work at night. This was meant to be a way of easing myself into retirement. Trish, Reading A Adjustments like this can be hard to make. You say you’re working part-time, so there should be time in the day, or at least on some days, to connect with other people. I suggest you take a look at your diary and see if you can carve out some time each…

Hesitating, my fingers hovered over the keyboard as I stared blankly at my laptop screen. Don’t be a dinosaur, I told myself, certain that’s what my younger sister would say to me. Carrie had repeatedly suggested I try online dating. Of course, she was happily married with two lovely kids but, unlike Carrie, I’d never discovered ‘happy ever after’. To be honest, I’d let go of that particular fantasy years ago, deciding there was more to life than romantic relationships. ‘Moses and Anushka, who run the library book club, met online and are celebrating their third wedding anniversary,’ Carrie had reminded me again recently. ‘Good for them,’ I’d sigh whenever she regaled me with yet another example of perfect coupledom. But if I was going to take the plunge, I’d…

Difficulty level YOU WILL NEED ✱ 70x127cm striped bath towel ✱ Matching sewing thread ✱ Rotary cutter, quilting ruler and cutting mat NOTE Take 1.5cm seam allowances throughout. Our snug beach hoodie is made from a single towel, cut into six pieces (see diagram for cutting instructions), and makes use of the towel’s original edging. The measurements we’ve given fit a two- to three-year-old, so adjust accordingly and buy more towels if you’re making for older children. As towelling frays, run a quick zigzag stitch around the cut edges of all the pieces, to make it easier to work with. 1 Cut out pieces of the hoodie, as per the diagram. Take the hood piece and cut off the two side hems, then fold in half along the long edge,…

Wordwise You have 15 minutes to find as many words as possible using the letters in the grid. Each word must contain four or more letters, one of which must be the central square. No proper nouns, plurals or foreign words are allowed. There is one nine-letter word in the grid, for which the clue is: Lengthy procedure. Average = 20 More than 40 = well done SUDOKU To solve this puzzle, fill in the grid so that each 3 x 3 box, each row and each column contains the numbers 1-9. 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…

"It was a surprise to discover the other day that Dear Towers is on the front line of the battle between the sexes. Like many couples, we have a strict division of labour. He puts out the rubbish and recycling (unless he forgets, in which case I oblige). I do most of the cooking and dusting, and also the very arduous task of putting the washing on. He puts the vacuum cleaner round, and is in charge of anything that involves hammers or WD-40 or trips to B&Q (other outlets are available). If anything is needed from the attic, he dutifully climbs the loft ladder. He also lights fires, rakes the lawn, mows the lawn, cleans the car, cuts the hedge, and hides from those people who knock on the…

While most of our everyday ailments don’t cause a panic, there are times when a professional opinion is needed. So can you spot when a health issue could be harmless, or if you have a real reason to worry? Our experts reveal the truth behind these common concerns – and you might be surprised! DAILY HEADACHES Get it checked While having a headache every so often is normal, you shouldn’t have them every day, says headache specialist Professor Anne MacGregor. ‘It could be stress, eye strain, dehydration or, if you take painkillers daily, a reaction to those.’ Drink plenty of fluids and take screen breaks. But make sure you see your GP, especially if your headache is severe with tingling, numbness or vision problems, or if you have health issues…

PROTECT YOUR EYES FROM THE SUN THIS SUMMER Stephen Hannan is an optician. We all know about the importance of keeping our skin protected when we’re out in the sun, by applying sunscreen. But keeping our eyes protected is crucial too. The sun emits differing types of ultraviolet (UV) rays, including UVA and UVB, and overexposure to both of these can cause eye problems if you don’t take appropriate care. UVA light can damage your central vision through long-term exposure as it can harm the macula – a very important part of the retina at the back of your eye responsible for vision. UVB light affects the two structures responsible for the transmission of images to the retina, known as the cornea (the outer window) and the lens (the inner…

TESCO HABITAT AT SAINSBURY’S ASDA…