Innholdsfortegnelse for 16-Jul-2024 i Woman's Weekly

Fun on a blanket What is it about eating outside that makes it so memorable? I don’t remember many ordinary meals from my childhood, but I can vividly recall lots of our family picnics, among them, one overlooking the Wylye Valley, in Wiltshire, on the way to Cornwall, another in a rowing boat on Loch Lochy in the Scottish Highlands... And one that never happened at all – running too fast to pack the car at about six years old, I fell and cut my hand on the glass bottle I’d been carrying, ending up in hospital being stitched back together. So perhaps it’s because they’re very memorable that we British love picnics so much, in spite of our weather! See page 10.…

I’m not very showbiz. I don’t go out to dos and parties, I’m always at home in my slippers watching the TV! It means that when I do go out, I’m always a bit nervous and star-struck when I meet famous people – I’m like a kid in a sweet shop. I was no different when I was on Loose Women. I’d get nervous if a big name came on as a guest. We interviewed the singer Josh Groban. I’d lived in the States for a while, so I knew of him. The producer said, ‘We’ve got somebody called Josh Groban coming on, do you know this person?’ I went, ‘Oh my God! Absolutely love him!’ He was just breaking in the UK at the time and I don’t think…

Growing up, Gillian Ross was often on the receiving end of taunts and jibes in the school playground, and remembers all too well how difficult it was. Battling with her weight for most of her life, the 48-year-old mother-of-three became conscious of her body from a young age, and as an adult, she gained weight during each of her pregnancies – with Emma, born in November 1998, Jamie in 2000 and Jonny, seven years later. So when Emma came home from school one day in 2012, at the age of 13, and confided in her mum that she was being bullied too, it brought back painful memories for Gillian. ‘She told me some of the boys called her fat and threw chocolate bars at her, and my heart went out…

3 WAYS TO... Help prevent cataracts 1 DON’T SMOKE The chemicals in cigarettes cause damage to parts of your eyes that are important for vision, including the lens, which becomes cloudy, causing blurry, misty vision and eventual blindness. 2 MANAGE YOUR DIABETES High blood-sugar levels can damage your eye lens, raising your risk of cataracts, as well as diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to sight loss if left untreated. 3 WEAR SUNGLASSES Make sure they have UV protection to shield your lens from harmful UV rays. Check that the frame features the CE or UV400 mark to ensure it filters out up to 99% of UVA and B. EASY STRATEGIES TO CONTROL YOUR FEAR OF FLYING Christopher Paul Jones is a phobia expert. Fear is how we instinctively stay safe. We…

1 LET MORE LIGHT IN Natural light can help to increase the sense of space in a small living room, making it feel brighter and bigger. Avoid heavy curtains and solid blinds that block out sunlight, and opt for lightweight linens, voiles and sheers that will let maximum light flood in. ✱ Similar sheer elegance slot top single voile panels, from £4 each, Dunelm; other items, stylist’s own 2 GO FOR A FAUX FEATURE In a compact space without any stand-out architectural features, try wallpapering one wall in a bold, lively print to create a focal point. By choosing the widest wall, it will also help to stretch the space and make the living room feel bigger than it actually is. ✱ Aurelie Mural in Light Blue wallpaper, £41.52sq m,…

Difficulty level YOU WILL NEED ✱ 30cm square of patterned fabric ✱ 15x30cm fusible batting ✱ 15x30cm pink felt ✱ Matching and contrasting thread ✱ Hand-sewing needle STOCKISTS Koi Pond Fishies Shell fabric, £15.50m, sewhot.co.uk 1 Photocopy the template by 110%. Fold the patterned fabric in half with wrong sides facing and position the template on top with the dashed line along the fabric fold. Draw around and cut out four shells. 2 Pin two shells together with right sides facing. Sew along the bottom straight edge with a 1cm seam allowance and press open. On the other two shells, fold the bottom straight edges under by 1cm and press. 3 Trace around the stitched shell on the fusible batting and cut out. Fuse to the reverse of the shell.…

Difficulty level MEASUREMENTS Length 45cm/18in. Width 45cm/18in. MATERIALS 4 x 50g (121m) balls of King Cole Majestic DK (50% wool, 30% acrylic, 20% polyamide) in Pale Blue (Duck Egg 2650), 2 balls in Mid Blue (Peacock 2661) and 1 ball in Red (Claret 2662), plus small amounts of DK yarn in Light Brown, Green and Yellow, and short lengths of DK yarn in assorted colours for embroidery*. Pair of 3.75mm (No. 9) knitting needles; approx 1.2m of 4cm-wide lace ribbon in white; short lengths of narrow ribbon in pink and blue; approx 8x6cm rectangle of fabric and short length of matching bobble trim yarn; 1 x 6mm bead; 45x45cm cushion pad; approx 40cm zip fastener (optional). Yarn is available from theknittingnetwork.co.uk TENSION 24 stitches and 32 rows to 10x10cm, over…

Books Love in Provence by Jo Thomas (£8.99, PB, Penguin) Relax and allow the story of expat Del to seep into your senses and fill your nostrils with the heady scent of lavender and Provençal cuisine. Life on the lavender farm in the South of France is gentle and predictable. A new team of pickers is due to help out with the busy harvest season, and Del is preparing for their arrival, when a shock upsets the close-knit community. With her partner unexpectedly away, and a new stranger in town determined to create havoc, can Del rely on those closest to her to pull together when she needs them? A delightful sequel to Thomas’ bestseller Escape to the French Farmhouse. This is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter (£22, HB,…

Horoscopes ARIES 21 MAR – 20 APR You’re coming into a new chapter of your life. If you can surrender to the changes, it could be an enjoyable journey. TAURUS 21 APR – 21 MAY This is a time to broaden your perspective and to go beyond your self-imposed limitations. You’re ready for a breakthrough. GEMINI 22 MAY – 21 JUN Many exciting options are open for you now. Release your fears and step out with confidence. You’ll be able to magnetise your dream. CANCER 22 JUN – 23 JUL Often our painful experiences lead to the greatest growth. When you begin to see the bigger picture, you’ll get all the answers you need. LEO 24 JUL – 23 AUG Trust yourself completely. Others may attempt to influence your decisions,…

RIPE FOR ADVENTURE Food writer Sophie Grigson really is living the dream. Having sold all her possessions and moved to Puglia, in her new book, she takes a road trip around the coast and hills of southern Italy, discovering local foods, flavours and characters. ✱ Exploding Tomatoes and Other Stories (£22, HB, Headline Home) is out now. Seabird saviour Fox red Labrador Woody, aged two, has every reason to look pleased with himself – he’s the detective dog playing a vital role in protecting ground-nesting seabirds like puffins and guillemots on the island of Rathlin, off the north coast of Northern Ireland. With his super-sensitive nose, Woody has been trained to sniff out ferrets. This non-native species has devastated the bird population, whose eggs are an easy target. It’s part…

A rug spread out across the grass, a woven hamper and a Scotch egg or two – there’s something quintessentially British about the sight of a picnic in the summer months. However, did you know that we actually have the French to thank for its name, if not the actual tradition of relaxed al fresco eating? The term ‘picnic’ is widely thought to have originated from ‘Pique-Nique,’ a greedy character in a 1649 French satire. By the end of the 17th century, ‘pique-nique’ was regularly being used by the French to refer to an occasion where each guest would contribute to a meal by bringing a dish along with them. The tradition crossed the Channel following the French Revolution. To begin with, ‘picnics’ were held indoors, and were reserved for…

1 HYDRATION STATIONS Stains, sheer textures and satin lipsticks work well for summer, helping to keep lips moisturised in the warmer weather. Avon’s has a core of nourishing ingredients to plump and smooth. And this purple-skewed pink looks amazing on darker complexions. Avon Hydramatic Shine Lipstick in Fuchsia, £10, avon.uk.com 2 THINK PINK When you’re looking a little tired, add a slick of punchy pink lipstick to perk up your complexion in seconds. If you find it a bit full on, you can dilute the colour with a touch of lip balm. Clinique Pop Longwear Lipstick Shine in Punch Pop, £26, Boots 3 RED ALERT This next-gen matte lipstick has a soft, velvety finish, infused with skincare-inspired ingredients such as peptides and hyaluronic acid, so lips stay moisturised. Everyone should…

Cheese and pickle pasties Pasties, the original finger food, are a crowd-pleaser. These will keep well for a day in the fridge uncooked. MAKES 12 PREP 30 mins, plus chilling COOK 25 mins FOR THE PASTRY ✱ 300g plain flour, plus extra to dust✱ 200g cold unsalted butter, cubed✱ 2 medium free-range eggs, lightly beaten (1 for the pastry, 1 for the egg wash)✱ 2tsp white wine vinegar✱ 40ml milk FOR THE FILLING ✱ 4tbsp pickle, we used Branston✱ 1 small eating apple, finely diced✱ 2 spring onions, thinly sliced✱ 160g Cheddar, coarsely grated YOU WILL NEED ✱ 12cm round cutter 1 Put the flour and butter into a food processor. Pulse to fine breadcrumbs. Add 1 egg and the vinegar, with the blender on low speed, and gradually pour…

Coping with… INTERSTITIAL LUNG DISEASE This disease affects the lace-like tissue network supporting the lung air sacs Also known as diffuse parenchymal lung disease, interstitial lung disease (ILD) results from damage to the cells surrounding the tiny air sacs of the lung (alveoli), leading to widespread inflammation and lung scar tissue build-up, making them stiff (fibrosis). There are more than 300 different ILDs. Most are rare, but the commonest include sarcoidosis, pneumoconiosis from inhaled workplace agents, silicosis from silica dust, coal workers’ pneumoconiosis from coal dust, and asbestosis from asbestos, although less commonly now due to changes in industrial practices. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis or extrinsic allergic alveolitis is also caused by exposure to dust from wood, metals or allergens, or mouldy hay (farmer’s lung) or caged birds (bird fancier’s lung).…

This weekend away is a disaster,’ thought Jack as he sat alone in his hotel room. He had forgotten his swimming trunks, so he’d had to watch Louise splash about in the pool on her own. Then he had dozed off on the balcony and burnt his shoulders. ‘Sorry,’ he’d said to Louise. ‘I’ll have to give the trip to Chester a miss.’ He couldn’t be sure, but she seemed relieved. It had taken ages to find the courage to ask her out. Now, after several dates, he still hadn’t managed to kiss her. When the sunburn turned out not to be as bad as he’d feared, he considered joining Louise on the excursion but decided against it. She was probably looking forward to touring the shops on her own.…

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: Something without equal. Average = 25 More than 45 = well done 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: Eight-armed marine mollusc with an internal shell. Crossword Try the easy or cryptic clues, then rearrange the letters in the…

Mr Dear takes a polite interest in this page, and sometimes makes kindly and helpful suggestions. Well, kindly suggestions anyway. ‘Why do you talk about cakes and biscuits so much?’ he complained recently. ‘Anybody would think you’re stuffing your face all day long, the way you go on about it.’ ‘I don’t go on about it. Not all that much, anyway. It’s just that some of the things I want to write about happen at tea breaks, or elevenses at the Little Coffee Shop In The High Street. That sort of thing. It’s a complete coincidence.’ ‘Oh yes?’ said Mr D. ‘Pull the other one.’ On that triumphant note, he went to put some new sealant in the shower. It’s all go round here. With that in mind, please accept…

20 UNDER £20…

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Her new venture is a mistake Q My daughter-in-law has decided to leave her job and to open a gift shop, despite having no experience in this area. My son works hard and long hours to support the family; the last thing he needs is added expense from her venture. I told him it wasn’t a good idea and he told me to mind my own business. I don’t want them to end up struggling and in debt. Cindy, Dorset A I understand that and you have expressed your concerns. But that really is all you can do if you want to stay on good terms with them. Your son has made it clear he is very supportive of his wife’s new venture. It’s possible they may have…