Innholdsfortegnelse for 30-Sep-2025 i Woman's Weekly

Spirit of Northumbria “Isn’t there something mysterious and haunting about the wild, raw and beautiful Northumberland coast? It was here that some of the first Christians in England came, to the island of Lindisfarne, founding the famous monastery, where Saints Aidan and Cuthbert lived, and later the great chronicler of the English, the Venerable Bede. Many centuries after them, on the nearby Farne Islands, lived Grace Darling, who became famous saving shipwrecked sailors in a storm, using just a rowing boat. And although not identified, this coast feels like it’s the setting for our new mysterious and atmospheric serial, which starts today. Have a look on page 82.”…

“Going on tour is a wonderful experience, although if it’s a busy one with lots of dates, it’s quite possible to forget whether you’re in Ipswich or Sunderland. Thankfully, the voices tell you, because when you go through England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, the accents change up and down the country. For me, that’s absolutely fascinating. I always try to absorb the different accents, which I’ll then try to copy. As an extrovert, meeting people is the best part of touring. However, I do think it’s important that I listen as well as talk, and I hope I do that when I chat to people. I believe that making my documentaries has taught me to listen and really take in people’s stories, because we all have them. The theatre…

Weeknight chilli Add a smoky depth to this, using chipotle paste. SERVES 6 PREP 15 mins COOK 30 mins ✱ 1tbsp oil ✱ 2 red onions, chopped ✱ 1 fat garlic clove, chopped ✱ 500g pack lean beef mince ✱ 1tsp each: ground cumin and ground coriander ✱ 1tbsp chipotle paste ✱ 400g tin chopped tomatoes ✱ 1 beef stock cube ✱ Bunch coriander, stalks chopped, leaves picked and reserved ✱ Zest and juice 1 lime ✱ 400g tin kidney beans, rinsed and drained ✱ Tortilla chips or rice, guacamole, soured cream and tomato salsa, to serve, plus lime wedges 1 Heat the oil in a shallow casserole or deep frying pan. Fry the onions over a medium heat for 5 mins. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more…

Blood pressure medicine and dementia Lowering blood pressure using any antihypertensive medication in hypertensive people reduces the risk of cognitive decline. But a huge electronic database study raises the possibility that some types of antihypertensive drug might be more effective than others. Among two million people followed for six to eight years, those treated with angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) were 10% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia than those given angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEs). EMERGENCY VACCINATION Rolled out in response to outbreaks of five major diseases, a new study shows emergency vaccination programmes have reduced deaths by around 60% over the past 23 years, and overall numbers of cases by 60%. It’s believed they stopped much bigger outbreaks of Ebola, measles, cholera, yellow fever and meningitis, and had significant economic benefits. Falling routine…

Q My skin feels so dry when I put the central heating on. What can I do? A Central heating dehumidifies the air, causing skin to lose moisture, and become dry, red, flaky and irritated. Houseplants act as natural air conditioners, pumping moisture into the atmosphere. In addition, placing bowls of water around the home will humidify hot air. Open at least one window intermittently to let in fresh air. Keep baths and showers short, make sure the water isn’t too hot and wash with a mild soap substitute or emollient such as aqueous cream. Add bath salts to slough off scales and soothe itching. After bathing, apply a fragrance-free, hypoallergenic moisturising lotion. Ingredients such as glycerol, nicotinamide, urea and ceramides act like water magnets. Keep hydrated (avoid caffeine and…

Difficulty level SIZE 37x26cm (open) and 30x26cm (closed). Fits a standard 2ltr hot-water bottle when unbuttoned or 1ltr closed. YOU WILL NEED ✱ Access to a photocopier✱ Tracing paper, sharp HB pencil and ruler✱ 50cm of 112cm-wide cream patterned fabric✱ 50cm of 112cm-wide navy patterned fabric✱ 50cm of 90cm-wide medium-loft iron-on wadding✱ Bodkin or safety pin✱ 2cm button✱ Matching sewing threads STOCKISTS Folk Trinkets Maven and New Beginnings Maven fabric, £8 per half metre, The Fabric Fox; thefabricfox.co.uk. Medium-loft iron-on wadding, £5.50 per half metre, Doughty’s; doughtysonline.co.uk. Making paper patterns On a photocopier, enlarge the pattern by 300%. Fold the tracing paper in half. Trace the pattern on to the tracing paper, matching the broken line to the fold. Mark the arrow, centre line, cross, notches and dots. Cut out…

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: Drawing. Average = 15 More than 35 = 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 make…

One morning last week I discovered something which rocked my marriage to its very foundations. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me to discover that my marriage is early Georgian, when builders just put down a few planks and hoped for the best. I was leaving for work at the charity shop, and issued my usual instructions about lunch. Mr Dear is obviously old enough to make his own lunch, but it would be foolish to take any chances. ‘There’s some of that chicken left over,’ I said, ‘and you can have it with the carrots and peas from last night.’ ‘Hmm,’ he said. ‘What do you mean by “hmm”?’ ‘Well,’ he said, leaving a long pause before delivering the blow. ‘The thing is, I don’t really like peas.’ ‘What do…

ANYONE WANT A CUPPA? Macmillan Coffee Morning has been held since 1990, and brings people together to raise funds to support those living with cancer. This year’s Coffee Morning is on 26 September, but you can host one at any time of year. For help setting one up, visit macmillan.org.uk/coffee-morning. Tree-mendous news You probably already know that juicy juniper berries are a key ingredient in gin. However, juniper trees also provide food and shelter for a wide variety of mammals, insects and birds. So, it’s great news that the 50,000 juniper trees at Dundreggan, Trees for Life’s Scottish rewilding estate, have become a Gene Conservation Unit. It’s a European designation that recognises their importance as native trees: Dundreggan’s 80,000 silver birches have been given the same protection. You can explore…

A knock on the front door previously meant the chance to treat yourself to new make-up, win big or buy brightly coloured plastic containers. Travelling salespeople were a common presence, and many of us still remember them with affection. Doorstep knowledge Did your bookshelves groan under the weight of 32 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica? The heavy leather-bound books with impressive gold lettering were printed for 244 years until 2012 (when they moved online) and sold door to door to families eager to give their children a head start. But even the company’s own market research showed that most owners only opened the books once or twice a year. Encyclopedia sellers also became figures of fun: in a 1969 Monty Python sketch, a housewife lets a burglar in on the…

Pigmented pout The actor proves that you can wear a statement shade no matter your age. Rocking a gorgeous pinky red lipstick at 80, Helen shows that you should never shy away from bold colours. Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in The Queen, £29, John Lewis, is a similar shade, and works to create the illusion of fuller, wider lips with just one swipe. Offering up to 10 hours of staying power, this matte lipstick refuses to budge. Subtle softness Lightweight, glossy lips are great if you want something more natural-looking, like Lucy. Look out for formulas that have a shiny finish instead of matte, like Revolution Pout Lip Gloss in Sweet Rose, £6.99, revolutionbeauty.com. The clever formula contains the pigment of a lipstick but with the finish of a…

Ready to store your summer clothes and get your winter woolies out? Doing a seasonal clothes swap twice a year is a great way to keep your wardrobe organised, prevent moths invading and help your clothes look good for longer. Be ruthless ‘Before storing items, decide whether or not you want to keep them for another six months. Take the rotation as an opportunity to declutter. Donate to your local charity shop or sell online,’ suggests professional organiser and decluttering expert Hazel Burton, founder of The Home Reset (Instagram @thehomereset.ie). Clean and repair Wash or dry clean delicate items and treat stains, as over time, these can oxidise. ‘Moths are drawn to hair, skin and food particles, so don’t feed them by putting anything away that hasn’t been cleaned,’ advises…

Should I put my feelings aside? Q I’ve been divorced for 20 years and have remained friends with my ex-sisters-in-law but not their brother. My son is getting married and wants to invite his aunts and uncle. I understand this but I don’t know how I can be around someone who was so horrible to me when my marriage ended. I really don’t want this to spoil my son’s day. Name and address withheld A The simple answer is: don’t let it! This is your son’s day and your focus should be on doing whatever it is that makes it special for him. The fact your ex-brother-in-law behaved like he did isn’t relevant on this occasion. Your son understandably wants his aunts and uncle to be there. Your role is to be polite to all…

Winter can play havoc with your health and fitness. But not if you’re well prepared. Kick-start your wellbeing with this seven-day eating plan, which can see you losing up to 7lb in a week. Then follow the expert advice to keep your diet on track, your immunity boosted and your metabolism stoked, for your healthiest winter ever. HOW IT WORKS Eating plenty of lean protein – think chicken, turkey, fish, eggs and beans – and fibre-loaded fruit and veg will keep you feeling fuller for longer, while ramping up sluggish digestion. And for an extra boost, the addition of chilli, ginger and cinnamon will create a thermogenic effect (the generation of heat), which will speed up the burn of an extra 200 calories a day – clever! YOUR SEVEN-DAY EATING…

DUNELM NEXT GEORGE HOME…

Letter of the week Circles of life I posted on a local Facebook group about boxes of handmade Italian tiles that I was giving away for free. I received a message from a lady saying that a property in Shottery, Stratford-upon-Avon, two doors down from Anne Hathaway’s cottage, was in the process of being converted into a creative hub called Brook Arts. The tiles would be perfect for the kitchen. Amazingly, this kitchen was where I worked as a 16-year-old, dispensing cream teas. The tiles have been fitted and look as if they were always there (I recently attended a wellbeing class where I dot-painted this round stone – three hours of pure peace). Sometimes life circles around in the most magical of ways, and I feel blessed to have…

3 RED FLAGS Always see your GP about these… Bladder problems 1 BLOOD IN YOUR WEE ‘Even a small amount of pink, red or brown-coloured urine could indicate an infection, kidney stones or, more rarely, bladder or kidney cancer,’ says Dr Masarat Jilani*. See your GP if you have persistent urgency, frequency or leakage for more than two weeks. 2 PAINFUL URINATION ‘Burning or stinging in the short term might be a simple urinary tract infection (UTI) but needs urgent medical attention,’ says Dr Jilani. ‘More persistent pain can point to something more serious.’ 3 SUDDENLY CAN’T PASS URINE ‘Head to the hospital to get it checked,’ warns Dr Jilani. Also see your GP if you have pelvic or lower back pain around your kidneys, especially if you also have a…

“Keeping healthy seems so much easier in summer – with the long, warm days spent outdoors in the sunshine. But you can keep that holiday high well into winter with a little bit of prep now. We show you how in our 32-page winter health extra. There’s expert advice about keeping the bugs at bay (page 34), supercharging your sleep (page 60) and keeping active indoors (page 46), as well as an eating plan to keep you in trim and foods to help your immunity (page 40). Winter?” Bring it on!…

If you’ve ever watched a marathon and spotted a human-sized piece of fruit powering through the throng of runners, it could well have been Sally Orange. She has run a total of 87 marathons – and has been dressed up as everything from an orange (of course!) to a banana, a strawberry and even a pod of peas. ‘I love the fact that my costumes make people smile,’ says Sally. ‘But my real motive is to get people to stop and chat – so I can find a way to say, “I want people to start talking about mental health.”’ Sally has had her own share of struggles, and in 2019, it was her mental health that led to her being medically discharged from the army, where she had served…

Pear and ginger strudel This is a healthy option, with the sweetness coming from the fruits. SERVES 8 PREP 25 mins COOK 30 mins, plus cooling ✱ 750g ripe pears, peeled and diced✱ 50g fresh white breadcrumbs✱ 50g raisins✱ 30g soft light brown sugar✱ 25g pine nuts, toasted✱ 25g crystallised ginger, diced✱ 6 sheets filo pastry✱ 30g unsalted butter, melted✱ 150ml whipping cream✱ 1tbsp icing sugar, plus extra to dust✱ 1tsp ground cardamom 1 Heat the oven to 180C Fan/Gas 6. Put the pears, breadcrumbs, raisins, sugar, pine nuts and diced ginger in a mixing bowl and stir well. 2 Lay a pastry sheet flat on a board and brush with melted butter. Repeat with the remaining pastry to give you 6 buttered layers. Spread the pear mixture over the…

LITTLE BEAUTIES Ivy-leaved cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium, H10cm) makes a pretty addition to pot displays at this time of year. Its slender stalks are topped by delicate pink or white flowers that look like fairy hats, from late August to October. Its gorgeously patterned silver-and-green foliage is a bonus – look out for ‘Lysander’, which has deeply cut leaves. Buy plants in flower now or as dry bulbs next summer. LAWN REVIVAL Summer heatwaves have left many a lawn looking faded and sad. A little care now will help grass recover and be in good health for next year. Rake out moss and thatch with a spring-tined fork, to help water percolate to the roots more easily. Then spike worn patches with a garden fork to aerate the soil. This is…

Difficulty level MEASUREMENTS 20x20cm/8x8in MATERIALS 1 x 50g (85m) ball of Rico Creative Cotton Aran (100% cotton) in each of Cream (Nature 60), Orange (Fox 77), Yellow (Banana 68) and Blue (Light Blue 32)*. Size 4.5mm crochet hook. Yarn is available from theknittingnetwork.co.uk. TENSION ✱ 17 stitches and 10.5 rows, to 10x10cm, over basketweave stitch. ✱ 15 stitches and 13.5 rows, to 10x10cm, over alpine stitch. ✱ 15 stitches and 12.5 rows, to 10x10cm, over trinity stitch. ✱ 15 stitches and 11 rows, to 10x10cm, over waffle stitch. All using 4.5mm hook. 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; dtr, double treble…

No Friend to This House by Natalie Haynes (£20, HB, Mantle) This retelling of the Jason and the Argonauts myth places women at the centre of the story. Though the gods favour Jason, without his wife Medea’s witchy powers, he couldn’t have succeeded in seizing the Golden Fleece. Yet, he dismisses her role and their marriage, effectively gaslighting her. Natalie Haynes has clearly prepared for this story her whole life. The result is a stunning, slow-burning tale filled with passion and vengeance. The Killer Question by Janice Hallett (£18.99, HB, Profile) Think you’ve got a family scandal worthy of a Netflix documentary? Dominic Eastwood sure does. A body is found close to his aunt Sue and uncle Mal’s pub, where they host a fiercely competitive quiz night. It’s no surprise…

ARIES 21 MAR – 20 APR It’s important to take breaks. If you can do this before you’re really exhausted, you’ll be able to accomplish more in less time. TAURUS 21 APR – 21 MAY This week is all about your priorities. Select the three most urgent, essential tasks and focus on them exclusively. GEMINI 22 MAY – 21 JUN You may be given some extra responsibilities at work. Don’t say yes to everything. By being firm, yet kind, you’ll gain respect. CANCER 22 JUN – 23 JUL Helping others is of great importance to you. Your intelligence and compassion can yield positive results. LEO 24 JUL – 23 AUG Keep a positive mindset. Although you may encounter obstacles, know that you have the power to overcome them. VIRGO 24…