Innholdsfortegnelse for December 8, 2015 i Woman's Weekly

Tradition! Growing up, one of my favourite family Christmas traditions was when my sisters, brother and I would be sent out for a walk, while our parents hid all our presents to each other around the house. As there were so many of us, that was a LOT of presents, and as the years passed, my father got more and more inventive about the hiding places he found (a highlight was when he managed to wedge a package in the toilet cistern). The fun we had rampaging through the house searching for the gifts was only matched by my father’s glee, after we’d declare we’d found them all, at revealing the ones we missed. There were always at least a dozen. Mind you, there were also regularly one or two…

Playing your cards right Eighteenth-century life was harsh for most. Essentials like heating, lighting and cooking fuel were often a luxury for many and most forms of work were hard. Only the gentry could afford to have card tables, but even so, they weren’t common. Fig 1 is Chippendale-period mahogany, circa 1770. Most tables of this type have a single folding leg that opens to 90° and supports the hinged top once opened, but this one has two. Fig 2 shows how two legs can be folded outward attached to a hinged subframe and the opened top is supported at each corner. This table is worth £350-£450 at auction. Fig 3 is of an earlier model, dating back to the George II period, circa 1740. It’s made of a much…

We love letters Woman’s Weekly, 110 Southwark St, London SE1 0SU. PS. It really helps when you put your details in capitals We do not return photos (apart from ‘You Look Great!’) so please do not send originals Email us Womansweeklypostbag  @timeinc.com Tell us your full name, address and daytime phone number, please Fancy a chat? Log on to facebook.com/  womansweekly We can’t wait to hear from you! Important! All contributions to Woman’s Weekly must be original and NOT duplicated to other publications. £25 will be paid to the writer of the ‘Letter Of The Week’, and the ‘Good To Meet You’ contributor will receive a gift or similar as stated at time of publication of contribution, for all rights in each letter printed. The Editor reserves the right to…

Colette Kearns, 59, Colchester Tell us about your look… I like my clothes to be smart, but comfortable. I wear a lot of blouses and jeans but I like dresses, too. Today I’m wearing a Monsoon top and cardi – I do wear a lot of blue! If I had to choose a favourite place to shop for clothes I’d say either Monsoon or Fat Face – I can usually find something I like in either. And the best bit of your body? My hair. Sherrie Weatherley, 78, Cambridge Tell us about your look… My style is classic. I usually wear skirts in the summer and trousers in the winter and I like soft, pastel colours. I’ve had this trench mac for 30 years – I…

I fell down a hole this week. Not a particularly earth-shattering event, but a bit of a shock. A couple of good fishing mates and I were walking back to our camp when I disappeared into a very deep, extremely muddy hole. It was at least 7ft deep because I’m 6ft 2in and it was way over my head. Steve and Jo were particularly unhelpful, howling with laughter instead of doing much to help me out. I’ve fallen in rather a lot of holes during my life. Once, I fell out of a tree while fishing on the River Avon in Hampshire, managing to bang my head on several branches before landing on my head. I did myself quite a bit of damage, badly cutting one eye and suffering several…

It wasn’t even a job on a pizza counter that they gave me. It was a job packing the boxes for the people on the pizza counter to put the pizzas in. All day, I was going to be packing these boxes and doing checks, with two five-minute breaks and a half-hour lunch. I don’t even like pizza. They gave it to us every Friday night in prison, like it was some kind of treat. Just looking at a margherita made me think of being inside, and knowing that, though it was Friday night, I wasn’t going out. “We welcome ex-offenders,” the woman in the warehouse said. It was my first day. “Not all employers do, but Wilson’s feels it can be a positive experience for both parties.” She didn’t…

YOU WILL NEED • Access to a photocopier • Three pieces of cotton fabric, each measuring 35 x 50cm • Polyester toy filling • Matching sewing thread • Long sewing needle • Strong thread • Two fabric-covered buttons (see box right) NOTE: Use 1cm seam allowances, right sides facing and edges level. 1 Enlarge the diamond-shape template on a photocopier by 250%, so it measures 23cm long and 14cm wide. 2 Fold your fabric pieces into four. Place the template on to each of the folded fabric pieces, draw round and cut out the diamond shapes. 3 Arrange six of the diamonds on to a flat surface, alternating the fabrics. 4 Take one diamond and pin the adjoining two diamonds either side, so that the points meet in the middle.…

This year, we’ll be running an even wider selection of our ever-popular workshops. To learn how to write fiction or poetry in a fun, friendly and supportive atmosphere, come and join in. There are lots of dates to choose from – including these in Glasgow and Manchester – so grab your diary and book a place now. For details about other workshops we are running, visit womansweekly.com/events ABOUT OUR WRITING TUTORS Gaynor Davies is our Fiction Editor and Fiction Special Editor Della Galton is a novelist, short story writer and journalist Short Story With A Twist Glasgow SECC on Thursday 3 March Please arrive between 10am and 10.30am to meet the tutors and other participants 10.30am TALK Writing a twist for the Woman’s Weekly audience with Gaynor 11am TALK Dos…

Be clear about what you want from retirement Q Two of our friends have sold their house and moved into a retirement village. It’s very nice when you go there, but not something I want to do. They’re trying to persuade us we should join them – my husband is keen but I feel as though I’d be giving up if I did that. Susan, Bristol A It’s important to think about what we’re looking for from our retirement and where we’d most likely find it. I wonder what it is that you find off-putting about a retirement village – is it because you feel like you’d be labelled an old person or that you’d be stuck with oldies and not able to have friends of all ages? Or could…

So many crafts to try, so little time… If that’s how you feel, why not try a creative holiday? Whether you want to build on existing skills, or try a completely new hobby, a craft break gives you the time you need to learn – often in beautiful surroundings, without the demands of daily life. And, because you’ll be with like-minded people, you might even make new friends. Just remember to leave some space in your case for your very own handmade souvenirs! Potter In Italy If you’ve been inspired by the BBC’s The Great Pottery Throw Down, how about a break in Abruzzo in central Italy, historically a centre for ceramics. With hands-on tuition, you’ll learn how to work with clay to create and decorate a vase. You’ll also…

The story so far It’s the Second World War, and VIVIENNE, pregnant with her first child, is wondering where her fighter pilot husband, PIP, is. Could he be in Germany? Or perhaps France? He is not allowed to tell her. All she can do is pray he will return safely... Their romance begins in 1941, when a letter addressed to Pip’s mother in London accidentally arrives at Vivienne’s home in Yorkshire. A lively correspondence ensues but, when Pip asks if they can meet, Vivienne’s natural reserve makes her decline. Pip writes back, apologising profusely for his forwardness. He encloses photographs of life at the RAF station in Lincolnshire where he is based, and Vivienne is intrigued by the images of Pip with his mother and sister, GEORGIE, and his pet…

Aries 21 March - 20 April Your personal life should take precedence over your professional one. Spending time at home will take the sting out of dealing with authoritarian types. As long as you work for someone who’s jealous of your abilities, your prospects will be limited. The time has come to make a move. For more, call 0901 609 2591* Taurus 21 April - 21 May You may be passed over for promotion at work because you lack the essential skills or experience to thrive in a position of authority. Enrolling in a training course will improve your chances of getting ahead. Alternatively, you may decide it’s time to switch fields altogether. For more, call 0901 609 2592* Gemini 22 May - 21 June You get a great big…

Happiness In A Box Sometimes something arrives in my post at WW HQ that is so unexpected and clever I just have to share it with you. This smile-inducing box of cheerfulness is one of those things. £19.95, from thehappinesskit.com . Coming At Cath’s It’s spring/summer press show time (yes, really!) and, unsurprisingly, the Cath Kidston one was definitely the prettiest of the week. Look out for my fave pieces – these gorgeous shoes and lovely china – come springtime next year.…

Where I went To southern Bulgaria for a refreshing getaway in the Rhodope mountains. Pamporovo is a glittering ski resort with stunning views and slopes for all levels of skiers. Although blanketed in snow, it was warmer than you’d expect. What I did Skied! I’d never done it before, but after a few lessons I was whooshing down piste after piste. We passed our evenings at one or other of the many great winter lodges, taking in the scenery, enjoying the vibrant Bulgarian dancing and curling up in a cosy knit with hot chocolate by the fire. Where I stayed The great-value boutique Hotel Iva, which was welcoming and had everything we needed to rest our bodies ready for another day. The hosts were greeted us with Bulgarian music, local…

For Caroline Quentin, landing the role of Mrs Bumble from Dickens’ Oliver Twist was a dream, even though glamorous it certainly isn’t. She’s trussed up in a corset and without a scrap of make-up. But she couldn’t be more delighted. ‘I’ve been longing to wear a corset for years,’ says the 55-year-old actress, who’s sitting on an upright wooden chair – the only way she can relax in her heavy Victorian costume. ‘I’ve always loved Dickens, and David Copperfield is probably my favourite book of all time,’ she says. But although we meet Dickens’ most iconic characters in the BBC’s new 20-part drama, Dickensian, (Scrooge, Fagin, Bill Sikes, Mr Bumble and Miss Havisham), they’ll be interacting with each other in brand-new stories, not the tales we know them from. Surprisingly,…

The evergreen hardy perennial Mitraria coccinea produces masses of velvet-textured red blooms for seven months of the year from May. Buy one for £15 – or buy three for only £18 and save £27! Call 01386 426 245, or visit hayloft-plants.co.uk.ROWW15. All plants will be despatched in 14 days unless stated otherwise. Online orders will receive an order acknowledgement via email with approximate delivery date. Offer ends 31 December 2015. Your contract of goods is with Hayloft Plants, a company wholly independent of Woman’s Weekly, published by Time Inc. (UK) Ltd.…

YOU WILL NEED: • Fabric • Self-cover buttons, 23mm wide • Prym button-cover tool Cut a circular piece of fabric, twice the diameter of your button size. Place the fabric right side down into the rubber mould. Place the button front on to the centre of the fabric and push down into the mould. Gather the fabric round at the back of the button. Position the button back, then use the button tool to snap it in place, by hand or using a small hammer. Finally, remove the completed button from the mould.…

Five-star European River Cruises There are plenty of vessels cruising Europe’s rivers, but few ships can match the luxury and elegance of our selection of five-star vessels on the Rhine, Danube, Moselle, Main, Rhône or Seine. Selected departures April to November 2016. Price includes: Return rail* and Eurostar, or flights, taxes and transfers Five-star cabins with hotel-standard beds, private bathrooms and river views Exceptional cuisine with full board throughout Extensive and fully inclusive touring programmes Escorted by a tour manager Pompeii, Capri & the Bay of Naples This fully escorted tour takes in the stunning Sorrento Peninsula and the Bay of Naples, one of the most beautiful parts of Europe. Selected departures from April to October 2016. Price includes: Return flights to Naples from Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, Bristol, Birmingham, East…

The announcement came over breakfast, and the fact that I’d treated us to bacon and eggs for a change did not soften the blow. ‘I’m thinking,’ said Mr Dear, ‘of letting my hair grow a bit.’ Oh no, I thought, here we go. It’s The Great Thomas Dear Beard Crisis all over again. Older readers might remember how, a good few years ago now, Mr Dear thought he might grow a beard. He decided this because: 1 He had noticed that a lot of younger men wore beards these days. 2 He’d never really tried a beard and wondered what it might be like. 3 A change is as good as a rest, and at our age it keeps the brain active. 4 He fancied it would make him look…

CAROL LLETT: A friend told me that I make her laugh. BARBARA BARTON: That my children have good manners. TIAV FAY: When my nine-year-old nephew said that if anything happened to his mum (my sister), I’m the only person who could ever take over because I give good hugs and smell like her. VALERIE O’DOHERTY: Well, it wasn’t the love letter I got when I was 13 that started ‘Dear Sweaty’! GLEN MILLINGTON: My husband saying my best feature is my big heart.…

Shop Belfast Christmas Market The stunning Belfast City Hall gardens have been transformed this festive season. You’ll be able to sample a range of warming international foods like German sausages and French crêpes, while seeing what last-minute gifts you can pick up! For more details, visit belfastcity.gov.uk/ events or call 028 9032 0202. Discover Ancient Egypt Travel thousands of years back in time to the land of the pharaohs and explore its tradition of mummification at Manchester Museum. You’ll be able to learn all about ancient Egyptian customs, and why these exhibits have become part of British traditions, too. For more information, visit manchester. ac.uk/museum or call 0161 275 2648. Visit Enchanted Christmas, Westonbirt Get back to nature for more festive fun at the National Arboretum in Wiltshire. With free…

Oops! Don’t tell anyone but it seems that we might be ‘doing’ Christmas in the wrong order. Most of us put up decorations and attend carol services during Advent, and Christmas comes to its grand finale on 25 December. But in the past, gifts were given on Boxing Day, or through to the twelfth day of Christmas. And although these days Twelfth Night on 6 January is the day we pack the decorations away, it used to be one of the principal festivities of the Christmas calendar. At the court of Henry VIII, for example, there would be a palace knees-up, and decorations of holly and yew might remain till Candlemas, on 2 February, the day the infant Jesus was presented to God in the Temple at Jerusalem. Mince Pies…

Writer and agony aunt Virginia Ironside ‘I learnt how to tell a story’ My grandmother wanted to be a performer but her strict Victorian parents refused to consider it – they thought women on the stage were tarts and that she'd be joining the dregs of society. So she married and played bridge and read light novels for the rest of her life. But her theatricality never left her. She knew exactly how to tell a story. She’d build up the suspense, hold your arm with an anticipatory look on her face as she outlined the scenario and then, with perfect timing, reveal the punchline – usually ending up roaring with laughter. She took me to see the theatrical greats – Joyce Grenfell, Flanders and Swann, The Crazy Gang –…

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Venison Port Pie Freeze once the pastry lid is on and cook from frozen. Set the oven to 190°C or Gas Mark 5 and cook for 40-45 mins. 60g (2oz) butter2 large onions, sliced2 garlic cloves, crushed3tbsp plain flour1.5kg (3lb) diced venisonshoulder350ml (12fl oz) beef stock450ml (¾pt) port2 sprigs of fresh thyme175g (6oz) prunes, halved200g (7oz) chestnuts375g (13oz) all-butterpuff pastryBeaten free-range egg,to glaze 1 Heat the butter in a large casserole dish and add the onions and garlic. Cook gently, and without colouring, for 15 mins until soft, then stir in the flour and cook for a further couple of mins. Remove and set aside. 2 Add the venison, season and cook for a couple of mins. Return the onion and garlic to the pan. Add the stock, port, thyme…

If you’re looking for a gift to make in time for Christmas, look no further than this week’s pattern. The wrap is knitted in one long piece in lace pattern using a pretty sequinned yarn which creates a lovely sparkly effect. MEASUREMENTS Sizes Small (medium) (large). Width All sizes 26cm/10¼in. Length (measured on the straight) 160 (176) (192) cm/ 63 (69¼) (75½) in. MATERIALS 3 (4) (4) 50g (175m) balls of King Cole Galaxy DK (31% wool, 65% acrylic, 4% payette) in Ocean (722)*. Pair of 4mm (No.8) knitting needles. TENSION 23 stitches and 30 rows, to 10 x 10cm over pattern, using 4mm needles. ABBREVIATIONS K, knit; p, purl; st, stitch; tog, together; skpo, slip 1, k1, pass slip st over; yf, yarn forward to make a st; yon,…

Vitamin D is essential for healthy bones and teeth, but it’s becoming clear that it does many other jobs, too, and that deficiency may be linked to breast and other cancers, diabetes, neurological and metabolic disorders, and susceptibility to infections or heart disease. Recent research has suggested that supplements for older people could even pay for themselves by boosting muscle strength, and reducing falls and their consequences (long-term care and/or death). Where to get it Our main source is sunlight, which stimulates vitamin-D production in our skin; but the further north we live (and the more sunblock we use to protect against skin cancers), the less we make. Sunshine daily for 15 minutes on your unprotected face, arms and neck may suffice during sunnier months, but from mid-October to April,…

Shortly after deciding to pursue a career in pharmacy, aged 17, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and found out this was the cause of my oily skin and acne. PCOS is a hormonal imbalance that raises testosterone levels and is caused by insulin resistance. Other symptoms include infertility, tiredness, weight gain and excess hair growth. When I discovered there was no suitable medical treatment available for me, I developed an interest in natural health. My sensitive skin got worse after the birth of my second son. I developed sore, red and inflamed cheeks and realised the concealer and foundation I was using was aggravating it. To make matter worse, I developed an allergy to nickel in earrings and my watch. My earlobes and wrist became really itchy…

Q I’m officially in a panic – how can the internet help with last-minute gifts? Deep breaths – the internet was made for last-minute Minnies. There’s even more choice of Christmas presents than there is in the shops, and typing with your fingers is much more relaxing than using your elbows to get through the crowds. Online retailers are wise to the issue (the slightly disorganised are a big market, after all!) and you’ll find they make it easy for you to fix your festive problem. My first stop at the last minute is usually the John Lewis site – not only are there plenty of gorgeous gift ideas, there’s just something so soothing about its simplicity. Q How late is too late for the post? If you’re sending presents,…