Pick Me Up! 04-Jun-2020

When my English teacher sadly passed away from cancer in 2017, the whole school was in shock. Mr Peters was one of the greatest teachers I’ve ever had. I was put in his class from the first day of secondary school. He had a way of teaching that helped you truly connect with the lesson. And it wasn’t just me, he was that one teacher in the school that everyone loved. Like a true English teacher, he had inspirational quotes all over his classroom. From Toy Story, to some of the greatest novels, he filled us with words of wisdom. And of course he had his own ones, too. ‘You’re not leaving until I see you smile,’ he would say. When he first died, everyone struggled with the grief. We…

What a great idea Why can’t I go outside? is a question we’re sure many of you have heard from your kids in the past few weeks. Being under lockdown is certainly a difficult and rather scary concept to explain to kids. Author Emily Merrifield and illustrator Ciara Long have teamed up to create a book to help you. Why Can’t I go Outside? is a story about a little boy at home during the COVID-19 outbreak. He questions why he’s not allowed outside and uses his imagination to come up with some interesting ideas, helping children broach this difficult subject and also helping parents explain it better. The e-book is free to download from the duo’s JustGiving page, and any donations made go to UNICEF and Refuge charity. Visit www.justgiving.com…

Climbing into the back seat, I shut the car door behind me and smiled at my pals. ‘Let’s get some food!’ I said to my friends Bobbi, 25, and Jennifer, 26. It was 14 March, and they had just picked me up from my Saturday shift at Morrisons. ‘Ooo what shall I have?’ I said, my stomach growling as we pulled into the Burger King car park. Suddenly, I felt a painful sensation in the inner crease of my left arm. ‘Ouch… my arm feels really bruised,’ I said to the girls. ‘Did you hurt yourself at work?’ Bobbi asked. ‘Not that I can remember,’ I said, giving it a rub. But it did feel as if I had – as if I’d knocked it. Heading into the restaurant, I…

Solve the puzzle to spell out a term related to the picture. The arrows show you where to put your answers. The answer is spelled in the yellow squares. Mac and Yorkshire Cheddar cheese toastie The Yorkshire Creamery uses specially selected fresh Yorkshire milk and ages their cheese to perfection to create a range of tasty cheeses that really ‘tastes like they ought to’. Ingredients: □ 150g Macaroni pasta□ 25g plain flour□ 25g Yorkshire butter□ 300ml milk□ 150g grated Yorkshire cheddar□ 8 slices of white bread□ Yorkshire butter for spreading 1 Prepare the macaroni cheese: Cook the pasta 2 minutes less than the instructions on the pack, then drain and put to one side. 2 In a small saucepan, add flour and Yorkshire Butter. Cook for a few minutes until…

Tying my walking shoes, I heard my phone ring. ‘I’m so sorry Laura, I’m not going to make it this week,’ my friend said. ‘Feeling a little worse for wear after last night!’ It was a Sunday morning in Spring 2010, and a group of us were supposed to be meeting for our weekly walk in Lincolnshire. I was 25, and keen to keep fit, I’d enjoyed our walks around small local villages, chatting to the group of fellow walkers. But a few of us had been out the night before, and now, some were paying the price. One by one our group numbers dwindled, but I was still keen to head out. ‘Looks like it’s just you and me then,’ I said to Nigel Glanville, 40, the only member…

This week, our tip of the week will receive a great product from Addis! The Ultima mop (£16.99) gives you the cleaning style and performance of a flat mop, with the convenience of a push to wring mechanism. The self wringing mechanism operates by using a pushing action to close the butterfly head to squeeze the microfibre head dry. For more ways to make your life easier, visit addis.co.uk. Fresh as a daisy Once a week, I pour limescale remover into the shower head and leave overnight. It keeps the shower flowing freely! Bea Wilkinson, Devon Freeze! When my fridge needs defrosting, I place a bowl of hot water on an empty shelf for 20 minutes. No scraping or chemicals needed. Tina Vowles, Stroud Flower power The clear plastic bags…