Indholdsfortegnelse for TAK2422 i Take 5

Every week when we send the magazine to print, we feel like it’s the best one yet, and this week is no different! It’s stuffed full of so many exciting ways to win. Don’t miss your last chance to go in the draw for the $20,000 prize pack when you subscribe (page 68). As always, there’s the best stories. We loved Jenny’s over the page and did have to reach for the box of tissues. What an inspiring couple and beautiful legacy. I’ve worked in magazines for 20 years and I can say I’ve never heard of a story like Meagan’s on page 8! But as we chatted away in the office, it turns out this has happened to another (unnamed) person on the team! If you’ve had a medical…

After a mind-blowing sesh with my favourite sex toy, I ended up in a coma! Meagan Maslen, 26, Melbourne, Vic. I lifted my head from resting on my sex buddy Cam’s chest and gave him a suggestive look he’d come to know well. “Already?” he chuckled. “Oh, if you insist.” We’d already had four rounds! Cam and I had met through Tinder three years earlier and loved hanging out and just having fun. When I’d heard about the Satisfyer Pro 2 sex toy with its sucking sensation giving mind-blowing orgasms, I’d raced out to buy one. Reaching for it now, I incorporated it into our fifth session. Once I’d climaxed, I flopped down on the pillow, heavily panting and my heart racing a million miles an hour. Did I just…

Rebecca Wanosik, 37. Cradling my newborn girl, Zeydn, it was heaven to be back in the baby bubble. Already a mum to Zach, eight, Zoey, six, Zander, five, and Zavier, three, I’d been here many times before. I loved babies so much I was studying to become a midwife, while my husband, Anthony, 26, who was Zeydn’s father and stepdad to my eldest four, worked in the Army. But now, in December 2014, as I moved my threeweek-old daughter to my shoulder to burp her, I felt something strange. It sounded like her ribs were popping. Something’s not right, I stressed. I took Zeydn to the paediatrician, who claimed nothing was wrong. Over the weeks, the popping noise, while not consistent, continued. One day, Zeydn came with me to put…

Luscious lemon cake SERVES 8 PREP 20 MINS + COOLING COOK 45 MINS 125g butter, at room temperature ¾ cup caster sugar  2 eggs, at room temperature  2 cups self-raising flour  ¼ cup lemon juice  ¼ cup milk Strips of lemon zest, to decorate  LEMON ICING  1 cup icing sugar 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 Preheat oven to 180ºC/160ºC fan-forced. Grease and line a deep 20cm (base measurement) round cake pan with baking paper. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add eggs, one by one, beating well after each addition. Sift flour over butter mixture. Add juice and milk; stir to combine.  2 Spoon mixture into prepared pan; level surface. Bake for 45 mins or until a skewer inserted at centre comes…

My cousin Maria and I grinned at each other excitedly. “I can’t wait,” she said. “I can picture exactly what I want,” I replied, smiling. It was 2014, and we were on our way to Sydney from Canberra with our mums to go wedding dress shopping. Maria, 21, and I were getting married three months apart. At our first bridal shop, Maria found a gown she liked and the assistant went to get her size. I browsed the racks. “Can I try this one on?” I asked the assistant. She looked me up and down. “Sorry, we won’t have one big enough for you,” she said. “Oh, okay,” I said, deflated. This happened at every shop. Even when I spoke to designers about creating a gown for me, I was…

A taxi ride with a stranger changed my life forever Catherine Gault, 29. Arriving at the nightclub, I found my friends at the bar ordering Long Island Iced Teas. “Want one?” my friend Matty asked. “No thanks, I’m driving,” I told him. “I can bring you back here to collect your car tomorrow,” he said. “Go on, have a drink,” my best friend Ellen chimed in. “Yeah, okay then,” I said, laughing. Loud music blared as I sipped my cocktail, then I spotted a guy I recognised through mutual friends. He approached me. “I’m Jonny,” he said. “Catherine,” I replied, with a smile. Jonny, 22, was funny – and easy on the eye! All too soon, it was closing time and we all headed outside. “We’d better call a taxi,”…

Brad Moffitt, 45, Sydney, NSW. Watching a fire truck roll out of the Sydney CBD fire station, my son Liam’s eyes caught the flashing lights. “Look, those fireys protect us,” I explained. It was August 2022, and I’d taken Liam, two, out for a wander around the city. I thought it’d be good to get him used to fire trucks in case of an emergency. But the moment he saw the lights, he was too scared to get out of his pram. At home, his mum, Simonne showed him cartoons like Fireman Sam and Paw Patrol to help him see that big red trucks weren’t threatening. Then, to ignite Liam’s interest further, we bought him a little firefighter’s suit. Simonne stitched his name on the back. First thing every day,…

Easy bacon fried rice SERVES 4 PREP 10 MINS COOK 15 MINS 2 tbsp vegetable oil 4 eggs, beaten 4 chopped bacon rashers 200g peeled cooked prawns 2 crushed garlic cloves 2 tsp grated ginger  4 cups cooked rice  250g frozen stir-fry vegie mix  2 sliced long green onions  ¼ cup sweet chilli sauce  2 tbsp soy sauce 1 In a frying pan, heat half the oil on high. Cook eggs in oil 1-2 mins, swirling to create an omelette. Remove from pan onto a chopping board and slice.  2 In same pan, heat remaining oil and sauté bacon rashers 1-2 mins. Add prawns, garlic and ginger. Stir-fry 1 min.  3 Add cooked rice, stir-fry vegie mix and half the onions. Stir-fry 3 mins. Toss with sweet chilli sauce,…

A burglary helped me find justice for a crime from my past Nicola Rouse, 48. I snatched my little fingers back as the cupboard door slammed shut. Blinking and shaking in the darkness, I couldn’t stop the tears flowing. “Please let me out,” I cried, crouching down among the shoes and boots in the cupboard. “You’re staying in there until I say so,” came the deep, terrifying voice of my eldest brother, Joff. He spent his days terrorising and mocking me. There were six of us kids, and not much attention to go around from my parents. My dad, John, was loving, but he worked all hours as a plant manager, trying to build up his own business. Meanwhile, my mum, Sheila, drank too much. It meant us kids had…

Vision loss has a huge impact on anyone that it touches, but what you may not know is that 90 per cent of blindness and low vision can be treated or prevented. “Cataract, refractive error, macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and trachoma are common eye conditions that can cause blindness if left untreated,” explains Dr May Ho, optometry and primary care advisor for The Fred Hollows Foundation. The best way to stay protected is with regular eye tests. “There are a range of risk factors linked to developing vision loss or blindness, and these can be biological, hereditary or environmental,” explains Dr Ho. CAUSES “Half of the world’s vision impairment is due to uncorrected distance refractive errors,” says Dr Ho. She adds that, “And 124 million people are blind or…

When I’m making chocolate brownies, I add a tablespoon of instant coffee. It tastes amazing! Chrissie Wilson, Bendigo, Vic. To get roasted veggies really crispy and fluffy, parboil them first – but add them to the water when it’s already boiling, so they don’t get too soft. Marta Gordon, Margaret River, WA. Wrap celery in aluminium foil and it will stay crunchy for longer. Andrea Cho, Merrylands, NSW. Microwave lemons for 10 seconds before squeezingezing so you get more juice from them. Yvonne Knight, Bunbury, WA. I cut my dishwashing tablets in half to make them last longer. Does exactly the same job! Julie McLeod, Cairns, Qld. Save your waist, bust and hip measurements in your smartphone notes so they’re handy when you’re buying clothes online. Wash your potato peelings…

AS TOLD TO EMILIA MAZZA Lisa Mead, 57, Brisbane, Qld. It had been another busy night in the restaurant when my boyfriend, Peter, suggested, “Why don’t we get jobs on a private charter yacht in the Caribbean?” It sounded irresistible. I barely knew one end of a boat from the other but, aged 27, I took the plunge. While he cooked, I mixed drinks and served food. Although Peter and I broke up, I loved the lifestyle at sea. The following year, I nabbed my first cheffing position aboard an opulent 86-foot catamaran. Sailing the bright blue waters, I had the time of my life making delicious meals for our wealthy guests. Once, while working on a private yacht for some Texans, I received a request for uni – a…

Stuffed pork chops with gremolata SERVES 4 PREP 20 MINS COOK 10 MINS 2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil 2 bacon rashers, rind removed, finely chopped 150g fresh ricotta ½ cup sage and onion stuffing mix 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tbsp extra 1 clove garlic, finely chopped, plus 1 clove, extra 4 pork chops 200g green beans ½ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley Lemon wedges, to serve 1 Heat half the oil in a large frying pan over moderate heat. Add bacon; cook and stir for 3 mins or until crisp. Drain on paper towel. Place bacon in a bowl. Add ricotta, stuffing mix, zest and garlic; mix well. 2 Using a small, sharp knife, make a cut in the side of each chop to…

As the tiny black kitten miaowed at me, my heart melted. “He’s so sweet,” I said to Krista, an acquaintance in the local area who rescued cats. I’d popped round to donate some towels for her to use on the cat beds. She told me she’d rescued the black kitten and his grey little brother from outside a sports centre a few days earlier. “How sad,” I said. A huge cat lover, I’d had a rescue of my own once. Charlie had been with me for 16 years, before he died from old age in 2019. He’d been a rogue little guy, who loved to bring home rats and once had – and won – a fight with a snake! I missed his company and his miaows – but as…

GEMINI May 22–June 21 This is the most exciting week for you as Jupiter moves into your sign. It’s been a long time since you’ve had a cosmic boost quite like this. Take a little time to think, contemplate and celebrate, too. What do you wish for? ★ Whatever you wish for you’ll likely get. VIRGO Your Career and Life Direction is going to be loaded with new opportunities and growth possibilities. With so many options available to you, remember that you always have choice. Decision fatigue may be real. ★Take time to make a decision this week. SAGITTARIUS Nov 23– Dec 22 Expect some of the happiest moments in love this week due to your planet, Jupiter, arriving in your Relationship Zone. Personal or professional, other people are…

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