Innehållsförteckning för 13-Apr-2017 från Chat

He was a free man. Got no more than a slap on the wrist My heart was hammering in my chest as I waited for him to continue. If he confessed, it could be the evidence I needed to go back to the police. Then... ‘You’re right, something did happen in the bed,’ he said. Not a full confession but it was something. I didn’t stick around much longer. And after I left, I went straight to the police. Eventually, the case was reopened. Another victim came forward, too, and a trial was set for 2014. But it kept being delayed due to Norman’s ill health. ‘He’s got dementia,’ a police officer told me. A doctor ruled he was unfit to be tried, but the CPS ordered he was fit…

Going for gold I needed a novel golden-wedding gift, so I filled this basket with foods that had the word ‘golden' in them! The happy couple loved it. Rosemary Janes, via e-mail Sharp idea Once their box breaks, drawing pins are a dangerous nuisance. Save your fingers from being pricked by storing them in a Tic Tac box. Lisa Muir, Warrington Zip it up To stop jigsaw pieces from getting lost, I use a polythene sandwich bag that you can zip up. It keeps them nice and safe! Carol Searle, Bristol Paint protection When painting a ceiling, cover your wall lights with an old pillowcase to stop the paint from dripping on them. Pauline Jeal, Sidcup Trash’ll do! We didn't have a bin when we first moved into our flat,…

Anya’s ear didn’t faze her, but she was teased at school As I cradled my newborn daughter, nurses cooed over her. It was August 2007, and I’d just given birth to 7lb 2oz Anya. ‘She’s beautiful,’ they said. And the nurses were right. But I couldn’t help noticing her right ear. It looked strange. It was a lump of folded skin. ‘It’ll open out soon,’ my husband John, 49, whispered, sensing my concern. But hours on, it still looked the same. Doctors ran tests. While we waited for the results, we took Anya home. Her big sister Oriana, then 4, was so excited. But John and I were terrified there was something wrong. A few months on, a consultant confirmed it. ‘Anya’s got microtia,’ he said, explaining it’s a rare…

Sainsbury's Taste The Difference 4 Cranberry & Golden Raisin Hot Cross Buns, £1.50 Raisins and cranberries make a nice change from the traditional dried fruits. They're great straight from the pack if you've no time to toast. Tesco Finest 4 Bramley Apple & Cinnamon Hot Cross Buns, £1.50 With a strong apple flavour and a kick of cinnamon, these are definitely tastiest when freshly toasted and buttered. Aldi 4 Specially Selected Belgian Chocolate & Toffee Fudge Hot Cross Buns, 99p These are so good, and the only way to enjoy them is hot from the toaster, when the chocolate has begun to melt… NEW Giant cookie, £7, Morrisons How about celebrating Easter with a great big biccie? This one is 30cm (1ft) in diameter, is studded with chocolate eggs, and…

1 In a large frying pan, fry ½ chopped red onion in a knob of butter for 3 min. Add 100g cooked, halved new potatoes and cook for 6 min until crisp and golden. Fold in 2tbsp capers, then push contents of pan to one side. 2 Add a tomato, cut in half, face-down and season well. Brush with oil, then add a few slices of garlic and cook for 6 min. Push them to one side. 3 In the same pan, fry 2 large eggs for about 4 min until they're cooked but yolk is still runny, then take pan off heat. 4 Finally, twirl 100g smoked salmon into two rosettes, add them to a space in pan along with a sliced avocado, a handful of toasted breadcrumbs and…

Twin-credible journey That was a beautiful story - Two of a Kind (2 March issue). Sebastian, a twin, has cerebral palsy and has endured so much. I was pleased to read that his latest operation has allowed him to take his first steps. The photo of him walking with his brother Solomon was so lovely. I've a feeling there's nothing this little boy can't achieve with his twin by his side. Hazel Byron, Roby Makeover for Dad? When I came back from the beauty salon, my daughter was surprised by how different I looked. She told me that I was beautiful and asked if we could send daddy to the ‘handsome salon’ now! Eleri Webber, Little Neston Penguin power My friend gave me some slippers and…

1 A royal spectacle You can't go to Windsor without visiting Her Majesty's gaff! You can explore some magnificent rooms in the largest and oldest inhabited castle in the world. Plus, if you're there at 11am, you'll get to see the colourful spectacle of the changing of the guard. 2 Wide-open spaces Windsor Great Park is huge - 5,000 acres to be precise - and it's beautiful, too. The perfect place for a romantic stroll. For families, the Deer Park is an ideal spot to enjoy a picnic while you take in views of the resident wildlife. 3 Get pampered… in 4-star luxury at the Macdonald Berystede Hotel & Spa in Ascot, 20 minutes' drive from Windsor. There's a thermal spa, an 18-metre swimming pool, rock and infrared saunas and…

Aries 21 March - 20 April Good job, good money. What’s not to like? It seems to have your name written on it already, and everyone assumes you’ll say yes, but try to ignore that. You still have a voice in all this, so think it through first… Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April - 21 May You can’t have all that you want, but you can have some of it. A cheaper version, perhaps? You may be happy to accept the compromise, or you may say no, unless it’s exactly right in every detail. Your choice. Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May - 21 June Sometimes, you can step back into the past and put things right. But, at other times, that lands…

Sanctuary Spa Foaming Shower Mousse, £6, Sanctuary Lathers well and smells so good. Top tip: Use matching moisturiser for long-lasting scent. Nivea Silk Luxurious Shower Mousse, £2.99, Tesco Feels like a combined shower gel and moisturiser. Top tip: Mousse can be kinder to skin than shower gels or scrubs. TreacleMoon My Coconut Island Creamy Shower Mousse, £3, Tesco Vegan-friendly, rich and creamy. Top tip: The coconut scent conjures up lazy summer days and nights. Champneys A Little Pick Me Up Enlivening Shower Mousse, £6.50, Boots Gorgeous, zesty scent with a hint of warmth - feels like a real treat. Top tip: Pump onto a sponge for best results.…

What I loved Blossom on the trees, swathes of daffodils on a grassy bank outside a grim-looking retail park, and the birds singing really noisily early in the morning. Heavenly. My mum always said savour the good things while they're there! What hacked me off Fly-tippers. Just stop. You really, really make me cross. And that ain't pretty… What made me laugh Hearing that Angel Delight is 50 years old! Ye gods! It can't be! When I was a kid, strawberry flavour was considered to be the food of the gods… Hope you get to enjoy a fab-and-fluffy moment this week!…

I had scars snaking across my back, tummy and chest Despite having packed everything but the kitchen sink, it seemed I’d left my loofah at home. Typical! It was July 2010, and me and my kids Emma, then 9, Ryan, 8, and Alex 5, were enjoying a much-deserved break in Brittany, France. Squeezing some shower gel over my bod, I made do with my mitts. But, as I ran my hands over my left breast, I felt a lump. Though I’d never noticed it before, in denial, I just assumed it was nothing. Then 38 and a single mum, I didn’t have time for cancer. But, worried when the lump didn’t budge, I made an appointment with my GP. Referred for tests at Ulster hospital in September 2010, I got…

Rushed into hospital, doctors confirmed I was in labour They were just words. Hard words. Strange medical words. But still just words. Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia. It’s the word that came next that scared me. Cancer. ‘I’m not following,’ I told the doctor...‘I was pregnant, but now I’m not? And it’s cancer?’ It was July last year. Only a few weeks before, I’d missed my period. Me and my boyfriend Chris, 24, were overjoyed, nervous, freaked out... ‘We’re going to be parents,’ Chris kept saying. We hadn’t been planning a baby. But we were very excited. Although now, it didn’t look like it was happening after all. Eight weeks into the pregnancy, I’d started bleeding. At first, doctors thought I’d miscarried. But normally a miscarriage makes the level of hormones…

Makes: 12 Prep: 20 min + 1 hr chilling 200g quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces 200g cornflakes, crushed finely A little oil, for greasing Jelly beans 1 Gently heat chocolate in a large bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Remove, stir and leave for 5 min. 2 Meanwhile, lightly oil a 12-hole jam tart tin. 3 Stir cornflake crumbs into melted chocolate, mixing to coat really well. Spoon a little of mix into each tin. Using back of spoon, press chocolate crumbs into base and side of tin to form a nest. Once all the mixture has been used up, refrigerate nests for 1 hr or until chocolate has set. 4 Use tip of a rounded knife to slip each nest out from tin and fill…

I suddenly remembered I was wearing lacy knickers! As I took off my shirt and tie, I started to feel better… But it was when I slipped into a pretty, pink dress that I finally felt like me. Ahh, that’s more like it, I thought, smiling at my reflection in the mirror. I was born a boy – my mother called me Martin – but, for as long as I could remember, I’d never felt comfortable in my own skin. So, every time my parents went out, I dressed up in my sisters’ nighties, skirts and stockings. I managed to keep it quiet for years – but, one day when I was 9, my mum came home early and caught me. ‘Martin, what on earth are you playing at?’ she…

It was only right that Felix should have a proper job title... When I arrived for my first day working as team leader at Huddersfield railway station for Transpennine Express, I hoped that I’d get along well with my new colleagues. But there was one in particular who really made an impression. Not the fat controller – but the cat controller! Felix was a sweet, black-and-white moggy, who’d already been working at the station for six years. A female cat, she’d been named before anyone realised she was actually a girl, but the name suited her nonetheless. There’s an historic tradition, stretching back to the Victorian era, of railway workers having cats as pest controllers. So the station staff had adopted Felix, who was following in the paw-steps of her…

The players are so friendly and such fun It was so great to see the grin on Sandra’s face My wife Sandra, 52, was getting more excited by the second. ‘Now I only need one more number…’ she told me excitedly. ‘Yeah, yeah,’ I said, engrossed in an action flick. It was February 2013, and we were curled up in bed – me watching a film, Sandra enjoying a cheeky game of Chat Mag Bingo. We’d both recently joined. I’d suggested it, as I knew Sandra used to enjoy going to the bingo hall, and the website was great fun. Sandra had won £150 within days! And now she was bouncing about beside me while I tried to concentrate on my film. ‘I did it!’ she shrieked, leaping up with…

I leant forward and...plop! Liquid dripped out Posing in front of the restaurant toilet mirror, I switched my phone to selfie mode. Finding the right angle and the perfect light – the camera flashed. Squinting at the picture, I was satisfied. Then I caught the eye of another woman in the mirror. She sniggered, probably thinking that I was vain. Until I pulled out eye drops. What the stranger didn’t know was that selfies were saving me from going blind. I’ve always had to keep a close eye on my sight and, since my teens, I’ve had to wear glasses. But when I blinked, I’d go blind, even after I opened my eyes. Then my sight would return after a few seconds, blurry. I’ve always had problems with an over-active…

ATOMIC PIGLETS! Radioactive wild boars have been found roaming in the Sumava mountain region between the Czech R epublic, A ustria and Germany . The pork ers have been scoffing mushrooms that contain levels of a radioactive substance left over from the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl in 1986. IT’S BRUM, CHUM! YouTuber KoreanBilly has risen to fame online - teaching his 40,000 subscribers how to talk in British accents, most recently tackling Brummy. From South (Korea) to West (Mids)! RUDE AWAKENING An Indian teen was declared dead after battling an infection from a dog bite. But the lad woke up just a mile from the village where his family were taking him to be buried. Dead lucky, that! DIGGIN’ IT! Eric Manu left Ghana for British Columbia after he wed…

I stayed wide awake all night, sobbing my heart out As my grandad Norman bounced me up and down on his knee, I was in fits of giggles. He wasn’t my biological grandad – but he was as good as. You see, he’d married my mum’s mum before I was born. He was the only grandad I’d ever known and I loved him to bits. When I was around 3, Mum and Dad split up. And as I got older, I spent a lot of my time with Nan and Norman. After school, I’d have dinner at their place. But one afternoon when I was 9, something strange started to happen… ‘Come and sit on my knee,’ Norman grinned. Then he started bouncing me up and down like he always…

Sore tongue Q I've developed the habit of biting the skin off my tongue with my teeth. It's incredibly painful, but I can't stop! Laura, 23 A Sounds like a compulsion, a ritual you repeat again and again to feel temporarily better, but which becomes so frequent it can interfere with your life or cause damage. Kicking the habit usually means cognitive behavioural therapy, CBT - ask your GP. Hand cramps Q I'm 82 and for months now I've been getting cramp in my hands and have to rub them until it stops. Jennifer, 82 A If the cramps strike when you're using your hands for fine work such as writing, this could be writer's cramp, a form of muscle spasm. Your GP will rule out rarer causes such as…

We loved our unborn baby, had to give him a chance In spring 2011, I met an old friend for a drink. Andy, 33, had lived opposite when we were kids. He was younger than me – but, as we grew up, we got closer, and eventually became best mates. Over time, we both met partners and settled down. I’d had two kids – Skye, 22, and Niall, 18 – while Andy had his little girl Lauren, 9. ‘How are you doing?’ I beamed. Both recently single, Andy had asked me out several times before I’d agreed. He’s grown into quite the hunk, I thought as we chatted. I’d worried about the age gap at first – but, from the moment Andy kissed me in the taxi home, we were…

She looked beautiful in her fairytale white dress and veil, hair sitting in soft curls around her face. But, most of all, she was wearing a huge, happy smile. I was just 7, but already I hoped that, one day, I’d have the same magical wedding as my big sister Maryanne. ‘I love you so much,’ I’d told her with a hug before she walked down the aisle to marry Tommy. ‘I love you, too,’ she’d said, squeezing me back. I don’t think I knew then that Maryanne was different from other people’s big sisters. And, in a way, she’s not so different. The fact Maryanne’s got Down’s syndrome has never mattered, never stopped her from doing whatever she wants. Like marrying Tommy, despite many people saying she shouldn’t. Tommy…

Lady Gaga Gaga passes through Springfield, determined to spread a little cheer. She manages to cheer up everyone except Lisa - whose poker face isn't for pleasing! J.K. Rowling The Harry Potter author had Springfield's most famous family under her spell in an episode when they visited Britain. She said a special hello to ‘young Muggle' and huge Potter fan Lisa. Tom Hanks Star of countless movies, from Saving Private Ryan to Forrest Gump , Tom Hanks made a big-screen appearance in The Simpsons Movie when he starred in an advert announcing a new Grand Canyon - in Springfield! Ricky Gervais He's not only voiced and appeared in the show, he's even written for it!…

My eyes were puffy, cheeks filled out like a chipmunk’s As my family and I gathered around the telly last January, my tummy flipped with excitement. ‘No likey, no lighty!’ I giggled as Take Me Out’s host Paddy McGuinness emerged. My daughter Bailey, 16, and I were squirming like kids on the edge of the sofa because, this time, I was a contestant! I’d filmed the show back in November 2015, and had such an amazing time. Despite being old enough to be many of the girls’ mums, I was the lucky lady who got picked – and bagged a trip to the Isle of Fernando with a 21-year-old hottie! While the date was heaps of fun, we parted ways afterwards. Now I couldn’t wait to relive it all again.…

Scientists ruled out the natural possibilities one by one Are they aware of us on Earth,1,000 light years away? No-one had seen anything like it before. A star unlike any other in the universe. It sat in the northern hemisphere, 1,000 light years from Earth, nestled between two faraway constellations. So distant, you needed a telescope to see it. Its official name is KIC 8462852. But it was nicknamed Tabby’s Star, after Tabetha Boyajian, the American scientist who led the initial research into it when it was discovered in 2009. For four years, scientists observed Tabby’s Star closely. But the more they observed, the more mysterious Tabby’s Star became. ‘It was really weird,’ Tabetha told the press. ‘We thought it might be bad data…but everything checked out.’ The light from…

Horrified, I pictured Cayden losing limbs, dying… My gut was telling me the doctors had missed something One word plunged me into every parent’s worst nightmare. ‘Meningitis,’ the doctor said… It was April 2011, and my little boy Cayden, 4 months, had been crying, feverish, refusing to feed. I’d rushed him to hospital, where the diagnosis was made. My head swam as, horrified, I pictured Cayden losing limbs, dying. Cayden had been diagnosed with mild spina bifida at birth, which could mean restricted movement of his spinal cord as he grew. He’d also been born with a small lump at the base of his back. Doctors hadn’t been worried, only now it was swollen. Cayden was pumped full of antibiotics, and days dragged by as my baby fought for…