Innehållsförteckning för 25-May-2017 från Chat

THE DARK KNIGHT Holy lookalikes, Batman! Seems this sparrowhawk’s doing his best impersonation of the Caped Crusader. We reckon the batty bird’s out to show his fellow flyers that those winged mice don’t have all the fun! Now take our little superhero quiz – go to www.lifedeathprizes.com/superhero-quiz CELEBRITY SPIN The Force is strong with this one! But who’s the celeb in a twist? The English actress is a familiar voice in The Archers, and starred alongside Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking’s wife in The Theory of Everything. Look at the picture on the right and see if you can work out who it is. Puzzle 1 £50 Your answer: TO ENTER Turn to page 60 for details. www.lifedeathprizes.com/win…

I’d wake up and not know what had happened... It was a very similar story... Prancing in heels and a skirt, I pouted for the camera. ‘Beautiful,’ my uncle, Mick, smiled. I was 8 and having a great time dressing up as Madonna in my auntie’s clothes. It was a game Mick and I often played when my aunt was out of the house. He’d give me things to wear, then take photos of me. It was fun and I loved spending time with him. But, over the years, he started showing me porn mags. ‘Gross!’ I’d say, not liking the images of couples having sex. ‘You’d like it,’ he’d smirk. Then, as I got older, whenever Mick babysat, he’d give me alcohol and poppers. A bit of a rebel,…

We’re just lucky Jack’s still here, and still fighting My son Jack, 9, ran to the loo to throw up for the third time that morning. ‘Not again,’ I said. He’d had a vomiting bug for the past two weeks. Couldn’t stop being sick. Even the anti-sickness drugs our GP had prescribed weren’t working. But other than being sick, Jack seemed fine in himself and had no other symptoms. I tried to get him another appointment with our GP, but they were fully booked. So I decided to do a bit of research myself. Typing ‘persistent vomiting’ into Google, I came across the website HeadSmart. It’s a campaign by The Brain Tumour Charity, which lists the most common signs of childhood brain tumours. Persistent vomiting was on the list. Along…

FROM ONLY £1 Iceland Red Pepper Houmous, 200g, £1 Smooth, with a mild pepper flavour. Try it mixed with grated carrot and salad as a tasty filling for a sandwich or wrap. Tesco Reduced Fat Red Pepper Houmous, 182g, £1.10 If you like ordinary houmous, this ramps up the flavour, but is also low fat... Win/win! Sainsbury’s Roasted Red Pepper Houmous, 200g, £1.50 Rich and creamy with a good pepper flavour, this was our fave. Perfect heaped on crusty bread, or as a dip for celery and carrot crudites. Chat choice NEW Asda Extra Special Raspberry & Prosecco Pavlova Stack, £5 Prosecco cream, crisp meringue, raspberry sauce, white choc... What a treat!…

CRAFTY CODE CRACKER Puzzle 14 £ 500 M ovie-star hopeful Marilyn Monroe was crowned the what Queen of Castroville in 1948? To find out, solve the puzzle... Fill in the grid. Each letter of the alphabet has been replaced by a number from 1 to 26. When you’ve completed the grid, the shaded squares will spell out the one-word prize answer. We’ve given you five letters to start you off. Your answer: TO ENTER Turn to page 60 for details. www.lifedeathprizes.com/win…

Thailand 6 reasons to visit... Head east for a holiday as wild as you want it to be! 1 Go wild When it comes to the crazy Bangkok nightlife, Khao San Road has plenty of bars, and even street-food vendors selling insects! Or, more refined, head to the rooftop Sky Bar – the incredible view makes up for the price of the cocktails! 2 Get off the beaten track In the peaceful town of Pai in northern Thailand, you’ll find stunning waterfalls, natural hot springs and enough quiet time to read your book! 3 Make friends with elephants Instead of an elephant ride (most of them are badly mistreated), visit ElephantsWorld near the city of Kanchanaburi. The sanctuary offers visitors the unforgettable chance to help with washing and feeding old and…

There’s nothing like seeing your grandkids’ excited faces One Sunday evening before Christmas, I was playing Chat Mag Bingo. I’d joined a few years earlier – as a VAT manager, I travelled a lot, couldn’t often get to the local bingo with mates. Chat Mag Bingo was such a social site, and I made lots of pals in the chat rooms. I’d had some big wins, too, a couple of jackpots. That evening, I’d already won tickets to the weekly Playoff Palace game. My hubby Chris, 59, was watching TV, while I watched the game play out. One after another, my numbers came up. Then…jackpot! We both shrieked with delight. And we agreed what we’d spend it on – extra Christmas pressies for our 10 lovely grandkids! Of course, we…

FROM ONLY £3 Aloe Body Oil, £3, Tesco Massage into damp skin to soothe and improve elasticity. Top tip: Aloe helps heal sunburn. Heaven scent Palmer’s Coconut Oil Formula Body Oil, £7.35, Boots Worth it for the coconut scent alone, slather on before bedtime for a pampering treat. Top tip: You don’t need perfume if your products are scented! Sanctuary Spa 4 Day Moisture Body Oil Spray, £7, Boots Shake to mix the water and oil parts before using. This has a really gorgeous scent and leaves skin so soft. Top tip: Leave it to dry before getting dressed. What a wonder Bio-Oil, £8.99, Superdrug A wonder product, this helps to fade scars and stretch marks. Top tip: Focus on dry areas – elbows, knees and feet.…

18-24 May 2017 Aries 21 March - 20 April You wouldn’t have touched it if you’d known it was heavy, sharp or hot. Underestimating things and finding out later the hard way is what we all do. But this week you’re particularly prone to it. Do take care! • Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April - 21 May Is it possible to have too much of a good thing? It seems so. What began as a pleasure has become a burden. You’d be better off without it to be honest. The less you have, the better you’ll feel. Try it and see. • Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May - 21 June You’ve learnt your lessons from the past, and when you find yourself…

THE BIGGIE Phwoar – it’s a whopper! Enjoy your puzzling Actors Emma Watson and Miles Teller may have been kicking themselves since the Oscars as they both turned down what? To find out, solve the crossword then read down the letters in the shaded squares to find the six-word prize answer. ACROSS 1 Unable to change its spots? (7) 5 Series of items in a logical order (8) 9 Church service (4) 13 Music symbols (5) 14 Let the air out (7) 15 Pain-killer (7) 16 Mental sparks (5) 17 Type of fish (5) 18 Copper and tin alloy (6) 20 Glassy finish on pottery (5) 21 Spray can (7) 23 Fine powder used in the bathroom (4) 26 Distance equal to 1,609 37 Acrosses (4) 27 Altered to suit…

Peg it! Take a peg when you stay in hotels and use it to keep the bristles of your toothbrush away from the surface of the sink. Well, you never know who’s been using the sink before you, or what that person’s been doing to it… Or in it! Richard Clifton, Felixstowe Spuds you like… Tired of finding that your potatoes have started sprouting? You can stop that happening and help them last much longer by keeping an apple in with them! Amanda Hadley, Birmingham Trifle matter Save the plastic pots mini trifles come in. They make great emergency glasses. And are ideal for drinking outside, too. Julie Meritt, Leeds Use your loaf Use scissors to cut up bread for the ducks. You’ll be able to prepare so much more…

Whose turn would it be to see the evil doctor this time? This evil has to be stamped out – and that means speaking out Coming, ready or not!’ Excited and giggling, my grandchildren were playing a game of hideand- seek in my home. Their happy, confident little faces made me so proud. They know they’re loved…that nothing can harm them. It hadn’t been like that for me. My car-crash of a childhood was wrecked by sexual abuse. I’d bottled up pain and anger all my life. Now, just the thought of anyone trying to hurt those precious kids led me to a realisation. If victims like me didn’t speak out, these evil, twisted people would be free to go on harming children. Enough hiding… I was going to shine…

Watching them playing, life seemed so cruel All I ever wanted was to be a mummy. So, I was delighted when I fell pregnant in early 2006. ‘You’re going to be a dad!’ I told my husband Greg, then 29. Noah was born in October 2006, a healthy 8lb 5oz. At first, he was a bouncing baby, met all his milestones. But watching him playing in the garden one day, Greg’s dad, John, 71, noticed Noah, then 18 months, was running strangely, dragging his right leg. He was referred to a paediatric consultant, but we faced a 9-month wait for an MRI scan. By 2, Noah was tumbling over and struggling to put weight on his right leg. And in October 2009 Noah woke up with a sickness bug, unable…

Creamy kale and basil pesto pasta 1 For pesto, toast 75g sunflower seeds in a dry pan for a few min until they start to pop and turn golden, then blitz in a food processor until finely chopped. Add 1 roughly chopped clove of garlic and 100g chopped kale leaves and blend until finely chopped. 2 Add 25g basil leaves and 60g grated Parmesan, blend again then, with motor running, drizzle in 4tbsp olive oil. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. 3 Cook 200g dried linguine pasta in a large pan of boiling water according to packet instructions. Drain well. 4 In a small pan, combine half pesto with 250g natural set yogurt and gently warm through, stirring continuously. 5 Add yogurt pesto to pasta, cover pan and…

Love rules! LETTER of the week! Everyone loves a love story. But Maryanne and Tommy’s (13 April issue) must be the most touching ever. They’re proof that love conquers all. Maryanne’s sister Lindi’s right when she says Maryanne and Tommy are two people who just happen to have Downs syndrome. Why shouldn’t they have the things the rest of us have? They’re an inspiration. Micha Bryn, Liverpool WE PAY CASH Six of the best Seeing a duck with five littl’uns, my partner Trevor asked where the sixth was, ‘because there are always six I asked why he thought that and he replied, ‘Well, eggs always come in boxes of six.’ There are no words… Amy Johnson, Runcorn Bogglebox Watching game shows, if a contestant gets an answer right, I cheer. If…

Serves: 12 Prep: 15 min + chilling 250g plain digestives, crushed 100g unsalted butter, melted 1 x 135g pack raspberry jelly ½ x 410g can evaporated milk 200g soft cream cheese 2tsp rose essence A handful of fresh raspberries and a few rose petals, to decorate 1 Heavily grease base and sides of a 20cm spring-form tin. 2 In a bowl, mix together crushed biscuits and melted butter and press evenly into bottom of tin. Pop in fridge to set. 3 Dissolve jelly in 100ml boiling water. Set aside. 4 In another bowl, whisk evaporated milk until thickened, then whisk in cream cheese until thick and creamy. 5 Add rose essence to jelly mixture, then fold into whisked mixture. Pour over base and refrigerate for at least 2 hrs until…

ZOOMED IN! We’ve got up close and personal to an object that’s very popular in pubs. If you can make out what it is, that’s your prize answer. Puzzle 19 £100 Your answer: WHAT'S ON TELLY? Puzzle 20 4 x £30 As you can see, our TV’s gone on the blink and we can’t make out what programme’s being screened… If the show looks familiar to you, that’s your prize answer! Your answer: WHAT'S WRONG? Puzzle 21 £100 This family adventure film, Jumanji, all about a magical board game, delighted audiences when it was released back in 1995. But something about this still from the action-packed movie isn’t as it should be. If you know which item doesn’t belong, that’s your prize answer. Your answer: HOW MANY? Puzzle 22 £100 Can you work how many…

He was so excited – came to every scan My boyfriend Marciano, then 38, couldn’t stop grinning as he handed me a Valentine’s card. ‘You big softie,’ I teased. Marciano was 17 years older than me, but the age gap didn’t matter in the slightest. When we’d met six years before, he’d swept me off my feet. He was funny, charming and a real sweetheart. We’d had a boy together, Brendon, then 4, with another on the way. Marciano was a great dad. And he still found time to be romantic. When I read the message inside his card, I paused. Will you marry me? it read. And when he got down on one knee and pulled out a ring, I knew he was serious. ‘Yes!’ I beamed, thrilled. A…

30-SECOND RULE Food dropped on the floor is apparently fine to eat, even if you go over the ‘5-second rule’! Scientists in Birmingham tested a range of foods on laminate, tiles and carpet, proving that even after 30 seconds, relatively few germs were transferred. Waste not, want not! RIP (ROMP IN PEACE) A sex survey by wellbeing website MakeYourSwitch. co.uk showed that 10 per cent of Cardiff’s population have enjoyed nookie on public transport, while two per cent have romped at a funeral. Perhaps they were trying to ‘put the fun’ in funeral, but show some respect! BAT OUT OF KALE… A pre-packed salad in Florida recently contained a winged feast…a dead bat! Two people reportedly ate some leaves before discovering the deceased critter. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…

If Paul rang to check on Mum, she jumped a mile This is Paul,’ my sister Karen, then 19, beamed. ‘My new boyfriend.’ ‘Nice to meet you,’ Paul smiled. It was 1997, and Karen was like the cat who’d got the cream as she showed off her new man to me and Mum, Ann, then 54. Paul Brown, a decorator, was charming and polite. They’d met through some friends, and he thought the world of Karen. She was living at home with Mum and my dad Gordon. Hitting it off, Paul quickly moved in, too. Mum welcomed him – family was all that mattered to her, and he soon became a part of ours. Not long after, Paul stopped working due to health problems, but helped Mum out with odd…

Ask our Doc Don’t be shy – Chat’s Dr Martin Edwards is a family GP who’s seen it all before… Back agony Q I’ve suffered terrible back pain for seven years. Painkillers don’t help now, as I’ve taken them for so long. Linda, 25 A We’ve realised how longterm pain causes your brain to rewire, and become sensitive to pain. Correcting this with drugs and cognitive behavioral therapy, and other techniques such as spine injections, means a specialist pain clinic. Ask your GP. Vaping poison Q I’ve switched from smoking to vaping, but my mum gets angry when she sees vaping fluid lying around, and says it’s dangerous to my children. Ariella, 26 A The nicotine in vaping fluid is potentially a potent poison. High-strength vaping solutions are banned, and anyone…

From age 5, Dimitri had felt trapped in the wrong body I thought life had no more surprises. At 27, married, with two kids, I lived in a Tulsa apartment. Some weekends, neighbours threw barbecues in our complex Chatting away, I was introduced to a girl in my block. ‘Meet Tori,’ a friend said. Tori, then 19, seemed shy, but we had a brief chat. A few months on, my marriage broke down, and I took my kids to move in with my mum in Texas. Feeling stronger, 18 months on, I returned to Tulsa. I stayed with an old friend while I got back on my feet. One day, a slender man popped round. ‘Great to see you,’ he smiled. ‘Tori’s changed a bit since you last met,’ my…

NUMBER JIG Puzzle 7 £ 250 The world record for speed clapping was set in Boston, USA in 2014 by Eli Bishop. How many times did Eli clap in one minute? Fit these numbers into the grid. One number doesn’t fit. This is the prize answer. 3 digits 115 288 346 471 597 619 644 712 814 850 866 983 4 digits 1020 1397 2535 3296 4322 5414 6610 7752 8536 9808 5 digits 17565 25445 30297 35117 48042 59775 63639 74961 80260 91650 92153 6 digits 240956 266144 499882 623989 902043 7 digits 2192433 6817840 8452824 9875056 8 digits 40256725 Your answer: SPIRAL XWORD Puzzle 8 £ 150 Which TV star was the first person to own a commercially made Paddington Bear toy? The answer to each clue (apart from the…

SWEETIE PIE! Sugar and spice and all things nice? That rhyme certainly fits my little Ella, 2 – lovely as a cupcake! Amy Davidson, Gateshead Miles of smiles Baby Theo’s just 14 weeks old, but he already has the biggest, most gorgeous smile I’ve ever seen. Katie Cocker, via e-mail ROCK ON… My daughter Layla, 5, really looked the part for a rock star-themed party recently! Kate Murphy, Bootle…

ARROW-WORD Puzzle 16 £ 1,000 A new website has found that the most popular female name in the UK is what? Solve the puzzle by following the arrows and writing in your answers. Then read down the letters in the shaded squares to find the two-word prize answer. Your answer: SUDOKU Puzzle 17 £60 solve the puzzle, each 3 x 3 box, each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9. Solve the puzzle, then read down the numbers in the highlighted squares for the prize answer. Your answer: WORDSEARCH Puzzle 18 £50 In Kansas, it’s illegal to shoot rabbits from a what? The prize answer is the one missing from the grid, right. AEROPLANE AMBULANCE BALLOON DINER HILLSIDE LIMOUSINE MOTORBOAT PICK-UP PORCH PRAM ROOF TENT TRAIN TREE WINDOW Your…

Some sneered at the couple, called them white trash THE CRIME Haleigh Cummings was 5 years old when she vanished. Was she kidnapped? Killed? Or did she run away? No-one knows. Eight years on, her disappearance is still unsolved by police, and the case remains open to t h is day… THE STORY Little Haleigh Cummings was wearing her blonde hair in a ponytail, fastened with her bright-pink bobble. It was Tuesday 10 February 2009. Her dad Ronald was working the night shift as a crane operator. So his girlfriend Misty Croslin had put 5-year-old Haleigh to bed on a mattress in their caravan in Satsuma, Putnam County, Florida. Misty went to bed at about 10pm on a second mattress, just feet from Haleigh’s. But when, a few hours later,…