Innehållsförteckning för TAK2349 från Take 5

I don’t know about you, but I’m finding the shopping list for Christmas lunch just keeps on growing. Everyone has their favourite part and it sounds like dinner would be ruined without it! My brother loves pigs in blankets, Nan likes mashed potatoes, while my cousin requested roasties cooked in duck fat. My stepdad can get through about five Yorkshire puddings by himself, so we need to make sure we have plenty of those. And my uncle thinks it’s criminal if there isn’t a platter of big, juicy prawns. It all adds up, doesn’t it? So, when we were thinking about our next competition here at Take 5, we decided in the spirit of 12 days of Christmas giving, we’d offer $12,000 in cash prizes, and 12 readers would each…

Add a few drops of olive oil to the water when you’re cooking pasta. It will stop it from boiling over. If your pot plants are growing mushrooms, because of overwatering, put cinnamon on top of them. I arrange everything hanging in my wardrobe by colour. It makes it so easy to find what I want, and it looks pretty, too! Save money by occasionally using white vinegar instead of fabric softener in your washing. It works just as well. If the toilet floor is smelly, put shaving cream on it then wipe it up after an hour. This trick was a lifesaver when my grandkids were toilet training! We foster dogs. To stop them chewing our wooden furniture, we spray it with a mixture of water, white vinegar and…

With Christmas just around the corner, you might think you’ve missed the boat on booking a holiday. Not true! You just have to know where – and how – to look. So, how do you get a great last-minute holiday bargain? Read on… GET CONNECTED “New deals are frequently added online, but the easiest way to be among the first to discover them is to sign up to newsletters and get involved with travel brands on social media,” says travel expert Kirsty Harrison. Some airlines allow their followers to access sale fares 24 hours before they’re available on the website. CONSIDER A CAPITAL CITY With everyone heading to the beach, city living can be just the ticket! “Hotels tend to have lower occupancy rates due to business travellers not being in town,…

Kindness of strangers I recently had an enormous huntsman spider run across the dashboard inside my car. I’m terrified of spiders and still can’t believe I was able to pull over without crashing. I jumped out, hyperventilating, and couldn’t bring myself to reach into my handbag, which was on the front passenger floor, to get my phone, just in case the spider had crawled inside. I was in tears when a lovely lady named Lidia pulled over and asked if I was okay. She bravely retrieved my phone so I could call my husband and then waited with me until he arrived. Lidia didn’t make me feel silly for panicking and showed so much kindness. I’ll be forever grateful. Krisanthi Gianfala, Walkerston, Qld. We pay $100 for each letter printed…

Sophie Hucker, 39, Tauranga, NZ. Pulling into my driveway after a long day at work, I couldn’t wait to get my comfies on and chill. It’s been a long day, I thought. But my dreams of a relaxing evening were scuppered when I suddenly noticed a twometre high metal pole sticking out of the ground by the side of my home. “What the hell is that?” I said out loud. I parked, got out of my car and went over to inspect it, figuring I could just move it out of the way. It seemed like a lot of effort for a prank But when I grabbed hold of it and tried to pull it up, I realised it was cemented into the ground. Is this some sort of joke?…

It’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but in reality, Christmas can actually be quite stressful. As the countdown to the big day commences, exhaustion sets in, spare time becomes scarce, and everyone’s to-do list seems to grow bigger by the day. But there are some simple ways to de-stress at Christmas, and they include taking some tips from the jolliest man of them all – Santa. Yep, laughter really is the best medicine. Ho, ho, ho! HAVE FUNNY FRIENDS Hanging out with people who make you laugh is a good way to giggle more says Sydney University psychology professor Lee-Fay Low. “There are lots of people who are humorous. You can be that way, too, if you seek them out and have a laugh with…

DEC 7–13 SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 – Dec 22 There’s no mission you can’t accomplish if it is your will to accomplish it. With active Mars in your sign, you’ll be a powerhouse regarding your personal goals. So, what are you waiting for? Jot down a list, make a plan and get to work. ★ There’s nothing you can’t achieve now. PISCES Feb 20 –Mar 20 The end of the year draws ever closer. For many, the wind down to the holidays begins. For you, you’re just getting started. This is an opportune time to visualise where you’d like to be professionally ★ Really apply yourself. GEMINI May 22 – June 21 The focus may well be firmly placed on the key relationships in your life. As your curiosity piques…

Paul Barker, 54, Launceston, Tas. My Monday meeting was about to start when my phone rang. It was August 2009, and I was working at my office in Launceston. It was my pop, Lew, 87, so I quickly answered. “Shane’s dead,” he said, voice shaking. I froze with shock. Since leaving our hometown, I hadn’t seen my brother, Shane, 36, often but we’d always been close. Two years earlier though, he’d separated from his wife of five years, Rachel, and I wondered if that and time away from his daughter, Sophie, five, had taken too great a toll. “Did he harm himself?” I asked Pop. “No, it looks to be a heart attack,” he replied. My mind reeled. Shane was in good shape and loved the great outdoors, even securing…

Adeline, Sydney, NSW. Stepping into the enormous warehouse in Chullora, NSW, I was astonished. Hundreds of volunteers were wrapping presents or filling hampers. “Its like Santa’s workshop!” I marvelled. It was December 2018, and I had discovered the Sydney Basket Brigade. The charity packed hampers and gift boxes with basic pantry items as well as Christmas treats that are delivered to locals in need. Help us change lives one basket at a time, their website read. It was important to me that my two boys, Kallum, 10, and Brayden, nine, learnt to be kind to others, so I immediately registered myself, my husband, Tony, and the boys for the packing day. We arrived dressed in Christmas colours, but it was clear my sons hadn’t yet caught the spirit. “How long…

Georgia Barber, 27. Peeping around the door, I felt a warm glow of happiness. There was my son Bobby, snuggled up to our golden-doodle dog, Pepper, with his favourite toy digger in his hand. Pepper had a paw around him, as though she was cuddling him right back. From the moment Bobby was born, in December 2019, they had been inseparable. I was a single mum and Bobby was my only child, so we three were a team. My parents, Pete, 58, and Lynn, 57, idolised him, too, but Bobby and Pepper had an extra special bond. Every morning, Pepper would stick her nose through the cot bars to wake him up and “Pepper” was Bobby’s very first word. When he started walking, he raced around the garden with her.…

Toni Wolfe, 71, Melbourne, Vic. I squatted down and wrapped my hands around the 145kg barbell before lifting it as I stood up. “Crikey,” I heard a young man in the gym say. “She’s stronger than me.” I placed the bar down and chuckled. It wasn’t the first time I’d shocked others with my strength. At 69, a great-grandma of one and grandmother of eight, I wasn’t your average powerlifter. My weightlifting journey had started in 1980, aged 30. I was in the gym looking lost when a man walked over and asked if he could train me. “I’m a bodybuilding coach,” he said, “and you have the right physique.” I burst out laughing. “I’m a mum-of-four,” I replied, “who has never lifted a weight in her life.” “That doesn’t…

Simone Holsbeek, 49. Walking along the cobbled streets, I stopped in my tracks. “What about that one?” I said, pointing at a restaurant on the cliffs overlooking the beach. I could just imagine listening to the gentle lapping waves, as we watched the sun go down, sipping champagne. My husband, Alwin, 45, and I were in France on a campervan holiday. Avid surfers, we planned to drive along the west coast catching waves. We’d had our 16th wedding anniversary a few weeks before, in early July 2023, but had decided to wait to celebrate it when we got to France. And now we’d found the perfect place to do it. It was a Friday, so we booked the restaurant for the coming Wednesday. The following day, I woke up and…