Innehållsförteckning för TAK2403 från Take 5

I’ve been very lucky to do some exciting things over the years in my job as a journalist. At the local newspaper where I worked, I got to walk over hot coals, and train with the armed police. Getting a job on a magazine was a dream come true. I was privileged to go to Africa with Save the Children, and report from Afghanistan. A mum who’d been banned from talking to the media after she’d killed her adult son because he’d been brain damaged, pretended I was a relative and added me to her visitor’s list so I could sneakily interview her in prison and get her side of the story. Another highlight I added to the list recently was when the winner of the 2023 Magazine Millionaire competition…

Staring at my beautiful new bub, Patrick, I tried to see if he had any of my features. “He looks like your mum,” I said to my hubby, Bruce. “His squarish face and darker skin tone…” “Oh yes, I can see it now,” he said, smiling. Finding familial features was an obsession of mine. I was adopted and despite my parents giving me the world, I’d always felt like I didn’t fit in. While I had dark hair and brown eyes like my adoptive mum and dad, my personality was so different to theirs. All I knew about my birth mum was that she was young when she’d given me up for adoption. When Patrick was 14 months old, I suffered a devastating premature labour of twins and they didn’t…

I weaved my way through the crowds heading for the stage door. Standing on my tiptoes, I just about got a glimpse of the jet-black quiff, and my heart skipped a beat. After leaving my native Germany to backpack around the UK, I’d been desperate to see the rock singer Shakin’ Stevens live in concert. “Is he there? Has he come out yet?” came a voice next to me. I turned to see a young bloke, jostling in the throng, and I flashed him a smile. “Yep, he’s right there,” I grinned and pointed towards the heartthrob on the stage. The fellow fan introduced himself as Shawn and we got chatting. It turned out he and I had a lot in common so we swapped details. “Keep in touch,” he…

CAPRICORN Dec 23 –Jan 20 If you’re ready to commit to something, there is no stopping you. For the most part, you’re finally free of some steep learning curves. The question now begs, what will you do with all these learned lessons? The best is yet to come. ★It’s time to see what you’re really made of. ARIES Mar 21 –Apr 20 Whatever your professional aspirations are, this week may inspire you to make a move. Or it may be your overall life direction you’re thinking about. Cut ties with the past and try a new direction. ★ Choices made now may lead to your best year yet. CANCER June 22 – July 23 You should be feeling really loved up now, as the New Moon reenergises your Relationship…

My partner, Ty and I squinted as we drove along in our LandCruiser. It was dusk, 2016, and we were off on a road trip after losing our beloved dog, Balu, who was tragically poisoned by a pest bait. We thought a getaway would help heal our grief. “The sun’s glare is so strong,” Ty said, slowing down the car. Then, suddenly… bang! “Did we hit a kangaroo?” I panicked. Ty jumped out to investigate and returned with a tiny pink, furless joey, small enough to fit in my palm. “The mum didn’t make it,” he said softly. I’d always adored animals. I became an RSPCA volunteer in my teens before studying marine biology and going on to work on conservation projects all over Australia. Now, while I knew this…

I carefully cut out the competition token from the latest Take 5 magazine. “Why do you bother doing that every week, love?” my husband, Bruce, 62, chuckled. “I probably won’t win, but I want to try,” I shrugged. Almost 30 years earlier, in 1994, I started doing puzzles in that’s life! magazine with my dad. When he sadly passed in 2005, I carried on the tradition alone. I haven’t missed an issue since. During the pandemic, I needed even more puzzles to keep me entertained, so I picked up a copy of Take 5 and became a fan of that, too. I entered the competitions in the hope that one day I might win something. So, in 2023, I collected tokens for the Magazine Millionaire competition, which would give the…

Tilting my head up, I gazed at the perfectly blue sky. “I can’t see a single cloud,” I smiled. “The weather couldn’t be better,” my boyfriend Liam agreed wholeheartedly. We’d just started on a nature trail with my mum, Nadia, and brother, Harry. It was set to be an easy stroll compared to Liam and my previous treks, which included a rocky 1000m high mountain. For seven years, Liam and I had shared a passion for the great outdoors and had made plans to see the world side by side. As we strolled through the serene forest, we reached the first of four spectacular waterfalls. We stayed a while to admire this one’s beauty before continuing on with our walk. Liam walked on ahead while I chatted to Mum. Suddenly,…

Driving my ute, I saw a kid playing in a very overgrown yard. I stopped and wound down my window. A young mum and dad were sitting on a small concrete porch behind the garden. “Would you like me to mow your lawn, free of charge?” I asked them. “That would be great, mate,” the bloke said, standing up. “We don’t have any gardening equipment.” It was late November 2022, and I’d been running my own gardening business for around a month. I had some time before my next appointment so I took my mower off the trailer and tidied their yard for them. I heard the fear in her voice “This is so kind of you,” the mum said afterwards. Two days later, my phone rang. “If I don’t…

I watched my husband, Jeff*, spar in the gym with our friend Leigh. “Do you two ever stop?” I teased, handing them each a towel. “He’s getting really strong,” Jeff said, patting Leigh on the back. We’d been good friends with him since he joined our boxing gym six months earlier. “We’re family here, which means we look out for each other,” I’d told Leigh. He and Jeff now trained together every day, and Leigh would often come to ours for dinner. Jeff, an expert in mixed martial arts, helped him prepare for his first fight. And we were so proud when he won. One day, Leigh stopped coming to training and we had no idea why. “I hope he’s okay,” I said to Jeff. “He’ll fall on his feet,”…

Sitting across from the doctor, I was relieved. I’d been experiencing dizzy spells, exhaustion and terrible moods. Aged 40, I had three kids under 10, and I wanted to be the best mum to them, and wife to my husband, Clive. After lots of back and forth with doctors looking for an answer, one had recommended a glucose tolerance test. And now, the results were surprising. I wasn’t overweight, but I was hypoglycaemic and pre-diabetic. The doctor asked me to list the foods I ate over a day. “Some days I’ll demolish half a Sara Lee cheesecake for breakfast and a packet of biscuits in the afternoon,” I confessed. “Chocolate is my weakness. I can eat an entire block before coming to my senses.” Saying it out loud, a terrible…

TIP You can make the pesto aday ahead and store, covered, in the fridge. TIP If you like, use white or tri-coloured quinoa instead of red quinoa. Wash seeds before cooking as they have abitter coating of saponins. Rinse under running water until the water runs clear. TIP Use red or tri-colour quinoa instead of white quinoa, if you like. TIP Use 1 tsp ground turmeric if you can’t get fresh turmeric. Be careful: fresh turmeric can stain skin, clothes, benchtops and plastic cooking equipment and utensils. PHOTOGRAPHY: JAMES MOFFATT. STYLING: KATE BROWN. FOOD PREPARATION: KATHY KNUDSEN.…

Dear Take 5ers, I’ve been running my cafe for nearly 20 years and have always gotten on well with my employees. Recently, however, I’ve had trouble with my young staff. One girl sent me a text saying that doing weekend shifts was affecting her mental health. Another burst into tears when I asked her to pick up the pace. Incidents like these are getting more common and I feel like I’m walking on eggshells in my own business. What should I do? Belle*, 61 I think it's fine to ask staff to move a little faster. In my experience I've found with the young ones you have to push them to move faster/do things correctly. I'm thinking you would be better off with more mature staff. Catherine Brauer Are YOU…