Innehållsförteckning för TAK2408 från Take 5

How we do our grocery shopping is a divisive topic among my group of friends! There are the ones who do it online for ease as they’re still working from home, those who do one big shop that lasts a week or two, then others, like me, who love a list and take a paper and pen to cross everything off, never deviating from the precious list. “I never do that!” another friend declared. “I go to the supermarket every day depending on what I want for dinner.” One thing we can agree on, is that the price of food has gone up and we’re all being a bit more careful. So, here at Take 5, we thought our readers are probably feeling the same and we came up with…

My childhood was stolen but I’m determined to make a difference Cleonie Quayle, 62, Merrylands, NSW. The policeman gripped my arm. “You’re coming with me,” he said gruffly and yanked me away from the camp fire. “No!” I screamed and started crying. I looked over at my brothers, Kenny, 16, Trevor, 12, and Cliff, eight, who were all crying, too. Then the policeman locked us up in a prison cell for the night. It was 1965, and I was only four years old. My parents, Norma and Keith, had brought us down from Ivanhoe to Balranald, NSW, for a family event. We’d been sitting around the camp fire when the policeman arrived. The next day, my brothers and I were sent to Sydney. I went to the Bidura Children’s Home…

TOP TIP Make hummus with a can of drained pureed chickpeas, tahini, crushed garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and salt. TOP TIP Use the juice from the lemon in step 2 for the pesto. If preferred, use parsley or a combination of herbs and another nut, such as peanuts or almonds for the pesto. TOP TIP Place bread below pumpkin in cooler part of oven to prevent burning. TOP TIP Allow meat to reach room temperature before cooking. This helps ensure it cooks through evenly. PICTURES: RODNEY MACUJA/AREMEDIASYNDICATION.COM.AU STYLING: KATE BROWN FOOD PREPARATION: SARAH MURPHY.…

I had 12 failed rounds of IVF and years of heartache. Then a miracle happened Lorena Otes, 50, Sydney, NSW. Tears were streaming down my face, I’d been laughing that hard. I was having a blast catching up with the girls at our local. That was, until one of the girls at the table announced who her boyfriend was – turned out it was the same guy I’d been seeing on and off for a couple of years. I’d been hoping he’d settle down with me. Of course this is happening! I thought. While all my friends were getting married and having babies, every guy I dated was a dud, not in it for the long haul. Now, I was single again and 38. Later, I told the whole story…

I’d been through hell but this gentle stranger gave me my confidence back Yasminia Hughes, 52, Brisbane, Qld. My daughter Amanda, 35, brought two cups of coffee over and sat next to me at the table. “Thanks, love,” I mumbled. “Something on your mind, Mum?” she asked. “I’ve been single for 13 years today,” I said, reflecting. Amanda reached for my hand and squeezed it. “I’m so proud of you for having the courage to leave Dad,” she said. It had been a miserable marriage, where I’d been subject to brutal beatings and raped by my husband. Finally, after 33 years, enough was enough and I went to the police. He was sentenced to 17 years in jail, but ever since, my self-esteem had been in tatters. I’d been terrified…

Docs said our girl wouldn’t live but she’s a fighter... Chelsea Milby, 33. I clutched my husband, Blake’s, hand. “Will it be a boy or girl?” I said. I was 17 weeks’ pregnant with our third child. We already had Marley, eight, and Nova, one, and now we were at hospital having a scan. “It’s a girl,” the doctor said and Blake and I grinned at each other excitedly. But as I lay on the bed, it was clear something was wrong. The sonographer called a doctor in and together they looked at the screen. “What’s going on?” I asked them. “There’s fluid around your baby’s heart,” one of them said. “What does that mean?” I asked. “Will she be okay?” “We aren’t sure,” the doctor admitted. “But we’ll keep…

Just after my wedding, I received a devastating blow… Stephanie Alexander, 30, Brisbane, Qld. Putting on my wedding dress, my hand flew to my mouth. Not again, I groaned inwardly as I ran to the bathroom. It was June 2019, the morning of my big day, and I’d already thrown up multiple times. Earlier that week, my GP had diagnosed me with bronchitis, and the nausea was from the antibiotics he’d prescribed. At least they’ll stop me wheezing through the ceremony, I thought. I plastered on a smile and soldiered through the day. “Sorry, I’m not at my best,” I said to my new husband, Sebastian, after our vows. “I’m just happy we’re married,” he assured me. Our wedding took place overlooking the gorgeous greens at Victoria Park Golf Club…

Dear Take 5ers, My fiancé, Jackson, and I have been saving for the past 18 months for the wedding of our dreams. With just under a month until the big day, we’ve now paid the outstanding amount to the venue hosting the reception and are counting on those who’ve said they are attending to come. Over the past couple of weeks, some guests who RSVPed months ago and were travelling interstate to attend told us they couldn’t come because it was too expensive. Given that numbers are now locked in, I’m worried about further last-minute cancellations. I know people are feeling the pinch, but it’s unfair that Jackson and I get saddled with extra costs. I read something online last year about an Aussie bride’s plan to charge her guests…

Our shoppers don’t pay a cent Yas Matbouly, 48, Gold Coast, Qld. Grinning, I popped a handwritten sign on the shelf. The cheery message simply read: On special… Everything! This will give our shoppers a smile, I thought happily. It all started with COVID, when some friends from university and I set up a charity to help deliver food and medicine to people stuck at home. Feeding Our People launched with two of us driving our own cars and covering the Gold Coast. In just two years, it had become an 800-person volunteer operation delivering to Brisbane, Logan, and the Goldie. When the floods hit Northern New South Wales in February 2022, we made deliveries there, too. It had been amazing watching it evolve, and my wife Lauren and teenage…

PISCES Feb 20–Mar 20 You have had a pretty full-on start to the year and the energies aren’t abating yet. But with all the pressure on you, you need to pace yourself. That way you can survive and thrive rather than burning yourself out. B-r-e-a-t-h-e! ★Take some time out this week if you can. GEMINI May 22–June 21 Many Geminis are born curious, so indulge your mind this week. Talk to people who stretch you mentally, and see how smart you actually are. Then make the decisions Smartest You would make. ★ It’s time to see the bigger picture. VIRGO Aug 24–Sept 23 There are multiple planets lined up in the part of your horoscope that’s all about your daily life and health. So do think about what in…

My swollen tummy was the sign of something much more sinister Alexandra Jansen, 30, Avalon Beach, NSW. I clutched my left hip and let out a yelp. “Are you okay?” my boyfriend, Ryan, asked. “No,” I whimpered and lay down on the couch. “I’ve been feeling bloated the last week or two and now I’ve just had a sharp, shooting pain.” “You should get that checked,” he said, his brow furrowed with concern. It was a Saturday so I made an online appointment to see a GP on the Monday. By then, the pain had subsided but the bloating had become worse. The GP thought it was an STD and ran a urine test which came back negative. Then she suggested it was period pains. I’m a nurse and knew…

My husband was harbouring a dark secret… Kerrylyn John, 45. Ladling the soup into the bowl, I passed it to the man next to me. “How many more to go?” he asked. “Just a couple,” I smiled. I was volunteering at a homeless shelter and had met Ronan, another volunteer, there. As well as being tall, dark and handsome, he was fascinating. He told me he’d been adopted and spent his early years in Ireland, before moving to the UK where he’d joined the RAF as a combat medic. “I’ve seen some terrible things,” he told me. “I watched my friend be blown to pieces.” He suffered with PTSD as a result, but it didn’t put me off. I still fell for the dashing war hero. But as a mum…