Innehållsförteckning för TAK2421 från Take 5

Did you know that every day, across Australia 2.65 million unpaid carers provide care and support to loved ones? Seventy per cent of these carers are women. Thousands of them are Take 5 readers. There’s Tracey, who cares for her mum and her husband. Jill who cares for her dad with dementia. And Carol who cares for her three children with disabilities. They’re in constant financial anxiety. Driving to appointments, the cost of petrol alone is crippling. There are no sick days, no annual leave, no enforced break times. Not to mention the $175,000 they could lose in superannuation by 67. These hero unpaid carers do it out of love. But at what price? It may be the difference between having food on the table in retirement. Here at Are…

They said he was ugly, but I saw something special Tiffany Williams, 49, Bilpin, NSW. Browsing the classifieds over a cuppa, an ad caught my eye. An 18-month-old Clydesdale cross was for sale for $600. He’s a bargain, I thought. It was February 2001 and I’d been accepted into the NSW Mounted Police. I didn’t need another horse, but the breed was my favourite. “Let’s check him out,” I told my fiancé Col, 36. We drove three hours from Valla, NSW, where we’d been staying with my mum, Ann, to the seller’s farm. The area had clearly been hit hard by drought. A bloke named Gary fetched Bundy, the horse he was selling. He had a face only a mother could love “We’ll take him,” I said after checking him…

Our son Kale has had the benefit of being loved by two families Tanya Files, 62, Heidelberg, Vic The doctor sat across from me with a grave look on his face. “I’m afraid Kale will never learn to drive,” he said. “Or get a job.” I sighed. “It’s always just bad news, isn’t it?” I said. My son Kale was 10 and had global developmental delay. Ever since he was tiny, we knew something was different about him. He’d been slower to walk and talk than his peers. It wasn’t until we took him for genetic testing when he was six that we found out he had something called 6q deletion (26), a chromosome deletion syndrome that would cause significant intellectual disability. Back home, I talked to my husband, Mark,…

Surgery made me taller – and I grew with every challenge that followed Kristen DeAndrade, 38. As I climbed up into my chair in the classroom, two boys sniggered. “Midget,” one whispered. Even at six, I knew I was different. I’d been born with the most common form of dwarfism, achondroplasia, preventing bone growth in the arms and legs. Thankfully, the cruel comments stopped when the teacher intervened. Outside school, however, people stared. It upset my mum, Lynn, 44. “I’m fine,” I lied, so she wouldn’t worry. Mum, my dad Joe, 39, and brother Derek, three, hadn’t been diagnosed with achondroplasia. The reason I had it was just a fluke of genetic mutations. At home, Mum collected cuttings on limb-lengthening surgery. When I was eight, I read how my bones…

Carrot & coconut cupcakes MAKES 12 PREP 20 MINS COOK 20 MINS + COOLING 340g packet butter cake mix 2 eggs, at room temperature 60g margarine ¾ cup milk 2 carrots, finely grated ½ cup sultanas, finely chopped ½ cup moist coconut flakes, plus ¼ cup extra, to serve 1 tsp orange zest COCONUTICING 100g cream cheese, at room temperature 2 cups icing sugar 1 tsp coconut essence 1 Preheat oven to 180ºC/160ºC fan-forced. Line a 12-hole (1/3-cup) muffin tray with paper cases. Prepare butter cake mix, using eggs, margarine and milk, following packet instructions. Add the carrot, sultanas, coconut and zest; mix well. 2 Spoon into prepared holes; level surfaces. Bake for 20 mins or until a skewer inserted at the centre comes out clean. Stand in tray…

We feel so clucky to have the wedding we did Thanh Huynh, 29, Fairfield, NSW. Walking into the study lounge, I spotted a student that I hadn’t seen before. “Hi, are you Brian?” I asked. “I’ve heard so much about you.” “You must be Thanh,” he said shyly. Brian and I were both studying dentistry at Griffith University on the Gold Coast. We hit it off instantly and became best friends. Brian was more studious than me and suggested we meet up every Tuesday in the library to study. Afterwards, we usually went to KFC together, which was Brian’s favourite. “I’ll have a box of the Hot & Spicy,” he said to the lady behind the counter. “Make that two please,” I said. As the years passed, our relationship deepened…

An encounter at an airport helped me find my soulmate… Megan Etheridge, 49, Sheidow Park, SA. I picked up a set of car keys from a drawer in the office and headed to the car park. “I’ll check the cars,” I yelled to my colleague on my way out. It was November 2018, and I worked for a car rental company at Alice Springs Airport. My husband, Paul, and I had moved to Alice Springs from Adelaide that March with our daughter Gabi, 13, for Paul’s work. We had been married for 16 years but together for 25. I’d met him when I was 20 at a previous workplace. We’d had a lot of ups and downs, but as a Christian, I believed in making a marriage work. As I…

I was desperate to find out why I was adopted, but the truth was shocking Teresa Weiler, 64. As I cradled my gorgeous nephew for the first time, he gazed up at me and I felt a surge of love. “He’s beautiful,” I said to my sister Fran. “Who does he look like?” our mum asked. Soon the room was full of chatter about first words and steps. I felt a swell of sadnesss because no-one knew those things about me. I’d always known that I was adopted. In 1961 my amazing parents Terence and Truda saw an advertisement in the paper for a two-year-old girl who needed a family. From the second I came home to my older brothers, Martin, six, and Michael, four, I was surrounded by love.…

My seven-year-old has a six pack! Angel Heiman, 40. As I adjusted my two-year-old daughter’s sparkly tiara atop her meticulously coiffed red hair, I overheard a desperate-sounding mum. “Go on stage and you’ll get as much candy as you want,” she begged her child. Everyone around me was bribing their kids. Not my Kynlee. She was itching to wow the judges at her first ever pageant. Moments later, she strutted on stage, a whirl of ruffles, diamantés and fake tan. My husband, Nick, and I had driven Kynlee and our three sons, Cameron, 16, Koston, six, and Cohen, five, five hours to get here. I’d also spent a fortune on the entry fee and her dress. As Kynlee flashed her winning smile, twirled and spoke with confidence, my eyes filled…

Bacon & leek frittata SERVES 4 PREP 10 MINS COOK 20 MINS 1 tbsp olive oil 6 rashers rindless bacon, diced 1 large leek, finely sliced 6 eggs ½ cup finely grated parmesan 1 tbsp chopped thyme leaves Roasted cherry tomatoes (see Tip), rocket leaves, chutney, to serve 1 Preheat an oven grill on medium. 2 In a 28cm ovenproof frying pan, heat oil on high. Cook bacon and leek, stirring, 4-5 mins until bacon is golden and crisp and leek is tender. 3 In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, cheese and thyme. Season to taste. Carefully pour egg mixture over leek and bacon. Cook on medium, 8-10 mins, until frittata is beginning to set around the edges. 4 Place frying pan under grill. Cook 4-5 mins until frittata…

EDITORIAL Editorial Director Kate Kirsten, Editor Rachel Williams, Deputy Editor Kim Bonett, Art Director Fiona Parsons, Picture Editor Vanessa Mckenzie, Lifestyle Director Claire Isaac ARE MEDIA Chief Executive Officer Jane Huxley, Director of Sales Andrew Cook, Director of Content Sally Eagle, General Manager Entertainment Susan Armstrong, Commercial Brand Manager Jessica Ashworth, Head of Consumer Marketing Louise Cankett Subscription enquiries: Customer Service 136 116 (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm AEST) International +61 2 9692 3535 Email magshop@magshop.com.au Website www.magshop.com.au Advertising enquiries: advertising@aremedia.com.au Affiliate enquiries: affilliate@aremedia.com.au Published by Are Media Pty Limited (ABN 18 053 273 546), 54-58 Park Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. ©2024. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without prior written permission. Take5 is a registered trade mark of Are Media. Use of trademark…

I won the lottery and dated a toyboy, then my luck changed in the cruellest way Sheree Wells, 43. I stared open-mouthed at my boyfriend. “Are you sure?” I asked him. “Yep,” he laughed. “I can’t believe it!” I cried, dizzy with delight. My boyfriend and I alternated every week to buy a lottery ticket and had hit the jackpot. We had just won nearly $2 million! It was the stuff of dreams! But our elation soon turned to misery. As he’d bought the ticket the week that we’d won, the money started to come between us and we argued, saying nasty things. That wasn’t how it was supposed to be, and it made me reconsider our relationship. Less than a year after our win, we split up. I accepted…

For a cheap and yummy snack, drain a tin of chickpeas, mix them with chilli oil and herbs then put them in the air fryer for 20 minutes, tossing them a few times throughout. Kath Ivanov, Penrith, NSW. Whenever I’m cooking rice, I make double the amount and put it in the fridge to use with dinner the next night. Sandy Prasad, Caboolture, Qld. Leaving orange peels lying around will help keep ants at bay. Connie Li, South Auckland, NZ. If you’re having an open house, boil water on the stove with lemon slices and some cloves. Your home will smell lovely! Renee Boyle, Croydon, Vic. I used a hot glue gun to block up the holes in my grandson’s bath toys, to stop them going mouldy. Tanya Wallace,…

Individual sausage pasta bakes SERVES 4 PREP 20 MINS COOK 30 MINS 1 cup macaroni 1 tbsp olive oil 500g pork sausages 420g can cream of mushroom soup 1 cup creamy evaporated milk ½ bunch English spinach, washed and trimmed 1½ cups shredded 4-cheese mix 2 green onions, finely sliced 2⁄3 cup fresh breadcrumbs 1 Preheat oven to 180°C. Put 4 x 1¼-cup ramekins on oven tray. 2 In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook macaroni following packet directions. 3 In a frying pan, heat oil on medium. Cook sausages 6-8 mins, turning until browned. Remove from pan. Roughly chop. 4 In a large bowl, combine drained pasta, sausages, soup, milk, spinach, half the cheese and onions. Mix well. Divide between dishes. 5 Sprinkle over combined remaining…

GEMINI May 22–June 21 Are you ready for change in one way or another? Soon, dear Gemini, you’ll be able to get back to being your jovial and curious self. For now, you really do need to stop and recharge your batteries. ★The sooner you fall behind, the longer you’ll have to catch up! VIRGO Aug 24–Sept 23 Deliberating on decisions can be wise. But doing so for too long can prompt you to talk yourself out of making a decision at all. You may have to just strike while the iron is hot in terms of your finances.  ★ Don’t overanalyse at the cost of taking action. SAGITTARIUS Nov 23– Dec 22 There’s no time like the present to decide to have some fun. Choose to enjoy yourself…