Innehållsförteckning för TAK2522 från Take 5

There are some things in life that might seem small, but can cause monumental frustration, aren’t there? One is plastic packaging that requires power tools to open! Like when you’ve bought a pair of scissors and it comes sealed in a plastic clamshell so tough it could deflect bullets. You try opening it with your hands first and inevitably break a freshly painted nail, so you grab a sharp knife, risking injury or death. If only you had the scissors… that are inside the package! Another one of mine has to be potholes. Craters so deep they should have their own wi-fi. Next minute, you’ve wrecked your hubcap and now have to add getting that replaced to your never-ending to-do list. Well, James on page 72 this week had a…

We love our life on the road Ash McCarthy, 34, all around Australia! Iyanked my fishing rod as hard as I could, but it was no use, it was stuck in the tree. “Do you need a hand?” my friend Tom, 19, chuckled. “If you don’t mind,” I said, blushing. Tom and I had known each other for over a decade. Our families were friends and we often went on camping trips together. This one, in 2012, was the first since I returned to Australia after living in Canada for two years. Seeing Tom after so long, I’d been surprised by how grown up he’d become and I started seeing him in a different light. We were inseparable for the whole trip and continued texting each other after. Before long,…

Pumpkin & prosciutto pizzas SERVES 4 PREP 10 MINS COOK 30 MINS 500g pumpkin, thinly sliced 200g kale, leaves picked 2 x 25cm garlic & herb pizza bases 100g prosciutto 150g feta 1 Place pumpkin on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 2 Cook in a 200°C preheated oven for 15 mins until just tender. 3 Meanwhile, place kale and ½ cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on High for 1 min. Drain kale, cool slightly. Squeeze out excess moisture, then roughly chop. 4 Place pizza bases on two large oven trays. Arrange roasted pumpkin on bases. Top with half the feta. 5 Cook in same oven for 6-7 mins. Remove from oven. Top with kale.…

Corinna Smith and her husband Michael Baines, 81, had been married for 38 years. Michael was quite frail and dutiful wife Corinna, 59, was his carer. However, on July 14, 2020, Michael’s wellbeing was the last thing on Corinna’s mind. Because earlier a family member had told her a devastating rumour that Michael had sexually abused Corinna’s son, Craig, who’d taken his life 13 years earlier. Unwilling to wait to verify the rumour, Corinna wanted vengeance. Seething with rage, she filled a bucket with boiling water. In her kitchen cupboards, she found three bags of sugar which she tipped into the bucket to create a red-hot sticky substance. Next, she carefully carried it upstairs to the bedroom she shared with Michael. Around midnight, as her husband lay fast asleep, Corinna…

GEMINI May 22 - June 21 Expect to feel refreshed and able to talk issues through as the May New Moon takes place in Gemini. Certain friendships could come up for review. What you need now more than ever are friends on the same page as you. ★ Life is about to change for you in exciting ways. CANCER June 22 – July 23 You might enjoy a slower pace this week as you figure out what you’re willing to be responsible for and what you are not. Meditation or contemplation will provide the answers you need. ★ A cycle of blossoming is just around the corner. LEO July 24 – Aug 23 This week could end up being extra social thanks to the May New Moon in your Friends…

We decided to tie the knot while there was still time Katrina Fowler, 56, Penrith, NSW. Opening my laptop, I logged into the dating site, Oasis. It was March 2013, and I’d been single since ending my marriage of 18 years in 2010. After three months on the site, it was time to be blunt about my expectations. I’m after a serious relationship, I wrote on my profile. No one-night stands. Soon after, I received a message from a man named Warren. I’m after the same thing, he wrote. Looking at his picture, I was thrown off by his eyebrow piercing and tattoos, but he had kind eyes, so I decided to chat with him. I shared that I was a mum, but that my two eldest girls had left…

I have no memory or control over my sexual antics at night Lauren Spencer, 51. Waking up in bed, I turned to find my husband with a big grin on his face. “Crikey, that was unlike you last night!” Charlie said. “How do you mean?” I responded, confused. When Charlie said I’d started grinding on him in the middle of the night and we’d then had sex, I was stunned. “No we didn’t!” I replied. But he was adamant it’d happened. “Well it can’t have been that good, babe, because I don’t even remember it,” I said, laughing. A few months later, Charlie told me the same thing happened again. I was sure he was winding me up. “You looked awake, but I think you were asleep,” he explained. It…

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Spiced apple syrup cake SERVES 8 PREP 25 MINS COOK 50 MINS 70g butter, plus extra 125g, softened 2 tsp plain flour ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 tsp mixed spice 2 red-skinned apples, unpeeled, cored, cut into 3mm-thick rings ¾ cup caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla essence 2 eggs, at room temperature 2 cups self-raising flour ½ cup milk Vanilla custard, to serve 1 Grease a 20cm round cake pan. Line base and side with baking paper, extending paper 2cm above edge. 2 Melt butter in a medium saucepan over a low heat. Stir in plain flour, brown sugar and mixed spice. Cook, stirring for 3 mins or until sugar is dissolved. Pour half the syrup into prepared pan, tilting to cover base. Reserve remaining syrup for serving.…

If there’s a place made to drive off into the sunset, it’s California. Starry-eyed adventurers have flocked here ever since the 19th-century gold rush, all searching for their own piece of paradise. Even today, the very words ‘California road trip’ evoke freedom – the kind of freedom that wears movie-star sunglasses and drives a convertible. The classic route is Highway 1, which hugs California’s west coast for 1056km. Also known as the Pacific Coast Highway, it shows off the state’s most famous sights – the Golden Gate Bridge, the Hollywood sign and the surf spots immortalised in Beach Boys songs. You’ll also encounter Cali’s natural beauty, from the silence of redwood forests to the deafening honks of sea lions. EAT What do you get when you combine local seafood with…

EDITORIAL Editorial Director Kate Kirsten, Editor Rachel Williams, Deputy Editor Kim Bonett, Art Director Fiona Parsons, Picture Editor Vanessa Mckenzie ARE MEDIA Chief Executive Officer Jane Huxley, Director of Sales Anna Quinn, Director of Content Sally Eagle, General Manager Entertainment Susan Armstrong, Commercial Brand Manager Jessica Ashworth, Director of Marketing Carly Bowra 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 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 strictly prohibited. Licensing Inquiries: www.contentshop.com.au / syndication@aremedia.com.au Printed…

My ex flew 6500km to taunt me… Harry Nally, 24. Opening my friend Edward’s message on Discord, I giggled at his unusual joke. You have such a strange sense of humour, I told him. I know, I AM weird, Edward replied. Discord was an online chat platform aimed at gamers, so most users, including myself, could be described as quirky. I was drawn to people who were different, which is why Edward appealed to me. It was 2018, and we had started talking online after a mutual friend introduced us. Though we had never met in person – as Edward lived 6500km away – I enjoyed our virtual encounters. As we continued to talk, I found myself developing feelings for him, even without knowing what he looked like. I had…

As the price of living continues to take an almighty bite out of our incomes, it’s not just little luxuries that people are doing without. Research shows that an increasing number of Aussies are skipping their regular dental check-ups, and more than half haven’t been to the dentist in more than a year. “Dentists are seen or perceived to be expensive by the public and people have limited access to affordable dental care and limited government funding,” explains Dr May Chan, dentist and cofounder of Dental Boutique. “This results in people avoiding or delaying dental care.” PROTECT YOUR PEARLY WHITES ● Brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes. ● Floss regularly. ● Visit the dentist for a check-up and clean every six-12 months. ● Maintain a balanced diet…

Doctors said it wouldn’t happen to both of us Jade Sturgeon, 26, Jervis Bay, NSW. My sister and I shivered as we trudged up from the beach. “Let’s jump in the creek,” Skye, seven, said. It was 2004, and as kids we’d often explore the Aboriginal village of Wreck Bay, NSW. We’d dip in the warm water at Mary’s Creek and play with the weird white foam as though it was bath bubbles. Skye was only 15 months older than me so we were inseparable. “Let’s pick berries,” I called later, running to the nearby blackberry bushes. We split our time between our dad, Darryn, and our mum, Eileen’s house, and played in bush surrounding the Jervis Bay Airfield or helped our fishermen uncles bring in their catches. Although plenty…

Berry croissant crumble SERVES 4-6 PREP 10 MINS COOK 40 MINS 2 cups milk 3 eggs ½ cup cream ¼ cup caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 12 mini croissants, roughly torn 400g mixed fresh berries ½ tsp ground cinnamon ¼ cup White Choc Melts ½ cup toasted nut muesli 2 tbsp pistachios 2 tbsp pepitas Vanilla yoghurt, to serve 1 Whisk milk, eggs, cream, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl until well combined. 2 Layer croissants in an ovenproof dish (6-cup capacity). Pour egg mixture evenly over top. Sprinkle with berries and cinnamon. Set aside 20 mins. 3 Place dish in a large roasting pan. Pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to come halfway up side of dish. 4 Cook in a 160°C preheated oven for…

My protest against the state of our roads got the last laugh James Coxall, 42. Driving home along the tarred road, I slowed down at the sight of a huge pothole. It was about one metre wide and at least 10cm deep. There was a car coming the other way so I had to stop completely and let it pass before I could drive around the crater. If I drove through it, I’d bust up my tyres. “It’s a disgrace,” I muttered. “We really should do something about it.” “Like what?” my wife Katrina, 34, asked. She was in the passenger seat and behind me, strapped in their booster seats, were our kids, Ivy, seven, Noah, five, and Ned, two. It was a Sunday in February 2025, and we’d just…