Innehållsförteckning för Issue 35, 2025 från that's life!

There’s been a lot of talk about AI and robots lately, and all the new things that technology can do. But reading a story in Trending (page 14) this week, I was still taken by surprise. Robots can paint portraits now?! I thought, reading about how a robot called Ai-Da had created an oil painting of King Charles. As impressive as that is, though, I can’t help but think that if we’re investing so much into robots, it’d be handy if they could do something a bit more useful! I’d love a robot that could iron my clothes – especially anything made of linen – and organise my sock drawer. ‘If a robot could mop the kitchen floor, that would be really impressive!’ I said to team tl!. I’d love…

Sandra would stop at nothing to get her life back Sandra French, 67, Warrnambool, Vic After I eased myself into a wheelchair, my husband, Clinton, then 67, pushed me to the boarding gate at the airport. Has it really come to this? I despaired. At 180 kilos, my bones and muscles ached all over, but it was my legs, disproportionately larger than the rest of my body, that caused the most issues. While I wore a size 18 top, my pants were a size 28. Now in February 2022, instead of being excited for our trip to Cairns, Qld, I felt ashamed of my size. I’d first noticed my figure was different to my peers when I was 12. I had a tiny torso but big legs and arms. My…

CHICKEN MULLIGATAWNY SOUP SERVES 4-6PREP & COOK 1 HOUR 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 large carrots, finely chopped 2 celery sticks, finely chopped 4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, finely grated 1½ tbsp curry powder 700g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed 1 litre chicken stock 400ml can coconut milk 2 red apples ½ cup basmati rice, rinsed 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 cup chopped fresh coriander 1 Heat a lightly oiled stockpot over a medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and ginger. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 mins, or until vegetables are just tender. 2 Add curry powder. Cook, stirring, for 1 min. Add chicken. Turn to coat in curry mixture. 3 Stir in stock and coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for a…

ANIMAL HAVEN What started as a science project for Jessica Walker led to her creating an animal sanctuary at just 13. The school assignment on factory farming and the effects on animals, ignited Jessica’s passion for saving animals, and in 2019 her ‘micro sanctuary’ was founded on the belief that farm animals are ‘someone, not something’. Piglets George and Lucy were the first two animals Jessica saved. Now, The Little Red Barn Micro Sanctuary has rescued over 10,000 horses, cows, pigs and goats – many of them were destined for the slaughterhouse. Thanks to Jessica and her family they’re now living out their days in greener pastures. Jessica is also passionate about educating others on factory farming, and teaching children how to love and respect animals. Offering tours of her…

EDITORIAL Editorial Director Kate Kirsten, Editor Sarah Firth, Deputy Editor Beth Young, Art Director Darren Monaghan, Picture Editor Holly Campbell 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. ©2025. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without prior written permission. that’s life! is a registered trade mark of Are Media. Use of trademark strictly prohibited. Licensing Inquiries: www.contentshop.com.au / syndication@aremedia.com.au…

OCT 10 BUTTERFLIED CHICKEN WITH SALSA SERVES 4 PREP & COOK 2 HOURS 1.8kg whole chicken 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 1 tbsp mild curry powder ¼ cup olive oil 750g chat potatoes, halved Greek-style yoghurt, to serve SALSA 2 tomatoes, deseeded, chopped 1 Lebanese cucumber, chopped 1 cup fresh coriander leaves ½ small red onion, finely chopped 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 Pat chicken dry with paper towel. Remove excess fat from inside of cavity. 2 Place on a chopping board, breast-side down, with legs towards you. Using kitchen scissors, cut along either side of the backbone, starting from the parson’s nose to the neck. Remove backbone and discard. 3 Turn chicken over. Then place the palm of your hand in the middle of the breast…

STICKY PECAN PIE PUDDING SERVES 8 PREP & COOK 2 HOURS Melted butter, for greasing 1 cup whole pecans (120g), toasted 125g butter, chopped ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar ¼ cup golden syrup ½ tsp bicarb of soda 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1⅔ cups self-raising flour ½ cup Greek-style yoghurt Vanilla ice-cream, to serve SAUCE  1 cup golden syrup  50g butter, chopped 2 tbsp cornflour 1 Grease a metal pudding steamer (8-cup capacity) with melted butter. Line base with baking paper.  2 Coarsely chop ½ cup of the pecans. Sprinkle over base of prepared steamer. Finely chop remaining pecans and set aside.  3 Place butter, sugar, syrup and 2 tbsp water in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until butter is melted. Bring to a boil. Remove…

GOOD TO KNOW When it comes to your mortgage, an offset transaction account has long been a great way to save. The balance you keep in the account offsets the principal amount of your home loan so you pay less interest. Recently, a couple of financial institutions have introduced the option to have as many as 10 offset accounts. It means you can keep dedicated accounts for things like savings, bills, weekly expenditure and an emergency fund, and have the balances in each of them reduce the interest you pay. If this sounds like something that’d help you – but your mortgage provider doesn’t offer the option – call around and find one who does! A friend’s daughter, Taylor, and her hubby, Daniel, worked hard for years to buy their…

Bethan’s little girl Aviana is flying high after a devastating diagnosis Bethan McElwee, 42, Darwin, NT She doesn’t wriggle like my friends’ babies,’ I sighed to my husband Jonathan, then 32. ‘Yes,’ he agreed. ‘She’s not moving her arms and legs.’ Our firstborn, Aviana, also breastfed for hours, unable to suck properly. Concerned, we took her to the paediatrician at 10 weeks old. A month later, we were called in for the blood test results. ‘I’m afraid Aviana has spinal muscular atrophy – SMA,’ he said. ‘It causes progressive muscle weakness due to the loss of motor neurons in the spine that control movement.’ ‘What’s the cure?’ Jonathan asked, stunned. ‘I’m sorry – there isn’t one. It’s terminal. Most children with SMA don’t live to see their second birthday. Just…

H ave you ever wondered why some people seem to have all the luck? It could be energy. Rituals are ancient tools for helping focus your intention, align you with opportunity, and invite luck. They aren’t superstition – they’re acts that help your body, mind, and space attune to better energy! Here are six powerful rituals to make you a magnet for luck! 1 Light a red candle To invite luck, light a red candle on a Friday (the day linked with Venus and abundance). As it burns, speak your intention out loud. For example, ‘I’m open to opportunities and lucky breaks at work.’ Let the candle burn for at least 15 minutes while you visualise luck flowing toward you. Then extinguish it safely, sealing your intention. 2 Create a…

Mum-of-two Brooke has an unlikely helping hand in the kitchen Brooke Ferrier, 41, Central Coast, NSW Finalising my online grocery order, I went to the checkout page and saw $500. I winced at the total number. And that was only enough for five days. Clicking the purchase button, I sighed. It was September 2024 and I was towards the end of my maternity leave with my youngest bub, Freddie, then six months old. With my hubby Paul, then 45, working away in the mines one week on and one week off, I was juggling looking after Freddie and our daughter, Frankie, three. As I prepared to return to my full-time job in HR, I needed quick, easy meals to keep us fed. So I stocked up on pre-made dishes such…

KING OF AI The world’s first ultra-realistic artist robot Ai-Da put her skills to royal work, painting a portrait of King Charles III titled Algorithm King. Ai-Da used cameras in her eyes, AI algorithms, and a robotic arm to create the oil painting, unveiled at the United Nations’ AI for Good Summit in Geneva. Ai-Da told the UN, ‘My portrait of His Majesty King Charles III is not just a creative act, it’s a statement about the evolving role of AI in our society.’ In 2022 Ai-Da painted a portrait of Charles’ mum, Queen Elizabeth II, to commemorate her Platinum Jubilee. And earlier this year, a painting by Ai-Da of the father of computer science, Alan Turing, sold at auction for over $1.6 million. Ai-Da’s creator Aidan Meller, told the…

BANANA HONEY PIKELETS MAKES 20 PREP & COOK 30 MINS 1 small banana (125g), mashed 1 cup buttermilk 1 egg, lightly beaten 2 tbsp honey, plus extra to serve 1¼ cups self-raising flour Melted butter, for greasing 1 Combine banana, buttermilk, egg and honey in a medium jug. 2 Place flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Whisk in banana mixture until smooth. 3 Heat a greased, large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Spoon 1 tbsp of mixture into pan. Repeat to make five pikelets. 4 Cook for about 2 mins, or until bubbles begin to appear on the surface. Turn over and cook for a further 2 mins, or until browned underneath. Remove. Repeat with remaining mixture to make 20 pikelets in total.…