Innehållsförteckning för Issue 38, 2025 från that's life!

We love reading our Brainwaves section (page 59) here in the tl! office. There’s always a handy hint or useful trick we’d never have thought of. And this week is no exception, with the advice from reader Lynne who suggests taking a photo of any print that’s too small to read on your phone, and zooming in on the photo until you can decipher it. What a great idea, I thought. I’ve worn glasses for more than 20 years, but for most of that time it was because I couldn’t see things in the distance. Having realised I could no longer tell what bus was arriving at the bus stop, or what the time was on waiting room clocks, I got tested and was given my first pair of specs.…

Tracing the small red lump on my right bicep with my fingertips, I frowned. It’s probably just an insect bite, I thought, brushing it off. It was December 2023, and I was on holiday with my wife, Kelly, then 42, and sons, Cameron, 11, and Chase, nine, at Cotton Tree Caravan Park, Qld, where I’d been going every year since I was a boy. We’d been fishing, kayaking, cooking barbecues and enjoying the weather. Now, with New Year’s Eve just a few days away, I was just glad I’d avoided the strep throat that some people at the caravan park had. An avid marathon runner and exercise lover, I’d been up early every day pounding the pavement. But when I woke the next morning feeling really run down, I decided…

KALE AND SWEET POTATO FRITTERS WITH HERB SAUCE MAKES 12 PREP & COOK 35 MINS 5 small kale leaves 200g sweet potato, peeled, coarsely grated 3 eggs, lightly beaten ¼ cup self-raising flour 2 tsp paprika ¼ tsp chilli powder Endive leaves, sliced avocado, to serve HERB SAUCE ⅓ cup mayonnaise  ¼ cup buttermilk  2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint  1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander 1 HERB SAUCE Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate.  2 Wash kale. Drain. Pat dry with paper towel. Remove leaves by cutting a V-shape either side of the centre stems. Discard stems. Shred leaves. You will need 2½ cups.  3 Place kale in a large bowl with sweet potato, eggs, flour, paprika and chilli. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well.  4 Heat…

My puppy Chile Dog snuck into the pantry. Sue Brown, Cranbourne, Vic WINNERS ARE GRINNERS Thanks for my prize that’s life! You must have known how much I enjoy my garden! Pat Terrazzano, Kilsyth South, Vic Kitty and Billi take neighbourhood watch duty very seriously! Jessica Knox, Mount Austin, NSW WHAT’S ODD? PUZZLE $50 CASH HOW TO WIN... This image has been taken from the film The Wizard of Oz. We have tinkered with the image and added something that doesn’t appear in the original scene (11). Write which object doesn’t belong only on the entry coupon and you could be a winner. Turn to entry coupon (p50) to enter! My gorgeous kids Claudia, five, and Luka, nine, riding to the Tasman Bridge in Hobart. Heidi Laugesen, Geilston Bay, Tas…

Pack a bag. Let’s go,’ my dad, Edward, then 61, called, rousing me from sleep. I was 11 and it wasn’t the first time we’d left a town in the middle of the night. Dad worked as a handyman, so we never stayed too long in one place, constantly moving to where the work was. Dad also did some motivational speaking, teaching others how to choose the right path, after he’d served time in prison for a string of robberies in the 1960s. Squeezing into the car with Mum, Dad, and my four younger siblings, I wondered where we’d call home next. My father was incredibly hot and cold with us all when we were growing up. On special occasions like Christmas, he’d go all out decorating our rentals and…

Top tips Buy shredded roast chicken from the supermarket deli counter or replace with a barbecue chicken. CHIPOTLE CHICKEN CHIMICHANGAS SERVES 4 PREP & COOK 30 MINS 1 large red capsicum, sliced 3½ cups shredded roast chicken (500g) 2 tsp chipotle seasoning ¾ cup smoky chipotle salsa 4 jumbo flour tortillas (25cm) 1⅓ cups grated Mexican cheese 200g Solanato tomatoes, halved ½ cup fresh coriander leaves Chipotle mayonnaise, to serve 1 Line a 7-litre air fryer basket with baking paper. 2 Add capsicum to basket. Spray with olive oil. Air fry on 200°C for 5 mins until tender and starting to blacken. 3 Combine chicken and seasoning in a large bowl. Scatter chicken over capsicum. Spray with olive oil. Air fry for 3 mins until chicken is heated through. Transfer…

Top tips Tart and sauce can be made a day ahead. Store tart in an airtight container at room temperature. Store sauce in fridge. Reheat both to serve. STICKY DATE AND CHOCOLATE TART WITH BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE SERVES 8 PREP 10 MINS COOK 1 HOUR 35 MINS 125g cold butter, chopped 1½ cups plain four ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 egg Vanilla ice-cream, to serve FILLING 1½ cups chopped pitted dates  100g butter, chopped  ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar  1 tsp bicarbonate of soda  1 cup self-raising four  1 egg, lightly beaten  150g dark cooking chocolate, chopped BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE  1 cup firmly packed brown sugar  300ml pure cream  100g butter, chopped 1 Lightly grease a deep, fluted 23cm round, loose-based pie tin.  2 Process butter, flour and sugar…

Returning home after a busy day at work as a public servant, I slumped on the couch. ‘I’ll start dinner shortly,’ I rasped to my husband, Leigh, then 55. It was May 2024, and for the past month I’d had trouble breathing and kept losing my voice. Initially I put it down to asthma, which I’d suffered from since contracting Covid two years earlier. But when my puffer didn’t help, I went to the doctor who referred me to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist. After an examination, I was diagnosed with vocal cord dysfunction, a condition where the vocal cords close or narrow during breathing. There was no cure, but the specialist explained speech therapy could help me identify triggers and teach me how to control my breathing,…

PRETTY IN PINK Some dream of a house by the sea or a nature retreat, but Meg Garrod, 26, an artist from the UK, has dreamed up her very own pink palace! Meg is giving pink-loving Barbie a run for her money, with every room of the house she shares with hubby Rob and pooch Walter sporting different shades of her favourite colour. From dusty pink kitchen cupboards, candy-cane striped bedroom wallpaper, and a cherry bathroom mat, it’s a pink paradise. ‘Pink has always been the colour that I’m most drawn to,’ she told Ruggable. ‘So when it came time to decorate our first home, I thought about which colours made me happiest.’ Tiny legs BIG ACHIEVEMENTS Around 120 cute corgis put on their best racing paws and most adorable…

Recipe extract from Always Delicious Low-FODMAP Kitchen by Chrissy Glentis. Murdoch Books RRP $39.99. EASY VEGETARIAN LASAGNE SERVES 6-8PREP 5 MINS COOK 35 MINS 8 fresh or dried lasagne sheets 1 large eggplant, cut into 1cm thick strips 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1cm thick strips 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 250g fresh ricotta cheese 1 egg ¼ tsp each salt and black pepper, plus extra for seasoning 1 tbsp grated parmesan 100g grated mozzarella cheese 400g Napoli sauce 1 Preheat oven to 180˚C. 2 Cook lasagne sheets according to packet instructions. Put eggplant and zucchini on baking trays, drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 mins, until vegetables are tender. Alternatively, cook vegetables on a chargrill pan until tender. 3 Meanwhile, combine ricotta, egg,…

JUL 18 MAKE MONEY It’s no secret there’s a housing crisis at the moment, and lack of properties is driving up the cost of rent and home purchases. Most of the 13 million unused spare rooms in the country are found in the homes of emptynesters whose children have grown and moved out. If you have a spare room, you could help the cause and bring in some extra money by renting it out. There’s a lot to consider, like how the extra income could impact your pension, tax and insurance, and whether the room will be rented long or short term. So be sure to do your research and consult the ATO, your insurance provider and a solicitor first. As was the trend among little girls in 1985, I…

Have you ever met someone and felt an instant connection, as if you’ve known them forever? Or faced a challenge and wondered, Why me? These moments may be explained by the metaphysical concepts of soul groups, soul mates, and spiritual contracts. They can offer great insight into our lives and relationships. Soul groups – our spiritual tribe This is believed to be a group of souls from the same spiritual source or energetic family. These souls reincarnate together across many lifetimes, playing different roles – family members, friends, teachers, even enemies – to support one another’s growth. Before birth, the souls choose to be together to share missions, lessons, or karmic work. Members of your soul group may enter your life for brief moments or stay for decades. There’s often…