Innehållsförteckning för Issue 1, 2026 från that's life!

Well here we are in January! The trees have come down, the tinsel is packed away and, if you’re anything like me, you don’t want to look at another choc or mince pie. And, by now, you are either getting stuck into your New Year’s resolution, or you’ve had a crack and given up! I have no firm plans, but I’ll tighten my belt when it comes to spending and if my ‘walk more’ plan pays off, my actual belt, too! Team tl! are a bit more ambitious than me though when it comes to resolutions this year. Three of them, Anita, Alix and Claudia, plan to finish the first drafts of the books they’re writing. What a talented bunch! I can’t wait to read their finished tomes. And others…

Sipping a glass of wine, I turned to my brother-in-law, Michael, then 55. ‘What are you going to do now?’ he asked. It was January 2018, and I was at a family gathering, having just retired after 40 years as a science teacher. ‘I’m thinking of taking up skydiving,’ I replied. ‘Why?’ Michael asked, stunned by my bravery. ‘Why not?’ I replied. I loved being outdoors and was constantly on the move – camping, fishing, skiing, or playing basketball and soccer. Skydiving was something I’d always wanted to tick off my bucket list, whereas Michael loved the idea of learning to fly a plane. But with a mortgage and kids, it was out of his budget. ‘Why don’t you give it a crack?’ he suggested. Although I loved flying, I’d…

AUSSIE REAL LIFE Straining against the zipper on my dress, I sighed. Another one to ditch, I decided, twisting this way and that in the mirror. Red-faced and flustered, I wiggled out of the too-small dress and tossed it aside. It was March 2018 and, after a stint living in London, I was back home in Queensland with my parents, Tracey, then 52, and Graeme, 59. Going through my old clothes, I was horrified to find nothing fitted. I’d struggled with my weight my whole life despite eating healthy meals and small portions. Now, aged 20, I tipped the scales at 215 kilos. ‘I don’t know what to do,’ I cried to Mum. ‘We’re going to find out what’s going on with your health,’ she promised. I’d always been aware…

Edited extract from Delicious & Diabetes– Friendly cookbook by Miguel Maestre for Diabetes Australia. Join Diabetes YOUnited – Australia’s largest online diabetes community – to receive a cookbook. CORN & ZUCCHINI FRITTERS SERVES 4 PREP & COOK 30 MINS 1 cup almond meal 75g (½ cup) self-raising flour 50g (½ cup) finely grated parmesan or manchego Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper  ½ bunch of chives, roughly chopped  250ml (1 cup) reduced fat milk, plus extra if needed  2 eggs 2 corn cobs, husks and silks removed Olive oil, for pan-frying  2 zucchinis, spiralised or julienned Baby rocket leaves and lemon wedges, to serve 1 Place almond meal, flour and parmesan or manchego in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Add chives.  2 Whisk…

Sipping my diet cola, I was giddy with excitement. ‘Not long now,’ I said to my goddaughter Emily, then 22, as we made our way to our front row seats. It was March 2017 and British superstar Adele was about to take the stage. I’d fallen in love with her music when she burst on the scene. I played her 2011 hit ‘Rolling in the Deep’ constantly at home. So when it was announced she was touring Australia, my husband Andrew, then 51, purchased me a VIP front row ticket for my early birthday gift. I was over the moon! Now Emily and I joined the chorus of whoops and cheers as Adele finally took to the stage. I couldn’t believe she was so close! I’d even brought along a…

GOOD TO KNOW Buy Now Pay Later services may sound like a great option because they don’t charge interest, but it’s important to understand the penalties for not paying your instalments on time. Afterpay, for example, charges up to 25 per cent of the original order amount as a late fee for purchases under $40. If over $40, you’ll cop an initial $10 fee followed by additional penalties if the payment isn’t made within seven days. If you find yourself overwhelmed and unable to make your payments, don’t ignore it. Approach the BNPL service and let them know you’re experiencing financial hardship. Most services have processes for these situations, and will work with you to come up with a more manageable payment plan. They may even waive or reduce fees.…

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…

WE PAY FOR EACH PHOTO USED When you need to do laundry but the cat wants to sit on the towels first! Alison Buys, Butler, WA I ♥ THAT’S LIFE! My friend Val and me re-enacting The Sound of Music at Mt Cook, NZ, on holiday with our favourite magazine. Linda Bailey, Gosnells, WA Our dog Kiah the kelpie is pure joy and we love her! Meredith Ross, Northhaven, NSW WHAT’S ODD? PUZZLE $50 CASH HOW TO WIN... This image has been taken from the film Twisters. We have tinkered with the image and added something that doesn’t appear in the original scene (8). Write which object doesn’t belong only on the entry coupon and you could be a winner. Turn to entry coupon (p50) to enter! Nikko, me and…

Clambering into my car, my little girl Riya, then seven, turned to me. ‘Mum, when I get older, I’d never let a guy treat me that way,’ she said softly. Riya, with her beaming smile and glossy mane of hair, had just watched her father, Roopesh, lash out at me – again. Roopesh and I had been introduced by a friend a decade earlier in 2006, when I was 27 and he was 28. He was kind and charming, and when I fell pregnant two years later, he seemed excited. But it didn’t last. He was working two jobs to pay off debts and took his frustrations out on me. ‘Because of you, and the baby coming, I’m stressed out,’ he’d say, cursing at me and calling me names. When…

CHARRED CHICKEN WITH PICKLED CUCUMBER SALAD SERVES 6 PREP & COOK 30 MINS 6 x 150g chicken breast fillets, trimmed 2 cloves garlic, crushed 300g stone-baked ciabatta loaf, cut into 1cm-thick slices PICKLED CUCUMBER SALAD 500g Lebanese cucumbers (about 3) ⅓ cup lemon juice ¼ cup olive oil 2 tbsp honey 2 small red onions, thinly sliced 1 bunch red radishes, thinly sliced ¼ cup fresh mint leaves 200g feta, crumbled 1 SALAD Cut cucumbers into thin slices. Combine lemon juice, 2 tbsp of oil and honey in a large ceramic dish. Add cucumbers and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Cover. Refrigerate for 30 mins. 2 Meanwhile, toss chicken in combined remaining oil and garlic in a large bowl. 3 Heat a large barbecue grill plate…

GOLDEN GAYTIME CHEESECAKE SERVES 8-10 PREP & COOK 1 HOUR 15 MINS 1½ x 250g packets Malt O’ Milk biscuits 175g butter, melted 200g block milk cooking chocolate, chopped ¼ cup thickened cream FILLING 135g packet chewy toffees, unwrapped (see tip) 300ml tub thickened cream 3 tsp powdered gelatine 2 x 250g blocks cream cheese, softened  ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar  2 tsp vanilla extract 1 Invert base of a 23cm springform pan (base measures 22cm), 6cm deep. Grease and line base with baking paper.  2 Reserve 5 biscuits. Process remaining biscuits in a food processor until finely crushed. Add the melted butter and process until combined. Press over base and up side of prepared pan. Refrigerate while making filling.  3 FILLING Place toffees and ¼ cup of the…

Cradling my sweet boy in my arms, I melted. ‘Who’s the cutest baby in the world?’ I cooed, gazing into his blue eyes. It was September 2020, and Leo, just a month old, was everything his dad Steven, then 33, and I had dreamed of. He was doted on by his sister, Maddison, three, and I eagerly awaited each milestone. But by nine months, Leo couldn’t rock, sit or crawl. As time went on, he grew more stagnant. I noticed he favoured the right side of his body and kept his left hand in a tight fist. When I raised my concerns with the GP, they reassured me Leo would grow out of it. Still, I worried. In May 2021, I took Leo to a specialist centre, and was referred…

It’s time to explore how the energies of the Universal 1 year will affect your life. Being aware of the energies around you and going with the flow rather than resisting, is the best way to make the most of the coming year. For example, if you are a Life Path 1 you should be looking for opportunities to step up and lead, whether romantically or in the office. This is not the year to be a shrinking violet! Here is your personal year number guide based on your Life Path number! To calculate your Life Path number, add all the numbers of your birthday and reduce to a single digit, for example: 22 March 1972 = 2 + 2 + 3 + 1 + 9 + 7 +2 =…

WHITE WONDERS Two tiny miracles arrived when endangered white Timbavati lion cubs were born on November 29 at Maracay Delicias Zoo in Venezuela. Zoo officials described the birth of the rare cubs – a boy and a girl – as a true ‘miracle’. The zoo’s conservation and reproduction program welcomed the first white cubs born in captivity in 2023. Their colouring is a rare genetic variant which is only found in South Africa. The male cub will remain with his mum, while the female has been temporarily separated to receive assisted feeding. The zoo has launched a contest asking local residents to suggest names for the pair. The number of white lions worldwide is estimated at fewer than 200, with only about 10 in the wild. Footy LEGEND Eight-year-old Tilly…

FIERY KOREAN CHICKEN WINGS WITH PICKLED CUCUMBERS SERVES 8 PREP & COOK 1 HOUR 2.5kg chicken wings (16) GLAZE ¾ cup hot chilli sauce ¼ cup soy sauce ¼ cup vegetable oil 2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger 3 cloves garlic, crushed 3 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp ground chilli powder PICKLED CUCUMBERS 5 Lebanese cucumbers (about 600g), trimmed  ¾ cup rice wine vinegar  1 tblsp caster sugar 1 Cut wing tips off chicken at first joint and discard. Place in a large bowl.  2 GLAZE Combine all ingredients in a jug. Pour 1 cup of glaze over wings. Toss well to coat. Cover. Refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight. Reserve the remaining glaze, covered, in the fridge.  3 PICKLED CUCUMBERS Cut cucumbers in half crossways. Cut into 2cm thick…

Trundling around the supermarket, I spied a sale ticket fluttering in the household cleaning aisle. Perfect, I thought, plucking some brightly-coloured bottles of cleaning spray and microfibre cloths and putting them in my shopping trolley. I had just $20 left in my bank account... and I needed maximum bang for my buck. My future depended on it. Days earlier, at the beginning of 2022, something unexpected had happened. I’d shared a post on Facebook offering my services as a cleaner – and in 48 hours a whopping 17 clients had reached out wanting to book me! I was 20 years old at the time, with nothing to lose. For three years I’d been doing things tough. With no roof over my head and struggling with addiction, I was often couch…

Water you waiting for Think eight glasses a day is enough? In summer, your body might need more than that! Hot weather, sweat and outdoor fun can mean you’re losing litres without even noticing. Aim for two to three litres daily, boosting your water intake with fruit, salads and other icy drinks. Sip steadily rather than chugging it – your body absorbs it better, keeping energy up and headaches at bay. Summer sweat In summer, timing can make or break your workout. Early mornings are cooler, easier on the joints, and give you a boost of energy for the day. Evening workouts can see you feeling sluggish in the heat and make it harder to sleep if you’ve overheated. Stick to shady spots, stay hydrated and listen to your body!…