Chat

welcome to this week’s chat...

Nora knew her son was on a bad path and tragically couldn’t save him. What she’s doing now, in his memory, is so incredibly brave (p10).When Bea realised she had a talent for makeovers, she found a way for her skills to be really life-changing (p38). And Joe learned the real cost of a dream come true… but wouldn’t change a single thing (p56).We’ve got pages and pages of real life reads and your fave prize puzzles, beauty tips, summery skirts (p12), recipes (p41), 12 of the best candles (p52) and much more to enjoy.Have a great week!…

chat to us!

My fiance Grant, 35, and cockapoo Daisy love going on country walks near our home. I love this snap of two of my faves. Stacy Gibson, Wordsley My mum Tracy, 53, loved meeting Gekko at a recent kids' party. Mum's always making me laugh, is outgoing and such fun! Tamara Edgerton, Edinburgh I renewed my pilot's licence 20 years to the day after my first solo flight! Kath Fisher, Cardiff My lovely daughter Anna, 12, helped feed the goats on the farm. She loved every minute of it! Gary McWilliam, Kempston I tried indoor skydiving on board a cruise ship with my niece Morgan, 19, and my 80-year-old mum Mary, and we had such fun. The sky's the limit! Rosemary Smedley, Polbeth I was dreading turning 40, and decided…

there’s a rat in the kitchen!

Counting down the seconds to midnight, I felt like I was being watched.‘5, 4, 3, 2...’ the DJ shouted across the dance floor.And as we rang in 1993, I spotted the tall, handsome stranger whose eyes were fixed on me.Ricky Jackson, 17.‘Happy New Year!’ he smiled.Ricky was four years younger than me – and a foot taller.Not my usual type.But once we got chatting, I found he was charming and ambitious. Plus, we had the same sense of humour.Swept up in a whirlwind romance, I fell head over heels in love.And things moved quickly for us.Within a year, our first son was born. Four years later, we had another little boy. Marriage, kids... I thought we'd be together for ever (PHOTOS: MEDAVIA)Ricky was a natural, teaching the…

‘i messed up’

Ricky says, ‘I admitted the affair because we weren't going to get back together. I'd made a huge mistake that I could never come back from. [The chances] of her ever trusting me again were stacked against me. She was permanently looking for things to mistrust me for. It was impossible to explain any innocence to her, to the point where I said this is the end of our relationship because I am fighting a losing battle. I messed up. If I could change it, I would. But I could never come back from that.'…

blimey!

Where there’s a pill… When I went away, I used to worry that I'd mislay my rings, so now I pop them into a tablet box for safekeeping! Vivienne Colwill, Nelson Safely stowed Hot stuff! Waste not I couldn't get the last scrape of chocolate spread out of the jar, but didn't want to waste it. So I poured in milk, tightened the lid, shook the jar - hey presto! Chocolate milk ready to heat! Rachael Cleak, Ivybridge Family favourite To make my mashed potatoes a little different, I always use white and sweet potatoes mixed, and add a sprinkle of cinnamon. The kids love it! Alexandra Bennett, Tonyrefail It’s a stick-up! Keep your razor to hand…

my tragic lad... loved to the end

My Andrew: misguided, but a good person A heartbreaking photo: but I want you to see it Glancing out the kitchen window, my heart jolted.‘Andrew!’I screamed, as my 8-year-old boy clambered up a tree, the pencil-thin branches bending under his weight.‘Look, Mum,’ he giggled. ‘Look how high I can climb!’ Typical Andrew. As curious as he is fearless. Ever since I’d adopted him in September 1996, aged 6, he’d been a daredevil. A risk-taker, an adventurer.Go fishing, and he’d be the one to get stuck in the mud!But for all his mischief, Andrew was a kind, loving boy.Always fixing things around the house, wrapping up gifts for us in electrical tape.Still, there was a troubled side to Andrew too.In care, he had developed mood disorders and depression.By…