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welcome to this week’s chat…

How much did the tooth fairy bring when you were a kid? I felt lucky to pocket 50p, whereas five-year-old Amaya (p19) woke up to £50 under her pillow! What she did with it shows what a special girl she is. Another big-hearted lady is Charlotte, who adopted her pooch Bumble knowing that he didn’t have long (p24). Now she’s making his doggy dreams come true. And Christine’s act of kindness – and forgiveness – will have you asking if you could ever do the same (p6). You’ll find all your faves like puzzles, fashion (p12), food (p40), health (p20) and loads more. Stay safe and well this week.…

picture perfect

Here I am with my partner, Will, in Malinska, Croatia, in 2019. The waters and surroundings of the Blue Lake sinkhole were so beautiful, it made for a perfect picture spot. Laura Knott, London My daughter Lacey, 6, has recently got a new pet, a budgie called Daisy. She has spent hours training her, and is over the moon that Daisy now steps on to her hand. Marie Shaw, Darlington I was delighted to meet my brother’s new French bulldog puppy, Sonny, when we went for a socially distanced walk around our local park recently. They do say dogs look like their owners, don’t they? Heather Sutcliffe, Hebden Bridge Located on the south-eastern shore of Lake Wakatipu, my partner and I went to see the Remarkables mountain range in New Zealand in 2019. And what a…

while mum lay sick, he pounced

Christine Temlett, 75, Plymouth With a mischievous smile, my brother Sam rubbed his stubbly cheek against mine. ‘Ouch, get off,’ I giggled. It was summer 1956, I was 10 and playing snakes and ladders with my older brothers. Sam, then 24, loved teasing me. My other brother Tim, then 22, had a temper. Was often moody. ‘I’m not playing,’ he snapped, throwing the board. ‘Only because Christine’s winning,’ Sam laughed as Tim stormed off. Still, it was good having them around. Especially because my dad Jack, then 48, worked 12-hour shifts in a clay quarry. And since my mum Ruby, then 52, had suffered a stroke years earlier, she was mostly bedridden. I’d sit by her, read to her and we would listen to Cliff Richard and Elvis on the radio. But mostly I was looked after by an aunt or Tim. On…

win! £500 cash!

NUMBER JIG How many municipalities are there in Brazil? Fit these numbers into the grid. One number doesn’t fit. This is the prize answer. 3 digits 128136154215243375455897917934 4 digits 11542729297845455570707070977359754787538848 5 digits 112471237018748264762775436780570825850064324707288491887689 6 digits 495524741815802903807867829851885220909003 7 digits 159948355307888839342 8 digits 85050841 WIN £250 Puzzle 1 Your answer: PIECEWORD Which handheld games console did PlayStation launch as a successor to the PS Portable in 2011? The number next to the clue tells you which line the answer’s in. We’ve put a section in to start you off! There may be two Across answers in one line. Down words fill themselves in. The shaded squares spell out the one-word prize answer. 2 Gatekeeper’s house • Norwegian band (1-2) 4 Elvis Costello single • Journal 6 Hurried or rash • Toilet, informally 8 Not at home • Small island WIN £150 Puzzle 2 Your answer: TAKE THREE French artist Marcel Duchamp’s 1917 sculpture Fountain was a porcelain urinal signed with what…

just genius

A cut above the rest Use an egg slicer for mushrooms, cooked beetroot, cucumber, tinned potatoes and any other similar vegetables. It makes chopping quick and easy!Brita Bevis, Sleaford Optical solution To clean glasses with dirty or cloudy lenses, apply a small amount of vinegar to a cotton pad and wipe. This is also a great way to clean kitchen glassware.Dan Parkinson, London Marked improvement When it came to covering up marks on my leather couch, I tried everything from turps to household cleaning liquids but nothing would work. That was until I tried my brown shoe polish, which was the same shade as the couch. It worked a treat.Claire Prince, Bootle Dirt buster Add a couple of heaped tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda, along with your regular detergent, to a white wash. It leaves clothes whiter…

i’m dying laughing

Harriet Stuckey, 27, Bridgewater Shoving another crisp into my mouth, I frowned. I had blood on my hands… ‘Won’t be a minute,’ I said to my flatmate, popping to the loo. But, peering into the mirror, I gasped. It was suddenly clear where it had come from. My mouth was filled with blistering, bleeding ulcers. Over the next few days they got worse. It hurt to talk and I felt exhausted, too. ‘I’m probably just rundown,’ I said to my boss at the life insurance company where I worked. I was travelling around Australia and had just celebrated my 23rd birthday by climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I was sure I’d feel better. But I didn’t. In fact, I felt worse. My mouth was so sore, I could barely eat, and it even hurt to talk. A doctor sent me for tests. ‘I think you’ve…