Table of contents for Issue 42, 2024 in that's life!

Letter from the Ed Are you an early bird, or always running late? Or do you like to arrive right on time? If you’re someone who’s not known for being great at time-keeping, it might be that you’re an optimist! That’s according to research mentioned in this week’s Living Well (page 64). Apparently, people who are late tend to be more cheerful, and can expect to live longer than people who are more punctual. I used to be late a lot when I was younger, always underestimating how long it’d take me to get ready or get somewhere. I was optimistic about everything going smoothly, and not encountering any delays! I’m a lot better at being on time these days, though I wonder if that means I’ve become more pessimistic…

You look beautiful,’ my partner Jacob, 24, beamed as I twirled in my long backless gown. ‘Thanks honey,’ I smiled. It was February this year, and we were getting ready to attend the wedding of his sister Bre and her partner Mitch, both 26. I was delighted when I’d found the elegant black one-shoulder strap dress online. Luckily, it fitted me just right. I’d met Jacob who, like me, was an exercise scientist and a personal trainer, a year earlier. This was the first wedding we were attending together. Held in a beautiful barn in front of around 100 guests, the day went perfectly. Many guests were camping the night, and had pitched their tents earlier in an adjoining paddock. Jacob and I were staying in a nearby rental, but…

Watching Hard Quiz Kids – ABC iview Comedian and Gold Logie winner Tom Gleeson’s successful adult show has a whole new audience with this kids’ version. Contestants face questions on their special subject, followed by general knowledge, before the final two battle it out with harder questions on their topic. The show is fun, interesting and full of laughs. The kids are cute and clever. Great viewing for the family. Jude Durrant -Sr copy ed COMPILED BY CLAUDIA SIRON PHOTOS: VICTOR BANTA; BENNIE BOS; GETTY IMAGES; INSTAGRAM @ANANAS.ANAM;INSTAGRAM @PINATEX; INSTAGRAM @ZARAHOOGENRAAD; ANDY TROY PHOTO…

MINT SLICE CHOCOLATE LOG SERVES 8-10 PREP: 45 MINS ½ cup chocolate-flavoured milk 250g packet Choc Ripple biscuits PEPPERMINT FILLING 1¾ cups thickened cream 200g packet Mint Slice biscuits CHOCOLATE CREAM 180g block dark cooking chocolate, chopped 2 cups thickened cream 1 To make peppermint filling, beat cream in small bowl of an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Finely chop half the biscuits, reserving remaining for decoration. Fold chopped biscuits into cream. 2 Spread ¾ cup of the peppermint filling into a 4cm x 38cm long strip down the centre of a large, rectangular serving plate. 3 Place chocolate milk in a shallow dish. Dip two choc biscuits into milk, then sandwich together with 1 level tblsp filling. Stand upright on its edge in the cream at one…

Thank you Catriona Henderson, Port Botany, NSW Neatly folding a pile of clothes, I placed them in a box ready to go to their new home. I know the client is going to love these, I smiled. It was August this year, and I’d been volunteering for Thread Together – a charity that collects unsold clothes from brands around the country and donates them to Aussies in need – for over two years. I’d been inspired to join by our daughter Isobel, 31, who’d been helping them out on Saturdays. My husband David and I had relocated back to Australia from Bangkok, where he was working, when Covid hit in 2020. During our time overseas, I’d done a lot of charity work and liked helping others. So I…

Q Since Since my teens, I have battled with my weight and tried every diet going. I’ve been reading about a new weight-loss injection and would really like to give it a try. How do I go about getting it? A There is an injection available on prescription only that has recently been approved for people with a body mass index of 30 or more, who also have a weight-related health condition, such as type 2 diabetes or hypertension. You should seek professional medical advice to find out all options available and discuss what would be best for you. HEALTH TIPS ARE FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY. THAT’S LIFE! ACCEPTS NO RESPONSIBILITY NOR ASSUMES ANY LIABILITY FOR DAMAGE OR INJURY TO PERSONS OR PROPERTY ARISING FROM ANY USE OF ANY…

As my daughter, Ava, then nine, started trembling, I ran over to her. ‘It’s okay, just breathe,’ I soothed. It was June 2022, and Ava was experiencing one of her frequent panic attacks. She’d struggled with anxiety for years, but recently things had gone up a notch. Ava had picked up a few vomiting bugs over the year, and it led to her having an extreme fear of vomit. ‘Mum, I don’t want to be sick,’ she’d wail. ‘You’ll be okay,’ I’d assure her. It had reached a point where Ava was constantly worried about what she was eating, terrified her meal would come back up. It made dinner times with Ava and my youngest, Oliver, then six, tough. If Ava starts panicking, she’ll pat Vanilla School was just as…

SUNDAY The Old English Sunnandæg, Sunday is ruled by the sun, a symbol of life and vitality. SPIRITUALLY Sunday radiates with energy, offering renewal. It’s a good day for rest, reflection and rejuvenation, as we prepare for the week ahead. The sun’s influence enhances creativity, personal growth and a connection with our inner light. MONDAY The Old English Monandæg means ‘day of the moon’. The moon, a symbol of intuition and emotions, rules Monday. SPIRITUALLY Monday’s lunar energy invites introspection and emotional balance. It’s a day to nurture yourself, explore your intuition, and set intentions for the week. The moon’s gentle guidance helps us navigate our inner world, bringing emotional clarity. TUESDAY Old English Tiwesdæg, it’s named after Tiw, the Norse god of war and sky, who’s equivalent to the…

Morgan and Rodney Metzer seemed unbreakable. High school sweethearts, the pair got together when Morgan was just 14 and Rodney was in his final year of high school. Marrying in 2010, the young lovers had the world at their feet. The following year the couple were faced with unimaginable heartbreak when their first child sadly died of a congenital heart defect just weeks after being born. Then Rodney, a financial trader, lost a huge portion of the inheritance money he’d received. But the pair went on to welcome twin boys a year later. For a while, everything seemed perfect. Then cracks started to show when Rodney became aggressive, often berating Morgan for things he claimed she was meant to have done, like picking up the kids from school, when such…

Leather made from pineapple – now that’s amazing! Ananas Anam is an innovative company who produce Piñatex, a type of eco-friendly vegan leather, made from leftover pineapple leaves. The material is used to make all sorts of accessories including belts, shoes and purses. Dr Carmen Hijosa, the founder of Ananas Anam, told CNN, ‘If we compare Piñatex quality with the look and feel of leather, it’s actually quite similar. It has that grainy look and feel. The only big difference is one comes from an animal and the other one comes from a waste plant.’…

TERIYAKI CHICKEN NOODLE SALAD SERVES 4 PREP & COOK: 25 MINS 2 00g packet Pad Thai rice noodles 500g chicken breast fillets 4 green spring onions, thinly sliced diagonally 2 carrots, coarsely grated 1 bunch baby bok choy, trimmed, shredded 1 cup fresh coriander leaves DRESSING ¼ cup teriyaki sauce 1 tblsp lemongrass paste 1 tblsp vegetable oil 1 tblsp lime juice 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 Cook noodles according to the packet directions. Drain. Rinse under cold water. Drain well. Transfer to a large bowl. 2 To make dressing, whisk all ingredients in a small jug. Reserve 2 tblsps. 3 Heat an oiled, large, non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat. Add chicken fillets. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side, or until cooked. Brush reserved…

SEND US YOUR CLEVER IDEAS To help reduce my electricity bill, I only run my washing machine when it’s full and I use cold water. Brigid Anstor, Blackheath, NSW Make the most of your make-up by cutting open tubes of foundation, blusher, etc, to get out all the product you might be otherwise missing. Penny Chalmers, Geelong, Vic I use a deep bowl for my senior dog’s water and fill it to the top – then he doesn’t have to bend so far for a drink. Anabel Guilford, Chermside, Qld Brighten up a wooden table by wiping it over with a cloth dipped in cooled, black tea. Chloe Bridges, Fremantle, WA Don’t throw away stale crackers – crush them with a rolling pin and you’ll have perfect breadcrumbs for a…

Q I had deep-vein thrombosis during my pregnancy 30 years ago, and my husband and I decided not to have any more children as a result. I’m now in my 50s and recently found out I have had another clot in the same leg. I’m on blood thinners – is there anything else I can do? A There are lots of risk factors for developing deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), including pregnancy, as well as being inactive, smoking and being overweight. If any of these lifestyle issues apply, it would be good to address them. DVT can be associated with underlying health conditions such as heart failure and Crohn’s disease, and there can be a genetic component. See your doctor and ask for a blood test.…

Strolling around Central Park, New York, on holiday with my hubby Adam, then 26, we daydreamed about our future together. ‘I’d love a big family,’ he said excitedly. When we married three years earlier, in December 2016, we agreed to wait a while before starting a family. We wanted to focus on enjoying life together and travelling. Now in January 2019, the timing felt right to start. When I missed my cycle back home a month later, my heart already knew what the pregnancy test was about to confirm. ‘We’re pregnant!’ we said in unison, as two little lines showed a positive result. At my six-week scan, tears streamed down my cheeks when the whoosh of our bub’s heartbeat filled the room. ‘That’s our little one,’ Adam gushed, in awe…

Fanning my face, I took a deep breath and waited for the hot flush to pass. Must be menopause starting, I sighed. It was January 2017 and, aged 48, I’d been steadily gaining some extra weight, as well as suffering fatigue and hot flushes. Busy juggling life as a mum to my girls Madeline, then 15, and Caitlyn, 12, and working as a marketing lecturer at uni, I tried to stay on top of things. In June that year, I began experiencing an odd pressure in my abdomen. During my pregnancies with my girls, I’d had a similar feeling as both babies grew closer to their due date. But there was no way I could be expecting now. Maybe I’ve had some kind of prolapse, I worried. With…

BROCCOLINI, ZUCCHINI AND FETA PIE SERVES 6 PREP & COOK: 1 HOUR, 5 MINS 1 bunch broccolini, trimmed 10 sheets filo pastry 75g butter, melted 250g fresh ricotta 4 eggs ¾ cup milk 100g Greek feta, crumbled 1 small zucchini, very thinly sliced ½ tsp dried chilli flakes 1 Lightly oil a deep, 24cm round loose-based flan tin. Place on an oven tray. 2 If broccolini stems are thick, cut broccolini in half lengthways. Boil, steam or microwave broccolini until just tender. Drain. 3 Layer five pastry sheets together, brushing in between each sheet with melted butter. Place into prepared dish. Repeat with remaining pastry sheets and butter. Place into dish at a different angle. Fold pastry edges inwards so they’re just above edge of tin and form a…

My hubby, Shannon, loves the MotoGP, so last Christmas I bought him a subscription to the website, allowing him to watch every live second of the events during the racing season. It’s fantastic, except for when the speed of our internet doesn’t keep up with the motorcycles whizzing around the TV screen. ‘Oh, come on!’ Shannon yells, throwing his arms in the air as the screen pixelates and freezes. Slow internet can be frustrating, and paying for a faster connection can get pricey. So I looked into ways to increase internet speed before having to up the cost. WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT Bear with me – this is quite technical! The most popular National Broadband Network tiers are NBN 25, 50 and 100. According to competition regulator the ACCC, the…

AUSSIE REAL LIFE As my feet pounded the pavement, endorphins surged through my body. With five kilometres down, I was halfway through my morning run. Keep pushing on, I reminded myself. As a 72-year-old grandmother of 22 and great-grandmother of one, I never imagined I’d be a seasoned runner, but the truth is I’d never felt fitter. I’d taken up the hobby aged 60, while I was still working as a nurse. My kids Steven, then 40, Sheree, 38, Matthew, 34 and Mark, 33, as well as my sons’ wives, Lisa, Grainne and Clare, and their children, had been my inspiration, after they’d started going for runs together earlier that year. How hard could it be? I thought. Floating the idea by my hubby Neil, then 66, he was…

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