Table of contents for 1-Apr-2025 in Woman's Weekly

In raptures over raptors I was fascinated to read Louise Midgley’s Nature Notes on page 5. When we lived in London, wild parakeets were ever-present in our garden. Now we have kites, like Louise, but also buzzards soaring above us in the thermals and, very rarely, a glimpse of a huge white-tailed eagle visiting Exmoor. The old couple who lived here before us were obviously keen birdwatchers, and their Birds of Britain book is still in the cottage. But it has no mention of a white-tailed eagle because they didn’t exist in the UK when it was published. Now, joyfully, there are about 300 in Scotland, and like the osprey, another great success, breeding south of the border.…

According to the song, in olden days a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking. Growing up in the ‘good to glow’ tanning heyday of the past century, I similarly felt that a glimpse of the snowy skin above my ankle line would cause folk to tsk tsk and shudder. Tending to the translucent, my friends and I tried every trick in the book to enter a golden age – going for gold. Unable to move to California, we’d read Jackie magazine’s ‘Tanning tips to make you a sunshine sizzler!’ and devised our own methods, spending summer holidays in the noonday sun with butter rubbed into our faces. Of course, it never worked. Ever strangers to organic tanning products or the word ‘gradual’, we’d just turn lobster red…

Spicy chicken and peanut stir-fry Rustle up this speedy number using leftover chicken or cook from scratch (see Cook’s Tip). SERVES 3-4 PREP 5 mins COOK 8 mins ✱ 1tbsp cooking oil✱ 1 garlic clove, crushed✱ ½ red chilli, seeds removed, chopped✱ 2tbsp fish sauce✱ 275g cabbage, shredded✱ 200g Tenderstem broccoli✱ Bunch spring onions, sliced diagonally✱ 300g ready-to-wok noodles✱ 2tbsp toasted sesame oil✱ 200g cooked chicken, cut into strips✱ 50g peanuts or cashews, finely chopped✱ Juice 1 lime✱ 3tbsp soy sauce 1 Heat the oil, stir-fry the garlic and chilli for 1 min. Add the fish sauce, cabbage and broccoli; fry for 3 mins or until tender. 2 Add the spring onions, noodles, sesame oil and chicken, and toss everything together. Cook for 2-3 mins before adding the nuts, lime…

Coping with AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER The term Asperger’s is no longer used, the disorder now falling under this broader category Asperger’s diagnosis was previously applied to autistic people who were verbal, without general learning disabilities but had average, or above average, intelligence, some calling this ‘high-functioning’ autism, a lifelong developmental spectrum condition affecting how people communicate/interact with the world in different ways. One in 67 people are autistic, and the number is increasing. They can face significant, often hidden, challenges. The cause is unknown. There may be a genetic link but it’s not caused by bad parenting, vaccines (such as MMR), diet or infections. Some need help with daily life or suffer other conditions, such as ADHD, dyslexia, anxiety, depression or epilepsy. Being autistic means your brain works differently but…

GOLDEN HIT Can it really be 50 years since Queen released Bohemian Rhapsody? The answer is yes – and to celebrate that anniversary, a candlelit concert featuring 25 of the band’s greatest hits will be performed on 8 April at the London Palladium. With West End performers on vocals and a rock band playing, it should be a night to remember. ✱ concertsbycandlelight.com Breeding boom This acrobatic bearded tit looks right at home in the reed beds of RSPB Blacktoft Sands, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Careful management of these special wetlands has led to a hugely successful year for the birds, with 500 chicks raised by 120 parent pairs. Bitterns, cranes and spoonbills are also flourishing in the environment, which brings other natural benefits such as locking in…

Of all the honours that can be bestowed on a public figure, can anything compare to having a rose named after you? Growers may develop a rose that fits a celebrity’s character, or involve them in choosing the colour, fragrance and habit of the plant that will bear their name. And a rose by any name will always bring beauty to a garden. FICTIONAL BEAUTY Bathsheba This rose is named after Bathsheba Everdene, Thomas Hardy’s bewitching heroine in Far from the Madding Crowd, who is loved by three men. After rejecting steady Gabriel Oak, she marries the dashing Sergeant Troy, who is already secretly betrothed. Dour landowner Mr Boldwood also falls under her spell – with fatal results. In yellow and apricot, the Rosa ‘Bathsheba’ climbing rose from David Austin…

IF YOU WANT… to heal damage Heat styling, colouring and general neglect can cause hair to become weak and damaged. Luckily, there are plenty of affordable products that will help revive your tresses. Start with a specialist restoring shampoo, like Monday Repair Keratin Shampoo, £5, Sainsbury’s, which contains keratin, argan oil and cocoa butter to strengthen strands. PS… Bond Pro-Repair Intensive Moisture Hair Mask, £4.50, Primark, helps rebuild your hair by strengthening weak ends. The intensive mask improves hydration, while also working to prevent future damage. IF YOU WANT… bouncy, defined curls One thing curls crave is moisture and they need more of it than straight hair types. Invest in a good-quality treatment, such as Only Curls Deep Hydration Hair Mask, £24, onlycurls.com, which has a richer formula…

Can I tame my anxiety? Q I’ve been working as a teacher for more than 15 years. Whenever I’m asked to take a different class or teach a new part of the curriculum, I find myself becoming anxious. Part of me knows that I can adapt my work, learn new things and teach well. Then the other part takes over. When I tell others how worried I am, they have little sympathy, as they know my skills. How do I stop this happening? Jessica, Luton A It sounds like you have a habit of catastrophising when you have something new to do. It’s always a bit anxiety-making when we’re faced with a new task, but if we’re aware of our inner resources, we can call on these and…

The Last Days of Summer by Sarra Manning (£22, HB, Hodder & Stoughton) As far as Cassie is concerned, Marc is an awful person. Never mind his cheekbones and French accent, or the fact that her best friends think the world of him. Fast-forward a few years and, following a tragedy, Cassie and Marc join forces to plan a special weekend to celebrate their friends, while pretending to be madly in love. Will four days creating magical memories together be enough to help Cassie let go of the past? A swoon-worthy summer romance. I Would Die for You by Sandie Jones (£9.99, PB, Pan Macmillan) Anyone who ever had a crush on a pop star may sympathise with Cassie, whose fascination with lead singer Ben Edwards, when she was 16,…

ARIES 21 MAR – 20 APR Stop worrying about what other people think of you. You’re a natural leader with many wonderful innovative ideas. It’s time for you to show the way. TAURUS 21 APR – 21 MAY You may receive a surprise gift or bonus. New financial possibilities abound. Time to reap the fruits of your work. GEMINI 22 MAY – 21 JUN Health and wellbeing are the focus this week. You may wish to overhaul your diet and your eating habits. Establishing a routine is easier now. CANCER 22 JUN – 23 JUL Are you living by someone else’s ideals or your own? You have a unique direction which is waiting to be expressed. LEO 24 JUL – 23 AUG Actively look for ways in which you can…

‘The downtime helped me find a new vocation’ Counsellor and editor Kay Thomas, 58, lives in Bromley, London, with her husband and three grown-up children. When the pandemic hit, my husband was made redundant, my work dried up, and I spent a lot of time online. Bored and scrolling social media, I spotted a post by an acquaintance who was working as a school counsellor, supporting children of key workers. It piqued my interest – she was doing something of value. I researched what qualifications were required, and enrolled on an introductory counselling course. Many of my skills were transferable and, with a background in journalism, I have a keen interest in people. ‘I can still make a difference’ I started the course between lockdowns, but by week three, I…

MY HEALTHY LIFE Clem Haxby is a qualified nutritional adviser. My fail-safe remedy My weeks generally run at a million miles per hour, so I try not to overcomplicate my idea of a ‘remedy’. It needs to be realistic and something I can access if I really need to recharge. So a night in with home-cooked pasta, a rerun of a Nigella Lawson cooking show and an early night. My favourite meal A lentil dal topped with everything you can imagine for a burst of goodness – creamy coconut yogurt, mango chutney, pickled onions and a pile of fresh herbs. Spooned from a bowl, of course. I’m not a vegetarian, but I do love a dish that leaves you loaded up with plants. If I’m being totally truthful with you,…

1 BEGIN BY EDITING AND ORGANISING Sort any items you want to get rid of into piles to sell, donate or recycle. For donations, book a charity collection such as Anglo Doorstep Collections. With selling, it’s best to give yourself a deadline to sell items by, so the pile doesn’t mount up. Anything that you can’t shift in time can move into the donation pile. 2 SORT YOUR BEDSIDE TABLE It’s the last thing we see when going to sleep and the first thing when we wake up, so keep it visually calm with just the essentials. If your bedside table doesn’t provide storage, stow a roomy basket underneath for overspill. ✱ Dark fabric storage bedside table, £40, Next 3 FIND A HOME FOR EVERYTHING Cluttered surfaces have a big…

Difficulty level MEASUREMENTS To fit bust 81 (86) (91) (97)cm/32 (34) (36) (38)in. Actual measurements 82.5 (88.5) (94) (100)cm/32½ (34¾) (37) (39¼)in. Side seam All sizes 33cm/13in. Length including saddle shoulder 51 (52) (53) (54)cm/20 (20½) (20¾) (21¼)in. Short sleeve seam All sizes 5cm/2in. MATERIALS 9 (10) (11) (12) x 50g (62m) balls of King Cole Superfine Alpaca Chunky (100% pure superfine alpaca) in Camel (2691)*. Pair of 6.5mm (No. 3) knitting needles and a 5.5mm (No. 5) short circular knitting needle; 3 stitch holders; stitch marker; spare needles. TENSION 14 stitches and 20 rows to 10x10cm, over stocking stitch, using 6.5mm needles. ABBREVIATIONS Inc, increase (by working twice into the same st); k, knit; p, purl; skpo, slip 1, k1, pass slipped stitch over (to decrease 1 st); ss,…

Wordwise You have 15 minutes to find as many words as possible using the letters in the grid. Each word must contain four or more letters, one of which must be the central square. No proper nouns, plurals or foreign words are allowed. There is one nine-letter word, for which the clue is: Staleness, stuffiness. Average= 15 more than 35 = well done SUDOKU To solve this puzzle, fill in the grid so that each 3 x 3 box, each row and each column contains the numbers 1-9. YOU CAN WORK IT OUT... LINKWORDS Fit 10 words into the grid so that each links with the end of the word on its left and the beginning of the one on the right. Then unscramble the letters in the shaded squares…

The trouble with having a naughty little sister is that we sensible, responsible and entirely respectable older sisters tend to get rather overshadowed. You find a boy you quite like, you seem to get on, he is spending a lot of time with you, and one day he says, ‘Oh, Rosie, you must introduce me to your sister. Do you think she’d like to go out with me?’ Yes, Derek Grainger, I’m talking about you. You settle down with a reliable young man who works in the family hardware store – and does your sister follow your example? No, she does not. She marries a racy accountant, moves to the Middle East with him, and before you know it, they’re divorced and she’s worth something in the region of the…