Many of us are living with high levels of stress, from the demands of a ‘perfect’ lifestyle, with the expectation that we have to live up to the Picture Book imagery of the immaculate Mother with the beautifully turned out kids, running her own business from home whilst doing the school run and cooking the perfectly organic healthy recipes, cooked from scratch of course. Sounds familiar? It could be you or your offspring, if you have grown up kids, oh and being the perfect Grandma also comes with its challenges.
If you are trying to live up to any of the above, you will be feeling the strain, and any small event could tip you over the edge if you aspire to these heights of perfection.
The one thing we all want to avoid is reaching for the gin bottle at the end of the day, or pouring that extra glass of wine or God forbid, take up smoking again.
You definitely do not want to take medication to calm you down either, and so we are giving you some support with some healthy ideas to help you through the day (and night!).
One last tip, stop trying to be perfect – you won’t score any brownie points, and will be a lot happier in the long run.
Here are our top buys, please consult your GP before taking any herbal products in case of any
interactions with any medication you are already taking.
THE NEW PEOPLE’S PRINCESS – THE FAIRYTALE GOES ON by Dee Anderson – Editor in Chief
If I had written the script it couldn’t seem more imagined, giving the illusion of a far stretched soap opera.
Prince meets young female aristocrat over thirty years ago, they have a fantasy Wedding which ends in disaster with her untimely death due to the incessant pursuit of the Paparazzi and the philandering of her husband who is still in love with his ex-lover.
Cut to present day, and the offspring heir of the Prince and young Princess meets the girl of his dreams who is a beautiful Hollywood screen Actress, and happens to be the same age as his mother when she died.
You really couldn’t write it as they say, but we have and it is a reality – but closer to a reality TV show. Perhaps this is why the World have gone Harry and Meghan crazy and why even luke-warm Royalists like myself are mesmerised by the couple and have hung on their every word since their engagement six months ago.
They certainly appear like a couple who have fallen deeply in love and so far Meghan has not put a foot wrong, in spite of the wicked half Brother and Sister who have tried to scupper her happiness at every turn.
See how the story is playing out, with echoes of Cinderella or any other ancient fable or fairytale. It is all in there – and dare I say Doria, even echoing aspects of the Fairy Godmother (even though Meghan’s real Mother) who seemed to emerge to save the day at the end of a hellish week for poor Meghan, with her estranged family and friends trying to relegate her back into oblivion by denouncing her credibility.
The Father of the Prince, in the form of Prince Charles was even pardoned for his earlier in discrepancies as he escorted his new daughter-in-law down the aisle in place of her Father, who had been unfortunately ill advised (probably by the rival siblings) to sell his story to the media, and was recovering from heart surgery
Harry has certainly been the Prince is shining ‘amour’ gazing adoringly at her throughout the reading of their vows at their Wedding in the Chapel in Windsor, and we all wept and cheered as they were finally pronounced Man and Wife.
There were certainly similarities of Diana in the outpouring of emotion from the crowds outside the Chapel and how the Nation tuned in and lined the Streets to catch a glimpse of the romantic pair. In spite of the former disappointment and the sins of their fathers, as a Nation we forgave and forgot and hope that the future will hold more happiness for the magical pair.
It certainly seems that the Prince and Meghan are well matched, with their maturity, interests and powerful love for each other as beautifully announced by the charismatic American Preacher, Michael Curry. Harry and Meghan want to change the world, and we all feel that they are capable of doing just that.
So does the story end here in the Happily Ever After, I certainly hope not, and I for one will be waiting with bated breath to be glued to the next spellbinding Series.
As the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry draws ever closer, excitement is reaching fever pitch.
The happy couple are having a lemon and elderflower wedding cake made by a London baker, Hackney-based baker Claire Ptak has been selected to make Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding cake.
She will make a lemon elderflower cake which will be smothered in buttercream and decorated with fresh flowers.
The recipe for the wedding cake will no doubt be bespoke and kept secret ahead of the wedding on May 19.
Here is Claire going through the stages of making the cake of the year
But you can create your own lemon and elderflower drizzle cake if you want to have a taste of what the couple will experience on the day..
Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/Gas Mark 4. Grease a 20cm round, deep, loose-based tin and line with baking parchment.
Place the butter, sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl. Use an electric whisk to beat the butter and sugar together until they are pale and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, whisking well between additions and adding 2 tbsp of the flour with the last egg – this will prevent curdling.
Sift over the remaining flour, then gently fold in with a metal spoon along with 2 tbsp hot water. Spoon into the prepared tin, level the surface and bake for 45-50mins or until it is shrinking away from the sides of the tin. A fine skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. Cool in the tin for 5 mins.
Squeeze the lemon juice, then sieve to remove the bits, and stir in the cordial. Use a fine skewer to prick the cake all over. Pour over the syrup, then sprinkle over the sugar – it should sink in but leave a crunchy crust.
Alternatively decorate the top with a thin glaze made from icing sugar and lemon juice. Add edible flowers.
Leave to cool completely before removing the cake from the tin
September 29, 2026 1899 Sir Billy Butlin 1913 Stanley Kramer 1916 Trevor Howard 1931 Anita Ekberg 1935 Jerry Lee Lewis 1942 Ian McShane 1943 Lech Walensa 1946 Patricia Hodge 1956 Lord (Sebastian) Coe 1968 Luke Goss 1968 Matt Goss 1970 Emily Lloyd
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