Pick Me Up!

As my dog Eddie sat patiently in front of me, I fastened up his special bandana. ‘There,’ I smiled. ‘You’re ready now.’ My five-year-old black Labrador wasn’t just any woofer – he had a special job. Eddie was a Pets as Therapy dog. Ever since he was a pup, I knew he’d be perfect for the role – he was much calmer and gentler than my two other labs, Luther and Albert. So as soon as he was old enough, I signed him up. Taking him to the nursery where I worked, the kids loved him and found stroking him so soothing. “Their faces light up when they see him” But I truly realised the significance of Eddie’s job when my mum Lesley, 79, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in…

Foodie finds Stock up for your Halloween party with this spooky grub… “Make sure you’ve got plenty of sweets for trick-treaters!” GET IN TOUCH Send us your stories and photos, including all names and ages, a daytime phone number and full address. E-mail hello@pickmeupmag.co.uk WRITE TO Pick Me Up! Media Centre, Emma-Chris Way, Abbey Wood Park, Filton, Bristol, BS34 7JU PHONE 0117 440 0607 FACEBOOK facebook.com/pickmeupmag SEE OUR WEBSITE lifedeathprizes.com Future Publishing Limited reserves the right to reuse any submission sentto Pick Me Up! magazine, in any format or medium. Unfortunately, we can’t return photos without a stampedsae. Letters/photos must not be sent to any other publication. DON’T MISS OUR PICK ME UP! NOVEMBER SPECIAL OUT NOW! Fun day out What was that eight-legged monster scuttling across the floor…? It’s not…

Here’s my baby daughter Bunnie, three months, her way to trickor-treating. She’s dressed as a ‘titchy witchy’ and loves getting into the Halloween spirit! Gemma Davies, Gloucester My dog Frankie needed a rub down after a wet walk – I think the white towel makes him look like a ghost! Susan, Horncastle My kids adore Halloween – here they are posing as various zombies. Rachel, Keynsham Me and my mates decided to do a group outfit last Halloween – what do you think of our Viking getup? We got some strange looks on the train! Julie, Rye Flying Flowers If your letter makes Star Letter of the week, you will receive some beautiful blooms from Flying Flowers. With over 30 years’ experience of helping celebrate life’s special moments and FREE delivery by post, a gorgeous bouquet…

Seeing my phone flash, excitement bubbled in my belly.  I’ve thought of a date idea for us, the message read. And scanning the text, it felt like something from a movie. Let me take you to Manhattan on Christmas Eve. We can go and see the Rockefeller Tree. I could tell that Pawel, then 20, was a real romantic. Matching on Tinder in mid-December 2020, I’d only been single for two months. He was a real romantic at heart I wasn’t looking for anything. However, Pawel was stylish, confident, flirty and knew how to keep the conversation flowing. It turned out, he lived a 30-second drive from me in Bergen County, US, too. We did have a few mutual friends, even though he was three years older than me. He…

Spooktacular Halloween at Drayton Manor Birmingham, West Midlands This Halloween, Drayton Manor is brewing up a cauldron of fearful fun. The park transforms their playground into a spook-tacular scene with fang-tastic frights for everyone. Brave souls can enter the Carnival of Spooks, a walk-through experience to meet Witchy Woo and her creepy friends. Find treats on your way! You can also try the Hay Bale Trail, watch an array of shows and of course hop on the hair-raising rides, too. • On now until 3 November. Tickets from £15. To book, visit: draytonmanor.co.uk Halloween at Leeds Castle Maidstone, Kent Looking for a spooky adventure? Leeds Castle has a spine-chilling quest for you. Enter the mystical grounds and embark on an interactive journey across the historic land. Help find Rocky, the…

Heading to the aircraft hangar, I felt an impending sense of doom. Come on, Pip, I told myself. You can do this. I was doing a charity skydive – but it wasn’t the thought of jumping out of a plane that scared me. It was the plane itself. Because 25 years ago, my dad Gerry and grandad Larry were killed in a plane crash. Seeing a light aircraft sat in the hangar, prepared for takeoff, I shuddered. I hadn’t even seen one since the accident – and now I was about to step foot on one again. “‘They’ve gone to heaven,’ Mum told me” I’ve never been a confident flier, but flying was Dad’s passion. He and my mum Christine, now 65, ran a business together and were grafters –…