Christmas is exactly 100 days away, but the gifts are already here – in the shape of advent calendars.

Cult Beauty, Liberty, Glossybox and lookfantastic have all released details of the makeup goodies to be expected this year, while Lush and B&M are all about bath bombs.

Meanwhile, Nivea wants you to focus on your skin this year.

The brand has just released not one but two advent calendars filled to the brim with skincare products.

The calendars have some similiarities – each costs £40 and has 24 doors, but the the packaging designs differ somewhat, as do the products offered within.

While the first one, known as the ‘House’ calendar features daily skin treats and is sold exclusively at Amazon, the ‘Winter Wonders’ calendar offers ‘sumptuous indulgences’ and can only be found in Morrisons.

Regardless of which one you choose, you will still walk away with 18 full-sized items, and six ‘beauty bonuses’ – so it’s a win-win situation.

From face masks to creams, lip butter to body sponges, each calendar has everything you need to keep your skin soft and smooth throughout December.

The cold weather will start before the holidays get going and your skin will likely be affected.

Thankfully, we’ve got you covered with our tips and tricks on how to adapt to a new season.

If you get both calendars, you could also open the doors to one of them early to start your new skincare routine.

After all, you have a back-up.

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Good oral sex is amazing. But bad oral sex is, well, horrible.

Everybody wants to get oral sex right – but for some people, it’s just not their strong point. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get better at it, as long as your partner is open and honest with you about what they like and vice versa.

But some women have had some pretty unfortunate experiences of oral sex, and they’ve shared them with us, so that we can laugh, cringe and cry along with them.

Here’s what they said.

‘He thought it was an expert level move’

‘I had a guy motorboat my labia thinking it was an expert-level move. Noises and all.’

‘She had really long, sharp nails’

‘I had a woman go down on me once in a gay bar, and she kept focusing on my entrance rather than my clit and trying to use her fingers on me (she had really long, sharp nails).

‘I eventually faked an orgasm because I couldn’t stand the thought of five more minutes being prodded and poked by them.’

‘The worst oral sex I had was none at all’

‘The worst oral I ever had was in fact the no-oral-at-all for 18 months from my then bf who couldn’t bring himself to do it. I pity his now-wife, knowing she will never get it.

‘Actually, I tell a lie, he did it once using a dental dam and I can tell you that being licked through plastic is utterly pointless.’

‘He had really terrible veneers’

‘I was getting oral off a guy I’d fancied for years and years but he had just got really terrible veneers and his tongue wasn’t long enough to get round them.

‘Long story short I had big horse-like veneers resting on my vagina whilst his tongue didn’t get anywhere near it for a good 15 minutes.’

‘He thought he was amazing at it’

‘Once had this guy who kept pausing his below average cunnilingus skills to tell me why he was so amazing at it.

‘”I’m so good at cunnilingus because I enjoy it so much!” he said before returning to lick my clit like a cheap ice lolly. Then he’d take a break a few seconds after to tell me how much fun he was having.

‘Well, at least one of us was having fun.’

‘She bit me’

‘One time I was on a cruise and I met this girl. On the last day she went down on me and started biting my actual vagina like the p**** lips.

‘I almost started crying because of how painful it was becoming. I didn’t even finish because she was biting my p****.

‘After she was done she said I had no emotion while being eaten and I said “maybe that’s because you were biting my p****.” she didn’t take me seriously.

‘Anyways my vagina was swollen for the rest of the day and I couldn’t pee.’

‘He’d cooked with jalapenos’

‘Oral story. Guy had cooked with/touched and eaten jalapenos. So between mouth and fingers, my hoohah was on fire! For hours.’

‘He threw up all over me’

‘I once finally found myself alone and drunk with a guy I’d fancied for a long ass time! And the tension needed to be resolved.

‘We finally broke the ice and started making out, things went fast and we took a taxi home to his. The taxi was pretty sickly and rough considering how drunk we were and once we were home he stripped off my clothes and pushed me on the bed.

‘I couldn’t believe my luck as this was finally happening after so long, he kissed me from lips all the way down to my vagina, and after about 20 seconds of cunnilingus… threw up all over my bottom torso.

‘Let’s just say I cleaned myself and gladly did the walk of shame home.’

‘He sticks his tongue in my vagina’

‘Boyfriend routinely sticks his tongue in my vagina hole thinking I enjoy it – can’t feel a thing but pretend to because I don’t wanna hurt his feelings! ‘

‘He wouldn’t eat’

‘He basically just would not eat. I had washed before hand, I smelled amazing and he wouldn’t get in there.

‘A couple of tip of the tongue touches and he was out. I only cum from clit stimulation, it was disappointing from there onwards.’

‘There was spit everywhere’

‘My ex of seven years once spit on my clit while giving oral and there was so much saliva running down that I shrieked and had to clean up. I never let him go down on me again.

‘In hindsight, he was never that good at it to begin with.’

More biting over here…

‘It was the day I lost my virginity and so i didn’t really have a clue on what I would like. The boy pretty much had to do all the work. When he went down on me he kind of started to lick around but it didn’t feel good and suddenly I felt this sharp pain.

‘Apparently he thought it was a good idea for him to bite my clit. I yelped and asked what did he do that for. His response was “a lot girls like that.”

‘The rest of the experience was short and he ended up leaving quickly, which was a good sign because it started out terribly.’

‘He fell asleep between my legs’

‘My ex got absolutely drunk one night, wanted to “please me” and fell asleep between my legs. I’d move thinking he was trying to be sensual or draw things out –  he’d wake up and start again.

‘I had to tell him I was tired so we’d just go to bed. Still one of the most awkward things I’ve experienced – having someone asleep *right there*. No thank you.’

‘He kept licking my pee hole’

‘Worst oral sex was with my ex. Him on me, he kept licking my pee hole and flicking it and mistaking my jerks of pain for jerks of pleasure! That is not my clit you moron.’

‘He was told to spell out the alphabet’

‘I’ve got a good one. So this guy I was seeing had never given oral before, so he’d had a word with his mates for advice. They told him to spell out the alphabet and that the different shapes would feel good.

‘He apparently didn’t get that they meant to do this with his TONGUE, so he was basically just whispering the alphabet against my nunny. I just kinda lay there like – erm okay? Then I spoke to his friends after and realised his mistake ‘

‘I came on my period’

‘I once came on my period as someone was performing oral on me. It was dark, we were both tipsy and I hadn’t calculated my cycle properly.

‘It wasn’t until he resurfaced that I witnessed what appeared to be cannibalism and was truly mortified! I tried to maintain a poker face and unsubtly wiped his face with my discarded clothes. The night ended pretty swiftly after that and we never spoke again.’

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You’ve probably heard about sickle cell disease – but you might not know what sickle cell trait is. Even if you have it yourself.

Sickle cell trait (SCT) isn’t technically a disease, it means you’re a carrier of the disease – and you are unlikely to experience the severe symptoms seen with sickle cell – but there are risk factors and too many people aren’t even aware of their sickle cell status.

Sickle cell disease is an inherited condition that affects the red blood cells. It’s particularly common in people with African or Caribbean heritage and attacks can cause debilitating pain and long-term organ damage.

SCT means that you have inherited the genetic abnormality that causes sickle cell disease from one of your parents. It doesn’t mean you have the disease – as you would have to have inherited it from both parents – but you could pass on the trait to your own child.

I found out I had sickle cell trait when I was 18 and I had just given blood for the first time.

My reward for the most selfless act teenage me had ever undertaken was a terrifying letter in the post explaining that I had sickle cell trait and that it ‘shouldn’t’ impact my quality of life or lifespan.

I was baffled to be honest. And a follow up appointment with my GP did little to clarify things. I was given some vague advice about avoiding altitude and was sent on my way.

Somewhere along the line I must’ve been given the impression that I wasn’t allowed to give blood – a myth that was only dispelled last week when I donated for the first time since my diagnosis.

My overarching impression is that sickle cell trait isn’t entirely understood by the medical profession and as a result, confused and contradictory information is being passed down to patients.

A simple Google search will range from telling you that having SCT can be ‘just as deadly’ as sickle cell anaemia, to people with sickle cell trait can ‘live a normal life’.

The uncertainty around sickle cell trait is a real problem because, not only can it leave people with SCT vulnerable to certain health risks, but a lack of information can also increase your chance of passing on the illness to your child – which could put their life at risk.

Lou Mensah is the host of Shade podcast and a carrier of SCT. Like me, she was under the false impression that carriers were unable to give blood.

‘In 1982, my sister and I went for blood tests (back then sickle cell was a relatively new thing to offer a test for). Soon after, mum told us that I had sickle cell trait,’ explains Lou.

‘She wasn’t given any info about it really, so I didn’t have any info at all. It’s only when I gave birth to my daughter 26 yrs later that I remembered about my carrier status and made sure that my daughter was checked.

‘She was negative. But I’m amazed at the lack of information that’s out there for carriers.’

Lou carried out all the research herself and managed to find out the information she needed, but she says she had no support from any healthcare professionals or any follow-up checks.

‘I dread to think how it could pan out for carriers who also have no information and then pass the trait on unknowingly to their children,’ says Lou.

‘I am very grateful to sickle cell advocates and nurses, like Elizabeth Anionwu – the first sickle cell nurse in the UK – who have dedicated their lives to sharing knowledge and support for carriers.’

What are the risks for people with sickle cell trait?

All I remember from my diagnosis is that I should be wary of going to places with high altitude, and that I have to tell the doctors about it if I have a general anaesthetic.

The internet seems to throw up more questions than answers, so I decided to go direct to a specialist.

‘People with sickle cell trait have one abnormal gene for haemoglobin, and one normal one,’ explains Dr Clare Morrison, GP and medical advisor at Medexpress. ‘Although it’s rare for the trait to cause problems, it’s important to know if you have it.

‘The main concern is the risk of having a child with sickle cell disease, if both parents carry the abnormal gene. If in doubt it is possible for prospective parents to find out if they carry the sickle cell gene, via a simple blood test.’

Dr Morrison explains that there are prenatal tests available for pregnant women, to see if the condition has been inherited. She also says that sadly there is no cure for sickle cell disease.

‘Although sickle cell trait is much less problematic than full blown sickle cell disease, it does occasionally have some health consequences.

‘Studies show that sickle cell trait is a risk factor for blood clots (thromboembolic disease). This includes a higher risk of pulmonary embolism during pregnancy, and also with long haul flights, for example.

‘Other studies show that those with sickle cell trait are more at risk of sudden death when undertaking very heavy physical exercise. This is because, at extremes of dehydration and exhaustion, the trait may cause red blood cells to become sickle-shaped.’

As someone who loves sport and fitness – this is a particularly shocking revelation. It suggests to me that it should be essential for young athletes with African and Caribbean heritage to be aware of their SCT status in order to mitigate this risk.

‘Extremely low oxygen levels can also cause problems, for example on a depressurised aircraft, or at high altitude,’ continues Dr Morrison. ‘In these conditions, there is a risk of splenic infarct (a blood clot in the blood supply to the spleen). Symptoms include pain in the left side of the chest and abdomen.

‘Although rare, sickle cell trait also increases the risk of a type of kidney cancer called renal medullary carcinoma.’

Danielle has sickle cell trait, but she knows very little about it. In fact, she had to check with her mum to confirm if she actually did carry the condition.

‘My mother actually told me that sickle cell trait is why I’m here today.

‘She had to have me at the maternity hospital instead of at the local hospital so they could test me for the condition. If I had been born at the local hospital, I might not have made it as she had to have an emergency c-section and there was no operating theatre there.

‘I remember being told it can make flying in an airplane uncomfortable due to the shape of the blood cells as they move through your body. My mum told me that I tested okay at birth, but when I had my one year check up in the States, it was picked up then.’

Danielle has never spoken to her doctor about having SCT as an adult and she finds it disconcerting how little she knows about the risks.

‘If I wish to have children in the future, it’s something I would definitely bring up with my doctor as a precaution.’

The official line on sickle cell trait is that it is a benign condition, but there have been calls to reclassify SCT as an illness.

A 2005 study said that SCT has been ‘misconstrued’ as harmless, ‘despite a vast literature associating it with morbidity and mortality.’

The study called for the condition to be regarded in a similar way to diabetes or hypertension, but researchers did concede that more long-term studies were needed to justify this reclassification.

If you’re concerned about sickle cell trait, book an appointment with your GP. You can organise a blood test if you aren’t clear of your SCT status.

The Sickle Cell Society is a fantastic resource for people with the illness, with SCT or for family members and carers.

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Like us, you are probably perched at your desk exhausted and hangry.

‘Why didn’t I got to sleep at 10pm?’ you ask yourself. Advice: stop asking yourself, because we all know our sleep habits are unlikely to change – especially if you’re one of those perpetually busy, urbanite types.

To help us get a little more kip in the office, the lovely guys and gals at Uplift Desk have invented a wondrous thing called the Under Desk Hammock (which is literally exactly what it sounds like).

The point? To give your sleep-deprived self some much needed shut-eye during your working day.

Designed to attach to the brand’s bespoke standing desk (yes, your boss will need to fork out for a new one for you), it provides a sling for comfy hanging whilst you are in the thick of it all.

Sounds amazing.

To assemble, all you have to do is simply clip the thing on to your new and very sturdy UPLIFT V2 frame using the included carabiners.

Don’t worry, it’s not as complex as it sounds. Just install the two anchor plates using the provided mounting points and voila! You’re all set.

Though it may take some persuasion, remind your boss that 2019 is the year of wellness, so if you need some quick Zs, you have every right to snooze during your lunch break.

Plus think of the hilarious Instagram captions, that’s more than enough reason to fork out $55 to get your hands (and head) on one.

The nifty thing currently comes in two colours – blue and grey – and ships worldwide.

What’s better is that if you are on the lookout for somewhere to stash your phone and other valuables in the office, the hammock comes fully equipped with a handy storage bag.

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London Fashion Week is in full swing and most people have their eyes firmly fixed on the catwalk, but there is plenty of fashion going on elsewhere.

To celebrate the occasion, The Hilton Hotel on Park Lane is paying homage to Karl Lagerfeld and hosting a couture-themed afternoon tea until 22 September.

The infamous designer, who was the creative director for Chanel, died earlier this year.

In true Karl style, the menu screams luxury with delicacies such as a handmade mandarin praline ‘handbag’, as well as a blood orange and white chocolate cake with the designer’s face drawn on top – including his signature bun and big sunglasses.

Guests can also enjoy coconut macarons, scones, pastries, sandwiches and fondant fancies.

To quench your thirst, you can choose from a selection of speciality teas from Hope and Glory, all sourced from ethical growers, in flavours like Masala Chai, Red Velvet or Jasmine Pearls.

‘We look forward to welcoming guests to experience an exciting, fashion-filled afternoon eea at Podium, respectfully inspired by fashion house, Chanel,’ said executive chef and creator of the dishes’, Anthony Marshall.

The afternoon tea experience costs £39 per person, but guests who truly want to honour Karl’s memory can upgrade to the deluxe version – which includes champagne – and costs £49.

Go for the champers, it’s what Karl would have wanted (after all, there are rumours that his cat received baths in the beverage).

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Have you ever heard of Greater Adria? Chances are you haven’t.

It is (or rather, was) a lost continent roughly the size of Greenland that has just been discovered in southern Europe.

Evidence of its existence has just been released in the scientific journal Gondwana Research, which suggests that Adria was a giant landmass that first split from what is now France, Spain and North Africa.

Sadly, shifting tectonic plates pulled the former continent down into the depths of the Earth’s subduction zones (where our planet forces one slab of crust on top of the other) and Adria was no more.

Most of it was destroyed in the Earth’s super hot mantle, but what remains is surprisingly still very visible today.

Rewind back to the glory days of school and you may recall how the mystical things we call mountains are formed. Many of the world’s great mountainous regions, including the likes of the Alps, Andes and Canadian Rockies, were formed as a result of the Earth’s tectonic plates smashing together.

For the sake of a quick science recap, when two tectonic plates converge, their edges can crumple and create huge slabs of rock that are eventually forced through the Earth’s crust and form, you guessed it, a mountain.

Fascinatingly, the tectonic remnants of Adria went on to form all the incredible mountains you now see piercing the sky in the Alps, Balkans, Greece, Italy and Turkey.

So, why did it take scientists so long to discover it?

Europe’s geological structure is just as complex as its politics. Evidence of the former continent’s existence is spread over some 30 countries and mapping it proved to be an extremely complex task that encompassed several mapping and data techniques from scientists all over the Eurasian plate.

The success of the latest find is thanks to a decades’ worth of research which included technological, geological and geophysical data from across the region.

In addition to discovering it, scientists and geologists also found other remains of Greater Adria from rocky relics in the Istria region of Croatia and in southern Italy, specifically within the heel section of the country’s famous ‘boot’.

With ski season coming up, it’s more or less the perfect excuse to travel and see Adria up close.

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The phrase expectation versus reality comes to mind a lot when making online purchases.

Shannon Harris, a blogger who is set to get married soon, took the risk and ordered a bunch of cheap wedding dresses from e-tailer Wish.

She also decided to film the whole thing and trialled the budget gowns for her YouTube channel.

Some of the styles – strapless, lace, glistening – looked incredible on the models when advertised on the website.

But, as expected, they didn’t have quite the same effect in real life.

Shannon, who is from New Zealand, soon learned that the dresses were not as breathtaking as they were in the photos – one of them was even see-through, leaving her bum and belly button exposed.

‘You can literally see my arse,’ the blogger squealed to her three million YouTube subscribers.

In the video, titled ‘Trying on Wish wedding dresses! DISASTER’, Sharon tried on the women’s V-neck Off Shoulder Wedding Dress.

At first, she compliments the ‘high quality’ zip and soft fabric, but then she realises that it’s made from a thin, sheer material.

She said: ‘You can see through to my beige underwear. It’s just way too see-through to be actually wearable.

‘You can literally see my arse. It’s not a good look.

‘It’s very, very booby, I tried to tie it so the straps went up higher but then it makes the back even worse, which keeps riding up.

‘For me this is ill-fitted, it looks skanky.

‘I look like I’m about to go get married in Vegas, but in the bad way, not a cute way.’

Another gown worn in the video is the Women’s Shiny White Wedding Dress, which looks stunning on the model, but when Sharon tries it on, it’s less than glistening.

She also added that it’s ‘itchy’.

‘It makes me look much bigger than I actually am,’ Shannon said.

Shannon isn’t the only one who has tried on Wish wedding outfits. Blogger Tina Yong also donned a few of the retailers’ staples and had the same problem.

One dress was so see-through, Tina had to pixellate all her bits.

Yeah, probably don’t want that kind of attention on your big day.

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Let’s face it, fry-ups are stressful to make.

All that grease, the smells and trying to make sure everything is hot at the same time – it can get a little bit too intense.

One Scottish lady has come up with an ingenious breakfast life hack that will save everyone time in the kitchen.

Ara Haddon uploaded a photo of her breakfast, all made with the help of her slow cooker, to the Facebook group Slowcooker Recipe & Tips and people are loving it.

‘Been meaning to try it for ages,’ Ara wrote.

‘Verdict: Best. Idea. Ever!

‘This will be us every big breakfast morning.’

She included special instructions on how to speed up the process.

‘Place all breakfast ingredients in the slow cooker like in the photo,’ Ara wrote.

‘Bacon and sausages along the sides so they crisp up (next time I will try using baking paper to help keep them from sticking to the sides).

‘I turned the slow cooker on low at 11pm, I got up at 8am and it looked like it had been ready for a while. We ate at around 9am.’

The only part of cooking the meal that required effort was putting the toast in the toaster, and, of course, frying the eggs.

Ara’s post has since gone viral, after Facebook user Rose Bowler shared it her profile last week and wrote: ‘What an amazing idea someone has shared in the slow cooker group.’

Since then, Ara’s life hack has tallied up 27,000 shares and has been liked almost 9,000 times.

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Wedding dresses, as special as they are, often get exiled to the back of the wardrobe.

Some brides find ways to repurpose it after their special day, and one woman fell in love with her gown so much that she wanted to do something really meaningful with it.

The 38-year-old didn’t want to wear her dream dress just once, so she wore it again, this time for a 3k charity run in honour of her grandmother.

The colour run was organised to raise money for Trinity Hospice in Blackpool, where Natale’s 74-year-old grandmother, Marie, was taken care of before she died in September 2017.

At the event, spectators threw powdered paint on her £1,600 dress.

Natale felt it was all worth it and said: ‘The dress was special anyway, but now it has even more meaning and it looks amazing with all the colours.’

A month before her beloved grandmother passed away, Natale wed husband Warren.

In the two years since their wedding, the dress had been gathering dust, so she decided to give it new life.

She said: ‘It was my dream dress, as soon as I put it on, I started crying.

‘I’d tried about 20 dresses on and this was the last one.

‘It wasn’t what I wanted at all, I thought I was going to go for a 50s style dress but as soon as I put it on, I felt like a princess.’

Natale, a wedding florist, completed the race in June with her family cheering her on from the sidelines.

She said: ‘The dress was so heavy to run in but I loved every minute of it.

‘I have no regrets about it.’

Natale now plans to frame her new multicoloured dress and hang it at the top of her stairs like a piece of art to commemorate Marie.

She said: ‘My grandma was an artist all her life, she’d been drawing since she was 16 until her last days.

‘Lots of people couldn’t believe what I was doing but my family understood.’

Natale wished granny Marie could’ve seen her complete the race.

She said: ‘If she could have seen me on that colour run she would have absolutely loved it.

‘The dress has even better meaning now.’

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A selfless mother whose daughter was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour at just three-and-a-half months old, donated part of her own liver to save her little girl’s life.

Sophie Barr, 25, didn’t think twice about putting herself forward for the transplant when no donor was available, despite a one-in-200 chance of not making it through the operation.

Her daughter Patricia is now ‘loving life’ and celebrated her first birthday on Tuesday, totally cancer-free.

The youngster was just a few months old when doctors found a tumour on her liver before her condition began to rapidly deteriorate.

She became so poorly her parents took the heartbreaking decision to have her christened in hospital in case she didn’t pull through.

Medics told Patricia’s parents the best course of action to prevent the cancer returning would be a liver transplant and she was put on the UK emergency donor list.

After an agonising wait, a suitable liver was found but medics cancelled the operation while Patricia was already in theatre because the organ turned out to be damaged.

Sophie, from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, had already put herself forward to be a donor and amazingly tests revealed she was a perfect match for her only child.

She quickly agreed to provide 20% of her liver – a procedure which put her own life at risk.

Days later she underwent the six-hour operation in March this year to help save her daughter who was seven months old at the time.

Doting mum Sophie said: ‘You don’t think about the risk to yourself, you just think that you could save your child’s life.

‘I would have tried everything in my power to make her better. I didn’t even think twice about it. I don’t think it sunk in what I’d actually done until after the surgery.

‘I always had it in my head that another liver would become available. In my mind, I just took away the misery of Patricia’s having to wait even longer.

‘She is a totally different child since she had the transplant. I would do it again.’

Patricia was a happy and healthy baby until around three months old when her parents Sophie and Andrew, 38, a technical baker, noticed her stomach was becoming swollen.

Tests revealed Patricia had a tumour in half of her liver.

She was admitted to hospital at the beginning of January this year and began chemotherapy later that month to shrink the tumour but her condition deteriorated rapidly.

Just hours after her emotional christening, Patricia started to turn blue in her mother’s arms and she was put on a ventilator to help her breathe after being rushed to the intensive care unit.

She stayed in Sheffield Children’s Hospital for five weeks but the family were then told she needed a liver transplant.

Patricia was put on an emergency donor list at Leeds Children’s Hospital at the beginning of March to try to find a liver donor as soon as possible.

As the days turned into weeks, it became apparent there was no suitable liver for Patricia.

Sophie had already asked if she could donate part of her liver and was going through the necessary tests.

Sophie was told she was a match for Patricia and the living donation could go ahead.

‘I was warned about the risks as it is major surgery, but you just don’t think about that, you just think that if it can help your child then you will do anything,’ said Sophie.

‘I was put under anaesthetic at St James’s Hospital at 6am and then part of my liver was transferred over to Leeds Children’s Hospital to be given to Patricia.

‘Her operation began a couple of hours after mine. I couldn’t see her for three days but I think it was hardest on Andrew as he had us both in surgery at the same time.’

Patricia had her last round of chemotherapy on the 26th April and a few months later, the family were given the amazing news she no longer had cancerous cells and will need no further treatment.

‘We saw a difference in Patricia a week after her transplant, she was a different baby,’ added Sophie.

‘Going forward now our life isn’t run by hospital appointments and treatment, our goal is to get her crawling and walking with the help of physiotherapy.

‘Our hope is she can go on now and live a normal happy healthy life.’

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Hilarious photos show the lengths a bride went to to make sure the heavy rain didn’t ruin her big day – as she arranged for her guests to wear ponchos to keep dry.

Donna Hillman, 37, did not let the weather dampen her day and forked out on the waterproof garments to protect her dress after checking the weather forecast.

PE teacher Donna, who tied the knot with partner of seven years John Burgess, said the weather even added to the special day.

She said: ‘It was the best day of my life. It was just a party from start to finish and everyone had a great time.

‘We’d already decided we just wanted everybody to have a good time and a good day whatever the weather was.

‘We’d seen the forecast so we bought some ponchos. As the day had gone on, I asked for all the ladies to grab a poncho and go outside for a picture.’

Guests were treated to fish and chips at the coastal ceremony in Walney, Cumbria, as the pair put their own twist on their wedding.

Donna added: ‘It was so relaxed was just one big party from start to finish.

‘We knew what the weather was going to be like, but we were determined not to let it ruin our special day.’

John, from Barrow, Cumbria, popped the question on Christmas Eve 2017 after the couple had dated for five years.

Donna added: ‘I was in the kitchen and I turned round and there he was, on one knee.

‘There was never any doubt I would say yes.’

They had met in a bar in 2012 and immediately hit it off.

Donna said she was attracted to ‘funny and chatty’ John, and the couple shared a love of food.

John said he felt a ‘natural attraction’ towards ‘bubbly’ Donna.

The pair took their vows in front of 140 friends and family on the 10th August before heading off to France for a ‘familymoon’ with their two sons, Harry, four, and two-year-old Arthur.

Harry was born 13 weeks premature and the family spend six months in and out of hospital after his birth, which Donna said brought her and John closer together.

BAE senior operations manager John added: ‘It was a fantastic day with family and friends which wasn’t at all ruined by the weather. In fact the rain made the day extra special!’

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An expectant mum who is 39 weeks pregnant has asked whether she’s being unreasonable for wanting to give her daughter a name similar to her best friend’s daughter.

The woman wants to name her daughter Lilia, but explained that her best friend’s daughter is called Lillian, and her best friend has only recently had her baby girl.

She wrote: ‘Do you think it would be unreasonable for me to use this name? She picked first and it’s not exactly a name I had my heart set on from the start so I worry it might ruffle some feathers!

‘I don’t see her everyday as we don’t live too near each other but we are quite close. Can I get away with it as it’s slightly different or should I go back to the drawing board?

‘Fingers crossed I have a boy and I won’t have to worry!’

Other mums commented to say they think the name is too similar – while adding that Lilia was once used as a brand name for sanitary pads.

Oops.

One said: ‘I wouldn’t but people will be on here with that don’t own a name. Personally I value friendship over a child’s name – there slots of choice and Lilly type names have been over used and will date.’

Another wrote: ‘It’s very similar.

‘As a side note, it might not bother you, but Lilia used to be the name of a brand of sanitary towels. I’m old enough for that to be the first thing I thought of when I read the name.’

And another said: ‘I wouldn’t. It’s a weak name and sounds kind a tampon.

‘Just find something else OP. So many other names out there.’

However, others said the name Lilia was fine to use.

One woman wrote: ‘Use it, she doesn’t own it. Multiple people have the same name in the world.’

Someone else said: ‘Fine unless they will be in the same class which is probably unlikely as you don’t live close.

‘I’d be upfront and tell her how you feel and see how she reacts.’

Of course, there are millions of names in the world and nobody owns any particular one – but how would you feel if your friend named their baby something ridiculously similar to yours?

Let us know in the comments below.

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Coffee. It can be tall, short, extra hot, iced – there are almost endless variations for the perfect coffee order. But I think one thing we can all agree on is that coffee is wet.

It’s a liquid. So it’s wet. Why then is it possible to order a ‘dry cappuccino’? And what on earth does that even mean?

We all love a pretentious coffee order. Don’t pretend it doesn’t make you feel alive to order an extra-hot-oat-milk-vanilla-babylatte-with-extra-foam.

But ordering a dry cappuccino will take you to the next level and will be sure to impress even the snarkiest barista in your local coffee shop.

So it’s pretty simple. A dry cappuccino has less steamed milk and a thicker layer of foamed milk than a regular cappuccino. That’s it. It has the same amount of actual coffee, and the same amount of milk – just the proportions of steamed milk and foam are different.

On the other side of the scale is the wet cappuccino. Not to be confused with the regular cappuccino.

A wet cappuccino has more steamed milk than a regular or a dry cappuccino, and just a thin layer of foamed milk on the top.

What we can glean from this information is that the dryness to wetness scale seems wholly dependent on the proportion of steamed milk. The more steamed milk – the ‘wetter’ your cappuccino.

Simple. But do these cappuccino variations actually taste any different? There’s only one way to find out. Order them all and spend the rest of the day trying desperately to control your caffeine tremors.

And remember, cappuccinos aren’t the first drink to claim to operate on a sliding scale of wetness. If white wine can be dry then so can our coffee, dammit.

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As part of our weekly series What I Rent, we’ve been venturing outside of London to see how renting compares around the rest of the UK.

This won’t be too much of a shocking revelation: rent is far more expensive in London and looking at the sweet deals renters are getting in other spots is making us question every life choice we’ve ever made.

Case in point: back in July we marvelled at the decoration of Matthew and Charles’ one-bedroom flat in Chelsea. It’s an amazing place, absolutely, so a monthly rent of £2,230 doesn’t seem too outlandish.

But then we went to Leicester and met George, the owner and director of The Secret Garden hair salon, and Ross, an accessories designer, who have an equally lovely two-bedroom flat in Leicester city centre. They pay £800 between them, so £400 each.

Londoners, let us weep together.

Hey, George! How much do you both pay to live here?

We pay £800 for our apartment per month, so £400 each.

Bills are quite cheap as we have a lot of natural sunlight which heats up the apartment and we’re also on the third floor so we get other apartments heat. So we put into the joint account around £250 a month between us to cover the cost of our bills.

What do you get for what you pay?

So we have a large open plan living/kitchen/dining area with a balcony space that extends from that. We have two bedrooms but we converted one into a dressing room. We have our main bathroom and also an en suite off our master bedroom.

Do you have a good deal?

Yes! Because it’s not a massive space, we can keep the bills down and we’re also careful with our electric and gas making sure all switches are off when they need to be to save energy.

We know we could get somewhere cheaper but it wouldn’t have the perks of where we’re at now.

How did you end up in Leicester?

George: I have always lived in Leicester as I was born here, but not central, as with my parents I lived on the outskirts of Leicester. Being in the city is new for me.

Ross: I am originally from Stoke On Trent and I moved to Leicester around four and half years ago to study my Fashion Design degree at De Montfort University. It was in my second year that I met George and we have been together since – that’s why I have stayed in Leicester.

How did you find the flat?

We have lived here just over a year, which has totally flown by if we’re honest.

My dad luckily owns the apartment we live in. When we were originally looking for an apartment, the previous tenants’ contract ended which was perfect timing for us. We immediately snapped it up and here we are now.

Are you happy with the area?

We love living on Freemen’s Meadow as we’re central to the city, we’re minutes away from the train station, we literally overlook the Leicester city football ground and we are so close to our business.

At the back of our estate there is also a lovely canal which is perfect for walks.

Do you feel like you have enough space?

We do and we don’t… there’s always room for more, right?

I think we would love a third bedroom and more storage space as storage is very limited in the apartment. But we love the space we have and are so grateful to be living in such a lovely part of Leicester.

What’s it like living together?

It’s amazing! With all the work going on we actually don’t see each other all that much, unfortunately, as we work different days and times. But there’s nothing better than coming home to the person you love.

How have you made the flat feel like home?

When we moved in it was shocking, to say the least. The previous tenants really abused the apartment but us being creatives knew we could make it so much better.

We have a love for plants and greenery. This makes the home cosy and is definitely a focal point for guests.

We have filled the apartment with objects that we love and mean something to us, which is so important. And of course there’s a constant flow of traditional British tea and biscuits in the Freemen’s Meadow household!

You have a lot of plants. How do you keep them all alive?

We have to admit, not all tje plants are real… simply because a lot of areas in our apartment, for example the bathroom, don’t have any natural light so we had to go fake.

We’ve got the right balance of real and fake as we can tend to the ones that actually need water to stay alive. It is difficult keeping up with them we have to admit, but it’s the responsibility of having a botanical home!

Are there any problems with the flat?

None at all… which is so lucky! Touch wood.

Do you have plans to move again?

At the moment we love the apartment and we have really made it into something we truly are proud of. We also have a home Instagram account called @freemensmeadow26 where we document the apartment in all of its glory.

We think in the future we would definitely love something bigger, maybe even a renovation project? We love the idea of a barn conversion potentially so we shall see.

Have you considered buying a place?

Not at the moment, as we’ve just opened up the business The Secret Garden so having a mortgage and doing that just isn’t an option at the moment. We’re happy to pay rent while saving for our future.

Very responsible. Let’s have a look around.

What I Rent is a weekly series that’s out every Tuesday at 10am. Check back next week to have a nose around another rented property in London.

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Good news Greggs fans – the bakery chain is about to start serving hot food in the evening for dinner.

500 stores will stay open later to offer hot takeaway options.

After 4 pm the selected stores will sell a hot dinner main or hot sandwich with wedges and a drink for £4.

You can also get pizza and a drink for 2 pm after that time.

‘The menu aims to satisfy those on-the-go at dinnertime, looking for value, convenience and of course, great taste,’ Greggs said in a statement.

With 2,000 Greggs stores across the country, around one in four will offer the evening from Hot 2 Go counters, with the first ones opening on 21 September.

New additions to the menu, available in the deal and individually, include:

Spicy BBQ Chicken Bites (from £1.50) – bbq flavour coated chicken breast pieces with a Heinz sauce pot.

Southern Fried Potato Wedges (from £1) –  potatoes and lightly sprinkled with southern fried seasoning

Southern Fried Chicken Goujons (from £2.75) –  chicken breast goujons coated in lightly spiced southern fried style breadcrumbs, with a dip of your choice.

Macaroni Cheese (from £2.75) – pasta with a cheddar cheese sauce, topped with a crunchy ciabatta crouton crumb.

New breakfast dishes are also being added to the stores with Hot 2 Go counters, including:

Veggie Breakfast Box (from £1.90) – Heinz Beans, cheese omelette and mini hash browns.

Breakfast Box (from £2) – Heinz Beans, cheese omelette, pork sausages and mini hash browns.

Creamy Porridge (from £1.75) – made with jumbo oats, double cream and cinnamon.

Keep an eye out for a Hot 2 Go counter coming to you soon.

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A woman caught in a horrific motorbike was faced with a choice no one should have to make – saving herself or her unborn child.

Caitlin Conner, 29, from Texas, U.S, was shocked to discover that she was four weeks pregnant while being urgently treated.

The marketing executive was told that she’d need extensive surgeries to save her leg but the multiple high-risk procedures would put her baby at risk.

The surprise pregnancy meant that Caitlin had to have minimal anaesthesia during the six reconstructive surgeries she endured to try and save her leg, as well as limited pain medication.

In the end, she decided to have her leg amputated than to go through any more risks.

After the accident – which happened while she was enjoying a nice summer’s ride with her boyfriend Jaylon – Caitlin didn’t know whether her partner was okay.

While he recovered at a separate hospital that he was flown to, Caitlin called him to say she was alive and that she was pregnant.

During her pregnancy, Caitlin was determined to learn to walk again before welcoming her daughter.

She learned how to walk with a prosthetic and Caitlin also found a passion for parasports, such as para-cycling, running and swimming.

Explaining the accident, which happened on 12 June 2014, she said: ‘It was a nice evening and the weather was kind, so Jaylon and I decided to hop on the motorcycle to go to his parents’ house.

‘There was a young woman driving who didn’t see us on the bike which we later learned was because she was texting while driving.

‘She started coming out into the left lane and we saw her about to hit us. She was trying to gun it to get across and we never stood a chance against whatever was more important on her phone.

‘I flew off the back of the bike, Jaylon went with the bike. I remember rolling and skidding to a halt. I sat up and looked at my leg and my left ankle was turned inward.’

Cailin was then airlifted to hospital where they asked her if she was pregnant. The last thing she remembers is saying that she wasn’t but they’d been trying for a baby.

The mum-to-be had broken bones in her left foot and distal tibia, a severed artery and a major road rash.

As a result, she had six reconstructive surgeries to take the bone out of her hip to fill a golf ball-sized hole in her ankle.

She added: ‘After two weeks and six surgeries, I decided not to keep trying to save my leg. I knew the moment I saw it at the scene that it was gone.

‘I had to do everything with minimal pain medicine, anaesthesia, and antibiotics to make sure the baby stayed safe which was dangerous and painful. I knew I had to be as calm as possible to keep the baby from being affected by stress.

‘As soon as I learned I was pregnant, I had someone else to take care of, so I didn’t focus on myself. Everything was about the baby. My leg didn’t define me as a person, but the baby would.’

Caitlin admits that learning to walk with a prosthetic was difficult as her body was changing as her weight fluctuated.

The effect of pregnancy on her spine also impacted her balance but she was sure to learn to walk before daughter Tinley was born on 13 February 2015.

She said: ‘I just wanted to be able to run and play with her, or to be able to run and grab her if she ran off. I did as much physiotherapy as I could until I was too heavily pregnant.’

Caitlin went on to walk and started CrossFit, before discovering her passion for parasports, such as paracycling, running and swimming.

Since becoming a competitive para-athlete, Caitlin has founded a non-profit called Be More Adaptive which provides resources for adaptive sports allowing more people to get involved, as well as providing funding and volunteers for events to create a more accessible community.

‘Recovery was a long road as I had to learn how to walk four times. The first after amputating, another time after my spine started changing from pregnancy, then again after I broke my leg in a fall, and lastly, I had to learn again after delivering my child,’ said Caitlin.

‘After that, I started walking 5K while pushing Tinley in a pushchair. I hated how I looked, and I felt weak.

‘Then I started doing CrossFit because I needed to build muscle. I started doing as many sports as possible just to see what I could do and I found a love for triathlons, swimming, cycling, skiing, figure skating and boxing.

‘The best thing you can do in life is try! I was so complacent in life before and it shouldn’t have taken the losses it did to start living life.’

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The Central London ‘Reimagine’ event to celebrate World Car Free Day is set to take place this Sunday.

There will be celebrations taking place on more than 20km of closed roads around the city. If you are planning to travel into or within central London on the day you are advised to use public transport, walk or cycle.

The initiative was announced by London Mayor Sadiq Khan in order to tackle air pollution, which has been described as a ‘national health emergency’.

I first heard about the car-free day earlier this year. It came as no surprise – since moving to London seven years ago I’ve seen more and more ‘eco-initiatives’ being carried out across the city. My street was one of the first to implement emissions regulations that saw non-electric vehicles restricted at certain times of the day.

Yet my initial reaction to the event was one trepidation and almost anger.

I’m not in denial about climate change – and of course I want London to be the best it can be for all its residents. But as a full-time wheelchair user and someone who has a rare condition that causes my bones to break at the slightest knock, I rely solely on black taxis (which by law are all adapted for those with impairments) to maintain my independence and go about my daily activities.

On Sunday, taxis and private hire vehicles will not be allowed in the closed road area. I will not be able to get a cab in this area, or travel through it in a cab. I fail to see how this would not directly discriminate against me or others in my situation.

Transport for London (TfL) has informed me that there will be areas for taxi drop-off and pick-up at the perimeter. I do however, question how someone like myself with limited mobility, who needs door-to-door transport, would navigate from the drop-off point on the perimeter to my destination. I – like many in my position – cannot simply be dropped off on a corner and left to get on my way.

I have also been informed that will be a number of pedal-powered shuttles that can carry passengers from the designated drop off points to the activities, some of which are wheelchair bikes. However, they can only accept ‘most non-electric wheelchairs’.

So what about powerchair users? And what about if you need to bring a PA with you, can the bikes support a wheelchair and an assistant? I’ve asked but am yet to hear back from TfL on this issue.

I would have like to have seen Sadiq Khan publicly reassure the disabled community that our needs are very much at the forefront of any initiative.

I still cannot help but think that the most ‘vulnerable’ members of society – including the elderly and members of the disabled community – have been very much an afterthought for this particular event. Yes, some provisions have been made but they have not been widely published, nor are they suitable for the variant needs of the disabled community.

I would have like to have seen Sadiq Khan publicly reassure the disabled community that our needs are very much at the forefront of any initiative, and that he acknowledges that anything that impacts our independence can leave us feeling extremely anxious, isolated and like second class citizens.

The disabled community has fought so hard to maintain our independence and to ensure we have equal access to all parts of society.

Personally I feel tremendous sadness that the city I moved to over seven years ago to advance my career, have more independence and regain autonomy over my life is becoming less accessible for me as a young disabled professional.

Whether that be struggling to get on a bus because the disabled bay is being used for luggage or pushchairs, cuts to subsidised taxi cards or an underground infrastructure that cannot accommodate access needs.

TfL says it has reached out to disabled residents living in the event area to arrange to escort vehicles in or out where necessary, and to access off-road parking.

However, nothing has been specifically addressed for those who have adapted vehicles as part of the government mobility scheme – or blue badge holders. My concern is that many visitors and tourists to London who are blue badge holders may simply decide to stay away due to the uncertainty.

Uncertainty is very debilitating when you live with an impairment, and I’m still very uncertain about being able to get around during the event. I am basically being forced to go into hibernation and stay at home on the day.

Fighting climate change is going to be a priority going forward and disabled people need to be included in that change.

We need to all unite, but at the minute we’re being excluded. I’ve personally experienced online attacks when I challenge new eco initiatives like pedestrian zones, low emission zones or cycle lanes that can hinder those with impairments from travelling safely.

I’ve been told that other people’s right to breathe clean air is more important than a disabled person’s independence. But the reality is that all our needs are equal.

We need to work together as a society to accommodate all our needs, and to not ostracise anyone in the process.

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A mum’s reaction to her daughter and boyfriend’s hotel room has gone viral after she joked about the room having only one bed.

Caitlin Wren, 18, sent her mum a snap of the Edinburgh hotel room that the couple were staying in while holidaying.

The cafe worker and her boyfriend, Dean Jarrett, had booked a room in the Premier Inn which had a double bed and couch beside it.

After she sent her mum Jeananne a picture of the set-up, she was left in hysterics at her mum’s reaction.

Sharing an image of their exchange on Twitter, Caitlin wrote: ‘night in Edinburgh with my boyfriend and my mum thinks I’m still 12.’

In the text Jeananne wrote: ‘Shame Dean has to sleep on the couch. At least it’s not the floor. Told you to make sure it was a twin.’

The tweet resonated with a lot of youngsters and has since blown up, receiving 40K likes and 1.6K retweets.

According to Caitlin, her mum was quite surprised about the tweet going viral.

She said: ‘I sent it to a few of my friends and they found it hilarious so I decided to post it on twitter thinking I’d get maybe 50 likes from friends.’

Caitlin added that mum Jeananne was only joking about her reaction.

She said: ‘Basically my mum was having a laugh before we went about making sure it was two beds and after sending her a picture of the room she continued to make a joke about how there was only one bed.

‘She never thought it would be as funny as it’s turned out to be. She’s very modest but I think secretly she’s loving to the attention it’s getting!’

Plenty of other Twitter users felt Caitlin’s pain of having protective parents.

One person wrote: ‘When I went on holiday with my boyfriend my mum wanted pics of the room being two single beds (it was a double). I ignored her. If you’re an adult your mum can’t tell you what to do with stuff like that.’

Another said: ‘If you think that’s peak see how Asian parents treat their kids? This ain’t nothing.’

While one person had useful advice: ‘That’s why you don’t send photos.’

At least Caitlin’s mum only found a double bed and not handcuffs in the picture.

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Beagles are known for their loyalty and kind nature, with their friendliness also being a common trait.

This particular pup, however, has gone above and beyond in her friendliness, and has become a surrogate mum to two kittens.

Daisy, who is one year old and lives in Staplehurst in Kent with owner Jane Whitton, bonded with the kittens immediately when they were brought home.

Although Jane, 36, had initially planned to just get one kitten, she decided on two when the farmer who originally owned Fletcher and Dexter couldn’t rehome them both.

She said: ‘The farmer where the kittens come from didn’t want to keep them but wanted to find homes for them with people he knew. We were originally just going to get Dexter who’s ginger.

‘But when we went to get him we could see this little black kitten at the back all on his own. My heart melted. We thought ‘sod it’ and decided to get him too.’

That snap decision had now resulted in Daisy falling in love with the kittens, and she even started producing milk and breastfeeding them.

‘We told the kids and Daisy to be gentle with them as they’re so tiny but she’s just instantly taken to protecting them,’ said Jane.

‘If our other dog runs at them she’ll get them into the middle. They’ll sleep with her and and she’ll sniff them over to make sure they’re OK. Recently she’s even started producing her own milk and nursing them which is pretty extraordinary.’

Jane calls Daisy the cats’ ‘protector’ and ‘surrogate mum’ due to the maternal bond she has with them.

It’s unclear why Daisy began lactating when Fletcher and Dexter came into her life, but it’s perfectly safe for dogs to breastfeed cats. It may be that the boys simply weren’t ready to be weaned yet, with the Beagle taking on the responsibility as she saw fit.

‘I think it’s the beginning of a lifelong friendship,’ says Jane.

‘I hope that as they get bigger it will always remain a close friendship and they’ll continue to play and sleep and have fun together.’

We’re sure they’ll be play-fighting for the food bowl in no time.

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A mum and daughter from Edinburgh were so upset by the poverty gap in schools that they decided to take matters into their own hands to help the worse-off students.

Lindsay Law, from Blackhall and her 15-year-old daughter Josie, have put together special ‘survival kits’ to help make sure every new pupil at school in their area will have the same opportunities, regardless of financial background.

Each kit will contain a full school uniform, a gym bag and school bag, a scientific calculator, a French dictionary and a stationery kit as well as mental health and financial information.

The Broughton High School catchment, where Lindsay and Josie have launched their scheme, has the widest diversity of young people in Edinburgh, and 43% of pupils are living on the breadline.

230,000 children in Scotland are officially recognised as living in poverty and in Edinburgh the average is 22%. Lindsay and her daughter want to do their bit to change this and to ensure that every child is able to experience education without having to worry about basic resources.

Lindsay spoke to current pupils and discovered that many young people living in poverty wont tell their family if they can’t afford a piece of equipment like a scientific calculator – because they don’t want to worry their parents.

‘My Mum was my inspiration – she always made going back to school such a fun and happy time, and it helped me look forward to school as something to enjoy,’ Lindsay tells Metro.co.uk.

‘I want every young person to look forward to school and not be worried about whether they can afford everything they need.

‘It’s important to us because we are lucky enough to be able to have that experience of looking forward to school together, like my Mum and I did too, and Josie and I think it’s unfair that for other families it’s a much more stressful time.

‘I think it’s really sad because school is so important, and my work in the field of parental engagement has taught me that every parent simply wants the best for their child.

‘I’d like to help ease some of those money worries so they can focus on a positive start at Broughton High. And maybe one day the rest of Scotland’s children too.’

The pair are now attempting to raise £10,000 – which they have have estimated is what the survival kits will cost. An incredibly worthy mum-and-daughter project.

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