This is Kinky Characters – a new series that explores unusual fetishes and the people who like them.

More uncommon kinks have long been considered taboo, but the rise of the internet, social media and smartphone apps has provided a platform for people to talk about their sexual preferences in a safe space without judgement.

It has also helped them find likeminded people or partners to play with.

Research has been done in this area and, interestingly, reveals that some fetishes such as BDSM, role playing and swinging are becoming more mainstream – but there is still a wide variety that remains unspoken or less spoken of.

John has two such fetishes.

The civil servant from Croydon loves it when women lift and carry him, and he also has a strong fondness for women wearing big watches.

A quick search online reveals few results for this particular kink and there are no groups for it on one of the UK’s most popular fetish sites (where you can find other such interesting sexual flavours including cuckolding, ‘cuddle sluts’ and ‘ass worshipping’).

Porn sites provide a wider insight ; Pornhub, for instance, features a video of a skinny woman carrying a muscular man, which has over 4,800 views – so clearly John isn’t the only one who enjoys the concept.

The watch fetish seems to be a bit more common, with a dedicated site known as Watch Girls Forum (WGF) available for watch lovers to discuss timepieces.

Many of the conversations on WGF revolve around fears of judgement for having the fetish, while others focus on specific brands or fantasies.

To date, John has been carried 60 times and counted over 16,000 watches on women.

We chatted to him about life with his kinks.

What are your kinks?

My fetishes are not so much sexual, but more to do with women having an authority over me. I have two – being carried and women wearing big watches.

I first began to feel an attraction towards being carried in 1978, when I was 11 years old. I asked three girls in school if they would lift me.

One grabbed my legs, while the other two grabbed an arm each and lifted me about six inches off the floor.

I realised I wanted others to take the lead, to show their strength and highlight my weakness.

Let’s talk about being carried – what is it you like about it?

I love the fact that I am a grown man, but that a woman or women can lift and carry me. It’s this feeling of being transported somewhere without doing anything, of being helpless.

I also like seeing women walk around while I am being carried by others. To me, it shows they are strong enough to walk, but I need to be carried.

It’s about conceding authority, and it manifests itself in other ways too like when I’m on a bus, or in a car or taxi driven by a woman, when a female shop assistant holds my keys to swipe my reward card (which is attached to it) or seeing women lean on or touch my car.

I’m usually dressed when being carried. The whole experience gives me butterflies, as well as a feeling of regret and calm afterwards and excitement when thinking back about it.

Sometimes, I revisit places where I’ve been lifted and I still remember every one.

When did your fetish for big watches on women begin – and what is it you like about it?

Around the same time, my fetish for big watches developed.

Our music teacher wore a brown medium-sized watch, and once grabbed both of my arms when I was waving them about. I remember thinking how strong she was, but I let her do it because she was the teacher.

After that, I began noticing women who wore big watches like celebrities such as actress Barbara Windsor and broadcaster Anne Nightingale, as well as strangers and colleagues.

Over the years, I’ve contacted some celebrities on Twitter to ask them about their watch or comment on it; some don’t mind, while others don’t engage or block me. I could spend all day listing celebs who wear big watches.

In total, I have counted 16,325 women wearing big watches, and consider a big watch to have a strap of 14mm or more.

Tell us about one of your favourite times of being carried

I’ve been carried by 60 women, but all but three times took place some point after 2003 (when I was an adult).

That’s when I met a woman named Kerry in a bar in Sydney. I was 36 at the time and after a few drinks, we went back to my hotel room. She was surprised when I said I didn’t want sex, but would prefer her to carry me.

She grabbed my legs and hoisted me high into the air – it was an amazing feeling, made better by me only wearing a t-shirt and shorts.

As a former soldier in the Israel Defense Force, she was quite strong and moved me around in various lifts – cradle, fireman’s, straddle, shoulder and piggy back. I also had her do it in front of the mirror so I could see everything happening in detail.

Afterwards, she sat me on her lap, and my little legs were dangling in the air.

Have you ever had any negative reactions when sharing your fetishes?

I’ve never told any family or girlfriends about my love of being carried or big watches.

The nearest I got to telling anyone other than those who were lifting me was when I asked a succession of women to lift and carry me, often in pairs, and managed to get photos of several of the lifts.

I was looking at the photos the following morning, and my friend said something like: ‘You like that, do you?’

I can’t remember my reply, but it would have been something like: ‘Good fun’.

Have you ever had a bad fetish experience?

One lift and carry almost ended in disaster.

In 2006, I asked two girls in Madrid to carry me. They duly did, but I hadn’t realised they were taking me to meet two men who promptly mugged me. One held me round my neck, while the other took my wallet.

They all ran off. Although I was struggling to breathe for a bit, at least they didn’t have a knife, or it could have been very nasty.

I enjoyed the lift, though.

What’s your most memorable watch moment?

A colleague of mine wore a huge Billabong Jasmine watch that she bought in Australia.

I loved seeing her in that watch. Here was a woman 10 years younger than me wearing a huge watch, while I wore a tiny one (a women’s watch that I had bought specifically for this purpose).

Another big watch I miss was a Diesel watch worn by another colleague. She would come to our office for meetings, and I would either take my men’s watch off or put the same women’s watch on again.

I also went through a period of asking women to wear my watch and visited jewellery shops to ask female shop assistants to measure watch straps.

I haven’t worn a man’s watch since 2015 – just occasionally two small ladies watches – one with a 12mm strap, and one with a strap just four millimetres wide.

Is there any fantasy scenario you’d like to do that you haven’t done yet?

My next goal is to be picked up by four women, with each holding an arm or a leg, but I haven’t been carried by anyone since 2011.

One reason for this might be that I gave up alcohol in 2013, so haven’t been out as much or had the confidence.

Do you think unusual fetishes are still a taboo topic?

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Avocado on toast makes a delicious breakfast but we’re not so sure we want to base our style around it.

Trainer brand Saucony is offering trainers made to look like the green stuff, with the sole as the bread, taking the millennial love for avo to the next level.

The trainers cost $120 (£97.71) so they’re not cheap but avocados have already been blamed for the generation’s struggle to buy their own homes so you might as well splash out.

The shoes come with ‘toast-ed leather,’ suede, which they claim is ‘smashed avocado texture’, red pepper flakes on the collar and Saucamole (a play on the brand name) on the heal.

There’s an avocado logo on the tongue and inside the shoe, just in case anyone is in any doubt about what they might represent.

On the brand’s website, they say: ‘Holy Saucamole! Celebrate your health kick with the delicacy of the exclusive “Avocado Toast” Shadow 6000. It’s everything you avo-wanted, even if the guac is extra.’

It could be the perfect way to get through a gym class – a reminder to keep going because there’s avocado toast on the horizon.

The brand is not a stranger to food-themed shoes.

They have previously released trainers that look like a burger, with in ketchup red, bun brown, and lettuce green colours.

And last year they released a Dunkin’ Donuts range, with pink soles and sprinkles.

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The Wonston Arms in Winchester has been crowned the best pub in the country, in the Campaign for Real Ale’s annual competition.

The quaint country establishment beat stiff competition to win CAMRA’s prestigious prize, and it was a mix of their community spirit and vast array of gins that got them there.

As well as having four rotating ales on tap, there is a gin bar with 180 different varieties, and a real fire and beer garden (depending on the weather).

The pub – which is a 15 minute walk from Sutton Scotney and the nearest bus stop – closes at latest 10pm each night, but that hasn’t stopped it amassing fans.

They hold pop-ups and events each week, from a photography club to a morning cafe, as well as jazz sessions and good old pub quizzes.

Although they don’t serve food, themed nights are held where local restaurateurs serve their wares; for example, fish and chips on Tuesdays and curry nights on Fridays, as well as an outdoor pizza maker that comes round on a Thursday.

Adding to the vibe of a community hub, landlord Matt Todd has raised more than £25,000 for charity since reopening the pub in 2015.

This is all from a derelict building, which the Wonston Arms was before Todd’s arrival.

He said of the win: ‘I’m overwhelmed that our little pub – which had been handed a death sentence four years ago – has now been named the very best in the country.’

‘I have strived to recreate the kind of wet pub I went to in the 1970s with my dad when I was a young boy in the north of England. The support from the local community and beyond has been overwhelming, helping to propel us forward despite these testing times.’

Pubs are judged not just on the beers they serve, but the atmosphere and community initiatives. It’s voted for by CAMRA volunteers, and is known as one of the

Others who made the top five this year were theCricketers Arms in St Helens, the Chequers in Little Gransden and the Volunteer Arms in Musselburgh.

National Pub of the Year coordinator Ben Wilkinson said: ‘Pubs like the Wonston Arms highlight what communities stand to lose if their local pub closes – something being experienced in all too many places.

‘These types of pubs are more than just businesses, they are the heart of our local communities and part of what makes the UK the country it is. The Wonston Arms serves excellent cask ales and is a great social environment for all. It fully deserves its title as the best in the country.’

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This Christmas, I was an idiot.

A couple of drinks down, the excitement of the season flowing through my veins, and with a friend over from Australia who I rarely get the chance to see and/or impress and/or humiliate myself in front of, I went full gung ho with the antics. Playing with a new foam dart gun, I spotted a loop at the back of the plastic weapon; there to help load the fake bullets.

Obviously, I put my tongue in said loop, and pulled the trigger. It hurt. Quite a lot, actually.

I wish I could say this bout of undoubted idiocy was an isolated incident. But it’s not even close.

Weekly, inebriated and otherwise, I find myself doing stupid things for reasons I’m none the wiser to.

Not a month ago, I pointed an office lamp in my eyes and turned it on. I was momentarily blinded. I’m still not sure why I did it.

I still have nightmarish flashbacks to snorting the powdered innards of a Lemsip cold and flu capsule, during one particularly bizarre night out in Portsmouth. My life is a constant ‘do not try this at home’ warning.

Thankfully, the saving grace of all this stupidity is that I’m not alone. From friends who’ve shoved crushed-up Pro Plus tablets up their nose, to others who’ve eaten jar after jar of warning-label-clad extreme hot sauce, we’re all enablers of each other’s idiocy and willing participants in the next self-inflicted prank.

When I put a call out on Twitter, I was inundated with stories of other such baffling behaviours. Be it blokes themselves owning up to idiocy, or women baffled by the actions of their male mates, the calamities are countless.

Dev, from Southampton, recalls one flight-of-fancy that was remarkably short-lived: ‘When I was 12, I had a huge crush on my classmate – until he snorted a crumbled custard cream and kept coughing yellow dust clouds. He did it for the Vine. Pretty sure he got sent home from school cos he got a piece lodged in his nose and needed to get it flushed out.’

While you might think these things can be put down to youthful naivety, sense doesn’t arrive with adulthood, either.

‘When my mate was running for uni guild president, he put me in charge of the social side of his campaign, so I wanted to make a viral video,’ explains Sam, from Oxford. ‘This was when neck nominations were big, so I decided to make a video of me downing a dirty pint containing two full bottles of Tabasco, despite me not having been nominated by anyone.

‘What followed was burning pain from my throat to my stomach, then about half an hour throwing up and retching into the toilet.’

So far, so stupid.

‘Anyway, that afternoon it hit the news that some guy had died from a neck nomination,’ Sam adds, ‘and my mate and I decided that my video would be toxic for his campaign, so we didn’t release it. My suffering was for absolutely no reason.’

Another uni story came from Sawyer, from Texas, who convinced his uni paper’s (male) editor-in-chief ‘to drink Febreeze while we waited for our pages to be done.’ At the risk of repeating myself: do not try that at home.

‘Everyone else has humour in the office,’ he adds, ‘but it seems like he and I stick to very idiotic and childish pranks. The women in the office stick to just verbal humour, mostly.’

Sawyer’s remarks are echoed by Alex, from Birmingham, Alabama.

‘I think men just like to out-do other men in terms of what we can take, strength or endurance wise,’ he tells us, ‘like, “Oh, you can do that? Well I can drink two cups with two times the Tabasco – man up”.’

Alex’s own admission: ‘I once drank a full mug of black coffee and Tabasco sauce at dinner with some high school friends, just because I got dared to in a heated conversation.’

Right. Normal.

Why exactly are us men like this, then? That toxic couplet, ‘man up’, surely has something to answer for. Men are renowned for our competitive streak – one that, coupled with the toxicity of modern masculinity, and the blurred inhibitions of a drink or ten, can lead to some downright bizarre peacocking sessions.

But, interestingly, very few of the women who got in touch found these antics in any way attractive. Rightly so, they dubbed them ‘stupid’, ‘weird’ and ’embarrassing’. And, let’s be honest, the women – as usual – are correct. So, what’s the deal?

First off, Jonathan Hoban, a psychotherapist from London, disputes the claim that these things are entirely down to men. Based out of his old East London office, he says he’d see women ‘taking their shoes off, jumping in the fountains, slipping’.

He notes: ‘The only additional thing that would add to that is testosterone!’

There’s a childlike tendency to all these strange happenings, Hoban explains.

‘It all comes back to reward, when we’re a young baby, and child development and psychology,’ he says. ‘A young baby moves a car, and it immediately looks at its mother like, “Did you f***ing see what I just did?” Mum’s like, “Oh, well done!” and they think they’ve moved the world.

‘When they have that sense of reward, they release dopamine in the brain, which is essential and really important to brain development.’

There are clear ties, Hoban suggests, between the hypothetical child impressing its mother, and the grown adult debasing themselves for cheap, pointless laughs.

‘It’s inherent in our nature,’ he says, ‘When someone says “Well done”, we become worthy. It’s a massive part of existence.’

Social media is central to the progression of these thing, he notes: ‘It’s the same thing – am I worthy? Have I got admirers? Do people like what I’ve done?;

But why does this quest for validation manifest in stunts, pranks and other acts of stupidity? Why not seek for something productive, intelligent, or… well, not utterly ridiculous?

There’s an animalistic edge to things, Hoban suggests.

‘As animals, we’re designed to move,’ he says. ‘We’re designed to be playful; we’re designed to swing through the f***ing trees. We’re designed to smash shit up! That’s the animal brain.

‘What’s so interesting in this modern-day culture, while on one hand we feel our worlds are expanding via social media, in fact they’re diminishing – greatly. What’s happening, is we’re sitting stagnant. The lack of movement in society today is a lot less. Everything’s becoming virtual.’

When we’re finally let loose, Hoban says, that impulse to smash, swing and stunt goes into overdrive.

‘When we feel confined, and trapped, we need to throw ourselves about – that’s what our bodies are designed to do,’ he explains. ‘So, when people start doing stupid things, there’s a part of it that goes, “I’ve just been locked away for ages – now’s my chance to let rip, man”.’

So, there we have it – your mate who’s snorted three Pro Plus and is now throwing up all over your mum’s kitchen sink? It’s because he’s an animal, baby.

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As a parent you never want your child to be ill. And when they are, you want to help them in whatever way you can.

But what if you’re powerless to do anything? What if your child has a condition that will eventually leave them in a wheelchair – and the only medicine that could help is agonisingly out of reach?

My four-year-old daughter, Matilda, is gorgeous, happy and bubbly. She loves princesses, is excelling at school, and dreams of being a doctor when she grows up.

But I fear for her independence when she’s older. That’s because Matilda has a rare genetic condition called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) Type 3, which means that – without treatment – she’ll ultimately lose the ability to walk.

Matilda sees other children at school doing things that she isn’t able to do and asks, ‘Why can’t I do that?’.

When other children run off in the playground and she can’t keep up with them, she wants to know why she has ‘wobbly legs’.

Recently, she even asked me whether her babies will have SMA. As a parent, it’s heartbreaking.

There is a glimmer of hope: a treatment, called Spinraza. It is available in 24 European countries, as well as the USA and Australia, and can help children like Matilda have a better quality of life.

But it’s not available in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, because it hasn’t been approved for use on the NHS.

It’s absolutely devastating that there is a drug out there that has shown to be effective, but is out of our grasp.

Can you imagine being able to walk one day, and then having that taken away from you?

Worse still, can you imagine being denied a treatment that could keep you mobile? That’s the situation we, and other families, find ourselves in.

Since she started school last year, Matilda has grown and her body has struggled to adapt to her new weight.

As a result, she is struggling more with mobility. But I believe that, if she had received treatment last year, she wouldn’t be having these difficulties now.

It would mean the world just to see Matilda feel confident with standing on her own feet for more than a minute-and-a-half without wobbling and falling.

Spinraza could help her have a normal childhood, but it could also give her more independence when she is older.

It would allow her to do things for herself as a teenager and as an adult.

We know she is always going to be disabled, but this is about her keeping her dignity.

Standing up from the toilet, climbing up some steps or picking something off the floor are small things that people take for granted. But for Matilda, it could make a huge difference.

Today – on Rare Disease Day – I want people to know that there is a treatment that can help my daughter and others with the same condition.

Above all, I want people to know that sufferers are being denied these treatment.

From April, Spinraza is due to be made available in Scotland for children like Matilda, and for adults with the condition, too. The same needs to happen here.

According to Rare Disease UK, one in 17 people will affected by a rare disease at some point in their life – but there is no cure for the majority of these.

And of the 7,000 rare diseases that have been identified, only 400 have a licensed treatment in Europe.

As a family, we won’t lose hope. We will continue to fight alongside charities like Muscular Dystrophy UK who have been campaigning for Spinraza to be approved by NICE – the body that assesses new treatments.

And we continue to fight for our daughter, because she deserves the best possible future.

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Attention makeup lovers, Charlotte Tilbury’s new The Icon Palette has arrived and it’s irresistible.

Makeup artist to the stars Charlotte Tilbury had been teasing her latest limited-edition release on Instagram, leaving her loyal fans drooling over the David Bowie lighting bolt-esque design and, of course, the electric eyeshadows it contains.

The Icon Palette from the new Icons Collection features 12 intensely-pigmented eyeshadows, including a few essential everyday nudes – with a bit of sparkle, of course – that are as stunning in the packaging as they are applied to your lids.

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🚨⚡️🚨 Darlings, NEW MAKEUP ALERT! 🚨⚡️🚨 MY EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED-EDITION EYE PALETTE has been spotted backstage at #Brits, on #TheOscars red carpet and TOMORROW it will be YOURS!!! Get ready to create EYES TO ELECTRIFY!! Sign up to be the first to know about my NEW! ICONS through the link in my bio. ⚡️⚡️⚡️ ‪28.02.19.‬ #CharlotteTilbury #TheIcons

A post shared by Charlotte Tilbury, MBE (@ctilburymakeup) on Feb 27, 2019 at 11:58am PST

The palette was inspired by the spotlights, rock stars and dancers Charlotte partied with at the Ku Club in Ibiza and was created with four eye looks in mind; the day, date, diva and the disco look.

Charlotte said: ‘Throughout my life, I have learnt that there are so many different faces of beauty! Whether it is handsome beauty, boyish beauty, glamorous beauty, sophisticated beauty, rebellious beauty, or electric beauty – you are magnetically drawn to so many versions of iconic beauty in your life.’

What really sets this palette apart from previous releases, is the new ‘wet touch’ powder technology that makes the eyeshadows feel wet to the touch. This formulation allows them to transfer seamlessly to create a film of colour on skin and they’re non-drying too.

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It’s finally here! The new ICONC Collection from @ctilburymakeup with eyes to electrify and lips to lead astray ⚡️ super excited for this collection to launch today! My favourite collection yet. On the gorgeous @summerlillyy #ctilburymakeup #teamtilbury #ctilburyproartistry #theicons #makeup #makeupartist #mua #londonmua

A post shared by Ed Mellor: Makeup Artist (@edmellormakeup) on Feb 28, 2019 at 12:16am PST

Ed Mellor, Senior Lead Artist for Charlotte Tilbury, who had the pleasure of painting many beautiful faces backstage this year at the Brit Awards said: ‘My favourite shades from The Icon Palette are definitely the first shade in the palette, a duochrome golden pink with intense shine and the sapphire blue.’

On applying the shades Ed explained: ‘The softer shades are best applied with a brush, but the blue shade for example has a much richer texture, so I find it’s best applied using fingers.’

Charlotte Tilbury The Icon Palette (£55) is available to buy online now at charlottetilbury.com. 

When the ‘clean eating’ movement burst onto social media, it came with an uncomfortable side effect: orthorexia.

Orthorexia nervosa is an obsession with healthy eating that’s taken to the point where it is psychologically, socially, and even physically damaging. It is still relatively unknown and misunderstood, but that’s gradually starting to change.

As someone who got sucked into the ‘clean eating’ movement, and developed orthorexia as a result, I’m particularly invested in raising awareness of this eating disorder.

When I was 19 I had a health scare, and I turned to Dr Google for advice. That search led me to discover wellness bloggers and ‘clean eating’, and I absorbed all of it, thinking it would make me healthy.

I cut out all animal products, then gluten, white carbs, ‘refined sugar’, and soy. I started doing juice cleanses and taking ‘superfood’ powders and supplements. It became very obsessive very quickly, and soon food took up most of my thought processes. I was obsessed with trying to be as healthy as possible.

I’ve often been asked ‘but surely it’s a good thing to try and be healthier’, and the answer is yes – until it gets taken too far.

Constantly stressing about whether each morsel of food you eat is ‘good’, ‘clean’, ‘healthy’ enough, being unable to go out to eat with friends, spending hours planning meals – these things are not healthy.

On my 20^th birthday I snuck into my university lectures late and left early so that my friends wouldn’t ask me to go to lunch with them, as I didn’t know what was in the food and was too anxious about eating it. Instead I sat in my flat and ate a really dull salad that I had carefully planned out the day before.

When I told people around me that I was trying to be healthier I received praise, because the pursuit of health is seen as inherently good.

One of the key distinctions between orthorexia and other eating disorders like anorexia, is that it is not secretive or hidden. It’s loud and proud, sharing food pictures on Instagram, and telling everyone how much better you feel and how much more energy you have and how much your skin ‘glows’.

Current estimates suggest that it affects around one per cent of the general population – based on research by the University of Northern Colorado – similar to other eating disorders. But those especially at risk seem to be people who either have a keen interest in health and nutrition, as well as those under pressure to look a certain way or be healthy for their job, such as yoga instructors, dietitians, nutrition students, and young athletes.

As orthorexia is still quite a new phenomenon, there is still no clear understanding of what causes it. From my own experience, a combination of factors made me more vulnerable: low self-esteem, perfectionism, and feeling out of control. Those things sum up 20-year-old Pixie perfectly.

But it’s clear social media and societal standards of beauty and health also play a role. Although orthorexia is not associated with a desire to be thin, the pursuit of health can still be a highly aesthetic goal, encouraged by a societal promotion of this one ‘perfect’ look – slim, glossy-hair and clear-skin. For some, like myself, this contributes towards food obsession.

When I told people around me that I was trying to be healthier I received praise, because the pursuit of health is seen as inherently good.

Social media is also rife with misinformation and pseudoscience that can make someone incredibly anxious and guilty about eating certain foods, in particular carbohydrates and animal products.

I found bloggers on social media who say that carbs give you diabetes (untrue), that meat sits in your digestive system for two days (nope) and eating dairy leaches calcium from your bones (definitely not). I believed all these things and followed bad advice intently. I know how hard it is to fight those messages once they take root.

Eventually a blogger told me, ‘I would never dream of vaccinating my children’. I was so shocked. Something inside me switched and I knew I this was something I couldn’t get behind or associate with. I thought, ‘if they’re wrong about this, what else do these bloggers get wrong?’ From that day I fought to challenge every belief I had about food. It was a very long and hard process.

One of the key steps towards recovery is to unfollow anyone on social media who makes you feel bad about yourself. My social media feed is now a vibrant mix of diverse bodies of all shapes and sizes, including people of colour, LGBTQ+ folks, disabled bodies, and fat bodies.

I am now a registered nutritionist and see people with orthorexia, working with people to challenge their food fears, and expand their definition of health to something that includes mental and social health. These are things I spent a lot of time working on myself in my recovery.

Orthorexia hasn’t faded away in the same way the clean eating movement has, it’s still increasing at an alarming rate, and it’s time we took it seriously.

It starts with awareness – if more people understand what orthorexia is then we might be able to recognise it more easily, either in ourselves or someone we care about.

We especially need more awareness among healthcare professionals so that people can get the treatment they need.

There are only a limited number of centres and individuals who currently offer help for individuals, as it’s such a new phenomenon with a small (but growing) body of research.

Longer-term, I would love to see better education in schools on critical thinking, body image, and the risks of social media, in the hope that people can grow up feeling a little bit better about food and themselves.

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These micro bags, shown at Paris Fashion week, fit in the palm of your hand (pro: easy to carry around).

But the problem is you can’t actually put anything in them.

The bags are a tiny version of designer Jacquemus’ bestseller, the Le Saq Chiquito.

Even smaller than your most impracticable clutch bag that only holds your phone and a lipstick, this really is tiny. At least you’re never lose anything at the bottom of your bag.

They even have oversized handles because a handle in proportion would be too small to even get your fingers round.

The ones debuted at Paris Fashion Week aren’t available until next season but there are a few others available on their website now.

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BAG FOR A RING ? OR ? “LA COLLECTIONNEUSE” WINTER 2019/2020

A post shared by JACQUEMUS (@jacquemus) on Feb 27, 2019 at 6:17am PST

There’s also a micro version of their cross-body bag Le Piccolo, with a gold chain, which at least seems easier to carry around – wearing your handbag like a ring doesn’t seem practical.

Le Chiquito comes in yellow or blue suede for $486 (£365.67) and Le Piccolo is available in light blue leather or green suede for $504 (£379.10).

They are pretty cute but make sure you travel light.

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What’s in your handbag?

If you’re anything like us, you’ve got old scrunched up receipts, biscuit crumbs, and far too many lip balms than any one person could need.

Those contents may be a bit gross or embarrassing, but you probably haven’t considered that they could be dangerous, too.

The co-founder and national training manager of Tiny Hearts First Aid, Rachael Waia, has issued a warning about the serious choking and suffocation risks posed by common items found in people’s bags.

She shared a photo on Facebook of a handbag spilling out 16 items, all common to handbags and all capable of causing serious harm to a child.

The handbag’s contents include the more obvious dangerous items such as paracetamol, but also things you wouldn’t consider dangerous, including lip balm, hand cream, and car keys.

Rachel explains that for many of the products, the issue is the packaging. Small lids and caps can be easily undone and eaten by curious children, posing a severe choking hazard. The same goes for coins and batteries.

Even small scraps of food – those leftover Mini Eggs rattling around at the bottom of your purse, for example – are small enough to put children at risk of choking or an allergic reaction.

Scary stuff. So what can you do?

The obvious answer is to regularly clear out your handbag and get rid of any junk – it’s likely ripe with bacteria that isn’t any good for you, either. Keep an eye out for dangerous items and ditch them.

But also, make sure to keep handbags out of children’s reach and don’t leave them unattended.

It’s tempting to drop your bag on the floor when you arrive at someone’s house, but try to remember to place it on a table or coat hook instead, out of children’s reach.

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When Jane Broadis asked her year six students to write a poem, it’s unlikely she knew she’d receive such a powerful submission.

The assignment was to write a poem that could also be read backwards, teaching the kids how to asses their structure and think about how their words could have double meanings.

What one student wrote, however, was so impressive she just had to share.

On Twitter, Jane posted the poem written by the 10-year-old identified as AO. It looks a their experience with Dyslexia and how they have tried to overcome the stereotypes and expectations placed on them because of it.

On first reading, it starts: ‘I am stupid, Nobody would ever say I have a talent for words’.

However if you read from the bottom up, it says: ‘I can make it in life, Nobody could ever convince me, That I am a failure’.

The piece resonated with people in a big way, and the Tweet currently has 91,000 likes and 28,000 retweets.

It also prompted people to share their experiences of growing up dyslexic, and the treatment they received from people who didn’t understand or care.

One person said, ‘I was called stupid by my year 6 teacher. 3 years later diagnosed with Dyslexia. We just see things others can not’, while another replied saying, ‘My second grade teacher threw a paper in my face and asked if I was stupid. My parents got me dyslexia training through the Shriners. Result: 2 college degrees and a 40 year career as a journalist/writer.’

Jane shared this in the hopes that there may be a forthcoming publisher for AO, and people replied in their droves trying to help.

The pair should both be proud; AO for creating something so amazing, and Jane for amplifying the voice of this young person.

If you think you or your child may be dyslexic, or want some advice on the topic, you can contact the British Dyslexia Association’s helpline on 0333 405 4567. Opening hours are on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10am to 3pm. You can also find more information on their website.

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On Friday 1 March, to celebrate St. David’s Day, Nando’s is giving away free bottles of its PERi-PERi sauce to any customer named David in restaurants across Wales.

Any customer named David who visits a Welsh Nando’s on 1 March will receive a limited edition St. David’s Day bottle of Nando’s Medium PERi-PERi sauce, which will feature their name, when they spend £7 in the restaurant.

This also applies to translations of the name – including David, Dafydd, Dewi, Dai, Dafina and Davina.

The bottles of sauce are limited per restaurant, therefore anyone named David is encouraged to get down to their local Nando’s early to get their hands on one.

If you’re under 16 you won’t be able to join in with the promotion, unless you have parental consent. Sorry, teens.

Anyone professionally connected to Nando’s is not allowed to get a free bottle, either.

To make things fair, you won’t be able to go in to Nando’s and just say your name is David. It doesn’t work like that, so sorry to spoil the plans of all those who wanted to try to nab a free bottle.

Upon spending £7, you will have to show your ID at the till.

So, to the Davids out there, 1 March is your lucky day – go forth and relish in having the same name as a Saint, and be rewarded with a bottle of sauce.

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A woman makes nearly £3,000 a month by selling her selfies online.

Lottie Miles, 23, a former care worker from Cannock, Staffordshire, was searching for a new job when she came across online subscription service OnlyFans.

So far, she has made more than £5,000 over the space of two months from taking selfies in her bedroom and selling them to her fans.

Lottie said: ‘Since I made my account and started posting in January this year, and I’ve since made $7,400 in total.

‘When you sell your pictures, a statement gets sent to you, with a breakdown into subscriptions, tips and messages from fans.

‘I never intended on this being long term, it was only temporary until I got a new job as I needed some money to tidy me over.

‘Now though, I upload every day.

‘The timings are so flexible, I post throughout the day with content that has been taken in advance or sometimes, I’ll take it and upload it instantly.’

The site allows users to charge fans between $5 (£3.76) and $49.99 (£37.56) to see each image, with creators receiving an 80% share of any revenue generated.

Lottie insists despite her sometimes sexual photos she doesn’t feel concerned about who is buying them.

And with just over 150 fans following her, she doesn’t fear she might be prayed on by older men – her parents know about what she’s doing.

Lottie said: ‘Some fans remain anonymous with a randomly generated username but a lot of people use profile pictures and their names.

‘Initially I posted the images to my Instagram page, but hid certain posts from most of my family.

‘But someone who works at my dad’s local pub has subscribed to me, and a few of the younger guys mentioned it.

‘Our family friend, who runs the pub, found out and told my dad.

‘He told my mum, but she already knew.

Lottie, who also currently volunteers part-time, is taking every day as it comes and does not rule out her new hobby as a career.

She added: ‘I’ve been approached to do some modelling work but that’s never really taken off.

‘If the opportunity is there, I would take it.’

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A lingerie shop has been criticised online for ‘body shaming’ their customers with a sign outside their shop.

The list of bra sizes includes statements like ‘almost boobs’ for A cups and ‘barely there’ for B cups as well as ‘enormous’ for E cups and ‘fake’ for anyone who wears an F cup.

Only C (can’t complain), D (delicious) and DD (double delicious) cups are given more positive descriptions.

Those with G cup breasts are told ‘get a reduction’ and the largest size, L, are labelled ‘you are having a LAUGH.’

The sign was spotted outside Fit To Bust Too in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, an independent shop selling brands like Hot Milk, Fantasie and Royce.

Posting the list on Twitter, user @Musicneyeliner said: ‘Wtf, is this shop trying to sell me a bra or make me hate myself?’

It states ‘which size are you?’ with a list of descriptions for each cup size.

People weren’t impressed, saying that the list was ‘body shaming’ and would make customers ‘hate themselves’.

One user said: ‘Wow. This has actually made my stomach turn. The way they dart between hyper-sexualising and full on body shaming is just gross. There’s no way on earth me and my “Go get a reduction” chest would enter those doors.’

Another added: ‘It manages to alienate ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE. I mean, it’s almost impressive.’

Someone else added that these statements could make customers uncomfortable if they come for a sizing.

‘Apart from anything else this is every bit of misinformed prejudice around sizing that makes people suffer in uncomfortable, ill-fitting bras, which seems rather counterproductive when offering a fitting service.’

‘Imagine telling someone they need one of cup sizes other than the three or four that are apparently acceptable when you’ve just given them those messages about what those sizes mean. “This is a 32 Get a reduction!” Ugh.’

But a spokeswoman for Fit To Bust too said that the sign has been there for 10 years and usually it receives positive comments.

She added that she will read through the comments and will think about whether to keep the sign.

A spokeswoman for Fit To Bust Too said: ‘I have some sympathy with what they are saying but it has been there for 10 years and we have had far more positive reaction than negative.

‘You would amazed how many people find it amusing and how many stop and put their finger up to the size they are and take pictures. I have even been asked if I have a copy of it and that has encouraged me to keep it.

‘The window has mannequins of a certain size and it lets everyone know we go from an A-L but it also breaks down barriers and shows we have a sense of humour.

‘In 10 years, I have had three of our people who don’t like it. They have come in and talked about it but I have been encouraged to keep it by the people who like it.

‘Having read through the comments, I will think about it. You can’t have reactions and not consider them. I will think about it, of course.

‘I am not in the business of upsetting women. I am in the business of sizing women and making sure they are wearing a comfortable bra.’

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Sue Medland, 54, was quite happy dealing with her two-year-old St Bernard Amber; walking, feeding, and all that comes with dog ownership.

Now, however, those responsibilities have multiplied by nine, as Amber had a large litter of surprise puppies.

She fell for a local rescue dog – Aston, a Spanish Mastiff – and, much to Sue’s shock, a couple of months later had babies.

The nine new additions have apparently transformed the family’s home in St Helier, Jersey, and Sue affectionately calls the babies a ‘pack of young hooligans’.

Feeding is serious business, as they naughty nine need to be fed at half past five in the morning, again at lunch, after work, around ten in the evening, and sometimes even in the middle of the night, with Sue and her husband giving Amber some much-needed help.

Both Sue and her husband work full-time, meaning that they have to rely on a ‘puppy camera’ during the day.

She says: ‘She added: ‘We have a puppy camera set up in the house now, so that my husband, my son and myself can keep an eye on them during the day.

‘My husband and I each took a week off work when Amber had the pups, and I slept downstairs with her for the week before she gave birth and the week after.’

They’re currently five weeks old, and Sue is looking to rehome them once they’re ready.

‘Since they are so young, we have not yet pushed for homes for them, but I do already have people waiting to come and see them,’ she says.

‘And I will also want to see if they are suitable owners. These are big dogs, and you need to have the space for them.’

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Louise King has had eczema since she was five. She always turned to strong steroid creams to keep the rash at bay.

The 28-year-old has been reliant on the creams for the last 23 years. After finding out they could be addictive, she decided to stop using them.

When the NHS data analyst, from Hampshire, first discovered the steroid cream, she thought they were a miracle. She used them for any flare-ups but eventually, the eczema started getting worse and spreading to previously unaffected areas.

Louise is now struggling with the withdrawal symptoms which she says have been hell, leaving her with ‘lizard skin’.

Her skin has also become sensitive and leaks pus, making it too tender to kiss her boyfriend.

Louise also struggles with fatigue, sickness, sudden weight loss, depression, forgetfulness, and confusion, which she links to quitting steroid creams.

Despite the withdrawal symptoms, Louise has vowed to keep away from her hydrocortisone cream.

‘I would slather myself in the steroid cream when I had a breakout and at school, I would try and hide my skin underneath thick makeup and was always trying to find other ways to ease my symptoms, like E45 or coconut oil.

‘But nothing ever worked quite like the steroid cream.

‘I knew I wanted to stop using steroids but my skin was in such a state and my doctor was telling me I just needed to use them.

‘I got home and covered myself in the cream but moments later I remembered everything I’d learned online about how addictive they can be and rushed to shower it all off.

‘It was insane, addict behaviour that was echoed by fellow suffers that I talked to on Instagram.

‘I decided once and for all that I wouldn’t ever use steroids again.’

A few weeks after giving up the creams, Louise began to experience full effects of the withdrawal and was forced to put her new job on hold due to the severity of her symptoms.

She had swollen, cracked and shedding skin, plus news patches of eczema, fatigue, fever, and was even unable to close her eyes.

The condition has affected her relationship with her boyfriend and she has had to move back in with her parents to deal with it all.

When Louise went to see a dermatologist she was again advised to use steroid creams.

‘I begged her to treat me with something more natural,’ added Louise. ‘She finally agreed that I could give a course of light therapy a try which I’m now waiting for.

‘I’ve been told that full recovery from steroids can take up to five years and varies greatly for each person.

‘There have been times when I’ve asked myself why I’m even bothering but thanks to the online support, and that of my family. I’m determined to get better.’

If you want more information, advice, or support, The Eczema Society is a charity that aims to help out people affected by it.

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There’s never been a better time to visit South Africa. The vibrant holiday destination is just 12 hours away from London, presenting an exotic and unrivalled variety of experiences to create a holiday of dreams.

Steeped in a cultural history, against a backdrop of bustling cities and stunning beaches, there is still so much to be discovered in South Africa.

Meet local guides from South Africa to get a better idea of what is waiting for you.

Jonas Barausse

Parts of Durban are undergoing another revitalisation and boast a hip coffee shop culture and is becoming a real hub for entrepreneurs to cut their teeth. Jonas Barausse is keen to spread the word that South Africa isn’t just a big safari.

‘People aren’t aware that South Africa is a superpower on the continent with amazing, cosmopolitan cities to rival the Americas, Asia and Europe,’ he says.

One of Jonas’ many recommendations is to visit Durban, as it’s a great base to discover the rest of the country, but before you go anywhere, to try the local fusion food and its world-class distilleries. Not to mention the weather – it’s summer and more summer.

Durban forms an ideal base to discover South Africa, from game parks just a two-hour drive away. Or, you can fly to Cape Town which is a few hours by plane or Johannesburg, which is an hour trip.

Charles Ncube

When you think of South Africa, you’ll undoubtedly think of Johannesburg, also known as Jo’burg. It’s come a long way since it was a ‘no-go area’, and its residents are proud to show it off.

Street art in the city bears significance, as Charles reveals: ‘Murals are how artists showcase their skills and how the city shows off its culture. But before, during the dark time under Apartheid, art was a way that people communicated when they had their freedoms restricted. Today, the centre of the art scene is Maboneng, which is one of the most successful regeneration projects in the world. You’ve got galleries, boutiques, amazing bars and restaurants like Pata Pata.’

Jo’burg is recommended as one of the best places to learn about South Africa’s history, with Constitution Hill being a good place to start as it was formerly a prison, where Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Ghandi were imprisoned.

The nearby township of Soweto is flourishing despite its difficult past. You can even bungee jump and quad bike at the Soweto Towers, or take a tuk tuk tour or bike ride from Lebo’s Backpackers.

Charles says, ‘The wounds are the scars of the past are still open in this township, but nobody’s crying here. It’s one of the most vibrant parts of the whole country.’ And he invites you to come and see for yourself.

James Seymour

Adrenaline junkies will find everything their hearts desire in the Drakensberg. Not only does the area boast the biggest number of trails in the whole of South Africa, but there’s even more to get the blood pumping. You can go hot air ballooning, abseiling, rock climbing, horse-riding, mountain biking, zip-lining, paragliding and even whitewater rafting. You will also be able to get a glimpse of the incredible vistas and hills with a helicopter ride that James insists is an ‘unmissable activity’.

‘It’s so hard to comprehend how rugged and vast the mountains are until you’re high up and can see the depth of the valleys and height of the peaks. It’s mind-blowing. The only other way to experience it is to hike to the top of the escarpment, but the great thing about a helicopter is that within a few minutes you’re already up there,’ James says.

If you’ve got young ones with you, you can also try the Drakensberg Canopy Tour, which has over 10 lines that zip across the valley. You have to be over seven-years-old to enjoy this ride that will take your breath away.

Bens Marimane

If you want to see some wildlife in their natural habitat, then what better way that in Greater Kruger at the Mala Mala private game reserve. People from around the world get to come and enjoy this piece of paradise with some even getting moved to tears over the spectacle before them.

Bens says, ‘A game drive is all about game viewing, but it’s also like playing a game because we don’t know what we’re going to find out there in the bush. The most important thing is to trust your guide.’

The guides will tell you not to stand up, so as not to stand out against the shape of vehicle and alert the wildlife to your presence. If you’re lucky, you will catch a glimpse of The Big Five – lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino. Bens says nearly every day they get to see big cats and the area is unrivalled for leopard viewing. In MalaMala, the river also gives the wildlife a place to come and get a drink – a must-see.

Danie Van Zyl

As an outdoor adventure guide, Danie adores The Green Kalahari and moved to make sure he’s in the thick of nature. With the Orange River running through the swathes of vineyards and beyond that, the desert. Danie recommends river rafting for the whole family to explore, or try your hand at fishing or canoeing to take in the breathtaking landscape and the wildlife you’ll be able to spot on the way.

While stunning birds like Marshall eagles and black eagles will often be spotted, Danie says: ‘The Kalahari, for me, is about the little things — the Augrabies flat lizard with its beautiful colours, the scorpions, the little ants. If you take time and walk around, or even get down on your hands and knees, you’ll see the magic of the desert.’

So if we find you on all fours – we know why!

If you’re planning to travel to South Africa with your children, click here for more information here.

Andre Morgenthal

You can’t talk about South Africa and not mention its wine. Within a three hour radius of Cape Town you can visit 10 wine regions, meaning you can soak up iconic sites and still sample the country’s finest wines in the vineyards. According to Andre, ‘you’re really spoilt for choice’ with local food, which is being celebrated more and more, and it’s not bad on the wallet either.

‘And this was the food that I grew up with: traditional Cape-Dutch cuisine, that evolved in home kitchens over generations. Dishes such as waterblommetjie bredie, a lamb stew made with a little flower that lives in the marshes and dams here in the Western Cape,’ Andre says.

For more information on your trip to South Africa, click here.

Comic Relief’s Red Nose day is almost here – which means we’re about to be treated to a night of music and humorous revelry, and all for a good cause to boot.

Tristan Thompson does himself no favours as he heads to dinner with woman

Red Nose Day, which takes place every other year, is a national fundraising event that’s organised by Comic Relief.

Events on the day will include the broadcasting of a ‘sequel’ to 90’s classic rom-com Four Weddings And A Funeral, including 15 of the original cast members, a 24-hour dance-off with Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daily, and a 24-hour radio marathon broadcast show with Chris Stark and Scott Mills – all in an effort to raise funds for those struggling both in the UK and abroad.

Aside from organising your own fundraising event, there’s another way that you can get involved with Red Nose Day yourself, and it’s easy – just go shopping!

We’ve got everything you need to know about how to get your hands on a Red Nose Day t-shirt, and the other merch that’s on offer for Comic Relief 2019.

Where can you get a 2019 Comic Relief t-shirt and other merchandise?

This year, exclusive Disney long and short-sleeve shirts, aprons and pyjamas will be available to buy in support of Red Nose Day.

Joanna Lumley, Una Healy, Laura Whitmore, Kimberly Wyatt, Fay Ripley and Kate Garraway have all donned the Disney-designed aprons, and part of the proceeds from all of the Disney merchandise will be going straight to Comic Relief.

A Disney spokesman said: ‘It’s great that our much-loved characters will put smiles on people’s faces and help raise vital funds to bring comfort and inspiration to vulnerable children and their families in the UK and further afield.’

The t-shirts are 100% Fairtrade cotton, and the designs feature Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Goofy, Eeyore, Bambi, Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, and one of the 101 Dalmatians.

You can buy them, along with the other charitable Comic Relief merchandise for this year, from the Red Nose Day online shop.

There’s also extra Disney merch available from TK Maxx, who teamed up with Disney and Comic Relief to produce the products, including tea towels, tote bags, and water bottles.

When is Red Nose Day 2019?

Red Nose Day is Friday 15 March this year, after the last one took place on Friday 25 March 2017.

You’ll be able to tune in to the live TV special on BBC One.

Red Nose Day used to happen every year, but in 2002, BBC Sport teamed up with Comic Relief to start Sport Relief, which focuses its fundraising efforts on sporting events rather than comedy.

Sport Relief shares the spotlight with Comic Relief by being biennial – Red Nose Day happens on odd numbered years, and Sport Relief falls on even numbered years.

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Yesterday, we looked at the new clothing trend Big Vulva Energy which was sweeping red carpets worldwide.

It sees people wearing floating pink garments to imitate labia, using female genitalia as the ultimate symbol of powerful femininity.

If you’re not brave enough to wear a taffeta ballgown to your next night out at All Bar One (sad), there are ways to encompass this without donning the vulva garb.

Laurie Melia has one such way, with these gorgeous plates that you can display in your home.

The Galaxy Goddess Vulva Plate is hand sculpted from white stoneware clay, fired, decorated and glazed twice, then fired a second time.

View this post on Instagram

Some new things out of the kiln this morning ✨💖👁

A post shared by Laurie Melia (@laurie_melia_ceramics) on Dec 7, 2018 at 5:53pm PST

As the ceramic labia opens, you’ll see the whole universe unfold. The gold stars in the galaxy are even painted in 24 carat gold lustre.

There’s a small dip for you to place insence, or you can simply put all your valuables on top.

Much of Laurie’s work features vaginal imagery, from ring holders to vases emblazoned with pink folds to small statues of proudly naked bodies.

For the vulva plate, you’re looking at around $135 AUD (£72.48), while the ring holder totems retail for $90.00 AUD (£48.32).

Pieces tend to sell out extremely quickly – furthering the idea that everyone wants a piece of that BVE – so if you’re desparate to showcase one in your own home, keep an eye on Laurie’s Instagram.

In light of a recent article telling us that cacti and sad books were repellents for potential male partners, this celebration of the human form could be the perfect accessory to combat stuffy attitudes around womanhood and our homes.

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A modern day ‘witch’ who ‘cosmically ordered’ her boyfriend, cementing their relationship with a ‘magic spell’, claims her occult powers ensured her new man was the equal of Tom Hiddleston.

Just two weeks after casting a spell to find her perfect man, Kate Goth, 30, from Devon, found Adam Taylor, 33, on Tinder.

He turned out to be the perfect match – especially as he’s a practicing Norse pagan.

A lifelong fan of witchcraft, she explained: ‘I had suffered a few heartbreaks and so wrote down in my journal that I was off men for good. I would only accept a man whose charm and wit were the equal of my imagined vision of actor Tom Hiddleston.

‘Then, a fortnight later, along came my very own Tom Hiddleston in the form of Adam, who worked in a furniture warehouse and was living 25 miles away in Tavistock.’

Not keen to leave the progress of her romance down to fate, Kate, who only ever dresses in black or white and has pagan tattoos across her body, used her magical abilities to bring them closer.

She said: ‘I went to this tree in the woods just outside Totnes, where I often go to perform magic rituals.

‘I began by casting a protection spell around me and then placed down on the ground some bread and herbs as an offering along with three coins. Each one represented a desire – for abundance in fortune, happiness for my friends and family and abundance in love.

‘Then a week later Adam was made redundant from his job in Tavistock and came over to live with me in Totnes.

‘I later told him what I had done and he was a little shocked – but that was back in May 2018 and we joke about it now!’

Kate spent her childhood moving around the world – living in Hong Kong, Holland and Scotland, because of her dad and then her step-dad’s jobs, as they both worked in the Royal Air Force.

But her interest in witchcraft was awoken at the age of eight, after her mum Karen Bailey told her they were related to the Pendle witches – 10 women and men from Lancashire who were executed in 1612 on a charge of murder by witchcraft.

‘That got me very interested in the idea of witchcraft, so I started researching it in books and on the internet,’ recalled Kate, who remembers herself being an ‘odd child’ who did not fit in with other children her age.

‘Fairly soon after that I began practising myself, using crystals to keep negativity away and for protection, along with divination techniques such as tarot card reading, to help understand the present and the future better.’

Though her parents and her two brothers accepted her new interest, believing it to be ‘just a phase,’ her schoolmates were less understanding.

Kate said: ‘I wasn’t particularly in to the things that other kids my age were and I remember being teased and bullied at school for not knowing who the Spice Girls were.

‘Then, when I said to someone that I was a witch, they just laughed and asked if I was going to turn them into a frog.

‘They just didn’t believe or understand any of it.’

Despite resolving to keep her magical ways to herself after that, she felt ’empowered’ by the knowledge that she was part of a tradition of women who had been ridiculed by society for their beliefs.

And when, eventually, she moved to Totnes – a town once hailed by Time Magazine as the New Age capital of Britain – in 2011, she felt totally comfortable being open about her craft.

‘Everyone in Totnes is much more tolerant than in other places where I have lived,’ explained Kate, who moved to the market town for work at a nursery.

‘I dress quite conspicuously and before living here, people used to shout at me in the street. Here, though, complete strangers say good morning to each other.’

Kate is now happy telling both friends and strangers about her witchy way of life, although she prefers to practise alone and not within a coven.

Emphasising the importance of the natural world in modern-day witchcraft, Kate spends much of her time gathering herbs and plants for use in remedies, which she brews at home and gives to her friends when they are unwell.

‘For common colds, I will quite often make a nettle and wild garlic soup, which is really good for soothing it,’ said Kate, who gets the recipes for her herbal infusions from books on witchcraft and folk medicine.

‘I recently had a urinary tract infection, too, so I made a special tea using cleavers, nettles, corn silk and dandelions.

‘Within a couple of days it had completely gone.’

She also uses the local plant life for what she calls ‘supernatural spring-cleaning’, explaining how she wraps bundles of dry herbs into ‘smudge sticks,’ setting fire to them and wafting the smoke around her home to clear it of any bad energy.

‘If I’ve, say, had an argument with Adam, I use smudge sticks to clear the air, while saying a spell,’ she explained.

‘But sometimes these spells can be quite passionate and once my housemate was a little surprised to come home and hear me screaming, “you can all just f*** off!” at the bad spirits.’

While Kate feels more accepted than she has ever been and says her beliefs are now fully backed by her family, she still comes up against suspicion and fear.

‘I was at a funeral not long ago and met a woman there who asked if I was a Christian,’ she recalled.

‘When I replied that I was a pagan and a witch she immediately responded viciously saying, “You must be a devil worshipper then!”

‘I politely informed her that I do not worship the devil and left it at that.’

Kate wants people to know that there’s nothing evil about what she does – and she uses her spells for good.

She said: ‘There are good people and bad people in the world, so of course there are some bad witches.

‘But it is entirely down to the person using the magic to decide, and for me, personally, I think that it makes me a better person.

‘So I don’t feel the need to defend myself all the time about it – I am a very good witch and that’s all there is to say.’

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Children will often wear what they want and take off whatever clothes they don’t.

One set of parents found that their three-year-old daughter loves running around the house naked.

While the mum found it adorable and funny to see the toddler zoom around the sitting room in the buff, the dad didn’t like it.

He decided to tell the youngster off for her ‘nasty’ habit. That riled up the mum, who accused the dad of body-shaming their young daughter.

The mum had felt practical advice, such as telling her to not hang out naked because of health and hygiene, would be much better than simply labeling it nasty.

Posting the interaction on a Reddit forum, the mum revealed how the couple ended up fighting over the incident. She recounted how she told her husband that ‘nasty’ was the wrong word to use to describe an innocent habit while the dad was angry about being corrected in front of their child.

The online community had thoughts on the matter. Some felt one remark would cause internalising body shame while others talked about the importance of a united front.

‘Last night when she got off the potty, our daughter ran around naked and my husband told her to put on her pants as it was approaching dinner time,’ wrote the mum.

‘After telling her to put on her pants she ignored him and kept running. Then he told her something like “that’s nasty; you need to wear pants”.

‘I said: “That’s not nasty. There’s not one nasty thing about our baby girl.” Then I told my daughter we are about to eat and we wear pants at the dinner table in case we spill hot food on ourselves and she put on her pants and helped set the table.

‘I explained that he should tell her it’s too cold to be without pants or it’s unhygienic at the dinner table, but not to use the word “nasty” as I don’t want her to feel shame about her body.

‘He explained that he is her father and when I contradict him in front of her that undercuts his role, and I said, “And I’m a mother and a woman. I protect her like you do too but I also know what it’s like to have a complex about your body and that’s not what I want her to even think about at three”. Then my husband said we shouldn’t discuss it in front of her so we changed the subject.’

Some people agreed with the dad that disagreements should be discussed away from the child.

One person advised phrasing it in a nicer way to advise the daughter but also not contradict the husband.

‘Say something like: “Daddy means that it’s not clean to eat without clothes, because we might have germs that get us sick”.

‘Do you want her scratching her bare butt at the dinner table, and then picking up her chicken nuggets right after?

‘Also if you knew she was ignoring him, why didn’t you back him up right away? Why only interject when he said something that rubbed you the wrong way rather than when your daughter is ignoring her father?’

Others felt that she was right to question it and that children should be exposed to disagreements.

‘Why is everyone saying you need a “united front” like you’re fighting a war between parents and kids. It’s actually really helpful for kids to see disagreements and how to resolve them.’

Others felt it was a body-shaming comment: ‘Girls don’t need any incentive in this world to feel bad/ashamed about their bodies, and reactions like his (especially from a parent) are the type of thing that shapes a child’s world view.’

What do you think?

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