Lifestyle

"'And you, Ring-bearer,’ she said, turning to Frodo. ‘I come to you last who are not last in my thoughts. For you, I have prepared this.’ She held up a small crystal phial: it glittered as she moved it, and rays of white light sprang from her hand... May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.'" – J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers Gift-giving is an act from the heart. Much has been...

These shocking videos show a 22-year-old woman ‘clicking’ herself back into place due to a rare condition which sees her joints dislocate ‘60 times a day’. 22-year-old Danielle Shield was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome – an inherited condition which leaves her joints ‘loose’ and susceptible to ‘stick out at odd angles’ – in 2014 at 19 years old. Two years on, trainee nurse Danielle has 60 breaks or dislocations a day and has given up sport, is often reliant on...

Nature-loving Kate Burrows and her partner Alan built their home out of tree trunks, mud and straw after being forced out of their rented home by her permanent flu-like symptoms. Kate, who has lived in the hut in Tarka Valley, near Chumleigh, Devon, for 19 months, says the extreme move was prompted by her rare condition - Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). But North Devon Council say the couple have broken planning laws - and have given them until December to...

I have a friend – let’s call him Tom, because that’s his name. Now, Tom does not like public transport. Not one bit. He is, however, a proud and passionate Londoner, and so is very happy to support the hackney carriage industry, and is famed for his addiction to what he calls “little black busses”. He is also very generous, so I have often found myself cadging a five-minute ride in a taxi for a journey which could easily have...

GHOGY, an online personal training website that provides interactive personalised fitness plans via instructional videos and customisable meal plans has launched. The online personal trainer aims to motivate and transform clients into the healthiest and happiest versions of themselves. Before online fitness subscriptions became available, fitness enthusiasts were forced to either attend fitness classes, pay for an expensive personal trainer or create a programme to follow themselves, which often resulted in people giving up or obtaining injuries. Now thanks to...

Getting rid of a beautiful grand piano may seem sacrilegious. But sometimes, sadly, they just aren’t usable anymore. Even working pianos can be difficult to sell, and as transporting them is a difficult and dangerous task for anyone other than professional piano movers armed with “heavy duty slippers, shoes, blankets, skids, trolleys and ramps”, they can soon become elephants taking up vital room in your home. Old pianos, particularly those that are beyond repair, are extremely difficult to sell. Robert...

Indulging in a season or two of your favourite TV series over a long weekend is a popular way to unwind while keeping yourself entertained for a few hours. Television gives us the opportunity to turn off our brain for an extended period, and show creators understand what keeps viewers coming back for more. In recent years, studies have shown the far-reaching impact television shows have on the lives of those who love them, including how they affect career paths....

We all love the magic of the great outdoors, but this mind-bending puzzle could put your head in a spin. This is the latest puzzle which has the internet in a water-whirl contains 12 words related to water and hydration hidden within the landscape. The makers of Highland Spring created the brain-teaser to highlight how natural hydration can help us improve our productivity and concentration. Karen Crowley of Highland Spring, comments: "We wanted to make something that would challenge people's concentration over...

A worrying story has emerged and one which everyone would do well to take notice of. A man who stubbed his toe in 2009 was told seven years later he had terminal skin cancer, due to the knock. Roland Monger, 36, was walking to work in the snow in 2009 when he slipped and broke his ankle leaving his foot in a plaster cast with his toe exposed. He then stubbed his protruding toe on a step and, despite the...