that's life (Australia)

Letter from the Ed

Teachers can make such a big difference in a youngster’s life. The right words of praise, encouragement or guidance can help shape who you grow up to be. But our stories on page 60 this week show they can be lifesavers as well as life changers. It got...

Letter from the Ed

My first overseas holiday was as a young adult. My friend Claire and I got a last-minute deal for a cheap trip to Turkey. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, I got a nasty stomach bug and then an ear infection that was so bad I spent most of the trip saying...

Letter from the Ed

My first overseas holiday was as a young adult. My friend Claire and I got a last-minute deal for a cheap trip to Turkey. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, I got a nasty stomach bug and then an ear infection that was so bad I spent most of the trip saying...

Letter from the Ed

Well here we are in January! The trees have come down, the tinsel is packed away and, if you’re anything like me, you don’t want to look at another choc or mince pie. And, by now, you are either getting stuck into your New Year’s resolution, or you’ve...

Letter from the Ed

We’ve always known housework is a bit of a workout. Whether it’s pushing and pulling a vacuum cleaner around (I once put my back out vacuuming a rug), scrubbing stubborn mould from a shower or – my most dreaded task – changing fitted sheets, it’s easy...

WHAT’S ODD? PUZZLE

HOW TO WIN... This image has been taken from the film West Side Story. We have tinkered with the image and added something that doesn’t appear in the original scene (4,5). Write which object doesn’t belong only on the entry coupon and you could be a...

Letter from the Ed

Do you have a pet called Luna or Teddy? If so, you’re in good company, as a survey has found they’re the most popular pet names in Australia in 2025 (Trending, p14). Luna also topped the charts in NZ, along with Milo for male pets. Actually, a lot of...

Letter from the Ed

Well here we are, in December already! I don’t know about you, but I’ve still got plenty to tick off my to-do list before Christmas. So I wasn’t surprised to read that stress can rise by 30 per cent at this time of year (Living Well p62). That’s...

Letter from the Ed

Can you imagine if one your favourite actors turned up at your wedding? That’s what happened to couple Jessica and Sharik. The huge Lord of the Rings fans tied the knot on the Hobbiton movie set in Matamata, NZ. The movies’ star, Elijah Wood, who...

Letter from the Ed

We love reading the Mind & Spirit page at the end of the mag each week. Whether you believe in the mystical or not, the column is always entertaining and interesting! This week’s is about numerology (page 74) – the belief numbers can have a connection...

Letter from the Ed

Getting changed after a gym class the other day, I was in my own world in the changing room. That’s when I heard a woman washing her hands at the sink say something. ‘Oh, I do that too,’ she said, ‘when I’m baking.’ At first I thought she might be on...

Letter from the Ed

When I stopped studying, 20-odd years ago, I was over the moon to put down the textbooks and never have to write an essay again. Before my journalism course, I’d gone to uni and studied English, believing I was passionate about literature... Turns out,...

Letter from the Ed

It’s no secret that we love a good op shop find here at tl!, whether it’s a huge saving on a dress or pair of shoes, or a cute homewares find. But I have to admit I would have been beside myself with excitement if I’d popped into a Forest Hill, Vic, op...

Letter from the Ed

We’re thrilled to be announcing the winner of our Pets Win Prizes competition this week. If the suspense is too much, you can turn to page six now to find out who our wonderful winner and runner-up are. Choosing a winner was truly a tall order. Reading...

Letter from the Ed

Have you started any Christmas shopping yet?’ my hairdresser asked the other day while I had a trim. ‘Not yet,’ I admitted. She’d just bought some Pokémon cards and toys for her nephew. ‘He’s mad about it,’ she said. That’s when another customer chimed...

58 PRIZE PUZZLES

$116,391 in cash and prizes

Born with half a HEART!

FOREIGN ACCENT SYNDROME

I lost my true blue twang OVERNIGHT

Letter from the Ed

Spring has finally sprung here in Sydney after weeks and weeks of cold weather and constant rain. It’s been lovely to finally see – and feel – the sun! And it’s definitely good news for the walls in my unit, which seem to break out in mould and mildew...

out of people’s ASHES

Letter from the Ed

There’s been a lot of talk about AI and robots lately, and all the new things that technology can do. But reading a story in Trending (page 14) this week, I was still taken by surprise. Robots can paint portraits now?! I thought, reading about how a...

Letter from the Ed

What would you do if you won $25,000? Thanks to our brand new $25k Pay Day competition (p13), one lucky reader will do just that! I know exactly what I’d do with that much money. It’d go towards my savings for a house deposit, and perhaps I’d treat...

Letter from the Ed

Weddings can feel magical, but there’s often a mishap or fraught moment behind the scenes of the ‘perfect’ day. For one couple though, featured in Trending this week (page 14), the trouble was pretty clear to every guest – the church was flooded thanks...

I coughed for SEVEN years

Letter from the Ed

Ihave a confession that I’m not proud of. I’m a bit of a potty mouth. Born to a boatie – my dad Nick – who literally swore like a sailor, I never stood a chance. And it seems it runs in the family. My sister Jemimah was picking up her four-year-old...

Accused of ABUSING my girl... But I was innocent

Letter from the Ed

As always, our thrifty Ms Moneysaver Sam Ireland has some top tips this week. Her column is all about making the most of time with the kids, grandies or other little ones in our lives without breaking the bank (page 63). It got us talking about the...

Letter from the Ed

Those of us who celebrate Christmas in July are in for a treat this week in our that’s food! pages (page 19.) We’ve got a recipe for some divine parmesan and garlic roast potatoes and slowcooker Christmas pud. In fact, I think I’ll be saving them for...

Letter from the Ed

Here in the tl! office, we’re all finding it hard to believe it’s already halfway through the year. In fact, it feels like we blinked in January and now we’re in June. But it’s a good time to look at whether or not our new year’s resolutions are on...

I can hear my EYEBALLS moving

Letter from the Ed

Are you green-fingered? I’ve always thought it must be nice to be able to grow your own herbs and vegies, or colourful flowers. My dad has always liked gardening, and my brother has a vegie patch at a community garden. Sadly, every plant I’ve ever had...

Letter from the Ed

Have you put off a visit to the doctor? I’m sure most of us have thought, I’ll see how it goes, about a pain or new symptom. Well this week’s Medi-file (page 66) is a cautionary tale. Andy Stewart, a motorbike lover and grandad from Palmerston North,...

A FISH speared my FACE

Letter from the Ed

While it’s fair to say we aren’t huge fashionistas on team tl!, we still love looking at what’s in our fashion pages each week. There’s always some great inspiration, a bargain to be spotted or even just ‘windowshopping’ to be enjoyed browsing the...

Our Gizmo was lost for NINE YEARS

I QUIT BOOZE...

and lost HALF my BODY FAT!

Letter from the Ed

Atrip to the shops feels more expensive than ever at the moment, but luckily our Ms MoneySaver, Samantha Ireland, offers us some great thrifty tips each week. In this issue, she’s sharing her handy hints for getting the best out of a trip to the op...

Letter from the Ed

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to know what our pets were really thinking? Are they hungry? Is there anything that would make them happier? Well Nikki Vasconez is one of a growing number of ‘animal communicators’ who claim they can understand our furry...

Letter from the Ed

Lots of us have found a time in our lives when we’ve wanted to find new friends. Whether it’s moving to a new place, starting a new job or shifting into a different stage of life – such as motherhood or retirement – there are times we find ourselves...

Letter from the Ed

This week, we couldn’t help but smile at the story of country singer Dolly Parton’s pintsized fan (page 15). Fouryear-old superfan Hallie loves Dolly so much that she not only dances to her favourite Dolly songs, but also carries a photo of the singer...

Letter from the Ed

If they gave out prizes for persistence, there’s a woman in South Korea who’d take the trophy. Cha Sa-soon started learning to drive so she could take her grandchildren on day trips. But it took her hundreds of tries at the written theory test before...

Casting a spell got me A HOUSE

My boy’s a snake catcher!

Letter from the Ed

Our Living Well section (page 64) often throws up some interesting facts. This week, in a piece about how we taste foods, I learned some people can’t detect bitterness in what they eat at all. That must be nice! Like having rose-tinted glasses, except...

Letter from the Ed

It’s no secret that we love to give away a prize or two here at tl! We’ve had the best puzzles and prizes since we started back in 1994, and it’s always wonderful to hear from a reader who’s received something special in the post after a winning entry....

61 ways to win

*Terms and conditions apply

DAY TRIP FROM HELL

A volcano ERUPTED...

Letter from the Ed

We always love seeing the photos our readers send in for our Your Life section (page 4). There’s so many adorable dogs, cute cats, and other pets – even chooks – out there! And of course the pictures of you out and about, spending time with friends and...

Letter from the Ed

Have you ever had a dream come true? Not in a Disney-style fairytale sense, or a lottery win. But in a psychic ‘I dreamed of the future’ way? This week’s Spooky Story teller, Perihan, says she’s done just that. She tells us about the time she foresaw...

Told I was infertile... THEN TWINS!

Letter from the editor

The summer heat can sometimes be a bit much, so this week we’ve got some tips on staying cool in Living Well (page 64). But I was also interested to read that it’s common for people to feel grumpier in hot weather. That’s me! I thought. As soon as it...

Letter from the Ed

Many of us love to knit, or know someone who does. But did you know picking up a pair of needles can have some health benefits too? As explained in Living Well (page 64) this week, the repetitive action can be relaxing for the brain, and focusing on...

Letter from the Ed

Welcome to 2025! We’re ready to bring you more of what you love – amazing real-life stories, the best puzzles and chances to win, tasty recipes and all the rest! We’re getting off to a bright start with our story about hairstylist Mykey O’Halloran,...

I catch SERIAL KILLERS

The gift that SAVED OUR GIRL

Hugo, Max and Ruby are ready for Christmas!

Letter from the Ed

Christmas was very much in the air in the office, as we’re just one more issue away from the festive week! It got us all chatting about our favourite Christmas memories. It’s perhaps not surprising that lots of them were from our childhoods, and the...

WHAT’S ODD? PUZZLE

HOW TO WIN... This image has been taken from the film Jaws. We have tinkered with it and have added something that doesn’t appear in the original scene (5). Write which object doesn’t belong only on the entry coupon and you could be a winner. Turn to...

Letter from the Ed

Each week, our real-life stories never fail to raise a smile, cause us to gasp, or move us. This issue though, two stories have moved us to tears, and they’re both about the power of parental love. When Golden Whitrod, from the Sunshine Coast, Qld,...

Letter from the Ed

This week we share stories from two people who knew what they wanted in life from an early age, and went for it! Sherri Madison’s son, eight-year-old Max, was just four when he decided he wanted to make clothes (see page 56). With the help of Sherri,...

‘til I gave BIRTH on the loo!

Letter from the Ed

Wow, is it really November already? Is it just me or is this year really flying by? Maybe I say that every year! But it really does feel like I blinked in February and here we are with just seven full weeks until Christmas! For anyone interested in a...

Letter from the Ed

Visiting my five-yearold niece recently, she was keen to show me her ‘bag of special things’ she had hidden away in a drawer. In a cloth bag, she’d collected together some plastic toy gems, a broken Christmas ornament, an old coin, a tiny jar of...

Letter f m he Ed

We often share stories about how life can change in an instant, and often it’s the power of nature that turns everything upside down. This week Jessie Racicot tells us how a fishing trip changed her life (page 10). Jessie and her hubby Frank were...

SURPRISE!

We had 3 under 3 ...then TRIPLETS

Letter from the Ed

This week’s Spooky Story on page 72 is all about the special connection between mums and daughters, nanas and granddaughters, and even great-nans. Bel Corbett, from NSW, had a difficult fertility journey, but believes her great-grandma Marguerite sent...

Letter from the Ed

We love the amazingly-named Elizabeth Sweetheart in Buzz (page 13) this week. Elizabeth is the Green Lady, having worn nothing but this colour for 30 years. Her hair is green, too, and her home’s interior is, you’ve guessed it, green. I can’t imagine...

Letter from the Ed

We love the amazingly-named Elizabeth Sweetheart in Buzz (page 13) this week. Elizabeth is the Green Lady, having worn nothing but this colour for 30 years. Her hair is green, too, and her home’s interior is, you’ve guessed it, green. I can’t imagine...