The unnamed woman discovered she was expecting in December after undergoing treatment at a fertility clinic in Rome, Italy.
But when she was three months along, doctors realised they had mistakenly implanted the wrong embryos, meaning the twins growing in her womb were the biological children of another couple receiving treatment at the clinic.
Four couples received treatment on the day the mistake happened. It is not clear if any of the other women are carrying the wrong baby.
Italy’s Health Ministry is investigating mistake and all embryo implantations at the clinic have been suspended until further notice.
Four mornings a week, Mikayla Rose gets up before dawn, before her kids and hits the pavement. She runs and runs, sometimes as far as 30 kilometres before she gets home, returning to her daily routine and her three children.
“Every single morning when the alarm goes off, I think ‘No!’ I think about turning it off, and rolling over again. But I get up, and I go, and I never regret it,” Mikayla says. “I ran good times in both the Sydney and Melbourne marathons, which qualified me to race in last year’s Boston marathon.”
As the world’s oldest and most prestigious race, the Boston Marathon attracted more than 26,000 participants last year.
“Moments after the starting gun went off, I knew that running that race was going to be one of the best things I ever did. The atmosphere was electric, the sun was shining and I was just so, so happy to be there,” she says.
On the suggestion of a friend, Mikayla had tucked an Australian flag into her running singlet – a decision she says changed her experience of the race. “It was overwhelming to run that route. Despite being from another country, I was supported at every step, people cheering ‘Aussie!’ or ‘Great Britain!’ when they didn’t recognise our flag,” she says with a chuckle.
“The support was incredible. Every few paces someone was offering me orange quarters, another person was offering lollies, another some water. It was like the whole city was running with you.”
Mikayla ran a personal best, finishing the race in three hours and 17 minutes, collapsing in the arms of a stranger who finished at the same time. She suddenly felt freezing, as her fatigue started to take hold.
“My friends who had come over to support me– Megan and Michael – helped me up to our hotel room, which was pretty much right on the finish line. I was desperately cold, and wanted to have a shower before cheering on the other finishers,” she says.
The decision may have saved her life, or at the least prevented a catastrophic injury, as two pressure cooker bombs detonated just metres from her hotel building.
“I jumped in the shower, and then felt a massive, massive bang. My friend opened the bathroom door and told me it was a bomb… I just remember sitting down on the bed, my hair wrapped in a towel and my dressing gown, in disbelief,” she says.
“Our hotel went into lockdown pretty much immediately, so we turned on the television to see the news, and watched the chaos unfold from our fourth storey room.
“I remember thinking, ‘what’s that red powder all over the ground?’ – I thought it was some kind of coloured flour used at the finish line to celebrate – and then it slowly dawned on me that it was blood, blood everywhere.”
Three people were killed in the terror attacks, with 264 more injured. Dozens of victims required amputations. For Mikayla and her friends, pre-arranged travel plans meant they left the city the next day for New York.
“I felt incredibly sad. I was walking around in a daze. The trip was my first overseas since having children and all I wanted to do was get home to them,” she says.
“The day holds such mixed emotions for me – utter euphoria towards Boston for holding such a magnificent race – and total devastation at the attacks.”
Two days after the marathon, Mikayla booked her accommodation for this year’s race.
“I knew I had to give back something to the city which had given me so much joy,” she says. “This year I am going back not to chase another personal best, but to say thank you.”
Rumours are swirling that Penelope Cruz could soon be given a licence to thrill in the latest instalment of the James Bond franchise.
The sexy mother-of-two is tipped to star in the follow-up to Skyfall – which starred her husband Javier Bardem, 45, as villain Raoul Silva.
Kate Winslet’s ex, Sam Mendes is the director at the helm of the project and according to leaked production documents, 39-year-old Cruz is the hot favourite to be the upcoming femme fatale opposite Daniel Craig.
Skyfall took over $1 billion at the box office, making it the highest grossing film in the franchise’s 50-year history and its sequel is expected to start shooting in November.
If Cruz does grace the screen as a Bond babe she will be 40 when she starts filming the project. This will make her one of the oldest actresses to step into the role, but there is no doubt the Spanish siren will do the part justice. As the 75th Bond woman, the Oscar-winner would join an illustrious alumnus of some of the most memorable on-screen characters.
On the eve of her 40th birthday Penelope Cruz is tipped to become the 75th spy siren in the James Bond franchise.
Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder in Dr. No (1962). Honey Ryder: “What are you doing here? Looking for shells?” James Bond: “No, I’m just looking.”
Barbara Bach as Anya Amasova in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). “When this mission is over, I will kill you.”
Berenice Marlohe as Severine in Skyfall (2012). “Be careful what you wish for…”
Carole Bouquet as Melina Havelock in For Your Eyes Only (1981). “I don’t expect you to understand. You’re English. But I’m half-Greek, and Greek women, like Elektra, always avenge their loved ones.”
Caroline Munro as Naomi in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).
Caterina Murino as Solange Dimitrios in Casino Royale (2006). Solange: “You like married women, don’t you, James?” James Bond: “It keeps things simple.”
Claudine Auger as Domino Derval in Thunderball (1965). Domino Derval: “How do you know my friends call me Domino?” James Bond: “It’s on the bracelet on your ankle.” Domino Derval: “So what sharp little eyes you’ve got.” James Bond: “Wait ’til you get to my teeth.”
Daniela Bianchi as Tatiana Romanova in From Russia with Love (1963). Tatiana: “You look surprised. I thought you expected me.”
Denise Richards as Christmas Jones in The World Is Not Enough (1999). “You wanna put that in English for those of us who don’t speak Spy?”
Diana Rigg as Teresa Di Vicenzo aka Tracy Bond (James Bond’s only wife) in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969). “Teresa is a saint; I’m known as Tracy.”
Eva Green as Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale (2006). “I’m the money.”
Famke Janssen as Xenia Onatopp in GoldenEye (1995). James Bond: “Well, I must say, I’ve had a lovely evening. You?” Xenia Onatopp: “Once again the pleasure was all yours.”
Gemma Arterton as Strawberry Fields in Quantum of Solace (2008). Strawberry Fields: “If you attempt to flee I will arrest you, drop you off at the jail and take you to the plane in chains, understand?” James Bond: “[Opening the taxi door] Perfectly. After you.”
Halle Berry as Jinx in Die Another Day (2002). James Bond: “Do you believe in bad luck?” Jinx: “Let’s just say my relationships don’t seem to last.” James Bond: “I know the feeling.”
Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore in Goldfinger (1964). James Bond: “Who are you?” Pussy Galore: “My name is Pussy Galore.” James Bond: “I must be dreaming.”
Izabella Scorupco as Natalya Simonova in GoldenEye (1995). Natalya Simonova: “Oh, I’m not getting on a helicopter with you. No plane, nor train! Nothing that moves!” James Bond: “Darling, what could possibly go wrong? Eh?”
Jane Seymour as Solitaire in Live and Let Die (1973). [Bond picks “The Fool” out of Solitaire’s deck of cards.] Solitaire: “You have found yourself.”
Kim Basinger as Domino Petachi in Never Say Never Again (1983).
Lois Chiles as Dr Holly Goodhead in Moonraker (1979). James Bond: “A woman!” Holly Goodhead: “Your powers of observation do you credit, Mr. Bond.”
Grace Jones as May Day in A View to a Kill (1985). May Day: “Somebody will take care of you.” James Bond: “Oh, you’ll see to that personally, will you?”
Mie Hama as Kissy Suzuki in You Only Live Twice (1967). Kissy Suzuki: “No honeymoon. This is business.” James Bond: [Pushing aside his oyster dinner.] “Well, I won’t need these.”
Naomie Harris as Eve in Skyfall (2012). James Bond: [about getting shot] “In your defense, a moving target is harder to hit.” Eve: “Then you’d better keep moving.”
Olga Kurylenko as Camille Montes in Quantum of Solace (2008). Camille: [To Bond] “There is something horribly efficient about you.”
Rosamund Pike as Miranda Frost in Die Another Day (2002). Miranda: [To Bond] ‘I know all about you—sex for dinner, death for breakfast.”
Shirley Eaton as Jill Masterson in Goldfinger (1964). Jill: “I’m beginning to like you, Mr. Bond.”
Talisa Soto as Lupe Lamora in Licence to Kill (1989).
Teri Hatcher as Paris Carver in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). Paris: [To Bond]: “If it comes to a choice between you and Elliot, I’ve made my bed. You don’t sleep in it anymore.”
“We haven’t had rain here for months,” came the voice down the phone. “The whole mid-west of NSW is in drought.”
Clearly they hadn’t figured on the drought-busting capabilities of the travelling Corbett Clan.
Ever since my parents used to bundle up my brother and sister and I in the mint Commodore station wagon and set off on school holiday camping adventures, there was always one constant: it would rain.
No matter if we were traversing North Queensland in winter or making the Great Aussie Pilgrimage to Uluru in the dry season, our arrival was always heralded by an opening of the heavens.
So it was with a perverse rush of nostalgia that I drove the Mazda into Mudgee late one recent Friday evening, barely able to make out the road for the sheets of rain strafing the windscreen.
Mudgee lies an easy three hours’ drive north-west of Sydney. Across the Blue Mountains, via Lithgow, and through some of the most stunning scenery New South Wales has to offer.
We had come to attend the township’s inaugural Polo in the Paddock – an event, locals had excitedly informed us, that had everyone within a 200 kilometre radius of the bustling regional centre dusting off their glad rags.
The good people of Mudgee were so excited that The Weekly was coming to town they had put out the call to local businesses, asking if any cared to offer up their goods and services to scrutiny. There was a rain-whispering family of four coming to town. A magazine writer, his showgirl wife and their two mischievous children. Miraculously, they still lined up.
The Mudgee Brewing Company was the first to welcome us across its threshold. The micro-brewery and restaurant occupies an old tin wool shed at the very end of Mudgee’s main street. Perched opposite one of the most beautiful art-deco cinemas I have seen in rural Australia (now empty and screaming out for an injection of life), the Mudgee Brewing Company – home of the local brew, Mudgee Mud – does a fine line in hearty country food and excellent local wines.
A steak (of brontosaurus proportions) with a fine mushroom sauce and sweet potato chips followed by a delicious dessert of a sablé biscuit and lemon curd ice-cream stack – all washed down by a superb chardonnay from the nearby Petersons Winery, made the three-hour drive through rain melt away.
We were equally transported by the live music – a male-female duo expertly performing a raft of easy-listening hits. You could tell how well they were performing by the fact our three-year-old daughter set aside her fish and chips to take to the dance floor for an impromptu ballet performance.
Our accommodation for the weekend was at Ilkley Cottages, which we found in the dark some five kilometres out of town. The soft glow of yellow light among a grove of gum trees in the middle of a paddock beckoned as we made our approach.
Maggies is one of three cabins at Ilkley Cottages.
In the morning we woke to a break in the weather – and a view so sublime it looked like a painting. Ghost gums in the foreground, rolling fields in the mid-ground and a low-set line of green, moody mountains in the background – with the accompanying soundtrack of a flock of magpies calling.
Ilkley is a quaint collection of three finely-appointed cottages, all lovingly hand-built by the owner, Chris, a former mining engineer. He and his wife Jorie, herself a retired Anglican minister, go out of their way to make guests feel welcome. The loaf of freshly-baked bread and the half dozen eggs from the hen-house that greeted us upon arrival indicative of the extra mile to which they go.
Coffee that morning was taken, as coffee must daily be taken, at Alby & Esther’s downtown cafe. In a courtyard, under a canopy of verdant grape vines, we partook of a fine brew, as the little people sucked on milkshakes with syrup made from real strawberries.
The first thing that strikes you after spending more than a couple of hours in Mudgee is how living in the city means you can easily fall into the trap of believing all creativity and culture is restricted to the boundaries of the metropolis.
To say that Mudgee has undergone something of a gastronomic and cultural transformation these past ten years would be an understatement. As the Range Rovers of weekending Eastern-Suburbs types from Sydney appeared over the mountains, drawn by the emergence of local vineyards, the once sleepy rural hamlet became fashionable. The result now is a buzzing regional centre: three parts country town, two parts Gourmet Traveller-heaven.
After a brief visit to the local CRT (or Combined Rural Traders as it’s known to city slickers) for four pairs of industrial-strength gumboots, it was time to hit the polo paddock.
Bunnamagoo Estate vineyard is the new home of polo in Mudgee. Or to be more precise, a paddock at Bunnamagoo Estate, beyond the vines and lined by marquees on one side and portaloos on the other, is the new home of polo in Mudgee.
Rain may have hampered play on this, Polo in the Paddock’s first iteration, but it did little to dampen the spirits of the four hundred enthusiasts who had travelled from as far away as Orange and Armidale to watch the ponies.
As it turned out, the ponies had an unscheduled day of rest, the muddy terrain apparently too slippery for play. But the assembled masses partied on regardless – ably assisted by the free-flowing rosé and sparkling wine – and the dulcet tones of Lee Kerneghan.
You can picnic with a gourmet hamper at the polo or take a place at linen-covered tables and sip from delicate goblets under a marquee roof if it’s more your style. As the wine flowed and spirits heightened, I got the distinct impression the end result, no matter where you sat, was pretty much the same.
With no horses to speak of, it was back through the mud we trudged, beating a hasty retreat up the slippery road out of polo paddock before the luxury four-wheel drives of a four-hundred cockies rendered it impassable for our little Mazda.
We headed, in all our glorious dampness, to the one place we knew would provide succour: Lowe Winery.
The cellar door at David Lowe’s eponymous vineyard is a place that radiates warmth and bonhomie. Or perhaps that was just the three glasses of truly excellent Mudgee Blue Shiraz.
Lowe’s Winery, set at on the historic Tinja homestead, is home to one of the region’s best vineyards.
Lowe spent his formative years as a young winemaker in Bordeaux, showing the French how real wine is made. He has parlayed that experience into one of the Mudgee region’s finest boutique wineries. His passion for all things viticulture is infectious. Did I mention how good the wines are?
Breakfast the following morning was taken at the popular Outside the Square café, where local produce is daily thrown into a hand-baked selection of delectables.
Impressive as Mudgee’s selection of gastronomic options is, the town doesn’t have a complete stranglehold on the region’s top nosheries. Thanks to the highly-incongruous presence of a dumpling house on its otherwise sleepy main street, Rylstone – some 50 kilometres east of Mudgee – makes certain of that.
Called 29 Nine 99 and run by what I am willing to wager is Rylstone’s only Chinese resident, La Nan, the yum cha house has foodies beating a path to the historic town, just for a taste of her dumplings.
Inside the Bridge View Inn – a stout, sandstone building that was once a coach stop for the horses and carriages making the cross-mountain trek – sits a little piece of China’s Shaanxi province.
La Nan moved to Australia back in 1999, following her Aussie paramour – never imagining she would find herself in Rylstone. The mini-emporium of Chinese clothes, homewares and objets d’art she has brought with her add a dramatic splash of colour to this small country town.
Delicious dumplings and an impressive selection of Chinese teas made for a perfect postscript to a weekend of indulging.
The hand-made dumplings at Rylstone’s 29 Nine 99 bring new meaning to country town Chinese.
And so, mud flecked and bulging of belly, we set course again for the big smoke, content in the knowledge that while we had put the mud back into Mudgee, she had put a few extra kilos onto our collective waistlines. A fair trade, all in all.
Cherubic, confident and already a fashion plate with his sailboat smocked dungarees from British designer Rachel Riley reportedly selling out in hours, it looked as if the eight-month-old George might have stolen the limelight from his parents.
We saw him owning a morning playgroup, thought to be the first time he has mixed with such a large group babies – there were 10 there all around his age. He chose the largest toy and was a photographer’s dream as he crawled and cooed, chewed his mum’s hair and even made eyes at baby Lily Gray as she sat in mum Alana’s arms. This was George’s only appearance aside from getting off the plane and the media frenzy it caused looked set to upstage his parents’ subsequent outings.
But the Duke and Duchess quickly shifted gear giving not just inch-perfect public performances – stopping for children, babies and hundreds of members of the public, the Duchess rubbing noses in the traditional Maori greeting like a local, respectfully laying a wreath and inspecting the military and talking to Christchurch’s earth quake victims – but also giving a unique insight into just how cool their relationship is, with subtle affectionate glances, knowing looks and chuckles.
As they enthusiastically competed against each other in a yacht race on Auckland harbour, on the rugby field and then came together for the adrenalin rush of the Shotover Jet through the River Canyons on the South Island, it was so wonderfully obvious that this is a couple not just in love but really enjoying their lives as young royals. There was the frisson of a 12-hour babygate enquiry when Prince William hinted at a future sibling for Prince George and the attending media immediately suggested the Duchess might be pregnant…until that is she took a sip of pinot noir at a winery and yes embarked on that body-jolting jetboat trip, not advised for expectant mums.
Their visit to our climes, Catherine’s first time in New Zealand and Australia, certainly did not look like an arduous task for them, this dynamic duo – at times a trio – seems to be having a ball and it’s a joy to witness.
Tomorrow they arrive in Australia and we’ll get to see more of Prince George and hopefully the Duchess in an evening frock at the Governor-Generals reception at Yarralumla in Canberra. Can’t wait.
Food should be about sustenance, energy and all that. What it shouldn’t be about is soothing. Unfortunately some time during my early teens I got that mixed up and food became my friend.
In my late 30s I decided it was time to get a handle on that habit once and for all. Why? Because I knew that using food (in particular sugar) to ease my stress and soothe my soul was starting to impact my health. My cholesterol levels were creeping upwards and I was gradually gaining weight.
More importantly though I was lacking energy, dragging myself out of bed of a morning and yawning my way through each and every day. It was clearly time for a change.
I started doing some research and quickly discovered a method I thought would work for me. It was called mindful eating and the concept was simple – practise being “present” while eating, that is, paying attention to the now, rather than worrying about the past, or what might occur in the future.
It sounded simple enough but I knew that I would need some help to kick start this new way of life and so I booked myself into Billabong Retreat.
Billabong, a meditation and yoga retreat west of Sydney, is the baby of Paul and Tory Von Bergen, a couple of former Sydney-siders who opened the retreat in a bid to provide solace to stressed out city folk.
Situated on 12 acres of native bush, the retreat holds regular mindfulness weekends, weekends which focus on teaching newbies the practise and how to apply it to their everyday lives – including the way they eat. So, you see where I’m going with this right? I booked myself in.
The first night was spent tucked around a roaring fire (it gets cold out west) getting to know our hosts and also one another. Guests ranged in age and occupation, from hard-core yogini to complete newbie. I put myself somewhere in the middle.
The following morning we discussed mindfulness and how it could work for us. We learned about being present so that we could pay attention – to what was going on around us and also inside. We listened to our bodies and our breath, watched our thoughts and came to grips with our “monkey minds”, that endless stream of chatter. And then it was times for the topic I was most fascinated with, and also, the most troubled by – mindful eating.
We were asked to come to breakfast and while there remain completely silent. This was nowhere near as tricky as it sounded. In fact, for me anyway, it was nothing less than heavenly.
We were also asked to pay attention to the textures of our food. Also – the taste and the smell, even the sounds of our consuming it. Simple enough but somehow revolutionary at the same time.
By making just this one small change I changed everything. I was more aware of what I was eating and therefore ate less. I paid attention to how food tasted and smelled and so chose foods that were more satisfying.
In a word I started to focus on what I put into my mouth and also when and why. And it worked. No more mindless eating. Well, that’s not strictly true. I have fallen into bad habits again here and there but on the whole, a definite improvement.
If mindfulness sounds like something you might like to try I say do it. The world is a better place when you pay attention to what’s going on out there … and also to what’s going into your mouth.
Your stress is eased, your anxiety too and, in my case, the size of your thighs.
The Retreat
Billabong Retreat is set on 12 acres of natural bushland 45 minutes west of Sydney. The retreat holds regular mindfulness courses starting at $400. All food and drinks are included as are activities.
Accommodation ranges from share rooms to cottages. The rooms are clean and practical but basic. This is a real-deal retreat, not a luxury spa. Expect single beds, plastic sinks and teeny bathrooms complete with hand-written notes suggesting you don’t shower for too long. Hopefully you’ll be too busy enjoying the gorgeous scenery to notice any of that.
Lower blood sugar levels have been found to make married people angrier at their spouses.
In a 21-day study, researchers from the Ohio State University ran glucose level tests on 107 couples at the start and end of each day.
All participants were given a voodoo doll that they were told represented their partner, along with 51 pins. At the end of each day, the participants were asked to insert 0 to 51 pins in the doll, depending on how angry they were with their partner.
To measure aggression, the study participants competed against their partner on a 25-trial task, in which the winner blasted the loser with loud noise through headphones.
“Participants who had lower glucose levels stuck more pins into the voodoo doll and blasted their spouse with louder and longer noise blasts,” the psychologists reported to the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“Self-control of aggressive impulses requires energy, and much of this energy is provided by glucose derived from the food we eat.”
At one point or another, most people have noticed when they get hungry, they also get cranky; and now there is a term – “hangry” – a combination of hungry and angry.
Hunky sports star, David Beckham, has showed us why he’s the world’s most adorable dad!
Hunky sports star, David Beckham, has showed us why he’s the world’s most adorable dad!
When the sporty Beckham clan stepped out to watch an L.A Kings hockey game, all eyes were one the handsome soccer dad and his little girl, Harper. And you can bet, the gorgeous daddy-daughter duo, didn’t disappoint.
Known for their cute public displays of affection, the picture-perfect pair were snapped sharing an adorable moment together, when David, 38, planted a sweet and mushy kiss on his beautiful two-year-old daughter.
Wife, Victoria Beckham and the couple’s sons, Cruz, Romeo and Brooklyn were also at the game.
Last year, David sent hearts-a-flutter when he and little Harper were captured dancing and hugging on the KissCam at an L.A Kings game. Too cute!
David Beckham planted an adorable kiss on his two-year-old daughter, Harper.
The hunky sports star loves to spend time with his children.
The Beckham clan were spotted at the L.A Kings hockey game.
The daddy-daughter duo are known for their public displays of affection.
David Beckham is all about creating special moments with his four children.
On a night away, where do the royals like to stay? The answer, of course, is only at the finest and most luxurious lakeside lodge fit for a future king and his queen.
On a night away, where do the royals like to stay? The answer, of course, is only at the finest and most luxurious lakeside lodge fit for a future king and his queen.
On a night away, where do the royals like to stay? The answer, of course, is only at the finest and most luxurious lakeside lodge fit for a future king and his queen.
Prince William and his wife Catherine spared no expense on their one and only night away from Prince George since arriving in New Zealand last week.
The loved-up couple relished their night off parent duty, relaxing and resting at the superb and tranquil Matakauri Lodge in Queenstown.
Located on the banks of Lake Wakatipu, the charming five-star property is nestled in a native forest and boasts stunning mountain and river views.
Lavishly decorated with a fireplace, jacuzzi, swimming pool and landscaped terrace, the boutique hotel came with a hefty price tag of more than $10,000 a night.
Equipped with everything from a state-of-the-art gym, to a library and spa, we can only hope the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge got plenty of rest ahead of their royal visit to Australia tomorrow.
Take a tour of Matakauri Lodge by clicking through our gallery here.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge enjoyed their night off parent duty at the superb Matakauri Lodge in Queenstown.
William and Catherine spent their romantic one night getaway at the Matakauri Lodge.
Matakauri main lodge.
The deluxe suite lounge.
The swimming pool with Cecil Peak view.
The amazing pool, complete with spectacular views.
Winter at Matakauri Lodge.
The owner’s cottage jacuzzi is simply breath-taking.
The stunning outside dining area.
The state-of-the-art gym overlooks the prestine river water and mountains.
Speculation that Prince William and his wife could be expecting a sibling for Prince George was high. But yesterday, the Duchess rejected those rumours by happily sipping on glasses of wine during a visit to the Amisfield Winery.
Later in the day, Prince William and Kate took a ride on the Shotover Jet, which is not recommended for pregnant women.
The royal couple have made no secret of their desire to have more children but last month the Prince said that they were not ready to start trying for an addition to the family just yet.
The Duke and Duchess enjoyed some fun time out on the water.
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