Home Page 5551

Miniature Pinscher

Miniature Pinscher

The Miniature Pinscher is a wonderful little dynamo of a dog – spirited, clever and very alert. The “Min Pin” (as these dogs are affectionately called) was originally bred in Germany to hunt vermin in stables. This required pluck and speed and Miniature Pinschers have both in spades.

Although they resemble the Doberman Pinscher, these dogs are not miniature versions of the Doberman but a breed in their own right. Like many other small dogs, Miniature Pinschers seem to have a personality bigger than their physical size.

Miniature Pinschers can weigh about 4kg, and reach up to 30cm tall. They have a short and sleek coat that comes in black, blue, chocolate and red, and they are distinguished by their large, upstanding ears.

Miniature Pinschers need little grooming – a quick brush every now and then will suffice. You can even give these dogs a wipe down with a facecloth instead of a bath. In fact, Miniature Pinschers should not be bathed often because it strips the protective oils of their coats. Miniature Pinschers suffer the cold greatly, and really should live indoors.

Miniature Pinschers are one of the most energetic dogs around. These canines are always on the go! This may make them too chaotic as pets for small children or the elderly. The playfulness and high spirits of a Miniature Pinscher means they can get the exercise they need in a small area, so they are the perfect dogs for those living in a flat or small house. These dogs can also burn off some extra energy with a quick walk.

It’s important that Miniature Pinschers are trained and socialised very early on in their lives. If they get the upper hand, these dogs will keep it, so make sure they know what the house rules are – and who set them. Fortunately, these dogs are very bright and take to obedience training well. Miniature Pinschers can be suspicious of strangers and other animals, so it’s a good idea to have them interacting outside their immediate circle from a young age.

It is recommended that you check puppies and their parents for eye or knee problems before you buy, as these can be the breed’s problem areas.

These little charmers can live up to 16 years and are active and playful well into their later years, so be prepared for many years of fun with your loyal friend.

Related stories


Home Page 5551

Plucking eyebrows

Question:

Can you give me some tips for plucking my eyebrows? Anon.

Answer:

Before you begin, take a long look at your natural brow shape in a mirror. It’s best to pluck straight after a bath or shower, when pores are open due to the heat. If you have a low pain threshold, apply a little baby teething gel to your eyebrows. This will numb the area, making plucking virtually painless.

Take a pencil or make-up brush. Place one end on the outside of your nostril, and the other end at your eye’s inside corner. This is where your brow should begin.

Put the pencil between your nostril and the outer area of the eye. This is where your brow should finish.

Brush brows upwards so you can pluck excess hair from below and in between your eyebrows. Avoid plucking from above, as removing more than a hair or two will flatten your look. If you have dark, thick hair above your brows, it’s advisable to get it waxed by an expert.

Pull skin taut before plucking, as this makes it less painful. For optimum visibility, stand next to a window when you tweeze so your face is illuminated by natural light. When finished, brush your eyebrows into shape and fill in any sparse areas with a brow pencil, using light, feathery strokes.

Invest in a great pair of tweezers, a good-quality eyebrow brush, and an eyebrow pencil in the perfect shade. Don’t shave or over-tweeze your eyebrows. You could also have your eyebrows shaped by a professional if you haven’t plucked them before. Then you can just follow the shape when you do it yourself.

Related stories


Home Page 5551

Blush

Question:

How do you use cream or gel blush and are they better than powder blush? Liza.

Answer:

Gel blush is more suited to smooth, younger skin, while a more creamy blush is much better for dry or mature skin. Both kinds blend easily. Powder is the most popular form of blush but it can dry out older skin.

Creamy blush tends to accentuate any blemishes, so avoid it if you have skin problems. It’s best to use powder blush if you’re prone to acne.

Blush glides onto a smooth surface much more easily, so apply foundation first to even out the skin. The base also holds the blush to prevent streaks from forming later.

To use gel or cream blush, smile into a mirror, applying blush over the cheeks with a fingertip or damp sponge, blending up and out. When using a sponge to apply cream and gel blush, be sure to work quickly, with a very light hand.

Overdone the application of colour? The professional way to deal with any blush mistakes (no matter what type of blush you’re using) is to brush a pale shade of ivory powder over the mistake and start again. If the colour is too strong, you can cover it up with foundation.

Lastly, accentuate cheekbone contour with a little shimmer – use a cream highlighter with cream or gel blush. Apply just above cheekbones, where light hits, and then blend so there’s no visible line.

Related stories


Home Page 5551

Curling straight hair

Question:

How can I curl my straight hair at home and make the curls stay in for the whole day? Jenny.

Answer:

Curling tongs are great for creating spring-like curls. Use small-diameter tongs for short hair or to make tight curls, and large tongs to create looser curls.

After shampooing with a volumising shampoo, towel dry and apply a volumising or thickening spray. Roughly blow-dry hair until it’s 70 percent dry, then clip up the top layers so you can dry the layers beneath. Use a medium, round bristle brush and dry one section at a time.

Start at the nape of the neck and divide hair into 2cm sections. To make your curls last, lightly spritz each section with hairspray, then comb to remove any tangles or product build-up.

Using curling tongs, gently wind hair around the barrel, section by section, rolling from the ends up. Hold for three to 10 seconds, depending on the heat level and your hair texture. Repeat until all hair is curled, then apply a gloss spray.

Once the curls have cooled, run your fingers through to loosen and place them randomly. If you want to lift the roots, backcomb and spritz with natural-hold hairspray.

Related stories


Home Page 5551

Pomeranian

Pomeranian

The Pomeranian is a favourite among toy dogs and it’s easy to see why. Lively, bold and intelligent, ancestors of this fluffy dynamo were companions for Marie Antoinette, Mozart and Michelangelo. The Pomeranian is part of the Spitz group of dogs and the breed’s family tree begins with larger sled dogs from Iceland and Lapland.

Queen Victoria was a great fan of the breed and made the ‘Pom’ popular in the late 1800s in England. The Queen liked her Pomeranians smaller and the dogs were bred down from their original size to the little fellows we know today.

Distinguished by their fluffy appearance and a feathered tail that hovers merrily over their back, Pomeranians have a keen, alert expression on their fox-like faces. Their impressive double coat comes in a variety of bright colours. Poms are very loyal to their owners and very independent at the same time. It is important to let them know who is boss from an early stage, as Poms can exhibit selective hearing when it comes to doing what they’re told!

Poms are best suited to adult households or families with older children, and need gentle handling. They are perfect for smaller abodes as they are very active indoors, although they enjoy a good walk as well. An excellent watchdog, they should be taught to be quiet after initially barking at strangers or visitors, since Pomeranians can be noisy. Fortunately, these little dogs are very quick to learn and easy to train.

Pomeranians are curious, always on the go and definitely not lacking in self-esteem – they can be quite the little Duchess. They love the company of humans and enjoy being pampered. Their long double coat needs to be brushed frequently and they shed hair. It’s important for a Pomeranian to have regular dental check-ups because the breed is prone to teeth problems.

The average Pomeranian lifespan is 10 – 12 years but many of these dogs live longer than this. The average weight of a Pomeranian is two kilograms, and a puppy can cost upwards of $500, depending on breed quality. With a warm-hearted and busy Pomeranian by your side, you can be assured that life will be anything but dull.

Related stories


Home Page 5551

Mary & Frederik: a true romance

An exclusive extract from the June 2004 royal wedding souvenir edition of The Australian Women’s Weekly.

When the girl from Hobart came down the aisle, dressed in a luminous, duchesse satin gown with a six-metre train, she took her hand off the arm of her father, John, and took her place on a cream-upholstered stool beside the Prince.

As the Copenhagen Boys’ Choir reached the final descant of Handel’s coronation hymn, Zadok the Priest, Mary extended a hand, laid it on Frederik’s thigh and gave him a gentle, reassuring pat.

This wasn’t exactly protocol, but when Frederik turned towards her, Mary’s smile was pure Tasmanian sunshine. And the Prince, as they say in these parts, looked like the gull that got the herring.

Nothing that followed, solemn, moving and joyous as it all was, expressed their feelings more memorably.

“Ja.”

Frederik said it first. Out on the streets, the crowd watching on big, closed-circuit TV screens gave a massed murmur of approval. Queen Margrethe, the groom’s doting mother, blinked away a tear of her own. And then it was Mary’s turn.

“Likewise I ask you,” said Erik Norman Svendsen, Bishop of Copenhagen, “Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, will you take Frederik Andre Henrik Christian, standing by your side, to be your husband?”

“Ja.”

From outside the cathedral a huge roar went up. Thousands of glasses of priced-to-kill Danish pilsner were hoisted into the air. People hugged each other. John, Mary’s bearded father, smoothed his kilt and bit his bottom lip. Now the fairytale was real. Mary, the little girl who once played hopscotch on the streets of Taroona, was a true-life princess.

Read the full story of Mary and Frederik’s romance and view the gorgeous photographs in the June 2004 Australian Women’s Weekly.

Image from Austral ©

Related stories


Home Page 5551

Mary & Frederik: a true romance

An exclusive extract from the June 2004 royal wedding souvenir edition of The Australian Women’s Weekly.

When the girl from Hobart came down the aisle, dressed in a luminous, duchesse satin gown with a six-metre train, she took her hand off the arm of her father, John, and took her place on a cream-upholstered stool beside the Prince.

As the Copenhagen Boys’ Choir reached the final descant of Handel’s coronation hymn, Zadok the Priest, Mary extended a hand, laid it on Frederik’s thigh and gave him a gentle, reassuring pat.

This was not exactly protocol, but when Frederik turned towards her, Mary’s smile was pure Tasmanian sunshine. And the Prince, as they say in these parts, looked like the gull that got the herring.

Nothing that followed, solemn, moving and joyous as it all was, expressed their feelings more memorably.

“Ja.”

Frederik said it first. Out on the streets, the crowd watching on big, closed-circuit TV screens gave a massed murmur of approval. Queen Margrethe, the groom’s doting mother, blinked away a tear of her own. And then it was Mary’s turn.

“Likewise I ask you,” said Erik Norman Svendsen, Bishop of Copenhagen, “Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, will you take Frederik Andre Henrik Christian, standing by your side, to be your husband?”

“Ja.”

From outside the cathedral a huge roar went up. Thousands of glasses of priced-to-kill Danish pilsner were hoisted into the air. People hugged each other. John, Mary’s bearded father, smoothed his kilt and bit his bottom lip. Now the fairytale was real. Mary, the little girl who once played hopscotch on the streets of Taroona, was a true-life princess.

Read the full story of Mary and Frederik’s romance and view the gorgeous photographs in the June 2004 Australian Women’s Weekly.

Image from Austral ©

Related stories


Home Page 5551

The nutrition benefit of nuts

Going nutty – a guide to reaping the nutrition benefits of nuts.

Going nutty – a guide to reaping the nutrition benefits of nuts. Once the foe of dieters due to their high fat content, nuts are now growing again in the health popularity stakes. Compelling new research has shown a definite advantage of eating nuts for cardiovascular health, as well as a role in protection against the development of Type 2 diabetes and prostate cancer. Along with being a good source of fibre and healthy oils, nuts contain a range of vitamins, minerals and other beneficial plant components called phytochemicals, so it pays to be a regular nut nibbler. What’s recommended? To reap the health benefits of nuts it’s a good idea to aim for a serving at least five times a week. A serve is approximately a small handful of nuts or 30-45g. Try and mix up your nuts or make your own mixed nut concoction in order to benefit from the different nutrients they contain. Nutty ideas Enjoy a handful of your favourite nuts au natural as a snack or try our tips below to get your quota:

Related stories


Home Page 5551

Drink up – a hydration guide

Even in the cooler months it’s important to drink up for physical activity. While sweating buckets during a summer run places you at greater risk of dehydration, it’s also possible to lose significant body fluid during indoor, winter pursuits like lap swimming.

Even in the cooler months it’s important to drink up for physical activity. While sweating buckets during a summer run places you at greater risk of dehydration, it’s also possible to lose significant body fluid during indoor, winter pursuits like lap swimming. Dehydration dangers Water is essential for life and your body’s main tool at regulating temperature. As you become dehydrated there is a gradual reduction in both physical and mental performance. And your workout starts to feel a whole lot harder than other sessions. Studies show that a loss of fluid equal to 2% of body mass is sufficient to cause a significant decrease in performance – that’s a 1.4kg loss in a 70kg athlete (Source: Sports Dietitians Australia, 2004). Assessing your losses A good way to monitor your sweat losses is to weigh yourself before and after activity. Make sure you towel dry any excess sweat off before jumping on the scales. And aim to weigh yourself naked so that you’re not weighing any sweat lost in clothing. As a general rule you should aim to keep this sweat loss to less than 1kg, which equates to roughly 1 litre of lost fluid. Remember thirst is not a good hydration guide. Generally, by the time you feel thirsty there has been a significant fluid loss. What to do?

Related stories


Home Page 5551

Simple relaxation exercise

Relaxation costs nothing and has no side effects, so there’s no excuse not to get cracking.