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Husband and wife with dementia reunite after 30 years apart

<p>A former husband and wife with dementia have been reunited after 30 years apart when they moved into the same care home. </p> <p>Nancy, 86, and Stan, 91, were first married in 1957 in Edinburgh, despite their parents "forbidding" their romance and not approving of their union. </p> <p>The couple went on to have three children and lived happily, until Nancy was nearly killed by a brain haemorrhage when she was in her mid-50s. </p> <p>Nancy had to undergo life-altering surgery and a lengthy recovery time, which ultimately led to the downfall of her relationship with Stan and they filed for divorce. </p> <p>After their split, Stan met another woman when he was in his 70s, while Nancy never had another romance. </p> <p>When Nancy and Stan entered their 80s, they both began to show signs of dementia and could no longer care for themselves. </p> <p>Around Christmas time last year, their daughter Karen made the decision to put her father Stan, who suffered a fall while being cared for in Scotland, in the same home as Nancy, which is where she captured the heartwarming footage of them being reunited.</p> <p>In the clip, Nancy tells Stan he is "not bad looking for his age", while her ex-husband replies, "I recognise your face but I couldn't place who it was".</p> <p>The couple then agree to go on a date together and have a cup of tea, before having a kiss for "old time's sake."</p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: #323338; color: #323338; font-family: Figtree, Roboto, 'Noto Sans Hebrew', 'Noto Kufi Arabic', 'Noto Sans JP', sans-serif; outline: currentcolor !important;">The video was posted to TikTok by Karen's daughter Sarah-Ashleigh, who spoke to the <em><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13196325/Heartwarming-moment-former-husband-wife-dementia-reunited-care-home-30-years-apart.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Mail</a></em> about the family's decision to put both Nancy and Stan in the same care home. </p> <div class="embed" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: currentcolor !important;"><iframe class="embedly-embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: none; vertical-align: baseline; width: 600px; max-width: 100%; outline: currentcolor !important;" title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7341697620181519648&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40sarahashleighflorals%2Fvideo%2F7341697620181519648&image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-sign-useast2a.tiktokcdn.com%2Fobj%2Ftos-useast2a-p-0037-euttp%2F4189e3105ed04778a3de6a83a40077b6_1709372224%3Fx-expires%3D1712448000%26x-signature%3DcpIHZABQ%252FDnAqGU7bJYeryVnJlU%253D&key=59e3ae3acaa649a5a98672932445e203&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> <p>"We were so worried how this would go. It's so good to see them be friends again," she said.</p> <p>"Dementia is a horrible disease, but it's moments like this which we really just hold on to."</p> <p>"Granny struggles a bit more in general and gets anxious and confused but I think having someone there who she knows has done wonders for her."</p> <p>"She's always looking for him (even when he's right next to her) and they sit together a lot and bicker like the married couple they used to be."</p> <p>"Love might not be the same kind of love forever, it is a shape shifter, but it never leaves."</p> <p>"Their marriage didn't last forever but just seeing them have a friendship again just shows that love never dies."</p> <p><em>Image credits: TikTok</em></p>

Caring

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“Meant to be”: Twins give birth just 22 minutes apart

<p dir="ltr">Just days after sharing their 33rd birthday, twin sisters Nicole and Renee Baillie have given birth on the same day. </p> <p dir="ltr">The women, from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, were shocked when they fell pregnant around the same time, with their due dates just two weeks apart. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We magically fell pregnant at the same time, which was crazy,” Nicole told <em><a href="https://7news.com.au/news/sunshine-coast-twins-give-birth-just-22-minutes-apart--c-13517897">7News</a></em>. </p> <p dir="ltr">Nicole was already at the hospital ready to give birth to her baby when Renee went into labour early. </p> <p dir="ltr">Renee rushed to the hospital just in time to give birth in the hospital foyer,  welcoming a baby girl named Ruby.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I was just about to have a bath when I heard someone had a baby in the corridor,” Nicole said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I couldn’t believe it,” Renee said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“When I got here, into this room after we had (the baby), I wasn’t sure how far along Nicole was. I didn’t want her (Nicole) to know I’d already had my baby, just in case it, like, threw her off.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Renee soon found out Nicole had given birth to a baby boy, named Zavian, only 22 minutes earlier.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I thought I had a few days left, but they decided they wanted to be born on the same day,” Renee said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was just meant to be, and I think everyone has just manifested this happening,” Nicole said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: 7News</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Could sleeping separately save your relationship?

<p>Admit you're sleeping in a separate room to your partner and you may as well have said your relationship is on the rocks, or you're having an affair. That's the response most couples get when they reveal they sleep apart.</p> <p>It's far from the norm, yet a recent survey of nearly 3000 Australians by medical devices company CPAP found that 20 per cent of respondents spent between three and seven nights a week in separate bedrooms because of their or their partner's sleep problems.</p> <p>Far from being something that solo sleepers need to be ashamed of, scientific research into sleep paints a convincing picture for separate beds. In her new book, <em>Sleeping Apart Not Falling Apart</em>, author Jennifer Adams (herself a solo sleeper) writes that the benefits of snoozing alone are many: "If you've suffered prolonged sleep deprivation, sleeping apart is good for your mental and physical health – and good for the health of your relationship."</p> <p>Prolonged sleep deprivation can lead to high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, memory loss, premature ageing, increased risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes. It also lowers testosterone, which interferes with sexual desire.</p> <p>Adams, 47, from Brisbane, decided to go it alone after finding that her boyfriend (now husband) was a chronic snorer. It was exacerbated by his being an "early to rise, early to bed" type, while she's a night owl. After one week of sharing, they went their separate ways and haven't looked back. Of the reasons driving couples to separate beds, she explains, snoring tops the list. The partner of the typical snorer is robbed of 49 precious minutes' sleep nightly, according to a 2005 US National Sleep Foundation poll.</p> <p>Other complaints include one partner being whacked by the other during energetic dreams, noisy toilet trips (men go twice as often as females at night), tossing and turning (we all move about 20 times a night, but men more than women), heavy breathers, different bedtimes and different body-temperature needs (women frequently use partners as human hot-water bottles).</p> <p>Because of the emphasis on bed-sharing as a barometer of a happy relationship, separate sleepers will often go to great lengths to hide their sleeping arrangements from others, even presenting their nightly sanctuary as a "spare room" where the relatives crash. Yet having separate beds can be a marriage saver if both partners wake up refreshed and rested. Adams found from her interviews that far from cruelling a couple's sex life, separate beds could actually spice it up.</p> <p>"Our decision to sleep apart has solidified our relationship. If one of us wants sex, we go to the other person's room, and because we know we're not going to see each other in bed at night, we're more purposeful about intimacy," she says. "Couples I interviewed spoke about making sure sex happened, as they knew the importance of it in their relationship. Separate beds have, for many, brought back creativity and excitement to their sex lives."</p> <p>One solo sleeper Adams interviewed put it this way: "Separate rooms has made our sex lives more exciting because we visit each other's rooms and I feel less 'on tap'."</p> <p>Dr David Cunnington, a sleep physician at the Melbourne Sleep Disorders Centre, recommends separate beds to many of his patients who have sleep-related issues such as insomnia, snoring and different body clocks. "For light sleepers and couples who have different sleep behaviours and needs, separate beds are a lifesaver. It's also more considerate and compassionate to their partner if they sleep in another room."</p> <p>John, a 58-year-old builder married for 30 years, is a solo sleeper because his wife works shifts as a night-time supermarket manager. "Margaret was getting home at 2am and coming to bed at 4.30am. She complained that I thrashed around and snored. We agreed that she moved to the downstairs bedroom and we're both happy."</p> <p>Mary, 74, had to consider separate beds from day one of her marriage. "In those days, you didn't 'try before you buy' and on our first night together on honeymoon, I had one quarter of the bed and he had the rest, taking the blanket with him," she says. "He also snored loudly, while I was a light sleeper."</p> <p>Adams admits sleeping separately isn't for everyone. "But done well, with both partners agreeing to the terms, it helps the relationship flourish ... and they get great sleep to keep them functioning."</p> <p>Jennifer Adams' book <em>Sleeping Apart Not Falling Apart</em> is published by Finch.</p> <p>Tips for sweeter dreams</p> <ul> <li>If you're not ready for twin beds, consider small changes: the late reader could read in the lounge room or buy an e-reader (it's quieter than turning pages); or try sleeping on a mattress with two different firmness levels.</li> <li>Make verbal contracts with your partner: for example, after the second time their snoring wakes you, you're allowed to wake them.</li> <li>Solo sleepers need to work hard to maintain intimacy: invite your partner to your room for a date night – with benefits!</li> </ul> <p><em>First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>Stuff.co.nz</span></a>.</em></p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Relationships

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Bob Hawke’s widow cops loss on luxury apartment

<p dir="ltr">Blanche d’Alpuget, the widow of former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, has offloaded her luxury apartment in the heart of Sydney’s CBD after offering a sizable discount.</p> <p dir="ltr">With an initial price guide of $4.3-4.5 million ($NZ 4.7-4.9 million) in July, the guide was reportedly adjusted to $4.2 million ($NZ 4.6 million) in September before eventually selling for an unconfirmed $3.73 million ($NZ 4.09 million), per <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/news/bob-hawkes-widow-blanche-dalpuget-sells-372m-luxury-pad-in-the-one30-hyde-park-sydney/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>realestate.com.au</em></a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">D’Alpuget’s two-bedroom apartment in the One30 Hyde Park tower was sold after she switched listing agents from Ray White to <a href="https://boutiquepropertyagents.com/property/1403-130-elizabeth-street-sydney-nsw-2000/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boutique Property Agents</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The author and journalist moved in after she and Hawke settled on it in March 2019 and sold their waterfront property in Northbridge.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 131-square-metre apartment was originally three bedrooms before being reconfigured, and boasts views of Hyde Park and Sydney Harbour.</p> <p dir="ltr">After the apartment’s sale, d’Alpuget will be moving to the apartment tower next door, having spent $4.6 million on another apartment.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-99872eb3-7fff-9de9-27b3-848aa242d694"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty Images / Boutique Property Agents</em></p>

Real Estate

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“The gate is a no”: Apartment security gate draws ire online

<p dir="ltr">While security gates are meant to be secure, one installed at a property in the UK has left many questioning just how effective it will be.</p> <p dir="ltr">A photo shared by the account Design Fails shows a security gate that seems fully functional at first glance, but includes a glaring design flaw.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-e66f96fc-7fff-e187-a401-03dcf7d48f27"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Though it has locks and an intercom panel, the design of the gate itself lends it to being a handy ladder that could be used to get inside.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">security gate that doubles as a ladder <a href="https://t.co/TQWmZBiyc7">pic.twitter.com/TQWmZBiyc7</a></p> <p>— Design Fails (@epicdesignfails) <a href="https://twitter.com/epicdesignfails/status/1587076092791328768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“Security gate that doubles as a ladder,” the photo caption read, with the post soon attracting over 33,000 likes, over 6,000 shares and plenty of comments pointing out its fundamental flaw.</p> <p dir="ltr">“OMG What on mother Earth was the designer’s thought doing that,” one person commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The gym I never thought I needed. I’d purposefully forget my access card,” another joked.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Whoever designed this gate heaven is waiting for her/him,” a third shared.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So the thieves can climb over the gate 😑,” one user noted.</p> <p dir="ltr">While some tried to defend the design by pointing out that it could be electrified, others were quick to point out the flaws in that argument too.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If its (sic) electric and still has a key, thats weird. To be a gate and a ladder, while not thinking the violator can climb over the gate too is weird. Saying its electrical and not keeping in mind that its on the street is weird. Only turning it on at night is weird,” one person clarified.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The gate is a no.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-e05cfff1-7fff-fca4-5c90-a84d44232244"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Twitter</em></p>

Real Estate

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Aussie speedster Steven Bradbury sells luxe apartment

<p dir="ltr">Aussie Olympian Steven Bradbury has sold his beachside investment apartment in Queensland after holding onto it for over a decade.</p> <p dir="ltr">The gold medallist skater listed the four-bedroom ground-floor apartment in the coastal suburb of Kings Beach in Caloundra earlier this year and has gone on to offload the flat for an undisclosed price.</p> <p dir="ltr">After 11 years of owning the apartment, Bradbury initially <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/unit-2-kings-palazzo-4-6-orvieto-terrace-kings-beach-qld-4551-2017750581" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listed</a> the home for $2 million in May before agents Danelle Wiseman and Jonathan Pattinson of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate revised the price to $1.8 million, per <em><a href="https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/steven-bradbury-times-his-run-perfectly-with-kings-beach-pad-20220517-p5am5r.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Sydney Morning Herald</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Even with the reduction, Bradbury’s potential earnings were more than double the amount his investment company, Pricefinder, paid in 2011.</p> <p dir="ltr">Prior to its sale on August 16, the home was maintained as a weekender and rental with an asking price of $660 a week in rent.</p> <p dir="ltr">Sitting just metres aware from the surf of King’s Beach, the 111-square-metre flat includes plenty of luxe amenities, such as its two courtyards - with one on each floor - timber herringbone hard floors in the living areas, and a large granite waterfall bench in the well-appointed kitchen.</p> <p dir="ltr">The flat also has access to the amenities offered by the Kings Palazzo complex, including a pool and BBQ area shared with just 11 other apartments.</p> <p dir="ltr">Bradbury, a four-time Olympian, shot to fame after his unlikely win at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games, getting through the semi-final and earning gold in the final after his competitors all crashed in the final seconds.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite trailing behind them all, Bradbury was able to skate into first place, giving rise to the phrase “doing a Bradbury” for winning as an underdog.</p> <p dir="ltr">Earlier this year, Bradbury took to Instagram to reflect on that fateful win 20 years later.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’ll always be seen as an overnight success, but it took me many years of sweat, tears and plenty of blood to get there and I’ll always appreciate those who helped me and backed me against the odds,” he <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CaBaljsvBl5/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Courage, belief, determination and a little luck, all helped me to be the original #lastmanstanding, and now it’s fantastic to see our next generation of @ausolympicteam legends taking our Winter Olympic Dream into the future!”</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-414adfac-7fff-b93d-0e1b-4618063616c7"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: @stevenbradburyofficial (Instagram) / Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate</em></p>

Real Estate

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"This is the devil's work!": Nun pulls apart female models sharing a kiss

<p dir="ltr">A shocked nun caused quite a stir in the streets of Italy when she pulled away two female models who were kissing for a photoshoot.</p> <p dir="ltr">The nun was dressed in a white habit and rushed to stop Serena de Ferrari and Briton Kyshan Wilson who had locked lips in a Naples backstreet as they posed for a photo for Not Yet magazine.</p> <p dir="ltr">“What are you doing? This is the devil's work,” the nun shouted at them as they giggled.</p> <p dir="ltr">She looked around at the cameramen and crossed herself before saying: “Jesus, Joseph and Mary”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Make up artist Roberta Mastalia, who was on the shoot, said they had to ask the nun to leave thinking she was just joking.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We were on location in the Spanish Quarter in Naples, in a little sidestreet with the two models when all of a sudden the nun walked past,” he said, <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11027633/Italian-nun-splits-two-female-models-kissing-photoshoot-calling-devils-work.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Mail</a> reported.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She asked us if we had been to Mass that day and when we said 'No' she started blaming young people for Coronavirus and then she saw the two models posing up ready to kiss and that's when she ran forward to split them up.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Our first reaction was we were all stunned. They took it as a bit of a joke and you can see from the video the two girls are laughing.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We then had to ask the nun to leave as we explained we had work to do and she slowly walked off.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Both Serena and Briton shared clips of the incident to their social media with the caption “God doesn’t love LGBT”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Local priest Father Salvatore Giuliano The Church is constantly updating its views but some of the older generation have not yet accepted it.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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How a blank cheque offer won the battle for a luxurious apartment

<p dir="ltr">A Sydney home seller has pocketed a huge price for their luxurious property after a determined buyer showed their agent a signed blank cheque and invited them to fill in whatever price they wanted.</p> <p dir="ltr">The offer was made during an open inspection of the three-bedroom Barangaroo apartment, and proved to be too persuasive for the sellers to turn down. </p> <p dir="ltr">Despite being reluctant to sell their home, the owners signed the paperwork and accepted the cheque with their own asking value. </p> <p dir="ltr">Their price: $6.58 million. </p> <p dir="ltr">The eye-watering sum was $1.5 million above the price the sellers expected to make on the waterfront property, which was scheduled for auction just a few weeks later. </p> <p dir="ltr">It was not the only staggering offer the sellers received for the apartment on <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-apartment-nsw-barangaroo-138857119?rsf=syn:news:nca:news:spa">601/19 Barangaroo Avenue.</a></p> <p dir="ltr">Another buyer reportedly showed selling agent Peter Li a banking app on his phone and offered to transfer the money to Mr Li directly to lock in the sale.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The successful buyer was the guy who brought his cheque book, he lived in the building and wanted to upsize to a three-bedroom apartment … this was the last three-bedroom option available,” Mr Li said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Five million was our initial price guide, we sold this for $1.5m more than the initial price guide – about 30 per cent.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“The vendor was determined to go to auction, but changed her mind when she saw the price we had already achieved. The same apartment sold (at the) off the plan launch for $2.95m. Now it’s more than double.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite Sydney’s current housing crisis, Mr Li believes many wealthy buyers are heading to Barangaroo. </p> <p dir="ltr">“The results that we are seeing in Barangaroo are extraordinary. People are moving away from Point Piper to Barangaroo … they are finding it difficult too, as no one is currently selling there.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Apparently, Barangaroo is immune to the current market slow down.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: realestate.com.au</em></p>

Real Estate

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Rupert Murdoch lists two jaw-dropping New York apartments

<p dir="ltr">Media mogul Rupert Murdoch is <a href="https://www.nine.com.au/property/news/rupert-murdoch-sells-two-new-york-city-apartments-for-usd-78-million/6f2cd734-5dc4-47cc-b62b-3a6fef0178f5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">selling</a> not one, but two apartments in New York City located just one floor apart - and hopes to make a combined $100 million from them.</p> <p dir="ltr">Having bought the apartments in 2014 for a combined $USD 57.9 million ($NZD 83.2 million).</p> <p dir="ltr">The first, a three-storey penthouse that takes up the entirety of the 58th, 59th and 60th floors of the One Madison tower near Madison Square Park, comes with stunning views and an <a href="https://www.corcoran.com/homes-for-sale/23-east-22nd-street-ph-manhattan-ny-10010/21655708/regionId=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asking price</a> of USD $62 million ($NZD 89 million).</p> <p dir="ltr">As well as having five bedrooms, the penthouse includes a ‘staff room’, a kitchen with stunning city views, and a room with soaring six-metre ceilings and a wrap-around terrace.</p> <p dir="ltr">A curved glass staircase connects the first and second levels, while an internal lift connects all three.</p> <p dir="ltr">The <a href="https://www.corcoran.com/homes-for-sale/23-east-22nd-street-57a-manhattan-ny-10010/21655673/regionId=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second</a>, a smaller three-bedroom apartment on the 57th floor, is on the market for $USD 16 million ($NZD 23 million).</p> <p dir="ltr">Deborah Grubman, the listing agent managing the sales from Corcoran Group, said Murdoch bought the penthouse and had it fitted out to his own specifications while he lived in the downstairs apartment.</p> <p dir="ltr">Once it was complete, Murdoch kept the smaller home for staff and guests.</p> <p dir="ltr">Before its most recent listing, Murdoch attempted to sell the penthouse in 2015 for $USD 72 million.</p> <p dir="ltr">Having failed to sell at the time, the mogul could walk away with a $30 million profit if he succeeds in selling the homes now for his desired price.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-84f24441-7fff-7703-d565-317a9debf572"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty Images, Corcoran Group</em></p>

Real Estate

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"It's enormous": Inside Kate and William's lavish London "apartment"

<p dir="ltr">Though Kensington Palace - the home of Kate Middleton, Prince William and their three children - is open to the public, their private quarters on the royal grounds are off-limits.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite being named Apartment 1A, royal experts have said their home is anything but small.</p> <p dir="ltr">“All of these royal residences at Kensington Palace are called apartments, which of course makes people immediately think they are flats like the American term for an apartment,” royal biographer Christopher Warwick<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/property/1544422/Kate-Middleton-Prince-William-inside-Kensington-Palace-layout-rooms-pictures" target="_blank">said</a><span> </span>while appearing on the Royal Beat podcast.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They are not. If you think of Kensington Palace in a way it is built around three courtyards.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If you kind of think of them as being these wonderful red brick terrace houses. Because they are all joined, but separate houses.”</p> <p dir="ltr">As for Kate and William’s ‘apartment’, he said: “It is not a small house.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846711/kate-william1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/057eb620ee1848398e47d38df6ef2b50" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kate and William’s home includes a private garden that cannot be seen from public areas of the palace grounds. Image: Getty Images</span></em></p> <p dir="ltr">Royal author Ingrid Seward confirmed Warwick’s description of the home.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s enormous… and it’s like a piece of countryside in London,” she commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">Apartment 1A boasts twenty rooms, including five reception rooms and three master bedrooms - two of which are main floor master suites with his-and-hers dressing rooms and separate nurseries for daytime play and sleep.</p> <p dir="ltr">As for the furnishings in the royal children’s bedrooms, Kate has previously said the family uses IKEA furniture.</p> <p dir="ltr">In 2018, she told Marcus Engman, IKEA’s Head of Design, that Prince George’s room was decked out with IKEA furniture.</p> <p dir="ltr">Kate later revealed that Princess Charlotte’s room had received the same treatment.</p> <p dir="ltr">The kitchen has been renovated to Kate and William’s taste, with reports that they spent £170,000 of their own money on the refurbishment.</p> <p dir="ltr">The home also includes an impressive entrance hall with black and white flagstones, as well as two drawing rooms where guests are taken to.</p> <p dir="ltr">One of the drawing rooms - which features a grand piano and cream sofas - was where the royal couple welcomed former US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in 2016.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846710/kate-william2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/2ee7212cd869419998cdb49f039eb99c" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Inside Kate Middleton and Prince William’s Kensington drawing room where they welcomed the Obamas in 2016. Image: Getty Images</em></p> <p dir="ltr">The home also includes additional rooms in the basement, such as a gym, laundry room, and space for luggage.</p> <p dir="ltr">Separate quarters house the royal staff, coming with an additional nine bedrooms and two kitchens.</p> <p dir="ltr">Kate and William have lived in Apartment 1A since 2013, over 300 years after it was first purchased by William III, when it was known as Nottingham House.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Real Estate

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Princess Charlene wishes her twins a happy birthday as they spend it apart

<p dir="ltr">Princess Charlene of Monaco took to Instagram to wish her children a happy birthday as she is unable to celebrate with them in person.</p> <p dir="ltr">Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella turned seven years old on Friday, but Princess Charlene is receiving treatment for an undisclosed condition outside Monaco and could not be there to celebrate with them. It was the first time she has posted on Instagram since she agreed to enter a health facility following an intervention from her husband Prince Albert II in November.</p> <p dir="ltr">She posted several images of the twins in matching pyjamas in an opulent room with cake and balloons spelling out ‘Joyeux Anniversaire’, and wrote in the caption, “Happy birthday my babies Thank you God for blessing me with such wonderful children. I’m truly blessed Love mom❤️”.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CXS5jylsoWv/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CXS5jylsoWv/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by HSH Princess Charlene (@hshprincesscharlene)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">In previous years, the twins had celebrated their birthday with a large party at the palace, but it is believed that their mother’s health issues may have been behind the decision to host a smaller gathering this time around. Hours after Princess Charlene’s post, the Palais Princier de Monaco shared the same photos, writing, “Joyeux anniversaire au Prince Héréditaire Jacques et à la Princesse Gabriella.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Charlene returned to Monaco on November 8 after spending six months in South Africa where she was treated for an infection, but less than a week after her return, was admitted to a private facility in an undisclosed location. At the time, Prince Albert described her condition as “profound general fatigue...exhaustion, both emotional and physical". He also clarified, "Because I know there are rumors out there, let me say: This is not COVID.</p> <p dir="ltr">"And it's not cancer-related. It's not a personal relationship issue. And if you want to discuss another speculation, it isn't related to plastic surgery or facial work at all."</p> <p dir="ltr">He is hoping to visit Charlene with the twins, but has not said when that would happen. "I can't give you any kind of time frame on that. Not in the next few days, certainly but whenever we get the medical go-ahead. You know these kind of treatments, these rest periods, are usually several weeks. I cannot give you any set period at this time, we will see."</p> <p dir="ltr">He also pleaded for everyone to respect his family’s privacy, saying, "She needs privacy; as a family we need privacy. She needs time to rest in the best environment possible. Even if we as a family are public figures. When public figures have health issues, they deserve privacy just like anyone else.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I hope everybody will understand that. Give us the time that we need; give her the time that she needs to heal and get better and be back with her family in Monaco. Charlene never asked to have these problems — but they are there, unfortunately, and we need space and privacy to address them. So I beg everyone to understand that and please leave my family alone for the coming weeks."</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images</em></p>

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How to stay in Carrie Bradshaw's apartment from Sex and the City

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s the ultimate experience for fans of <em>Sex and the City</em>.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A stunning recreation of the Brownstone New York apartment that the show’s Carrie Bradshaw character lived in is being put up for rent by Airbnb.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sarah Jessica Parker herself played a role in designing it and will be "virtually" welcoming guests when they arrive.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The Carrie Bradshaw character is near and dear to my heart, and revisiting her world for the continuation of the <em>Sex and the City</em> story has been such a joy,” said SJP.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Carrie’s brownstone apartment was central to the series and its décor has now been painstakingly recreated by Parker, Airbnb, and a small New York-based production team.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The character’s famous walk-in wardrobe, her writing desk and her bedroom appear almost exactly as they did in the cult series.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Replicas of key props from the original apartment are dotted throughout, such as circa-2000 cordless phone and a blocky black laptop, like the one Carrie used to labour over her writing.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After enjoying a virtual greeting from the actress upon check-in, Airbnb says the guests can sip on cosmopolitans – reminiscent of the many cocktail-laden scenes from the series.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A styling session and a photoshoot will also be included in the experience. Guests will get the chance to play dress-up in a recreation of Carrie’s closet, which has been filled with duplicates of some of the iconic looks from the series.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This includes a model of the tutu Carrie wears in the show’s opening credits, which is one of the most famous looks curated by the show’s costume designer Patricia Field. Outfits from Carrie’s favourite fashion designers also line the closet, as well as – of course – rows and rows of shoes.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m excited for our audience to experience Carrie’s New York like never before and walk in her shoes, quite literally, for the first time," Parker said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Guests will also be invited to leave the apartment and explore Manhattan, traipsing the same streets as Carrie and her entourage would have done.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brunch in Chelsea is part of the experience, which Airbnb describes as a ‘meal where many conversations took place that deepened Carrie’s friendships with the girls’.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In Sex and the City, the exterior shots of Carrie's apartment showed 64 and 66 Perry Street in Manhattan's West Village. Meanwhile, the interior scenes were captured in Silvercup Studios in Queens.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For the recreation, Airbnb used a different New York apartment that had a similar floorplan to that of Carrie's flat.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The new Airbnb was designed in honour of next month's premiere of <em>And Just Like That</em>..., a 10-episode revival of <em>Sex and the City</em> that will air on HBO Max and Sky Comedy.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon will reprise their roles in the series, but Kim Cattrall - who played publicity dynamo Samantha Jones - declined to take part.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Airbnb project, which was a collaboration between Airbnb and Warner Bros Consumer Products, also marks 23 years since fans were first introduced to the show.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Parker will host two one-night stays for up to two guests each on November 12 and 14 for just $23 a night.</span></p> <p><em>Image credits: AirBnB</em></p>

Real Estate

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“They did everything right”: Couple die of Covid one minute apart

<p>A couple from Michigan have died from Covid-19 within just one minute of each other.</p> <p>Linda Dunham, 66, and her husband Cal, 59, passed away holding hands after they were struck down by the deadly Delta variant that is ravaging the US. </p> <p>The couple were both fully vaccinated, but both of them had serious underlying health conditions that made them more susceptible to serious infection. </p> <p>The couple's daughter Sarah spoke to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.fox17online.com/news/coronavirus/grand-rapids-couple-dies-1-minute-apart-from-covid-19" target="_blank">a local news station</a>, saying that they were perfect parents. </p> <p><span>“The love that they found together after a previous marriage is fantastic,” she said. </span></p> <p><span>“They were the people that you just looked at and you were like, ‘I want to be old like that, I want that love when I’m that age.’ "</span></p> <p><span>Their lives began to change in July, when both Linda and Cal started to feel unwell during a camping trip. </span></p> <p><span>They first thought it was just a common cold, but by the third day they felt sick enough to cut their outing short. </span></p> <p><span>Within days, Cal and Linda were admitted to the local hospital and intubated, as their undisclosed pre-existing conditions worsened the severity of their infections. </span></p> <p><span>The doctors told their family members that they would have to be taken off life support, but as Sarah said, "they had other plans".</span></p> <div class="crd clln--it" data-type="text"> <div class=" crd--cnt "> <p class=" ">The two were wheeled into the same room on Sunday, and moments later, Cal Dunham died at 11:07am Linda Dunham followed less than a minute later, dying at 11:08.</p> </div> </div> <div class="crd clln--it" data-type="text"> <div class=" crd--cnt "> <p>Their passing happened as Linda said it always would, according to Sarah. </p> <p><span>“She always joked and said, ‘Well, you’re going to go before I am, I’ll be right there behind you, I promise,’ " Sarah Dunham said. </span></p> <p><span>“And she really was, like she really was right there behind him.”</span></p> <p><span>Cases such as the Dunham's are reasons why many in the US are pushing for booster shot to be administered for those with pre-exisiting conditions. </span></p> <p><span>Sarah wants her parents to be an example of how serious the virus can be, and is urging people to get vaccinated. </span></p> <p>“I’m angry because so many people are like, ‘if I catch Covid, I catch Covid that’s what it is.’ No, it’s not,” she said.</p> <p>“It could be any person; it could be anybody. They did everything right, they did everything to protocol the way it should be done.”</p> <p>The various available Covid vaccines have been proven to reduce the risk of catching the virus and severely reduce the symptoms of those who get it.</p> <p>According to America’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, unvaccinated people are 10 times more likely to be hospitalised and 11 times more likely to die from the virus.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Facebook</em></p> </div> </div>

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Kate Winslet sells Titanic NYC apartment

<p>Kate Winslet is known for many things, and her glorious NYC apartment that ties all the way back to her first major movie, <em>Titanic</em>, is one of them.</p> <p>The Oscar award-winning actress has officially offloaded the stunning home though for a whopping $6.8 million.</p> <p>The sprawling duplex, located in West Chelsea, was purchased by the star back in 2004 with her former husband, Sam Mendes.</p> <p>Now on her third marriage, billionaire Richard Branson’s nephew, Edward Abel Smith, it seems the star is finally ready to let the incredible place go.</p> <p>The stunning apartment is just over 280 sq m, and features over four bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms.</p> <p>The loft also has a spacious 160 sq m deck, which in NYC standards, is a glorious amount of room.</p> <p>It has all the bells and whistles too, with a built-in gas fireplace, chef’s kitchen, wide-plank oak floors, 4m-tall ceilings and endless built-in shelves for storage and display.</p> <p>The main bedroom also has a huge walk-in wardrobe.</p>

Real Estate

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High school sweethearts tie the knot after 70 years apart

<p>High school sweethearts who were separated close to seven decades ago reunited during the coronavirus pandemic and are now married.</p> <p>Their love story began 68 years ago, when Fred Paul and Florence Harvey first laid eyes on each other.</p> <p>The couple met when they were teenagers in Wandsworth, a small town in Newfoundland and Labrador province, Canada. They spent all their free time together, going for walks after church, stealing kisses in between classes, and attending concerts.</p> <p>Every night during the two years they were together, Paul, 84, would flicker his porch light before going to bed. It was his way of telling Harvey, who lived across the bay, good night and that he loved her.</p> <p>"She was my first love. My first girlfriend and my first true love."</p> <p>But when Paul turned 18, and Harvey was 15, the two ended up going their separate ways. Paul relocated to Toronto for work. A year later, when he came back to look for her, Harvey had moved to another town.</p> <p>Eventually, they both married other people and started families.</p> <p>Come 2017, Harvey was single once again after she had lost her husband of 57 years to cancer. The couple were happily married and had five children together.</p> <p>Two years later, Paul's wife of nearly 60 years, also passed away. They had two children together.</p> <p>It was the shared grief over losing their spouses that brought them back together.</p> <p>Harvey reached out to Paul after hearing the tragic news, to reassure him that things would get better.</p> <p>During that first conversation which took place after Valentine's Day, they spoke about their lives, their children and grandchildren and celebrated each other's happy moments.</p> <p>"I never thought it would go past that," Harvey, 81, told CNN. "But we went from talking once a week, to twice, to three times, to every day for hours. We had really reconnected even though we hadn't seen each other in all those years. I knew this was it."</p> <p>"When I found out she was in town and was coming to me, it was 10:30 at night. I ran out of bed and got dressed and wrote 'Welcome Florence' in chalk on the driveway and when she arrived, I walked to the car, gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and I held her hand and I knew right away that she had taken my heart," Paul said.</p> <p>Just three days after reuniting, the couple made the decision to get married</p> <p>Despite their family questioning it, Paul and Harvey knew exactly what they wanted.</p> <p>Paul was also one month away from starting treatment for stomach cancer, but Harvey was committed to being by his side throughout the good and the bad, no matter what that meant.</p> <p>On August 8, Paul and Harvey exchanged vows in front of family and close friends at Norval United Church in Georgetown, Ontario.</p> <p>"You were the first young man to walk me home in my teens," Harvey told Paul during the ceremony. "I guess you'll be the last man to walk me home."</p> <p>Now, the couple plan to go back in time and retrace the first half of their love story by visiting the childhood town where they met and fell in love all those years ago.</p>

Relationships

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The conspiracy to keep Charles and Camilla apart

<p>It was one of the last century’s most iconic “remember-where-you-were-when” moments: On July 29, 1981, Prince Charles wed Lady Diana Spencer in a fairy tale wedding watched by 750 million people, according to the BBC. It was, as Diana later said, the worst day of her life.</p> <p>“I can’t marry him,” she told her sisters during a pre-wedding lunch. But she did. Of course, we all know the ending to that story. The unhappy, scandal-wrought marriage ended in divorce in 1996, but not before Prince Charles’s enduring love for Camilla Parker Bowles had become common knowledge.</p> <p>In 2005, Prince Charles finally wed Camilla, and by all accounts, they’re as happy together as Diana, who died in that tragic car crash in 1997, always suspected they’d be. Today, with Prince Charles as the next in line for the throne, the question most often asked about Prince Charles and his second wife is whether she will ever be queen? But Charles and Camilla’s love, which has endured since they first began dating in 1972, begs another question …</p> <p>Why didn’t Charles marry Camilla back then?<br />The question was tackled in Sally Bedell Smith’s biography, Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life. According to Bedell Smith, right from the start, Charles adored the then-Camilla Shand, who’s close in age to Charles (Diana was 13 years younger) and has always treated him as an equal rather than as someone she idolised. However, the royal family wasn’t interested in having Camilla as its princess. For one thing, she was perceived as an “experienced” woman, which was a nonstarter for the royal family back then in terms of their notion of a suitable spouse for Prince Charles. For another, she wasn’t perceived as “aristocratic” enough to be a princess, according to a report by the Daily Mail on another biography of Prince Charles.</p> <p>“Lovely for you two to have a fling, but this absolutely cannot end in marriage,” Prince Charles’s great uncle, Lord Mountbatten, advised him, according to the UK’s Express. Soon after, Charles was called away on naval business overseas (convenient, eh?), and used the time to put distance between himself and Camilla. Camilla soothed herself by reconnecting with her former beau, Andrew Parker Bowles. And that’s precisely where Bedell Smith theorises that a scheme was hatched to get Camilla married off to Andrew.</p> <p>The forcing of Andrew’s “hand”<br />It’s rumoured that Camilla’s father planted a fake Camilla-Andrew engagement notice in The Times, apparently forcing Andrew’s hand. Literally. Prince Charles returned home to news of Camilla and Andrew’s engagement. According to Bedell Smith, in the absence of the fake engagement announcement that led to Andrew’s actual proposal to Camilla, Charles might have married Camilla, despite his family’s objections.</p> <p>Instead, Camilla married Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973, and Charles went on to date a number of “suitable” women until he met Diana Spencer in 1980. But all the while, Camilla remained in his heart, and occasionally in his plans, as Charles, himself admitted. By the end of 1995, the Parker Bowles couple was divorced, the Prince and Princess were on their way to a divorce, and Diana had famously told television interviewer Martin Bashir that “there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”</p> <p>The happy ending for the Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall<br />Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles got their long-awaited happy ending in 2005 when they married in a civil ceremony, which his mother, the Queen, did not attend (although she did turn up at the reception). Camilla was given the title, “Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall.” Today, they’re still happily married.</p> <p class="p1"><em>Written by Lauren Cahn. This article first appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/culture/the-conspiracy-to-keep-charles-and-camilla-apart"><span class="s1">Reader’s Digest</span></a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a href="http://readersdigest.co.nz/subscribe"><span class="s1">here’s our best subscription offer</span></a>.</em></p>

Relationships

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“Get the tissues out!“: Overwhelming reunion for couple kept apart for 215 days

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>An elderly couple who have been married for 60 years tearfully reunited at an assisted living home.</p> <p>Due to residing in the USA, the pair had been separated for 215 days, apart from a few emotional visits through a window. </p> <p>The pair are living at Rosecastle at Delaney Creek and the heartwarming reunion was uploaded to Facebook by the assisted living home.</p> <p>“We got to witness these two resident love birds see and hug each other for the first time since the pandemic,” the Rosecastle at Delany Creek’s Facebook post said.</p> <p>“Get your tissues out!”</p> <p>The post says that Joseph was in rehab after a surgery and the pandemic prevented the pair from seeing each other while Joseph recovered.</p> <p>“With just phone calls and a few window visits - they persevered,” the post said.</p> <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=476&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Frosecastleatdelaneycreek%2Fvideos%2F705069423756227%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=357" width="357" height="476" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe> <p>The video shows Joseph's wife, Eve, sitting at a table while Joseph is being wheeled over to where she's sitting.</p> <p>“Who’s waiting for him over here?”</p> <p>“Look Miss Eve, who’s here?” the person off camera says.</p> <p>The pair embrace and start to cry, as they're overwhelmed with emotion.</p> <p>"I sure missed you," Joseph cries behind his face mask.</p> <p>"I didn't think I'd ever get over here."</p> <p>“You’re alright, I love you so much. For sixty years I’ve done something right," Eve said to try and calm him down.</p> <p>The life enrichment coordinator at Rosecastle, Clary Abreu said Eve was very excited to see her husband.</p> <p>“[Eve] was so excited that she paced probably all night and she sat out in the dining room waiting for him,” she said.</p> </div> </div> </div>

Caring

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Couple married for 50 years die minutes apart from COVID-19

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>A US couple who were married for more than 50 years have tragically died from coronavirus just minutes apart, with the couple holding hands as they passed.</p> <p>Johnny Lee Peoples, 67, and his wife Cathy "Darlene" Peoples, 65, started to feel symptoms at the start of August but would not live to see more than a few days of September.</p> <p>Their son, Shane, is devastated.</p> <p>“Mum and Dad lived hand to hand for 50 years, they died hand to hand, now they’re walking in heaven hand to hand," he said.</p> <p>“The message our family would like to convey is that COVID is real. It’s not a hoax or a joke. Our parents took the proper precautions but tragically still contracted the virus.”</p> <p>The pair were admitted to hospital on August 11th after testing positive to the virus earlier that week, as they both had difficulty breathing due to previous illnesses.</p> <p>Darlene had high blood pressure, fibromyalgia and Type 2 diabetes and Johnny had pneumonia two years ago that caused damage to his lungs.</p> <p>“(On Sept. 1), we were told they had no chance of surviving. Dad could continue to live on the ventilator but would never come off of it. Mom’s organs were failing,” Shane said.</p> <p>“They both had pre-existing conditions. Just keep in mind, these didn’t kill my parents, COVID-19 did,” Shane said.</p> <p>“This was the first time for that ICU staff to deal with two family members passing. The hospital staff was amazing through the whole thing.”</p> <p>The couple is survived by their three children and nine grandchildren, but son Shane still feels "cheated".</p> <p>“We were cheated,” Shane said in a <a rel="noopener" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.facebook.com_671965370_posts_10164064176965371_-3Fextid-3DLBj1UBKw0DvpX3we-26d-3Dn&amp;d=DwMGaQ&amp;c=Y6lK3sQOQe5gkvL3EqgybQ&amp;r=Sz9CKBZmZNP1ysNejBBG0IM2f1cxV3HZRghCAzOPwMo&amp;m=8D5VaQ8gES-pNdd92qywv3REqG4ABZtfLp8LMr_qZK0&amp;s=zTBMZvcrxrHBIkBS6m3bJ_u6kilgR2pZWYoeEX2kr98&amp;e=" target="_blank" class="editor-rtflink">Facebook post</a> after his parents passed.</p> <p>“My parents weren’t just a blessing for me, my brother, my sister, our spouses, and our children.</p> <p>“They were a blessing to every person that met them... I just wish everyone could see them through my eyes. You would see the two most loving and caring couple, ever. Without them, this world just got a bit more gloomy.”</p> <p><em>Photo credits: </em><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/travel/coronavirus/we-were-cheated-couple-married-for-50-years-die-within-minutes-of-each-other-from-covid-c-1330634" target="_blank" class="editor-rtflink">7News</a></em></p> </div> </div> </div>

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Meet the couple who moved into a new retirement village apartment...without visiting it first

<p><span>A decision by a NSW couple to buy a retirement village apartment - without physically inspecting it first - has illustrated how COVID-19 has transformed the downsizing real estate market.<br /><br /></span><span>In late June 2020, John and Rosemary Gooch moved 500km from Mudgee in the NSW central-west to <a href="https://www.downsizing.com.au/property/sale/11035/queens-lake-retirement-village">Stockland Queens Lake</a> at Laurieton on the State’s mid-north coast.<br /><br /></span><span>Although Ms Gooch knew the Laurieton area well, having previously lived near there, neither she or her husband had actually been inside their future one and half bedroom apartment.<br /><br /></span><span>A Stockland salesperson gave the couple several online tours on her mobile phone, and also helped by taking measurements of key areas.<br /><br /></span><span>“I’d looked at the apartment so many times (online), I knew it backwards,” Ms Gooch said. “I knew every room, every little bit, so we knew it was going to be good.<br /><br /></span><span>“The sales person did a video of it, and walked us through, and we had a floor plan. Because we had seen it so much, we knew how beautiful it was.<br /><br /></span><span>“When we actually arrived, it was actually better than what we thought. It is bigger than what we thought, it is a beautiful location and it’s quiet.”<br /><br /></span><span>Dea Gardner, sales professional at Queens Lake Retirement Village, said it was important to make the customer feel comfortable and confident when making the big decision to move, especially when it comes to downsizing. <br /><br /></span><span>“I just kept in regular contact and made sure I had a lot of information to help them (the Goochs) understand any concerns or questions they had,” Ms Gardner said. <br /><br /></span><span>“I made myself available to them entirely, having several conversations on what from their furnishings would or wouldn’t fit, and happily took measurements for them so they knew as much information as possible before moving. I think this relieved a lot of their stresses.” <br /><br /></span><span>The Goochs said they were happy to make the purchase after taking part in virtual tours, given this meant they avoided a 500km trip during a time of COVID-19 restrictions. The couple purchased the apartment for $245,000.<br /><br /></span><span>More retirement living operators are turning to virtual tours and open days to market their properties, either in response to government restrictions or because potential buyers may be keen to avoid travelling.<br /><br /></span><span>Downsizing.com.au has <a href="https://www.downsizing.com.au/news/739/New-online-events-promotion-is-the-key-to-sales-success-with-downsizers">launched a new initiative</a> which supports clients being able to showcase virtual tours and online events, along with traditional in-person events.<br /><br /></span><strong><span>Find out more information about the </span></strong><span><a href="https://www.downsizing.com.au/property/sale/11035/queens-lake-retirement-village"><strong>Queens Lake retirement village here</strong></a></span></p>

Downsizing

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Inside Kate and William's luxurious royal "apartment"

<p>Prince William and Kate Middleton's royal home is referred to as an 'apartment', but it's not like a unit like we're thinking.</p> <p>Many think of an apartment as a two-bedroom place, but Kate and William's apartment is more like a mini-mansion on the grounds of Kensington Palace.</p> <p>The residence is known as Apartment 1A and is where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge live with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis when they're in London.</p> <p>A royal author has revealed what it's like in the apartment.</p> <p>"It's enormous... and it's like a piece of countryside in London," revealed royal author Ingrid Seward to <a rel="noopener" href="https://play.trueroyalty.tv/england-s-queens/videos/the-royal-beat-royal-women-of-kensington-palace" target="_blank" class="_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtflink">True Royalty's Royal Beat</a>.</p> <p>"It has 20 rooms from the basement to the attic, it is not a small house," she explained.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDOMybUFTzB/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDOMybUFTzB/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">📸 Fun behind the scenes in March recording #ThatPeterCrouchPodcast, as part of the #HeadsUp campaign. Thanks to everyone involved in making it all happen! #PassThePod</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/kensingtonroyal/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Duke and Duchess of Cambridge</a> (@kensingtonroyal) on Jul 29, 2020 at 3:00am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"All of these royal residences at Kensington Palace are called apartments, which of course makes people immediately think they are flats like the American term for an apartment. They are not."</p> <p>The homes are "joined terrace houses", with a lift, a gym and a $310,000 kitchen that the couple paid to renovate.</p> <p>Duchess Kate has helped decorate the home with the aid of an interior designer, though the furnishes have likely changed over the years as the family has grown.</p>

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