Size 32 mother who struggled to take daughter to playground without getting out of breath loses 17 STONE

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

New look: Viikki Billingham stands proudly in a size 12 black dress after losing a whopping 17 stone

A mother who struggled to take her young daughter to the playground without getting out of breath is celebrating after losing an incredible 17stone.

Vikki Billingham, who tipped the scales at a staggering 27 stone, could barely manage a trip to the shops and was embarrassed to go out most of the time.

The mother-of-two from the West Midlands found it difficult to get clothes to fit her size 32 figure and her weight was preventing her from being active with her young daughter.


Before: Vikki used to tip the scales at a staggering 27 stone before her weight loss


Before, she said, her diet was full of ‘all the wrong things’ - a lot of bread, fried food and takeaways, and very little fruit and vegetables.

Now she cooks everything from scratch eating fresh fruit and vegetables and fish.

As well as the diet, Vikki said she started going on three walks a week, and in January this year joined a gym to improve her fitness and lose the two pounds that will take her to her ideal weight.

‘It has changed my life completely - I do things now that I never would have dreamed of doing just a few years ago,’ she added.

source: dailymail

Botox for dogs? The goofy toy that brings a huge smile to your pooch's lips

By ANNA EDWARDS

Barking mad for it: This pooch looks thrilled with his new toy

Most dogs are simply content to fetch a stick if thrown one.

So this squeaky plaything is sure to bring a goofy smile to any pooch's face.

The novelty plush dog lips, made by pet product business Ancol, is guaranteed to give even the grumpiest dog the cheesiest grin.


One cheesy grin: This dog can't help but beam from ear to ear with his new plaything

In fact, it's almost certain they'll be grinning from ear to ear once they got this soft toy clamped between their chops.

With its oversized lips and huge teeth, any dog would be barking mad not to enjoy it.
Even lazy pets might be given a new leash of life once they pucker up and get their teeth into it.

And any owner would be thrilled to play with their pet if it meant seeing their mutt beam back at them.

The unusual toy is 16cm long, made from plush material and retails for around £3.50.


Open wide! With the plush toy clamped firmly in its jaws, this dog has got the biggest grin


source: dailymail

'I was clenching everything': Terrifying moment a snake slithered up windscreen as SUV sped along highway at 65mph

By FIONA ROBERTS

It's a miracle the driver managed not to crash - let alone keep in a straight line.

A snake terrified a young mother when it suddenly appeared on her SUV's windscreen after slithering out of the engine as she drove along an expressway into Memphis, Tennessee.

Rachel Fisher said she's not usually scared by snakes but she 'was clenching everything' as she drove at 65mph with the unusual hitchhiker on board - and her three young children in the back.


Terror: The huge snake suddenly appears on Rachel Fisher's windscreen as she speeds along the expressway towards Memphis, Tennessee


As she screamed and giggled hysterically, her husband recorded the incident on his camera phone and then posted the video on YouTube, where it has gone viral in just three days.

It happened last week as Mrs Fisher drove her husband, Tony, and their three children Elizabeth, three, Judah, two and Rivers, four months, back to Memphis after visiting her parents in Cordova.


Hitching a ride: The snake slithers along the windscreen

She had been driving for about 15 minutes when her husband suddenly yelled out.

Mrs Fisher told the New York Daily News: 'My husband saw it out of the corner of his eye and did a double-take.


Frightening: The snake winds itself over the wing mirror...


...and then opens its jaws as if ready to strike



source: dailymail

The room in a box: A crate idea that cuts moving time and storage in half

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

There's a room in there? Casulo has everything needed to furnish a bedroom

Magicians are famous for their use of boxes, from sawing their lovely assistants in half to making themselves disappear.

But it may not take a magician or sorcery to furnish a room with just a box.

The Casulo is the brainchild of German designers Marcel Krings and Sebastian Mühlhäuser.



Thinking outside the box: You don't need tools to reassemble your furniture
The Casulo contains everything needed for a bedroom: the bed, a desk, shelves an armoire, and several units of storage.


The design duo came published the idea in 2007 in their dissertation at the Köln International School of Design in Cologne.

Calling it 'a new concept for mobile living,' they named their design Casulo, the Portuguese word for 'cocoon.'

It was designed with the goal easing the more frustrating phases of moving - time, transport and reassembling furniture.


Designers boast that it only takes seven minutes to assemble all the furniture


The developers promise that no tools are necessary for breaking down or reassembling the Casulo, making it as easy to move in as it is to move out..

From inside the box to a fully-furnished room, the job can be done in about seven minutes, as demonstrations show.


Coming together: The team behind Casulo says their design can save you time and money when you're moving into a new place

It can also store all of your bedroom furniture, in a fraction of the space.
Moving the Casulo, however, might be at least a two-person job, as each box weighs about 375 pounds.


All you need: Casulo comes with a bed, desk, shelves and storage space


But manufacturers are aiming to bring the weight down to 330 pounds.

The Casulo is not yet available in stores, but the team of Krings and Mühlhäuser is in talks to get it into production.


Casulo can store your bedroom furniture in a fraction of the space


And voila! In just seven minutes, your new bedroom is done



source: dailymail

The marble cathedral of Chile: Are these the world's most beautiful caves?

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER


Ancient: The caves have been formed by flowing water over thousands of years

Welcome to the Marble Cathedral - a natural wonder that could be the world's most beautiful cave network.

An azure temple created by nature, the walls of this network of water-filled marble caverns show just how magnificent the precious geography of our planet can be.

Visitors to the water-sculpted blue caverns see light reflected off the turquoise waters of South America's second largest freshwater lake, General Carrera in Patagonia, Chile.



Azure temple: Lake General Carrera in Patagonia, Chile, could be the world's most beautiful cave network


Light bounces into the caverns and strikes the carved marble walls, creating this enchanting lightshow.

The incredible set of pictures has been captured by landscape photographer and environmentalist, Linde Waidehofer, 67, from Colorado, USA.

'It is the water that formed the unique shapes of the marble walls,' explained Ms Waidehofer in her book on the caverns, Blue Light.

'Originally great ice-fields blocked the western end of the lake - today its glacier-fed waters drain into the Pacific Ocean.

'Geologists have a simple explanation for the breath-taking blue of this giant lake.
'They talk of finely ground glacial silt which makes the water an unearthly blue and crystal clear.

'These waters are magic.'



Photographer's dream: Photography students have travelled the world to learn about light in what could be the world's most astonishing classroom


To reach this remote place located in the far southern tip of Chile visitors must fly from the capital, Santiago, 800 miles to the next nearest large city, Coyhaique, and then drive on challenging dirt roads 200 miles south to the lake.

Yet photography students have travelled the world to learn from Ms Waidehofer about light in what could be the world's most astonishing classroom.



Beautiful: But the unspoilt majesty of Lake Carrera is under threat from development


Since falling in love with the Marble Cathedral during her first visit in 2003 she has decided to make it a major part of her life.

'I love it so much I've visited the marble caverns dozens of times,' she said. 'I don't know anything quite like them anywhere.

'I was so crazy about visiting that I decided to buy land, build a house and spend half the year here. My new home sits above two marble caves and even the floors are cut out of pure marble.

'I am living my dream in this wondrous place.' More information about Linde's book on the marble caverns,'Blue Light', can be found at www.westoneye.com/books

source: dailymail

Zara's VERY merry wedding knees-up: A vodka fountain, takeaway chips and why Tindall didn't reach bridal suites until 2pm

By REBECCA ENGLISH, REBECCA EVANS and DAVID WILKES


Dishevelled but happy: Zara leaves Holyrood House the morning after the wedding party, while Mike Tindall, still in his morning suit well into Sunday, takes stock of the impressive surroundings

Even by their own spectacular standards, it was one heck of a party.

After a night of hard-drinking revelry with their wedding guests, Mike Tindall and his royal bride Zara Phillips did not arrive back at their suite in the Palace of Holyroodhouse until 2pm yesterday.

While Zara had managed to change into her favourite flip-flops, skinny jeans and a baggy linen top, Tindall was still wearing his morning suit and had clearly not been to bed.


Well groomed: What a contrast! A perfectly coiffured, delighted Mike and Zara leave Canonbury Kirk en route to Holyrood House where the revelry that would continue well into the following afternoon got underway


The dishevelled features of many guests bore testimony to the excesses of Saturday night. Prince Harry’s eyes looked as baggy as his denim shirt and jeans, while Zara’s brother Peter spent 15 minutes trying to work out how to get his golf clubs, daughter Savannah’s push-chair and wife Autumn’s hat box into the boot of his car.

He then accidentally drove off with Tindall’s kit bag and had to bring it back ten minutes later.


All partied out: Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie take home a flower arrangement each


Despite the presence of the Queen and every senior member of the Royal Family, Saturday’s wedding had got off to a less than auspicious start when the broken-nosed groom turned up to church chewing on a piece of gum accompanied by his best man, fellow rugby player Iain Balshaw, complete with black eye after falling off his moped.

And the post-ceremony reception, held at the 12th Century palace, Her Majesty’s official residence in Scotland, was even less regal. Guests knocked back ice-cold shots from a vodka fountain while morning-suited revellers nipped out for takeaway chips in the early hours.


Baggy eyes, baggy shirt: Prince Harry yesterday


Fortunately, the Queen had already left in order for the ‘young ones to let their hair down’ – a gesture she might well live to regret when she gets the cleaning bill.

And it wasn’t just the youngsters who over-indulged. Zara’s father, Captain Mark Phillips, was found snoring in an armchair in his hotel bar at 2.30am.

As one royal source said: ‘It was just a family knees-up. Your archetypal wedding, really. Except with a lot of royals and rugby players. And a lot of drinking. In fact make that a hell of a lot of drinking.’

Here, we reconstruct the events of a very untraditional royal wedding.


Get much sleep? Mike Tindall is seen arriving at The Palace of Holyroodhouse, wearing the same clothes he wore yesterday. Zara Phillips looked radiant in a pair of white jeans and a beige top



The pair emerged a little later and Mike had finally changed out of his wedding gear into something a little more casual


Hat trick: The Countess of Wessex with her wedding hat and husband Edward looking bleary eyed


Princess Beatrice and her boyfriend Dave Clarke leave Holyrood earlier today


The bride's brother Peter Phillips with his wife Autumn and their daughter Savannah after the celebrations


Happy couple: Tindall in his suit when he married the Queen's granddaughter, Zara, in Edinburgh on Saturday



Zara's platinum wedding band, bought for her by her husband, matched her exquisite diamond engagement ring perfectly


Beautiful: Zara makes her way to the wedding reception after marrying the England rugby star


Romantic: Veil and tiara complement Zara's sleek blonde hair


Because this ceremony was not in a cathedral, Zara was able to expose those rather wonderful arms, honed by all those warm-blooded steeds


Married couple: Above all, commentators noted that Zara and Mike, as well as the Royal family, looked relaxed and happy


Not the average family wedding: Prince Harry, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William, Linda Tindall, Princess Anne and Philip Tindall enjoy the sunshine after the wedding ceremony

source: dailymail

He's a granddad at 29, she's a granny at 30 (and the child's mother is only 14): The baby with Britain's youngest grandparents

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Happy family: Jordan, bottom left, with Tia and Gracie, and proud grandparents Shem and Kelly

An unemployed man, 29, has become one of Britain's youngest grandparents after his daughter gave birth at 14.

Shem Davies and his former girlfriend Kelly John, 30, were overjoyed when their daughter Tia, who was born when her parents were 15, gave birth to little Gracie earlier this month. Tia's boyfriend, Jordan Williams, is 15.

Shem said: 'It is an absolute joy to see Gracie thriving. I'm incredibly proud of Tia. She'll be a brilliant mum. At first I wasn't overly pleased that she was pregnant but I soon got over than. Now it's all about being positive.


Fighter: Tiny Gracie is thriving but will be in an incubator for a few weeks


'I've got to know Jordan and he's shaping up to be a decent young man,' Shem told The People.

However, nurses at the maternity unit were left embarrassed after they thought the young grandfather was in fact the teenage father of Gracie.

Apparently when he entered the ward they thought the 29-year-old looked so fresh-faced they asked him to prove he was over the age of 16.

But the arrival of Gracie wasn't easy as Tia was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, seven weeks before her due date.


Proud parents: Jordan and Tia with their newborn daughter Gracie who was born prematurely


Father and daughter: Shem with his daughter Tia and granddaughter Gracie


The latest figures show in 2009 38,259 girls under 18 became pregnant, but nearly 50 per cent had a termination.

The UK still leads the way when it comes to young mothers, and our rate is five-times higher than in the Netherlands and twice that of France and Spain.

source: dailymail

Sharing the love: Jenson Button celebrates his 200th Grand Prix with girlfriend Jessica Michibata and teammate Lewis Hamilton

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Group hug: Jenson Button celebrates his Hungarian Grand Prix win with teammate Lewis Hamilton and girlfriend Jessica Michibata at the Hungaroring race track in Mogyorod

After winning the Hungary Grand Prix and driving in his 200th Grand Prix, Jenson Button was on top of the world today.

And after clinching pole position in Budapest, the 31-year-old was certainly sharing the love as he joined his girlfriend and teammate Lewis Hamilton for a group hug.

As he joined the McLaren team for a group celebration, Button and Michibata were pulled together by an over-enthusiastic Hamilton.


One big happy McLaren family: Button was joined by his father John (front left) while Hamilton was accompanied by his brother Nicholas (back left)

With Button still in his white driving uniform, he was surrounded by the McLaren team, Michibata and his father John all wearing the familiar red McLaren T-shirts.

Despite being surrounded by dozens of people, affectionate Button was spotted sharing a few kissing with his stunning Japanese model girlfriend.

After pipping Germany's Sebastian Vettel to the post, Button's win is his second of the season.

He wrote on his Twitter page: 'Woohoo!! I think that win deserves a little celebration! What do u think!?

'Big love to the whole of #TeamButton for all there support. #winners ;-))


Team effort: Button celebrates with the whole McLaren Mercedes team after his victory

'My fans rock!! Thanks for all your lovely congrats messages. Enjoy the summer break and we'll come back and do the same at Spa! ;-).'

Hamilton himself didn't too badly, ending up in fourth place, but was clearly still feeling high from winning the Spanish Grand Prix the previous weekend.

He said today: 'Jenson was pushing me hard the whole race and the better man won today.

'I was struggling a lot with the graining on my left front tyres. I don't know whether that was my fault by pushing too hard....


Not very intimate: Michibata pulls Button in for a kiss, despite being surrounded by his teammates



My favourite people: Button poses for a photo with his father John and Michibata after his win


Still going strong: The couple have been dating for two and a half years, despite living in different countries


Winners circle: Button celebrates winning the Grand Prix with second place Sebastian Vettel (left) and Fernando Alonso (right)


Get some friends: Button urged his hacker to get a life and do something more exciting on a Saturday night on his Twitter page


Feeling nervous: The couple arriving at the paddock before the big race



Candid camera: Jessica posted a photo of Jenson-themed biscuits made to celebrate his 200th Grand Prix on her Twitter page

source: dailymail