Commuters shocked to find they're joined on train platform by - a horse
By Dean Murray
Commuters at a train station were shocked to find they were joined on a platform by - a horse.
The escaped racehorse managed to enter Warwick Farm Station in New South Wales on Friday (5 April) evening.
CCTV footage captured by Transport for NSW shows the animal seemingly looking as if it was waiting for a train - and even standing behind the yellow safety line.
Transport for NSW jokingly reported about the 'missing individual', writing they were " last seen heading to Warwick Farm Railway Station after escaping the heavy rain", and adding "he was reported to be wearing only a rug and demonstrating a bit of horseplay."
In a later update they said: "After a CCTV review the individual was located on the platform at Warwick Farm Railway Station. He appeared to pursue an informant along the platform before unsuccessfully attempting to board a train service.
"The individual then moved to the carpark area where he was taken in by his owner and he was returned to his residence in a stable condition.
"No one involved in the incident is intending to take any further action as the individual was only horsing around!"
This is Premium Licensed Content. Would you like to publish this article? Please contact our licensing team.
"I gave birth at 50 - trolls tell me it's shameful but it's made me wiser and more immersed"
By Emma Dunn
A mum who gave birth at 50 says trolls tell her it is "shameful" to be an older parent - but she feels "wiser" and "more immersed" in her son's life.
Tatiana Kaplan, 54, knew she wanted to have a family with her partner, Kenan Kaplan, 52, who works in IT, and the pair started trying for a baby a month after meeting.
After three years of trying with no success the pair resorted to IVF but following seven unsuccessful attempts - costing $100k CAD - Tatiana was ready to give up hope.
She and Kenan went on a trip around Europe but when they returned Tatiana realised her period was late and discovered she’d fallen pregnant naturally - after 11 years of trying.
Tatiana had a smooth pregnancy – walking up to 6km a day – and gave birth to her son, Mark Kaplan, now four, via c-section.
The mum-of-two says she has grown "wiser through the years" and is able to dedicate more time to her son.
She wants to give hope to others looking to become later in life mums - despite some trolls calling late motherhood "shameful".
Tatiana, a stay-at-home mum, living in Toronto, Canada, said: “I feel I broke free of confined expectations about what is possible at different ages.
"Perhaps that's why I don't feel in my 50 years internally. Instead, I brought new life into the world.
"I hoped to demonstrate to women that staying healthy and fit into their 50s, rather than early decline, is possible and important.
"Some commented that late motherhood would be shameful in their cultures.
"In parenting my son, I fully immerse myself in his beautiful years."
Tatiana had her daughter, Katerina, 35, at aged 19 and lost her dad when was just four.
She remained single for a long time but met Kenan in February 2007 and the pair started trying for a child together straight away.
Tatiana said: “We knew from the first days of our relationship that we wanted a family together.
“As I approached 39, nesting instincts stirred, and a dream of a child grew too strong to ignore.
“My partner and I started trying to conceive right away when we began living together, - just one month after our first meeting.”
The pair struggled to conceive despite doctors telling them they were both completely healthy.
Tatiana swam regularly and ate a nutritious fresh diet to help her chances but found nothing worked.
In October 2010, the couple decided to try IVF but after seven attempts nothing worked spending $100k CAD on travel, hotel stays, medication and procedures.
Tatiana said: “My final try was at 47. I started thinking I should give up hope.
“I asked the universe why my son hadn't arrived yet and in a dream, he told me – ‘Mum, we will meet when the time is right’.”
The couple decided to take a road trip from Antalya, Turkey to Montserrat, Spain in summer 2018 to distract them from their disappointment.
Tatiana said: “I prayed to her for the privilege and joy of motherhood.
“After 11 years of hoping and dreaming, along with seven failed IVF attempts working with top fertility clinics and two miscarriages, my hope of carrying my child was nearly gone.”
In January 2019, it dawned on Tatiana that her period was late.
She said: “I sprinted to get tested, praying silently for positive results.
“When my husband showed me the paper saying ‘you're pregnant’ I screamed so loudly the whole hospital heard.
“I was blessed with the happiness and privilege of a natural pregnancy.
"Isn't it miraculous how motherhood found me after exhausting all options medically and being at the end of my journey?
“All those years of waiting, all the disappointments, only to have success come when I least expected it.
“To experience pregnancy naturally, after the incredible struggle to conceive, truly feels nothing short of a miracle.”
Tatiana had a smooth an active pregnancy but had a c-section as her son was breach.
He was born on September 18, 2019, weighing 6lbs 6oz at North York General Hospital, Toronto.
She said: “As they placed him on my chest I cried tears of joy, telling him how we made it this far together and thanking him for his strength.
“My husband witnessed the birth and was the first to look at our baby. We both sobbed at the overwhelming emotions.
"Amazingly just five hours post-op, I started walking through the halls and holding the wall for support. Some younger mums couldn't get up yet.
"I recommend all women practice fertility yoga, eat healthy, and release negativity - it greatly aids conception and supports an easy pregnancy even later in life."
Tatiana's son, now two, is "fascinating" and "curious".
She said: "I have found parenting my son as a 50-year-old woman to be a different experience.
"Over the past decades since becoming a teenage mother, I have sought to understand life's deeper meanings and allow my soul to grow wiser through the years.
"I strive to embrace each moment we share - whether those moments are big or small - with greater appreciation and presence.
"As a busy student and worker with responsibilities when my daughter was young, I sadly lacked the luxury of fully immersing myself in her wonder-filled early childhood."
Tatiana loves inspiring other later-life mums with her story.
She said: "Growing older doesn't have to mean becoming feeble. It can mean staying cheerful.
"I think life's real meaning is simply being present and enjoying each moment as it comes."
Follow Tatiana on TikTok @aurora.stories
This is Premium Licensed Content. Would you like to publish this article? Please contact our licensing team.
Tot born with 1kg cyst under her arm - so heavy it's making her spine curve
By Emma Dunn
A toddler born with a cyst the size of a pineapple under her arm is so heavy her spine has started to curve.
Jessi Campbell, two, was born with an estimated 1kg growth on her left arm, chest and fingers.
She was diagnosed with lymphatic malformation before birth – where lymph vessels form abnormally – and Kippel-Trelauney Syndrome at 11-months-old in July 2022.
The syndrome is a collection of symptoms - port wine stains, varicose veins and hypertrophy which is the extra growth of a limb.
Jessi has had three rounds of sclerotherapy – where a solution is injected into the veins to make the lymph collapse and shrink the cyst - and will continue to have more.
She took longer to walk – due to her balance – and is now struggling with a curved spine due to the weight of her arm.
The weight of her arm changes "almost every day" because of the movement of the fluid - and can become heavier when Jessi is unwell.
But parents Amara, 34, and Jonathan Campbell, 35, fear Jessi will be bullied and have already heard strangers call Jessi’s cyst “disgusting”.
Amara, a stay-at-home-mum, from Brisbane, Australia, said: “Some have said ‘look she’s got a disgusting arm’.
“We tell her she’s beautiful.”
Jonathan, a support worker, said: “There’s always people staring and looking at her hand.
“Kids started pointing at her.
“We never tell her any bad things about her arm.
“We don’t act repulsed or anything.”
Amara was told Jessi had a cyst on her arm at her 19 week scan – and medics suspected it was lymphatic malformation.
But Amara and Jonathan – who have older daughter Sophie, four - didn’t know exactly what to expect.
Jessi was born on August 28, 2021, and weighing 7lbs 9oz and the pockets of fluid covered her left arm, chest and hand.
Amara wasn’t able to see her daughter properly for three days – after losing three litres of blood during the birth.
Jonathan said: “Her lump was bigger than we were expecting.”
Amara added: “It was a shock.
“It was really purple.
“It was confronting.
“I felt scared for her.”
Jessi spent 10 days in Mater Children's Hospital, Brisbane, before she was able to come home.
Amara said: “All the baby clothes we had didn't fit and we had to get custom made clothes for her.”
Jessi’s growth hasn’t stopped her walking or playing with her older sister.
Amara said: “I took her a while to find her a balance for walking.
“She has big sausage fingers on three of her fingers.
“The palm of her hand is like a bubble.
“She’s doing really well.
“She does grab things.”
Jessi was officially diagnosed with Kippel-Trelauney Syndrome after a skin biopsy in July 2022.
She has since had three sclerotherapy and will continue to have two to three treatments a year to shrink the mass.
Amara said: “Her spine is beginning to curve because of the weight of her arm. She leans.
"She’s so stubborn – she’ll do anything.”
The parents are taking it day by day with Jessi – who also undergoes hydrotherapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy.
They hope her arm will have shrunk by the time she reaches school age so she doesn’t get bullied.
Currently they are unable to tell what difference the therapy has made.
Jonathan said: “By the time she’s at school my hope is she’ll have a smaller arm.
“I remember at the beginning we were told her arm will look somewhat normal by the time she starts school.
“We’re looking forward to see that progress.”
Jessi still needs custom made clothes to fit around her arm and the family are fundraising to help with the ongoing costs - https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-jessi-in-life.
Amara said: “She’s growing faster than her arm.”
This is Premium Licensed Content. Would you like to publish this article? Please contact our licensing team.
Man builds village for mice - including pub and book shop
By Lauren Beavis
A photographer who built an adorable mouse village with over 150k social media followers has added - a pub, a book shop and Hobbit homes.
Simon Dell, 50, began making the 'mini shire' when he spotted a wild mouse in his back garden.
Since then, he has attracted more mice to the luxury mouse town - which he has constructed from recycled wood, materials and repurposed trash.
Simon documents daily village activities across his social media channels (George the Mouse in a log pile house) with an impressive following of over 152k.
He said: "Without photography and the fun of making little things for little things, I could soon sink back in to deep depression.
"Photography gave me a reason to get up and out again and the mouse village gave me back my smile.
"I hope it gives others the same joy it gives me."
Back in 2018, Simon recalls sitting in his garden in South Yorkshire when he "could see cats sitting just feet away from this little mouse at the other side of a fence."
He said: "I piled some small logs around a box as a home for the mouse and covered it with moss and straw to give him a little shelter.
"I then put some wire fencing around the fence so there was no way the cats could get to the mouse.
"We decided to name him George."
After saving the mouse, Simon began to add more homes next door.
Within days, more mice had moved in, looking for creature comforts.
The wildlife photographer began adding more to the tiny houses, fashioning detailed dining tables, washing lines, motorbikes and even a weights set for the adorable rodents.
Now six years on, Simon says there are at least 20 mice - with possibly two family groups of mice around eight to 10 in each group.
He explained: "Since 2018 when I started the concept of a mouse village a lot has changed and the village has grown - lots of new houses have come and gone.
"The only limit is my own imagination and skills at making the new buildings - as everything is made by hand from recycled bits of wood old logs or just about anything I can find in skips or the trash that could be given a new life.
The wildlife sanctuary and village now has a Pub 'the Log Pile Inn', as well as a book store, village hardware store, a large town house and new hobbit homes at ground level and above those.
He said: "They have two of my old boots converted in to mouse homes and lots of other types of homes scattered around the village.
"In fact they have just about everything you would find in a village or even a town!"
He has plans to add a train station, cafe and a theater or cinema.
Simon, who is based in Yorkshire, expresses how the mouse village has given him - and all of his followers - immense joy amidst personal struggles.
He said: "As I have always suffered with depression -insomnia and anxiety they are always there to support me in good or bad times and many find my photos and videos help make them smile daily and lift their moods.
"That has always been my goal to make others smile along with keeping my mind and body active."
You can follow the mouse village across Facebook, Youtube and Tiktok: https://www.facebook.com/Georgethemouseinalogpilehouse
https://www.youtube.com/@GeorgetheMouseinalogpilehouse/videos
This is Premium Licensed Content. Would you like to publish this article? Please contact our licensing team.
"I've bought a full wardrobe of clothes for my future kids - despite not being pregnant or dating"
By Hannah Van De Peer
A woman has bought a full wardrobe of baby clothes for her "future kids" - despite not being pregnant or having a partner.
Katie Wood, 32, started out thrifting for her niece, Isla, five, and nephew, Ian, 13 months.
But she decided to keep some of her finds for her future kids instead - so she can save money while planning ahead.
Even though she isn’t sure she definitely wants kids, and isn’t sure she’ll have them anytime soon, Katie says she’ll “never say never" and she’s building up an image of what their styles will look like.
She keeps a box in the attic of 20-plus items of baby clothing - as well as shoes - with silica pouches for preservation and washes them once-a-year.
Katie says she'd be very open to letting a future partner know about her stash - and friends and family love it.
Katie, a solicitor, from Chattanooga, Tennessee, US, said: “I might not have kids for eight more years - but it’s a great money-saving trick to keep some things back.
“I don’t know if I particularly want kids right now - I’m 32 and I don’t have a partner.
“But I love thrifting - and thrifting for any future kids has kind of become its own thing.”
Katie has loved finding bargains since she was a child - particularly when going to garage sales with her parents.
Growing up with 14 aunties, uncles and “a ton” of cousins, Katie’s wardrobe was filled with hand-me-downs.
But during her teenage year, she rejected the idea of buying clothes second-hand, and wanted to wear brand new, fast fashion items like her friends.
She said: “For a while in my teens, I hated garage sales and spent a lot on trendy clothes.
“All my clothes were brand new - and with fast fashion, nothing is made well anymore, so I’d have to keep buying more.”
After starting at Florida International Law School in 2010, at the age of 18, Katie turned back to pre-loved clothing so she could afford “better” quality items.
She’d rifle through clothing bins in charity shops to find the best, most durable items - often coming out with pairs of Levi’s jeans and tennis shoes.
“My biggest thrifting hack has to be rifling through the bins,” Katie said.
“There are some bits that are worth over $40 that I’ve got for $3 each.”
When her niece, Isla, was born in 2019, Katie began thrifting baby outfits for her niece - buying babygrows, hand-knitted cardigans and dresses for $3 to $4 each.
She doubled up once Ian was born, four years later.
Now, she’s started saving them for any potential future children, so she can save money on designer gear.
She said: “Until my niece was born, I was set on not having kids.
“But I loved her so much, I could only imagine what it would be like to love a child of my own.
“I realised I had to keep an open mind - and I started holding the clothes back so my future kids could wear them.
“Never say never - and I can always gift them at baby showers if I don’t give them to my own kids, which is a bit of a sad thought.”
Katie has even started to flesh out future styles for her kids - and knows exactly what she doesn’t want them to wear.
“I hate slogan t-shirts with really big brands and labels,” she said.
“I don’t want them wearing Disney stuff - I won’t have my kids walking around with a big Minnie Mouse on their shirts.
“But I do want them to be dressed in durable clothing - like little versions of Levi’s jeans.”
This is Premium Licensed Content. Would you like to publish this article? Please contact our licensing team.
"I have memory loss - I make memos on everyone in my life so I don't forget them"
By Emma Dunn
A woman with memory loss makes memos on everyone in her life so she can remember details about them - and has been nicknamed Dory by her friends.
Megan Mackenzie, 27, suffered a traumatic brain injury after she fell off a stage in school and hit the back of her head.
The author had to relearn to talk without a stutter and over time realised she was struggling with short and long-term memory loss.
Now she keeps a memo for every friend or family member in her notes app on her phone - detailing things such as their favourite colour, birthday and places they like to go.
Megan, an actress and college educator, from New York City, US said: "When I was in school I got pushed off a stage and hit the bottom of a piano. I hit the back of my head.
"I had to relearn how to speak.
"Then I realised I didn't have a memory anymore. I can remember how things make me feel but the details are blurred.
"I spent the next few years navigating the new normal.
"Each person has a personalised notes app.
"A lot of my friends know and let me tell the same stories over a million times.
"A lot of my friends call me Dory [from Finding Nemo]. I always say 'just keep swimming'."
Megan was 17 years old when the incident happened which caused her brain injury.
She said: "I couldn't articulate what had happened.
"I don't remember the next few months."
Her parents took her to hospital the following day - as initially no one realised the damage the fall had done.
She was told she had mild concussion but, after her symptoms continued, she was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury.
Over the years Megan has had various therapy to relearn to read and talk.
She said: "I loved reading. Now I read by speed reading.
"I can read an entire book in three hours.
"I get to redo the Harry Potter series as an adult with a fresh brain."
Megan started making a habit of writing things down after she realised she was repeating stories to her friends.
She said: "That's how I started using my notes app to keep track of things.
"I love bullet points. I title the notes app for that person.
"I write down their birthday, places they go, names of dogs.
"It's random life bits that were important when I wrote them down.
"Everyone wants to see their notes but I never let them see it."
Her boyfriend, Andrew, 24, a masters student in computer engineering, is very supportive of Megan.
She said: "He is lovely and wonderful. He finds it charming when I tell him my stories for the 800th time.
"When I'm retelling stories I'll look at him like 'what happened next?' and he'll jump in."
After Megan's brain injury she was told it wouldn't be "an option" to memorise lines.
Now she's worked out a way to do it - by using movement.
She said: "If I'm learning lines I will touch my head or something.
"Through movement I'm able to lock in these words."
Megan shares her story online - to help share the "quirks" of a brain injury.
She said: "It doesn't keep me from doing anything. I found a new normal."
This is Premium Licensed Content. Would you like to publish this article? Please contact our licensing team.
Woman conned by fake Gary Barlow offered concert tickets by the real deal
By Josie Adnitt
A woman who was catfished by a scammer pretending to be Gary Barlow has been offered show tickets and a chance to meet the real deal.
Janet Smith, 62, genuinely believed she was talking to the Take That singer for about a week, after she added him as a friend on Facebook.
But after the catfish bombarded her with compliments and told her he had "split up" she grew suspicious - and convinced the scammer to reveal their true identity.
The cheat said he was actually a 24-year-old man from Nigeria and was sorry for lying to her - but told Janet he really did love her and asked for cash.
After speaking out to raise awareness of online scammers, the real Gary Barlow spotted her story - and shared it on Instagram.
He wrote: "Dear Janet - I'm so sorry to hear this - please come to any show you want and meet me", followed by three heart emojis.
Janet said: "Someone texted me to say he'd seen the story - I don't know how he saw it.
"[Gary] hasn't contacted me directly yet. I've had an amazing time, it's been lovely.
"I've blocked [the scammer] on everything but I feel really bad - I just feel so guilty.
"He owned up to me and said he was sorry about it.
"I hope I've got the message out."
Janet believed she was speaking to the real "Back for Good" singer after adding what appeared to be his profile on Facebook on 26th March.
However, she soon became suspicious that all was not as it seemed - and realised the man she was speaking to couldn't be the real Gary Barlow.
She managed to unmask the scammer after telling him he could have her WhatsApp number in exchange for his true identity.
The man confessed his love for her and said he came from a poor family, asking her for cash "to get some food in Nigeria".
Janet said the whole experience had left her feeling "really guilty" and has shared her story to help others spot similar scammers in the future.
Janet said: "I didn't send him any money - I thought it was a cry for help."
This is Premium Licensed Content. Would you like to publish this article? Please contact our licensing team.
Meet the four-year-old 'wombat whisperer' befriending marsupials!
By Leo Black
Meet the four-year-old 'wombat whisperer' who's best friends with the marsupials - and even learned how to walk with them.
Ashlee Neill spends up to three hours per day playing with the wombats and has been around the animals since birth.
Dad Josh Neill, 41, and his partner Amber Moyes rehabilitate wombats which have been injured in the wild or became orphans after their mothers died.
The little girl is so good with the marsupials that she helps speed up their recovery and boosts their confidence.
Josh, an electrician from Hayfield, Victoria, Australia, said: "When they're young and dependent they need a lot of attention or they stress quite badly.
"They need to be following someone around or they'll stress because they're always looking for their mum.
"With Ashlee, they get comfortable, they learn to eat grass, they learn to be outside, they run around.
"If it weren't because of her they wouldn't rehab so quickly."
The family started rehabilitating wombats in 2013, long before Ashlee was born.
They release the animals into the wild after they've recovered, which normally takes about six months.
At the moment, they are looking after four wombats.
Ashlee doesn't have many playmates because they live in a rural area, so she and the wombats have become almost like siblings.
Ashlee even learned to walk by leaning on a wombat, according to Josh.
The four-year-old is so close to the animals that she has mostly foregone toys - choosing to play with the wombats all day instead.
Josh said: "Some of those wombats are like her siblings. That's why people in the area call her 'the wombat whisperer.'
"They're her friends, they're like a little family.
"She doesn't have many toys so she goes outside, runs around with them and goes on little adventures.
"It's really cute, sometimes I'll come inside and she'll just be reading them stories."
Josh added: "I guess she's learned to read them.
"They wouldn't really be this comfortable with anyone else, you need to build that trust."
All this contact with the needy wombats has given Ashlee big dreams and she now wants to be a vet.
Josh said: "She wants to be a vet. A lot of the animals aren't in good condition, there's not a lot of people to look up to out here and the vets safe them."
This is Premium Licensed Content. Would you like to publish this article? Please contact our licensing team.
"I started losing my hair at 19 - now I've launched a wig company to help others"
By Amy Reast
A woman who began losing her hair aged 19 launched a wig company to give people their confidence back.
Kimberly Di Benedetto, 34, began noticing her hair thinning in her teens and was diagnosed with female pattern hair loss.
Her confidence plummeted and she tried everything to get her hair to grow back - including laser therapy, vitamins, scalp injections and creams.
When none worked she looked into hair pieces and toppers and says they changed her life.
After connecting with others experiencing hair loss, Kimberly launched Lusta Hair - a brand selling realistic, natural human hair wigs and hair pieces.
The business, based in Adelaide, South Australia, sees products - starting at £1k - flying off the shelves.
But Kimberly says she's driven by raising awareness for women's hair loss and seeing the look on people's faces when they first see their new locks.
The business owner said: "By the time I noticed my hair loss it was 50 per cent gone.
"When you're 19 you're supposed to be starting your life, not worrying about hair loss."
Kimberly launched Lusta six years ago - originally for hair toppers.
This expanded into wigs when colleague, Holly Faller, 33, joined the team, because she has alopecia.
Their hair pieces and wigs, hand-made with human hair, can be worn to swim and do sports, so that the wearers don't feel conscious.
Kimberly said: "When I began losing hair, I remember hyper-fixating.
"If I was invited somewhere I'd have to style it in a certain way, and I felt uncomfortable staying over at friends houses and going on dates.
"Once I found a solution I could finally stop stressing about my hair and it became fun.
"With the hair toppers, I went out with my friends more, felt more confident at work and I became myself again."
Most of their clients receive their hair products in the post - but some pop in to visit the team to have their hair applied in person.
Most recently they have launched 'Wigs For Kids' - an initiative giving free wigs to children experiencing hair loss due to alopecia or cancer treatments.
Having experienced hair loss, Kimberly does her job to allow others to feel the relief she felt when she found a solution that could bring back her self-confidence.
She added: "When I discovered hair toppers and learnt how to use them, I felt like myself again.
"It's not easy to start a business but I know how good it feels to find hair that makes you feel good."
This is Premium Licensed Content. Would you like to publish this article? Please contact our licensing team.
Dozens of huskies escape pet café - causing chaos in shopping centre
By Samuel Wightwick
Dozens of huskies escaped from a pet café - and ran riot in a shopping centre.
The video, filmed in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China shows the dogs bounding around the mall after getting loose from a pet cafe on March 12.
Shouts can be heard coming from bemused and confused shoppers as the dogs race around them.
According to reports, some customers had accidentally opened the gated door to the cafe which allowed the dogs to escape.
With the help of several shoppers, all the Huskies were retrieved safely.
This is Premium Licensed Content. Would you like to publish this article? Please contact our licensing team.
