Online Games – Not Just For Your Grandchildren!

Posted on by rosie

If like me, you are really fed up with the gloom and doom of evening TV news, and need a little distraction, then why not dip your toes into the world of online gaming.

By this, I do NOT of course mean, the ones that (sadly) today’s younger generation seem glued to.  Which let’s be honest, seem to be extremely violent, both in noise, and image.  I expect like me, it can seem a bit worrying when you overhear them on their various gadgets, and see the concentration involved.

But online gaming can encompass many things; word games, mahjong, card games and so on.

One I’ve found that might appeal to you is  called hidden objects. 

 

It’s really easy to follow, and the object of the game is to find the hidden objects in various settings, such as a garden, a castle, a kitchen, and so on.  This one is accompanied by plinkety plonk music, not gunfire and screams!

The setting comes up on the screen, with the hidden objects shown beneath, and then you have to click on the corresponding things, as you find them in the settings.  There is a timer, and you are playing against yourself, but trying to beat your own times, and levels.

At first, you whizz through, and there’s a nice little ping, as you kind of tick them off, but, as always, it gets harder as you go along and the objects become increasingly more difficult to find.

This does require a degree of concentration, but at the same time, its really absorbing, and challenging.

The settings are interesting, and well put together, I particularly liked the garden one, as it was full of weird and wonderful objects, but the colours are nice and bright and it’s uplifting.

The kitchen setting was quite involved, so many spoons, and utensils, and obviously the pre-requisite toasters, kettles and food mixers, that you might find in any kitchen in your home.

Most of us now have either a phone, iPad, or laptop to access these games, and when you get fed up with the newspapers, word search, or Sudoku, and need something to occupy yourself, I think these are a really good idea.

There’s lots to choose from.  Nostalgic card games, like Gin Rummy, Black Jack, Crazy Eights,  and if Word Search is your thing, then there is something there for you too.

These little online games can be helpful to calm your mind, or maybe even help you sleep if your brain decides to get busy in the middle of the night.

Good also for long journeys, by train or plane, ( probably best avoided if you are actually driving!).  And for those tedious times in waiting rooms, you can just get down with the youngsters and whip out your phone, and do some online gaming.

One things for sure, at least it won’t be noisy, or aggressive, unless of course you can’t find one of the hidden objects, then you might just use some colourful language yourself, out of frustration.

Try it out, I guarantee you’ll be hooked!

If like me, you are really fed up with the gloom and doom of evening TV news, and need a easy little distraction, then why not dip your toes into the world of online gaming.

 

Turning Your Holiday Home Dream Into A Reality.

Posted on by rosie

www.hellosixty.com

 

Some times, there is never a right time to do the things YOU want to do, there always seems to be a reason to put things off.

It might just be a family birthday, an upcoming wedding, or even emergency child care, that stops you from say having a weekend away, or meeting up with long lost friends who happen to be in the area….only just at the wrong time.

All that is kind of understandable, it’s part of life’s rich pattern, on a day to day basis. But what happens if you really have a dream, that will be reasonably easy to fulfil, once all these family commitments ease, and you have more time for yourself, to really do the things you want to do.

Eventually, you come to a point in life when the children are off hand, retirement is within your grasp, and you start thinking to yourself, what’s next for me, I’d quite like a little adventure before it’s too late.

Perhaps you’ve had some happy family holidays abroad, and have thought how nice it would be to own a holiday home in your favorite place in the sun.   Well once your ‘babies’ have flown the nest, either to University, or to homes of their own, surely you too can begin to explore some options of your own, and turn that dream holiday home, into a reality.

There are so many very accessible holiday home destinations, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Croatia, to name but a few. In the aftermath of Brexit, of course there are a few more hurdles to jump over than before. But nothing insurmountable.  And once you’ve made the decision, and got that holiday home bug, it’s likely that not much will stop you, or get in your way.

So once your destination is decided, what comes next?

One of the main considerations of course will be finances.  Will you want to downsize from your family home to raise some capital to put towards a second home. Or will you simply remortgage your present home, which may have increased in value significantly over the years.

There are now some handy online tools to help you work out deposits and repayments, to work out  how much this could all cost you.   Everything is to hand, at the click of a button, and once you have some figures in mind,  you’ll instantly know if what you plan is viable, and more to the point, affordable.  No tedious pen and paper budgeting, and it may even mean you won’t actually have to set foot into your building society.  It can all be done online, at home.

Turning your holiday home dream into a reality doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Everything you need to know, is virtually at your fingertips.  So start making a plan, no matter how long term it might seem to be, and one day, the time WILL be right, things will fall into place, and you can begin your own new adventure.