We seem to have switched pretty swiftly from a long, hot summer to a cold, blowy autumn. And that means it’s not long until the clocks change and the nights get longer.
Even if you already have your autumn and winter TV viewing set up and have plenty of hobbies and pastimes to help the long winter nights fly by, it’s always good to get a few new ideas.
Check out our top five ways to use your smartphone, laptop or tablet to do something different, fun and, sometimes, even useful. Perfect ways to spend your long evenings in front of the fire. It almost makes us glad summer’s over!
Discover your artistic side
Even if you’ve never painted before, the chances are you will get hours of joy out of one of the many and varied art apps available for tablets. You can download something like Sketchbook Pro and then, just using your finger, learn to draw, paint in all sorts of different mediums, and unlock the artist inside. It’s a phenomenal use of technology and makes learning to draw and paint clean, easy and convenient.
Cook up a storm
Yep, cook. and yep, we do mean use your technology. You know there are so many websites, forums and apps out there for cooking, so why not spend some time really studying the ones that fit in with your taste in food and then spend some time in your kitchen. There’s a reason cooking shows have taken over the night time TV schedule - and that’s because cooking is creative, enjoyable, absorbing and skilfull. Find out whether it’s for you - and you get the amazing by-product of eating your experiments!
Visit a casino
Online casinos have become hugely popular over the last couple of years as technology and internet access has improved. You can now find some truly immersive and atmospheric sites offering casino games like roulette, poker, slots and bingo. And you don’t even need to leave the comfort of your sofa! Pour a glass of wine, sign up to freebets.org/casino and find out for yourself how much fun online casinos can be.
Get blogging
Many people enjoy writing and it’s a well known fact that everyone has one great novel inside them. But writing an actual book is not something most people have time for. Blogging is free, easy and a great way to stir up debates, get your opinion noticed or report on something that interests you specifically. Are you keen on movies? Blog about it? Like shopping? Write about it. In fact, there’s an audience for pretty much anything and everything and it’s as simple as signing up to a service like Blogger or Wordpress. We highly recommend it.
Watch what you want, when you want
Netflix or Lovefilm, or any other streaming app, is an amazing way to get access to the films and TV shows you enjoy, without worrying about timings or cost. For a very reasonable monthly fee you can have access to absolutely loads of US, UK and European shows - definitely worth it.