It’s the moment that every home-owner or tenant dreads; the thud of mail on the doormat which tells us that our hefty winter utility bills have arrived. Older people may get help from the government with their power bills or the costs of paying heating oil suppliers, but the rest of us just have to find a balance between staying warm in winter and having enough cash left in March to pay for all our other living costs!

There are some simple ways that you can make paying your power bills a bit easier. If you are genuinely going to have problems paying off the huge amount of cash the increasingly demanding letters are asking for, don’t just ignore the problem hoping it will go away. Contact your provider and see if you can spread the payments over a few months, easing the burden and decreasing your stress levels in a matter of minutes. Check price comparison websites to make sure you are on the best possible tariff for your energy usage – and check to see if there is someone cheaper you should be getting your power from. Remember to factor in the costs of the financial penalty you have to pay your current energy provider for cancelling your contract when calculating which deal will leave you with the most cash at the end of the month.

You can even reduce your power usage through a few simple steps in your own home. My Mum always used to tell me to put on a jumper when I asked if we could have the heating on as a teenager – and she had a point. How many times have you sat in a t-shirt or your pyjamas with the heating blasting out from every radiator in the house? Use a timer switch to control the amount of time the heating is one for in the morning and evening (this will prevent little accidents such as leaving the heating on all day for the benefit of an empty house), while reducing the thermostat by just a couple of degrees can make a big difference to your power bills, but will be hardly noticeable in the house itself.

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Chess is often thought of as the ‘thinking man’s game'for a good reason – it does actually require a degree of intelligence and foresight in order to play. That is not to say that only the smart can play – far from it. All you really need is an experienced chess player, a decent board and you’re ready to go. There are a variety of chess sets you can use to keep it interesting including the now very popular three dimensional chess sets originally showcased on Star Trek in the 1960s. To start with though, it is probably best to stick to a standard board.

What’s the history?

This isn’t a simple question to answer unfortunately. The origins of chess are a little muddled and contested, but it is generally believed that the modern game evolved from games played in India almost two thousand years ago – yes, chess is that old! The game that we know today has been around since the 15^th century and you may be familiar with some of the pieces often associated with medieval times – Isle of Lewis chessmen. These pieces are large and have distinctive features as demonstrated in the image below.

What are the rules?

Simply put, chess is a game played by two opponents on opposite sides of a chequered board containing 64 squares. The most common colours are black and white or brown and cream. Each player has 16 pieces: 1 King, 1 Queen, 2 Bishops, 2 Knights, 2 Rooks (or Castles) and 8 Pawns. The aim of the game is to capture the King. This is achieved through eliminating as few or as many pieces possible to put the King in a position where it is impossible to escape – this is called ‘checkmate’.

First Game

At the start the pieces are laid out in two rows on either side of the board facing eachother. Pawns make up the entire first row with the rest of the pieces standing behind. Rooks go in the corners, Knights line up next to the Rooks on both sides, Bishops line up next to the Knights and finally the King and Queen take centre stage in the middle. The Queen always goes on her matching colour; eg black on black, white on white.

White always goes first so usually players flip a coin to determine who’s white and who’s black – a bit like deciding which team kicks off in a game of football.

How do the pieces move?

Each of the 6 different types of piece moves in a different way. It is one of the reasons the game requires a degree of strategy in order to win. Each Pawn can move forward one space, except on the first go when they can move two spaces if the player wishes. Pawns can only take opposing pieces that in an adjacent diagonal position to them. Rooks can only move in straight lines forward and backward, left and right. They can take any opposing pieces that are in their path but cannot move over their own pieces. Knights have an odd move which involves them going in an ‘L'shape – two squares in one direction and then one square at a 90 degree angle. They are the only pieces that can jump over their own colour pieces.

A Bishop can move as far as it wants – but only diagonally. Each Bishop starts on one colour – light or dark – and stays on that colour throughout the game. Next is the Queen! The Queen is the one piece on the board that is the most versatile and powerful. She can move in any direction for as many squares as she wants. The only pieces she can’t move through are her own. Like the other pieces, the Queens move is over when the player decides to stop her or when she has taken an opposing player’s piece.

Finally the King! The King is the most important piece and also the weakest. He can move in any direction…but only one square per move. He can never move himself into check – the position where he could be captured by the opposing player.

Start playing!

There are millions of chess sets in the world. All one need do is go down to the local toyshop or browse online to find a perfect set to start playing on. So if you’ve never played before or have been afraid of playing, why not give it a go now you know how?

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What’s the history?

This isn’t a simple question to answer unfortunately. The origins of chess are a little muddled and contested, but it is generally believed that the modern game evolved from games played in India almost two thousand years ago – yes, chess is that old! The game that we know today has been around since the 15^th century and you may be familiar with some of the pieces often associated with medieval times – Isle of Lewis chessmen. These pieces are large and have distinctive features as demonstrated in the image below.

What are the rules?

Simply put, chess is a game played by two opponents on opposite sides of a chequered board containing 64 squares. The most common colours are black and white or brown and cream. Each player has 16 pieces: 1 King, 1 Queen, 2 Bishops, 2 Knights, 2 Rooks (or Castles) and 8 Pawns. The aim of the game is to capture the King. This is achieved through eliminating as few or as many pieces possible to put the King in a position where it is impossible to escape – this is called ‘checkmate’.

First Game

At the start the pieces are laid out in two rows on either side of the board facing eachother. Pawns make up the entire first row with the rest of the pieces standing behind. Rooks go in the corners, Knights line up next to the Rooks on both sides, Bishops line up next to the Knights and finally the King and Queen take centre stage in the middle. The Queen always goes on her matching colour; eg black on black, white on white.

White always goes first so usually players flip a coin to determine who’s white and who’s black – a bit like deciding which team kicks off in a game of football.

How do the pieces move?

Each of the 6 different types of piece moves in a different way. It is one of the reasons the game requires a degree of strategy in order to win. Each Pawn can move forward one space, except on the first go when they can move two spaces if the player wishes. Pawns can only take opposing pieces that in an adjacent diagonal position to them. Rooks can only move in straight lines forward and backward, left and right. They can take any opposing pieces that are in their path but cannot move over their own pieces. Knights have an odd move which involves them going in an ‘L’shape – two squares in one direction and then one square at a 90 degree angle. They are the only pieces that can jump over their own colour pieces.

A Bishop can move as far as it wants – but only diagonally. Each Bishop starts on one colour – light or dark – and stays on that colour throughout the game. Next is the Queen! The Queen is the one piece on the board that is the most versatile and powerful. She can move in any direction for as many squares as she wants. The only pieces she can’t move through are her own. Like the other pieces, the Queens move is over when the player decides to stop her or when she has taken an opposing player’s piece.

Finally the King! The King is the most important piece and also the weakest. He can move in any direction…but only one square per move. He can never move himself into check – the position where he could be captured by the opposing player.

Start playing!

There are millions of chess sets in the world. All one need do is go down to the local toyshop or browse online to find a perfect set to start playing on. So if you’ve never played before or have been afraid of playing, why not give it a go now you know how?

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Believe it or not, there was a time when artist Paul Horton struggled to get his work seen. But, somewhere along the line – and thanks to a lot of hard work – he must have been doing something right…because now his name is synonymous with huge success.

Now let’s be honest, unless there’s something the world doesn’t know about you, it’s unlikely you’re going to do what he did, right? Great, now we’ve accepted that we can move on. Here, now, is how to produce bold and beautiful landscapes in just three easy steps:

One good rule to follow when doing a painting like PH, is start with the sky first

1) Cheat: that’s right, I said CHEAT. All this nonsense about how using tracing paper is a bad thing is just that – gibberish. If it gets you the best results then go with it. So…begin by finding an image. You can find loads of stuff on Google images, or find a photo you really love, OK? Great!

2) Start by drawing a firm but simple illustration and labelling this with where you want the colour to go. Spend time on this, and when it comes time to actually beginning painting you won’t be anywhere near as panicked.

3) When applying the paint, you really need to follow one simple rule: go layer-by-layer. This means putting the base light colours on first – acrylic is best – and then putting the darker colours on after. If you’ve spent enough time drawing it out you should be fine be, but if you get to a certain stage and feel lost, don’t worry! Simply get a marker-pen out and mark with that. This will enable you to keep changing things and adding layers and before you know it, your painting will have come alive in a way which you could only have ever dreamed of before!

Last tips: OK, so this is an added extra. Call it a bonus or a treat, but I didn’t want to leave you to fend for yourself just yet! One good rule to follow when doing a painting like PH, is start with the sky first. The reason for this is that once you have the sky done it’ll be easier to get an impression of how the overall piece is going to look. Also, don’t muddy your colours! Keep washing the brushes out and always wait for each layer of acrylic to dry before painting over it.

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But just hang on a minute will you? Let me explain? Thank you. Just sit back and read as it all becomes clear…

Firstly, this isn’t some silly tutorial where I show you how to take a piece of old bark off an ancient tree and turn it into something which would make a celebrity with loads of cash jealous. This is, in fact, a legitimate way to make a fairly decent-looking ring into something AMAZING LOOKING.

This is, in fact, a legitimate way to make a fairly decent-looking ring into something AMAZING

What it is not, however, is the ideal solution. This idea works best for someone who wants to give a temporary wedding ring while they seek out the amazing, beautiful one which the bride so patiently waits for.

Here is how it works, in three simple steps which anyone should be able to follow quite easily.

1) Check your partner doesn’t have an aversion to 24 carat gold. If they do then you might want to re-think this idea, my friend! (The last thing you want, as you place the ring on their finger, is to see them collapse and have a fit, right?)

2) Assuming they don’t have that aversion, find yourself a ring. It doesn’t have to be the world’s most beautiful wedding ring , don’t worry – it can be tatty looking and even really old. The point is that what we’re about to do to it next will have magic results. Seriously, it will! It will boggle your mind, make no mistaking!

3) Now you’ll need to go online and purchase some 24 carat gold leaf and some gold size. Gold size is the glue which you put gold leaf on with. When it arrives follow the instructions to leaf your ring: simply brush the glue on and leave for eight hours then apply the gold smoothly wish a soft mop brush. The result? A stunning, incredible looking ring. Be sure to lacquer it if you want it to go the distance – if you don’t lacquer it then eventually the gold will wear off and you’ll be found out when the original ring is exposed underneath!

Oxygen is life’s greatest ally. It is our primary energy catalyst standing at 90%, while only 10% of our energy comes from food and water. It is important for our body’s optimum health.

When our bodies lack oxygen they begin to break down, brain cells die and the nervous system destabilizes amongst others. So maintaining the correct oxygen balance is vital to our health and general wellbeing in the same way maintain a good investment portfolio with a good investment company such as rowan dartington is vital for financial success.

How can we oxygenate our bodies?

1. Chlorophyll rich foods: We can raise the body’s alkaline level by consuming green foods that are easily digested and at the same time rid the body of toxins. Some examples of chlorophyll rich foods are broccoli, celery, lettuce, spinach and leeks.
2. Sufficient water intake: This is a key way to transport blood and other bodily fluids to other parts of the body. Most doctors would recommend around 3 liters of water a day. For those who are not sure, that means 8 glass of water per day.
3. Physical exercise: Regular exercise promotes strong blood cells that in turn transport oxygen throughout the body. If you do 20 to 30 minutes aerobic style exercise per day, it will be sufficient to oxygenate your body and remove waste without overdoing it.

Oxygen enables our body to regenerate, detoxify our blood and reinforce our immune system. As you can see, these are four simple steps that everybody can take to help themselves to a better and healthier lifestyle.

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1) Get hold of some decent thick card. Plaster it in magazines of your choice. Cut it to the size you need. I suggest making it too big to start with, as you can always cut it down.

2) Add lots of PVA glue and leave it to set. You can put on a lot, don’t be afraid of the glue for it is your friend!

3) Once you’ve done this, you’ll need to score the edge down and fold the car in such a way as to create pockets, and then glue these too. It’s really not that difficult to do. If you need to, cut up an old wallet and use that as a template.

4) To make the wallet close-up-able, add velcro along one side. When you’re done you’ll have a brand-new wallet which is as tough, cool looking and resilient as anything you can buy! It really does work. I know so because I have done this myself.

5) Other ideas: feel free to experiment. Girls can put glitter in the glue as it dries, and of course this home-made masterpiece will make the perfect gift for anyone (even my neighbour who was obsessed with banner stands liked the one I gave her. I wonder when she will notice that the magazines I used contain loads of images of violence from horror films? Ah, you have to have fun when possible, right?).

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Having a nice slim figure is just about everyone’s desire. Unfortunately, not all of us find are lucky enough to be born this way and dieting is never an easy business (believe me, I am speaking from experience!). Luckily, it is possible to appear slimmer than you are, simply by wearing the ‘right'clothes…

So what exactly are these magical garments? Well, here are 3 easy steps to help you look slimmer –

1. Go Vertical!

If you wear a top with horizontal stripes, then all it is going to do is exaggerate your build. And, unless you are slim enough to fall down a plughole, this is not a good idea. However, by choosing clothes that have vertical stripes on them, you will automatically look thinner than you are! It may all be an optical illusion, but it can do wonders for your self-esteem!

2. Black is the New Black!

Dark colours are much more flattering than light ones are; and that is a fact. So, (surprisingly enough) the most slimming colour of all is black. And the best news of all is that black never goes out of fashion; that means a win-win situation for you!

3. Hang Loose!

If you are a little (ahem) overweight, don’t go for the self storage method of ‘holding it all together'with tight clothes. Not only is this a totally uncomfortable way of dressing, but it will also make your size far more noticeable! Choose baggy and loose-fitting clothes. These will give you (literally) more room to move and they will also have a suitably slimming effect!

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It is said that a person’s eyes are the window to their soul. If this is the case then taking care of your eyes couldn’t be any more important.
There is a vast majority of people who take care of their skin, hair and other parts of the body, but eye care tends to be neglected until there is an issue.

There are easy solutions to the common problems pertaining to the eye, here are few that you should try:
• You should eat a good amount of fruits and vegetables like spinach, carrots, mangoes and papayas. These types of food have beta carotene which is helpful for good vision.
• Get the right amount of sleep. Proper sleep refreshes the eyes and helps them work appropriately.
• When you exercise on a regular basis, you will improve blood circulation. When you have a better circulation that means your eyes will have enough oxygen to work adequately.
• If you drink at least 12 glasses of water you will avoid your eyes getting puffy.
• Do not rub your eyes. Blinking is better for your eyes as it gives them a massage and keeps them healthy.
• Milk is good to use to clean your eyes. You can use a cotton ball that has been dipped in milk to clean the eyes.
• Use 2 drops of rose water in your eyes. It will give your eyes a lift and cause your eyes to have a glow.
• Sunglasses need to be worn in the middle of the day. Direct sunlight can cause massive damage to your eyes.

You must try to stop stressing your eyes out by constant reading or working at hr software uk department. These above mentioned tips will help improve and protect your eyes. Eyes are one of the most valuable parts of our anatomy so anything we can do to protect it should be done.

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1) Buy some self-hardening clay from a hobby store. It might be more expensive than regular clay but it comes in smaller packets and dries on its own in around 3 full days.

2) Begin by rolling your clay into an egg-shaped ball.

3) Cut it not quite in half – length-ways – but so that one half is a fair bit bigger than the other.

4) Now set that down on a hard surface and begin by forming the nose. Use the extra clay from the back of the head for the noise and the eye-sockets and push into where the eyes will go. Only move onto the mouth and chin once you have the nose and eyes complete!

5) Now it’s mouth time: do this by using a spoon to open the mouth up, then use clay rolls to make the lips. Now it should be coming together.

6) Lastly, make sure that the chin looks right, and look at it in side profile. Does it look right? It had better, because now you’re going to leave it to dry.

7) Finally, leave to dry and then paint how you like. This doesn’t require spending loads of money on Lace Fabrics or posh paints, simply buy some acrylics and voila, there you go!

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