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There are only so many long winter afternoons that can be devoted to watching the big men fly in service of one football code or another.  So thank you, Network Video, for two inspired lists of movies to help pass those hours on the sofa, as featured in Your Life magazine, Winter 2008.  ‘We can’t believe this beat that’ features flicks where the Oscars got it wrong, e.g. in 1993, when Tommy Lee Jones (The Fugitive) stole Best Supporting Actor from Leonardo DiCaprio (What’s eating Gilbert Grape).  View and compare!  Or head for ‘From dork to diva’ and enjoy actors from Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady to Nikki Blonsky and John Travolta in Hairspray doing the Cinderella act on screen.

Post an advertisement on @boutSeniors, an established and highly respected website within the fastest growing demographic in Australia, 50+, and give your business the best chance of capturing your target market online.

While we are getting ready to welcome the colder winter months, spring is on its way in Europe, a great time to visit Ireland and trace your roots.

Maybe your ancestors came over on the convict ships a couple of hundred years ago, or were part of the more recent migration of Brits to head over to Australia.  Either way, it’s great to know where you came from and discover some of those amazing family stories along the way.

Tourism Ireland has developed a fun website that can help you trace the origin of your surname or give advice on how to start your genealogy search. Don’t worry of you’re technically not Irish, you can check your Irish personality, sure to give you a chuckle.

Go Green with Tourism Ireland for the chance to win a trip to the Emerald Isle or enjoy some of the special offers. For more information, click here.

Whether it’s the hustle and bustle of the city, the eerie stillness of the mountains, the lush green of the countryside or the crashing of the waves on the cliffs that you crave in a holiday, Ireland has it all. 

As an island that can trace its history back thousands of years, culture and heritage are in abundance and you’ll not be disappointed by the famous hospitality that the Irish are known for.  Regardless of whether it’s a top class hotel, remote bed and breakfast or hostel accommodation that your budget stretches to, the charm of the Irish will win you over.

For more information, contact Tourism Ireland on 02 9299 6177 or click here to visit their website.

No matter what you enjoy doing on holiday, walking, golfing or fishing, Ireland offers all this and more, with scenery that is second to none!

How do you make the most of your trip to Ireland? Tourism Ireland should be your first port of call when planning any trip. They can arrange golfing, motoring and fishing tours and much more besides, making sure all members of the family are catered for.

Go Golf
Home of the Ryder Cup in 2006 and boasting 30% of the world’s natural links courses, Ireland is a golfer’s paradise. With an estimated 440 courses throughout the island, you’re never far from some of the most challenging and picturesque courses in the world, and with so much on offer for golfing widows and widowers, everyone’s happy.

For more information on golfing in Ireland, click here. 

Fishing fun
If fishing is more your thing, The Great Fishing Houses are 20 of the finest fishing establishments in Ireland. The guide offers details of where you can fish for your fish of choice, stay and eat, while making the most of what fishing in Ireland has to offer. For more information, click here.

Cycling around
With its quiet country roads, small welcoming communities and glorious countryside, cycling in Ireland really is a pleasure.  You can take part in an organised tour, follow a pre-arranged route or head off under your own steam, whatever your preference, you won’t be disappointed.  If a full cycling tour of Ireland is more than you can manage, then maybe hiring a bike for a day or two is more your thing.  This can easily be done in most towns and cities.  For more information on routes and cycling holidays in Ireland, contact Cycling Ireland (www.cyclingireland.org) or click here.

Walking out
Untamed coastline, rolling countryside and wild mountains are just some of the temptations for walkers heading to Ireland on holiday. With daytime summer temperatures ranging between 150 and 260 in the summer, it’s pleasant enough for those heading off on their own two feet to enjoy the scenery and experience.  You can indulge in costal, mountain, historical and city walks, depending on what you hope to encounter on your way, and one thing’s for sure, you’ll never be disappointed.

For more information, click here.

Driving around
By far the easiest and most relaxing way to travel Ireland is by car.  With its quiet country roads, visitor attractions and welcoming accommodation, road rage won’t be a problem.  See Ireland at your leisure, visit anywhere you want and be amazed by this gorgeous country.  You can drive the costal route between Waterford and Wexford in the south-east, the Ring of Kerry or Londonderry and Sparrins region in the north.

For more information on routes, accommodation and car hire, click here.

Food features heavily in Ireland’s culture and history, with the emphasis on simple dishes, which rely on excellent local produce to highlight their brilliance.

For most of us food is very important and the availability of good food can make or break a holiday. Good Food Ireland aims to guide you through some of the best eateries in the country, make sure you sample the best food Ireland has to offer and that you experience the generous hospitality that make Ireland a foodie’s haven.

To order your touring map, book your foodie holiday or simply see what’s on offer, visit www.goodfoodireland.ie.

Would like to learn a language but don’t fancy Spanish or Italian? How about the charm of the blarney?

There is no changing the fact that Ireland is the other side of the world from Australia but for many, the pull of the heart strings is strong enough to encourage them to make the trip. While you’re there, make the most of your time by learning the language and more about the culture.

Oideas Gael offer courses in the Irish language and culture. Why not try learning to play the bodhran or harp, make celtic pottery souvenirs or trip the light fantastic with Donegal dances!

Courses are held in Donegal and can be tailored for groups travelling from overseas to ensure you enjoy all on offer.  For more information, visit www.oideas-gael.com.

Now the political unrest is over, discovering the beauty of Northern Ireland is a real treat.

Eire has long been considered the most popular part of the Emerald Isle to visit but Northern Ireland has lots to offer, including the trail of St. Patrick’s journey to martyrdom.

St. Patrick resided in Britain towards the end of Roman rule and was captured and sold into slavery by Irish marauders.  He worked as a shepherd for six years before escaping and travelling Ireland, preaching the Lord’s word and converting lost souls.

The heavenly countryside of Downpatrick and what is now the ecclesiastical city of Armagh, is where he carried out most of his spiritual duties.  Armagh is the oldest Ecclesiastical See in the world outside Rome and holds many attractions which include two St. Patrick’s cathedrals (Catholic and Church of Ireland), St. Patrick’s Trian visitor centre and Ofiaich Memorial Library and Archives, for those wanting to follow in St. Patrick’s footsteps.

Downpatrick, or St. Patrick’s Town is the final resting place of the great saint, the later seat of the High Kings of Ulster and the medieval capital of County Down and offers plenty for those interested in scholars, saints and Irish heritage.  You can travel on the only narrow gauge train in Ireland, visit Down Cathedral, where St. Patrick is buried, Down County museum and Struell Wells.

An area so rich in culture and history means many festivals and celebrations.  Time your trip correctly and your visit to Northern Ireland could be one long party!  Some of the festivals on offer are:

Armagh Comedy Festival
Armagh Festival of Traditional Song and Dance
St. Patrick’s Day Festival
Royal Ascot Downpatrick
William Kennedy Piping Festival
Feast of Fish, Kilkeel and Ardglass

For more information on festivals, attractions, food and accommodation, the following sites have an abundance of information, advice and ideas.

www.armaghanddown.com
www.discovernorthernireland.com
www.downdc.gov.uk
www.visitarmagh.com
www.www.culturenorthernireland.org
www.saintpatrickcentre.com
www.ntni.org.uk

ASCCA (Australian Seniors Computer Club Association) very kindly assist us with answering some of your more tricky technical queries.  They are a very useful point of contact for those wishing to embark on computer courses for the first time, brush up on their knowledge or meet people in their local area that have a shared interest in computers.

You can contact ASCCA via their website www.ascca.org.au and find out what is available in your area.

On 12 June, lucky winner Lynn O’Connor and her twin sister, Jennie, collected the keys to a Maui motorhome in Brisbane and hit the road for their month-long nomad adventure. Their blog and images from the journey are be featured now on the BigPond Bigblog site and below, so visit regularly to enjoy your vicarious journey through Australia’s outback.
To find a BIG4 holiday park near you, click here now
And to learn about Maui motorhomes visit the web page here

What are retirement income streams?
When we retire we all have a common issue – how are we going to produce an income for the rest of our lives? The main thing we lose in retirement is the ability to earn wages and salaries.
Whether you’ve built up savings from superannuation, investment property, equity in your home, money in the bank, inheritance etc., you will need to turn this capital into an income stream which is convenient, secure and tax effective.
You may also have other objectives in retirement such as gaining the most out of Centrelink and the Age Pension or the Veterans’ Affairs Pension, in addition to estate planning issues.
For an ever-increasing number of people the answer lies in the form of income streams and, in particular, superannuation allocated pensions, term allocated pensions and other complying annuities.

Where do you go to get one?
Most life insurance companies and financial services organisations provide these different types of income stream products. You can approach these organisations directly, at which point they will usually direct you to one of their financial planning groups, or you can seek the advice of an independent financial planner. You should always seek professional advice. It is very dangerous to attempt to set yourself up with an income stream without professional consultation, particularly professional tax advice.

How do you set one up?
1. Decide on your retirement date or year.
2. Ensure you have a clear and defined set of goals and objectives.
(e.g. required income per year, investment objectives, access to capital, Centrelink etc).
3. Do your research! Most providers’ websites have additional information on their income streams.
4. Arrange an interview with a retirement specialist, preferably an independent one.
5. Work together to use your retirement savings to the best effect.
Remember, you do not need to review all possible income stream products in order to choose the one best suited to your circumstances. Pre-qualify your needs by checking the table [here] for those points which do or do not relate to your priorities.
Richard Sheargold

Table supplied by Louise Biti, Asteron.

For more information on Retirement Income from the FACS website,
click here

InvestSMART, a discount broker of allocated pension investments, have provided the following table which shows a number of the top performing funds based on 12 month’s performance.

If you wish to look at any of the funds in the table below you will be taken to InvestSMART’s website where you can research these products more, compare it with other investment options and most importantly request or download a Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).

Top Performing Retirement Funds

Managed Fund data is supplied by Morningstar Research and Standard & Poor’s Information Services and is subject to the following disclaimer.
Managed fund unit prices are indicative only.

Sourcing and comparing fixed term or Life Annuity style products from Life Insurance companies is not available online. Please call InvestSMART on 1300 880 160 for some comparable rates based on your timeframe. There is little doubt that by choosing wisely, a good retirement income stream will contribute to the basis for a comfortable lifestyle in retirement.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER : This information has been prepared for distribution over the internet and without taking into account the investment objectives, financial situation and particular needs of any particular person. Neither InvestSMART Financial Services Pty Ltd nor www.aboutseniors.com.au make any recommendations as to the merits of any investment opportunity referred to on www.aboutseniors.com.au or any related websites. All indications of performance returns are historical and can not be relied upon as an indicator for future performance.

© 2007 Morningstar Research Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. To the extent that the above constitutes general advice by Morningstar, this advice has been prepared by Morningstar Research Pty Ltd ABN: 83 062 096 342, AFSL: 243 161 and does not take account of your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any advice, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs. Please refer to Morningstar’s Financial Service Guide (FSG) for more information at www.morningstar.com.au/fsg.asp and consider the product disclosure statement before making a decision to acquire the financial product.

Our generation were often taught in ‘scripture’ at school. If you didn’t get them there, they were part of our folklore anyway: The Good Samaritan, The Prodigal Son, The Lost Sheep, all attributed to a wandering Jewish carpenter turned teacher/philosopher/messiah.

The Parables are remarkable for their brevity and their deep insight into the human condition. But their teacher – a man called Jesus – often claimed more about them when he said, “The kingdom of God is like…”.
That they - so simple in form - reflect a glimpse of some other reality makes them worth a second look. Consider, for instance, this:

“The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew13)

My daughters are shoppers. And how. GraysOnline, eBay are a more than routine part of their purchasing patterns. What are they buying? Anything that they perceive will make their lives happier, easier, richer. Have they got to the point in their lives of shopping for meaning? Not so sure. But when they do, they will shop! And then, watch out the bishops, new-agers and gurus. They’ll shop hard till they get the answers they want.

The pearl merchant shopped and searched for excellence. He wanted to posses the ultimate prize. He was prepared to dispose of everything else in order to achieve that magic joyous moment of exchange of the less valued for the ultimate prize. Is this what the kingdom of heaven is? The most valued sought after purchase of our existence? The thing in the light of which, everything else fades into insignificance? In our shopping experience, often the ultimate prize seems hidden from us. But once we see it, our focus can go nowhere else. I suspect that this was what Jesus hoped for all of us.

But there may be more. The parables about the Kingdom of Heaven to me often are about this Jewish teacher and how he saw himself. In telling this story was he talking about himself searching out the great and most valued thing to him in the universe? Each person. You. Me. That our value was beyond price? Was he prepared to make whatever spiritual transaction was required, no matter what the cost, to open the Kingdom of Heaven in all its happiness to us who are searching for meaning?

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