tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678510618800616612024-03-27T13:03:20.267+00:00TheNorthernGirl Gamesthenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.comBlogger629125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-49970556756736585172024-03-26T08:04:00.000+00:002024-03-26T08:04:27.294+00:00Unpacking : PS5 Review<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArNqb2lZh7l7X-B9Lehc8FOdRHcYh4F0THd5zEl0eIM3k6qiStm0jil69N1m6TKk1QKyy9WcHtv8YJ_U30PVMQdcmbVIoeM-RDeC63TyEJgOsXsgaqIPM1HaC-IOG10xlQYCyz7xgC7x0gW4yU9OnpuoJQIrqHcFwxDdCbq88l2wJVnyevNOYWpRx4w/s318/download%20-%202024-03-24T181359.843.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="318" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArNqb2lZh7l7X-B9Lehc8FOdRHcYh4F0THd5zEl0eIM3k6qiStm0jil69N1m6TKk1QKyy9WcHtv8YJ_U30PVMQdcmbVIoeM-RDeC63TyEJgOsXsgaqIPM1HaC-IOG10xlQYCyz7xgC7x0gW4yU9OnpuoJQIrqHcFwxDdCbq88l2wJVnyevNOYWpRx4w/s1600/download%20-%202024-03-24T181359.843.jpeg" width="318" /></span></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Here we go finally the gaming bug has returned and game number 1 has been completed for 2024. To get the gaming bug the plan was always to start off with something nice and simple to ease myself back in and thanks to the PlayStation catalogue I find the perfect game... Unpacking. Now this is a game I had wanted to play for a while however, I just couldn't justify buying it due to my lack of gaming, we finally upgrade our PS Plus though and as soon as I saw this in the catalogue I knew I needed to get it downloaded and played. Life was hectic last year and at the start of this year I just needed something that I could just unwind with and not have to focus on too much after a hard days work and this game ticked all the boxes.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Unpacking is a super simple game to play through with 8 life stages to complete where each stage adds new rooms for you to unpack and organise. This stages take you through your characters life as you grow up go to college face heartbreak before finding a happy ending. The aim of the game is nice and simple you unpack the boxes in the room and place the items where you think they should live. Once all the boxes are opened and everything is unpacked the items will flash with a red outline if they are misplaced so you simply go around and find new homes for them, once all the flashing has gone that level is complete. I soon learnt that you could fly through the levels by putting a lot of items in random places as long as it still made some sense or you could be a lot more strategic and put things in more strategic places, something I actually started to do as I got more into the game.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I also learnt that as you get more into the game you soon settle into a routine and learn different ways to make levels a little bit easier. For instance I started to unpack all the boxes in the room in one go and then start placing items. This was much easier than unpacking one box at a time placing each item straight away as the original way just led to a lot of moving items around as more of the same items were discovered.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Last year when it came to gaming I struggled to get into anything however, with this game it had me hooked from the get go and whilst playing I noticed time seemed to fly by. Maybe it is due to how quickly the stages went by or how therapeutic placing the items was but either way I was hooked and anything else had to wait until so many items were set in place.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">When I started the game I knew I wasn't in for spectacular graphics and sounds and to be honest I am grateful for that as even though it is very basic it gives that cozy gaming vibe which I think is just what was needed to get the gaming bug back. The fact that the graphics are very basic took me back to playing games in my childhood which I think helped out and the sound not being crucial to the game meant I could have my own music or a podcast on in the background without it ruining my experience. I really think I could get used to games like this too as I preferred this to some of the other games I have played recently which had brilliant graphics and a story line you really had to focus on.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As for the controls in this game they are very basic and super easy to remember and if you do forget for any reason they actually show up at the top of the screen so the reference point is always there. This game would honestly be for all ages due to the ease of the controls.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Another selling point for this game is that it is not a long game, in fact it took me around 4 hours to roll the credits and that is only due to me messing around for a while and not knowing what an item was on a level for quite a while, in the end it was pretty simple and I had been looking at it as the wrong thing. The length of the game meant it was easy to jump in and out of after work without losing where I was within the game and I could just spend 5 or 10 minutes here and there if gaming time was limited. If you are going for the platinum trophy though this will take you longer as there is a bit more involved in getting trophies.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Overall I feel this is the perfect cozy game to pass a few hours and I enjoyed every second of my play through. Fingers crossed this game really gets me back into regular gaming as I am hoping that 2024 is the year that gaming is added back as a permanent part of the routine. I need to make sure that I am not just sticking to the games in the PS Catalog though as I do have that backlog to get through, I have seen quite a few on there though that are in a variety of lengths so they could come in handy to break the bigger backlog games up.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">For now though let's get back to the backlog...</span></p>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-34325246062271031402024-03-25T08:06:00.000+00:002024-03-25T08:06:49.551+00:00The 2024 gaming road map<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWgUqRdoPLj2TJDwzD17xQLDfp9Y4EvGtUfxozQJW0Lo44rkOQ-H7hIQSoNBFBBdwWR6Y7mKgG5CZTHoV3twK69E6tD9DUuxUHS_lFGkwWkrsrX8REQu9-YNkVOQ1vmzvamg8pW4QFw27ArydaosQaOuutiLW3uuCkuv5c22a2WEzqWiu8SFGlhLYCmA/s1200/2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWgUqRdoPLj2TJDwzD17xQLDfp9Y4EvGtUfxozQJW0Lo44rkOQ-H7hIQSoNBFBBdwWR6Y7mKgG5CZTHoV3twK69E6tD9DUuxUHS_lFGkwWkrsrX8REQu9-YNkVOQ1vmzvamg8pW4QFw27ArydaosQaOuutiLW3uuCkuv5c22a2WEzqWiu8SFGlhLYCmA/s320/2.png" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Recently we spoke about how many games I wanted to complete in this year in the backlog challenge and after so many failed attempts of the backlog challenge in the past I am going into the challenge in 2024 with a plan. I am putting a gaming road map in place to hopefully keep me motivated and on track. The road map simply consists of 5 games and are in an order of which I want to complete first, once the credits are rolled on said game I will then move onto the next one on the road map. Once that road map is all ticked off I will then start on a brand new 5 and hopefully get through them before the end of the year. I am hoping that by doing this method the overwhelm of what to play next will disappear and I can jump straight into games again rather than having months of not knowing what to play. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So here are the first 5 games that are on the road map that I am hoping to roll the credits on in 2024, I will be aiming for this specific order too...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwvfM_W7J_9RXPx6elwPHkkxA4XKWCKGyWFBNzjGrnJVSyDD6-ImaHYkCtFX7wQfx3_cKc_7JI-nUgV8ITWUEXO8oR5x5EdLh83l6dx56lZq7OP8UCQUo4HA0rQJSrNTpt7m5Q_aYHsjtpYu1UIZ2D1y8PTd51fuFu6yI_xaAHu38BXFZJ6XVgQgrrQ/s1200/3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwvfM_W7J_9RXPx6elwPHkkxA4XKWCKGyWFBNzjGrnJVSyDD6-ImaHYkCtFX7wQfx3_cKc_7JI-nUgV8ITWUEXO8oR5x5EdLh83l6dx56lZq7OP8UCQUo4HA0rQJSrNTpt7m5Q_aYHsjtpYu1UIZ2D1y8PTd51fuFu6yI_xaAHu38BXFZJ6XVgQgrrQ/s320/3.png" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Hogwarts Legacy</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The first game on my list is possibly the one I am the most excited for. I have actually been working through this since New Year's day and I honestly don't think I will be playing it for much longer as I am making some very good progress on the game. I have to say it is beating my expectations and is actually reviving my love for the Harry Potter franchise. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Sackboy : A big adventure</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I used to love playing the Little Big Planet games so I am hoping I have a great experience with Sackboy : A big adventure. This is another game that I have had sat on the shelf for far too long and I am hoping to have rolled the credits on it by the end of February. I won't be playing this game alone though as I am hoping to complete a full play through with Liam. A good weekend's work on this game and we could have it wrapped up in a few days whilst having some nice time together rather than being off doing our own thing.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Spider-Man 2</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This game is going straight onto the road map even though I haven't actually purchased it yet. This is going to be the first game I purchase of 2024 and I will be allowed to buy it if I follow this road map as I will definitely have completed 3 games by then. This game certainly wont be sitting on the shelf and the plan is to dive right into it to get my Spider-Man fix.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Lego Star Wars : Skywalker saga</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is yet another game that has been sat on my shelf for far too long, in fact it has been sat there since the end of 2022. This is another game I am planning on playing with Liam so who knows we might play this along side another game that I am playing solo or we may just keep all our focus on this game. With me and Liam playing this together on evenings and weekends we should easily fly through this to roll the credits.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Halo Infinite</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I have never rolled the credits on a Halo game but it is certainly going to happen with this one. This game was a black Friday pick up back in 2022 however, it is like a lot of other games I own... still sat on the shelf in its original packaging. I am looking forward to sitting and playing this as I haven't played a Halo game in a long time and it should be a nice change from the other games I will have already played in 2024. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So those are the first 5 games I want to get through in 2024 and to be honest those are the 5 that I am most excited to sit and play and want to finally get through as I have put them off for far too long. If all goes to plan though these games will all be wrapped up within the first half of the year and if they are here are the next 5 games I will be aiming to roll credits on before the end of the year...</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURjSvhSJwSA1oEgFZ1WOucJspQkgicnR26wfWziBvab6-fJcrDgMyCBd2V8b8EN3uSfL0uTbfTxmM7kTZWxFsLlyukXvOaMlct8ySlMukUwunIz1PPs9oQ8J6KHQZ2pxwwlclYKpvUM-Mykpau-o61dWuZEh553G70vfHWsM62Uo6qmR9WX7nNnqifw/s1200/4.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURjSvhSJwSA1oEgFZ1WOucJspQkgicnR26wfWziBvab6-fJcrDgMyCBd2V8b8EN3uSfL0uTbfTxmM7kTZWxFsLlyukXvOaMlct8ySlMukUwunIz1PPs9oQ8J6KHQZ2pxwwlclYKpvUM-Mykpau-o61dWuZEh553G70vfHWsM62Uo6qmR9WX7nNnqifw/s320/4.png" width="213" /></span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Saints Row</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I won this game in a Christmas competition back in 2022 but again it is still sat on the shelf even though I had all intentions of playing it in 2023. This game got pretty mixed reviews when it first came out so I am looking forward to making my own mind up about it and no doubt Liam will end up playing it once I am done with it.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Gotham Knights</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oh look another game that got very bad reviews that I am still to play however, it is still on the list to be played in 2024 as I want to make my own mind up about it. This will be a nice little break up from the other games I have played in the year if things go to plan. I am hoping to get Suicide Squad at some point but this will be played first.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Disneyland Adventures</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I have actually started this game and got a few hours into it but then I put it down and never went back to it. I am hopeful though that a week of evenings sat playing through this will see me roll the credits on the game at long last whilst also giving me my much needed Disney fix.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">It Takes Two</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is another game that me and Liam will be sitting and playing together and hopefully finishing with minimal arguments although we all know that isn't very likely to happen as he is much better at games than I am. This looks like a great game for us just to get lost in after work though so let's hope it all goes to plan and we see the credits rolled on this before the end of 2024.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Avengers</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another game that has been massively slated since its release however, as you can tell I am needing a superhero fix in 2024 so as painful as this may be to play I will be sitting down and rolling the credits on it. This is a relatively short play as opposed to some of the others on the road map so hopefully it won't be too bad for me and I can fly through the main story.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So there we have it those are the 10 games on my 2024 gaming road map. Granted this could change if I receive new games or if I treat myself due to me completing 3 other games however, these 10 are top of the priority list. I am really hoping that this road map stops the overwhelm of what to play next which usually stops me gaming for a while and let's hope I actually enjoy playing the games on this list. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For now though let's see how this road map goes and how many games I can roll credits on in 2024, make sure to keep an eye on social media too as I will sharing mini reviews as well as progress through the games which will hopefully means a lot more posts than there has been on social media.</span></p></div>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-69703408506309823272024-01-08T08:50:00.000+00:002024-01-08T08:50:05.844+00:00It is time for the 2024 backlog challenge<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2hcClWSL8zgGMAM142atn17INEPkW_y67nAH2lpUdYC9KdlxcjplmZj3EGISTH3XePnhXhYO4OE1zrI70nOqHHZPm8lDifv2jxF0ZdEf-gLCYHUgBGYdpAt9wksVVgHN95qsLggzJZGOEEvgIoPwsbII9yPZpkx8Q5i76O15ZXd5OC6AeK9Ukq1iiw/s1200/1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2hcClWSL8zgGMAM142atn17INEPkW_y67nAH2lpUdYC9KdlxcjplmZj3EGISTH3XePnhXhYO4OE1zrI70nOqHHZPm8lDifv2jxF0ZdEf-gLCYHUgBGYdpAt9wksVVgHN95qsLggzJZGOEEvgIoPwsbII9yPZpkx8Q5i76O15ZXd5OC6AeK9Ukq1iiw/s320/1.png" width="213" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Well here we go again, 2024 is going to be the real return of the backlog challenge. 2023 was the year where 2 quick games were completed however, I have big plans for gaming in 2024 so we should hopefully see a big increase in those games completed and a big chunk of the backlog will hopefully be gone if everything goes to plan. In 2024 I plan to switch off more so rather than working on the websites every evening I will be learning to switch off and play some games instead, which in turn should help me be able to produce more content for on here, something else I am working on in 2024. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The plan for the backlog challenge is pretty similar to other years however, I am a lot more dedicated and determined to smash it this time around. I am aiming to complete 10 games this year and by complete I simply mean roll credits on them as I am not one for collecting trophies & achievements but if I pick them up along the way I won't complain. The 10 games I will be trying to get through are a mixture of new and old ones with a mixture of lengths too so I aren't just sticking to those quick and easy games.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So here are the 10 games I am determined to complete (and roughly how long they should take to complete the main story) as part of my backlog challenge in 2024...</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Sackboy's big adventure - Around 10 hours</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I have had this game sat on my shelf for far too long so I am determined I will have rolled the credits on it in 2024. This could even be a game for me and Liam to sit and play together which should make it even more fun to play. I loved the Little Big Planet games so I am hoping I love this one just as much. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Hogwarts Legacy - Around 27 hours</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Liam got me this game for my birthday back in September however, I haven't got around to starting it yet. I am really looking forward to sitting down and playing this even though it is possibly the biggest game I will play this year if it takes the 27 hours to complete the main story. As a big Harry Potter fan I am really hoping this lives up to expectations.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Spider-Man 2 - Around 17 hours</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Ok so I will admit I still need to purchase this game however, I know that I will have it by the end of the month and I really don't want it sitting around gathering dust. I loved the Spider-Man game and I loved Miles Morales so I am hoping this one really lives up to expectations. With 2024 being the year of getting back into gaming I think this game will really help keep me going.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Saints Row - Around 13 hours</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This game has been sat around on my shelves since the end of 2022 so it is about time I got playing this. Liam used to love playing the Saints Row games where as I have jumped in and out of them. This is one I have never played before though so I am looking forward to hopefully getting lost in this game. With this being on the Xbox it will be nice to mix up the consoles a bit.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Gotham Knights - Around 16 hours</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I am aware that this game has been absolutely slated however, I want to give it a try for myself and currently it is just sat on a shelf gathering dust. I am hoping I can get all the way through this game but I guess only time will tell I am going to enjoy it or not. Fingers crossed that I do though and can roll the credits on this in 2023.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Disneyland Adventure - Around 14 hours</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I started this game a long time ago but then I neglected the Xbox and never finished it. That is going to change in 2023 though as I am determined to get through all of this game and get it out of my backlog at long last. This is definitely a different paced game to the others on the list so it will be nice to mix it up a little. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">It takes two - Around 12 hours</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I am really looking forward to playing this game as it is going to be one that me and Liam sit and work our way through together. 2024 really is going to be the year of spending more time together so we may as well do some gaming for this time. There might be a few arguments as we play this one but I guess we wont know until we try. We have had this since its release so it is about time we rolled the credits on it. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Avengers - Around 12 hours</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Oh look another game I have had for a long time that has just been gathering dust. Again this game has been slated by a lot of people since it's release so it is about time I got around to giving it a go for myself. The plan though is to leave enough time between this and Gotham Knights so I don't get fed up like I have done previously. I am really hoping I enjoy it though and that it doesn't spoil the Avengers for me.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Lego Star Wars : Skywalker Saga - Around 18 hours</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Liam actually got me this for Christmas 2022 so we could game together but as we know by now things didn't go to plan so it hasn't even been installed on the PS5. 2024 is the year that is going to change though as we plan to play a lot more together as we spend more time at home. I am really looking forward to giving this game a go as it has been a long time since I played a Lego game that I really enjoyed.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Halo Infinite - Around 11 hours</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I remember when I first got this game I was really looking forward to starting on it however, as we know I have massively neglected the Xbox and with the dog not settling in the games room this game is still sat in its original packaging. This game is one of the smaller ones on the list so once we get the games room back (it is currently storage as we have work going on) I will be sitting and powering through this game.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So those are the 10 games I definitely want to complete throughout 2024. If things go to plan and I do get through even more games than this then even better as the backlog really has grown out of control. I am also tempted to through a few other games into the mix that are much shorter just to break things up plus these games are ones that I could play from anywhere in the house as they are on the Switch or Steamdeck, two things I am determined to use a lot more often.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As always as part of the backlog challenge there is one main rule... I have to complete 3 games before I can purchase any new ones unless I receive them as a gift. This should easily stop my backlog growing like it previously has and also mean I play a lot more games. 2024 should certainly be a good one gaming wise, in fact I am hoping it is my best year in a long time so lets hope everything goes to plan.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Keep an eye on here for the reviews of these games plus hopefully many more across the course of the year. There will also be a section on Instagram where I post the completed game and a whole post on the feed with my thoughts on the game and Liam's if we played it together. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">For now though let's get playing some games...</span></p>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-87181847206736314452024-01-04T08:07:00.000+00:002024-01-04T08:07:12.975+00:00The Goodreads challenge is back<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1zr4VB0y5AzRdtqXM57fz1gr5hvyTgB8gr0yQyOalwpPSFDuQZz6VYAbcg7yxoQ4JU6s-dXYhlHzfw5DBCuIO0HgK2zZkTQA0kidkVIx6aBP-0amKgievdIFcFKHwmP1eVN5juumEfrwbMNI08scUVXu6cOy4uzKG9VLJ_z_yIReQLCc5VSlcMUxNEw/s500/TNG.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1zr4VB0y5AzRdtqXM57fz1gr5hvyTgB8gr0yQyOalwpPSFDuQZz6VYAbcg7yxoQ4JU6s-dXYhlHzfw5DBCuIO0HgK2zZkTQA0kidkVIx6aBP-0amKgievdIFcFKHwmP1eVN5juumEfrwbMNI08scUVXu6cOy4uzKG9VLJ_z_yIReQLCc5VSlcMUxNEw/s320/TNG.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I don't remember the last time I actually read a book, or in fact when I read multiple books in the year. I said earlier in the week in my goals post I want to have more down time however, I don't want all that downtime to be spent playing games, I want some time away from the screen too so the plan is to get reading more. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I have so many books I need to work my way through so it is about time I make a start on them rather than them sitting on the shelf gathering dust. That is why in 2024 I will be using Goodreads once more and doing the challenge they set every year. I used to love using the app to track what I was reading and reviewing the books, it also helped with suggestions for what to read in the future so I am looking forward to getting back to using this app once more and seeing just how many books I can get through whilst also seeing what types I prefer as opposed to the repeat offenders of types of books I don't like.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">For the 2024 Goodreads challenge I will be setting myself the goal of reading 10 books over the course of the year. The plan is to have 30 minutes to an hour before bed just relaxing and reading rather than scrolling through social media for hours on end. This should be a nice way for me to just switch my brain off and is a good alternative to gaming every evening as it means screen time will be reduced.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As I said earlier in the post I have a lot of books sat waiting to be read however, the books I definitely want to read in 2024 are...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Beth Mead - My journey to glory</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Sarina Wiegman - What it takes</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Leah Williamson - You have the power</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Matt Morsia - 24/7 body</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">How to make friends and influence people</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Assassins Creed black flag</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Fangirl</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">One of us is lying</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Those are just 8 of the books I already own that I will be determined to get through. As you can see there is a nice mixture on here and if I alternate between the type of book I read I shouldn't get fed up or not love a book as much I should do. These are the definite reads however, I have a lot more books at home just waiting to be read so I should easily be able to work through 10 books if I make the time for reading. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I am really looking forward to seeing if I can hit the 10 book goal or if I will go beyond that but I guess time will tell in relation to that. I am determined though that I will be reaching for a book more often and not overdoing it in various aspects of life like I have been doing. No doubt you will see plenty of book content over on social media if all goes to plan.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Now let's get working through these books...</span></p>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-31677024738673934182024-01-03T07:58:00.001+00:002024-01-03T07:58:14.932+00:00January 2024 goals<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL4-6zXIoEsXFTJl46uUmnchEyFniirHgly8xAh5vYCDYai7VDpQ15DdUv8dwm5Xm1theKkxUCKoKgLkE1fHx26FQtFnSpC-rQKoEThcHwLl-r2omYQ0qQMdobAQmv3mbA8di4aoknGGwETT8HyhzBH8QBub-9I6Fo5g5DClgRpRZaAZQ-aNQv2JzpcQ/s500/TNG.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL4-6zXIoEsXFTJl46uUmnchEyFniirHgly8xAh5vYCDYai7VDpQ15DdUv8dwm5Xm1theKkxUCKoKgLkE1fHx26FQtFnSpC-rQKoEThcHwLl-r2omYQ0qQMdobAQmv3mbA8di4aoknGGwETT8HyhzBH8QBub-9I6Fo5g5DClgRpRZaAZQ-aNQv2JzpcQ/s320/TNG.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I mentioned in yesterday's post 2023 really didn't go to plan however, I am 100% determined to make sure that 2023 doesn't go the same way. 2024 is going to be a much better year where I achieve plenty and actually get to spend some time doing what I love once more aka gaming. I think with how much it was put on the back burner in 2023, I am more determined to make time to sit and game once more. To help make the year go much smoother I am going to be doing monthly goal posts with a little wrap up at the end of each month, something that is just a bit of fun which will hopefully keep me accountable through the year too. So here are the goals I am setting myself for January...</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Update iMovie</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I don't remember the last time I updated my Macbook or iMovie however, one of my top priorities for January is to get this done as soon as possible. If I want to work on the things I have in mind I am going to need iMovie working as smoothly as possible so hopefully towards the start of January I can get both the app and the Macbook updated so I can get cracking on with what I am working on. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Use iMovie at least 5 times throughout the month</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I want to move away from in app editing on my phone so I am challenging myself to using iMovie for editing at least 5 times throughout January. This is going to give me the chance to work on my editing skills on some free software before deciding if I should upgrade to something new or not. If I use it 5 times it should help me work towards some other goals too so it is a win, win really too.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Upload to Tik Tok 3 times a week</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I am determined that 2024 will be the year of social growth and I am determined to have a presence on Tik Tok at long last. I am hoping that one day I will have enough ideas to post on here daily however, for January the goal is just to post 3 times a week with a bit of a mixture of content which is yet to be decided on. Hopefully 3 times a week will help posting on there become second nature but I guess only time will tell with that one.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Post on Instagram daily</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As well as being active on Tik Tok I am determined to start the year on the right foot when it comes to Instagram. My goal for January is to post on Instagram daily in the hopes it helps me pick up the habit to carry into months throughout the rest of the year. I have all the content I want to post mapped out so let's hope I can stick to it and we see a bit of growth to kick start the year.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Read 1 book</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I have a post coming up all about reading soon and how I plan to increase the amount I actually read so why not kick the year off in the right way by having a goal of completing a full book by the end of January. I have been reading Alex Scott's book for ages now so my goal for January is to get this completed and be ready to move onto my next book. Let's hope I can report this as complete at the end of the month wrap up.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Buy a Pokemon Elite Trainer Box</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I mentioned in one of my last posts of 2023 that I want to get back into collecting Pokemon cards even though I know it is going to cost me an absolute fortune in the long run. With me wanting to start collecting again I am setting myself the goal of picking up an Elite Trainer Box to get me going. The cost has put me off in the past but it won't be doing in January, it is time to start that collection.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Build a Lego set</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">There are a fair few Lego sets starting to pile up in our house and it is about time I started to build some of them and get them out on display. I actually got some great sets for my birthday back in September so I think one of these will be the first but I guess we will see when it comes around to picking the first. This will be a perfect screen free activity to help me relax on an evening.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Sort the gaming shelves out</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The games room has been neglected since getting the dog which means everything is a mess in there and needs a good sort out. There are games all over the place and games that are in the wrong case so a goal for January is to restore some order and get the shelves sorted out at long last. The PlayStation games will be together, the Xbox games will be together and there will finally be a home for the Switch games. Maybe I can put those games I am determined to complete in 2024 to the front too so I don't neglect them. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Play on more than just the PS5</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I have settled into the comfort on the PS5 due to us moving it out of the games room whilst the dog would only settle down stairs. I want to mix up the games I play on various consoles throughout 2024 so why not get that started early on. A goal for January is to make sure I am not solely on the PS5, I have some great games on the Xbox so I want to make sure I am also playing on that throughout the month and who knows the Switch may make an appearance too.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Complete 1 game </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I really want to get 2024 started on the right foot as I have mentioned in this post quite a bit. The aim in January is to hit the ground running in my backlog challenge and have 1 game completed, by this I don't mean 100% trophies, completing a game for me is simply rolling the credits. I am determined to fire through my backlog this year so even 1 game complete in January will help me get started.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So there you have it those are my goals for January, if even half of these get completed I will be on track to a better year than I had in 2023 so let's hope things go to plan. Now let's get working on these so I can have a very positive wrap up post at the end of the month.</span></p>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-51072693801528797372024-01-01T18:51:00.001+00:002024-01-01T18:51:05.032+00:00My goals for 2024<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItJ5FWl-zmGAUwZOMWBU38PtTkp6AGjQzl8F74idRDfT7DT8JNviZp0CphsWBpiJnTMsO0Y1VW4k_Hw7qnDDb2Z6hYXqXwn_cf-99eQbU1HdC4jDY5okwhYj9mNJD95EL1pkTRJS53IwnP4x5_jmYgi4elEQ4DuaSyaMSOTxDKsT26wmc52q7wVt98g/s500/TNG.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItJ5FWl-zmGAUwZOMWBU38PtTkp6AGjQzl8F74idRDfT7DT8JNviZp0CphsWBpiJnTMsO0Y1VW4k_Hw7qnDDb2Z6hYXqXwn_cf-99eQbU1HdC4jDY5okwhYj9mNJD95EL1pkTRJS53IwnP4x5_jmYgi4elEQ4DuaSyaMSOTxDKsT26wmc52q7wVt98g/s320/TNG.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Well 2023 is finally over and done with and to be honest I am quite glad about it as the year really didn't go to plan for various reasons and in fact looking back at the year absolutely nothing I set out to do throughout the year got done. Gaming was also on the back burner due to a lack of time which in all honesty I am gutted about as I had high hopes for working through my backlog in 2023 plus it meant I didn't get to post half as much on here when one of my aims for 2023 was to produce more blog content based on gaming. I think the set backs of 2023 have made me more determined to have a totally different 2024 though as the motivation to get back to this site and gaming in general is at an all time high plus I have been missing out on some big titles that I really need to get playing. So here are my goals for 2024...</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Game more</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I mean even 3 nights of gaming would help me achieve this goal as I gamed so little in 2023 however, I am planning on creating more time on evenings to allow me to just sit and game, plus the dog happily settles in the games room now so I really don't have any excuse to not be sitting and playing games more often. This will be a good way to switch off on an evening too and just get lost in the gaming worlds rather than having my brain working at 100 mph all the time.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Complete 10 games over the course of the year</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I keep setting 10 as a goal for the amount of games I roll the credits on however, I never get anywhere near it. I am determined though that in 2024 I am going to smash the 10 games completed and I will have a post going up about that separately soon so keep an eye out for that as I will be posting the list of games I am hoping to complete to make up those 10 but no doubt I will drift from the list too. 2024 will definitely be the year of gaming and you can hold me to that.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Mix up the consoles I play on</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I don't remember the last time I played on anything other than the PS5, the rest of the consoles have been massively neglected but then again so has the PS5 in the grand scheme of things. I am determined though in 2024 I am going to try mix up all the consoles I play on rather than just sticking to the PlayStation. I have plenty of games to play on the Switch, Xbox and even the Steamdeck so it is about time I got playing on them again. I guess it will help me get a nice mix of content on here too as I tend to play different styles of games on different consoles.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Limit the amount of money spent on games</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I am at the stage now where I really need to catch up to some of the newer game releases however, due to having such a gaming backlog thanks to not playing anything I don't want to spend a fortune on the newer releases if they are just going to be sat on a shelf for months. I will be doing the backlog challenge again (more on that soon though) so I will be going back to only being able to pick up a new game when I have completed 3 off my backlog list and I will definitely be sticking to that this time around.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Attend a gaming event</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The plan has always been to attend a gaming event whether it is a big or small event so why not make 2024 the year to actually do that. Where I live there are plenty of little local events for us to head to so it is just a case of finding one on a suitable date and fingers crossed if everything goes to plan I will be at one gaming event at least, I guess only time will tell on this one.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Save up to buy one or two new tech pieces</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The big plan for 2024 is to save, save, save and to be honest I am saving for a fair few bits which are mainly getting jobs around the house done however, I am hoping to have enough saved to treat myself to a new piece of tech that will help me with various different projects I am working on. I have a few ideas in mind of the pieces I want to pick up that I will be mostly saving for throughout the year so let's hope I can pick up at least one tech piece I am saving for.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Mix up the content I post on here</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In recent years I have tended to stick to the more personal pieces of content on here however, I am hoping to change that in 2024. The aim is to have a nice mix of content each week, some content might be reviews, unboxings, wish lists but tech, Lego and a few other bits might make an appearance just to mix things up a bit. Each post will hopefully be different to the previous and maybe it might make me work through more games to achieve this, but I guess we will see on that one.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Add tech content back onto the site</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I just mentioned with the goal above I really want to start adding tech content back to the site. I used to really enjoy writing those pieces so it is about time I got back to them. I already have a few ideas in mind for the pieces I want to write in regards to the tech side of things so let's hope things go to plan and those pieces get written and I can get through a few pieces each month in the tech genre.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Post on here at least 3 times a week</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Ideally I would love to be posting every weekday but just as I am trying to get back into the swing of things I will be happy with 3 times a week. This will be a mix of posts plus I will have a few set posts each week which are going to be part of ongoing series, some which have been around a while and some which are new. Who knows I might end up post more than this weekly however, 3 a week is the aim.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Be more active on Instagram</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Just like the blog my presence on Instagram has also been no existent and I am really wanting to change that in 2024. The app has always been a great place for me to chat to those with similar interests and I have got talking to some great people through it and in all honesty I am missing those people so hopefully those conversations will come back as I post more. I have plenty of ideas of what I would like to post too so I am looking forward to getting started on creating those pieces of content. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Grow on Instagram</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I am hoping that 2024 is the year where I start to see some growth on Instagram too and if the goal above of being more active goals to plan and I create the content I am hoping to then the growth should hopefully go hand in hand. My Instagram has been stuck on the same amount of followers for a long time now but I know that is due to a lack of posting. Let's hope by the end of 2024 some consistency can show off some growth.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Work with brands</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As part of all the growth I am hoping that I can get the opportunity to collaborate with brands in the future like I have done in the past. Previously I have worked with some brilliant brands so who knows what the growth of the site & Instagram will have in store for me. I would love to collaborate with just 1 brand on Instagram in 2024, if that does happen then I will consider this goal completed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So there we go those are my goals for 2024, I am really hoping for a much better year as 2023 really was a write off. Make sure to keep checking here and on Instagram for those new posts as I am 100% determined to get that consistency nailed and produce much more content like I used to. Now let's see what 2024 has in store...</span></p>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-23136434698839368022023-11-21T08:07:00.000+00:002023-11-21T08:07:00.928+00:00Oh no the love for trading cards is back...<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii09zkRIA92mVJZu3gWheuoFjioY2ezWG96MH1FvHz3wjMfHTdTTvyRZ7zqfuU5WcBqyZ-agNByX2Va5gUsN-SCQRgtynywQwNUcl-waUhVmDFL-mZXPgZBtgRBSDK2nixND_HvtKv3x32WaWR2_mYqeRoDVUv3bSPN5N8oXS122vTDeRwNKgCqkCIWg/s4032/IMG_2614.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii09zkRIA92mVJZu3gWheuoFjioY2ezWG96MH1FvHz3wjMfHTdTTvyRZ7zqfuU5WcBqyZ-agNByX2Va5gUsN-SCQRgtynywQwNUcl-waUhVmDFL-mZXPgZBtgRBSDK2nixND_HvtKv3x32WaWR2_mYqeRoDVUv3bSPN5N8oXS122vTDeRwNKgCqkCIWg/s320/IMG_2614.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I think the trading card collections may be on their way back...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Growing up I always loved collecting trading cards, a pack of cards was always a reward for doing well at school, at football, I even got them by the box for Christmas or birthday gifts to keep my collection growing. It all started with Pokemon & football cards growing up and it continued for many years. I even have all my old Shoot football books up in the loft, filled with some absolute legends of the English top flight, unfortunately I never kept hold of my Pokemon cards although I really wish I did as I had some brilliant cards. I did tend to stick to Pokemon or football cards however, I went through a Yu-Gi-Oh phase which started to take over for a while.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I soon grew out of the stage of asking for card packs as gifts and I was too grown up to get them as rewards so I stopped collecting any for a long time, there was no way I could keep up with it all and with other things taking over as a priority my money went elsewhere. Now though the hobby of collecting trading cards is on its way back with vengeance... </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As a lot of you will know I am a huge women's football fan and I was lucky enough to get two boxes of Topps Chrome UWCL cards for my birthday. Well as soon as I opened the box I knew I was going to be in trouble as the cards are absolutely fantastic and I am loving being able to collect some of my all time favourite women's players. The love for these cards is unreal and since my birthday I have bought a box a month, granted at £25 a box they are pricey however, they are certainly worth it in my eyes and I don't see myself stopping the box a month tradition until the set is complete. There is no doubt though that as soon as that set is done more will be released so I am bound to be getting all women's football cards in the future. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggF2aJNS6d9NVy5IqSrcd1546Gbsg8_9uzGWS3TpZAlCrAfb0ti7FiNoZ7Irl6jqXxLr7U6alljuY9F0UEipAGdqHdL4dvFiX_quMFQ0Qz43n6PQXNIhshzm0FBgpwrr9N1FKITaaNbHQAGK85luaoq5lPgneqsAFR8dthQWb54fnH1psIqGs8MmzhjA/s4032/IMG_2620.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggF2aJNS6d9NVy5IqSrcd1546Gbsg8_9uzGWS3TpZAlCrAfb0ti7FiNoZ7Irl6jqXxLr7U6alljuY9F0UEipAGdqHdL4dvFiX_quMFQ0Qz43n6PQXNIhshzm0FBgpwrr9N1FKITaaNbHQAGK85luaoq5lPgneqsAFR8dthQWb54fnH1psIqGs8MmzhjA/s320/IMG_2620.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;">Whilst I am planning on completing any women's football sets that are available in the future the opening of packs has got me looking at Pokemon cards once more and we all know what a slippery slope that can be. I am finding myself looking at different sets & TikToks and Instagram posts of Pokemon related things especially cards daily. I really do think it is time to relive my childhood and start to purchase those Pokemon cards once more...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The 151 set is out at the moment and that really would be a throwback to growing up & what got me into the franchise in the first place, there are also plenty of other sets currently out though that can get me back into building a collection up and hunting down some of my favourite Pokemon. The only thing that is holding me back at the moment is just how much the cards cost now, single packs can cost £4 and above, tins from £9.99 and those bigger sets I am looking at are over £40, it all just really starts to add up. It would definitely be nice to start picking them up once more though. I really do think an added reason for me wanting these again though is just how many I got from McDonald's when they recently had the cards in the Happy Meals.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The plan going forward as I try to budget money for jobs around the house, aka the boring things that come with being an adult, I will be budgeting monthly for a pack of UWCL cards and a Pokemon set each month which set I get though will depend on the month available and also what jumps out at me the most. I will also be throwing in some budget for binders and other accessories that come part and parcel of collecting trading cards once more. If I am going to start collecting them I might as well start doing it properly and take care of them seen as I am spending plenty of money on them, plus it will keep them out of the dog & nephews reach.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfq4IbsPHfdAcrpaCNv4kTr3vLPVXL7GCIWkrHWh-4n63JTs-u1LG-k0OR0uDuBcCRNIboiIp_mKCz9y9Pm4UwnB8TUI20zPBMrr7V0wqKobTXXyBiVuB3rFTinlFl20t5JjUe8Csgj3evgbJfIyTT8pX-id564JRKoDw_S260Z0y01z9P4gsYwolIA/s4032/IMG_2656.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfq4IbsPHfdAcrpaCNv4kTr3vLPVXL7GCIWkrHWh-4n63JTs-u1LG-k0OR0uDuBcCRNIboiIp_mKCz9y9Pm4UwnB8TUI20zPBMrr7V0wqKobTXXyBiVuB3rFTinlFl20t5JjUe8Csgj3evgbJfIyTT8pX-id564JRKoDw_S260Z0y01z9P4gsYwolIA/s320/IMG_2656.heic" width="240" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I guess one positive from getting into collecting the trading cards again will be that I can create content based around collecting them so as I start buying packs keep an eye on both Instagram and TikTok as I will be posting hauls, pack openings etc on there. This is actually something I am looking forward to as I had got a bit bored with social media recently so this gives me the perfect opportunity to try something new and get back to posting regularly again.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">For now though it is time to sit down and recalculate the budget to allow for the cards and extras. I might end up regretting this as I see the money leaving my bank account but the trading card love is well and truly back and I can't wait to see what cards I end up with in my collection.</span></p>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-10509797776038635842023-11-17T10:01:00.003+00:002023-11-17T10:01:59.557+00:00What we are playing (17th November 2023)<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8pOrzOljwzeDYSaH0jQQqyLCSkdHMuhxYsfgZPNkJuX_kt-ZnRFp6gTkixWuJ53GtpjrJTTPxVWaBtq7SwlF0BZ5O3gmZaAMXXuyOAcEr-Ha9awaMzl69Zfyx26cFRqXt-n7D8yYDK6Ouew8HExChFc2cmX8ngoNXzPw8_WJwpvnDcaselkTpROjpg/s500/TNG.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8pOrzOljwzeDYSaH0jQQqyLCSkdHMuhxYsfgZPNkJuX_kt-ZnRFp6gTkixWuJ53GtpjrJTTPxVWaBtq7SwlF0BZ5O3gmZaAMXXuyOAcEr-Ha9awaMzl69Zfyx26cFRqXt-n7D8yYDK6Ouew8HExChFc2cmX8ngoNXzPw8_WJwpvnDcaselkTpROjpg/s320/TNG.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">How is it the weekend again already? And more importantly how are we already half way through November? The end of the year is certainly fast approaching and I feel like nothing has been achieved but less of that and on to the weekends gaming plans. It is safe to say gaming hasn't been a priority this year however, we have a rare weekend where not much is planned other than a trip to the Manchester derby on Sunday, which is a later kick off which gives us some time to sit and game before heading over to Manchester. Obviously we have the usual jobs of cleaning and I have a bit of stuff to do for the blogs however, this weekend we will certainly be sitting down to play some games and here is what we are hoping to play...</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Lucy</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The only game I have played recently is actually EA Sports FC as I try to build a female Ultimate Team, I have had no time to play this week so I am determined to get a few games in before the end of the weekend. Me and Liam are also planning a bit of a gaming night for Friday so we will be sitting down and making a start on Sackboy: A Big Adventure, this is something we have been wanting to start for a while but we haven't got around to it just yet, let's hope that Friday night leads to some good progress through it and no doubt we will jump in and out of it through the rest of the weekend too. If I get chance I would also love to make a start on Hogwarts Legacy as that has just been sat waiting for me since September and I can't wait to get started on it. Let's just hope I can get all the content and jobs around the house sorted as soon as possible so I can have plenty of time to sit and make my way through the games. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Liam </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Lucy obviously mentioned that we are going to be playing Sackboy: A Big Adventure together which should be fun as we don't usually play many games together, I just hope we can make some good progress and not argue whilst playing it. When I am not playing Sackboy though I will be sticking to the usual picks for me, Football Manager will definitely be being played as I am making good progress with my team on there and I will also be playing World of Warcraft once Lucy and the dog are in bed as I am still enjoying playing that.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So there you go that is what we are hoping to sit and play this weekend. Saturday is going to be the day of getting jobs done but with two of us at it we should get the jobs wrapped up in good timing to allow us more time to game. Fingers crossed it all goes to plan and who knows we might end up hooked on Sackboy and play nothing but that.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">What are you playing this weekend?</span></p>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-66691473457835275842023-11-13T10:19:00.000+00:002023-11-13T10:19:05.603+00:00The changes I want to make to the PC set up...<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiairChFwy3n7OTOTyQuJXz2DGI0d6r4s27b4g87ZF_380xrtOv87I__GBfViz1ejFcQQiPJbC_lP-0VPMXoHhPD3uegc_lb_ugBg-xLg2D5QpxuWsO8YhGF9oMIrkThd6myj0PTExiv62WD4cW9wDwW0wEAFOe0HlYpkuffspHtqXFS7awk4IuPCNlDw/s1080/set%20up%20wish%20list.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiairChFwy3n7OTOTyQuJXz2DGI0d6r4s27b4g87ZF_380xrtOv87I__GBfViz1ejFcQQiPJbC_lP-0VPMXoHhPD3uegc_lb_ugBg-xLg2D5QpxuWsO8YhGF9oMIrkThd6myj0PTExiv62WD4cW9wDwW0wEAFOe0HlYpkuffspHtqXFS7awk4IuPCNlDw/s320/set%20up%20wish%20list.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It has been a while since I spent some time in the games room as we got the dog who doesn't quite settle up there yet and to be honest I am missing playing my games up there on the console however, I am surprisingly not missing the gaming PC set up. That area just isn't appealing to me at all anymore as it isn't too inviting and just looks far too plain and boring to me, plus add in the fact the PC doesn't run 99% of the games I have on Steam there really isn't any point wasting time up there anymore. This is the area where most of my blogging was also done however, the PC struggles with this simple task too so I tend just to use the Macbook for blogging now which has meant that the PC hasn't even been switched on for months which annoys me a bit as it should be getting used so much more and if I did use it my productivity would no doubt increase a whole lot more and the blog posts will become a lot more regular like they used to be, plus it would mean spending more time in the room with Liam who plays on his PC still and the dog might settle more with both of us in there.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I really want to re-evaluate this space and make a lot of changes to make the space a lot more inviting. There will be a few big changes and a lot of little changes just to make this my own little cozy corner in the games room where I can game & write from without feeling stressed due to the lack of organisation, clutter all over and inadequate items like I currently have. I just want a stress & clutter free environment where I am happy to spend my evenings rather than blogging from the sofa or bed as I am definitely not being as productive as I can be by blogging from these places, the TV is too much of a distraction and the switching from screen to screen drives me absolutely mad, I need those dual monitors back.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As I say some changes are going to be bigger than others and I know that these changes are going to cost a fair bit of money to make them worthwhile which means a lot of saving is going to need to take place. I know though that saving for these upgrades is going to be worth it so I don't mind if I have to wait a while for them as I know I am working towards them by slowly adding more money to the savings pot and they will eventually find their way into the games room. So here are those big purchases I want to make to create the perfect cozy area...</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">New Gaming PC</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Although the PC is going to be dual purpose I really want to make sure I am getting a PC that will be able to run games smoothly. Not just the cheap games either, I want to be able to play the big new releases on here if I wish. My Steam backlog is absolutely ridiculous so I am hoping that a new PC will run all those games in my account and I can fire my way through the games I own alongside playing the more demanding PC games. Hopefully a super powerful gaming PC will also mean it is able to cope with the simple blogging tasks a lot easier too. This is definitely going to be the most expensive upgrade so will no doubt be one of the last purchases, I suppose it gives me time research the best options.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Two new monitors</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">My current monitors are mix and match, they don't line up next too each other and to be honest the quality really isn't the best as I got them super cheap. If I am going to be paying a lot for a gaming PC I want to make sure that my monitors are capable of passing on the graphics quality. I also want two of the same so that it flows seamlessly unlike it currently does. Again these are going to end up costing a fair bit so is going to take a bit of saving.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Gaming chair</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">If I am spending a lot of time in this area whether it is for gaming or blogging I want to be comfortable so I think it is about time I invested in a proper chair. My current chair is falling apart as it is a very old one which started its life in my work place but I ended up with it at home due to work getting an upgrade. The chairs I have been looking at are a good couple of hundreds of pounds so the plan is to save up for a bit and get something I can comfortably spend hours sat in.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So those are the big changes I want to make and as I say they will no doubt take a while to save up for so in the meantime to try get the area a bit more inviting I am planning on making a few smaller changes that should help me want to sit here a bit more and those changes won't have to be made once the bigger ones have been doing as they will have already been in place for a while. None of these are huge and will no doubt be done over the course of a few months but the smaller changes are...</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Desk mat</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Liam has a desk mat on his desk and it looks great so I think it is time I did the same and got one for my desk rather than having a silly little mouse mat like I currently do. My area has a bit of a theme to it as you will see over the next few items so I have been doing a bit of searching and have found the perfect option... a Miles Morales one which should hopefully cover the area I need it to and on the plus side it isn't too expensive so it could easily become a first addition to the set up.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Phone charger</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The phone battery is not doing too good these days, so I always need to have a charger nearby just in case. The plan is to add a nice little wireless charging stand to the set up so that the option to charge the phone is always there plus the stand can just have my phone on so it is in my eye-line rather than having to keep picking my phone up. I know I can get a cheap one of these from Amazon so it is about time I got looking.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Headphone holder</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I am a nightmare for just throwing my headphones onto the desk or my chair and sometimes even the floor so I need to try get out of the habit of this because the dog will end up getting them or over time I am just going to cause damage to them and they weren't expensive. A holder on my desk would keep them in a set place all the time and out of the dogs reach. Again this is a relatively low cost so it is about time I made the purchase.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Figure</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Every desk needs a bit of a novelty extra doesn't it? The plan is to find a really nice Spider-Man figure to put in the corner of my desk, out of reach of the dog of course. There are some really nice figures out there at the moment so maybe this could be a Christmas gift idea for me to pass along or I might just end up treating myself who knows but Spider-Man will be a great addition to the set up.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Spider-Man lamp</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Finally we have this brilliant Spider-Man lamp which I have had my eye on for ages now but have kept putting off buying for some reason. I think now is the time to make the purchase as the lamp will look fantastic on my desk and will come in handy for those early morning sessions or late at night ones. With a dimmer switch it will be better than a standard lamp and will fit the set up theme nicely, plus it is surprisingly not too expensive.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So there you have it those are the changes I want to make to my PC set up in the games room. The cheaper items will definitely just be pick ups along the way but those bigger items will take some work to achieve however, I am hopefully that I won't be waiting around for them for too long. I am saving for a lot of things at the moment but I am determined I will have these items sooner rather than later. It is time to get back to the PC gaming and being productive for the websites as it has been far too long.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">What changes do you want to make to your set up?</span></p>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-31965662940916700322023-09-14T08:47:00.001+01:002023-09-14T08:47:28.677+01:00The PlayStation games I currently want to pick up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3HfwC_g4-U5-UaHGQVk7kcsJFNppFNlXR2JqF0yVQctNXYnEK7Y5yUc6gea0WOuNnmkGJDGBuu-aM-INygSIXmBVY67qYBAucqHZlTp_MDkW2NQx7UEUDTLSzWp7EqGfllrrGUcDhmxmPid940ET1wUzoS8vl3KIeL-VwuoT59gNCog0iVJ_hWNk1w/s2048/IMG_2568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3HfwC_g4-U5-UaHGQVk7kcsJFNppFNlXR2JqF0yVQctNXYnEK7Y5yUc6gea0WOuNnmkGJDGBuu-aM-INygSIXmBVY67qYBAucqHZlTp_MDkW2NQx7UEUDTLSzWp7EqGfllrrGUcDhmxmPid940ET1wUzoS8vl3KIeL-VwuoT59gNCog0iVJ_hWNk1w/s320/IMG_2568.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It has been a long time since I bought a new PlayStation game thanks to not really having the time to play anything lately. I am determined to get back playing soon though and hopefully I can make my way through the backlog as I am slacking on my backlog challenge this year so far and there is not much of the year left. Thanks to not playing lately and not buying many games I am really behind on games I have had my eye on so I think it is about time I picked up something new. With it being so long there is a mixture of titles on this wish list but each one has stood out to me for a while now and it is about time I got around to playing them a lot of games are also missing but I have narrowed it down to those games I really want rather those that are a kind of need. So here is what made the cut...</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Lake</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This game has been one I have had on my wish list for a while now and could very easily be one of the first games off this list that I purchase for myself. This game just looks brilliant and I feel that it is the perfect game for me to get back into gaming with. This game is definitely in the cozy games category and after a stressful work day I can definitely see me getting lost in the world and just relaxing whilst putting plenty of hours into exploring, granted though at 6-8 hours in length this could be straight in and out of the backlog. Let's just hope when I do pick it up the game play is as good as it looks.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Gollum</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Now this game is a bit of a marmite game and didn't get the reviews I expected however, I will be picking this game up to give it a go for myself so I can make my own mind up about it. Again this isn't a massive game and I can see me jumping in and out of it but at roughly 14 hours to complete the main story that won't be much of an issue. I have been wanting this game since it was first announced so it is about time I pick up a copy plus the added bonus of me waiting is that it is going to be a whole lot cheaper to buy now too. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Star Wars Jedi Survivor</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This game is only going to be purchased when I have finally made a start on Fallen Order, I am far behind on these Star Wars games it is ridiculous really. I am hoping that by the time I have completed Fallen Order, Jedi Survivor might be a fair bit cheaper too as the price seems to be changing quite frequently these days. As a huge Star Wars fan I am really hoping I enjoy these games.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Sword Art Online : Last recollection</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I played a Sword Art Online game a very long time ago and really enjoyed it so I am hoping to get my hands on the Last recollection as it looks like an other Sword Art game that I am going to enjoy. I used to be absolutely hooked on the show and I am actually tempted to re-watch the whole thing alongside picking up the books, no doubt if I end up picking this game up and playing through it the love for the franchise will only grow even more.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Believe it or not I have never actually played a Ratchet & Clank game but Rift Apart has been on my wish list since it was released, it just looks like such a fun game to play. I have kept putting off the purchase of this game as I wanted to try get through the backlog before getting it as I don't just want it sat on the shelf for years like other games have been. I think it is finally time for me to pick up a copy though and fingers crossed by the time I do pick it up the price will be reduced a bit more too.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Frank & Drake</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This one is another game that is short in length so will no doubt be over and done with quickly. It is a game of solving puzzles and completing mini games to progress and get the answers the characters are desperately seeking. Granted at the moment the price of the game is holding me back but hopefully by the time it comes to buying this game there will be a bit of a reduction. This game definitely looks like it would be easy to get lost in too so fingers crossed I can pick up a copy soon.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Hogwarts Legacy</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">My love for everything Harry Potter is back and that has made my mind up, after putting it off for so long I am going to be getting a copy of Hogwarts Legacy to live out all my wizarding world dreams. Harry Potter is something I grew up with and even with the controversy I don't think I could fall out of love with it. Now though I can stop watching the films on repeat and actually play in the Hogwarts world. I have actually asked Liam for a copy of this for my birthday so fingers crossed he has listened to all the hints and I am playing through this sooner rather than later.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Spider-Man 2</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I think this is the game I am most excited to pick up off this wish list and I can guarantee it is going to be a day 1 purchase and it has been a long time since I last wanting a game so bad that I got it on the day it was released. I got absolutely hooked on the first Spider-Man on the PS4 then I couldn't get enough of Miles Morales so fingers crossed number 2 lives up to the expectations all I know is playing this game is going to be a top priority which only the football will be able to pull me away from. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So there you go those are the PlayStation games that are currently on my wish list. I am really hoping I will be able to get at least half of the games on this wish list before the end of the year, as for how many well that all depends on how many other games I complete or if any end up in the sale. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Now which one am I going to end up with first?</span></p>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-51073892594202835372023-09-04T13:59:00.002+01:002023-09-04T13:59:51.802+01:00August 2023 Favourites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-U5fsF1v3XGVOQ2-J3NOPpEJF_uUdyFiReY8hX7IZiGFKY44Ez1QPIcXibPm-nVyKgZNbeSAzxE6zZJevKVt082l7wzh07Um70lKczBy4Bh_ylPJ15pj4Xc5S7Lt_0UtelUDU-mY_I_5HMmrlvpGPyFObgcBUkC24whus8OJe2W1UT6hH0E9yARvrqQ/s500/TNG.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-U5fsF1v3XGVOQ2-J3NOPpEJF_uUdyFiReY8hX7IZiGFKY44Ez1QPIcXibPm-nVyKgZNbeSAzxE6zZJevKVt082l7wzh07Um70lKczBy4Bh_ylPJ15pj4Xc5S7Lt_0UtelUDU-mY_I_5HMmrlvpGPyFObgcBUkC24whus8OJe2W1UT6hH0E9yARvrqQ/s320/TNG.png" width="320" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; font-weight: 400;">Seen as we are back posting it would only be right to bring back the monthly favourites posts wouldn't it? So let's kick it off with a look back at my favourite things from the month of August. The month was filled with new favourites and also rediscovering old ones thanks to the month being a bit of a mixture so here is the overall favourites which made the cut for this post... </span></h3><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Film & TV</span></h3><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Harry Potter</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I don't actually remember the last time I sat down and watched Harry Potter however, towards the end of August I sat down and watched a few of the films. I honestly forgot just how much I love these films, they are absolutely fantastic and by watching these films my love for the franchise has been reignited and it has made me even more determined to get my hands on a copy of Hogwarts Legacy. Now when is it acceptable to binge watch the films again if I have only just watched them?</span></div></div></div></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Music</span></span></h3><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Limp Bizkit</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There couldn't really have been anyone else as my music favourite this month as I actually got to see Limp Bizkit live in August. Let's just say it was an absolutely fantastic concert and has made me want to go see them anytime that they come to the UK. The concert was at the historic Piece Hall too so the outdoor experience plus some fantastic music definitely solidified Limp Bizkit as the musical favourite this month.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Tech</span></span></h3><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Macbook</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Again the Macbook is a favourite as it has helped me out in so many ways. I am working on a new project at the moment so the Macbook has been used daily to help me get things up and running with things. It is still standing string after plenty of use too so there is no waiting around for loading I can just get on with tasks now. I can't see it not being a favourite for a long time.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><h3 style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Gaming</span></h3></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Nintendo Switch</b></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In August I ended up having a weekend away with my family, a 6 hour car journey meant the Switch was one of the first items I packed ironically though I didn't even play on it in the car. In the end I actually spent my evenings playing on my Switch whilst my nephew was sat playing on his. It was nice sitting and playing some games together and it made me realise just how much I missed gaming</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So there you have it those are my favourite things from the month of August . What have you been loving throughout the month?</span></div></div>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-23533464234364853212023-09-01T11:49:00.004+01:002023-09-01T11:49:24.789+01:00What we are playing (1st September 2023)<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjDkN-uyI-7dzQ8AxohtPskj45s6ZYWd40a0mKH38uE0Fjpxdd6eZoGnyVirdCJsp1N9IHYnVRddl87-EWQHT1t1j6xVGe2OXTQxTeWXV7KunbxLz2lb2axJH00hIliopoBVzvvoJam-rOrNCxsbwF3coxZo4gjJDZr82JcIv5OnZWuZqTVLsmg_0VOg/s500/TNG.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjDkN-uyI-7dzQ8AxohtPskj45s6ZYWd40a0mKH38uE0Fjpxdd6eZoGnyVirdCJsp1N9IHYnVRddl87-EWQHT1t1j6xVGe2OXTQxTeWXV7KunbxLz2lb2axJH00hIliopoBVzvvoJam-rOrNCxsbwF3coxZo4gjJDZr82JcIv5OnZWuZqTVLsmg_0VOg/w200-h200/TNG.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">What better way to get back to posting than with our weekly what we are playing this weekend post. It is safe to say I have missed posting on here lately but I will be honest I have not had anything to write about, life has been chaotic and the dog still won't settle upstairs so there has been a real lack of gaming, I have definitely missed gaming and writing though so here we go I am back and I am hoping to have plenty more reviews etc coming up in the near future. For now though here is what me and Liam are planning on playing this weekend...</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Lucy</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This weekend is definitely going to be the weekend where I finally move a console downstairs so I can get back to gaming a lot more often as I have been missing it a bit too much recently. It is going to be a busy weekend though with content to create, jobs to do around the house and a game of football to play. Fingers crossed though I can get the PS5 downstairs as I really want to make a start on Gotham Knights, I have been putting off starting this for too long now and I think it would just be nice to relax on an evening and make progress through this game. I am also hoping to get the games room tidied up so I can sit and play Murder on the Marine Express on the Xbox once the dog is in bed on an evening, this isn't a long game so I should be able to fly through it with no issues at all and can have another games ticked off the backlog list at long last. Who knows I might even get through a bit more Super Mario 3D World if I end up opting to play on the Switch for a bit too. I am making very slow progress through this game.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Liam </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Thanks to staying up later than Lucy I haven't missed out on gaming as much as she has however, my gaming time has definitely decreased. I am hoping that I can get plenty played again this weekend though and of course the number 1 game I will be playing is World of Warcraft as I still enjoy my nights playing this when Lucy & the dog have gone to bed. No doubt at some point I will also be jumping into a bit of Football Manager 2023 too as again I am still enjoying playing that. Finally the only other game I am tempted to play this weekend is Crusader Kings 3, again I have been jumping in and out of this recently so no doubt I will put a few more hours into it over the weekend.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So there you have it that is what me and Liam are hoping to play this weekend fingers crossed it all goes to plan and we can get some hours put into gaming rather than just doing housework etc all weekend. I know that especially for myself a few hours of gaming will be a fantastic way to just switch off and relax for a change as that hasn't happened at all recently. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It is so nice to be back writing on here and I am looking forward to getting plenty more posts up in the near future so don't forget to keep checking back for more content...</span></p>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-63193946693174866452023-07-03T10:00:00.002+01:002023-07-03T10:00:30.363+01:00June 2023 Favourites<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Well once again it has been a long time since we have done one of theses posts hasn't it. It is time for the return of the monthly favourites posts though and it is safe to say June was a good month to bring these posts back as it was a month of finding some new favourites whilst also rediscovering old ones. So here is what made the cut for June's favourites...</span></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Film & TV</span></h3><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>South Park</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I was never a fan of South Park growing up like most people so I just didn't bother watching it. However, me and Liam ended up making a start on watching it in mid June and we already seem to be on season 9. This has been the perfect show just to have on in the background whilst we are down in the living room with the dog as it doesn't really require a lot of focus to know what is going on and you can just jump in and out as and when you want as there isn't much of a story line to follow. I can see this being our go to show for a while.</span></div></div></div></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Music</span></span></h3><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Tegan & Sara</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Whenever I have been in the car or in the spare room office I have had one playlist on and that has been my Tegan & Sara playlist. Their music just never gets old and the playlist is a mixture of all their music and the features they have done so it is a nice mix of styles really as they have definitely changed a bit throughout the years. I have definitely found their music is really easy listening and thanks to that when I have them on I seem to be a lot more productive so I guess I am going to be listening to them a whole lot more.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Tech</span></span></h3><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Macbook</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Once again the Macbook is on a favourites post and to be honest these past few months I would have been lost without it. 99% of the blog posts written since March have been on the Macbook and June has been a much more productive so the Macbook has been used a whole lot more. The Macbook has been great as it has meant I can work from anywhere and luckily for me the dog no longer minds me using it and doesn't try to attack it anymore. Without the Macbook there wouldn't have been any content created at all so of course it is a favourite.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><h3 style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Gaming</span></h3></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Stanley Parable</b></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I actually managed to complete 2 games in June, I am not sure how but that is two more out of the backlog at long last. To be honest I enjoyed both the games I played however, if I am being honest the Stanley Parable is definitely the favourite of what I played. Going into this game I really didn't know what to expect and honestly after rolling the credits I still don't know what went on but it was fun to play and a really nice change of pace. I wonder what game will make the cut for July, let's hope it is another month of progress for the backlog.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So there you have it those are my favourite things from the month of June. What have you been loving throughout the month?</span></div></div>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-78997219312943511892023-06-30T10:55:00.001+01:002023-06-30T10:55:43.652+01:00What we are playing this weekend (30th June 2023) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJe0xgNmw1ijjEF7PaW6k2BqDzw97m4YuNatK74vNj60yETCntfQlHPxkksIPqh4yr8IJ4DBVb-2xiL5kaSUQSNH0BVMxsYwSouTbvmkgxdXoF5j7Lj4BOHTLmRAREYRS7lKjP7Q_RlIeJYmeY6wd-vzGMoVlNYiOE2d-cEClDh-G_nEYsSJwRG1C3g/s500/TNG.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJe0xgNmw1ijjEF7PaW6k2BqDzw97m4YuNatK74vNj60yETCntfQlHPxkksIPqh4yr8IJ4DBVb-2xiL5kaSUQSNH0BVMxsYwSouTbvmkgxdXoF5j7Lj4BOHTLmRAREYRS7lKjP7Q_RlIeJYmeY6wd-vzGMoVlNYiOE2d-cEClDh-G_nEYsSJwRG1C3g/s320/TNG.png" width="320" /></a><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Well it has been a while since we did one of these posts hasn't it, but lets hope that they are back for good now as we get back into the swing of things and get gaming more. Things are getting a bit busy again now with the Women's World Cup fast approaching so a lot of the focus has turned to the football website however, we are determined to make sure that we are making time for ourselves which will mean playing games to switch off and give ourselves a break. This weekend should be filled with a fair bit of gaming and here is what we are hoping to be playing...</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Lucy</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I am the one with the most going on by the looks of it this weekend with plenty of blog posts to write and content to create for the rest of social media. I need to learn to switch off a bit more than I have been doing though so I will be making sure I take time out to play a few games over the next few days. The Switch is going to be my best bet for gaming this weekend so that is charged up and ready to play, I am determined to get through more of Super Mario 3D World as I have been missing playing that quite a bit. I am really hoping we can get the PS5 moved downstairs this weekend too so I can make a start on my growing backlog on the console, if it does get moved downstairs I will be making progress through Gotham Knights which has been sat on the shelf for too long now.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Liam</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Luckily I don't have as much to do as Lucy so I can probably play a bit more. When I can get into the games room (when the dog is in bed) I will be sitting and playing World of Warcraft as per usual. When I can't get into the games room though I will hopefully be playing a bit more Football Manager on the Steamdeck if I can get it working properly again. I have also been making some good progress through the Witcher 3 lately too so fingers crossed I can make some more progress through that as I am really enjoying it.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So there you have it that is what we are hoping to playing this weekend, let's hope we get the PS5 moved downstairs so Gotham Knights can be started and let's hope that we can actually manage time much better and actually get through some games. The backlog challenge was to beat 10 games this year, we are 3 games in and half way through the year so fingers crossed we can pick up a bit of speed and start to get flying through games.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What are you playing this weekend?</span></p>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-365305633570151982023-06-30T08:22:00.000+01:002023-06-30T08:22:45.329+01:00June (and a bit of the past few months) 2023 new in....<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Well after a while of not making many geeky or gaming related purchase I have managed to pick up a few bits that I am actually pretty pleased with. To be honest the purchases stop as I fell out of love with that side of my life and honestly I wasn't going to be buying items for the sake of it like I used to. Recently though, with falling in love with that side of my life again and it is safe to say that is also being reflected in my purchase once more. So here are the geeky or gaming related things I have picked up recently...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlm2d-NbQU6gPIDLrlMxB--IqC-KPkZ-pTHRVZ7TVxRWpZCi2i9VFGLeCQOeJog6Rx-LvLKVBPNPkYt6roGTXCKzHB5koVNDW8jbj_8hsHlpspRPMiXUldGjL82LLqwoAc7ICcVyNxq6-6zBp1eHiFUE1GYRuAcfoGbesFiPhtyC96Ed3nrOS76y9nw/s5184/IMG_1069.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlm2d-NbQU6gPIDLrlMxB--IqC-KPkZ-pTHRVZ7TVxRWpZCi2i9VFGLeCQOeJog6Rx-LvLKVBPNPkYt6roGTXCKzHB5koVNDW8jbj_8hsHlpspRPMiXUldGjL82LLqwoAc7ICcVyNxq6-6zBp1eHiFUE1GYRuAcfoGbesFiPhtyC96Ed3nrOS76y9nw/s320/IMG_1069.JPG" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As a kid I was absolutely obsessed with the Powerpuff girls so as soon as I saw this in Primark I knew I definitely had to buy it. I am loving all the Powerpuff girls items that are around at the moment so expect to see more when I finally find bits in my size which is proving a little bit difficult.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg763CNbqfRh_pRlGx8BXWNgisMuyQBxLtvvKVPfdm4vIh1bJh8zIxEhUGZCfLdfZK8_guZeDb8rNjUXSLyvCKJgkSASoV-mFfMDTIeAbREG7YuuPDr0tT0BMVIwz0149LywwjcIu3zCZpFVXf6wp8R8lXU3VSgepYJzsICerp9ABaCqledVtgk9iy0Kg/s5184/IMG_1045.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg763CNbqfRh_pRlGx8BXWNgisMuyQBxLtvvKVPfdm4vIh1bJh8zIxEhUGZCfLdfZK8_guZeDb8rNjUXSLyvCKJgkSASoV-mFfMDTIeAbREG7YuuPDr0tT0BMVIwz0149LywwjcIu3zCZpFVXf6wp8R8lXU3VSgepYJzsICerp9ABaCqledVtgk9iy0Kg/s320/IMG_1045.JPG" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Back in April we went to see Paramore and I just couldn't help myself when it came to the merchandise table. Did I really need another baseball cap? Certainly not but I love this one and it is a good way to show my love for one of my favourite bands all summer long. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidJlUwZ9M-ALJXX5e9MwVVpBxmHNZnooKPg-5jNOTKHF4hWjrK7xSuTIlA7hvztnVQ53aT9PyKdISVoz6hpAuayNqBdjTrIrc_FVxpPxTiL4pGLtjL_QU7NcBXFWRASV75EzWejT5zrKZDGPKIPYHAa_H9lKBkkwBs0_hNtYhXfK8DbZJDO9-CbCJ4Ww/s5184/IMG_1067.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidJlUwZ9M-ALJXX5e9MwVVpBxmHNZnooKPg-5jNOTKHF4hWjrK7xSuTIlA7hvztnVQ53aT9PyKdISVoz6hpAuayNqBdjTrIrc_FVxpPxTiL4pGLtjL_QU7NcBXFWRASV75EzWejT5zrKZDGPKIPYHAa_H9lKBkkwBs0_hNtYhXfK8DbZJDO9-CbCJ4Ww/s320/IMG_1067.JPG" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Liam ended up getting a long sleeve top whilst we were at the concert too and the reason it is on my new in list is the fact we are now the same size due to my weight loss which means there is a 100% chance that I will be stealing this top. I was going to get one of these for myself but honestly we might as well just share.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRiLwa2sQLuN3yyKugdkS46uwO6d4ETwAdO4hCd1aB3dep-Z9XSJTZac8JGpl_DeStyzrKHAzs6cplntrzp82T-YUoc2rUhlShdgGjSQxlofhdEbiXAE0CHu9NZDxUAFYX6287RphbeIo0ab2xrwQrvGoaLuJL16-01bptpvLbHLopYmylIE0yU2NdZg/s5184/IMG_1066.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRiLwa2sQLuN3yyKugdkS46uwO6d4ETwAdO4hCd1aB3dep-Z9XSJTZac8JGpl_DeStyzrKHAzs6cplntrzp82T-YUoc2rUhlShdgGjSQxlofhdEbiXAE0CHu9NZDxUAFYX6287RphbeIo0ab2xrwQrvGoaLuJL16-01bptpvLbHLopYmylIE0yU2NdZg/s320/IMG_1066.JPG" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I did pick up this t-shirt for myself from Paramore though as it was the design that caught my eye the most. I absolutely love the headbanging graphic and quote and I can safely say I am going to get my wear out of this all year round. I will be honest though this just made me want to go dig all my old Paramore clothing out of storage.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj5CnQeGzJP6OsPhaObZV5OGnkUx3F4whR1Z6GAzqioYLG8mfkIpaT7Hcly3HNGzIh9UuUG_6hmJxe4Vpz5wCXIyL5GkE74SbCa2DHAj-I0bilE5B7JM9dgqFer7U5_6gqd_n9FJIPW0a-JmcNr2qglXEFRT9SxtXnQ8D1bOeLc6U0gSry0zZWggkEwA/s5184/IMG_1049.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj5CnQeGzJP6OsPhaObZV5OGnkUx3F4whR1Z6GAzqioYLG8mfkIpaT7Hcly3HNGzIh9UuUG_6hmJxe4Vpz5wCXIyL5GkE74SbCa2DHAj-I0bilE5B7JM9dgqFer7U5_6gqd_n9FJIPW0a-JmcNr2qglXEFRT9SxtXnQ8D1bOeLc6U0gSry0zZWggkEwA/s320/IMG_1049.JPG" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It has been a while since I picked up books that weren't in the young adult section but my Asda Rewards were piling up and were due to expire so I treated myself to two books from their 2 for £8 offer. I picked up How to kill your family which is a book that has been all over my Instagram lately and I also picked up 1st case by James Patterson who is one of my favourite authors so I hope I enjoy this one.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxItyfIoL-SbLSTpy5sn8yymzVZzbD7wLKUeo1MFm2zjWl4bJ93_dmUGSwdpc0fVVjVt8ptKFty5XQN5KfQxqgt9Xjbl30URMz8yfvwvZgFCB7qFa0KdYsWPdcxpg65vQu-803ppxmYyeE8isfX01iEyqI90a291SwFTSqKjzEYaJcf2dBjKsJHhXYdA/s5184/IMG_1048.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxItyfIoL-SbLSTpy5sn8yymzVZzbD7wLKUeo1MFm2zjWl4bJ93_dmUGSwdpc0fVVjVt8ptKFty5XQN5KfQxqgt9Xjbl30URMz8yfvwvZgFCB7qFa0KdYsWPdcxpg65vQu-803ppxmYyeE8isfX01iEyqI90a291SwFTSqKjzEYaJcf2dBjKsJHhXYdA/s320/IMG_1048.JPG" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I had a few extra rewards to spend after getting the previous two books so I headed over to Asda's young adult section and picked up a few more books this time from their 2 for £7 offer. I have had my eye on these two Holly Jackson books for a while so which I technically wasn't spending a penny on them I thought I would pick them up and give them a try. Fingers crossed they live up to expectations and I actually enjoy them.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiViWozE1dv1NimgymVrPgRn2YFpcx49P7zosq97NvxseCbuWzwvuU3DtNGEXEakJQVeI2YkstKMXE5mIcmFZqFKVpz3sUVAvjt_ywXlfW6z0yFMRAGvD0C3KRbOgg-ZnTBUTnCGSWNfPucFcUVaN6IJD5ouTiu-uv6hqY9ypLl-90-M1v_eT3Tmf7wVg/s5184/IMG_1047.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiViWozE1dv1NimgymVrPgRn2YFpcx49P7zosq97NvxseCbuWzwvuU3DtNGEXEakJQVeI2YkstKMXE5mIcmFZqFKVpz3sUVAvjt_ywXlfW6z0yFMRAGvD0C3KRbOgg-ZnTBUTnCGSWNfPucFcUVaN6IJD5ouTiu-uv6hqY9ypLl-90-M1v_eT3Tmf7wVg/s320/IMG_1047.JPG" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As soon as Leah Williamson announced she had a book coming out I knew it would be added to the women's football book collection even if it is aimed more towards kids. I pre-ordered the signed copy straight away and honestly I am looking forward to finally sitting down and having a read of this one.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMcWWaRFvS7HNbTVSLqsHxh_yJdO5uEWNWKKJwyaLL8CYdyD2d-eXnrBdXPqjITFFj84PjD_JZxyKA2P0-8Y-VvzLj5BfKv3iAaVpy7viG8OCG--21VgLyk7jan_fzS8NTBhnwKJRUi76pCYKbKN1ma0D-g9P5HwzUGPMOXS8LV60Ym-LvN9eYOjUGKA/s5184/IMG_1073.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMcWWaRFvS7HNbTVSLqsHxh_yJdO5uEWNWKKJwyaLL8CYdyD2d-eXnrBdXPqjITFFj84PjD_JZxyKA2P0-8Y-VvzLj5BfKv3iAaVpy7viG8OCG--21VgLyk7jan_fzS8NTBhnwKJRUi76pCYKbKN1ma0D-g9P5HwzUGPMOXS8LV60Ym-LvN9eYOjUGKA/s320/IMG_1073.JPG" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Whilst we were on holiday at the start of the month I got a bit addicted to trying to win myself a baby Yoda soft toy in the amusements, after about £10 worth of tries Liam ended up just taking me to the nearby shop to buy me one to save me money and to make sure I didn't go home empty handed. I am so glad he did too as it means I finally have one in my soft toy collection and I absolutely love it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1G_4Ug_M568ueoDSrudA0xezI8baUzOhMUXgexP7nCqz2prsnreDWw3yXDfSMAdfeR0shUn5JGVHs0x54jlbRjDELNyeWh9OFeZgXcZZpoyO_e1mSB-TDj94aLJxeKwLghLReNaIXB3gUIO6CpnLfY3u_Ch0d7zTpXjAnu_L3Vm-ENCS5OqrVRNJPdQ/s5184/IMG_1078.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1G_4Ug_M568ueoDSrudA0xezI8baUzOhMUXgexP7nCqz2prsnreDWw3yXDfSMAdfeR0shUn5JGVHs0x54jlbRjDELNyeWh9OFeZgXcZZpoyO_e1mSB-TDj94aLJxeKwLghLReNaIXB3gUIO6CpnLfY3u_Ch0d7zTpXjAnu_L3Vm-ENCS5OqrVRNJPdQ/s320/IMG_1078.JPG" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I think I might be causing long term damage to my bank account with this purchase however, I am finally back to buying Pokemon cards. I ended up getting me and the nephew a tin each whilst we were on holiday and I can easily imagine this getting a little bit out of hand with packets being purchased thick and fast so get used to seeing those again.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHW4WMaDiKzWTG3Yrw76GAW6P_KxMsTOxO4R4d8-CsCU3s5DRkPaU-ou1WxCEz-Ny2bSblFoZXP2ChaaT7-T992T0iRcjNRGbNOMXf3vfrS633sxNyw9EIdyQlZHcW6c9xmaCKJosoSu-3xCAyjUMzX9nWV10ToJ7BO6_q71qT-Bi7tvYnBAr_k7Te1A/s5184/IMG_1036.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHW4WMaDiKzWTG3Yrw76GAW6P_KxMsTOxO4R4d8-CsCU3s5DRkPaU-ou1WxCEz-Ny2bSblFoZXP2ChaaT7-T992T0iRcjNRGbNOMXf3vfrS633sxNyw9EIdyQlZHcW6c9xmaCKJosoSu-3xCAyjUMzX9nWV10ToJ7BO6_q71qT-Bi7tvYnBAr_k7Te1A/s320/IMG_1036.JPG" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Immortals Fenyx rising seems to have been on my wish list for a very long time but I have constantly put off buying it. I finally picked it up for the Switch though in preparation for an upcoming holiday. This was on an offer of 2 games for £20 so I really couldn't resist it and I know that this will keep me occupied for the upcoming long car journey.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXd6EUhOtVe8DQKMaqyStTXumegawyxG2wyWQpanwzCGtbXOvUBYDGGgRe45Rg-rDRqNu5YztrEGMrDDPB4KeWfdL3fgjKDDQpJ6V6J6jYn3MgrB-hBFDPB_RpMCKzILADPT_ZfGSiQy3aOAFpjxfwOYDwAG6hBK48obPUTjIe5bW-75zl0uBxSoPYw/s5184/IMG_1035.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXd6EUhOtVe8DQKMaqyStTXumegawyxG2wyWQpanwzCGtbXOvUBYDGGgRe45Rg-rDRqNu5YztrEGMrDDPB4KeWfdL3fgjKDDQpJ6V6J6jYn3MgrB-hBFDPB_RpMCKzILADPT_ZfGSiQy3aOAFpjxfwOYDwAG6hBK48obPUTjIe5bW-75zl0uBxSoPYw/s320/IMG_1035.JPG" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finally on the 2 for £20 offer I also picked up a copy of Assassin's Creed III Remastered. I have to say this is one of my favourite Assassin's Creed games so I am looking forward to being able to experience it once more but this time on the go. This is another game I am really looking forward to taking away with me as I think I could make some great progress through it. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So there you have it the geeky/gaming purchases are back and no doubt we will see a few more in July. But for now let's give these new games a play & get those Pokemon cards open.</span></div><p></p>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-6516840540111399092023-06-19T13:33:00.003+01:002023-06-19T13:33:23.293+01:00Let's give this another try shall we...<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUzOQ1TGJnJwyK5AA4DdJyzxJMpl63MsNXLe9HXXuM3lvocvzx1oesvt-QENwlcyy-6jvoH60BYmejPJJdr5EpEAkIvg8CkJbtyHC7-KKFsIHs3ALgk8Wuate09dWs0Q9U2LhHjxod2DzZ1t7Z2V0DItGAO0YozVDYUKVfFv-art35Sd2svfVWohq-GA/s500/TNG.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUzOQ1TGJnJwyK5AA4DdJyzxJMpl63MsNXLe9HXXuM3lvocvzx1oesvt-QENwlcyy-6jvoH60BYmejPJJdr5EpEAkIvg8CkJbtyHC7-KKFsIHs3ALgk8Wuate09dWs0Q9U2LhHjxod2DzZ1t7Z2V0DItGAO0YozVDYUKVfFv-art35Sd2svfVWohq-GA/s320/TNG.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Well I think it is safe to say it has been a while since I have posted on here properly and consistently hasn't it. To be honest that has been to a number of different reasons, life just seemed to get very busy very quickly and I had to sacrifice something and unfortunately that ended up being this site. Last summer I don't think I had a single moment to sit down and game let alone write for the site and that was due to me spending a month travelling to watch the Euros and if I wasn't in a stadium watching it I was glued to the TV. This also meant an increase in writing for the football site too so my focus was 100% on that trying to build it up. Then because a summer of football wasn't enough I ended up signing up to a local football club which meant weekly training and games whilst also going to watch Manchester United Women. Throw in work and family time on top of all the football and free time just didn't exist and I got myself very, very close to burn out.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I was really hoping the I could turn this all around at the start of 2023 and really hit the ground running with gaming and creating content however, we made the decision to get ourselves a puppy. Don't get me wrong he is adorable and the best addition but it has been hard work getting him settled and we are having to have our eyes on him at all times at the moment so we barely watch TV or films at the moment let alone play games, which again meant the site was put on the back burner again. I didn't know when I was going to return to creating content and to be honest I hadn't really thought about it for a while, until I got an email a few weeks ago saying my domain was up for renewal. I am actually quite glad this came through as it got me thinking do I want to pay the money and continue with the site or do I just let it disappear. After quite a bit of thinking the decision was made and as you can see the domain was renewed and we are finally back. I am determined to put more time into this site now and there a few changes coming (which were definitely due) and somethings will be staying exactly as they were previously.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The first change is the new logo which you will have seen at the top of this post. The old logo I wasn't really feeling anymore so I thought why not create a new one ready for the site coming back. This is definitely more vibrant and livens up the posts and social media where I have been testing the new theme out a little already in the run up to the blog coming back.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">There is also the plan of adding movies back into the mix as when I wrote about these in the past it was actually quite enjoyable and to be honest there is a lot coming out that I am really looking forward to watching, which hasn't happened in a while as releases have been hit and miss for me. I will definitely be watching more movies in the future so keep an eye out for review and posts about those films we can't wait to see along with possible top 5 or 10 posts which we used to love doing. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGx3kk35uTfZ49fYaMxAki8EpoKLvzwepUow8gvkN6J0xPexOdSECQWcSG5DKQe6y1A_Z9EiJJ510n99YXLJEwpWnSNdT5Sqr_lhrSty4cwSk_U3NxBcQ6nUvS2lWMh3mv8Q9cvU9HZnB6sD93gHc-CYM84G3khr4vEEMDT8WdsDbgKxwPR62UujhAbA/s4032/IMG_3588.heic" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGx3kk35uTfZ49fYaMxAki8EpoKLvzwepUow8gvkN6J0xPexOdSECQWcSG5DKQe6y1A_Z9EiJJ510n99YXLJEwpWnSNdT5Sqr_lhrSty4cwSk_U3NxBcQ6nUvS2lWMh3mv8Q9cvU9HZnB6sD93gHc-CYM84G3khr4vEEMDT8WdsDbgKxwPR62UujhAbA/s320/IMG_3588.heic" width="240" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Tech will also be coming back to the site, due to all my money going on football in the past year or so nothing new has been purchased but throughout the rest of 2023 I am hoping to change that. There are plenty of pieces that I want to pick up to improve the set up and to help with projects I am working on which should mean plenty of unboxings and of course wish lists for the pieces I really want to pick up. I am also aiming to do reviews of those bits I do pick up alongside trying to do some pieces on latest bits of tech news where possible, especially if it is to do with bits I am really looking forward to (no doubt Apple products). There will also be some fun day in the life posts coming with me using certain items of tech in my day to day life to show just how I benefit from owning them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Of course though the big focus for the site is going to be gaming which I am 100% getting back into at the moment and am honestly loving having the controller in my hand again. One thing that is definitely staying the same is the what we are playing posts which will continue to be posted on a weekly basis every Friday, I love writing these little posts and can see just how long games are taking me to finish. There will be gaming news posts as and when the time is write and if especially if it appeals to a game I like or want to play, this is somewhere I can jot down my thoughts. The recaps post gaming conference will also be returning as I have missed those. Of course the wish lists and top 5 or 10 posts will continue throughout the gaming category as they are some of my favourite posts to create. Just like with the tech category the wish list posts will be staying for the gaming category too and no doubt they will be more frequent than they have been recently. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhPFZbBN5aOJMd1dSSSOkgwKjsvdmCTiQvvC2jqqWUDN-9C93GJupE9trejN81Tjzc1m65DVHnxdZQfu1eQaeD5WWsb2TxCOwDGHXIi9g1O8DM-PnDLta7lfzETLdxXpCMDAmoSpuzuOffVGZQXDHtGb4jlk5A8K_tKGLgkKJj04XjeubjoPfVRyogg/s4032/IMG_2580.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhPFZbBN5aOJMd1dSSSOkgwKjsvdmCTiQvvC2jqqWUDN-9C93GJupE9trejN81Tjzc1m65DVHnxdZQfu1eQaeD5WWsb2TxCOwDGHXIi9g1O8DM-PnDLta7lfzETLdxXpCMDAmoSpuzuOffVGZQXDHtGb4jlk5A8K_tKGLgkKJj04XjeubjoPfVRyogg/s320/IMG_2580.HEIC" width="240" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As for other content you can look forward to seeing the monthly new in posts will be returning as I am buying more games, tech, accessories and other things now. The geeky purchases are definitely creeping back into the monthly purchases so I am looking forward to sharing those once again. The monthly favourites will also be coming back too as these are posts that I love to look back on over time to see just how things have changed or if they have stayed the same. There will also be specific hauls posts coming to the site too as I am getting more and more into certain franchises I can easily see me visiting a fair few websites and picking up items to showcase my love for them, Pokemon I am looking at you here, the love has seriously been ignited lately.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Remember those times where I would create a challenge and fail it miserably well I was thinking maybe I could give a few of those challenges ago again or set myself other little ones to get me gaming more or even creating more in general. Only time will tell for which challenges I will be doing but I know for sure there will be a few coming before the end of 2023 and plenty more in the future. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Alongside all this on the blog the aim is to be a lot more active on social media once more. Unfortunately with the lack of time I haven't been anywhere near as active on there as I would have liked to be so it is time for that to change so people can enjoy plenty of gaming and tech content on there daily. Gaming is definitely going to be the main focus on there though but I can easily say there will be plenty more posts than there has been in the past year. Who knows a TikTok might also be on its way too but I guess you will just have to wait and see for that. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I am really hoping that with this love of gaming returning and this extra motivation for getting the site back up and running that you will all love the content that is getting posted once more. I am determined to level up the site for the remainder of this year and really improve on the content I am putting out there. Now lets see where this return takes us...</span></p>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-54851890938917720702023-03-03T09:23:00.002+00:002023-03-03T09:23:09.212+00:00What we are playing (3rd March)<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMTsPRlAGkeji-3Zzet4AlxMY0S0p6d7NQ27AoWorwQt5Nk_rtCzLwH9uYzjhTjX1VAKD0eq2rqx_HNjob-0oecfuuxsiB0ZbhU13pTz830EWjmVDSBby7wGNc9gS-pFDSca4FdwOcuI3yofks3OWSLgv_gF7xyVkvSstWH_v4zyFdJgQtb2CWxjA/s1500/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1500" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMTsPRlAGkeji-3Zzet4AlxMY0S0p6d7NQ27AoWorwQt5Nk_rtCzLwH9uYzjhTjX1VAKD0eq2rqx_HNjob-0oecfuuxsiB0ZbhU13pTz830EWjmVDSBby7wGNc9gS-pFDSca4FdwOcuI3yofks3OWSLgv_gF7xyVkvSstWH_v4zyFdJgQtb2CWxjA/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Ah the weekend again at last but I don't know why I am getting excited for it as I am really busy this weekend with football on Friday, Saturday and Sunday which is going to eat up most of my days. I guess we can't complain too much though as we both really enjoy our football and it is a pretty big game I am playing in on Friday. We also have a fair few jobs to get done on Saturday before we go watch the football so lets hope we get those ticked off with time to spare so our Sunday evening isn't spent catching up on things we've missed and we can actually have a bit of time to create content and more importantly play some games. So here is what we are hoping to have the chance to play...</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Lucy</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I am really not expecting to play anything as life is super busy at the moment and with a weekend full of football there is not much free time for me to cram everything into. I need to do a lot of jobs around the house and I have a lot of content that needs to be created so that is going to be my main focus for the weekend as they are my biggest priorities these days. If I do get the chance though I will be playing a bit of Murder on the Marine Express on the Xbox, this should be a nice relaxing game for me to switch off to after those busy days. Let's hope I do find a little bit of time to do this. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Liam</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It really is going to be a much busier weekend than normal for us both and it is going to involve a lot of time out of the house so I think this weekend the only chance I am going to get to game is late on an evening rather than during the day like I usually would. If I do get the chance to game though I am going to try keep it simple with games I can easily jump in and out of in case I get pulled off to do something else. Of course this means plenty of time playing World of Warcraft as per usual then if I fancy a change I will be jumping in and out of Football Manager 23 as that is so easy to spend 15 mins to an hour on just jumping in and out. Honestly though I don't think much gaming will be taking place.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So there you have it that is what we are hoping to play this weekend if we actually get the chance however, gaming isn't a priority this weekend it is a case of getting jobs done and creating content for a change. It is time for a productive weekend.</span></p>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-69779198592956881352023-02-27T08:32:00.001+00:002023-02-27T08:32:15.179+00:00Soko Bunny : Xbox<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFv6DmxqYcsOP0ylxEWJzIojHhxiQT3PCS4IpU48KIZJWdBNClMsn9eAO35DUx-30N6u-Zq4dW4t5cAe_euUnqCv8gICAMuv7ePies6Koyqj5EUvddDmOdfxK19xtsbTilXaXcAHqzk95q_dDNIVoI96QCus76ElrZPk1pU4RTmmrlxe8oCd71dpc/s1500/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1500" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFv6DmxqYcsOP0ylxEWJzIojHhxiQT3PCS4IpU48KIZJWdBNClMsn9eAO35DUx-30N6u-Zq4dW4t5cAe_euUnqCv8gICAMuv7ePies6Koyqj5EUvddDmOdfxK19xtsbTilXaXcAHqzk95q_dDNIVoI96QCus76ElrZPk1pU4RTmmrlxe8oCd71dpc/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It has only taken until almost the end of February but I finally have the first game review of 2023 and it is definitely a different game to what I am used to. Back in December I won a competition where I received a code for the game Soko Bunny on the Xbox, now I will be honest I didn't have a clue about this game at all until I actually got it installed and got around to playing it. Usually if I don't know a single thing about a game especially a short one like this I would go in with a closed mind and already write the game off however, I don't know why but with this game I actually went in quite excited about what I could experience. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Now this game is actually a puzzle game, definitely a type of game I would usually avoid at all costs as I get so easily frustrated with anything that doesn't work the first or second time and it is why a lot of games that include a puzzle are sat in my backlog never to be played again. In this game you play as a bunny and the aim is to get the shipping boxes into their correct spot in the warehouse in as little moves as possible and in the shortest time as possible the catch, the boxes can only move 1 square at a time and in certain directions. Some levels were nice and simple where as other really did test my patience however, I pushed on through and this game actually ended up as my first completed game of the year and is now out of my backlog, making a good start to the 2023 backlog challenge I have set for myself. Originally I jumped head first into the game which was totally the wrong idea as I didn't have a clue on what the game was about and I definitely didn't know what the controls were or the actual aim of each level I was stuck. After 5 or 10 minutes of confusion though I found a training area and after just a few minutes in the training I realised that the couldn't actually have been much simpler and I was ready to finally tackle the games levels. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I will be 100% I didn't expect to enjoy this game at all with it being a puzzle one however, in the end I ended up having so much fun although some points where very frustrating as the level looked so obvious however, it certainly wasn't and took a lot of trial and error. There were a few points where I was very tempted to quit the game through rage however, I stuck it out and actually managed to get through the levels after actually taking a step back and looking at the level more closely. I was quite lucky too as when I was really stuck I just passed the controller to Liam and he got me through any levels I was really struggling with. This is also a pretty quick game to complete with an average completion time of under 3 hours but I guess that time just depends on how good you are with puzzles because it definitely took me a whole lot longer than that to get through this game, I guess I just need to get better at puzzles ready for any future puzzle games I play. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This game is definitely a very basic one but you will know from previous posts I honestly don't mind basic games at all plus with this being on the cheap side of the price scale I wasn't expecting it to be up to the same standards as I would expect from a game I purchase for £60. The sound is very basic but I actually wasn't paying too much attention to it as I knew it wasn't going to play a big part in the game, I just stuck my own music on or a podcast when I was playing through this game. As for the graphics they are really basic however, I have to say I think they are what made me enjoy the game even more as it made it even more different to my usual games where they are super high quality and very realistic. I actually enjoyed playing this game so much I think that I could see myself going back to play it again just randomly to get my brain ticking over and keeping on challenging myself.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">My play-through of this game was definitely more enjoyable than I expected and to be honest it has opened my eyes up a little bit more to the kind of games I could be playing if I don't just stick to those big releases and actually broaden my horizons a bit more when it comes to gaming (when I have a bit more time to play games and buy new ones). SO that is game number 1 in the backlog challenge completed for 2023, the challenge is set at 10 games for the year so I really need to step things up a bit and get playing more games. Soko Bunny was definitely a great start though.</span></p>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-88420952242506417002023-02-24T08:23:00.002+00:002023-02-24T08:23:33.542+00:00What we are playing (24th February)<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW9C95PgPrl8k0feNWsOfMuuVZWnl2lrjugXo7qrTXe4JF6PSqCHidp4hgC7QJGAwf1tqwbO0T1PZA-OH-ITbKuoKFG5MpjCPZHMQzSQpExpyABF698HG9NBjXpKYbDIEtDn9mZwj7lbXq6mbKYmnT94imxBpkjDavEAWr-9oysyrErYbk2XEVhpg/s1500/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1500" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW9C95PgPrl8k0feNWsOfMuuVZWnl2lrjugXo7qrTXe4JF6PSqCHidp4hgC7QJGAwf1tqwbO0T1PZA-OH-ITbKuoKFG5MpjCPZHMQzSQpExpyABF698HG9NBjXpKYbDIEtDn9mZwj7lbXq6mbKYmnT94imxBpkjDavEAWr-9oysyrErYbk2XEVhpg/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Ah finally the weekend and to be honest I think this week has gone quite quickly, just not really quick enough for me. It has once again been a busy week for me and luckily I have a full weekend at home however, it is going to be a bit of a busy one again as we are planning on decluttering as many rooms as possible from Friday evening through to Sunday evening and then of course I have all the usual blogging to do just to keep one step ahead. I am determined though that this isn't going to consume my full weekend and I am going to give myself the chance to step away from jobs & the PC to switch off and relax, the relaxing will come in the form of gaming which I am definitely missing so here is what we are hoping to play over the weekend...</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Lucy</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As I said earlier it is going to be a busy weekend however, I am not letting myself get burnt out and fed up so I will be taking a step back at points over the course of the weekend just to sit down and relax with some games. My big aim is to get Murder on the Marine Express completed and out of the backlog and if all goes to plan that could be done by Saturday evening, so fingers crossed that works out in my favour. I will also be using some spare time just before be to just switch off and play through more Super Mario 3D World as I still haven't progressed any further in this game and I think it could be the perfect way just to switch off on a night and get my mind going a bit slower before finally calling it a night and going to sleep, that's what I love about the Switch I can just lay in bed to play my game rather than having to be in the games room. If I do get through Murder on the Marine Express keep an eye on social media as I will be doing a poll to see what I should be playing next. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Liam </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Luckily it is another weekend where I don't have too much to do as I will just be helping Lucy with the jobs around the house and then putting my football manager skills to the test by taking her on a football training session I have planned out. Once those tasks are done I have all the time in the world to sit and play games and I am looking forward to it as per usual. Of course most of my weekend is going to be spent playing World of Warcraft because is it really the weekend if the majority of my time isn't spent on there? I will also be jumping in and out of Football Manager 23 too as I am enjoying seeing just how far I can take my chosen team. I will also be jumping into a bit more FIFA 23 when Lucy isn't hogging the console set up. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Let's hope everything goes to plan and we can both have a very productive weekend where we can tick off everything we need to as getting ahead of ourselves is key now, life is just getting busier and busier each week with no signs of slowing down at all. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">What are you playing this weekend?</span></p>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-62282787320371418522023-02-17T08:08:00.003+00:002023-02-17T08:08:53.716+00:00What we are playing (17th January)<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQG6ezeIGQHYuEEq4H3jjRn3XssTGTNiHV-0PPCQRwiMxlavi5LJfNUXw1bqU67Ob7zpvokhmxdLcNduqnacgNTwqW4-IvGpW047fcenCH2Q_1ApBW9QkYMXKcuW36CzNXLK9b-f4K_o1PN6-njg9miDXaQ0xm7iD37KRPEROfmSCP1VBLc5toeqA/s1500/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1500" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQG6ezeIGQHYuEEq4H3jjRn3XssTGTNiHV-0PPCQRwiMxlavi5LJfNUXw1bqU67Ob7zpvokhmxdLcNduqnacgNTwqW4-IvGpW047fcenCH2Q_1ApBW9QkYMXKcuW36CzNXLK9b-f4K_o1PN6-njg9miDXaQ0xm7iD37KRPEROfmSCP1VBLc5toeqA/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Finally it is the weekend and it is safe to say this is one I have been looking forward to even if it is going to be yet another busy one. Granted we are actually only out of the house for the football on Saturday but the rest of the time is going to be filled up with jobs around the house and content creating as I really want to get ahead of myself. There are a fair few rooms I want to get decluttered over the course of Friday evening and Saturday whilst I am at home before and after the football. Then I want Sunday to be mainly filled with creating content for the blogs and social media so fingers crossed that all goes to plan. So if we do get the chance to play some games here is what we will be playing...</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Lucy </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I will be 100% honest I don't think I will have much time at all to do any gaming as my main focus is on getting these jobs done in the house as they really need doing and I know if I just get on with them they won't take long at all. I also want a full day of being able to just sit down and get on with content as I am a little bit behind at the moment and I know a day at the PC will do me some good and I will be able to power on through a fair few posts and get plenty of social media content done too and that would definitely be beneficial for me in the long run as I have a lot coming up. If I do get chance to game though I will probably make a start on Murder on the Marine Express as this is a much less demanding game apparently and would be nice to switch off to. I could also use any breaks to get a bit further through Super Mario 3D World as again this isn't too demanding and would be a nice way to relax. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Liam </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Of course during the weekend I will be helping out with some jobs around the house however, I don' have half as much as Lucy planned so I am going to have much more free time to sit and play games. Of course I will be spending as much time a possible on World of Warcraft as usual but I will also be jumping in and out of Football Manager 23 as I am really getting back into playing that. I will also be playing more FIFA 23 as I have really been enjoying playing that recently and it has actually been nice just sitting and playing it again.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So there you have it at least one of us will be playing some games this weekend. Let's just hope it all goes to plan so we can get the jobs done we want to alongside getting as much content created as possible as it is all going to make life a lot easier over the next few weeks as things get a bit more hectic than they have already been.</span></p>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-75838602648057134212023-02-16T08:19:00.001+00:002023-02-16T08:19:13.488+00:00The things I am wanting to save for this year...<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirOnEfJt9lwy2LvA3nhVyj99afzD-K5p18GwiWkbVwBGFKjl-xSKwmpJEo0LwW9B5c17hlSlzODQ3qJklogpW7Wl7scl5SqbNyjZ9IslNkPAQe1Cfol5DZU50Va7G2uQr2skhyxU0fcxGKAW6Qy0nF5oDg7QYNQlIUOWB6MnHyyYu9MJkeWZGF_U0/s1500/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1500" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirOnEfJt9lwy2LvA3nhVyj99afzD-K5p18GwiWkbVwBGFKjl-xSKwmpJEo0LwW9B5c17hlSlzODQ3qJklogpW7Wl7scl5SqbNyjZ9IslNkPAQe1Cfol5DZU50Va7G2uQr2skhyxU0fcxGKAW6Qy0nF5oDg7QYNQlIUOWB6MnHyyYu9MJkeWZGF_U0/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">2023 is the year where I am finally going to stop wasting my money and actually save up for the items I really want, in the past I have been spending money for the sake of it making impulse purchases that go to waste and then I can't afford those purchase I actually really want. This year though I am absolutely determined to cut back on those wasted purchases and actually really think about things before purchasing them. I am only going to buy things that have been on my mind for a while that way it should free up money for me to save for those big items I have wanted for a while that are actually going to help me achieve my goals and progress with my little projects. So here are the items I am aiming to save for...</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">New iPad</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I got a secondhand iPad mid 2022 and I have been loving using it to create content on the go however, due to its age I am unable to do a few things plus I would love one that is compatible with the Apple Pencil as it would make editing etc that bit easier. This is definitely going to be an expensive purchase but is one that is going to benefit me in so many ways so fingers crossed it doesn't take too long to save up for. As I level up my content this year I think it is going to be a great purchase to help me smash my content goals as I can be productive from anywhere.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Gaming PC</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">My gaming PC is knocking on a bit now and is slowing down and can't run as many games as I would like. I have a huge backlog of games in my Steam library and honestly I think my computer can run about half of them however, as I am trying to gaming on my PC a lot more I am going to try save up for an upgrade, a new gaming PC would definitely get me flying through that backlog and hopefully enable me to play some more powerful games that I haven't had the chance to play in the past. This is definitely going to be an expensive purchase so I am going to try to earn this by getting through as much of my Steam library as possible whilst saving up, no point making the purchase if I aren't going to play it as much as I would like. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Dji Osmo Gimbal</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The Dji Osmo gimbal has been a wish list item for so long but I just haven't been able to justify the price yet however, in 2023 I am going to change that as I am going to save a little bit each month towards buying this item. It really is going to be a game changer as I start adding move video content to my social media as it will stabilize the videos and provide better quality. As I work on the fitness side of my content and the football content this could really become a lifesaver and I am really looking forward to finally picking one up. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Rode Wireless Microphones</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">These are another item that are mainly for my football content but I haven't purchased them yet due to the price tag. I am determined though to save up for these as they would be really beneficial to some of the content I plan on creating as my confidence etc grows. I think as the confidence grows I could also end up using these for some fitness content in the future too so I would definitely get my money worth out of these items. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Headsets for consoles</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I keep saying I am going to buy a new headset for each of consoles however, every time I go to purchase one I just can't bring myself to pay the price they are currently at. For how often I have played on the consoles lately I just haven't been able to justify the cost of them as I won't get the use out of them. I am trying to get more gaming done this year though so as I am playing more I will also be saving to try get these headsets at long last. I concentrate more with all other noise blocked out so they will definitely be a beneficial purchase. At least as I am saving up for these I can play plenty of games to warrant the headset purchase. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Steamdeck</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I have had my eye on one of these for a while now and after watching more and more videos of it on YouTube I think I need to pick one up for myself and maybe I would be kind enough to share it with Liam. I am definitely going to have to play a lot more games to warrant getting one of these as they are on the pricey side of things and at the moment I can't justify it. With how long it is going to take to save for all these items I think it is safe to say I should be gaming enough to warrant this purchase by then.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">New Camera</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This is another pretty expensive purchase tech wise but it is one I have again wanted for a while as I know it is going to be really beneficial for me especially Instagram wise. I am aiming to pick up a vlog style camera to help me with my little projects and if I am honest I think this is going to be one of the first purchases I make as it will mean I can really hit the ground running with improving my content which is what I really want to do this year. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So there you go those are the new items I am saving up for to either level up my content or just to improve my gaming experience. Those items to improve my content are definitely the top priority at the moment as that is where my focus for the year lays. Fingers crossed I can start purchasing some of these items very soon. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">What would you pick up from this post first?</span></p><p><br /></p>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-40543345750595493212023-02-15T08:21:00.002+00:002023-02-15T08:21:16.568+00:00January 2023 new in<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">I said that 2023 would be the year where I stopped spending money for the sake of it and well the first month of the year didn't really go to plan. I ended up buying a few items just for the sake of it however, I know now that I need to change my spending habits if I want to purchase some items I have set out to buy throughout the year and further into the future. So here is what I picked up throughout the first month of 2023...<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVHk2xkc91juY907I4ocnXsjcGh1gOUOi_768jKABx-cqeiCWy0yHKTHuh5ikmgCDbZdDM-FcLlDGrtVLxDJWkXMqd8F5v4nQ8wiE9BMSh7KrbZ5_Lk-YdbQXvKZBDyLPtrD6rTWUTtMsGP7Nudp04lzPixPZ_MWBmD2kKUYjrLAuxlWTtBoYFQ8/s5184/IMG_0948.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVHk2xkc91juY907I4ocnXsjcGh1gOUOi_768jKABx-cqeiCWy0yHKTHuh5ikmgCDbZdDM-FcLlDGrtVLxDJWkXMqd8F5v4nQ8wiE9BMSh7KrbZ5_Lk-YdbQXvKZBDyLPtrD6rTWUTtMsGP7Nudp04lzPixPZ_MWBmD2kKUYjrLAuxlWTtBoYFQ8/s320/IMG_0948.JPG" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We had a trip to the seaside in January and I couldn't resist going on the claw machines in the arcades. I could spend a fortune on them however, normally I walk away empty handed this time though I seem to have got very lucky as just £1 later I was walking away with this Groot, a super cute addition to the games room. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtq17RlTBAFiuuh4u4U3nmdSMlNFYEHJDvwWa8ynG1uMIFsEVB-TA3taeTtSaUnQ86YuIvO5efBJPbiXLqRiv3dJC9k35m6PzD_4Yh4FjiLhP1l0QpRs5S02n-F4ssW_M3nzXtbHwT1n3HggL4fPdLIcu9GS-ucd8HRvMAawOhqvSH3jqpbP6IpT8/s5184/IMG_0933.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtq17RlTBAFiuuh4u4U3nmdSMlNFYEHJDvwWa8ynG1uMIFsEVB-TA3taeTtSaUnQ86YuIvO5efBJPbiXLqRiv3dJC9k35m6PzD_4Yh4FjiLhP1l0QpRs5S02n-F4ssW_M3nzXtbHwT1n3HggL4fPdLIcu9GS-ucd8HRvMAawOhqvSH3jqpbP6IpT8/s320/IMG_0933.JPG" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is definitely aimed at kids however, with it being reduced to just 50p I couldn't resist it. It is a well known fact now just how much I love women's football and with things becoming more available for the women's game I seem to be buying anything I set my eyes on. I have had a flick through this so far and I think I am going to enjoy this little book.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwJ6YaXWzwWdjHfW_h1PRnU_pZ9BEfG4HeMqZJfYQtfU5NT4dR8csUQnQVRCzQBs9JxtdjD_1m60WYeL5lKFAhKS-OSEW8EcYgevasaM32PAczVQQnC0B_CK0nhYyTaf2v3FtzcOX8v0ZjBlgDpopOv81tvTPjw35c4e5hPTBaJeV2Xmo9JYCXR8/s5184/IMG_0954.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwJ6YaXWzwWdjHfW_h1PRnU_pZ9BEfG4HeMqZJfYQtfU5NT4dR8csUQnQVRCzQBs9JxtdjD_1m60WYeL5lKFAhKS-OSEW8EcYgevasaM32PAczVQQnC0B_CK0nhYyTaf2v3FtzcOX8v0ZjBlgDpopOv81tvTPjw35c4e5hPTBaJeV2Xmo9JYCXR8/s320/IMG_0954.JPG" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oh look another women's football item and this is one I definitely wasn't leaving behind. I have been wanting a scarf to wear for the Man Utd matches for a while now however, they all seemed to just be generic men's ones apart from the Russo & Toone ones I already had. I love this one with this seasons squad on it and I am hoping this is only the start of more women's merchandise at games.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_LliNGG79Hg-1ng1CqX5cjDcIM80geA1HSH5WBRyorX7026PV7k897dN75puNwPJFzzjHYnDabW_TXdX_DmNZWMbO7UxItuUU166YxM90UcmqytU452d1x-Ra9i4nrEGHR83jBVgL8BJ1U3OYKsMWHodVSqpwJ3p0Ttte5SH8zmEeja2VxtyNHI/s5184/IMG_0959.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_LliNGG79Hg-1ng1CqX5cjDcIM80geA1HSH5WBRyorX7026PV7k897dN75puNwPJFzzjHYnDabW_TXdX_DmNZWMbO7UxItuUU166YxM90UcmqytU452d1x-Ra9i4nrEGHR83jBVgL8BJ1U3OYKsMWHodVSqpwJ3p0Ttte5SH8zmEeja2VxtyNHI/s320/IMG_0959.JPG" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWpk6MLRY4eBFKkbb0aDWFC6A5R1NjZRw-uyZvZcSZxe5egARruRI8L5JUaZzZ3bejaAralq5VdBIjBRgOGe51wpFfX6V3DY9OyhCbrtjC267RK2WsLGtlBaI8dPoWltJiW-K7q8ygJzIcrQ7NTxeqkyZOTk6kzQyB1ztjBbB72_TgUlg3aApowI/s5184/IMG_0960.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWpk6MLRY4eBFKkbb0aDWFC6A5R1NjZRw-uyZvZcSZxe5egARruRI8L5JUaZzZ3bejaAralq5VdBIjBRgOGe51wpFfX6V3DY9OyhCbrtjC267RK2WsLGtlBaI8dPoWltJiW-K7q8ygJzIcrQ7NTxeqkyZOTk6kzQyB1ztjBbB72_TgUlg3aApowI/s320/IMG_0960.JPG" width="213" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I have wanted a Jordan Nobbs shirt for the longest time but held off getting an Arsenal one, I guess I did right as she was transferred to Aston Villa in January. Of course once the move was announced I ordered my shirt and I love it. Finally I have my favourite players shirt in my collection.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtY-YIzzUArRp4l-PbrRNaS4-UR6Z__8uAnjGLewQy_-x3MxXqU3BHto_h47-_mxcGzt3Qhlq5Sqd8dGmhoPzaL-HJJlw374fhBZYB4R22AEznbsEaSEpojlLZFmQv-UFgisSmE_ocjbpd-R3bnjslGxMrPJafmNjFnV0rT7YCYsEgYbd4oLxRfDA/s5184/IMG_0940.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtY-YIzzUArRp4l-PbrRNaS4-UR6Z__8uAnjGLewQy_-x3MxXqU3BHto_h47-_mxcGzt3Qhlq5Sqd8dGmhoPzaL-HJJlw374fhBZYB4R22AEznbsEaSEpojlLZFmQv-UFgisSmE_ocjbpd-R3bnjslGxMrPJafmNjFnV0rT7YCYsEgYbd4oLxRfDA/s320/IMG_0940.JPG" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Both me and Liam wanted the latest Pokemon games before Christmas, we just never seemed to get round to purchasing them until January. I ended up opting to buy Scarlet whilst Liam got a copy of Violet. I have a massive backlog of games to get through so this is just sat on the shelf at the moment but I am really looking forward to playing it when the time comes.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So there you go those are the items I picked up in January, I really need to get saving now as we have something very exciting coming up in the next few months plus we are wanting to get jobs done around the house so all our money is going to be going towards that and getting some goals complete for the year. Let's hope that next months new in post is even smaller.</span></div><p></p>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-23573402949122232062023-02-15T08:12:00.000+00:002023-02-15T08:12:03.351+00:00January 2023 Favourites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU8OJJJPuKnj0o1A4VqlauC3TQsQx9CXcJHU8CWoybeGHUsDmv4-LeES5WvDYN1WszwV5alsG7X2rwNFhVUfL5gskq62E8-yl54dttYOufK41_VFUm91J3k5AnWHs9TCHCSWJ1sEVZ3fDesVMXfou1O6tadOhlvSQkT1T-5oergMABKs4b-ZQci9w/s1500/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1500" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU8OJJJPuKnj0o1A4VqlauC3TQsQx9CXcJHU8CWoybeGHUsDmv4-LeES5WvDYN1WszwV5alsG7X2rwNFhVUfL5gskq62E8-yl54dttYOufK41_VFUm91J3k5AnWHs9TCHCSWJ1sEVZ3fDesVMXfou1O6tadOhlvSQkT1T-5oergMABKs4b-ZQci9w/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A lot of people usually say that January feels like it is taking forever and usually I would agree however, this year I really do think it has absolutely flown by. It has just passed by in the blink of an eye and I really hope that isn't a sign of how the year is going to go in general as I have so much planned but if every month is like January I have no chance of fitting it all into the year. It might have felt like a quick month but I have managed to find a few new favourites whilst also rediscovering old ones and here is what made the cut for the first favourites post of 2023...</span></span></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Film & TV</span></h3><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>911</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I finished Blue Bloods and struggled for something new to watch for a while but then 911 popped up as a recommendation and it is safe to say I have found my new show to binge watch. I am on season 2 already and I only started it a few weeks ago, I just can't get enough of it. I have even had Liam sitting and watching a few episodes of this and although he hasn't said it he doesn't seem to mind watching it. I can see this being a show I end up binge watching just like Blue Bloods but I already don't want to get caught up and have to worry about what to watch next.</span></div></div></div></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Music</span></span></h3><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Paramore</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I spent a lot of January just sticking Paramore on repeat on Spotify. I have listened to their new song This is why far too many times already but it is all their old stuff I just can't get enough of. I am not sure if it is because I am off to see them in April or any other reason but I really can't get enough of their music once more and I really don't see it changing anytime soon.</span></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Tech</span></span></h3><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Macbook</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div></div><span style="font-family: arial;">The Macbook has been a lifesaver lately thanks to how busy I have been. At times I have worried about falling behind on things however, all I have done is throw my Macbook in my bag and work on content in my lunch break, or just gone and sat around the house working on content whilst multitasking as usual. It is still a really fast device so I can get plenty done on the go and don't have to worry about it crashing or acting out. It has meant I am not as far behind as I originally thought and can keep on top of things even when life is absolutely chaotic.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><h3 style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Gaming</span></h3></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Soko Bunny</b></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I don't think I have played a game before that has frustrated me so much whilst also been so enjoyable. I won this game in a giveaway and I had no idea what I was getting as I had never heard of it before but it is safe to say I am pleasantly surprised with the puzzle game even though it is something I would never usually play. There were points in the game where the controller was handed over to Liam but I wont say much more about it as I have a whole blog post coming up about it very soon so keep your eye out for that.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So there you have it those are my favourite things from the month of January. What have you been loving throughout the month?</span></div></div>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-50553102910097669582023-01-13T18:46:00.002+00:002023-01-13T18:46:50.039+00:00Why I am trying to play games on the PC more<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqD8hvEsuc_e4atSEcFwZZw-5RQaQh1GX_lsH-HymsvaJpCgMXwv2t6iHt9Tu-g5S6yyKAfBvGS80xJ-5_BTLa9u6ETjYy30krOKsaGHSyQRuzwyTe_kRvVCvlenjHTD-03DudQax1jaNHb0d2w1t3aDcp8Liuu6rzX6_YfE8zT5v8-wBM03GSZg/s1024/DrJSfaTX0AAO1h5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqD8hvEsuc_e4atSEcFwZZw-5RQaQh1GX_lsH-HymsvaJpCgMXwv2t6iHt9Tu-g5S6yyKAfBvGS80xJ-5_BTLa9u6ETjYy30krOKsaGHSyQRuzwyTe_kRvVCvlenjHTD-03DudQax1jaNHb0d2w1t3aDcp8Liuu6rzX6_YfE8zT5v8-wBM03GSZg/s320/DrJSfaTX0AAO1h5.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;">When we first moved into our house together I treated myself to a basic gaming PC as I wanted to get into playing on the PC more and my old PC wouldn't run anything however, since getting the PC I have barely used it for what I purchased it for. Yes I spend a lot of time at the PC however, I am doing anything but gaming on it as my main uses at the moment are for blogging and watching YouTube when I get fed up of doing those I just end up laying on the sofa bed in the games room chatting to Liam when in all honesty I could very easily just load up a game and play that whilst talking to him but for some reason I just never do it. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">One thing I want to do in 2023 though is actually use my PC for its intended use, gaming. I might as well start using it for what I bought it for at long last and to be honest there is nothing really stopping me as I am trying to cut back on the time I spend blogging and actually gaming more than I did last year. For the amount of time I spend at my PC in 2023 I might as well start splitting that time up and actually play some games on it too. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> I already have Steam installed on my PC and I have a whole host of games in my Steam library just waiting to be played so I am determined to use 2023 to get some of those completed plus there are a few Indie titles I have seen on there that I would love to pick up but I refuse to do that until I am playing on the PC more so I know I aren't just wasting my money like I have done with games just sat there so far. My backlog is absolutely huge on Steam and I know that my PC is more than capable of running those games so I am determined to get through plenty of them this year. There are games that have been sat on their unplayed for more than 5 years as I just neglect playing the PC but that is going to change and I am going to stop putting off playing them and finally get them installed on my PC. I honestly believe that I could lose hours in the games room just playing games I have held off on whilst just chatting to Liam as we are basically sat side by side. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I am also determined to play on the PC more and get through my backlog of games as I really want to upgrade my PC in the near future but at the moment I just can't justify the cost as I don't use it for intended purpose. Whilst I am saving for the new PC though I want to keep playing what I can (even with the few issues the PC has) so that I can just reassure myself that the big outgoing for a new PC isn't going to be wasting and I will continue playing games on it whilst also purchase newer games that take up more of a demand on the PC as I know my current PC can't run some games due to a lack of specifications. I will be honest though I haven't decided whether I am going to go down the PC route or Steamdeck route or if I am going to end up with both devices in the future. I just need to get playing those games on Steam to be able to justify that big cost especially if I do opt for both PC and Steamdeck. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Overall I think by sitting and playing these games on the PC it is just going to be nice to have a break from itting at the PC blogging all the time and I know that break is going to do me some good and help me switch off but should also open my eyes to a whole host of games that I would otherwise be missing out on. Plus if I am gaming on the PC I don't have to sacrifice any YouTube time either as the PC has two screens so if I really want to I can game and have some of my favourite creators on in the background. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">2023 is certainly the year of gaming more and it is time to make sure I am incorporating PC gaming into my gaming activities so I can finally make moves through my Steam backlog which as it stands is only getting bigger. Let's hope by the end of the year I have completed plenty of games on the PC and am making good progress towards purchasing a new PC to game on in the future.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Do you game on the PC too or do you stick to other consoles?</span></p>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467851061880061661.post-29655812386902386832023-01-10T08:46:00.003+00:002023-01-10T08:46:54.991+00:00My 2023 reading plan<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO3K0hKE1lwQCYUKUqjSwUcDbBpK2poqV-O5PaMXdrafbskfphhIRB-hqinAt9PrkYlhPMFvDCg6mYOa1V_HGxcHGPTjCZvgyzfS-4ZOuFqjKEeNEEdDJranLGTCM5hw7N21--ysRF9JsFLKpj06yQrQYoakvQO36FbmYLJ2i4gDVq8M8-QLZTGZA/s1500/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1500" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO3K0hKE1lwQCYUKUqjSwUcDbBpK2poqV-O5PaMXdrafbskfphhIRB-hqinAt9PrkYlhPMFvDCg6mYOa1V_HGxcHGPTjCZvgyzfS-4ZOuFqjKEeNEEdDJranLGTCM5hw7N21--ysRF9JsFLKpj06yQrQYoakvQO36FbmYLJ2i4gDVq8M8-QLZTGZA/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">2023 is the year of making positive changes that are going to benefit me in plenty of ways and give my mind a bit of a break rather than working 100 mph like it has done in previous years. Last year I was getting far too worn out as if I wasn't at the football watching I was playing or writing about it, add in the rest of the blogging work I was doing and trying to focus on my fitness and weight loss journey things were just none stop. As I say though I am trying to make better changes to give myself a break and one way I am hoping to do so is by getting back into reading. I used to absolutely love reading and made a start getting back into it last year however, life went crazy and I dropped off again, I still buy books I just never get around to reading them. That is definitely going to change though as I have a stack of books I am determined to finish by the end of the year.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">First up to ensure I am reading plenty and not getting bored I am going to try mix up what I am reading. I have a good mixture of books in my to be read pile however, in the past I have stuck to just reading fiction over and over or football book after football book not this time though. I think if I read a fiction book I will follow it with an autobiography or self help but and so on, just change things up and keep them interesting. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">My bookcase is overflowing now with books from my favourite footballers especially from the women's game so I really want to get through a lot of those this year but I also have self help books that are going to help me on my journey this year so I think those two categories are going to take centre stage this year. I do have a fair few fiction books I would really like to get through as well though as some of those books have been around since before we even moved in together almost 5 years ago. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I am determined this year that I will complete 10 books which I will be tracking on both Goodreads and in my new bullet journal, I think it is going to be a bit of extra fun marking each book as it is completed and giving it a bit of a rating whilst seeing my progress across the year, it might also show me a trend into what books I like or don't like so I can avoid them in the future. The plan for the year to get through this amount of books is to read every single night, something I should be doing rather than scrolling on my phone like I currently do. I am hoping that half an hour to an hour of reading before bed will not only get me through my books but will also help me relax and have a much needed good nights sleep and help create a good routine for me on an evening that is going to improve my life overall as I will be more rested and ready to tackle the next day with an early start as I am planning to do.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">My to be read pile is seriously out of control now and it is time to change that alongside creating a healthy habit to get me more relaxed. I am excited to see just how many books I end up reading over the course of the year and just which I preferred and if those I had really looked forward to reading lived up to the expectations I had set for them. I am really looking forward to just switching off and having some screen free time this year as it is very much needed. Time to pick up those books I guess.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Do you set yourself any reading targets for the year?</span></p>thenortherngirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01465212440942725679noreply@blogger.com0