A flirt is almost never single – and if he/she is, it is of choice rather than chance! So, if you are over 50 and wish to be a player in the game of love- start by learning how to flirt. Now we know that flirting is an art and it only comes naturally, but a few tips to do it better (and to do it, for novices) for over 50 dating sojourns can never it, can they?! Here are 5 tips for flirting with aplomb while on an over 50 dating spree!

1. Break the ‘touch’-screen – Touching can be one of the most sensitive and yet the most warming of subjects in a date. Irrespective of whether you are on your first date or your twentieth, keep touching her subtly and in a romantic way. This is very tricky – Do it more than necessary and you are a pervert; do it less than what she’s comfortable with, and you end up as a bore! Balance is the key here (as it is probably throughout any over 50 date)!

1. Make her/him laugh – Do not keep serious just because you are on the wrong side of 50! Laugh and have fun like you did during your teenage years on a date. Remember, no one likes a sadist or a bore. So make yourself comfortable and make her laugh, even with the old jokes told in a novel way. Stay away from the dirty ones till you haven’t understood your date enough.

1. Compliments are the key – Keep complimenting your date, even if he/she is not particularly well-dressed for your liking. Remember, she might not look gorgeous today, but that doesn’t stop her from looking awesome the next if she is seriously pretty. So hold your patience and learn to keep her flattered!

1. Body Language matters – Make sure you follow her moves (DON’T STARE!) and duplicate the same subtly. This makes her more comfortable (like both of you putting your elbows on the table), and opens her up for love to make it’s way through!

1. Don’t be too perfect in the art – Don’t let it seem practiced or too perfect. This may have two negative consequences – one, she may mistake you for a Casanova or she may mistake your flirtatiousness for being too eager to be in bed with her. Both – are disastrous for a date. Try and be naïve and genuine in your PDA, and try and not be cocky.

These tips may effectively make you a great flirt – but remember- anything remotely obscene or dirty in your mannerisms and you will be out of the dating recce as fast as you had entered it! Caution is the key in every over 50 dating episode. And once you know you guys are in love, throw it to the winds!

Over 50 dating is fun; one of the first rules is to have and keep your sense of humour. It is one of the most important things you can bring to relationship. If you go for looks, status or even a specific personality then eventually you could be disappointed. Looks fade, status may disappear, personality’s change, but someone with a great sense of humour which endures even when everything else has gone is worth their weight in gold. Dating someone who has the ability to make you laugh is priceless. Over 50 dating sites are similar to an estate agents window or auto trader, first you look at the photographs, then you read the description…. Sometimes the descriptions can be flawed and the photographs a little misleading. Not so with a sense of humour, you cannot pretend to have a sense of humour you just have! How attractive is that person (regardless of their looks) you’re almost guaranteed to fancy them. So next time you date someone because they have gorgeous legs, or sexy eyes, or a lovely smile. Don’t be fooled straight away Date the guy or gal that makes you laugh remember the old song “make em laugh, make em laugh”  see if they can tickle your sense of humour buds first. If you are on the over 50 dating scene then you have enough life stories to make anybody laugh!

For those none northern types, mushy peas are marrowfat peas, soaked overnight and simmered for hours in a little sugar and salt. Not sophisticated, but dollop a spoonful next to your fish ‘n’ chips or Sunday roast and heaven awaits. Imagine a party taking place in your mouth and you just about have it.

Now, the best mushy peas were and are my mothers. Synonymous with listening to the Goons in our kitchen while we waited for my Dad to get back from his Sunday game of crown green bowling and a couple of pints at The Queen’s Arms.

I am making no other claims for my mum’s cooking as it has become clear over the decades that her hatred of bacteria has escalated to a degree where any foodstuff is boiled for five days before serving. It’s a bit like looking at a plate of porcelain fruit but in reverse. With porcelain, you take a bite and break a tooth. With my mum, it looks good and tasty but disintegrates on contact.

So why is the mushy pea the king of vegetables in my mum’s house?  It’s the fact that all the other veg are mushy but should be firm that wins the prize. At least the mushy pea complies with the trade description act and is what it is meant to be; mushy!

So is the mushy pea now dead? The answer is a resounding no despite the best attempts of Bachelors to popularise the tinned variety. My mum still does mushy peas the old fahioned way and now Nigella Lawson has jumped on the ‘real mushy peas’ bandwagon.

There are plenty of reasons for people to join an over 50 dating site. With mature dating getting popular, people are finding a solution to bring back enjoyment in their retired and lonely life. Most people join over 50 dating sites as this is the easiest way to meet some one of your choice from among the unlimited options available.

Often, they allured by their friends who are pretty much actively involved and are members of online dating sites. The excitement of meeting some one new and interesting in the second innings on your mature dating ball game can be unavoidable sometimes.

It isn’t always easy to step into the dating arena after you have lived nearly half your life. Your grown up children may not approve it, you may be shy to go on an open quest to find your mature dating partner or might doubt your chances of finding one for your self. Online dating sites are just the right place for you to visit.

Knowing someone sharing the same interest as you do without having the fear of being embarrassed, so many profile to choose from whenever you want is what is makes online dating sites most fascinating for people interested in over 50 dating.

Online dating no longer bears the stigma of lazy and useless activity but has become the necessity of the busy city life. It is difficult to visit pubs, bars and discos in search of your soul mate, especially if you are searching for some one interested in mature dating. Moreover finding your over 50 dating partner offline make take its toll both on your money and energy leaving you frustrated if you fail to get your dream mate.

Such an interesting thing at your hands, why choose something else to bring your over 50dating endavours to success?

It is so tempting to re-invent yourself when dating on the internet. When you meet your date how easy is it to try and be someone you think they are looking for. You might think your date would approve if you become sophisticated? Or maybe a little mysterious? It is a tough call, to keep  a pretence up for longer than a week or two, possibly  a month at the longest.

If you think your date is  “the one” then you might be spending the next half century or so with them. Could you imagine that 50 years of pretending. Would you really want a lifetime of pretence? Changing some of your behaviour for the better is always a good thing, but changing your basic personality is nigh on impossible. So be you, get it all out in the open now. If that’s not what your date is looking for at least you won’t get in to deep. Some people don’t actually like sophistication, or mystery, they’ll maybe love your for an upfront sense of humour, some people like to be needed and do a bit of looking after. Horses for courses. Somewhere out there is someone who wants you, dating is the perfect and possibly the only way to find that special someone. Remember you are unique.

Internet dating involves a massive leap of faith. Using positive language (initially whilst chatting on line) has a huge effect on the people you’re chatting to. People feel energised when listening to positive conversation. You’ll be a magnet for further chats on the dating site and, will increase your chances of going out on a date quite significantly. Make a list of all negative words and phrases you would use routinely in a day. Then work out positive phrases to replace the negative ones with. For example

God I’m so bored… With…………I’m going to find something different to do today.

The traffic was a bloody nightmare….With….What an eventful trip.

I’m absolutely dreading this…With….I just can’t wait to have a go.

I’m useless…….With…….. I’m determined to get this right.

This is a problem…..With……I’m trying to work this out.

I hate that………….With……Maybe it’s an acquired taste?

It’s easy to turn a negative into a positive, it just requires practise. Positive language can have a dramatic impact on your dating success. Language makes a significant difference to how you view something or someone; this in turn can impact on how your prospective dates will view you. Choose your words carefully and you will become more interesting to people you want to impress. Ditch the negative, dance with the positive, date the people you are impressed with.

I had already discovered the joys of a day at the races many years ago. Now, firmly on the over 50 dating scene, I wonder if there is a better place to enjoy a day out? Only £5 in and free parking all day is a great start followed by beautiful weather, ample drinks of Pym’s and lemonade and two winners also! You get the vibe of the friendly crowd, lots of time  to talk and the buzz of losing a fiver or winning twenty pounds every 30 minutes.

Of course, it’s not just York races thats a great day out. Truth is that the smaller courses such as Hexham or Perth are also great days out but you just miss out on the twenty thousand crowd in the process. Anyway, anybody looking for a great over 50 dating venue could do a lot worse.

You must have noticed that rather luscious guy/girl on you dating site? The combination of a good picture and an interesting profile is positively captivating. So what to do to get that date? Don’t forget that people expect to be approached on a dating site; it is a socially interactive environment. Key to catching someone’s attention is to have a bit of a flirt. If it’s a lady making the running, men are usually so delighted that you can say almost anything! (Well within reason)

Hi, I’m looking for a friendly face to chat to and yours fits the bill. Words and humour are really important on a dating site. Try to tailor your advance to the style of ad that they’ve written and use similar themes. It’s really simple, if she has asked for a sun loving beach bum that enjoys building sandcastles and sky diving, then your response could be: sun tan lotion, bucket and spade, plus spare parachute. Corny I know but really effective. It works for two reasons, (a) you have made the effort to read the profile and (b) you have added humour to the mix, so brownie points for both.  To reveal something personal about yourself allows the person you are chatting to respond in kind. This will give you something to chat about on your first date. . Often leading to a second date ad infinitum……..

You learn something new every day running a over 50 dating site. The latest one is the name given to women who seek out sex with much younger men. Where on earth a ‘Cougar’ comes in rather than a tiger, lynx, panther, ocelot or lion, I have no idea. I may be the only bloke in britain who has never heard of a cougar and i have never been stalked by one. God knows I would have noticed because she would have to be seventy years old!

What’s your best over 50 dating date? Mine was simply this – a walk around the beautiful plumpton rocks with a beautiful woman and a bag of Werthers Original. Follow this up with a stroll around Harrogate, buying nothing but a pot of tea and some amazing Scones at Betty’s tea house. Then a bottle of red sat by the side of a bar watching the world go by before visiting a dress agency to buy three designer ties for £20 including a Vivienne Westwood! Next to Leeds to watch the Rhino’s followed by a lovely dinner with two good friends in a local Thai restaurant. Back to mine for …… (you can guess the rest)

So whats your best over 50 date?