Hi Ivor,
I have pretty much the same as Gadget,
Started with Paintshop then moved over to Photoshop Elements 5 and now also use CS2. All a bit dated now but still do a good job. My preference for ease of use is Photoshop Elements, though there are some things it can't do - hence the lower price, but it does the job well for a non-professional piece of software.
Make sure you master restoring before going onto colouring, colouring does not hide bits you've missed or thought you could get away with! Agree with Gadget on the filters, go easy on them, and also don't use on the whole photo, just the bits that need the filter, thats a very common mistake. Play with all the tools to see what they do, you will find which ones you like to use best and check out the tutorials on the web, there are loads of them now, especially on YouTube.
When I started to learn how to restore in 2007, I would look on here to see how others did their restores and try to reproduce the ones I thought were good... it doesn't mean I used their style but tried to get up to the same quality of repair. Same with colouring, you've probably noticed how different colouring styles can change a photo dramatically. Same with applying frames, its a personal preference after you have completed your work. There are one or two people who shall remain nameless on here that are
infamous for their frames
If you just want to practice colouring, "borrow" some of the good restores from here and colour... but please remember to acknowledge the original restorers work as it possibly took them hours to do!
good luck and look forward to seeing how you progress
Jenny