Busy is a word of which you can describe my next two weeks. The ancient old adage, you wait for ages and then everything comes around at once has hit me.

Following this Saturday, where I will be carrying out my usual part time shift at a local Garden Centre, I’m then off to Essex, Braintree, to be precise to spend a week with one of my closest University friends. Joey, a fellow budding journalist student and myself, will no doubt be enjoying the good weather (hopefully) to the full, but let’s not forget our competitive edge.

As we are both keen tennis players, at least a couple of times I would imagine we will be taking to the court where blood and thunder will meet us on every point.

Fortunately enough, I have a slight winning record against my opponent at present, but I know he has been running up the miles this summer on the court so expect most national bookmakers to be calling off bets for the encounters as it could be too close to call! Here’s hoping my freshly re-gripped racket might just give me the edge though.

Also clustered into the week, is a trip to ‘Go-Ape’. I’ve never been before, but it basically is an adventure outdoor climbing centre whereby you can attempt to hoist yourself up various natural obstacles which all stand very tall indeed. It should be fun.

Ok, so after I travel back a bit further down South, a couple of birthdays are then waiting for me. However, it’s not my birthday, nor am I the centre of attention at all. Two of my closest friends share their Birthdays on Sunday August 1st, but they are celebrating their twentieth birthdays respectively, the day before on Saturday night. Added into the mix, a lifelong and childhood friend is twenty-one on July 31st and is also celebrating his birthday then! Dilemmas!

Already (surprisingly) I’ve been quite efficient in purchasing the required gifts and cards ahead of schedule, but the ins and outs of the arrangements for the weekend are still a bit perplexing, but will as ever probably get sorted out via text messaging.

From a purely personal standpoint, though, the week beginning August 2nd is a very exciting period for me. This is because I have recently secured a work placement at Sky Sports News. By now, you may have or may not have read the blurb about me on my Hampshire Chronicle blog.

Anyway, it states my ambition is to work for Sky Sports, and by getting this opportunity it is a dream come true for me. I will spend the week in Isleworth, Middlesex, working in a live studio environment, planning sports news, meeting the presenters and learning the tricks of the trade. I have worked very hard to get the chance, but nevertheless I still consider myself fortunate. Rest assured I will blog every little detail on here in a couple of week’s time.

For now, drop me an e-mail at stuart23fc@hotmail.co.uk if you wish to ask me anything or have anything to say about my blog here online for Winchester’s Hampshire Chronicle.