Pitch and...pitch, and pitch again...and putt...and putt again...you get the idea

Over the past month or so Andy and I have become rather obsessive pitch and putt fans. This has had three main consequences:

1. I am no longer able to taunt Dad for wanting to wander round an oversized field hitting a 'small ball into a small hole with a big stick'.
2. I am poorer than I was when we played one pool night a week.
3. I have another sport at my disposal with which to tonk Andy.

There should have been an impressive fourth point...however, despite cramming in up to three rounds per week, neither of us have really seen a consistent marked improvement in our play, other than Andy's recent birdie and a few pars here and there. Our aim at the moment is to achieve a round of 36, which is 9 over par over 9 holes. That may not sound very impressive, but at the moment we seem to be hitting the 40 to 45 mark, so a good few shots need to be saved here and there in order to reach the target. Assuming anyone is at all interested, I'll let you know how we are getting on in future posts!

Another new pastime I have recently taken up is becoming an avid viewer of The Apprentice. I had never watched any episodes from the previous four series, but for some reason this time around I find myself hooked! OK, so maybe it's not the most stimulating or moral-grounded show on the box, but I cannot deny that it makes fascinating viewing and I would also point out that it provides an insight into the world through the eyes of people with whom I would not necessarily see eye-to-eye. That said, the media hype regarding the anger, backstabbing and immorality of the contastants to me seems completely unfounded, as the teams appear to, on the whole, work professionally. There is little doubt that in programmes such as this cuts are made in order to create the perceived 'best' TV and I have little doubt that behind the scenes tensions and personal rifts would not be as rife as they appear at face value. So, if you've never thought about watching the show, I would thoroughly recommend at least giving it a chance!

Of course, Apprentice nights are Wednesdays, and from now until late June these times will be double-booked with the Just10 Winchester event, which quite rightly takes priority (thanks, iPlayer!) My church, St Andrew's, is broadcasting a live stream every week from Winchester Catherdal, where well-respected evangelistic speaker J John (who I have heard in the past at Soul Survivor) is delivering a series of ten sermons, each unpacking one of the ten commandments in an effort to open their relevance to our lives and world today. Unfortunately, the live link failed on the opening night and the tech desk had to resort to a pre-recorded DVD of the planned talk. However, the message (about finding true contentment) still came across really well and rumour that a better connection has now been established means hopes are high for the talk this coming week. J John is a highly engaging speaker and I would encourage anyone who reads this blog to, if it is within their means, take a look at the website and come along to one of these excellent events!

Last weekend I completed the annual 15-mile bike ride for the SCRATCH charity, along with 22 others, from Dibden Purlieu to Calshot via Beaulieu (which included a cycle up the intimidating Beaulieu Hill!) Despite being absolutely shattered, especially after a lengthy return trip, the money I and the other cyclists raised made this a very worthwhile morning. One of the reasons I was so tired was that I stayed up until 3am making direction signs, which Andy and I then layed out along the course for those unfamilliar with the route the following morning. Not one of my wisest moments! Then of course, they all needed collecting...and the sign at Ipley crossroads had blown away in the wind! So if you find a salmon-pink laminated piece of card reading 'SCRATCH cycle route' then I would very much appreciate its return (though I'm not holding much hope!)

Also on Saturday, I was called in to operate the visuals for an Alpha day at church, and in the evening the whole family visited the Smiths for a lovely meal, which was followed by much hilarity over a perceived 'mouse' in Andy's bedroom. A plethora of rodent-related jokes soon followed!

So, it's been busy, as usual. In amongst all this activity college has of course resumed and, as I have said in the past, being part time seems to make absolutely no difference to the amount of work I find myself doing - my experience this year leads me to believe that I must surely have been slacking last year! Although I am not dreading the exams by any means, I am very much looking forward to summer, though I am sure I will still miss college, in spite of my anticipation of the promise of university. More to come on this in future posts I am sure. For now, I just need to get through this week, get revising and get some top grades. Sounds easy, eh...?!

I have to admit there is loads more I could have talked about in this blog but I am very much aware that I have gone on for too long as it is. I look forward to the return of The Noise Project this coming weekend, where more cars will be scrubbed, teas served and dances salsa'd as we aim to spread a little bit of love with the community. Read all about it next time!

(P.S - Starting to think I need to blog a few times a week, the way things are going. What you have here is only a snippet of what I could have talked about, but then you all lead busy lives and haven't got all day to read pointless waffle. I promise to use my time spent with your attention sparingly!)