Heading off to University is now looming close on the horizon for many teens, and this will generally leaving the comfort of home for the first time. All the bravado in the world won't disguise the fact that this is a scary time.

Fearful, nervous, excited about the first day of school? And that's just mum. There may be tears at the school gate in the next week or so, make sure they're only yours not your little ones!

Many people questioned the extinguishing of the Olympic cauldron at the end of the games... what of our paralympians yet to inspire the nation? Well London 2012 has created a unique and special identity for the Paralympic Torch Relay.

Is the August Bank Holiday weekend a strange time to be looking ahead to the winter months? Possibly, but it's also a good time to get all those DIY jobs done before the cold weather returns.

Finally we get some seaside weather, and in the school holidays too! But with thousands heading to our coastline, the RNLI and Coastguard volunteers have little time for lazing in the sun.

Fancy donning your lycra and legwarmers or new romantic threads? Or are you more of a smooth retro Little 'Ol Wine Drinker? Either way Southend definitely has a night out planned for you this weekend.

This weekend sees #Southend Pier hosting its 24th Annual Puppet Festival. Bring the children along for some fun, and indulge in a little nostalgia while you're at it as live puppetry is as enchanting today as it ever was.

Well, St Swithin's day came and went... did it rain on you? One thing we can guarantee is that we ARE going to be tearing our hair out at some time over the next few weeks as we desperately try to relieve the boredom of housebound children.

From its offsite construction at Tilbury Docks, through its voyage down the Thames and the eventual delicate operation of craning onto #Southend Pier, the Cultural Centre is opening its doors with a weekend of events guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

As Murray mania grows once again, and the ladies continue to 'out grunt' the men, we are once again digging out our old tennis racquets hoping to emulate their prowess on the court during Wimbledon.