Back to Ms L in Hounslow but for her back garden this time. Last session was the front garden with Kash - this time I was alone for the back garden. Same story for the grass : not to be done as wet which means weeding time. Cleared the weeds in the patio section : slabs free from weed. Then did the side entrance to the garden and cleared the path going the the back of the garden to make it more accessible and ready for when the bungalow will be installed on the left and the sheds moved. Socio-path : the weeds taking over the path! Taking the Path of Most Resistance (Weeds) - path master at work today. Now a clear path for Ms L : a clear path to doing good!!

Shopping for Mr K, this time featuring pens

Sometimes you plan on going to task. Sometimes you just happen to walk there with other Goodgymers simply because you weren't 100% certain of your best way home after ParkRun. And whose is to complain!

In any case, beyond the social butterfly that I am, 6 proper, reliable and dedicated GoodGymers were in attendance this morning at Harvard Hill: Michelle, Ariane, Alan, Chris, Kymm and Maxime.

Shortly after our arrival, the team of local neighbours, cultivate and abundance london got us not 1, not 2 but 300! young native trees to plant alongside the back wall of the park currently bare with the exception of some old graffitis.

We were tasked to plant those in some sort of V shape with the aim of producing a rather natural bush formation by the time they mature.

And so we dug, we planted and we dug and we planted. With the great turnout of local residents as well the task was a great success and even though not all trees were planted by the time we left off the whole wall area was covered and some more trees ended up being planted elsewhere.

Having done such a good job, some of us decided to treat ourselves with some brunch (the social butterfly was at it again!)

Now we shall come back soon to Harvard Hill to see how those little trees will have grown!

Eight GoodGym members turned out to help out at Strand on the Green School, even if one of us was late for registration.

We split into two teams and got straight to work around the pond area. One group — Florian, Michelle, Maxime and Chris — took on the tough task of clearing ivy from the wall surrounding the pond, making a big dent in what had become an impressive tangle.

Meanwhile, Lucy, Breda, Emily and Gus (once he eventually made it through the school gates — detention!!) got stuck into scrubbing the deck around the pond. Extra care was taken not to disturb the pond life, proving that speed and sensitivity can go hand in hand.

Armed with headtorches and running lights, we worked quick as a flash. Before long the jobs were done, it was time to run back, squeeze in some light stretches, and then — naturally — head to the pub.

Coming up this Saturday in Hounslow:

Our rearranged community mission with Friends of Harvard Hill, planting donated trees 🌱 https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/tree-planting-session-at-harvard-hill

A session helping out at Baron's pond in Gunnersbury https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/help-get-baron-s-ponds-ready-for-spring

Plenty more chances to get involved — hope to see lots of you there!

Big changes had happened in the week since Mrs J's last GoodGym mission. Some plans had moved forward, like the electrician rewiring the house and painting had started in the bedrooms. Other plans had changed and the wardrobes that Sevan emptied of clothes last week were now going to be kept, not replaced by new units. The Swedish death cleaning had also proved to be too much to take on all at once, so some belongings were being moved to storage for now.

The 4 wardrobes now being kept were the main feature of today's mission as they had to be moved into another room across the landing. First, Kash and Sevan, helped by Mrs J's relative, pushed the existing furniture out of the way in the destination room to make space. They found out that the large corner sofa was a big jigsaw puzzle with interlocking pieces, meaning they could lighten it to shift it. They also learned that everything was interconnected. Moving one thing caused a domino effect, with other items toppling over, so they had to be very careful.

Once the destination room was ready, Sevan looked at the wardrobes and thought they wouldn't fit through the doors. Each of the 3 doors was tighter than the previous one, looking like matryoshka, and all but one of the wardrobes were too wide to pass on their back and too deep to pass sideways. That was a puzzler. While Kash and Sevan moved vintage furniture downstairs for donation and clothes upstairs to lighten the wardrobes, Mr J removed the tops of the wardrobes, making them much less deep and they also became much more floppy.

Kash and Sevan helped Mr J and his relative move some of the wardrobes on a trolley, guiding them through the narrow doors. They also moved wardrobes themselves. Those with clothes rails more or less held their shape. The one that didn't have a rail started to bow and disintegrate, taking a lot of care for Mr J to get it safely to its temporary new home.

With the wardrobes moved, it was time for some quick refreshments and to catch up on the next steps of Mrs J's treatment before Kash and Sevan ran off to their next mission.

"I need coffee because my body doesn't make it" - Mr J

Sevan and Kash's last mission of the day was a return visit to Ms L scheduled for the 15:30-17:00 slot. The two were stretching the boundaries with the sunset expected at 16:50. With grey skies and persistent drizzle throughout the day, the daylight was precious.

Kash's previous mission for Ms L was a lot about reaching the sky with Steph climbing the ladder to remove the ivy. This week's task theme, on the contrary, was descending to the underground to remove the root of all evil. Kash was hell-bent on digging out the ivy and bramble roots with a big, trenching spade to prevent growth in the spring as much as possible.

Meanwhile, Sevan transcended to the opposite side of the front garden to attack the ivy where it's been neglected during the last three sessions for Ms L. Trying different cutting tools, he removed the vines from the fence and pulled as much ivy as possible from the branches of a dense snowberry bush. As per Ms L's request, he also dealt with faded plastic flowers and threw them into the bin.

Just before 16:50, the lights in the garden started glimmering with a faint, warm glow. They looked magical as the night set in, and were a sign for Sevan and Kash to wrap up. With the invasive species removed and the bulbs kept planted in the ground, Ms L, after saying goodbye to the fake plants, will enjoy the explosion of proper flowers in the spring!