DEPP and the GBBO for GGB

I think winter's arrived. At about 1905 on Tuesday 29th November.

It was all fun and games, GoodGymmers arriving in shorts, welcoming chit chat then running or walking over to Dame Emily Park for a spruce up before we all spruce up our homes for Christmas*, armed with trusty litter pickers including David HeadTorch trialling his new foldy uppy litter pickers (FULPs) and Bristol Waste bags to fill.

There was very little big litter so we were able to spot all sorts of smaller-see-through litter with our (not always) powerful lights. Obviously this led to a hugely fun game of "Leaf or Litter", one of our favourite past times.

And then, all of a sudden, it got very cold and the choice of fitness session or longer run/walk back was given, the latter being the seemingly unanimous choice. Bags were joined to make a single bag of lots of little litter, pickers were put back in the Great Big Bag and off everyone was about to set when Jason, carrier of the Great Big Bag, produced packs of brownies and flapjacks to celebrate his 300th good deed - Hooray! Everyone warmed up a bit and was fuelled for the run/walk back with the walkers carrying the diminishing supply of celebratory cake and the Great Big Bag because we're good like that.

For maybe the first time ever, the walkers were back in Queen Square before the runners and decided it was too cold to wait for the runners, still a mile away, so did their end of group run gubbins, returned the Great Big Bag to the receptionist/cupboard-in-the-cupboard-in-the-cupboard and made for the bar to order a big pot of tea, in theory for two but actually containing SIX cups of very nice tea indeed. And Paul ordered a pint on something very cold, despite being cold himself, having joined the walkers back as he has another marathon this weekend - pink panther is already dressed as an elf but hadn't been allowed to come along as its too early for elves.

The runners returned with their rosy cheeks (on their faces, at least) and joined the GG tables and then, in one of the greatest achievements of her life to date, Melanie persuaded Club Haus in Workout to have the footie on only one TV and the GBBO final on the other, thus introducing GGers who had so far avoided the feel-good-or-sometimes-bad TV show to its gloriousness. And misinterpretation of the Signature Bake as Viennetta Fingers, which would have been Viennese Fingers except they were éclairs. Which led is down the regular GG Bristol discussion of Chris Lewis and general love if the Walls Viennetta. Other ice-cream desserts are available, but not as nice. And so closed another fabulous group run where Clo reminded us all that even though some of us may not have wanted to come along, we were all glad we did.

• is that where the phrase cones from? Spruce up your home with a Christmas spruce tree? Now spruce looks wrong when i write it or say it. Rabbit hole created...