Worm in this together!

On a humid June evening, twelve runners covered just over 6kms, passing through Lewisham, Ladywell, Brockley, Crofton Park and Honor Oak Park to uncover some lovely planters and raised beds (and a fair few critters) at the Honor Oak Adventure Playground.

After a few days of torrential rain/bright sunshine/thunder bolts and lightning and a general humid greyness, it was hard to predict what the weather would throw at us this week. At about 5.30 there was a downpour but, by 6:45, when our runners assembled in the foyer of Glass Mill leisure centre, the clouds had moved on and the sun was trying its best to peep out and give us some warmth. We welcomed back Holly, Lindsay and Sarah, who had joined us for the first time on our group run last week and all headed outside to get a little bit warmer. Some squats, some lunges and a few hi-fives and our thighs were really feeling the burn, time to run!

If you joined us the other week, on our mega-mission, you might remember how much we achieved at the Honor Oak Adventure Playground. During the mowing, we discovered a whole line of wooden planters and an area of amazing raised beds, all previously hidden under the long grass and brambles. Our task this week was to completely uncover these and, if we had enough time, to plant some bulbs and give the area some natural colour. Nodding a 'hello' to a fox as we arrived at the gate, we admired the work completed by Team Snake, noting how incredibly bright it still looked and how great the playground in general felt, as we climbed up to meet Linda. A wheelbarrow, filled with various tools, was brought out and everyone donned protective gloves and grabbed something sharp and pointy that looked even vaguely like it might do the trick (chisel anyone?!).

Spring Watch

Thankfully the grass hadn't completely grown back and we could still work easily in this area, but it was initially difficult to tell if there really were any planters here. Everyone found a zone to attack and the work began in earnest. The rain had made the grounds look super-lush, but the downside (for some) was that this had brought out the slugs and snails, not just a few, but dozens of the things. This presented a challenge for a couple of our runners, who really don't like our squishy friends, so some reshuffling occurred but also some really bold dealing-with-a-personal-fear went on - well done to those of you who dealt with some long-standing phobias, it was a brave thing to do!

While one team got on with working their way to the planters, two runners, Holly and Richard climbed up into the first raised bed and got stuck in to the brambles, nettles and goose grass with great enthusiasm. They were ably aided by Kate and Caireen, who gathered each load, taking it along the path in the wheelbarrow and filling the compost bins that had been found during our mission. In an attempt to suppress the weeds in the raised bed from returning, Richard went in search of some black bin bags but, after a little rummage in the undergrowth, we found a perfectly-sized piece of black membrane and lifted it very carefully (wishing to avoid disturbing a colony of maggots living on its surface) on top of the soil.

Is it a snake?

This membrane needed some weight, something to stop it being blown away, so Richard found a plank of wood, nestling amongst the grass. On lifting it up, we saw three slithering bodies, recoiling at the bright light invading their previously untouched space. 'What are they?!' we wondered. On closer inspection, it was decided that we had found three slow worms (and later googling found that these are not snakes, but limbless reptiles). Those who wanted to, spent a bit of time enjoying this find, before we put their home back as we had found it - the overgrown nature of the space here has clearly created a wonderful habitat for lots of different creatures.

Our nature ramble had to come to an end, sadly, so we picked up our tools, put the last bits of grass and weeds in the compost bins and said goodbye to Linda. Time to run out, over the railway bridge and towards the lovely Hilly Fields. There was general chatter about snails and it was clear we were divided between those who detest them and those who have enjoyed them slathered in garlic butter.

Those of us who have been to a few tasks in this part of Lewisham are now used to the routine when we hit Hilly Fields - the clue is in the name and the park provides us with the perfect opportunity to test our strength, build our strength and get a good hill workout. This time we took on a different challenge, with two options: an up and over/up and down the hill or a can-we-beat-them-to-the-other-corner flat route. A few energetic folk ran hard up the hill and the rest of us pushed along on a not entirely flat Adelaide Avenue. Well done to Kate, who made it to the corner just before a speedy Richard got there! We got our breath back and some took the hilly return, while others took the flat.

While we had a choice here, there is the inevitability that we will have to go up hill at some point, to return to our start , so up we went, steady and strong, lifting our knees, powering our arms and regrouping at the top, breathing heavy and deep. Chatter resumed here, with a swooping downwards gallop to the 'finish'. We stretched, we allowed our heart rate to slow and we cooled our bodies, ready to refuel and rehydrate. Next week, we heard, we will return to a favourite task at the Wildcat Wilderness, which was greeted with some whoops and some 'oh, no, I'm not here!'s. If you are here, come and join us, it really is lovely in the wilderness.