Puns 'n' roses 🌹

On a soggy Saturday morning, four of London's finest Goodgymers met at Furnivall Gardens to lend a hand removing bindweed from the rose bushes - a task which they had begun the previous month, but which was yet again the rain event today as there was plenty more to tackle. First to arrive at the task was Chris, for whom today was a special occasion... his 100th good deed! In true H&F style, he was given the honour of some fairy wings to wear for the duration of the task - looking good!

Beth and Chris got stuck into the task with the lovely Rachel from Friends of Furnivall Gardens, and after a short time Analiese joined them - Welcome to the Jungle! It may not be November, but there was certainly plenty of rain around, and we were all rapidly approaching saturation point. Through the downpour came our final Goodgymer to brave the elements - after waking up late, Cookie had jumped on his bike to cycle over quickly and join us.

Each of us had to weedle our way into the rose bushes, being careful to avoid the prickly thorns, before snipping away at the bindweed to reveal the rose bushes hidden underneath. Patience was the name of the game today, as the bindweed needed to be carefully untangled from the roses to avoid damaging them. With four of us working away, we were making good progress - Live and Let Die bindweed! After a full hour of chopping and with the rain getting heavier, Chris decided to call it a day as he had a long, soggy cycle back home to Richmond ahead. But a 100th deed wouldn't be complete without cake, so the group took the opportunity to have a little break under the shelter of a nearby tree and celebrate - well done Chris on all of your good deeds! 👏

Analiese was the next to leave us after a further 15 minutes of hard work, as she too decided that she'd had enough of the rain. Her departure provided some entertainment, as her borrowed gardening gloves had stained her hand yellow - something akin to a terrible fake tan!!

Cookie and Beth fought on, and slowly the rain began to stop - Paradise City! We really got into the swing as the sun started to peep through the clouds, and we powered through a good chunk of the rose bed. Sweet Child O' Mine, is that the time? The task was over before we knew it! After a quick tidy up and a goodbye to Rachel we were on our way - no doubt we will be back soon for more of the same.