Bi-sickle, Bi-Sickle, Bicycle!

With only a short run to our task at St Mary's and St John Churchyard we had time for some more thorough introductions this evening, and what better way to get to know each other than to learn what is everyone's Kryptonite?! With fears both rational and slightly more niche (yes, I'm freaked out by moths, but fine with butterflies) brought out in the open, and promises NEVER to use them against each other, we set off running feeling like we'd had a mini group therapy session.

Half a mile up the Cowley Road we met Ruth, who co-ordinates the volunteers at St Mary & St John churchyard. The churchyard is closed for new burials and is now being managed as a peaceful green wildlife space by community volunteers. Our tasks for the evening were to water a newly-planted hedgerow, weed around the saplings, rake and sweep up cut grass, and clear the cow parsley and sticky willy (that again!) from the Garden of Remembrance to allow the smaller wildflowers to get some light.

16 Goodgymers donned gloves, tooled up and split into teams. Tim is turning into our raking specialist, single-handedly tackling the strimmed back grass, while the cow parsley/sticky willy group got to experience Panto at it's finest as Julia channeled Captain Hook using a sickle as a hand. The promise of 'no nettles this week' proved not to be 100% accurate for the weeders and waterers, but with plenty of dock-leaves around to take the edge off the sting hopefully those tingles won't last long!

40 minutes flew by with radio interviews, several wheelbarrow loads to the compost pile, and innumerable watering cans full of water to drench the plants. Before we knew it we were packing away the tools and heading for the hills. Literally.

up Up UP!

It turns out Divinity Road goes on, and on, and on......BUT, at the top we were rewarded with a GOLDEN POST BOX commemorating Lily van den Broeke's 2012 Paralympic Gold medal. Heading along to Warneford Meadow gave us the opportunity to talk a little about the work on mental health undertaken at the Warneford Hospital, where our very own Goodgymer Jessica works, and where we have a task coming up in a couple of weeks' time.

Then on to South Park, past the TOAD distillery, but no time for gin this week - we had railings to admire! Our very first task in Oxford was clearing the railings of ivy at the top of South Park on Cheney Lane, so we were pleased to see that they're still looking ivy free. Into the park, and the pay off for climbing up the hill, DOWN!

Swooping through the park with one of the best views of Oxford's Dreaming Spires, we stopped only to admire the tight-rope walkers and for a brief round of freeze-frisbee, then back to base.

• Congratulations this week to Tim for completing his 10th Goodgym Good Deed. Give him a cheer!

• A big welcome, to Josie, Sarah, Alya and Lucy. We hope to see you again soon!

• AND....thank you to Katie for the Run Report title. I always appreciate help with the punning!