Grasp The Nettle

On 29th July 1981, Charles, Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer. As the country gears up for another momentous marriage, one could be forgiven for thinking that the last time a weed was plucked from the garden of George Mason Lodge was when Prince Harry's mum got hitched.

Happily, this did not deter fifteen intrepid GoodGymers who arrived at Mirth, Marvel and Maud in search of adventure and cake on a chilly evening in May. After a chorus of Happy Birthday to Raymon 'Kingfisher' Umunna, we welcomed Carmen and Amarjit to their first tasks at Waltham Forest and set off on a 2-mile run to our destination.

While the old folks inside beavered away on their big day bunting making, our hardy crew got cracking to restore this stunning tree-shrouded garden to its former glory.

Terrifying triffid-like nettles were torn from the earth at a furious rate. Bag after bag was filled with fallen weeds.

At one point we had to send out for more bags after we filled everything we were given. It was a sight to behold and a truly magnificent effort from all who were there.

After a quick photocall, it was back on the road and back to base for some stretching and refreshments in MM&M. Huge thanks go to Lizzie for bringing along the Lemon Drizzle cake to celebrate Ramon's birthday. Great ~baking~ buying skills, Lizzie :)

Next week, Return To George Mason Lodge.