Perfectly timed rain to dampen the ground but not our spirits

7 very hardy heroes showed up today despite the rain, and in some cases going a considerable way to turn up at the beautiful Parkview estate, with John and Jackie having cycled from Camden and Sree having walked for 40 minutes to join us. Impressive dedication from all of you, and especially so for Sree and John who had been at Stepney City Farm last night too!

It was a delight to welcome back Fiona for her second good deed - look forward to seeing you again soon! Rounding out the Saturday squad was Tower Hamlets superstar Becky and the legendary Laura.

As ever Catherine had a number of tasks lined up for us today, and as a very special treat she was joined by her wonderful son Liam who was on hand to help direct proceedings, dish out very useful advice (especially to me when I was uprooting bindweed) and bring further joy to the event with his enthusiasm and cheery inquisitive nature.

Becky, Sree and Fiona headed over to Rosebury Gardens to ensure that weeds that had sprung up around the recently planted lavender were unceremoniously uprooted to give the lavender space to breathe and grow. They made light work of this despite the almost constant drizzle which absolutely didn't dampen their spirits. Of note, our recent attempts to de-potato the gardens maybe weren't as comprehensive as we might have thought as Becky unearthed a couple of errant potatoes.

Just around the corner Jackie spent a considerable amount of time honing her rose dead-heading skills and got through a huge amount of them really helping the remaining roses to thrive. She really seemed to be enjoying it so much so that she was reluctant to wrap up at the appointed time as there were a few more to be tackled...

John was superb on the weeding and further lavender planting front, making a big big difference in a short amount of time whilst battling with the elements that were simultaneously a help (the rain softening the ground) and a hindrance (his rain jacket didn't have a hood) and the lavenders he planted will no doubt bring great joy to the residents and the local wildlife for years to come.

Laura was her typically dynamic self getting stuck in to anything and everything that needed assistance on, whilst also magically finding the time to scurry round getting fabulous photos of everyone too, whilst providing light entertainment, humour and enthusiasm every step of the way.

Meanwhile I tackled some particularly pernicious bindweed which had an impressive network of roots that kept me occupied, but was immensely satisfying to clear from a bed of roses, and looked considerably better afterwards.

It was a really successful 90 minutes and everyone had a lovely time, and as ever Catherine (and Liam too) were immensely appreciative of our help. Liam was particularly reluctant to see us depart but the good news is that we'll be back again at Parkview soon for more gardening fun, so keep an eye out for that!