I, Dan, ran from my flat to Ms D.'s home near Mabley Green on a radiant day: warm, with a cool breeze. It was marathon day for thousands, but the jog across E9 was plenty for this Goodgym runner.

Having arrived, it was clear to see how Ms D. had a lively mix of plants sharing her front garden. Having introduced ourselves, Ms D. explained her wishes for my time. Ms D. was well aware of the peak growing season, so the gist of my efforts would be weeding out the encroachers and the imposters, to restore the space for her favourites.

In short, Ms D. was keen to lose the dandelions to give her more delicate and unusual features the space they warranted.

Ms D.'s high-ish hedges created a semi-concealed haven for some informal garden nurturing, which I was pleased to support with.

Ms D. had trouble bending and twisting, so I got down on my knees to ensure my volunteering focused on what she could not do. I set about clearing unwanted plant-life. Soon, however, I begun finding little historic curios blended with the soil. Glass fragments that made a pipe, broken pieces of pottery, beside other little treasures.

Ms D. said how she once motivated a younger family member to help tidy the garden, casually dropping reference to old coins and who knows what priceless artefacts that may be within easy reach, if helping to weed...

My visit coincided with the local jumble sale day, where all homes in the area were invited to set up stall for warm-spirited bring and buy trade. I helped Ms D. assemble a pair of wardrobe rails for the display of clothes later on that day.

Within the cosy confines of the front garden, time sped by chatting together and trading respective interests and know-how, covering plants (naturally), with a bit on fashion (clothes rail- inspired), and the neighbourhoods and wider area in the borough where we have both lived.

I gave a hand to one final job: banging in a tall wooden post to support the greenhouse in the back garden. It was the larger of the two garden spaces, and where Ms D. revealed her propagator skills. She generously sent me off with a couple of cuttings she had set in little pots, to contribute to the community stalls, and, as it happened, to my balcony, too.

The pace of my gardening work had been unrushed, yet also purposeful, flowing with the calm mood of our steady and stimulating chat.

Ms D. had expressed a desire for a sharply defined garden with slick edges enclosing well-ordered arrangements of plant life. The gracefully rough structure she had cultivated, containing an array of plants, feels more relaxed and artful than her stated desire.

With plenty more weeding and sorting to be done, besides sifting soil to collect up any non-organic treasures, this garden task will likely need more community mission time yet: sessions of steady and sublime garden up-keep 😁