This week we had not one but TWO first time GoodGymers join us for the tree watering task!

Echo and Serafima immediately got stuck in and soon had the hang of the hosepipe (permitted despite the hosepipe ban because we're watering young trees planted in the last 3 years).

Hosepipe handling skills are measured in the number of fellow volunteers who get sprayed (or preferably don't get sprayed) with water during the bottle filling stage of proceedings.

With each tree receiving 15-20ltrs or 1 ltr per sapling there's a lot of bottles to fill and refill, so plenty opportunity to hone these skills.

Despite the rain forecast, we'll be back next Wednesday to do it all again.

Lending their hands for the second part of this Bike Shed thriller, Sooz and Matt should be commended for their diligent patience. They were left twiddling their thumbs for a good part of an hour as the dismantling overran. Maybe the timings were over-optimistic given the shed’s size…

Meanwhile, en route fast from the dismantling, Bike Shed originals Audrey, Louise and Md blitzed a sweaty scenic run through Victoria Park whilst Jack lazily took a lift in one of the vans - enjoying the A/C and eating cake whilst doing so, probably.

When the truck finally arrived at the school we carefully worked in teams to lift, manoeuvre and place down the heavy pieces in an organised fashion. Our work mirrored an Ikea instruction manual on the playground.

The trickiest part was moving the perspex roof covers, which bent and wobbled, teasing us that they might crack and make all our work in vain. It took all of us and some chuckle-brotheresque communication skills (to me, to you) to slide them off of the truck’s footbed and stack them daintily on top of each other.

By the time we had unloaded and organised the pieces it was sadly time up for the gang. With no time left to reassemble we vowed to fight another day should we get the call from the parents in need.

The Bike Shed saga, to be continued…

As this relentless dry spell continues, a team of nine GoodGymers showed up to help keep Olden Community Garden's plants hydrated and alive. Numbers had looked a bit low at first - but once it was confirmed we'd be lifting watering cans, not yet more railway sleepers, sign-ups more than doubled! I wonder which task people prefer?

Taking turns filling watering cans and circulating the 2-acre site, we prioritised the most vulnerable young plants, the pots, and all the vegetables, and smashed through the task in record time. It was particularly rewarding to see the fully constructed, impressive stage - built using the very sleepers we'd hauled across the garden on a run earlier this summer.

Huge thanks to Charles for hosting us (and instructing us so well!), and to everyone who turned out despite the heat.

See you next week? I suspect there might be some more watering on the cards...