The head torches were out for this week's session for SIN Cru.

A tidy team of four, Beth, Scott and I ran from central Cambridge and met Christopher at the task, choosing to take the bike fresh off his half marathon sprint.

We enjoyed a melodic welcome from the dogs and were briefed by Lucy on the evening's jobs

Scott wasted no time digging up an intrusive weed with very deep roots, while I filled a pot with compost to transfer a selection of nettles. We were tasked with clearing an area, saving some for use in cooking. Despite the recent rain, the ground was tough and required a bit of strength to get them out. Not a challenge for Scott who had a massive plant up and out in no time. With it freshly planted, the rest of the area was cleared and we turned our attention to support Beth and Chris with planter building.

At a session over the summer, we'd cut the wood down to size and this week we were attaching the panels to make planters. Chris jumped at the chance to use the electric drill and while a simple enough task on the surface, a little while in, it became clear that the screws weren't long enough to get through the planks of wood. Cue intense discussions between carpentry expert, Scott, and DIYer, Chris, to work through the different options. Sadly, none were viable and we felt a little defeated until Lucy pointed out that the other planks were thinner. Feeling like planks, but with new found purpose, we continued. Beth and Scott were holding the planks steady while Chris and I added the screws (my manual method proving no less effective, but rather less efficient). A team effort, overseen by site manager Beth, we soon had two planters (one with a slightly wonky side) ready to be dug in.

There's always plenty of time for a chat at this task and we enjoyed a good debrief of all our recent races, heard about some rather lovely holidays, and briefly discussed head torch etiquette (eyes down!).

To top off the session, we had a little celebration for Chris who has reached 10 Good Deeds. Congratulations! The tub of Glacé cherries is noted for your 50... 🍒

We had a mighty cru for our visit to SIN Cru's Definately Real Build site for this week's group session, and Lucy had a plethora of tasks ready for us.

After some great relief all round at slightly delayed meeting time Alice, Beth, Chris, Kate and Scott were on route to Arbury. I was held up, and had to run double speed to arrive on time, only to bump into the group (quite literally) round a corner on route. Soon after, we were passed by Becky and Caroline whizzing past on bikes 🚴‍♀️🚴‍♀️

We were serenaded by the beautiful huskies as we arrived, which is always a treat 🎶

With a good group and many tasks, we divided and conquered:

🪏 Kate, Chris and Beth got straight to weeding, finding the marrow particularly stubborn. It called for spades, loppers and a hoe.

🪻Becky was weeding the wildflower patch and sowing new seeds, delicately trampling the soil to embed them.

🌱 Caroline was put in charge of heavy machinery and set about mowing the lawn. She then had fun aerating it - there's something very satisfying about stabbing the ground repeatedly with sturdy garden tools.

🍂 Alice and I were turning the compost and disposing of green waste. Thankfully we had proper spades rather than the kitchen forks we nearly ended up with after a little misinterpretation.

🪚 Scott was in his happy place with a saw in hand. In the space of 45 minutes he'd turned discarded pallet planks into planters. They were a sight to behold!

The site was a hive of activity and the time flew! We just had time before heading back to capture some excellent group shots featuring Scott's planters and a very photogenic dog 📸

Movement, good deeds, dog fussing and plenty of laughter, all in all a great evening. Well done team 🙌

For this week's task, five intrepid GoodGymers braved the Cambridge thunderstorm to visit the Fox Den Community Allotment. ⛈️

Beth, Sandra, Kate, Catherine and I arrived to a mere smattering of rain, before it quickly developed into something heavier. Taking shelter, we met with Chief Allotmenteer Lorna to learn about today's task and assign roles. As well as preparing the paths, today we were to start on the hugel mound! A traditional permaculture method, a hugel mound is a raised bed filled with rotton wood and organic matter, creating a highly fertile soil from materials thay would otherwise go to waste.

First, we needed to dig a crater in which the decaying logs could go. Kate and Sandra wasted no time grabbing shovels and getting stuck in with the chiseling/flaking of the upper layers, while I filled watering cans to drench the layers beneath to help make it diggable. During our dig, we also learned from Lorna how Fox Den got its name, and we hope that one day the foxes may return! 🦊

Meanwhile, Catherine and Beth were on woodchip duty for the path maintenance task. With a wheelbarrow each, the pair completed multiple trips across the allotment, masterfully performing the labour-intensive job. Lulled into a false sense of security, jackets were removed during a dry spell - only for the rain to return when the pair were at the farthest point. Whoops! 🌧

Some rather spectacular thunder and lightning signalled that it was time to head to our August social! Passing sheltering cows, the group cycled to Calverley's Brewery (sadly, the weather once again scuppered our plans to picnic). We were really pleased Becky was able to join, meeting us at the bar just in time for the first beer sampling. Selling the group on the detroit-style pizzas, dinner was sorted. Thank you so much to everyone who came along, it really was a hugel-y enjoyable evening! 🍻🍕

We returned this evening for our monthly visit to Jimmy's Cambridge to help with their dinner service. 🍽

Christopher and I met at Parkside Pools for our 4km-and-a-bit run, lapping Parker's Piece four times. Making her way from London, Catherine was waiting for us after the first lap and joined us for the remainder. 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️

This evening, Alex joined us for her first visit to Jimmy's. We soon got stuck in dishing up this evening's meal of spaghetti and stroganoff, with a rather splendid lemon meringue pie to follow. There was even a steak for Ruby, tonight's resident dog! 🐶

We gratefully received a visit from Beth partway through service (also on her first visit here) in time for clean down. As per usual, we made plenty of time for chatting and team building - and shared the joy of the clingfilm machine. 🙌

Thanks to all for another fun and productive evening!