Monday night brought out a magnificent twelve GoodGymers to ARC, with six running with Steph Ducat from Arsenal stadium, and all 12 rolling up their sleeves to get the towpath garden ready for planting out.

While some of us were still buzzing from Sunday's Arsenal Parade, others were visibly relieved that football had packed up for the season - and that this wasn't a week for litter picking!

Amy from ARC marshaled this particular Red Army into action across three fronts: one crew tackled the prickly job of cutting up and bagging thorny hawthorn branches; another set to work building raised beds along the garden border; and new member Devika and I got our hands well and truly dirty turning the compost heap.

The transformation of this little patch - small in size but brilliantly situated - since our last visit is genuinely impressive. A good night's work, a fresh set of raised beds, and all last night's rain should combine to even more progress and growth by our next visit. Bring it on.

12 GoodGymers climbed into the rooftop breeze during Wednesday's heat wave!

We were back at the Greenwood Centre in Kentish town this week.

A regular haunt for us since January, we turned up to work the final touches ahead of the many gardens' public tours in early June!

And while we've been here in the cold and the wet and the dark of winter, we've never been here in a smoking heat wave!..

...until last night!

And so our wonderful group arrived in hats and sunscreen and with plenty of water to boot!

We welcomed Hana (on their first good deed – welcome!) as well as many wonderful regular faces: Caitlin, Ellen, Emilie, Gary, John, Jackie, Karen, Lydia, Siobhan, and Theo!

The group did so much that it was impossible for me to keep up, but I do know that we left our host Catherine feeling very pleased about the fantastic work everyone did!

And... with Karen's birthday around the corner... Ellen provided sweet celebrations with fabulous cake and strawberries! Thank you, Ellen! Happy Birthday, Karen!

Thank you, everyone! Here's to next time!