A breezy but bright Monday evening saw 12 GoodGymers head to Columbia Road to help the Columbia TRA with some weeding and mulch distribution.

Following a short workout in Ravenscroft Park (where we welcomed Connie to her first GoodGym Tower Hamlets task) we made our way around the corner to the gardens of Sivill House where Ed, Ed, Liz and Dougal were well preparing the equipment for this evening’s activity.

After a short briefing, we were promptly dispatched into three teams (one distributing mulch; one weeding in the garden by the street, and another weeding in the orchard area).

Shuttling barrows of mulch around the gardens, plucking pesky grass and unwanted dock leaves, the time sped by.

At shortly before 8, we decided to call it a night, emptying the last weed onto the compost pile and the last wheelbarrow of mulch onto the young trees.

A good night’s work, and great to be reunited with the fun Columbia TRA team.

Next week, our Monday night activity’s moved to Wednesday, due to the Bank Holiday, when we’ll be joining Margaret and Ash for another fun evening in-and-around the Hollybush Estate.

Until then.

Double digits out to help Plaistow Primary, and celebrate Stephen's birthday. "Contradictions you regularly make" was our weekly discussion; and we roughly stuck to the brief: Two flat-mates, one an XR trooper, the other a Government Energy Department employee - keen to hear that one unfold. Eating things you know aren't healthy, or specifically munching a family bag of choccies and washing it down with a diet coke. Having a deep concern for the environment but blazing the heating, leaving the lights on and the fridge door open, who in hell is this buffoon? Desperate to delegate tasks but hate relinquishing control, because, let's be honest, you do it best. Fuscia is your favourite colour but in practice you have wear/own nothing in said hue. Wanting to go on a pub crawl of all the grimy and uninviting looking local boozers. Being a teacher, and basically everything you say. Oh, and saying "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.....NO".

With a nascent Storm Agnes wafting sewer plant aromas along The Greenway, we shuffled on and chewed the weekly fat. Extra firepower, in the form of Dan and Rosa, met us at the school. Rosie gave us the instructions, a simple dig-out and dig-in job for the edible garden. The moon beamed magnificently above between blowing cloaks of cloud...and the team, well, they got the job done. With some folks opting to stand imperiously on the bed, others went more conventional. I knicked Brads fork, and his spade. Connie got a decent herb haul for her dehydrator (need to google this). Apple cake was devoured post task, at the school, a rather fitting and refined ending to a great sesh. With the wind in our sails and a tonne of glucose in our veins we shot back to base. Thanks one and all.

Next week it's oddly enough another school, our old regular, Manorfield Primary School. Sign up here for the old times! It's another lovely canal run - you shan't be disappointed.

There's a load of great community missions happening this weekend, including a Sat Parkrun too. Check the listings, or ask in the whatsapp group, but lot's of options this weekend peeps. Have a good one, whatever you do.

Till next week,

B