Coming back to Ms F’s shopping mission routine after a week away, I wasn’t surprised to find that the lady had almost run out of bottled water and that I’d be the one to restock it. What did surprise me was Ms F waving an umbrella at me as I climbed five flights of stairs to reach her flat.

She explained that she had recently fallen. The main casualty of the accident was, quite luckily, an umbrella, which had refused to close ever since.

“This umbrella has been lying in front of my flat for the last four days. I have a new neighbour. She must be thinking I’m crazy.” - Ms F.

I haven’t owned an umbrella for the last 20 years, but my muscle memory of folding that contraption hasn’t died. I decided to defend Ms F’s reputation and close the umbrella. It was bent, and there was no way to operate it smoothly again in that state. I’d almost given up on this side quest, but the thought of all the GoodGymers who would spend an extra two minutes trying, and possibly succeeding, made me go against my impatient nature. After two minutes of tinkering, the umbrella was either more or less broken, but at least it was folded, much to Ms F’s relief.

After that warm-up, I proceeded to the main set: the groceries. The list included a few items not typical of Ms F, such as beetroot salad, tinned tomatoes, Rich Tea biscuits, and Grape-Nuts - a cereal brand I’d never heard of.

I also learnt that the whole business with the fish counter closing early due to staff shortages, along with the availability of breaded haddock, had ceased to matter to Ms F, as her oven was broken. The poached salmon, which didn’t need baking, still made it into the checkout, though.

I left Ms F happy, with food for the whole week, nine litres of water, ginger beer, and a malfunctioning umbrella that, at least, no longer took up half the space on the landing.

Tonight's group run had GoodGymers from Ealing and Hounslow fliering. Not in Acton though. Today the team was in the streets near Ealing Broadway Centre and The Library of Things that's based there.

"Is that a church?" - Anonymous GoodGymer
"No. That's Ealing Broadway Centre" - Sevan

Today's goal was to stop people worshipping at the altar of retail and spread the word about the Library of Things. Instead of buying items that people would use rarely, it offers items for rent to save people money and also reduce consumption and waste.

As well as Ealing Broadway Centre, there were real churches and grand buildings on the route too. On the way, the team snaked or leapfrogged (depending which GoodGym area was "home") along the streets of large houses, converted flats, steep stairs and dark passages. There was even an open gate to a private estate that was taken advantage of.

By raising the visibility of the Library of Things, perhaps Ealing's altar has been altered. Next time you walk past, there'll be people worshipping the locker and the items inside instead of the shop windows. 🙇‍♀️🙇🙇‍♂️