Whipped by drizzle and breeze, I ran my usual 3.5 km to South Acton for the end-of-the-week shop for Mr G. He doesn't know that, but he consistently ensures I close work by 5:30pm on most Fridays!

I found him sitting on his sofa, surrounded by ominous stacks of paperwork.

- Did you watch the film Great Expectations?
- I read the book. A long time ago.
- I feel like Miss Havisham!

Stuck in his flat, busy with going through paperwork and making phone calls about his never-ending doctor's appointments and other business, Mr G wasn't very happy, but he cheered up during our chat.

I went to Sainsbury's and purchased Mr G's classics like the chicken & gravy shortcrust pastry pie, baked beans, jumbo oats, and blueberry yoghurt pots. There was a new baked item to buy, pioneered by more adventurous shoppers than me: ciabatta roll.

- Alan discovered these last week, and they're much better than the paninins.

After shopping, I stayed a bit longer at Mr G's for a dose of usual banter and fascinating stories. A good closure to a long workweek, and a start of another exciting GoodGym weekend!

It's been three weeks since minced pies were a thing. Now, it's minced Christmas trees that are trending. And what do you do if you have a pile of ex-Christmas trees dropped in your park in the form of woodchip and a sizeable puddle at the edge of a path? You call GoodGym!

Linda from Blondin Consortium knew exactly what to do and arranged for a team of eight GoodGymers to come and help spread woodchip along a regularly flooded path to the community pavilion in Blondin Park.

Steph, Conor, Sevan and Kash ran to the park from Ealing Broadway, Freya walked, and Andy and James cycled. Ash was determined to come all the way from a distant part of the neighbouring borough, which was not an easy route, but he still made it to the session!

In less than 40 minutes, a small crowd of people, equipped with head torches, wheelbarrows, spades, shovels, and a rake, dealt with the entire woodchip pile and covered the problematic path edge with a moisture-soaking layer.

Traditionally, after the session, Linda invited the GoodGymers for a short break in the pavilion to recharge their energy with a cup of hot chocolate before their run back. Just as if there wasn't enough sweetness in the hot beverage, Steph brought a double treat to share! Ms F, an older lady whom Steph supports with groceries, donated pink champagne truffles to GoodGymers. What a lovely gesture!