15 minutes wondering round the garden revealed 1 butterfly. Fewer than I've seen on other occasions, but perhaps started a little late in the day. Sammy (my dog) clearly thought I'd gone crazy, and was much relieved when I stopped staring at the undergrowth and recorded my grand total. A quick and easy thing to do - I've now added the app, so will probably count butterflies again!

We had a great turn out for our return to the Finchley Charities' community plot at the Fuel Land Allotments. Ten Goodgymmers gathered, half at the Phoenix for the warm up run and half at the allotment gates for the task. We were met by the lovely plot coordinators Brigid and Les, as well as Carmel from the Finchley Charities. (A brief shout out to www.goodgym.org/v3/profile/sheela-guttula, who couldn't make it due to an injury - get well soon!)

With many hands, we made light work of the tasks: carrying logs from the back of the plot to the front to extend the palisade, weeding bindweed, horseradish and oak seedlings and watering the vegetables. We also admired the wonderfully weird icon of Jesus the group found by chance painted on an old slab resting by the shed, as well as a lovely tiger moth spotted on a fence near the plot.

It was great to see Jamie out again for his third session - hoping work commitments will allow for lots of future sessions. And thank you to Richard for suggesting the pizza and popcorn social afterwards for some of us.

Three brave Goodgymmers made the run from the Phoenix to Stephens House this week: Rachel, Abdikani and me, where we met the rest of the night's sign ups, Daniel, Abdulkadir, Richard and Subham, already in action.

Andy and Richard from Stephens House got us cutting back vegetation along the fence on East End Road - a follow up to our mission last month, but with much better weather this time. Daniel was behind bars - he drew the 'short saw' and was cutting down thicker branches inside the fence. Abdulkadir and Adbikani took on sweeping and bagging duties, while Richard and Subham manned the barrow, taking away the green waste for composting. Rachel and I chopped and cut along the fence, helping tidy the bigger bits.

We managed another 50+yards of fence and this side is nearly finished. Andy says there's another couple of fences to cut along, so we'll be back again soon to help them keep things tidy while the evenings are light.

Five Goodgymmers met for the run from the Phoenix to Shepherds Hill Gardens. Setting off in good time, we jogged the long road down to Highgate in good weather, to meet Pat and Joan, stalwarts of the friends group managing the lovely green space. Fanny soon joined us, followed a bit later by Amanda, so we had plenty of help for the tasks ahead.

We split into teams, Daniel and Richard trimming hedges at the top, while Subham got stuck in to the hedges lower down ibto the wood. Fanny and Paul started on litter picking, while I began sweeping and clearing the paths. Then we rotated, doing a record amount of tidying and trimming, then taking the green waste down to the compost pile, while stopping to admire the amazing view across Queens Wood.

Once done, and, we all stress it's never the reason we go , Pat broke out the famous refreshments we love so much - apple juice, fresh mint tea and biscuits. Then a quick wrap-up taking the tools back to Pat's, and the round trip back to the Phoenix for the five runners and a cheery wave goodbye to Fanny and Amanda.

I was one of the 11 Goodgym-ers who signed up for this task, and this was my experience. I completed the task on my way home after finishing a long day shift.

I’d also like to share a little story from earlier that day. On my way to work, I was walking (and occasionally jogging!) across the common carrying my litter grabber. I noticed a lady feeding the hawks with some bread, which I thought was lovely. However, when she finished, she simply threw the empty plastic wrapper onto the ground instead of putting it in a nearby bin.

She was walking just ahead of me, and I found myself wondering whether I should politely remind her that it wasn’t the right thing to do. After a moment, I felt it was the right time to say something. I walked past her, slowed down, and kindly said, “You can put that plastic in the bin, you know.”

She looked at me, noticed the litter grabber I was carrying, smiled, and seemed to acknowledge what I’d said. Perhaps seeing me with the grabber made her think, “That makes sense.” I’ll never know, but I hope it encouraged her to dispose of her rubbish properly in the future.

I walked away feeling surprisingly empowered. It reminded me that sometimes it’s all about choosing the right moment and using a respectful approach. A simple, kind reminder can make a difference.

I hope that small conversation made a positive impact. If we all help each other in little ways, we can keep our community clean and make it a better place for everyone to live.

Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Cecilia D🍀

Note: By the end of my litter pick, my bag was mostly filled with recyclable items.