...and as it turned out, a lot of heavy lifting and creative problem solving for Louis and I this evening.

Ms R's daughter was on hand to (try and) explain what needed moving where, but at first glance it seemed there wasn't enough space to get the double bed moved into the spare room which was the primary request, such that Ms R could then be released from hospital on her birthday.

Rather setting the pattern for the evening's entertainment, Ms R's daughter mentioned that she expected us to remove the single bed and mattress from this room...so we did that first after a bit of DIY to remove the headboard. She then mentioned that the armchair also needed removing and disposing of...so we got that parked in the hallway temporarily.

We then turned our attentions to moving the double bed from the main bedroom into the newly emptied spare room - which proved to be something of a challenge as well, because it was an Ottoman storage bed, temperamental in nature - once we removed the mattress it sprung open...We all sat on it, gathering our breath and trying to work out a plan - which is where the packing tape idea came along, and we wrapped as much tape as we could to keep the bed shut, turned it on its side and moved it as quickly as we could to the spare room before it sprung open once again.

This then left a sofa bed to be moved also into the spare room, and the return of an exercise bike, the moving of a chest of drawers, and two heavy bedside tables...and finally Ms R's daughter confirmed we'd done everything she needed. She gave us each a packet of biscuits by way of thanks.

We wished her well for her mother's return (and upcoming birthday), and went down the stairs with the remaining armchair and two cushions in our hands...and out into the welcome cool air of a Monday evening...

The weather was kind to us as nine GoodGymers gathered at Doynton St Community Garden for an afternoon session to get the space ready for spring. We were working alongside the team from Growing Green who got us set up with gloves, shears, and shovels ready to do what GoodGymers do best - chop loads of stuff down!

We spent a bit of time exploring the area which had a bit of a Secret Garden vibe, then got stuck in. Lots of dead wood and branches were condensed down and tidied up. The pile then grew steadily for the next hour as we cleared the space.

A couple of dead trees were demolished, and a very well established bramble was taken care of to let in lots more light and make the garden safer to use. Paths were cleared to improve accessibility, with ground covering ivy being given a hair cut. A mural which had seen better days was carefully packed up for repair or reuse, and the whole garden received a good litter pick, despite some more unusual finds!

We had lots of visitors through the session, including a couple of cats, a frog, a member of the local constabulary, and a few friendly neighbors keen to see what we were getting up to. Welcome to all the new GoodGymers who joined the session, it was wonderful to meet you!

Growing Green were delighted to have the extra hands on deck - we're looking forward to seeing them again in March.

Which of course is the punchline to "A man goes to see the doctor and tells him he thinks he's a pair of curtains...and the doctor says..."

It's admittedly not a great joke, but we spent a long time discussing curtains and carpets today as Mr T realised that the ones in his flat were last renewed 15+ years ago - I commented that actually they didn't look too bad, albeit the curtains were a little uneven, but seemingly effective in the doing their job. He admitted he'd put down the current carpet himself, having got the roll from a market stall friend of his on the Edgware Road. I said the internet was probably his best bet these days to find cost effective replacements, and in that brief exchange we both realised how much the world had changed!

Fortunately it was back to old school ways for today's shopping, a quick trip to M&S, Tesco and Lidl, and Mr T was well stocked for another week - I left him contemplating his carpet...

A quick one in the winter sunshine. Pulling weeds from the front garden, dug out some of the tougher roots and swept the front steps.

Six GoodGymers braved the damp and cold to make a difference this Wednesday!

This wonderful group — of Charlie, Jackie, John, Kathleen, Steve, and Alex — turned up at Cecil Sharp House for our first visit of 2026!

There has been a bunch of building work at the house and our task was to clean things up — cue...

❤️ Jackie's wonderful leaf collecting and litter picking, turning the lawn and surrounding areas immaculate :)

❤️ One marvellous human chain making light (and swift) work shifting a true mountain of bags!

❤️ Gritty effort sweeping and raking and collecting all manner of building rubbish, leaves, and weeds!

Thank you so much, everyone!

It’s Ms F’s birthday tomorrow so gave her a small gift from my travels. Otherwise a standard visit. New item this time was roasted almonds.