Alex Murtough

GoodGym Camden

CamdenMission
Sevan
Kash

Reasons To Be Joyful

Sunday 4th October

Written by Kash

For their Sunday afternoon, Sevan and Kash were back at Mr M's for another round of sorting objects in his drawers. The gentleman had lost his sight and needed help understanding what sorts of things had accumulated in the drawers and what might still be useful. The session took place under the not-so-watchful eye of a fluffy cat who slept on a chair for almost the whole task.

Among the items Sevan and Kash found were:

  • Dozens of lozenges and cough sweets
  • Hearing aid equipment and audio cables
  • Rolls of Sellotape
  • Cotton wool balls and tissues
  • Good and bad batteries
  • Plenty of empty medicine capsules
  • Dry-eye remedies
  • A broken egg cup with a picture of a Dalek
  • A bundle of tangled thread
  • Lighters, cigarette filters and Rizla papers, never used since Mr M had quit smoking

Perhaps the most joyful discoveries were the headphones that made Mr M say in a satisfied, growly voice, "Aaah, yes! I've been looking for these!", and a harmonica that made him immediately play Beethoven's Ode to Joy.

In a little over 90 minutes, Sevan and Kash created more space for Mr M, organised his drawers and removed two carrier bags' worth of rubbish, giving Mr M even more reasons to be joyful.

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CamdenMission
Kash
Sevan

Couchbusters

Sunday 4th October

Written by Sevan

Kash and Sevan arrived at the same time as Mr S who was packing 3 coveralls and 3 pairs of gloves. He was keen to keep himself and the GoodGymers clean as they exterminated his unwanted furniture.

Mr S' budget didn't stretch as far as proton packs, so living on the second floor meant that the captured furniture had to be carried or surf around the corners, down the block's communal stairs.

First up was a sofa bed for Kash and Sevan while Mr S got started on dismantling the other pieces of furniture in the bedroom. Finding the right grip on the sofa and twisting it down the staircase was the trickiest part. Once they made it outside, there was a nice, straight path to drop the sofa for collection.

When they got back, Mr S has already dismembered the bed, ready to dispose of. Two trips later, it was the big one, the solid pine wardrobe. Mr S and Kash unscrewed the top and bottom panels, while Sevan thought about how to quickly break it into smaller pieces. With a bit of pushing it ended up 5 manageable pieces and Mr S gave the team a hand to carry those last bits outside.

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CamdenCommunity mission
Cherian Li
Kash
Sevan
Matt Burton
Richard Smith

Parliamentary School Session

Sunday 4th October

Written by Kash

On a warm and sunny Sunday morning, which felt just as if it was still summer (in October!), six GoodGymers from all across London descended on Parliament Hill School to lend Claudia, Nick and Adam hand in the amazing garden transformation.

Matt and Richard used their DIY skills to build a new compost bin, making use of discarded pallets. Michelle and Cherian took hose pipes to water recently planted hedges. Sevan, after an episode of cutting back a monster cluster of brambles, got back into his speciality - scything. Kash got acquainted with a slasher and lost herself in a very satisfying bramble bash.

What a rewarding morning, full of claiming bramble-ridden ground and building new things, it was!

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CamdenMission
Nick Moore

Word of the Day - "Anthology".

Friday 2nd October

Written by Nick Moore

Even before I'd got to sit down, Mr T asked me if I knew the meaning of the word Anthology - clearly it had puzzled him in this week's crossword - I did, and explained the answer, and then realised it was also a good word to describe our usual Friday afternoon chats...

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CamdenCommunity mission
Hana
Gary
Lydia Crawford
Siobhan
Alex Murtough
Jacqueline Shirley

One Lovely Wednesday Evening!

Wednesday 30th September

Written by Alex Murtough (he/him)

Seven lovely GoodGymers made a wonderful difference at Camden's Greenwood Centre :)

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CamdenMission
Kash

A Fish Soufflétute

Wednesday 30th September

Written by Kash

Another weekly shop for Ms F. The strawberries were out of season and breaded haddock out of stock. Cheese soufflés were purchased as a backup meal. In my home country, there's a saying: “When there are no fish, even a crayfish counts as a fish.” I guess nowadays you can extend the crayfish category to cheese soufflés.

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