It's probably not the most original title, but to answer the question; yes, we can dig it!

Five GoodGymers assembled at Cressfield Close On Wednesday to lend a hard in their community garden. Our lovely host, Marie, was back from a trip and very glad of the extra pairs of hands to help her get on top of things.

We split into two teams; one group decanting soil into smaller bags so that it could easily be reused, while the second group went to town with forks and shovels on a very compacted flower bed so that it could be replanted.

There was plenty of cat chat through the evening, with one local resident regularly popping in to check on our progress!

Extra credit tasks included pruning back a hedge, chopping up some branches for the compost bag, and creating a little barrier along the edge of the flower bed with some reused paving slabs.

Marie has very kindly send us some feedback: "It was a huge help, greatly appreciated. And it makes a massive difference to know I and our little community have help."

Well done everyone! We'll be back at Cressfield in three weeks time. If you haven't already, it's time to dig your headtorches out as it's starting to get a bit dark towards the end of tasks!

A Thursday evening mission in many parts, but fortunately the parts all ended up in the right places after a bit of jiggling around through door frames and down stairs.

Ms J had a two seater sofa to be moved for disposal downstairs, and once David and I had switched on our spatial awareness brains (and displaced the two cats for whom this was clearly home, and found a £ coin and one penny hidden in the cushions), we had it out of the front door, down the three flights of stairs and into the outdoor communal bin area.

A couple of dusty lightweight canvas wardrobes and a massage table then followed from upstairs - this time delivery was to a neighbour a few doors down, and conveniently on the same floor, and whilst doing this part we got to enjoy Ms J's psychic powers of deduction as to our respective backgrounds, places of work and leisure activities...the deductions stopped just short of guessing star signs...impressive, if slightly unnerving, stuff.

Thankfully once Ms J had switched off her powers of deduction, we had a chat about what else GoodGym does and how she could arrange future visits to build some flat pack furniture etc. and she thanked us both profusely for our evening of effort.

After a few weeks of a break, it was my turn to visit Ms F's for her weekly shopping mission. It was good to see her in good spirits after catching up with her friends.

Today's list didn't include the usual Orkney oatcakes and Ryvita, but had a special treat: Bonne Maman blueberry yoghurt, apparently beneficial for the eyes. Unfortunately, the sizes and flavours of the yoghurts in the store didn't match the voucher Ms F had hoped to use. She'd still have a week to redeem it.

Another special request was a discounted pinot grigio wine. I didn't have much luck with getting the product Ms F wanted as the promotion on her favourite had finished. I called Ms F and suggested a different, also discounted, brand that matched the budget and, apparently, was organic. It didn't come up as a surprise to me that Ms F decided to give the organic alternative a try.

Back at Ms F's flat, the lady examined the label, discovering that the wine originated from Sicily. Potential involvement of mafia in the vineyards or production was briefly brought up, but Ms F decided to trust the new brand and try the pinot grigio later with dinner.

A rare Tuesday lunchtime visit to see Mr T, as he hadn't secured a visitor over the weekend - he was clearly glad to see me (as much for the spinach, cheese and milk) but also to tell me how much he'd enjoyed the last night of the proms, which had featured a Dumfries native in tartan troosers and a lot of Union Jack flag waving...just how Mr T likes it.

Arrived at Ms F block of flats and rang several times before calling her. She opened for me to find out she was in the kitchen with her newly installed machine earlier this week. She did not hear and was trying to figure out how to work the machine and dryer. We talked while getting the shopping list : usual items but some newbies that have come back as getting cooler. Yes the fish(breaded haddock and poached salmon with herbs) was on the menu as Fish Friday. Vegetables to go with her fish. Water bottles to ensure Ms F keeps drinking even if getting cooler. Chicken Korma is back on the list. Then had cleaning gloves to find - golden gloves! Her preferred 4 rolls of toilet paper were not there but found a substitute(same brand) and got a deal on it - Half price!!!Ms F was happy with her discounts today. When I came back, I had to ring the bell and call her several times as no answer. Then she opened and said she was on the phone with the aftersales team for the washing machine warranty - hold the line caller!! Once shopping packed I did a quick demo on how to use the new machine as she could not understand how to use the "dryer" as this is a washing and drying machine.

Well I learned something new today chatting with Mr T, when during a lengthy discussion about various foods (favourites, not so liked, types of cuisine, bad cooking experiences etc.), Mr T threw in the Scottish phrase "going for a tightener", which he kindly explained (to this unworldly south of the border softie who'd never heard this wonderful phrase before) means having a substantial feed...brilliant, just brilliant.