Ms F had managed without the weekly GoodGym shopping last week, partially because I had stocked her up for water, but found carrying milk a bit challenging. So here I was, on my after-work duty, to replenish the heavier goods Ms F needed.

The lady was concerned about her hearing getting worse, particularly after one of her hearing aids had stopped working during an important meeting earlier this week. Despite that and other health challenges, she kept a positive outlook on life and practiced gratitude.

"I'm grateful for GoodGym and the discounted taxi to the doctors." - Ms F.

"I wish I'll have your mindset in the future when things become challenging to me. - Kash.

There were some new items on today's list, for example French fries, specifically McCain's. haven't bought any fish as the breaded haddock had been sold out and Ms F decided to replace her usual salmon with cheese soufflés and a free treat: a chana-flavoured Pieminster pie. That was something new to try.

"See you in a couple of weeks when I'm back from holiday." - Kash. 

"You'll tell me everything about the place." - Ms F. 

"And you'll tell me how was the Pieminster." 

"The Prime Minister?" 

"No, don't worry about him. You're not his spokesperson. I said: the Pieminster."

Hopefully, Ms F will get her audiology appointment soon. In the meantime, we can only remediate misheard phrases with a bit of humour.

Most of today's discussion with Mr T centred around Chicken Soup and the benefits thereof...largely because a few weeks ago I'd bought him some long grain rice that when he'd first cooked it, it turned to a rice pudding consistency - he'd then discovered he hadn't read the cooking instructions properly and it needed a shorter time in the pan - this week he'd mastered it and when added to his Chicken Soup he'd created a culinary masterpiece...

A GoodGym classic - a hardcore pruning session for three trees that had become rather overgrown!

It's officially headtorch season, and armed with a very fun array of loppers and secateurs, we got to work along the perimeter of the garden at Cressfield Close, taking back all the overgrown foliage to clear some space. We left the one late flowering rose in place, but had lots of other thorny branches to contend with!

Once a huge pile of cuttings had been raked together we had a slightly tricker challenge - working out if we could fit it all into one wheely bin.

Luckily, we're quite adept at condensing down green matter now, so the pile was rapidly sliced up and compacted into about a quarter of its original size!

We left the garden looking much neater, and reader for part of the fence to be repaired to maintain the resident's privacy.

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.

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.

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!