I was on finish token support at Pitshanger Junior parkrun this morning. 51 youngsters came through the finish funnel - judging by the state of their clothes they had a lot of fun running round a very muddy park!

“Seek, and ye shall find”, says a quote from the Bible - but it doesn’t specify whether the sought and the found are necessarily the same thing. The November Grove Farm conservation day was all about searching and discovering. Mike treated us today to a unique quest, equipped with a treasure map from an unlikely source: Thames Water. More precisely, the map wasn’t really a map, but a clue: “that amuse adults”.

On the way to the presumed treasure location, we followed a golden, shiny trail, distracted by the lustre of beer cans scattered along the path. We diligently collected the spoils, packed them in a bag, and cunningly hid our riches inside a rubbish bin. Next to the bin, we made an amusing discovery: a couple of pieces of illustrated literature for the enthusiasts of bottom-heavy ladies. Was that what amuses adults?

Five GoodGymers and three Friends of Grove Farm pressed on, venturing off the path into the wilderness, where Mike stopped and revealed what sort of treasures we were after. The treasure had been buried on the grounds of Grove Farm a century ago, under a manhole owned by Thames Water. But the riches it contained were not of a material kind - that would have been, of course, rather desirable, as we could have funded Friends of Grove Farm efforts to maintain the nature reserve. However, there was more at stake. The beautiful wood anemone patch up the hill was threatened by an underground water blockage, which only Thames Water could fix. But first, we had to find the manhole and clear the access.

After three people pointed out that it would have been great to have a metal detector, we accepted the reality (in which there was no metal detector) and got stuck into hacking the brambles and branches, raking cuttings and leaves, and poking the ground with a fork or a spade. After a few false alarms, resulting in digging out bricks, pipes, pots, and tyres, we tightened our search area to more accurately match the what3words phrase “what.amuses.adults” - to no avail. One of us came up with a hypothesis that a tree with many stems growing in the middle of the patch we scoured might have easily grown right from the manhole within the hundred years - an idea we feared to accept.

It would have been a privilege to report to my dear readers that the mission ended with great success. Alas, we haven’t found the manhole. All we discovered was rubbish hiding in the undergrowth. That had to suffice for a treasure at the end of a worthy quest. We will continue our search in December, so wrap yourself warmly, Dear Explorers, and let us know if you want to put your name down for another adventure here!

"Chef's choice!" declared Mr C's daughter cheerily when asked where the priorities were in tidying up her dad's garden. Neither she nor her dad were able to look after it, so the flowerbeds were filled with weeds and weeds were also coming through between the slabs. Kash and Sevan looked at how they could get the best outcome for Mr C, a Hobson's choice of weeding the left flowerbed or the right flowerbed.

Kash and Sevan flipped an imaginary coin and chose their patch. Before they started digging, Mr C's daughter offered them biscuits, cake, hot chocolate or cocoa. The hot chocolate (Kash) and biscuits (Sevan) were very tempting on a miserably wet day in London, but they'd just had lunch. The pair got digging, with Kash first finding a fork with 3 tines, then Sevan's unearthed one with a twisted handle to help them with their weeding.

There was lots of lovely, sticky clay soil to dig through and a lot of it ended up attached to the GoodGymers' shoes. Still, the 1¾ forks got the weeds out with their roots, leaving Mr C a nice clear stretch of soil - maybe for some new plants - and 3 bags of garden waste.

When they wrapped up, Kash and Sevan needed to rush to their next mission, leaving Mr C's daughter a little disappointed that they didn't have time for any treats. Sevan said maybe next time, so Mr C's daughter promised to have the biscuits ready when they arrive.

My first visit to Mr G for several weeks and he was on sparkling form. Looking well and stylishly dressed, his highly amusing worldview was to the fore as soon as I arrived. As well as the usual topics, he told stories about some (sometimes notorious) celebrities who are his distant relatives or old acquaintances.

He showed me a photo of himself in the early 1980s which to my mind bore a striking resemblance to the vocalist in a famous Mancunian band. Sheepishly acknowledging the similarity, Mr G insisted that he himself had pioneered the distinctive hairstyle.

Shopping was straightforward: nothing had changed in the list or moved location in the store. Securing the last paninis on the shelf added to the satisfaction of an enjoyable mission.

I thought this morning’s tea session was busy and it carried on over lunchtime! The clients enjoyed pumpkin and lentil soup with bread, chicken casserole with pasta and vegetables or vegetarian option. Followed by apple strudel and custard. I was helping to serve and it was pretty rushed for the first hour. The clients loved the meal and there were lots of compliments to the chef. I really enjoy being in the dining area, chatting to the regular clients and meeting the new ones.

It was very busy at this morning’s tea/coffee station. A lot of the clients were happy to be in a warm space with a hot cup of tea or coffee - and cake or biscuits. It seemed we were constantly running to the kitchen for refills. But things quietened down eventually - just before lunchtime!
Afshin joined Doreen and the clothes team to help set up the clothes donations and was also kept busy this morning.