Chilly Saturday and its Parkrun. as I arrived early, I helped clear the straight line of the conkers with Neil another regular volunteer. Who would think I would use a shovel at Parkrun. Then shovelled the conkers off the finish straight. Then I was posted as Marshal position 2 : double act like Jags said that I mastered the film double act as holding 2 spots on the course.

JP joined the volunteers at the Ealing Soup Kitchen, serving lunch to ~50 clients who were homeless or otherwise of limited means.

On a surprisingly warm October evening, three runners and one cyclist from GoodGym Ealing supported charity Action West London by posting flyers through letterboxes to promote an upcoming Fitness Fun Day in Acton. The free, family-friendly event offers workouts for all ages and abilities, including beginner’s yoga, family interval training, Legs, Bums & Tums, HIIT, a Relax & Stretch session and more.

Jo, Sevan, Steph and Kash ventured into the streets of Acton, passing hidden murals and tributes to poets along the way. They covered Derwentwater Road, Stuart Road, Newburgh Road, Woodhurst Road, parts of Shakespeare Road, Spencer Road and, finally, Milton Road.

Our literary tour ended on Milton Road, where we hoped to give Paradise Lost a more cheerful ending. With the flyers delivered, all that remains is to hope that Acton residents will accept the invitation to get active at St Mary’s Church Hall on 17 October. Perhaps this time, Paradise will be found.

Back after a week away from Mrs A garden. Still some work at the end of the garden. I cycled from Acton to Northolt to see if I would find more hidden treasures in the brambles and bushes. Today found more gold balls(no surprise there), the inside of a washing machine, some rubbish, plastic containers, path slabs and a Royal Mail bicycle!! Mrs A was surprised as totally forgot about this : he used to deliver post in the area. The bike is not in bad condition considering it was outside hidden in the jungle. Mrs A son said he will revive it. I filled another 2 green bins and put a pile aside of greenery for the next empty bin. The pile of hidden treasures by the garage is growing(see picture). The path leading from the house the the back is uncovered and can be used once again.

Foggy Sunday morning at Acton Junior Park run and I was checking the course with a litter picker which came in handy as loads of rubbish to be moved in the bins as on the path of the course. Once done, I went to check where I was going to Marshal. I was on the roundabout this week.

Despite a Foggy morning, the children did not disappoint as 114 crossed the finish line and some of them in a speedy time. First girl finished under 8 minutes : she was fast and flew like and Eagle...Ealing Eagle of course!!

Well done to all especially on a chilly and foggy morning.

It was already October, and the leaves on many of the trees on Horsenden Hill had turned golden, but everything else around us tried to tell us it wasn't really autumn yet. Short sleeves and sunglasses, rather than a rain jacket, were the right outfit for the mild and windless day at the community farm, where eight Ealing GoodGymers welcomed guests from GoodGym Hammersmith & Fulham and GoodGym Hounslow.

David, who joined us for his first Ealing session, was impressed by the farm's unique and peaceful character and gave us the all-too-familiar line about Perivale's hidden gem.

"I lived all my life in West London and didn't know this place existed!"

We’ve heard it many times, and we know that Horsenden likes to surprise those who eventually get to discover it.

Today's surprise on our way to the two assigned tasks was the new arrival in the horse meadow: Charlie the pony. Last month, we'd been creating a new paddock for him and his companion, Trixie. Since then, the meadow we'd cleared had been fenced off for protection, and new grass had already started to replace the areas cleared of brambles.

The October Horsenden session continued expanding the meadow up the hill. Half of the GoodGymers, the Bramble Team, took loppers, shears and silky saws, not only to cut back blackberries but also to saw through thick branches along the way.

Meanwhile, the other part of the gang, the Rubble Team, transported debris from the car park to fill the gaps in the eroded ditch near the canoe club shed. What we learned later from Ranger Jon Staples was that the idea of using rubble came from the military's riprap - a rocky, loose material laid in a way that helps protect shoreline structures.

The second part of Team Rubble's assignment was to spread mulch over the riprap that had already been laid. In the near future, when a hedge is planted above the rubble and decomposed woodchip, its roots, together with the rocks, will help protect the bank from further erosion, while the hedge will prevent canoeists and visitors from falling into the ditch.

Both teams did a fantastic chunk of hard work that will help the volunteer-led farm thrive. Later in the day, Elsa, the task owner, sent us a lovely message:

"Thank you so much to your team for all the hard work you did today. I don't know if you all realise how valuable it is to us."

If being recognised for impactful work wasn't enough, our team took an hour for an indulgent team lunch with pizza, local soft drinks and craft beer, then marvelled at the tiniest rodents in the whole of Europe - the harvest mice - at Horsenden's Mouse House.

Check our future sessions at Horsenden Farm here.