One, two, three, four, five
Everybody grab the tables, c'mon and strive
At the community hub around the corner
They're gonna have some curry and a quiz
And they really do wanna

Set up tables like we did last time on our Hobbayne streak
I must stay sharp cos wooden knives are cheap
I set comfy chairs, table cloths, runners and markers
And as we continue the work is getting completer

So what can we do, not be bored
To us servin' mint sauce is just like like a sport
Anything spry is all good, let us run it
Before we listen to the quiz questions and try to guess it

Decluttering at it s best. Last few sessions, we have been sorting items and putting them together by categories etc. Today was the day we cleared the table and put the sorted items in bags ready for a new life and collection in the next few days. So the entrance was being packed with bags.Bags joined a race to be fiesta to be carried away. We cleared liads and the table was empty and the lounge area was back to normal. Sorted 2 cupboards in the conservatory. Got rid of the empty boxes : flat packed!Next time it will be a simple task to clear some of the remaining cupboards.Sack to the future.

Kash and Sevan ventured to one of the outermost parts of Ealing borough to help Ms S with some important tasks in her home. Ms S was less steady on her feet than she used to be after a cancer diagnosis and couldn't bend over, so an unstable toilet seat and badly fitted carpet were small problems for others and big for Ms S.

The downstairs WC was the first task location and it was only big enough for 1 GoodGymer to fit into, so Kash and Sevan took turns between the toilet pan inside and the instructions outside. The old seat used to skate off the pan according to Ms S, flinging users into the wall. The new one was universal fit, so it took the pair some trial and error to get it in the right position. Once it was in place, Ms S could see that it was much better than the old one without needing to put it through a test drive.

Before starting on the carpet, Ms S showed Kash and Sevan her own DIY build. An impressive wooden cat house that sat in the back garden. Ms S had a love of cats, owning, adopting and fostering them. They spoke about rats and hedgehogs too, with Ms S sharing that there was a baby hedgehog living in her garden in a big pile of grass cuttings.

Hedgehog mating was something that Ms S had seen in her garden too and they were noisy, she said. She'd decided not to film it as it would be rude for the hedgehogs.

"David Attenborough films animals doing things like that and he gets paid for it." - Sevan
"That's true. I could've started my own Only Fans account, if I was into that."
*"People do strange things online." - Ms S

Very true.

Moving on from strange activities online, it was time to stick down the loose carpet upstairs. The carpet gripper strips weren't holding anything in place, so the carpets stretched and moved like a furry wave. Ms S had bought double sided carpet tape which was very sticky, making it challenging to cut with scissors. Kash and Sevan managed to keep themselves from getting stuck together (mostly), putting down two layers of tape to keep everything securely fixed. It was hard to test how good the solution was and they'll only know for sure next time the hoover comes out.

Even the chilly wind could not spoil the first conservation day of spring 2026 at Grove Farm nature reserve. A bright, sunny Saturday was the perfect time for maintenance jobs Friends of Grove Farm needed help with.

Sevan and Steph gave Mike a hand with sawing off branches of fallen trees obstructing the paths, while Breda, Shubham, Purva, Kash and Portia cleared the side of a woodland walkway to access the ditch, which no longer looked like a ditch. The trench, intended to collect rainwater, had become overgrown and filled with mud from the path. The job was to scrape and dig it with a mattock, a spade and a fork. The GoodGymers discovered that the drainage under a small wooden bridge over the path was all full of compressed soil, and decided to unblock it too. It was a proper workout, leading to some seriously muddy shoes, but also successful restoration of the drainage.

Before running or walking to their next thing, the GoodGymers visited the wood anemones patch they had been clearing off brambles during the winter months. Now, the entire slope was full of white flowers that managed to come out, without having to fight for sunlight with their spiky competitors. What an amazing display of natural beauty it was!

With a day off to recover after a trip, I was looking forward to do a few missions on Friday, but didn't get much luck with older people's availability. Only the one and only Mr G didn't disappoint, and even agreed for his shopping to be completed earlier than the usual evening time.

3.5km run to South Acton and 8km of run/walk to my next task in Fulham plus carrying two types of fish, two types of cabbage, potatoes, steamed chicken breast, and other things were my main recovery activity of the day.

I was back on serving duties at lunchtime. In spite of it being very busy - over 120 meals served - I really enjoy serving meals and chatting to the clients, both regulars and new faces. Lunch was chicken with couscous and beans plus a cabbage slaw. Vegetarian option was a delicious quiche (I can vouch for it!) Desserts were either cheesecake or chocolate cake with cream. Not many takeaways today as so many clients turned up for lunch.