On Saturday afternoon, after a long break following a surprisingly efficient Pumpkin Trail Setup task, Nima, Michelle, Maria, Sevan and Kash reconvened at Ealing Common. There, they met Barnet GoodGymer, Cherian - a frequent guest at the Ealing tasks.

The mission was to cut overhanging branches obstructing the view from The Common road and the path inside the green space. Loppers and saws were in operation for 90 minutes, and the results were stunning! The whole stretch of trees between Grange Road and Uxbridge Road had their crowns lifted.

In arboricultural jargon, crown lifting means removing lower tree limbs to create more space underneath. This allows more light through, makes it easier for pedestrians to pass and improves visibility. As a result, the area looks more open and welcoming, feels safer and can help discourage antisocial behaviour.

Who would have thought GoodGym had so many naturally talented tree surgeons! Great work, everyone!

I visited Mr G the night before Halloween. The route to the mission gave me the opportunity to run past the best-decorated house between South Ealing and South Acton, at least when it comes to Halloween and Christmas. This October, it didn't disappoint!

Mr G hadn't put out any pumpkins, but he did have his wardrobes open – with no skeletons to be found inside. He's been banishing the ghosts of his former fashion-obsessed self. He kept wondering how on earth he'd managed to accumulate so many outfits throughout the years. He's been making good progress in minimising his wardrobe, though, and had I been a man of his size, he'd probably have offered me one of his shirts.

There were no surprises on Mr G's shopping list, perhaps with the exception of a box of tea, which, obviously, isn't something one needs to buy every week. In Sainsbury's, I came across a particularly dark-green, fresh-looking Savoy cabbage, and I immediately knew it was 100% Mr G's type. I was right.

"This is fantastic!" he exclaimed, as he laid eyes on such an agreeable vegetable.

It was lovely to see him smiling, and to see his spirits lifted so much by nothing more than a visit from a GoodGymer with a pretty cabbage.

Halloween day and was expecting to see more Halloween decorations at Mr T. I walked into the lounge to only find my skeleton friend alone - Boo!!!As Mr T got his lounge repainted during the week, the hooks he had on the ceiling to hang his decorations had disappeared so he could not hang anything at all. He didn't have any left and the painter forgot to bring him some as promised. Boohoo - such a shame but still Happy Halloween TO ALL.

A landline was something that Mr C depended on. He felt much more at home with his cordless phone rather than peering down at the tiny screen of his mobile. For the last month, his landline was giving him the silent treatment, meaning that he couldn't use it to order in his prepared meals. He couldn't dial out and no one could dial in.

Mr C had his current and past landline phones set out for Kash and Sevan. He'd tried all of 4 of them without any luck and 2 of them brought back memories for Sevan as he remembered the same models being at his home many years ago. Nostalgic or not, no matter which phone was plugged in, there was no ring tone.

The GoodGymers searched the TalkTalk website for some way of getting help. Most routes ended up with them needing to log in to an online account, which Mr C didn't have. After a few attempts on the customer service phone line where the automated flow hung up on them, they eventually found themselves number 27 in a queue to talk to an agent. They waited... and waited... and waited... and nothing happened for over an hour. There was no TalkTalking with TalkTalk.

In the meantime, Sevan checked out the phone socket and looked up how it should be wired to see if something was wrong. Everything was in order, so the problem seemed to be somewhere outside Mr C's home. Without being able to talk to TalkTalk, there was no way of making any progress through them or OpenReach, so all 3 of them were a bit stuck.

Tonight's group run had GoodGymers from Ealing and Hounslow fliering. Not in Acton though. Today the team was in the streets near Ealing Broadway Centre and The Library of Things that's based there.

"Is that a church?" - Anonymous GoodGymer
"No. That's Ealing Broadway Centre" - Sevan

Today's goal was to stop people worshipping at the altar of retail and spread the word about the Library of Things. Instead of buying items that people would use rarely, it offers items for rent to save people money and also reduce consumption and waste.

As well as Ealing Broadway Centre, there were real churches and grand buildings on the route too. On the way, the team snaked or leapfrogged (depending which GoodGym area was "home") along the streets of large houses, converted flats, steep stairs and dark passages. There was even an open gate to a private estate that was taken advantage of.

By raising the visibility of the Library of Things, perhaps Ealing's altar has been altered. Next time you walk past, there'll be people worshipping the locker and the items inside instead of the shop windows. 🙇‍♀️🙇🙇‍♂️

Pleasure to visit Ms A again and take her bin bags down the stairs and outside to the recycling area. She is unable to do this herself at the moment and it makes a big difference to get this job done, clearing out her flat from the accumulated rubbish including delivery packaging. 14 full bags today!