This evening we returned to St. Nicholas' Primary School to continue the sprucing up of their garden and Forest School area.

Weeds have started to poke their way through some of the weed matting and brambles are creeping over the fence line. Bramble prickles and primary school children are not a good combination!

Armed with loppers, choppers and sturdy gloves we set to work, with one eye on the light - the evenings really are getting darker as autumn plods along.

After an hour and a bit the space was looking a lot neater and we all trotted off for our evening exercise!

Welcome to Goodgym Laura, so lovely to meet you!

MY GOODNESS WHAT WAS THAT WEATHER?!?!?!?

Extra kudos, pats on the back and gold stars to all who came to Hogacre this evening.

This evening moved boxes of manure over that railway bridge, spread the aforementioned manure in various fruit and veg beds, ferried hay from the recently mown meadow, picked apples, and tackled brambles. ALL IN THE HAMMERING RAIN.

No one drowned.....

Well done everyone, and welcome to Goodgym Alice and Jen!! We hope the next session you come to will be a tad drier.....

It was back to school for us on Wednesday evening; giving the garden plot at St Nicholas ' Primary School a very thorough weed ahead of the gardening club getting started again next week.

A couple of years ago we uncovered the garden and polytunnel from beneath a lockdown's worth of weeds, so it was great to see that raised beds had been built and some gardening done. However, with no-one around during the school summer holidays the weeds had taken hold, so there was plenty of digging, lopping and pruning to be done.

A dozen GoodGymers made speedy progress, filling the compost bays, loading the skip (to cover the skeleton, or not to cover the skeleton? That is the question.), and enduring a few nettle stings and bramble scratches along the way. If nettle stings really do protect you from arthritis I think we must all be fully immune now.

Congratulations on your 50th Good Deeds Steve and Andy, and to Katie for reaching an epic 150 Good Deeds!

Mrs P was really pleased to see me and had cleaned the secateurs in readiness and got all the equipment ready. Unfortunately due to the wet weather I couldn't mow the lawns but did manage to trim and dead head the roses, cut back the large hydrangea to clear the path and tame a large salvia. Mrs P is a lovely person and so grateful although I didn't manage to get a lot done and she was very insistent I come in out of the rain. We had a cup of tea and a chat before I went home.

We've been doing a regular monthly session at Marston Forest Garden, and with a slight autumnal nip to the air we're anticipating perhaps one more evening session for this year.

This time we collected compost and woodchip, watered the squash plants, topped up the pond, moved some weed suppression mats, and sickled away a good quantity of bramble and nettle.

Same place next month?!

Today we made our long-awaited return to Barracks Lane Community Garden. A gorgeous oasis at the end of the Cowley Road, it is a community space which hosts a forest school, refugee projects, yoga classes, a monthly open day and much much more.

This evening they needed some heavy jobs doing as well as the usual weeding, watering and tidying.

After an introduction from Jane we split into groups and flexed our muscles moving a tonne bag of soil, using Stig's "Symphony of Wheels" (a buggy frame, sack trolly and some wood on wheels) to move some hefty patio slabs ready for a new shed. We also helped lay said slabs - who knew that jumpikg was the best way to level a patio?!?

After a well earned drink and snack - delicious melon and the queen of biscuits, the Jammy Dodger, a group of us headed off for a run.

On a planned route guys, a planned route!!!

Welcome to Goodgym Marcus it was lush to meet you!