Mr G is never more amusing than when he can turn his razor sharp wit against those he deems incompetent. Today he seemed spoilt for choice but the main target of his ire was a decorator who, after Mr G had cleared his kitchen contents into boxes in preparation, had cancelled today's planned visit and was now off for 2 weeks' holiday.

Mr G is always clear that his GoodGym visitors are his most reliable and valued helpers and he was again very grateful for today's shopping. He finally conceded that he had enough tins of beans in the cupboard already, so the basket was a little lighter this week.

As he'd expressed a wish to escape to India, I further curried favour by sneaking in a chicken korma for the first time in a while, to Mr G's amusement.

Arriving at Ms T's flat and hearing her familiar accent, I remembered visiting her once before to collect a prescription for her during the darkest days of Covid.

Today's task was a perfect one for a lone GoodGymer: Ms T wanted the weeds removed from her small courtyard garden so she can enjoy sitting outside in the only outdoor space she can visit at the moment due to her ongoing illness.

The space was compact, the weeds surrendered meekly, and at Ms T's request I administered some weed killer as a final touch to help keep them from returning.

A visible difference to the space after an hour's work and Ms T was delighted with the results.

This week we headed back to the beautiful grounds of Chiswick House, where we visit regularly to keep this historic green space looking its best. It helps keep the gardens and grounds free for everyone to enjoy, and it is always rewarding to know that an hour or so of work has a lasting impact on a community space.

A special welcome to Emma, who joined us for her very first GoodGym Hounslow session! Great to have you join us.

After a warm up and a quick run, we met up with the rest of the group, grabbed our tools and got straight to work on two important conservation tasks.

Our first job was tackling epicormic growth—the shoots that sprout from the trunks and lower branches of trees. While these shoots are a natural response to stress, they divert energy away from the healthy canopy and can affect the tree's long-term health. Removing them helps put energy where it's needed most.

Our second task was trimming back the browse line—the lower branches that create a neat line beneath the tree canopy. The name comes from the height at which deer naturally browse leaves in woodland. Maintaining this browse line improves visibility and allows more light to reach the ground, supporting a greater variety of plants and wildlife.

As always, there was plenty of conversation while we worked. Topics ranged from upcoming races and ambitious cycling adventures to remarkable hospital coincidences and plenty of plans for future events. Time flies when you're catching up with good company!

With an impressive number of trees tended to, we headed over to the estate yard for fitness. Tonight it was Tabata - a high-intensity interval workout consisting of short bursts of hard work followed by brief recovery periods. It's fast, energetic and efficient. There were plenty of laughs, lots of determination, and some truly impressive squats on display!

Next week we're off to help at a local school. Hope to see lots of you there! Sign up here for all the details