GoodGymers arrived from all parts of Bethnal Green and Mile End. And not just from there. Nia came all the way from India, partly to do the task, but also because she was greatly missing our lovely January weather. Mile-End-Emma arrived from Australia, quite recently, and new-boy Gabe (welcome Gabe) claims to live outside Tower Hamlets altogether, over there in The City. Even though nobody lives in The City. And we all arrived bang on time - except for the usual tardy suspects, of course...

Nia, Lobo, Gabe and Bethnal-Green-Emma, were using their artistic talent to paint chairs (Bethnal) green, as well as varnishing a table and chair. Lucinda and Mile-End-Emma were filling gaps in a brick wall, doing a great job (according to Mile-End-Emma). Several miles away, at the other end of the estate, Ilana, Ciarán and Bethnal-Green-Emma were restoring a graffiti-covered wall. Closer to home, Rohan and I practised for our future potential careers as dentists pulling teeth, as we yanked nails from planks of wood, using the back ends of hammers

All this vigorous work was our best bulwark against the cold. But January isn’t over yet - there’s still a special Tuesday task at Ocean Youth tonight, then Saturday lunchtime at Rocky Park, and the usual Felix Project tasks the same day. Be there or be somewhere else!

We gathered in dribs and drabs, some delayed by work and others having joined a group run from the Town Hall Hotel. It wasn’t our last Monday task before Christmas, but there was much talk of exciting festive trips to warmer places as distant as Australia and India, before we instead spread out to various parts of the Parkview estate

There were chairs to be sanded and painted; Anna, Rohan and Jo displaying their artistic talents in adding shades of brown or a kind of light green (not really lime – we were wondering what whimsical description a paint shop would give it)

Mile-End-Emma waved to us from the other side of the street, then decided she might as well cross the road and join in - after all, it was her 75th Good Deed! She bundled tree branches into a wheelbarrow and over to the bin, branches which myself, Ilana and Nia had cut back so people might perhaps be able to notice what’s on the notice board

The three of them then went to pull nails out of some old wood, so it could be recycled for carpentry and shelves in the glasshouse. Meanwhile, Bethnal-Green-Emma seemed to be graffitiing a perforated fence, but closer inspection revealed she was actually doing a great job of removing an unsightly tag from the barrier

Somehow we all re-convened for the group picture - deciding this time it might be a better idea this time to take the photo in a lit-up area...

5 of us headed to Rocky Park (4 by bike and 1 on foot), greeted by the lovely Margaret, Ash, Rose, Basil (canine) and Wicket (canine). The task was to move a small mountain of mulch that had been dropped off earlier in the week. We settled into two teams - one shovelling mulch into wheelbarrows and the other emptying these onto the ground by the planting beds. The mulch pile was steaming hot - not because of the powerful sunshine rays hitting it nor the friction of speedy shovels but due to heat generated by microbes breaking down organic matter. We were all fascinated by this (some more than others). Science truly is magic. Logs/big twigs were separated out and salvaged for use elsewhere. Within 50 earth minutes, the pile had disappeared. This was a satisfying, enjoyable task. Margaret returned from walking the dogs with some sweet treats to reward us for our efforts - completely unnecessary but very gratefully received!

Pun credit: Rue Most wheelbarrows carried at once (2): Emma R