Friday lunch time service and the weather was very hot today outside reaching 29degres which means it was very hot in the kitchen and in the crypt of the church. Freya was on clothes and Jacquie was on kitchen duties, serving lunch then helping to clear up. Menu today :

• Roast Chicken Dinner
• Veggie Sausages Both serve with honey glazed parsnips, carrots, mashed potato and onion gravy
• Jelly & Ice Cream

Ice cream is the best dessert in hot weather.

The William Hobbayne Centre is where the magic happens! The wild Burns Night, the fun Quiz Night, and the artsy Christmas Fair - GoodGym Ealing knows all those fantastic community events where Hanwell folk enjoy themselves in the most relaxed atmosphere you can imagine while taking part in fundraising for local causes. We support running those parties, after all! But a different kind of magic happens behind the scenes, or should I say, behind the wall. Tucked behind the centre is an unassuming backyard covered by concrete where the weeds keep growing endlessly. On many occasions, that backyard has been an arena for Ealing GoodGymers to test the weapons of moss destruction: hoes, brushes and even snow shovels! It was no different tonight.

Sue from the Hobbayne Charity welcomed five GoodGymers to the centre and equipped them with tools, gloves and waste bags. We were ready to show the weeds and moss where their place was! A side quest included removing obstructions: moving bricks from the fence to the centre's wall. That task was handled by Freya and Lenka - the latter returning to GoodGym after a few years of hiatus. Great to have you back, Lenka!

Lenka made sure the bricks were cleaned before being stacked again as they were covered in dirt, cobwebs, leaves and snails. The more layers of bricks Freya and Lenka moved, the more wildlife they uncovered: spiders, slugs and even earthworms that must have felt very well in the rotten leaves turned into compost. At the destination, the pristine bricks formed the Great Wall of Hobbayne or the Hanwellian's wall - maybe not as much of a landmark as the Hanwell Viaduct or the Clock Tower, but we were proud of it anyway!

Steph Ducat and Sevan scraped and swept the moss from the ground, accompanied by the sound of violence: the doleful song of a hoe against the concrete. Despite the sun finally coming out in the late afternoon, the snow shovels came in handy - to scoop the waste into the bin bags. In about 45 minutes we were done! If the weather permits, the charity will be able to do a nice send-off for one of their retiring trustees in the back garden.

Next Tuesday we will be supporting the William Hobbayne Charity again - but in their community gardens! We will free as much of the overgrown area as possible to make it accessible again! Sign up now!

Duo mission today as I was joined by Freya who lives in the neighborhood : her 1st mission!!! I have already been to Mr R before and it has been months since Kash, Sevan and myself have been here to clear weed from the front garden. As I arrived early, I checked the garden and WOW!!The weed had surpassed itself and grown to another level. Mr R welcomed us and gave us some tools, some water in cups and a strimmer!!! He said as a lot to do, just try and get the level down with the strimmer and we can organise another session to finish the job. As it rained the last few days, I said let us check how easy it is to take the weed out with the roots as soil was soft. Both Freya and myself were determined and thought the same thing - lets root them out!!!During the mission we discovered a lot of snails especially near the house which was invaded by the green stuff - we have disrupted the snails activities, but none of them were harmed and they s(n)ailed away while we nailed it. It was time to wrap up, when first a magpie landed in the garden probably thanking us for clearing the area and making it easy for it to get food. Then we had a black cat enjoying the open space and then running after the magpie. Mr R was very thankful as he did not think we could root everything out : we did fill up nearly 3 green bins of weed. Well done to Freya on her 1st mission and wishing her more in the future - great job and good workout.

Jacquie is back from her travels and joined Freya at the Friday Hub. Not only did they sign up for 1 mission each but for 2 missions. Two for one ! They started on tea/coffee duties from 11am until 12:30 then were serving food from 1pm. Jacquie helped with washing up while Freya carried on serving. They both helped clear up after lunch. It started quiet then got quite busy. Food was delicious and much appreciated by all.

Menu today :

• Beef Chilli Con Carne with rice and salad
• Veggie Chilli with rice and salad
• Swedish Choc Cake and Strwaberries + Yoghurt

New boards to display todays activities!!