I was out at 5:40pm to catch some sunshine after work and, of course, run for my usual end-of-the-workweek shop for Mr G. I altered my usual route to drop off the soft plastics at the local supermarket for recycling, which took me through Gunnersbury Park way afterwards. I had the wind in my face pretty much all the way to Acton, which wasn’t too bad, given how sunny it was.

The grocery list had Mr G’s standard book of labels and a couple of additional items.

"Can you buy me that furry, green thing?" - Mr G.
"Cavolo nero? Sure thing."
"And margarine. Do you want to take the lid with you? I know you’re quite forgetful."
"I will be fine."

To tell the truth, all the way to the shop I had doubts about whether I’d remember Sainsbury’s olive spread, so I decided to pick it up first, and then do the usual route through the aisles in reverse.

The Brussels sprouts season seemed to have passed by now, so I bought Mr G some tenderstem broccoli and his classic cabbage instead. A lot of green stuff to put on his plate!

Even though Mr G and I spent some time chatting as usual, on my way home, I still caught more sun - in my face - which was much better than the wind if you are wearing shades!

GoodGym Ealing's first group run to the Polygon, linked to St Mary's church, took each of the runners back to their childhood. Waiting outside, they wondered what they'd find inside and thought about memories from when they were little.

"[The toys] will probably be sticky" - Freya

They were welcomed by task owner Wei Hei, who introduced them to the jobs for this evening. There were tiny chairs to clean, there were small kitchen toys to be washed and there were big puzzles to be solved. Each big kid chose the task that they would enjoy the most.

Harvey and Freya took the tiny chairs outside into the sun to scrub them down and let them dry. They were careful to not use too little, nor too much detergent as they were warned. Too much would lead to an explosion of bubbles that couldn't be rinsed away, but the pair got it just right.

Conor and Jo went into the adult sized kitchen to wash the play kitchen equipment, cleaning plates, toasters and slices of pizza. By the time they were done, the plastic food was ready to be chewed on again by the children.

The final group was bigger. Maria and Chris, who made achieving his 💯th good deed look like child's play, were preparing play bags to give out during church services. They were filled with fun toys that were also quiet toys, which would keep children entertained while the adults were busy. Each bag contained a toy, a puzzle, a book and a jigsaw. Next to them, Kash and Sevan were sorting through a jumble of toys that had already been played with, getting them ready for Maria and Chris to pack, ready for another child to enjoy.

The team blitzed through all of the tasks, having a lot of fun along the way. They left Wei Hei very grateful for what they'd achieved.

"You've done more that I could have imagined."
"Thank you!" - Wei Hei

As they did such a great job, a return visit may be on the cards when the plastic pizza slices feel a bit sticky again. 🍕