A month after another mission across London to fit a new roller blind, Kash and Sevan found themselves in an identical situation a lot closer to home. It wasn't only fitting a new blind that matched the previous mission. They were in the kitchen again and they were kneeling on the worktop in front of the kitchen window, which was (again) agony for their shins. Mrs A had a solution for this... cushions and they did an amazing job ☁️!

When it came to fitting the new blind, Kash and Sevan had been told that no tools would be needed, which confused them a bit. Were they supposed to magic the screws into the wooden batten above the windows? 🧙🧙🏻‍♂️ Not even their skills stretched to that. Mrs A claimed she'd said that no drill was needed, which didn't line up with the unopened instructions either. In any case, Mrs A didn't have a drill or screwdrivers that could be used. Luckily, Sevan had raided his tool bag in the morning and came prepared with 2 of his own screwdrivers which allowed the GoodGymers to complete the task.

"This feels like déjà vu" - Kash
"You mean déjà screw" - Sevan

The biggest problem putting up the new blind was getting everything level. With a bit of trial and error and a lot of force to get the blind attached to the wall, it worked perfectly first time. Kash and Sevan had progressed slowly to get it right first time, possibly helped by Mrs A's prayers nearby for more light to enter her kitchen.

Feeling quite pleased with themselves, Mrs A then told Kash and Sevan that she also wanted a curtain rail to be put up in her bedroom. That was unexpected and they only had 30 minutes left ⏳.

Mrs A gave the GoodGymers choices. She had 2 curtain poles available, so Kash and Sevan chose the easiest one to fit to try and wrap up on time. It was easier than the blind to position and measure, so they sped through getting the fixings into the wall, again missing some key tools. With the rail in place, it took a few attempts to get the curtain to sit well and they were done, pretty much on time.

"If I ever need to put up my own blinds, after all these missions I'll know exactly what to do." - Sevan

Mrs K loved her garden, but could no longer tend to it because of reduced mobility and poor health. Although she didn't live entirely alone, her companion, T, wasn't much help with gardening. T was a dachshund - one of the most adorable creatures you can imagine - but not designed to wield rakes or shears in her short, cute paws. That's what GoodGymers are for.

Enter Sevan and Kash, a GoodGym duo who crossed the border of the Ealing Borough on Saturday afternoon and ran through Boston Manor Park, then along the canal to Isleworth. Mrs K greeted them with the common warning:

"You haven't seen a garden in such a bad state."

Oh, yes, they had. Entering Mrs K's back garden, the GoodGymers didn't face the wall of brambles, which was already one step better than the most overgrown places. There was still plenty to do. To help Sevan and Kash focus, Mrs K outlined the priorities: sweeping leaves and cutting back a bay tree, a rose bush and a hedge. Then, with a polite excuse, she retired upstairs.

"To watch cricket", she added furtively.

Kash, who loved cutting things back, decided that in that particular garden Sevan was better suited to the trimming jobs, being the taller of the two, while Kash, literally closer to the ground, would take care of the leaves. She didn't resist chopping a few brambles here and there, explaining that it was to reach the dry leaves underneath.

Sevan pruned the rose and the bay tree, then cut bushes to open the passage to the part of the garden behind the corner of the house. He was careful not to chop too much, as such an act would be hard to reverse in the short term.

Mrs K was pleased with the transformation and wanted to reward Sevan and Kash with a little tip. The GoodGymers politely declined the offer, noting that stroking T was the loveliest reward they had already earned.

A gentle walk along the canal was the start of today's task with HANGOT as our team walk to Osterley Lock, the most southerly orchard created by HANGOT. The walk gave everyone a good chance to chat before putting on their game faces and taking on a GoodGym favourite, wiping out brambles.

The first job was to make the front of the orchard, along the canal, look more inviting by clearing brambles and other weeds away. Keeping the orchards looking well maintained encourages the public to come in and discover the tasty delights and calm spaces inside. The whole team got to work, chopping, hacking and raking, making mincemeat out of brambles and other weeds, transforming the front of the orchard.

With the front of the orchard looking neat and professional, it was onto the priority number 2, to clear weeds and brambles from around each of the fruit trees. All of the cuttings were taking to the bramble graveyard on one side of the orchard. As it overflowed and became harder to climb to the top to add cuttings, so eventually GoodGymers started their own pile on the opposite side of the orchard to provide balance and more simply, to speed things up and not walk as far.

Right on time, the tidying was done, leaving task owner Clive really happy with what the team achieved. As a reward, Dora spied something that looked like a pear on one of HANGOT's trees. It was actually one of those mysterious quinces and it was close to being ripe. Scott wasn't so lucky in finding fruit for his brewing experiments as it had been a lean year for British fruit.

Next month, we'll be back at Osterley Lock, blitzing away brambles and more. Look out for a new listing coming soon.

As soon as I could finish work, I was off on a 17 km there-and-back run to Hounslow, to dispose of Mr T’s neatly sorted recycling and a bag of rubbish, and - perhaps more importantly - to give some peace to a mind anguished by a day of working alone at a screen.

A rubbish mission? By no means.

Last night, GoodGym Hounslow returned to Baron’s Ponds, turning an overgrown tangle into a future beautiful bluebell glade. A warm GoodGym welcome to Ealing member Scott, who joined us for his first session in Hounslow!

Baron’s Ponds sits in a historic corner of Gunnersbury, but, as nobody had been caring for it for some years, it risked becoming simply overgrown, derelict space. Thankfully, a passionate team of local volunteers stepped up to take over its care, aiming to increase biodiversity and sustainability.

We got straight to work pulling up and hauling away mounds of the invasive ivy. The volume of growth was immense, but we soon got stuck and started making a difference. A special shout-out has to go to Chris and Florian, who spent the evening fighting the good fight against a truly colossal, knotted ball of ivy. It was a real wrestling match — check out the photos for the unbelievable scenes and ultimate victory.

While we worked, Mark (the head of the volunteer team) filled us in on a bit of local drama. It turns out the pond is currently being plagued by a lone terrapin. This rogue reptile has been terrorising the local ecosystem, eating up all the frogs and other tiny pond creatures. Apparently he’s quite intrepid and frequently commutes between here and the main ponds at Gunnersbury Park. The ultimate plan is to safely catch and rehome him - unless he makes a speedy getaway first. 

With the ivy cleared, the area is one step closer to being turned into a blue vision come spring. Next week, we are teaming up with Wild Chiswick for more green-fingered tasks that deliver a real environmental impact. You can find the details here.