It's been a while since our last task at Traid, but when the store's new manager Abigail heard the Kilburn store manager raving about Goodgym she knew she had to get in touch. And we're so glad she did!

Mark and Sarah had both been to Traid before - in fact Mark recalled it was his first ever Goodgym task. So he was well placed to welcome Goodgym newbies Zuza and Karen. Both of whom have been meaning to come for some time and finally made it along - it was great to have you both!

We were met today by store supervisor Eva. Our task was to help the store volunteers with their seasonal reset: that is, to take all of the clothes off the hangers and toss them into boxes or (when the over-filled boxes threatened to break) cages. Hangers were sorted by type and tossed into bags.

The team continued happily with this system as the clothes gradually disappeared from the racks. Indeed they were so absorbed in their task they barely noticed time passing. As we got past our usual time limit for a task Sarah checked in with the others "you know you can leave if you need to". But no - completists the lot of them! Until there was only one task left.

Shoemageddon

Over the other side of the store, the shoe rack beckoned. Right shoes on the rack, left shoes behind the counter.

Having already established that this was a team who liked sorting and organising, this should be an easy task, right?

The team started by pairing the shoes that were obvious to match, due to bright colours or patterns. Zuza set about making sure the pairs, once paired, stayed together for life by attaching them together with laces, buckles, or rubber bands. Karen turned out to be an expert matchmaker.

And then there were the black shoes.

Black strappy sandals. Black block heels. Black platform shoes. Black pointy heels. Black shoes with a light inner. Black shoes with a black inner. Black sparkly shoes. Black matte shoes. Black suede shoes. Basically a hundred pairs of virtually identical black shoes.

The team tested their pattern recognition skills to the max. But there were still some shoes that remained resolutely single. Store volunteer Peter disappeared for a bit, before reappearing with a box of -

Yes! That one goes with this one. And finally a match for that bright green shoe! The team paired the remaining shoes up quickly.

Finally, there was nothing more for our team to do (let's ignore the fact the store volunteers remained to keep cleaning ahead of tomorrow's restock - heroes all!).

We said our goodbyes, and melted away into the night.

Another good session with loads of vegetables and herbs to harvest, and picnic lunch in the shade of the Mulberry Tree.

Yesterday, we headed to Harmony Gardens at Broadwater Farm for another GoodGym mission and the garden was definitely ready for some attention!

Mark and Imantha started off with a running session while Sarah reached Harmony Gardens on her glamorous bicycle.

we discovered a young tree that looked like it could use a little helping hand. So we scraped up some of the existing wood chip and that lovely dark, fertile soil and spread it around the tree. Basically, while the rest of the garden was getting a haircut, this little tree got treated to a luxury soil package.

Next was to deal with the plants that had sadly given up on life. There were quite a few of them, so we removed the dead plants and cleared the area. Giving enough space for the living to dance around.

Finally, the hairdressing appointment. ✂️🌳 The branches that were still alive were given a good trim, getting rid of the unwanted growth and giving everything a much neater look. No plants were asked for their opinion on the new hairstyle.

By the end of the session, we had removed the garden’s dead weight, given the surviving branches a makeover and hopefully given our young tree a better chance to grow big and strong.

Another successful GoodGym mission completed — gardening gloves on, soil everywhere, and somehow it still counts as exercise! 💪🌱

A few GoodGym members came together to do online Yoga along with people supporting Stephen’s House and Gardens. picture : my 1st sourdough loaf! yoga talk

Yoga can contribute to muscle development while nurturing physical and mental wellness. In yoga studios and classes, practices like vinyasa yoga incorporate strength-focused poses that engage muscles and encourage growth. While yoga’s primary goal isn’t solely muscle-building, it does enhance overall body strength and tone.