The first Tuesday of June marked an abrupt and definite end to the May heatwave, with hailstorms and thunderstorms raging over Ealing in the afternoon. Six GoodGymers who weren't scared off by the weather, caught in the worst of the rain, or stopped by the tube strikes were lucky enough to miss the downpour and even catch some shy rays of sunshine. Jumping over puddles, Freya, Steph, Sevan and Kash ran through Ealing Common to Popesfield Allotments to meet cyclist James and walker Anna.

The goal of the task, commissioned by the horticultural charity Cultivate London, was to clear a vegetable patch to serve as a communal starter plot for people on the allotment waiting list. The idea was to give them a chance to learn, practise, and enjoy growing their own fruit and veg while they wait for a plot of their own. As you may know, waiting for an allotment space in London can take years, so the GoodGym team was ready to take on the weeds that had spread across the patch and give those keen future gardeners the best possible start in food growing.

If you think the session was a typical power-weeding-raze-everything-to-the-ground-total-destruction affair, then think again! The veg patch was already planted with a variety of legitimate plants, so uncovering all the plot's secrets hidden beneath the overgrowth proved to be quite an educational experience. Although the GoodGymers were physically on their own at the allotment, Romina from Cultivate was on the other side of Kash's phone, providing live support. The team trusted Romina more than Google Lens and happily sent over pictures of questionable plants for identification.

Among the plants the group recognised on their own, or with Romina's help, were poppies, tarragon, sage, artichokes, broccoli and other brassica plants, African kale, and curry plant (not to be confused with the curry tree, which actually produces curry leaves), to name just a few. The remaining greenery, classified as weeds, filled nearly two half-tonne bags, later hauled to the green waste disposal area. In less than an hour, the two-sided plot was unrecognisable and looked like a veg patch once again – if you can identify your veggies, of course!

Next Tuesday, we are off to Elthorne Park to keep burdock under control before it spreads too far, prevents other plants from thriving, and produces the burrs that get stuck in your dog's fur! Let's tackle this spiky troublemaker before it starts producing its prickly hitchhikers. Sign up now!

Mrs J's late husband was the computer whizz. Mrs J had worked a secretary in the past and she'd never gotten to grips with the relatively new Windows 10 laptop at home. She still held a fondness for her old, chunky Sony laptop that had stopped working. Now, with Mr J no longer able to help, it was time for the 96 year old Mrs J to learn some new skills.

Getting a laptop set up for an older person to use was challenging for Kash and Sevan. They had to make setting changes as they went to make it easier to read or to use, which left Mrs J's head spinning. She must've felt like she was at the optician.

"Do you prefer accessibility option A or B?"
"A...?"
"...or B?"

There were some things that the GoodGymers couldn't change, like adding physical, clicky buttons under the trackpad. They did what they could. Mrs J was still unsure though and her eyes and brain needed a rest, so with her laptop configured, the next session to help should be easier.