For the second week in a row, GoodGym Ealing were volunteering at Acton Junior parkrun. Today was bright, sunny and chilly compared to the mist of last week when Steph was here.

Unusually, all 5 of the volunteers this week had chosen to marshal. It was Breda's first time here and everyone was too busy chatting to explain the course to her, except to point to the "crazy shapes" dodecahedrons that would be her marshal point, leaving her a bit unprepared.

It was another bumper number of finishers. Not as many as last week. 96 is a lot for Acton Juniors recently though and those numbers have gone up a lot since we've been volunteering there.

There were lots of happy children today and one enjoyed themself so much that 2km wasn't enough. They wanted to head back to the roundabout and go around the course again. They were really having fun, which was great to see.

Four Ealing GoodGymers, having stopped for a coffee after a morning session at one of the HANGOT community orchards, walked to Blondin Park to tackle... another orchard! Two guests from other West London areas joined the task. Maxime made the trip to Ealing from GoodGym Hounslow, while JP cycled all the way from Richmond.

The team continued working in the park's orchard, using pickaxes, spades and rakes to remove a circle of grass around the fruit trees, making space for a layer of woodchip to be spread at our future Tuesday night session.

Saturday afternoon turned out to be a great time for wildlife spotting at Blondin Park! We uncovered an underground wasp nest between tree roots — and quickly retreated! At the base of another fruit tree, we discovered something even more exciting: a slow worm, also known as a deaf adder! Despite its name, it was neither a worm nor a snake, but a pretty harmless legless lizard — way more amicable than those feisty wasps!

While focusing on grass removal around the trees, we also dealt with a few tree suckers and blackthorn shoots — removing only those that were in the way of the fruit trees and leaving any sloes untouched. We haven't saved the sloes for gin, but left them for the animals looking for food over the winter.

The Blondin Park session traditionally finished with a round of delicious hot chocolate in the pavilion, kindly provided on the house by our fantastic task owner, Linda! We're looking forward to more hot chocolate as the evenings get colder — and, of course, to mulching the fruit trees we've been preparing! Sign up now to join Steph on that adventure!

October's session with HANGOT took the team back to Osterley Lock, like last month. Unlike last month, the aim was to get the whole orchard, not only the front, to look tidy and business-like.

While the HANGOT volunteers scythed the open areas with tall grasses and burdock, the GoodGymers grabbed loppers and shears to clear big patches of brambles. For the first half of the session everyone was chopping away, making piles of spiky cuttings all over the orchard. Later on, Steph, Lena and Kash stuck to their destroying ways, while Scott and Sevan raked and pitchforked their way around the orchard, moving everyone's cuttings onto an ever growing compost heap.

By the end of the session, the dead or invasive plants had been cleared and for the foreseeable future, the orchard at Osterley Lock won't need more maintenance. Well, at least until spring arrives and the whole cycle starts again. 🌸☀️🍂❄️

On a surprisingly warm October evening, three runners and one cyclist from GoodGym Ealing supported charity Action West London by posting flyers through letterboxes to promote an upcoming Fitness Fun Day in Acton. The free, family-friendly event offers workouts for all ages and abilities, including beginner’s yoga, family interval training, Legs, Bums & Tums, HIIT, a Relax & Stretch session and more.

Jo, Sevan, Steph and Kash ventured into the streets of Acton, passing hidden murals and tributes to poets along the way. They covered Derwentwater Road, Stuart Road, Newburgh Road, Woodhurst Road, parts of Shakespeare Road, Spencer Road and, finally, Milton Road.

Our literary tour ended on Milton Road, where we hoped to give Paradise Lost a more cheerful ending. With the flyers delivered, all that remains is to hope that Acton residents will accept the invitation to get active at St Mary’s Church Hall on 17 October. Perhaps this time, Paradise will be found.

For their Sunday afternoon, Sevan and Kash were back at Mr M's for another round of sorting objects in his drawers. The gentleman had lost his sight and needed help understanding what sorts of things had accumulated in the drawers and what might still be useful. The session took place under the not-so-watchful eye of a fluffy cat who slept on a chair for almost the whole task.

Among the items Sevan and Kash found were:

• Dozens of lozenges and cough sweets
• Hearing aid equipment and audio cables
• Rolls of Sellotape
• Cotton wool balls and tissues
• Good and bad batteries
• Plenty of empty medicine capsules
• Dry-eye remedies
• A broken egg cup with a picture of a Dalek
• A bundle of tangled thread
• Lighters, cigarette filters and Rizla papers, never used since Mr M had quit smoking

Perhaps the most joyful discoveries were the headphones that made Mr M say in a satisfied, growly voice, "Aaah, yes! I've been looking for these!", and a harmonica that made him immediately play Beethoven's Ode to Joy.

In a little over 90 minutes, Sevan and Kash created more space for Mr M, organised his drawers and removed two carrier bags' worth of rubbish, giving Mr M even more reasons to be joyful.