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.

Do you remember the times when we used to leaflet for the Reduce and Recycle Hub in Acton? Well, in September 2026, we had a chance to spread the word about its spiritual successor, organised by Action West London. On 26th September, Acton Market was going to host a sustainability-themed community day where residents could book free repairs of household electrical appliances or learn how to mend items with Ealing Repair Cafe. The event would also be an opportunity to understand what happens to what we put in the recycling bins and pick up practical tips on how to reduce waste and save money.

Five Ealing GoodGymers: Maria, Scott, Sevan, Steph Ducat and Kash welcomed a GoodGym tourist from Greenwich, JC, who took the opportunity to join our group run as the work brought him to the heart of Ealing. The running team met with the others at the site of Acton Market, overlooked by St Mary's Church and Pokopia Garden - both past or present GoodGym task locations.

The gang worked on their step count, walking through the streets north of Churchfield Road. Leaflets have been dropped into the letterboxes on Derwentwater Rd, Newburgh Rd, Spencer Rd, Cumberland Rd and Maldon Rd. The six GoodGymers enjoyed a small tour exploring several Acton mural locations and saying hi to the local cats. Despite the first properly rainy day since June this year, the evening brightened with blue skies and golden sunshine cheering the team up. No GoodGymers or leaflets got soaked that night, and all the flyers ended up in letter boxes, carefully avoiding the "No junk mail" signs.

Next week we are going to do some walking again, but we'll be changing the theme and the scenery - the Tuesday group task will take us on the route of the Ealing Half Marathon to help put up signs on the lampposts ahead of this year's race. Sign up now!

Next level of litter picking - not on land but on water. Paddle litter picking for 4 Goodgymers. After a small debrief and training at Kew Bridge, they were then set off on the water guided/lead by Sophie from Active 360. Headed out on the river for a paddle around the local islands where we stopped to collect litter along the way without disturbing the local wildlife. Collected the usual rubbish but also found a plate, a sock plus a jacket hanging in a tree and a bubble wand which still worked...Bubbles were made here!!

We paddled roughly 2.5 km before going back to Kew Bridge, but it seemed much longer - what a great session. Nobody fell in the water and we were a bit muddy