I cycled 3 miles and arrived at Mrs V’s at 7pm on another lovely warm, sunny evening — not too hot and perfect for a bit of weeding. I met Mrs V and introduced myself. She said “Jim?”, to which I replied “James”. She laughed and told me that when she spoke to GoodGym on the phone she thought I was a gardener called “Good Jim”! We both had a good laugh.

Mrs V showed me where the tools were kept round the back of the house. I brought them to the front garden, which was in need of weeding. She told me to do as much as I could and that she really appreciated the help. She kindly offered me tea, coffee or water, but I had brought my own drinks. She then offered some melon — knowing she was a definitely a feeder, I accepted and said I’d have some when I’d finished. I got stuck in, digging out weeds, removing roots, and clearing around the roses. Once finished, I swept up, returned the bin, and put all the tools back. I managed to get the front piece cleared and it was looking a lot tidier.

Mrs V had prepared the melon for me, it is Piel de Sapo Spanish for “Skin of the Toad”). Mrs V told me and I was glad I had accepted the melon offer It was delicious 😋 She also offered me a cherry which were very sweet I accepted, and it was so good !

While I was eating, Mrs V shared some lovely stories about her life. She told me about her husband, a wonderful Italian man she was married to for 64 years . . She also mentioned her own work as a translator for Spanish, Italian and French. ! I was very grateful for the refreshment and the lovely conversation. A wonderful evening task all round 🙏