Today I did a big solo paint job for Mottingham Foodbank. Their storage room is looking a little worse for wear so I had the task of painting one of the walls. Why is it always the prepping and cleaning that takes ages when you're painting?!

I spent an hour transferring and chopping garden debris from one compost bin to the next and took the very woody material up to the ‘fedge’. After the couch to 5k run. Happy to have helped a little.

The group Couch to 5k went well. We started week 6 ( already ) and are starting to see small signs of stamina building up.Two went together, sadly I arrived too late, so run doggedly by myself, arriving at Horn Park a little later than advertised 😀

HOWEVER.....what a session ! 4 Goodgymers, 2 members of the public ,plus the regular Friends of Horn Park made a mega WoodChip Shovelling/Laying Team. The original woodchip pile, the teamwork, and the extra support was truly a thing of beauty. The "before "and " afters " don't show the pace that was worked. GoodGymers having done the Couch to 5k run just before, didn't shirk from buckling down with fully laden barrows , shuttling back and forth laying woodchip along a path which was seriously muddy and a potential slip hazard.

How great is it that 2 members of the public, one a regular dog walker ( the dog, a golden retreiver, was a sweetheart), in the park, another returning from a local Park Run, who, upon learning of the task at hand literally piled in and helped . The pace of work was super quick, thus the task was finished in record time.

Superb bonhomie throughout. Human beings really can be a force for good, - especially when they see others having a go.It's nice to see Friends of Horn Park look especially gratified after our departure. A job well done, as always. We love Good Gym 🏋️‍♂️

Today I moved bricks from near the path and wheelbarrowed them to the top of Community Garden

Superb !! The Goodgym team of 3 joined up with St. Edwards' 2 volunteers, and doubled down to work , barely looking up.

I tell you the grafting had most of us glowing after we greedily gathered great pace during the session. But enough of that . We were blessed to have 2 new Goodgymers who turbo charged the new paved path we've been working on recently. Almost doubled it in one session, it was SO good to step back and gloat in the gorgeous after glow of all that grafting ( Stopping now, I promise ). Superb 👌

Not to be outdone, the wimmins dealt some arching brambles, spiky hawthorn shrubs a blow by pruning, plus levelling the claggy clay ( oops ) patch of earth which had been piled up against a fence.

Our instructor was pleased with our efforts to make the section of the space accessible to wheelchair users in due course, plus it was super gratifying to be able to see where we had been in a relatively short time.

Even after a short breather, the guys redouble their efforts, overcoming some challenges with man hole thingies. Really appreciated the way those 2 evaluated, constantly assessing, and checking in with each other. Great teamwork !

Once again, a hugely satisfying session.Thanks, Mark, for your unflagging support and over sight , always appreciated 👏

Thanks to today's team, the time flew the path grew and the earth was leveled anew ..... one step closer to the Grand opening of the garden in July .

Good Gymers ,really well done !!

A proper turn around training, if ever I've seen one ! 2 of the 3 runners were focused on how badly we felt we had done with running or not running since the last training. Mark got us focused and buckled down, chirrupping away about stuff as we ended our way through Mottingham, astounding the local populace with our group speed and agility ( ahem( as we sped though Mark's planned route of street and local common. We resisted Mark's yearning looks at the wooded area, pleading slippery leaves, so we plodded on, I can't emphasise enough the huge difference today made, in terms of the motivation of the group run, as well as the emerging realisation that the process really works 💪.

After the relief and gratitude of covering the run without tripping, falling, or collapsing, two of us went on to scrub signage at the local woods. Hope you agree that our efforts will enable users to access the open space more easily.

The before and after photos ( wrong order, naturally ) show about 10 minutes of actual vigorous, rapid scrubbing, with all cleaning equipment supplied A very satisfying and rewarding task. We'll be back for more, in due course ! Thanks for being the " rabbit " today, Mark, and for setting a fair and relaxed pace , Onwards and upwards 👍