Last night’s GoodGym session in Westminster took us back to St Andrew’s, where our task was to tackle the vast amount of arts and crafts supplies and sort everything into trays ready to go into the new storage before the kids return next week. There was an incredible amount to get through — paints, craft materials, games, and all sorts of wonderfully creative things for the children to discover and enjoy. Looking at it all laid out, it was easy to see what a brilliant resource this is: not just fun, but materials that can help children develop skills, express themselves creatively and even use art as a form of therapy.

It was also eerily quiet without the children around. We’re so used to the voices, music and activities happening all around us that the silence felt quite strange. Still, there was something surprisingly therapeutic about working our way through the supplies. Khai, Adrian and I settled into a good rhythm, sorting, organising and gradually turning the chaos into something much more manageable.

We even came across one particularly intriguing bag of equipment that was definitely not very kid-friendly — more suited to adult consumption! Let’s just say we were careful not to let any bunny business get mixed up with the children’s crafts. 🐰

By the end, we’d worked our way through the supplies and everything was organised and ready to be moved into its new home. Adrian was really pleased to see it all sorted, which made the evening feel particularly worthwhile.

Another visit to St Andrew’s, another good deed done! It’s lovely to know that the work we do helps keep such a valuable community resource organised, welcoming and ready for the children who rely on it. We might not have heard their voices last night, but we could certainly imagine the noise, creativity and fun that will soon fill the space again.

Thanks to Khai for the punspiration this week!

As I wandered towards Mr R's front door, I noticed the street was full of (early) fallen horse chestnuts aka conkers...another tree confused by the unseasonal weather. In a strange coincidence Mr R's shopping came to £10.66 - I half expected to see a knight on a horse on the way back (or a large tapestry), but instead got the heavy bass from nearby Notting Hill carnival instead for company...

An interesting conversation with Miss N today (who isn't a native English speaker, albeit her English is pretty good), as she recalled a colleague telling her that when British people ask "how are you" (which is how I greeted her at the door this morning) they aren't really expecting a ten minute explanation of exactly how you are...I admitted that the nuances of the English language can sometimes be confusing even to native speakers...and that the answer "I'm fine" can be equally baffling in terms of the breadth of circumstances it can cover.

Fortunately the shopping, apart from confusion over dates vs olives on the list, was not in any way subject to any nuance, although I do fear I left Miss N even more confused on the greeting front.

A reasonably short list today for Mrs S, who is clearly keeping up to date online on what is on offer at the world's politest supermarket, as she asked that I get her two boxes of the "porridge oats with the scotsman in the kilt doing this..." (at which point she accurately, and impressively, mimed putting the shot from her kitchen chair, thankfully without falling off said chair, which would've been awkward...).

One GoodGymer headed to TRAID to help clothes the gap between donations and the shop floor.

Armed with hangers and a can-do attitude, they got hung up on sorting and displaying pre-loved fashion, helping garments stay on the rails and out of landfill. Every item neatly hung was another piece given a second chance to suit a new owner.

It was a re-tail triumph, proving that even a solo model volunteer can make a big difference. No loose threads, no wardrobe malfunctions, just one GoodGymer helping TRAID keep sustainable fashion in vogue!

Needless to say, they absolutely hung out for the planet and left TRAID looking seam-lessly stocked!

After last week's failure to find shallots for Mr R, I was determined not to return empty handed this week. Tesco's shelves weren't stocking them, but his local greengrocer had both the round and elongated versions, so I was faced with a choice on which to get - I went with round, but next time I'll know it's the longer variety (easier to chop...) which gets his vote.