On a cloudy and refreshingly breezy Saturday morning, six GoodGymers and two new Horsenden volunteers met at the foot of Horsenden Hill to help with farm work. Among the GoodGymers, there were two new faces too: Jamie, who joined his third task, and Aislinn (Ash), the first-timer. Both made a grand first impression on the seasoned GoodGymers as open-minded and not scared of today's job: dealing with speciality woodchip! In Elsa's description of the task, there was a promise of a particular sensory profile: an aged barn floor with earthy ammonia undertones. We were in!

Elsa led us to one woodchip pile: crisp and woody, slightly dusty, but not offensive, with aromas of sawdust and dry bark. That sterile heap was to be loaded into wheelbarrows and dropped a few meters away at a larger pile of clean dry woodchip. Since nature abhors a vacuum, the empty space after eliminating that pile was going to be filled with experimental woodchip: the cow-resided kind, scraped diligently from the barnyard floor. It carried the aroma of decomposing hay funk with grassy, smoky and leathery notes. We were thrilled by its organic complexity, although it turned out to be much dustier and less rich than we had expected.

While Jamie, Ash, Gus, Steph Ducat and Kash were exploring the woodchip spectrum (and shovelling really hard for two hours!), Sevan found himself assisting Billy the Cat and one of the new volunteers in a highly precise task for very patient people: pulling messy bundles of chicken wire fencing from behind the barnyard and rolling them into neat, compact cylinders. Those who know Sevan will understand he was a suitable candidate for taking up slow-going, meticulous work. While the woodchip grind carried heavy physical and sensory load, the wire-rolling workout, accompanied by the calm, furry presence of Billy, was meant to build mental resilience.

With 12 pm on the dot and visible results achieved, the hardworking team clocked off to reward themselves with locally made pizza (including a new, limited veggie option), flatbreads, craft beer and speciality coffee. The well-deserved break was a perfect time to chat and get to know each other better.

Looking forward to another opportunity to join us for possibly the most rural experience in West London to have fun, work hard and try amazing baked goods afterwards? Meet us at Horsenden Farm in August!