We had a brilliant evening serving dinner at Jimmy's this week. We were delighted to welcome new GoodGymers Sydnii and Rachel, and with Rachel as a trained chef, and Sydnii familiar with Jimmy's, we were in excellent hands.

On the menu was a very delicious looking pie, cheesy mash, and greens with a good helping of gravy. Sticky toffee pudding and custard to finish. What a line up!

All the food was prepped and warming, but the lumpy gravy called, needing a bit of extra love. Utilising all Rachel's cooking experience we set her on her first task of sieving the gravy. 👩‍🍳

Beth and I were in charge of checking the food prior to opening the hatch, putting our recent food hygiene training to the test to ensure the food was hot enough. At 82 degrees in the centre of the pies, we agreed that was toasty enough. 🥧

It was an efficient line up, each taking a different element of the meal and all taking time to speak with residents. We made sure to get all orders correct and plated some meals up for later. It didn't feel too busy, but we did have a little flurry of requests just before the end of service, keeping us on our toes.

Rachel wasted no time washing up, I was on dishwasher duty, and Sydnii was a pro at storing and labelling the leftover food. Sydnii also took the initiative to clean the eating area a little before we finished service, so we were all cleared up in 15 minutes, a record!

There was a real buzz in the kitchen, and it was great to have time to get to know our new GoodGymers, hearing about very cute doggies and travelling adventures.

Looking forward to next time already!

The head torches were out for this week's session for SIN Cru.

A tidy team of four, Beth, Scott and I ran from central Cambridge and met Christopher at the task, choosing to take the bike fresh off his half marathon sprint.

We enjoyed a melodic welcome from the dogs and were briefed by Lucy on the evening's jobs

Scott wasted no time digging up an intrusive weed with very deep roots, while I filled a pot with compost to transfer a selection of nettles. We were tasked with clearing an area, saving some for use in cooking. Despite the recent rain, the ground was tough and required a bit of strength to get them out. Not a challenge for Scott who had a massive plant up and out in no time. With it freshly planted, the rest of the area was cleared and we turned our attention to support Beth and Chris with planter building.

At a session over the summer, we'd cut the wood down to size and this week we were attaching the panels to make planters. Chris jumped at the chance to use the electric drill and while a simple enough task on the surface, a little while in, it became clear that the screws weren't long enough to get through the planks of wood. Cue intense discussions between carpentry expert, Scott, and DIYer, Chris, to work through the different options. Sadly, none were viable and we felt a little defeated until Lucy pointed out that the other planks were thinner. Feeling like planks, but with new found purpose, we continued. Beth and Scott were holding the planks steady while Chris and I added the screws (my manual method proving no less effective, but rather less efficient). A team effort, overseen by site manager Beth, we soon had two planters (one with a slightly wonky side) ready to be dug in.

There's always plenty of time for a chat at this task and we enjoyed a good debrief of all our recent races, heard about some rather lovely holidays, and briefly discussed head torch etiquette (eyes down!).

To top off the session, we had a little celebration for Chris who has reached 10 Good Deeds. Congratulations! The tub of Glacé cherries is noted for your 50... 🍒