Joseph's secret forces had been hard at work since GoodGym Ealing's last visit to Feeding Ealing. A month ago the team had added manure to the raised beds to prepare them for next year's growing season. Since then, Joseph's worm army had been digesting the soil and manure to prepare for one part of today's task, turning the soil to prepare for new planting.

Kash and Sevan volunteered for what Joseph called the "graft" task, to take last year's potato growing beds and get them ready to have broad beans planted next season. Thanks to the worms and the little bit of rain that'd fallen, it took the full 90 minutes with Joseph's help to turn the soil in all of the beds. It was lighter work than last month and between them, they found plenty of potatoes that had escaped their harvest earlier in the year, with some of them were still being good to eat.

"I was going to ask if there were different varieties of potatoes here."
"But this is just a stone." - Kash
"There area early whites and desiree potatoes planted in the beds."
"That one is a stone potato." - Joseph

Inside the polytunnel was the second, fun and aromatic task with less graft. Cherian and Therese were uprooting this year's tomato plants and harvesting any remaining fruit. Green tomatoes were put into one bucket for Joseph to make his tasty chutney with, while yellow and orange fruits were separated out. Knobbly, spiky karela was picked too.

At the end of the session, the team were offered potatoes, the yellow/orange tomatoes and mild peppers to take home and cook with as a thank you for their efforts. At least the peppers were supposed to be mild as they weren't mature according to Joseph, so Kash must have been unlucky when she bit into one that was hot, hot, hot! 🌶️

Do you remember August 2025, when GoodGym cleared a brambly meadow for grazing animals at Horsenden Farm? You may not, as the group's composition has changed a bit since then.

Do you know what happened afterwards? The brambles grew back. But so did our group.

The newest addition was Lara, who had joined GoodGym only the night before. Like many other GoodGymers, she swapped screen time for getting active outdoors, meeting new people and making a positive change. She finally had a chance to rediscover her long-forgotten skills and did a brilliant job, quickly identifying and tackling the most important tasks.

The Saturday morning session started with saying hello to ponies Trixie and Charlie, who were happily grazing in their new paddock. Yes, that's the same paddock GoodGym had cleared in recent months! It's always encouraging to see the results of our work come to fruition.

Next, we made our way to the familiar (at least to a couple of us) meadow, which needed another bramble bash before adding new fencing inside the existing enclosure. The current boundary along the public paths wasn't deep enough to stop enthusiastic visitors from feeding the ponies, so Trixie and Charlie wouldn't be allowed into the new meadow until a new barrier was in place to prevent them from getting used to treats from strangers.

We got into chopping work with loppers and shears, distracted only once by friendly goats Alfie and Yogi, who came over to greet us. We didn't meet the cows on the day, but from looking what's been laying on the ground, we knew they had been to the meadow recently - so we had to watch our steps!

The stubborn bramble patch that had sprung back since last year was much easier to deal with this time, giving us more time to focus on clearing a corridor through the virgin bramble jungle further up the slope. Who knows when that ancient blackberry land was last touched?

"I don't know what we would do without you!" said Elsa, a Friend of Horsenden Farm, when we returned from our chopping quest.

Lastly, it was time for pizza, which sparked conversations about the top-notch ingredients needed for the world's best pizza and 90s martial arts films (hint: one of the Horsenden Loaf pizzas is called Jean Claude).

It was the perfect way to start a cool, misty morning: a good dose of exercise, followed by a well-deserved lunch and a little sunshine in the afternoon!

On Saturday afternoon, after a long break following a surprisingly efficient Pumpkin Trail Setup task, Nima, Michelle, Maria, Sevan and Kash reconvened at Ealing Common. There, they met Barnet GoodGymer, Cherian - a frequent guest at the Ealing tasks.

The mission was to cut overhanging branches obstructing the view from The Common road and the path inside the green space. Loppers and saws were in operation for 90 minutes, and the results were stunning! The whole stretch of trees between Grange Road and Uxbridge Road had their crowns lifted.

In arboricultural jargon, crown lifting means removing lower tree limbs to create more space underneath. This allows more light through, makes it easier for pedestrians to pass and improves visibility. As a result, the area looks more open and welcoming, feels safer and can help discourage antisocial behaviour.

Who would have thought GoodGym had so many naturally talented tree surgeons! Great work, everyone!

From Finchley Facts to Harry Potter Magic!

Eight GoodGym explorers, a little local history, hidden woodland, famous faces, competitive Poohsticks and a few surprises along the way!

At 11am, eight curious GoodGymers gathered at Finchley Central station for another of our social discovery walks. The idea? Get outdoors, have a chat, enjoy a few games and discover some of the extraordinary stories hiding in our own neighbourhood.

As is traditional, we gathered round, numbered up and shared our favourite Finchley facts. Margaret Thatcher, former MP for Finchley; Harry Beck, the genius behind the iconic Tube map; and Amie Winehouse, who grew up locally.

We headed along the high street, stopping at various buildings, including the former St Mary’s Primary School, where yours truly was once a six-year-old pupil! The school has since moved near the Dollis Brook Viaduct, and much of the old site is now occupied by a courthouse.

Next was St Mary’s Church, whose history stretches back to the 12th century, with fragments of Norman stonework still surviving. A wonderfully welcoming place, with plenty of stories to tell, including memories of local people helping to raise funds for the church organ.

Then on to Stephens House & Gardens, where we joined Spike Milligan on his bench for a few stories about this much-loved comedian, who lived in Finchley for nearly 20 years. Sadly, Spike wasn’t contributing much to the conversation!

Winding through Finchley’s attractive back streets, we came across the rather extraordinary Beechwood Mews development. I researched this later..

Designed by award-winning architect Peter Barber, this clever scheme squeezes 97 homes, half of them affordable, onto a narrow strip alongside the busy North Circular.

Its striking brick frontage acts as a noise barrier, protecting a pedestrianised residential street behind it. Special acoustic glazing and ventilation measures help tackle the challenges of living beside one of London’s busiest roads.

Then time for the Tiny Forests... Crossing the North Circular, we entered a very different world: the four Tiny Forests at Mutton Brook.

GoodGym has helped Earthwatch, Barnet Council, local schools and residents plant and care for these little forests.

What makes them particularly interesting is that the three newer plots use different soil preparation methods, allowing us to compare how the trees grow and survive.

It’s a fantastic outdoor science classroom where families can discover trees, wildlife, biodiversity and climate resilience while contributing to real scientific research.

The great Mutton Brook Poohsticks Championship then started...

Just beyond the Tiny Forests, we gathered on the bridge for a fiercely contested game of Poohsticks. Stick selection proved crucial, and with an actual cash prize at stake, the pressure was on! Congratulations to Louise, whose superior stick selection and remarkable understanding of stream dynamics secured a famous victory.

From there, we ventured into Little Wood, an ancient woodland with its own remarkable open-air amphitheatre, built in 1920 and still used for summer performances.

Through Big Wood, we emerged into the beautiful Central Square of Hampstead Garden Suburb, with its two magnificent churches designed by Edwin Lutyens.

Here we heard about Henrietta Barnett, the remarkable woman whose vision helped create the Garden Suburb in the early 20th century: a place where people from different backgrounds could live among beautiful buildings, gardens and green spaces.

Our next stop caused quite a stir among the Harry Potter fans.. if I could find them! We passed the house used in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, where Hermione casts a spell to erase her parents’ memories of her, hoping to protect them from Voldemort. ( researched later )

For some of our explorers, seeing the actual filming location was a magical moment. Others were rather less impressed and took the opportunity to enjoy the views across Hampstead Heath Extension instead.

Our final stretch took us through the lovely open spaces of the Heath Extension and onwards to Golders Hill Park, where a café and refreshments provided a very welcome finish.

What a lovely way to spend a few hours! Good company, a few laughs, fascinating local stories, a bit of friendly competition and some beautiful green spaces, Magic!

Fancy joining our next GoodGym discovery walk?

Keep an eye out for our next walk on the GoodGym listings. Everyone welcome!

Today I was joined by Cherian to help Energy Garden leader Anna and volunteer stalwarts Cathy, Jane, Sarah and Margaret to clear and plant bulbs which will bloom in the spring. As we wind down towards winter, there will be less to do but still the doing is needed. And as always, great to get appreciation from the station passengers!