What an amazing morning, for the first time this year the skies were blue, the sun was out and the temperature was approaching something you might call 'Spring-like'.

Caution as always though, at this time of year, as it can be deceptive and no one want to be caught in the cold thinking it was going to be warmer. So hoodies and leggings were still de riguer, certainly for me as I cycled down the hill (as fellow meteorologists will concur, it's cooler at the top of the hill than at the bottom).

It was lovely though, that feeling of warm air rushing past my face as a sped down Ralph Allen Drive gradually sinking into the warmer valley air in the centre of Bath.

Sydney Gardens is a beautiful place, much nicer as spring takes hold and the weather warms, we've had some dreary winter days here for sure over the last six months. Today, however, everyone had the same bug, Spring might just be here and we were all going to enjoy it! Joining me (Meyrick) were stalwarts Aaron, Cosmo, Bennath and Nev and there might have even been a spring in our steps as we awaited our instructions from Gill, our guide from the Friends of Sydney Gardens.

This week we learned that one of the pedestrian bridges over the railway was in need of repair, and major repair at that. The authorities would be closing the rail line for a few days in order to do this work (heads up this is the main route from Cardiff to London so not an insignificant impact). Turns out the workmen will need the use of the area where all the sand and woodchip is stored, and so have been clearing it out. In fact they had been on site with diggers to move all the sand up to the play area (doing in one day what normally takes GoodGym several months), but there was much woodchip remaining and we were to help fill barrows of the stuff for relocating to nearby flower beds.

We didn't through all of it, but made a great start and thoroughly enjoyed the coming of Spring.

Another Sunday, another Sydney Gardens. After a night a heavy rain, the skies cleared and the weather became dry, just in time for our visit this morning at 10am. GoodGymmers Cosmo, Aaron, Nev and Meyrick were on hand to help with whatever the Friends of Sydney Gardens decided was the task for this week.

Turned out it was grass, hence the awful pun above. Over in the awesome children's play area there is a lot of it, and loads of different types. The larger ones, which to me looked like pampas grass (and immediately took be back to the 80s), there is a natural shedding that occurs. So any dead grass can easily be extracted from the main body of the plant and removed, to tidy the flower beds up and provide more substance to the compost heaps dotted around the park.

Seemed like a quick one today, the hour sped by, but we were successful in our task and can't wait to be back in two weeks.

Back once again! At Sydney Gardens, for a festive session before Christmas and or last visit before the end of 2025.

Five GoodGymmers rocked up, some festive, some not, (some forgot), and our task today was to lay wood chip on the flower beds adjacent to Park entrance to the Holburne Museum. Cosmo, Aaron, Bennath, Nev and Meyrick were on hand to help the Friends of Sydney Gardens, who were busy removing leaves from the aforementioned flower beds in order to prepare them for our wood chip./

Roughly in keeping with the usual algorithm that the heavier the material, the further away from where it is needed, wood chip is fairly light, so we only needed to barrow it about 10 yards from where we refilled.

There was a bit of urgency towards the end, as we really needed to finish the beds before the hour was up, but we made it.

Many thanks to the Friends of Sydney Gardens, who invited us for cake and mulled wine in the Pavilion afterwards.

Here we are again, the first Christmassy thing that happens every year is GoodGym rocking up to St Johns Court to decorate the place for the festive Season.

Couple of trees, plenty of tinsel, Christmas tunes on the ghetto blaster, this is when we all begin to realise it is Christmas at last.

To that end, these Christmas Elves were on hand to help - Cosmo, Kate, Tanya, Emily, Bennath, Nev and Meyrick 'elved' themselves to as many decorations as they could in the hour they had.

We did a great job, the main entrance Christmas tree is always the jewel, but trees were also put up in the dining hall and the TV lounge, with the usual residents on hand to help.

We will return in January to take all of this down - not as popular an event if I'm honest, might just be me on my own, but for Christmas at least, we left the place feeling festive.