It finally time for some warmer outdoor sessions and Wednesday was the perfect day for it!

We have been working with Walthamstow Toy Library for a while and have completed many an indoor task but this week we had the pleasure of completing some weed trimming and seed scattering around the grounds.

As usual, we arrived to a warm welcome from Helen who provided us with a range of tools and gloves to get to work on the overgrown bushes pushing through the fence. We made quick work of trimming this down to manageable lengths before moving onto the weeds lining the pavement.

In between tugs of weeds, we came across seed bombs encased in clay that had failed to dissolve in the soil. Between Ramon's recommended foot twisting mechanism and a few whacks with the tail ends of our tools, we were able to break them apart and redistribute them along the soil beds and will hopefully be singing some wildflowers sprouting soon.

3 plastic bins filled to the brim with weeds and some very good conversation later, we could stand back and admire the fruits of our (relatively) intense labour.

Our task was made considerably more entertaining by some of the unbelievable Alpaca facts dropped by Sarah, so if you are looking to learn some wildlife facts while spending some time in the great outdoors, be sure to look out for our next task!

“On 29th February, 3 Waltham Forest GoodGymmers leapt at this task 😊.

The toy library needed our help once again, and we were only too happy to oblige. After a short, very wet run to Greenleaf Church meeting point and on to the toy library, our spirits remained undampened. We received a warm welcome from manager Helen, and the lovely Robin. Once inside, after offloading a donation of sippy cups from FBN Towers, we got to work.

Our task? BALL CLEANING. As any fool know, ball pits are widely known to be a horrifically veritable soup of immune-challenging microbial diversity and snot gloopery. At the toy library though, their balls are (impressively) cleaned weekly, so, as balls go, these were pretty hygienic! We attacked the task with gusto, much like toddlers at the toy library play sessions snack time, only with fewer crushed breadsticks and squished raisins involved.

Disclaimer- it’s almost impossible to write a report about cleaning balls without some suggestion of deliberate double entendre. I can assure you that any whiff of this is purely coincidental, so any smuttiness is therefore your own problem!

So, where were we? Yes, Sarah and Natasha set about washing those balls thoroughly with hot soapy water, and I patted them dry with a towel, with help from Robin. Lovely. We finished the task in what seemed like no time whilst we chatted (taking care to discard any squashed balls).

Helen gave us a tour of their lovely newish premises (previously the Limes), including impeccably well-organised and categorised toy rooms, swap shop, and sensory room. Great to see the toy library thriving and growing under Helen’s consistently awesome leadership.

We finished and tidied up, popped the towels in the washing machine, and headed off separately into the night. We hope to see you again soon at the toy library!”

Another great social run in the books!

This time we met up at the William Morris Gallery in Lloyd park for a quick run to distract from studying and tax returns. Sarah took us on a nice flat route that eventually led us to a playground. Of course we couldn't resist a quick jump on the trampoline and a go on the seesaw (would be rude not to really). All played out, we carried on back towards the park and went our separate ways.

If you're keen to get involved in a mid-week or weekend social run but are short on time, please shoot me an email and I can try to schedule something that works for everyone!

A lovely little trot around Lloyd park and a chance to meet the Waltham Forest GoodGymers!

Despite the drizzle and very (very) slippery paths, we all managed to stay on our feet and get to know each other a little better.

After completing a very cautious loop, we settled down in the park coffee shop for some hot drinks and some excellent conversation. Thanks again Claire for the cappuccino, the next one is on me!

I got some great feedback about what members are hoping to see from GoodGym in the near future and I'm hoping to implement as much as possible ASAP. Please feel free to send in any thoughts or feedback you have and I hope to see more of you soon!