On a mild evening we gathered for our first after-dark task session on the farm. We tackled a laurel of jobs—moving logs, cutting back dense laurel growth, clearing a goose enclosure by rolling up the electric fence and raking up the straw. We tore cardboard for compost and trimmed the hedge! It was a productive and satisfying evening, made even more special by welcoming a new member, Suzanne, to the team. We’re delighted she joined us and hope she had a great time getting stuck in with the GG team!

We are like a well oiled machine when it comes to cleaning vehicles now! Abby set to work instructing the team on the perfect steps for required for cleaning. Is it just water then water and soap or water and soap and then just water?! I don’t know but I know you need to shimmy shammy to get it sparkling! Well done team - I think that might be a record of 5 vehicles cleaned inside and out in one hour. You can all have a winter break from car washing now…probably!

We returned to the farm for a consecutive week of muck spreading! We struck gold this week, during golden hour, managing to get to the good stuff early on to shift many wheelbarrows to the vegetable patch. Helen, Sarah and Ellie worked on loading up the barrows while Wilson and Chris did the emptying and spreading. Wilson was on wheelbarrow returning duties to keep an eye on our work and insisted we could managed another two wheelbarrows in the last 7 minutes. What a task master!

Ten brilliant volunteers turned up at Aldermoor this evening ready to tackle nature head-on—and tackle they did! Finn, Laura, and Derek gave the entrance hedge a sharp new look, while Sarah, Amanda, Beck, and Ronna took on the wild willow by the pond, cutting it back and hauling the branches to the chipper like absolute pros. Meanwhile, Ellie and Anna (with a cameo from Wilson) took on the compost bay transfer— never did we think the whole bay could be done, but Ellie and co were determined and they powered through until the task was complete! Laura and Amanda also got stuck into tearing cardboard for future composting. It was fantastic to see Anna, Beck, and Ronna back for round two, and even better to wrap up with a sliver of daylight—possibly our last light-filled task of the season! Great job everyone!

Today we started with a lovely tour around Rose Road to find out more about what they do to support disabled children and adults. It was great to hear all about the invaluable services they provide particularly as next month we have a brave team of GGers who will be taking on the Spinnaker Tower abseil to raise funds for Rose Road! After our tour it was time for some speed weeding in the Acorn respite garden. We had to decide the weeds from the plants but fortunately didn't have to make too many choices as it was mostly just weeds left and some slightly sad looking mint after a very dry summer. Not content with just weeding the team also tried to adjust the slightly saggy “sail” shades as they are hanging a bit low down following rain fall weighing them down. With many hands, minds and possible solutions it was decided it didn’t have quite enough stretch so alas it will have to sag another day!

Helped at Run Through races on Southampton Common this morning, registration duties followed by offering out Love Corn.... seems that not everybody does in fact love Corn... a bit of a marmite snack. I love it and went home with 10 bags!

Tonight we returned to Aldermoor Farm for a slimy adventure: a slug and snail hunt! Richard greeted us with expert tips on how to track down our slippery targets, and then we were off - headlamps on, eyes peeled, and spirits high. I think it was Ronna that kicked off our hunt, finding the first slug!

Along the way, we were treated to a magical evening soundtrack of hooting owls and even spotted a fox darting through the undergrowth. The hunt itself was full of squeals - some of delight, others of mild horror as slugs emerged from their hiding spots.

Julia and Yujiu proved to be top-tier slug spotters, uncovering some impressively chunky specimens. We also had a fun language exchange, swapping the English and Chinese names for a woodlouse. Beck, a spider 'enthusiast', kept us informed about the eight-legged friends we encountered.

Wilson joined a little later and struck gold, or rather, goo - finding the biggest slug pile of the night nestled on a piece of old fruit. Claire and Sarah bravely stepped in to do the slimy honours of collecting them!

By the end of the evening, we had amassed a glistening pile of slugs and snails - lucky ducks indeed!

A warm welcome to Yujiu, Ronna, and Beck on their first GoodGym session. We hope to see you again soon!