We were so happy to return to the glorious Grow for Life walled garden at Newton St Loe today where we all got stuck in to the task of giving the toilet shed a much needed coat of paint; it was great fun with lots of positive chat in a beautiful place. Join us next time as we've been invited back to paint the tool shed too! Big thanks to Meyrick for fab photos 😊

I was in town early for the mission, taking some time out for myself and relaxing in Victoria Park reading my latest book on the origins of life in the Universe. Gradually intruding upon this wonderful calm was the growing rumble of thunder, getting louder by the minute.

Looking up at the sky I could see what this fuss was about, there were a fair number of cumulonimbus clouds bubbling up from the east. As a trained meteorologist, I fired up the lightning checker app on my phone (lightningmaps.org if you are interested) and could clearly see the lightning hitting all around the area between Bristol and Bath, and getting closer.

There is a meaning to this story trust me. I quickly scarpered, and besides it was all but time to head to the mission. Back at St John's Court again, to help make the place a brigther and nicer place to live for the elderly residents, I was met there by Emily, Tanya and James.

Ann, our steadfast coordinator at St John's, led us around the back to a couple of new wooden tables and a planting station that needed painting, this being our job for the evening. However, no sooner had we started than the heavens opened, and one of those cumulonimbus clouds I mentioned earlier was now above is and the downpour was merciless. Seeing as it's been quite warm and muggy it may have been nice to stay outside and get drenched (painting was out of the question though). However, I was a real killjoy and told everyone to go inside in case there was lightning (there was thunder after all), as not only was I concerned for the safety of my fellow GoodGymmers, as mission leader, but I didn't want to do a pile of paperwork.

When the rain ceased we had a half hour left of our mission but what we had been painting was now drenched so Ann had us do some weeding at the front.

Roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and all the trimmings as well as bread and butter pudding and custard. It has to be the ultimate comfort food and certainly one of our recipients told us, "I always look forward to this".

Myself, Tanya and her husband and honorary GoodGymer Simon were delivering takeaway roast dinners across Odd Down to residents who were'nt able to leave their homes to join in the monthly community meal put on by St Philip's Church One-2-one, as it's called, was set up to combat loneliness in the parish and bringing a meal to residents is a wonderful way of making housebound people feel connected.

This week we had six deliveries, divided up by location, and it really was a case of #dogoodgetfit as we had to put some welly on to make sure they arrived on people's dining tables before they cooled down. Some like it hot, as they say...