The first day of November 2025 didn't feel like mid-autumn at all, with the blue skies and warm sunshine welcoming us at Horsenden Farm. Apart from the yellow and orange leaves on the trees, the Halloween-themed craft market stalls that suddenly appeared at the farmyard were a gentle reminder of which season we were in.

The day was supposed to be a big milestone for the Horsenden cows, particularly for the young ones. The farm kept five rare-breed Shetland cows: three adults and two calves born this year. The eight-month-old baby cow and baby bull were to be weaned in the evening, so the task owner, Elsa, asked us for help in preparing the calves' new room in the barn, right next to their mum, but behind a barrier to discourage sucking.

Afshin and Penny came prepared with their own wellies, so they were ready to give the slightly mucky job a go. Simon joined them in moving straw bales into a trailer and hay bales into the space created after removing the straw. As a result, a spacious bedroom has been created for the calves.

In the meantime, Christos, Diana, Gaby, Victoria, Sevan, Kash, and a new Horsenden volunteer, Sam, rolled or carried the scattered logs onto a single neat pile, following Elsa's safety advice.

We don't want any logs or bodies in the ditch.

Everyone was cautious not to trip over or strain their backs when lifting, so all seven happy volunteers marched up the hill for their final task: a bramble bash! The seemingly never-ending effort of cutting back massive patches of blackberries with slashers, shears and loppers was slowly paying off with reclaimed meadow space. The reestablished grassland will be seeded with wildflowers and become a new grazing area for cows.

Speaking of grazing, after the task, following the GoodGym custom, the team gathered at a bench in a sunny spot to enjoy pizzas, baked goods, coffee or local beer. We are looking forward to keeping the tradition alive next month, even if it may get a little bit colder. If you'd like to join us, sign up for the December Horsenden session! We are hoping to see you there!

This Saturday we ticked off another HANGOT orchard from our bucket list: Blackberry Corner - probably the furthest and most difficult to water. It's been a hot and dry summer, so the fruit trees were desperate for water if they were to bear fruit this year.

Before heading to Blackberry Corner on the other side of the canal, Steph Ducat filled the 100-litre water tank at Bernd's Shed to be used throughout another hot week.

Blackberry Corner didn't have any facilities for watering, so the volunteers had a proper workout, carrying the buckets and cans from the far away canal. Luckily, a friendly boater offered to throw her hose through the fence, which would make the journey with buckets much shorter. But what a challenge it was to discover where the hose was located! Frank and others from HANGOT had a rummage in the overgrowth along the fence to finally find it.

Apart from watering, our side task was raking the grass Frank had cut using a scythe. We'd then spread then grass on the cut nettles between the fruit trees. According to Frank, the released seeds would promote the grass growth in the following year, hopefully reducing the spread of nettles.

It was the first session for Victoria, who quickly got stuck in, watering the thirsty trees. Welcome Victoria - you have definitely deserved to come back later in the year to try some of the fruits of your labour! The watermelon lollies kindly given to us today by the boater with the hose, were a bonus reward and more than we expected from the session!