Charlton House and Gardens welcomed a mighty team of two yesterday, as a last-minute volunteer pairing, whose name is Šana, arrived ready to bring some help from Newham.

Šana and I could be found chatting, drinking tea, taking photos of each other and generally creating the impression that we'd signed up for a content creation mission rather than a gardening one.

Behind the scenes, however, some surprisingly productive work was taking place.

Equipped with a shiny wheelbarrow and pair of garden shears, Šana went off to tackle the overgrown bushes surrounding the open space garden, filling an entire wheelbarrow or two with cut thickets and staying longer than Aidyn on that day! Aidyn was somehow teamed up with a couple of local CABAHS volunteers headed into the wilderness area armed with a trowels and a bag of 500 bulbs! Battling thick and wet grass and stubborn ground, we managed to plant staggering half of that never-ending bag!

Meanwhile, the mountain of greenery removed by my teammate, Šana, helped tidy up those bushes!

The photographic evidence may suggest we spent the afternoon posing dramatically and documenting our every move, but the final tally tells a different story:

🌷 c 200-250 bulbs planted in the wilderness area in conjunction with CABAHS team! 🌿 One wheelbarrow packed full of cut thickets removed 📸 Countless photos taken for "proof" ☕ Cups of tea and plenty of banter consumed

A successful afternoon at Charlton House and Gardens proving that, with enough determination, it's possible to be both productive volunteers and photo queens at the same time (proven before countless times)!