Abby and I joined the many regulars at RWL to complete the timed 5K course along the waterfront.

And then a cooling drink & brunch before heading off to our Sunday activities.

There were some overgrown shrubs & trees casting too much shade onto the border plants in Mrs M's lovely little garden.

Dave and I snipped, pruned, swept-up and watered, and made it tidier and more accessible in just 45 minutes.

It doesn't take a lot of our time and effort to remove the worry for an older person and to enable them enjoy the view onto their garden.

It was good to work in the shade of the Nore Barn Woods, on a sweltering hot day. We cleared brambles and nettles that were encroaching on the paths.

We finished at 11am to hold the AGM of the Friends of Nore Barn Woods, with drinks and refreshments following the formal business.

A lovely chatty task, with many hands making light work.

The Portsmouth Tree Wardens were super quick this morning. They had arrived early and already given the trees a very good drink - 25 litres each when I got there.

So, I helped load the cars and then did a litterpick afterwards.

It was a very warm evening, with a lot of hard graft - I hope everyone enjoyed their currys as part of their recovery!

After a slightly BadGym run, (Dave wielding spades certainly looked a bit sus!)we arrived at the Hub and got stuck in to breaking up some very dry soil, then shoveling it into smaller bags to be carried to an accessible exit for PCC to collect. Danger Dave, Lucy, Andy and Katie took turns shoveling and carrying. There was even a race with rubble, and a certain amount of cheating was definitely noted!

Judy and Val did a sterling job picking up litter and finding a decent number of lost toys too!

We even had time for a hula-hoop competition before we headed off - congratulations to Lucy and Katie for their winning efforts!

Today we were pruning, weeding and dead-heading the rose bushes. The combination of heat and breeze meant that it smelt delicious. The butterflies and bees clearly thought the same and were happily buzzing about. We really noticed the difference in tidiness once finished, and it was off to the Hub for a cool down, a cool drink and biscuits.