5 of us started running from The Showroom. We stopped a couple of times to take photographs of The Big Moon. It was so low, big and bright and we were all over the moon. Nice evening for a run to meet the Sustrans team. John explained that it is no more called Sustrans but it is now known as 'Walk,, Cycle , Wheel Trust'. We worked hard but fast as we are all fit. The team were very impressed of how fast we tackled the street and collected cans, trash and rubbish. Simon came to join us too on his bike and trailer and he worked very hard too and longer than us because we all waited and chatted with the others. Eventually Simon came but were all still busy taking photographs of the Big moon.

After meeting for our local Park Run, we headed in the pouring rain to tidy up the community garden space at the allotments. The wind had already ruined the shed roof but we found a dry corner to leave our stuff. Bind weed, stinging nettles, brambles etc were cut and removed and we tidied and trimmed generally. Yoseph run about 8km to join us and in the tipping rain we ploughed on. Back to Annie's for breakfast and to warm up.

There was an Abundance of volunteers this Wednesday lunchtime to harvest apples with Friends of Whirlowbrook Park, and thank goodness, because what a crop!

We met Nicola and other "friends of" at the entrance to the park and were led to the recently unearthed orchard, where there were 5 or so apple trees that had been hidden and not harvested for an estimated 30 years, plus lots of newly planted baby fruit trees.

Celine kicked things off with a wassail, blessing the trees with a verse, some apple cider vinegar and toast(!)

We then set to the usual work of clearing windfalls, getting in with telescopic pickers and then the fun of shaking the trees and catching fruit with a big tarpaulin. Yoseph was our intrepid tree-climber today, taking on the branch shaking from the top.

The bumper crop was quality control sorted into firsts, seconds and thirds. Most of the thirds were left for nature and, after we took as many as we wanted, the firsts and seconds will be distributed to good causes.

On a quiet and dry evening a team of goodgymmers ran up the hill - up and up all the way to the very top, but the views are as breathtaking as the climb up.

Garden angel Angela welcomed us to the school garden and laid out the tasks in store for us fir this autumn themed session:

• Sawing down dead conifers at the bottom of the garden
• bringing up the trunks and branches to the top
• hammering down stakes between which a dead hedge would be built at a later stage as a cosy home for wildlife

In no time, we had split into 2 teams, sawing away, wheeling offcuts and branches, hammering and bashing away all under a bright half moon.

Shout out to our hardworking crew tonight:

Lumberjack Rachel, scourge of the dead trees, joined by parent volunteer Rachel - yes 2 Rachels! Dead conifers beware! Wheelie good wheelbarrow driver Cat; Stake rhythm bashers Celine & Yvette; Masters of the hammers James and Yoseph; and recording the action and encouraging the team Annie still recovering from hip and elbow injuries - top marks for making it out tonight!

In under half an hour, we had cleared the dead trees and staked in the soon to be hedge.

We concluded all this sawing, wheeling and hammering actions with a gorgeous green tomato cake baked by Angela! Delishious!!!!

We then said our goodbyes to Angela and Rachel, promised to come back soon and rolled down the hill, a lot quicker than on the way up. Until next time for a winter inspired session!

Tonight we were off once again to meet Karen and her Pitsmoor Pickers crew. A new member had decided to come along for the ride too, make sure to giveYoseph a cheer!

We headed out from the Showroom on a relatively short run up to the meeting spot from where the evening's litter picking was to commence. Waiting for us and raring to go were Karen's team of 5 litterpickers. There were some new faces and some familiar to us. Bags, litter-pickers and hoops were distributed amongst us and then a plan of action was quickly devised. We would walk to the top of the Rock Street where there was a rubbish hot-spot, then make our way back down the road, picking on the wing. Annie kindly offered to keep an extra bag on her so that we could all put any cans that we found in it to later be recycled by Karen for cash to go into the litterpicking kitty. The area, thankfully, was not as bad as we were expecting; maybe lots of the rubbish that was on the hill has been washed down the road into the river? Hopefully people have just been keeping the place clean!

After a solid 45 minutes of refuse relocation we gathered up all of the filled bags and posed with them for the obligatory group picture with full bags. Following this we said our goodbyes to the Pitsmoor people and trundled off back down the hill to the Showroom. There we stretched off the key muscles used in the evening's efforts and popped inside for a refreshing (if expensive) drink.

This was the 3rd or 4th time I've been to Mr D over the years and he's so cheery, it was lovely to see him again. He remembered me and spent 15 minutes giving me his life updates before I had to remind him to put me to work!

I started by clearing grass and weeds from the pathway to his front door, then cleared some leaves and cut back a bush that was growing onto his neighbour's entryway. He kept bringing out more and more tools in case they might be needed - I guess it's useful to have options!

I finished off by bringing the green waste through to the back where it will line his planters and he proudly showed me his chillies, tomatoes, herbs and flowers.