It wasn't meltingly hot! Hooray! In contrast, those GoodGymmers who had "splashed" out on rain jackets had the first opportunity to wear them and found they're excellent at being waterproof.

Elliot joined us for his first ever Group Run/Walk having come along to a double community Mission back in Spring - we're hoping it won't be too long before he comes along to another session.

The school soon had us busy with cutting down brambles with tools of varying success - long loppers, short shears and a variety of methods to get the clippings into wheelbarrows to take downhill to the compost heap, better known as the old pond that we'd lovingly cleared if brambles a couple of years ago... At least we can come back in a couple of years to move it all again!

As ever at a GoodGym Bristol task, specialists in the doffetent tasks soon emerged - deep de-brambling by Richard B, tidy trimming by Elliot, taste testing by Frances , fork-filling wheelbarrows by Dushyant and Richard G, wheelbarrow wanderings by Ed and Vaguely Northern Darren (who also sawed some stuff he saw) and deep digging by Caroline.

Soon a small, skilled team ventured into the Forest School to dig up rogue brambles growing in there, and not to play around at all. Wheelbarrows were flying (not flying) down and up the hill to be re-filled and re-emptied, tools were lost and found, the rickety fence was revealed and James, one of the school's governors was really impressed with how much clearer the space was, for the last week of term. With many fewer blackberries as they'd either been eaten by GoodGymmers or sent down to the compost heap.

Intermittent rain was very welcome compared to the heat of the last week or so, and the browned grass will soon be lush and green, just in time for the school summer holiday!

Looking forward to clearing out the compost heap/pond when we're asked to de-bramble that, and hoping there're as many berries to eat. Until next time...

Beating the impending heatwave (number 3 of 2025), we gathered in the shade at Workout (except Roddy who was determined to stand in the evening sun) and set off in two group - the runners with Richard now as a fully-fledged Fitness Leader (taking charge of the requisite First Aid Kit) and the walkers where no-one's really in charge and conversations are many and varied.

We had a plan, we knew we were preparing table cloths and decorations for the Festive Friends lunch on Friday, and watering the planters that were very dry. Except none of the decorations material shad been left out, so we kept ourselves busy with watering and weeding the edges of the building and front/side walls so he outside would look lovely for the Festive Friends. At least there wasn't a big pile of bunting to untangle!

There are planters of herbs and many fruits - a fig tree that's looking amazing (note to self - ensure we have a visit in 5 or 6 weeks' time when they should be ripening nicely), raspberries, gooseberries and wineberries where scientific sampling was carried out.

Then the Top Excitement of the evening overshadowed all other finding, conversations and puns as a little hedgehog was spotted and we ensured it found a quiet, shady spot to curl up. I say ensured, when we went back to check it had found itself a good temporary spot, but we're happy to take the credit as we COULD have helped if it had been needed.

We discussed a fitness session as the foot/cycle bridge is quite high, steps and slopes so lends itself, if only there'd not been an impending heatwave, and the pollution levels from the motorway below are possibly not ideal...

Soon we were climbing and descending the bridge just the once on our way back to Workout where it was the perfect evening for sitting out on the terrace.

Fantastic GoodGymming, Bristol!

Still the heatwave, 9 sweltering GoodGymmers set of from Workout to meet 2 more at the evening's task - Hebron Burial Ground. This is a project for the summer to help the local residents get some control in at least some of the space!

With thicker gloves deployed, Long and short snippers, the piles of brambles were soon growing but not before they'd drawn small amounts of blood from various GoodGymmers who'd chosen shorts over leggings in the heat. Congratulations to Frances who went with leggings anyway.

The secondary battle was with stinging nettles amongst the brambles, then with sticky bud whose seeds were targeted and thrown at other GGErs.

Some beautiful bees were making the most of the blossoms whilst other brambles already had delicious berries ready to eat.

Gerry and Jem had kindly provided water to keep us hydrated and we topped up before we made our excuses and headed back to the city and GoodGym Eats as it was the first Thursday of the month. Crispy Dosa was this month's venue with Dushyanthelping some of us choose tasty dosas and then found he'd ordered soup with lentil doughnuts (this may not be an accurate description).

Oh, and the Gromit Unleashed 3 trail is now live, with the GG obligation to take a photo with any sculpture you find when you're with at least one other GGer. Obviously.

What is the difference between a chard and a beetroot and do beetroots and carrots (loosely) have root in the name as you eat the root? One of many questions we had this evening.

More weeding of the beds this evening as we avoided the punnets(?) of potatoes and the other veg. I wonder if that blackbird found the slug…

We also got to see the totem replacement for the cockerel and marvelled at the carving.

Until next time…

Ohhh, as an added bonus... look out for Shia LeBeouf!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o0u4M6vppCI

A very warm evening greeted Bristol GoodGym with Matt making his first appearance - hopefully the first of many!

Runners and walkers set off for Brunswick Cemetery after the usual health and safety chat with the plan to take out as many buttercup seed heads before they could scatter to make more weeds next year. The hot weather has meant they're "ripening" really fast this year.

A breakdown in communication meant the runners had started on pathfinding the lovely spiral that keeps disappearing with some swapping to the buttercup blitz.where we filled black bags and were still only halfway through the park!

It was soon time to head back to Workout for a well-earned drink or two to chat a bit more about life, the universe and everything. More to follow next week!

We Rock (ran) and Roll (walked) to Hebron to continue the battle (of Evermore) against the bramble (on)!

The rain (song) had stopped in the evening, and despite me feeling a little dazed and confused, we headed over the hills and far away to continue to give the bramble no quarter!

Only one reported bramble injury tonight, but it was nobody's fault but mine.

Jerry would love us to come back, as long as I stop putting song titles in the reports, so iIm sure we'll be back soon as I've ran out of Led Zeppelin titles I know.. next week, The Beatles!

Last Picture is the anonymously placed statue is Princess Caraboo (centre) :-)