Wood chip is the essence of winter GoodGym tasks. It's so versatile it makes the young trees happy, keeps the soil warmer and keeps your feet out of the mud.

A famous philosopher once said:

Be wood chip, my friend. Empty your barrow. Be formless, shapeless, like wood chip. You put wood chip on a path, it becomes the path. You put wood chip into a barrow, it becomes the barrow. You put it in compost, it becomes the compost. Now wood chip can nourish or it can kill (weeds). Be wood chip, my friend.

Not deterred by the number of tasks related exclusively to wood chip this winter, a group of GoodGymers joined the Tuesday group run to remove old wood chips from paths between vegetable beds in Walpole Park's walled garden. The second part of the task was to spread the fresh wood chip in place of the old one.

Today we welcomed two new joiners: Thien An and Nerea 🎉 We also welcomed a new run leader in GoodGym Ealing! Sevan who just obtained the run leader status, stepped up and led today's session 👏

We met a Bodyline and split into two groups. Jenni led the walking team: Thien An, Nerea, Mike, Claire, Milly and Madhan that walked a loop around Walpole Park. Sevan led the runners, Raj and Kash, via the route around Walpole and Lammas Parks.

Both teams arrived at Rickyard, where they met Chris. After beating the complex security system, we opened the tool store (this time the alarm didn't go off!) and collected the tools:

• 4 shovels

• 3 wheelbarrows

• 3 rakes

In the walled garden, the team started the task by excavating the old, decomposed wood chips from the paths, while a couple of us went on a desperate quest to find the fresh wood chips. A big pile of mint-condition wood chips has been seen on Sunday afternoon very close to the walled garden - but just outside the park's gate! After trying several different gates that all turned out to be closed, the wood chip seekers expedition gave up.

The Wood Chip Removal Squad did a great job taking out the old wood chips and spreading them in the nearby fruit cage! 👌 Next time we'll find a way to put those fresh wood chips where they belong!