On a classic drizzly autumn evening, with our fearless leader off-duty, I did my best to uphold the good name of GoodGym (no pressure, right?).

We kicked things off with a bit of DIY — assembling some planks into a raised bed.

Then Mark, Sarah, Julie, and I got stuck into the real fun: shovelling, wheelbarrowing, and tipping load after load of wood chip into place like pros.

Just when we thought we were done, we were sent... to the bad place. Yes, the compost heap — the stuff of rancid, smelly nightmares.

But! Turns out we were being a bit over dramatic. This time it was far less pongy than a couple of weeks ago! So we bravely shovelled barrow after barrow of the wormy mush into the new raised bed.

Just as we finished up, the rain returned right on cue — like nature’s version of a mic drop.

7 Goodgymmers got a clean bill of health at the doctors this week as they lent a hand at the Hornesy Central Nrighbourhood Health Centre

Doctor's Orders

Our wonderful host for the evening kindly sent the list of tasks we achieved at our mission tonight. He says: "sheet mulching open soil with corrugated cardboard, mulching paths with woodchip, reusing a surplus pallet collar to create an instant raised bed, part filling the raised bed with part broken down oak and softwood logs, filling up the bed with part composted brewery waste, planting a selection of mint plants into repurposed Haringey Council Recycling bins, rehoming a beautiful Sedum or Ice Plant, watering in all of the new plants with rainwater."

Can you believe we managed to do all of that in an hour? Never mind the limited access due to the car parked uncomfotably close to the gardens entrance. Highlights of the evening included Julie and Sarah becoming de facto elevators to help get the many wheelbarows used tonight onto the garden, and poor Sam and Gramps in a race to outretch each other as they worked on the massive pile of composted brewery waste. Ooof, what a smell!

In the end, an evening that had threatened to be a damp squib turned into a lovely sunny evening full of fun and games.

I love it when a plan comes together.