Summer is well and truly here, with light, bright evenings, long sleeves long since forgotten and a smell of warmth that hangs in the air there’s no deny it. It is my absolute favourite time of year to run and this week we were lucky enough to have an outdoor task for Colchester in Bloom.

13 of us headed off to the allotment. When we arrived we were greeted by Pam who was already there and keen to set us to work. Always up for a giggle Pam joined us in trying to teach Tav the floss dance. Spot those in the group who work with children, Emily and Louise flossed effortlessly whilst the rest of us….well let’s just say the hips don’t lie – we need more practice!

Pam split us in to two groups, diggers and planters. About half the group set to work digging over the large beds. It was tough and gruelling work as the ground was compact and very dry. Even Carl with his pick axe struggled to break the ground up. However, the group did a fantastic job and Helen cleared away several barrow-loads of weeds. The other half of the group set about planting, weeding and bulb sorting tasks. Ella and Tav wrestled a net, whilst Chris and Michelle sorted bulbs and Emily and I got stuck in to some weeding – pulling out all the weeds that had sprung up since our last visit only a couple of weeks ago.

Pam was keen for us to stay longer but with the light fading and the pub calling us for our GG social it was time for us to pick axe where we left off and head back!