Earlier in the autumn some Goodgymers had visited Mrs D to clear a path to her front door. This week Frances and Hazel returned to clear the side passage so her family & carers could reach the back door & back garden.

Having successfully navigated Barnet's hills to reach the mission (a combined 210m ascent) and gratefully accepted some tea, we took a look at the problem: literal thorns in the side of Mrs D's house. There was supposedly a path around the house, but you'd never know given the bramble jungle that had taken hold.

Gauntlet gloves and secateurs to the ready Frances & Hazel got stuck in, lopping through brambles as thick as broom handles that stretched back metres. A couple hours later and a gate became visible, proof that this was a path and giving a route into the back garden again.

After another half an hour we'd bagged up the brambles, filling the green bin & four bags. Not bad for an afternoons labour! The newly cleared path also revealed the scale of the bramble problem behind the house, which has become so substantial it's started to damage the conservatory! Perhaps this mission is gearing up to be a trilogy...?!