Our Mission today in South Kenton was Silvia’s first ever GoodGym deed (BIG UP!!) We were in the back garden of Mr. V who following a stroke, now has limited mobility to tend to it.

His large lawn had become a waist-high meadow, and the beds either side were no longer distinguishable from it. With the one pair of shears we could see available, it looked to be a big job. However there was a mower, so with Mr. V’s help we connected it up and saw what it would do. After making a good job of a small area, it started to smoke and then came to a stop – evidently the grass was too long for it to cope. We put it back in the garage and re-assessed our prospects.

With the size of the lawn and the single pair of shears, we decided to focus on the beds instead. There were some healthy looking roses 🌹 that were to stay, but everything else we sheared, forked, or pulled out by hand, taking care to avoid the rose thorns (not always successfully😱) Among the things to axe were Alpine strawberries 🍓 and lots of mint 🌱– the makings of some sort of delicious cocktail, which would have been just the ticket out in that July heat. Mid-way through Mr. V’s kind wife brought us some chilled water to drink.

In 90 minutes we made it through the beds down one side of the garden, and tamed the nearby lawn somewhat – but the sun was proving too much of a threat to my milky complexion, so despite Silvia still pulling away at the weeds with gusto, I regrettably excused us.

There’s still a fair bit to do, so with any luck some GoodGymmers will be back soon to sample the strawberries and mint that grow around Mr. and Mrs. V’s garden (don’t forget to bring some ice and a bottle of something 🤪)