A 5km uphill run from a mission in Perivale took me to Northolt, the least-known area of GoodGym Ealing. It always feels remote when I venture there to do some GoodGymming.

"When you climb that palm tree to cut the leaves, you'll probably see Hillindgon from there!" - Ms D.

Ms D was the beneficiary of my last mission of the day - she had a sense of humour! She also had a garden, which, despite being covered by a membrane to prevent the growth of the grass, still needed a lot of work. The main troublemaker was a palm tree that kept losing its long leaves. A carpet of them laid on the paving and the membrane, making the place look really messy. Ms D felt bad about the state of her garden and was worried that I would make judgements about her and her sister, Ms J. The ladies were both in poor health, but Ms D was determined to make a real transformation in the next 90 minutes, while I was there.

Have you ever wondered how professional cleaners manage to do so much in a short time frame? Ms D used to work as a cleaner and knew all the tricks - the first part being thinking, the second just quick, hard work. She commenced a fast-paced blitz, getting involved herself and her sister in the task. She was everywhere, pulling weeds, cutting rose bushes, and tying knots on the palm leaves bunches I've been collecting. I was worried she was exerting herself and suggested she could take a break.

"I don't feel right when someone is working in my house, and I am not doing anything." - Ms D
"Technically, I am working in your garden..."
"Being pedantic, huh?"

As much as she was hard on herself (and I couldn't have done anything about it), she kept checking if I was ok, asking whether I needed a drink or a break, and worrying that I might get ill, working in the rain that caught us. Of course, I was fine, but it was nice of her to think about others, despite setting an intense pace. She and Ms J decided to be sensible when the shower got more intense and hid inside the house, while I finished sweeping the paving.

At the end of the mission, I spread a bagful of bark on the flower beds to suppress the weeds, then went to unload two more bags from Ms D's car (which she wasn't able to do herself) and tipped their contents (also bark) in the front garden.

Ms D and Ms J both gave me a handshake and a hug - they were super grateful for the help and impressed by how much we had achieved in 90 minutes. After the blitz, I took an easy-paced, mostly downhill, 9.5km run back home. That concluded my activities this bank holiday weekend.