…….and I know we’ll weed again some sunny day.

This week we were weeding, watering and digging for Victory. Thanks to everyone’s amazing efforts last week, the Three Pigeons plot was looking fantastic and the poppies were blooming in perfect time for VE day on Friday 8 May 2020. Sadly, Union Jacks and chalk were in short supply (along with flour and yeast) so plans to decorate the plot in celebration were thwarted.

We still did an amazing job and the feedback from the (socially distanced) passers by was so positive. The number of people taking photographs and stopping to say ‘Thank You’ for our work is just incredible.

This is a diary compilation of everything what we managed this week:

Saturday 2 May. Kate. I did some weeding on Saturday, I got an armful of the really tall dandelion type weeds. They were hiding in amongst the poppies but I spotted a few when I was out for a walk & I couldn't leave them!

Tuesday 5th May. James’ ‘Weed Thriller’. It was a glorious sunny morning on Tuesday as I cycled along the towpath to the 3 Pigeons flowerbed to do my bit of this week's work schedule. The plot is looking fantastic for all our efforts and although it's a shame that works on the insect hotel had to be put on hold it's great that we've found a way to maintain our little patch of Richmond riverside in these very strange times. Not being blessed with much in the way of gardening equipment I was limited to doing some more weeding - and since Anita had listed the wall beside the flowerbed and the steps down to the river as key focus areas, these became my task for my allotted time. Starting with the wall, I made good progress and soon managed to remove almost all the weeds (leaving only a couple of very spiky ones for someone with gloves that actually protect your hands!!) and moved on to the steps. Here the task was a lot bigger, as the steps and posts were heavily overgrown, but I soon made inroads and cleared away a lot of the weeds and grass from the area - and wishing I had a broom to sweep and tidy up.

Thursday 7 May. Sam. I went to the plot yesterday with my mum Charlotte. It was looking dry so we spent all our time there watering it. We met Em and James from the nearby lockup and gave them a hand lifting a metal wood burning stove into their car. Rather than using their tap, we just continuously filled up two watering cans that we'd brought along in the river below the steps. Numerous people stopped to admire the plot and said thanks for what we were doing - it was great to hear. One lady said she planned to return and paint it.

Bank Holiday Friday 8 May 2020, Anita. I had only meant to do an hour. Four hours later I was still there and a little sunburnt, however I:

• Planted out chives and thyme donated by City Harvest.

• weeded the area in the middle where the Insect hotel is going to be.

• Planted a myrtle bush from my own garden. I’m a bit doubtful about it’s chances of survival as I had to sever a main root to get it out of the ground, but if we keep it well watered it might survive. Myrtles, dwarf acers, dwarf buddlia and a prostrate juniper will form part of a more structural central planting once the Insect Hotel is in place.

• Watered-in the new plants.

• Collected up small stones as I was working, moving them to the new ‘gravel garden’ area next to the silver bollard.

• Talked to more than a dozen people about the Plot and GoodGym.. The very first person to pass by was a runner who stopped to say ‘”Thank you. It gives me great pleasure and is stunning”. I also met Linda who was one of the original team of Richmond Society volunteers who worked to transform this previously neglected Council plot.

The Three Pigeons plot was designed to be a wildlife garden, so it was a particular pleasure to see so many bees and also a Common Blue butterfly

If you can help out again in the coming weeks, please keep signing up for solo sessions of watering, weeding and other tasks. The session for the week ending Friday 15 May is here: https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/three-pigeons-plot-rescue-3-week-to-15-ma-2020-watering-and-garden-tasks

(With apologies to Ross Parker, Hughie Charles and Vera Lynn ).